Chapter 105: Monastery

The two of them walked to a large tree outside the Church.

It had just rained heavily last night, and some rainwater still clung to the grass, wetting the hems of their robes as they walked.

“In fact, Knight Wolf already told me your intention,” said Piero.

Without Knight Wolf’s indication, he wouldn’t have dared come.

Especially since Knight Wolf had given both Holy Relics and a Mystery to the Church.

“This is an act of mercy, and of course I hope our Local Gentry would perform such good deeds.”

“But they told me that there aren’t many people in their families, and even wielding a hoe is difficult for them.”

“To have them go deal with Werewolves is no different from sending them to their deaths.”

In other words, they had refused the proposal.

Or rather, they felt that the cost was unacceptable.

“Administrator Piero, I believe you have misunderstood,” said Corleon.

“Kindness and good deeds are commendable and ought to be praised.”

“But sending those who cannot even wield a hoe to face brutal Werewolves—such an act of sending them to die is not what the Church desires.”

Piero was stunned and asked with some confusion, “Then what do you mean?”

“The Werewolf crisis in York Territory has basically been resolved. Only a few remaining Werewolves are left, and the Temple Warriors will take care of them.”

“Yes, this is your mercy,” said Piero.

The Temple Warriors had been searching for and hunting Werewolves across York Territory.

Though the Local Gentry had previously mocked them, for Administrator Piero, they had been a great help.

“I remember that every village has a garrison of twenty-four guards, who are directly under the Lord’s command,” Corleon looked at Piero.

“And now that York Territory is peaceful and calm, I think each village no longer needs so many guards.”

“If each village sends out twelve guards, we could gather an army of over a hundred.”

“And these are full-time guards, trained daily in combat. Compared to those who can’t even swing a hoe, they are far more suited to eliminate the brutal Werewolves.”

“What do you think?” Corleon asked.

“……” Piero looked troubled.

Though these guards were nominally under the Lord’s command, in reality, aside from some equipment, all their expenses were covered by the Local Gentry.

After the Lord had lifted the restriction on iron goods, even the equipment was now provided by the Local Gentry.

“Do you not wish for mercy and kindness to exist in York Territory?” Corleon pursued.

“No, of course. What I mean is, your idea is indeed feasible,” Piero quickly said with a shiver.

He was Yara’s ally and had once used his authority to allocate a few horses to her.

So compared to those sent to negotiate with Corleon, he was more afraid deep down.

That Fraudster Terry had already chosen their side.

“However, this will take some time—their food, their equipment, and other matters all need adjustments,” he bowed slightly, his voice almost pleading.

This was equivalent to having the Local Gentry hand over their own armed forces. Even with nominal authority and the presence of Knights in town, implementation would still take time.

“Of course. As I said, it is not about sending them to their deaths. We are going there to spread the Lord’s Mercy, to save those who are suffering,” said Corleon.

“The Church will also send accompanying Monks and some Temple Warriors.”

“Alright, thank you for your mercy,” Piero sighed in relief.

“I assure you, in no more than ten days, I will gather an army of a hundred men for you.”

“This is a good deed. The Lord will protect you,” Corleon nodded slightly.

“Yes, thank the Lord for His protection,” Piero echoed.

After the matter was settled, Piero was about to leave.

Gathering the village garrisons was a troublesome matter. Piero was already considering asking Knight Wolf to send warriors directly to negotiate with the Local Gentry.

He also wanted to use this name as leverage to regain control over the village guards.

Due to Yara, he had already passively severed ties with his family. He now represented only himself.

But just as he was about to leave, Corleon called out to him.

“That is the monastery formally completed yesterday,” Corleon pointed to the monastery and said.

“Terry has already sent two young men from her family to study.”

“They will study here for a year. After their training, they can choose to stay with the Church, become Monks, learn the Lord’s Mercy, and spread the Lord’s Teachings.”

“They may also choose to return to their families and use the knowledge they’ve gained to better their family and village lives.”

“They can also choose to travel the world, learning even more.”

Corleon looked at Piero.

“This is the Lord’s kindness. If they are willing, they may send young people from their families to study at the monastery.”

Piero was stunned. Was this about sharing knowledge?

If it were true, even for the Local Gentry, this would be a real act of kindness.

Scholars monopolized half of the world’s knowledge. The rest was divided among Lords and Mages.

Even during the previous Lord’s time, Piero, as Administrator, could only access the Lord’s library, and that had already given him bragging rights.

The Local Gentry, even after spending large sums of gold coins, could only buy vague storybooks from scholars.

Real, practical knowledge was never taught easily by scholars.

“To be willing to share knowledge is an act of kindness. I even wish to send my own children to study at the monastery,” said Piero.

“What are the requirements for entering the monastery?”

“Anyone aged twelve to sixteen, regardless of gender,” said Corleon.

“Of course, each person must pay thirty gold coins as tuition. This covers the cost of their Baptism and the scholars’ remuneration for teaching them.”

“This is reasonable. I think they will not refuse,” Piero bowed his head.

This was what they wanted.

They also craved knowledge but didn’t want commoners to obtain it.

A thirty-gold coin threshold was very reasonable.

Let alone that it included enlightening Baptism.

Piero also believed this was Corleon’s offered trade.

It made him feel even more assured.

After all, for the Local Gentry, ten days was more than enough to replace a batch of village guards.

And in the Church’s monastery, their people might truly learn real knowledge.

Watching Piero leave, Corleon shook his head.

If he could, he certainly wished commoners could also enter the monastery to study.

It was just that the times did not yet allow it.

…

Returning to the kitchen, Corleon saw Cicero holding a white bird.

“Cicero, didn’t I say that this bird is not for eating?” Corleon spoke up.

Cicero trembled, awkwardly placing the white bird on the ground and even kindly smoothing its feathers.

“This species of bird I haven’t seen before, so I was just curious, not hungry,” Cicero said evasively.

“He’s lying,” Olivia, who was sitting nearby, said immediately.

“He was just waiting for you to leave so he could roast the bird.”

“He even said he’d give each of us a leg and told us not to tell,” Melia added.

“Ahem, Bishop, these two are just kids. Don’t take their words seriously,” Cicero rebutted.

But Cicero’s words were even less believable.

Corleon shook his head. “This is a white dove, a bird that brings the Lord’s Gospel. It is not for you to eat.”

As he spoke, he waved his hand. The plump white dove fluttered its wings and climbed onto Corleon’s shoulder.

“And the birdcage was given to Agamemnon, to see if he could discover some meat birds suitable for breeding among the birds inside. It wasn’t meant for you to eat from.”

The modified birdcage would randomly generate birds, all replicas of species that existed in the world.

With the prayers of Believers, the appearing species would become more rare and precious.

Unlike before, where the birds generated reflected the desires of the sacrificers.

The birds prayed for by those Goblins were hardly birds—more like meat lumps called birds.

But this white dove appeared only after Corleon’s intervention.

Compared to other birds affected by genetic influences, these white doves were extremely pure.

Corleon hoped to train them to use the Sacred Cross on the Lord’s Throne as an anchor for communication.

If the training succeeded, they might no longer need to rely on people to deliver messages.

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