When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

#349 - Mormont's Journey (Part 2)

The curtain beside the canopy was opened, just as a cloud drifted across the sky, shielding the scorching sunlight.

A few wisps of breeze carrying moisture blew into the carriage, dissipating much of the stifling heat.

Mormont peered out and saw that they were crossing a wooden bridge.

Both ends of the wooden bridge were lined with stalls selling goods, as well as travelers carrying bundles and hurrying north.

"Why is everyone heading north?"

"Because Jeanne D'Arc Fort is up north," the coachman, a true native of Jeanne D'Arc Fort, hummed lazily. "Coming to our Jeanne D'Arc Fort to beg for food."

"Beg for food? Is it because the people of Jeanne D'Arc Fort are kind and generous?" Tarolin asked, curiously sticking his head out.

It was the middle-aged stonemason who answered Tarolin's question, equally embarrassed by his earlier scuffle with his son, using this as an opportunity to change the subject.

"The coachman is joking," the stonemason coughed. "It's because there's money to be made as a laborer in Jeanne D'Arc Fort, and the displaced can get land. Many who didn't get good land or got too little are selling their land and heading north."

This father and son's destination was not an isolated case. With the visits from the Holy Father Society monks and the Black Hat Army, as well as news from relatives and friends,

the terms 'Savior Army,' 'Holy Grandson,' and 'Holy Daughter' began to appear frequently in people's mouths.

They killed Duke Kush of Jeanne D'Arc Fort, defeated the invincible Imperial Edict Legion, and defeated the elite Transcendent Knights of Golden River Township.

Some rumors even stirred restlessness at night—the abolition of the Three-Class Agricultural System, the abolition of the 'Labor Law' and the 'Fugitive Slave Law,' no upper limit on labor wages, and no need to stay on the manor forever.

"Alright, everyone, look, this is the famous Frik Park outside of Sour Gherkin Town."

After saying this, the people in the carriage waited for a long time, but no next sentence came.

Even Mormont was speechless at the coachman's perfunctory attitude. If you're not going to say anything, then don't; if you're going to say something, then say it properly.

The group had no choice but to look out through the curtains, only to see several antique palaces nestled among the trees by the river.

On the grass by the riverbank, young men and women were picnicking on a tablecloth, while on the boardwalk along the lakefront, citizens, craftsmen, laborers, peddlers, and patrolling night watchmen and Protectorate soldiers strolled back and forth.

Mormont noticed something was off. How did this place resemble a noble's villa? Except that the tall walls had been torn down.

Before Mormont could figure out why, the coachman said again, "Look to your right, see that? That's Sour Gherkin Town's most famous place—the hospital."

"Hospital? What's that?"

"It's a place to go to see a doctor. The witch doctors from the black market have all been legitimized, and their salaries are almost higher than the Black Hat Army's."

Mormont and Balimba exchanged glances, both seeing astonishment in each other's eyes.

Previously, medical resources were monopolized by the church. When ordinary people got sick, they either endured it, sought blessings from the church, or bought expensive potions.

Medical potions were the most expensive of all potions.

Among the more cost-effective ways to get treatment was to go to the black market run by the Secret Party and buy alchemical potions.

Of course, the creators and healers of these alchemical potions were also called sorcerers or witch doctors by apothecaries.

Indeed, these 'witch doctors' often caused medical accidents, but comparatively, going to the church for treatment was just using blessings to relieve pain, relying entirely on one's own immunity to heal, and all the money was spent on pain relief.

Horn's hospital was to gather the well-known witch doctors and apothecaries from the countryside, treating patients while taking on apprentices.

No matter what method you used to treat, as long as you cured the patient, it was fine.

Even some of the more radical witch doctors were sent to Autumn Dusk Island, where they were allowed to conduct small-scale human experiments.

"Wouldn't the apothecaries protest?"

"Of course, they protested. They even ran to the Holy Advent Hall (formerly the Jeanne D'Arc Fort City Hall) to make a scene, blocking the door and preventing the Pope from leaving work, blocking him until noon the next day, making the Holy Grandson hungry for a whole day."

The coachman laughed uncontrollably as if he had thought of something happy: "That really angered the military police. They directly used Holy Rifle cork bullets to drive them away, breaking their bones and tendons, and all the ringleaders were arrested and sent to the Holy Trinity Training Corps."

During this time, while Jeanne had been safely skirmishing with the knights on the front lines, Horn had been safely maneuvering and bargaining with the landlords, citizens, craftsmen, and guilds in the rear.

The front lines were a war where gunshots could be heard, while the rear was a war where gunshots could not be heard.

"Old brother, I have a question."

"Go ahead," the coachman said, his interest piqued, much more active than before.

"That park and that hospital, they seem to be noble villas and monasteries, right?" Tarolin asked, gazing at the hospital.

"That's right," the coachman said matter-of-factly. "Those are the church's and nobles' properties, but ultimately, they belong to the Holy Grandson. If the Holy Grandson wants to use them, would they dare to say anything?"

After stabilizing the situation in Kush territory, Horn's second move was the nationalization of church property.

Churches and monasteries were transformed into schools, hospitals, and libraries, while villas and noble residences were transformed into parks, stadiums, and government institutions.

The personnel within also needed to be transformed. After all, that was the extent of literacy in the Empire. Peasants couldn't become proficient in a year of intense study.

Thus, large numbers of low-ranking monks and nuns entered the Holy Trinity Training Corps, working and studying 'The Holy Path Salvation Doctrine' at the same time.

After performing well and passing the assessment, they could re-enter society.

Nuns basically developed towards hospital nurses, midwives, and middle school teachers, while low-ranking monks developed towards agricultural personnel, accountants, and scribes.

At the same time, traveling monks in various places would look for young people who performed well and had a passion for salvation to serve as assistants.

If these young people could gain the approval of the Holy Father Society, they could enter the Holy Father Society's internal training school for study.

Through the coachman's explanation, the Savior Army's mysterious veil was gradually lifted, not only for Mormont and the others but even for the stonemason father and son, who became inexplicably excited.

"Perhaps this is what the Church of Messiah was originally like?" Tarolin murmured in a very low voice, looking at the patients strolling outside the monastery.

Balimba immediately whispered in his ear, "Don't forget how the church treated us. We're here to seek help from High Priest Pasrik, not to seek help from them."

Tarolin was a follower of the Church of Messiah before joining the Secret Party.

"They're also rebelling against the church."

"That's just dogs fighting each other," Kuru muttered.

Mormont didn't want his companions to argue over this issue, so he directly interrupted them and asked the coachman in front, "Why is the speed slowing down?"

The coachman twisted his head: "The road ahead is under repair, so we have to go along the side of the road, which is uneven. The speed will be slower. If you're afraid of the bumps, you can get off and walk a bit before getting back on the carriage."

Repairing the road? Mormont and the others exchanged glances but did not get off the carriage to avoid unnecessary complications.

The stonemason father and son jumped off the carriage and walked towards the road being repaired instead.

After all, the father and son were both stonemasons, so they must be more concerned about construction and civil engineering.

Out of curiosity, Tarolin stuck his head out and carefully observed the laborers pouring buckets of yellow mud-like substance onto the ground.

But soon, Tarolin's eyes widened, but he didn't make a sound. Instead, he told this news to Kuru, who was more familiar with this aspect.

Kuru stood up and looked out of the window in the direction of the road repair…

He simply couldn't believe his eyes. This was the territory of the Church of Messiah. In broad daylight, someone was actually using mortar and alchemy.

"Mother of God! They're using mortar and alchemy!"

Several nature priests standing by the road immediately raised their heads, frowned, and gave him a look.

"From North, outsiders, never seen the world, hahaha." The coachman had a flattering look on his face and greeted the monks.

Turning his head, he scolded in a low voice: "Don't talk nonsense. This is natural magic and natural priests. If you talk nonsense again, I'll throw you off the carriage."

Mormont and Balimba both went up to take a look, but soon their eyes widened as well.

It really was! They were too familiar with the fluctuations of magic power. They were using mortar and alchemy!

Everyone said that this was the heretic of the Church of Messiah. Have the heretics become like this now?

Or is it the magic of this Church of Messiah heretic? Is there such a magic?

"Do you think there's a possibility," Tarolin asked with a strange expression, "that this natural magic is just alchemy in a different guise?"