"Do you remember the bet we made in the King's Treasure House?"
In the silence, Wang Lu fumbled with his mustard seed bag and asked Aya.
Aya was stunned. Of course, she remembered that bet. When they fought against the military god Tannu, Wang Lu once said that he could delay the enemy's army with his own strength and win the construction time for the laborers he recruited. Then, the two of them made a bet. If Wang Lu could do it, Aya would promise him one thing. It was just that, at that time, Wang Lu didn't mention it, so she put it down.
Now that it was mentioned, Aya suddenly felt embarrassed. Chivalry required her to keep her promise, but if she gave up her insistence because of such a reason, it would be too ridiculous.
Fortunately, Wang Lu didn't intend to be so rude and direct.
"If the bet is still valid, I hope you can come with me to walk around Brettonia in plain clothes. Just consider it as an unforgettable memory for my trip to the Western Continent."
Aya was startled. She really didn't expect that Wang Lu would put forward such a request. Although she knew that he must have some ulterior motive behind it, when she remembered what he had done for her these past few days, this simple request was really hard for her to refuse.
"Very well, as long as you don't mind this tour guide who hasn't been back for more than a hundred years and can't keep up with the changes, that's good." Aya softly smiled. Thinking that in the future, she would have to part with Wang Lu, she was a bit disappointed.
Wang Lu said, "Rest assured, even if you don't come back for a thousand or ten thousand years, some things will not change … This time, it won't take up too much of your time, how about a month?"
"Of course, as long as you say it, even a year is fine."
Wang Lu softly said to himself, "It's just a drug, how could it take that long."
—
In fact, Aya was anxious to return.
Being directly sent from Dragon City to the King's Treasure House by Wang Lu, she was a bit dissatisfied. At that time, Brettonia had just won two crucial battles, which almost uprooted the local influence of Holy Light Religion. The next step was to consolidate the results of the war and stabilize the political power. And as the daughter of the King of Brettonia … her role was irreplaceable.
Even though for more than a hundred years, the people with real political influence in Brettonia were Bedivere and many other nobles, the reputation of the Knight King was still like the sun in the sky, never declining. Her appeal could speed up the process of the restoration of Brettonia, but Wang Lu just had to do it at this time...
His intention was to make her give up the throne and return to the Nine Regions with him. However, this was the only thing that she could not give in to. Although Aya had experienced too many ups and downs in her life, she could not give up her mission as a Ruler.
However, if it was Wang Lu, and if it was only for a month, then let him be. The woman thought as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
The first stop of the trip was a remote mountain area, because Wang Lu said that he had seen enough of the prosperity of the big city.
The scenery in the remote areas of Brettonia was actually nothing to write home about. The two of them walked in the mountains for half a day and then stopped in a village. Even in this remote small village, the great changes in Brettonia had already been reflected, and a vigorous vitality ran through it.
The two of them stayed in a simple inn in the village and received very warm hospitality. According to the villagers, these past few days, the village was indeed as happy as a festival. Because a lord who once relied on the power of the church to act like a tyrant in the nearby area was not long ago beheaded by a Knight from Dragon City, the dark cloud that had been hovering above people's head for many years was suddenly swept away.
This matter aroused Aya's interest. After asking about it in detail, she learned that the Knight who beheaded the lord was one of Bedivere's Dragon City Guards, and also the new local lord. Thereupon, with the consent of Wang Lu, the two of them went to the city where the lord was located.
When they arrived at the city, it was a different scene. The change of power from the old to the new was particularly obvious here. There were many traces of war in the city. Half of the most luxurious castle was destroyed, and the church next to the castle was also cut off. Obviously, the lord and the church here had resisted. In addition, the original lord's forces were purged, and many shops and workshops were destroyed or seized.
The most discussed topic in the city was the rise of Dragon City and the return of the Knight King. Most of the people were happy to see this, and they were full of confidence for the future. The city was full of vigor. Moreover, the spirit of chivalry was even more sought after by many people. One could see many people dressed as knights walking on the streets, and some were genuine knights who followed the Dragon City Guards on patrol. Of course, there were even more people who imitated them, and there were also many opportunists … But behind the chaos, it showed that the spirit of chivalry was unprecedentedly flourishing, which made Aya overjoyed.
"I knew it, Brettonia is the kingdom of knights, so the spirit of chivalry will shine everywhere!"
Wang Lu lightly smiled. "Just like the holy light shining everywhere?"
Aya was so excited that she didn't hear the sarcasm behind this question. Instead, she seriously nodded. "It will be more prosperous than the Holy Light Religion in the past, it definitely will!"
"Really? Since we've seen the bright side, let's see the dark side. "
Wang Lu said and then used a spell to confuse the mind of a patrolling soldier on the street. "What did you do with the reactionaries … no, the church's people?"
The soldier replied in a daze, "They were locked under the Cathedral, where the inquisition used to be. The church's people were used to judge heresy, and now it's their turn to be judged. "
"That place can't hold too many people, right? What else? "
"There are too many traitors of the church and its vassal churches that the underground inquisition can't hold them all. Some are thrown into the city's prison, and many are simply killed. In any case, they've been corrupted, so they all have original sin."
"Original sin?" Aya frowned, very dissatisfied with this explanation.
Wang Lu asked, "Do you mean they used to bully people and do all kinds of evil?"
The confused soldier thought for a moment and then replied, "Some of them are. Although it's not clear whether they have done it or not, after all, they are the church's people, so it's not wrong to punish them."
"What kind of reason is that? It's ridiculous! It doesn't care about right and wrong! "
Aya was immediately angry, but Wang Lu stopped her. "Why should we make things difficult for a soldier? Moreover, seeing is believing. "
Then, under the cover of spells, the two of them sneaked into the inquisition under the Cathedral. What they saw and heard made Aya's hair stand on end.
Inside the inquisition, there were countless instruments of torture. These were the proof of the Holy Light Religion's rule in Brettonia. However, the knights who had replaced the Holy Light had picked up these cruel instruments of torture and used them on people one by one.
Most of those being tortured were members of the Church. There were bishops who held great power, and young priests... However, there was a considerable number of them who were obviously just ordinary believers. At this moment, they were cruelly nailed to the torture tools, drifting between life and death.
What made Aya's hair stand on end was that some of the church's nuns were brutally abused here, and the process was unbearable.
Aya's whole body trembled in anger, and then, with a swing of her sword, she beheaded several of the leaders. Blood and brains splashed all over the room. The nuns screamed incessantly, and the scene was in chaos.
Wang Lu sarcastically smiled. "Yo, the spirit of chivalry really shines in all directions."
Aya didn't say a word, and her sword didn't return to its sheath.
Wang Lu patted her on the shoulder. "I'll handle the next thing, you don't have to show your face, your identity is sensitive."
Aya gazed at Wang Lu for a long time, and then slowly nodded.
Then, Wang Lu single-handedly swept away many guards, directly killed his way to the City Lord's Mansion, and then saw the new Lord.
And it just so happened that the Lord also knew Wang Lu. The two of them had met several times in Dragon City.
However, this time, there was no greeting. Wang Lu bluntly questioned what the Inquisitor had seen and heard, and the Lord was shocked to hear this. He explained that he had just gained a foothold here, and there were many things waiting to be done, so he didn't pay too much attention to the details below. And when the matter was investigated further, he explained with a bitter smile that when he parachuted here, there were too few people at his disposal. At present, most of the people used to maintain the order of the city were still the same people, good and bad. When there was a change of regime, people's hearts were unstable, and it was inevitable that extreme events would occur. However, he promised that he would strengthen the management, and there would never be such a crazy case again.
Wang Lu smiled without saying a word, and Aya, who was hiding behind the scenes, reluctantly accepted this explanation, and the matter could be considered to have been settled.
Then, they stayed in the city for a full half a month, using Wang Lu's illusion and Aya's legendary power to perfectly hide their tracks, as if they were hiding in the city. During this period, they carefully observed the changes in the city.
The new Lord did not go back on his word. After that day, he comprehensively strengthened the management of the city, and several people who took the lead in breaking the law were publicly beheaded as a warning to others.
However, the situation did not substantially improve. The exclusion and oppression of the remnants of the Holy Light Religion was still shocking. Many of the church's legal property was plundered, and the people close to the church were subjected to unbearable bullying. Injuries occurred from time to time. Although the new Lord repeatedly ordered them to restrain themselves, they were obviously unwilling.
Aya's initial anger, dissatisfaction, and injustice gradually turned into doubt.
"How did things become like this?"
The new Lord was not an evil person. On the contrary, after taking office, he worked day and night, but many things still quickly deviated from the development track, which made Aya very confused.
Hearing that she was finally willing to ask modestly, Wang Lu earnestly explained to her, "The change of regime is inevitably accompanied by the redistribution of resources."
"But it shouldn't be so unreasonable, it's like plundering!"
"Reason? Whose reason? "
Aya sternly said, "In the spirit of chivalry, justice is the basic creed."
Wang Lu said, "That's the spirit of chivalry, not the objective existence of the human heart! Right now, the suppression and even persecution of the Holy Light Religion, the insatiable greed in the redistribution of benefits, are not the case of one or two people, but the driving force of a group! "
Aya said, "Yes, the objective existence of the human heart is far from perfect, but the value of the spirit of chivalry lies in that it can infect others, turning the illusory spirit into a real human heart! One hundred years ago, when I fought in all directions, I did not leave behind such a mess! "
"Are you blaming the poor new Lord for not being as capable as you?"
"He …" Aya was speechless. Of course, she couldn't ask everyone to be able to do what she did.
"Moreover, even you yourself are not omnipotent. Don't forget, more than one hundred years ago, the ancestors of these greedy and ignorant civilians were infected by your spirit of chivalry. "
Aya sneered. "You're sophistry!"
"Yes, this is sophistry, but the truth is a good truth. There are three great illusions in the world: I can kill, she is interested in me, and I can change people's heart! And you, have made the third mistake! "
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