On the fourth day, Roland summoned all the nobles near Stronghold and Stronghold to the castle hall.
Although most people already knew the news, he felt it was necessary to emphasize that the Western Region had a new master.
When he stated that he would return to Border Town and hand over Stronghold to the eldest son of the Honeysuckle Family, everyone immediately began to talk. Of course, no one was willing to take the lead to express their dissent at this time. The Duke's head was still hanging high at the city gate, and the news of Timothy's defeat made it impossible for speculators to use external forces.
Except for the Knight of the Honeysuckle Family, the other captured Knight would not accept the ransom and would be escorted back to Border Town together with the mercenaries. In Roland's plan, all the mercenaries would be sent to mine and reform through labor, and the Knight would be employed after examining their repentance. After all, most of the Knight were literate and could be used as teachers for universal education. Of course, they would not be allowed to use weapons for the rest of their lives.
In this way, the Honeysuckle Family would be able to suppress the four families, and the force in their hands would be enough to defend Longsong Stronghold and the Earl's territory, Roland thought. As for the undercurrent surging under the water, it was Pérot's job to worry about.
In the past few days, he also took the time to send his guards to arrest a group of officials who caused the residents of Border Town to starve and freeze to death two years ago, including Minister of Finance Reynold. They would be tried by the people in Border Town. The only regret was that the culprit who tried to burn the provisions and killed Greyhound, Earl Hilte Medde, died directly on the battlefield without a trial.
Now, the traffic between Longsong Stronghold and Border Town had been completely restored. In the coming week, there would be more than ten sailboats every day, carrying a steady stream of supplies to Border Town. Roland guessed that Barov would be very busy. He had to receive the coins plundered from the Duke and settle a large number of immigrants. He did not know whether the temporary wooden shed he had entrusted Carr to build had been completed.
Thinking of this, he could not help but want to return to Border Town as soon as possible to preside over the upcoming farming project.
After entertaining the nobles for lunch, Roland was about to take a nap when the castle welcomed a special guest.
High Priest Tyro of Longsong Stronghold Church.
Roland's sleepiness instantly disappeared.
Unlike Border Town, the Church had taken root here for a long time. Not only had they built a church, but they had also sent a high priest to be stationed here. This was also the main reason why the Prince had decided to return to Border Town. Under the influence and indoctrination of the Church for a long time, any civilian could become their informant. His plan to have the public participate would be restricted in every way, and the risk of the witches being discovered would also increase exponentially. Unless the church was uprooted, his reforms would be impassable.
It was normal for the Church to pay close attention to the change of the Fortress Lord. Roland found it strange that they had waited until today to send a representative to deal with him. However, the identity of the newcomer was not simple either. The followers of the High Priest were high-ranking members of the church. They were in charge of supervising a region, and the territory they governed was similar to that of a duke in the secular world.
Roland received the High Priest in the hall as usual.
High Priest Tyler was a middle-aged man in his forties. He was wearing a white robe with blue edges. His clothes and appearance were neat and tidy, and he behaved like a well-mannered nobleman. If Roland had not been on the side of the witches and the royal family, he would have been happy to talk to such a person.
The High Priest must have a high-quality God's Stone of Retaliation with him. To avoid any accidents, Roland specifically told Nightingale to stay away from the High Priest before the meeting.
After Tyro saluted, Roland invited him to take a seat and ordered the servants to serve tea.
No matter what he thought, he still had to put on a good show.
"Your Highness, on behalf of the Holy City, I send my blessings," Tyro said with a smile. "You've become the true Lord of the Western Region. May God bless you."
"Thank you," Roland replied in a relaxed tone. "It seems that you don't care about me killing the Duke Of Ryan and seizing Longsong Stronghold at all."
"We rarely interfere in worldly disputes. As long as we can make the people live a better life, we're a wise king. As for which family he was born in or whether he came from the royal family, it's not the focus of the church's attention. In fact, the church doesn't care about one's status. I used to be the son of a farmer, but now I'm the High Priest of the church. "He smiled." With all due respect, Your Highness, I'm afraid no farmer's son can become a Duke. "
If he started an uprising to overthrow the royal family, he could become the king himself. Roland thought to himself, but he did not refute. Instead, he changed the topic. "So you're here today just to send blessings?"
"Blessings are only part of it. I'm also here to cooperate."
"Cooperation? What kind of cooperation? "
"In terms of expanding your territory and influence, we can help you to the best of our abilities."
"Wait …" Roland frowned. "You just said that the church rarely interferes in worldly disputes."
"Rarely interferes doesn't mean it doesn't interfere," the High Priest said calmly. "Nowadays, the fight between your brother Timothy and Princess Garcia has made the people of the Southern Territory miserable. As I said, as long as the people live a stable and peaceful life, the church will recognize him as a worthy king. And you, are such a person. "
Roland was stunned. Does this mean that the other side wants to help me fight for the throne? He asked subconsciously, "Why?"
"You led the people of Border Town to fight against the demonic beasts and safely survived the Months of the Demons, which proved your courage and ability. From the large amount of food that Willow Town bought, it can be seen that you don't want the people to starve, which is a sign of kindness. You have three noble qualities, and at the same time, you have the royal blood, which is the reason why we chose you. "
Roland simply didn't believe the reason the other side had said, but at least these words proved that even when Border Town was like an isolated island sealed off by the heavy snow, the Church was still watching this remote place.
"How can I help? Send the Judgement Army to fight for me?"
"We also want to quell the war as soon as possible, but doing so will arouse the resentment of most of the nobles, so we can only help you with materials." The High Priest took out two pills from his bosom, one red and one black. "This is the Holy City's Prayer Room, which is equivalent to the medicine made by your alchemy workshop. The red pill can temporarily give your subordinates great power, while the black pill can increase their tolerance to pain, cold, and heat by several times. With this medicine, your army will be unstoppable. And the church only charges the most basic production fee. "He paused." One pill of five Golden Dragon. As for these two pills, I can give them to you as experimental products to prove that what I said is true. "
"What do you want in return? Expand the scope of the church, and build a church in every territory? "
"Of course, this is good, but quelling the war is our original intention. As long as the people settle down, they will naturally fall into the arms of God. "
Roland accepted the pills, "It sounds amazing, but for the time being, I have no intention of fighting for the crown of Graycastle. Whether it is Timothy or Garcia, they are my blood relatives, I don't want to hurt them."
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