Laing pondered for a moment before he said, "Frey, have you found any traces of the Cult of Chaos or the vampires in the town?"
"Not yet." Frey turned serious when they got down to business. The Paladin took out some documents and said, "Ever since I came to your territory, I've spent a few months investigating the Brittany duchies nearby. I've found that there are indeed spectres lurking among the Brittany people, but I haven't found any traces of the Cult of Chaos."
The Cult of Chaos in the Empire could be described as diverse, with hundreds of flowers blooming and hundreds of schools of thought contending. From the Children of Misfortune who established and corrupted a large number of doctors during the Black Death War, to the Scarlet Skull Cult that spread among the Empire's army, to the Purple Hand of the Empire's high-ranking politicians, to the Society of Entertainers that spread throughout the Empire's aristocracy. In short, wherever there were people, the Cult of Chaos would spread.
In addition to these major Cult of Chaos, there were also the Aesthetes (Marlinburg, already destroyed), the Wheel of Shattering (a cult of sorcerers who worshipped Tzeentch), the Secret Society of Black Magic (founded by Egrim van Horstman, a fallen Light sorcerer who called himself the Dark Lord), and the Yellow-Toothed Cult (a cult of horned rats) spread in many parts of the Empire. The demon hunters, Paladins, battle priests, and paladins of the Church of Justice had paid an astonishing price for countless years to fight against the cultists.
Before the great Holy War, the Cult of Chaos had been openly active in the decaying Empire. When the second Chosen One of the Eternal Gods, "Anointed One" Isaac Kuval, went south, the Cult of Chaos also took the opportunity to rebel in Nur, trying to destroy the fighting spirit of the Empire.
However, a country nobleman who was also a devout priest led the army of the Church and the remnants of the Empire to suppress the rebellion. He was Ludwig the Savior, and I won't say much about what happened after that.
In the great Holy War, the sects of Chaos lurking in the Old World suffered a devastating blow due to their full participation in the great Holy War. Therefore, in the fifty years when Ludwig the Savior was the Emperor of the Empire, the sects of Chaos disappeared without a trace. But in fact, these sects of Chaos took decades to revive from the ashes. Among the nobles, merchants, various professions, and even the clergy of the churches of the human gods, many people were gradually corrupted into believers of Chaos.
The main reason why the Church of Justice had branches all over the Empire was because the Empire needed the Church of Justice to fight against the Chaos Faction. The true danger of the Chaos Faction came from the corruption and internal factions.
In Brittany, Alfred Frey found very few traces of the Cult of Chaos. The whole country was more troubled by the vampires.
"Brittany doesn't have the soil to breed the Cult of Chaos. The knights all believe in the Lady, and the serfs are busy running around and making a living." Laing smiled bitterly and said, "Unlike the Empire, the people of the Empire have a promotion. Many people in the Empire have jobs and are literate. With more knowledge, they naturally began to have ideas. This is the reason why the Cult of Chaos thrives."
Suria and Emilia nodded. The country's situation was different. The more advanced the technology and the higher the quality of the population, the easier it was for them to be corrupted by Chaos. The only thing that could resist the corruption of Chaos was a devout belief and a firm will … or ignorance.
"The thing is, I plan to attack an undead fortress in the Gray Mountains — Blackstone Stronghold," Laing said to Alfred Frey, "I'll need your help when the time comes, Alfred."
"No problem." Alfred Frey stared at Laing for a while. He flicked his short blond hair and said, "What else do you want? Say it! Good friend, I know you. I won't say no to this kind of thing. You must have something private to discuss with me. "
Laing could only look at Suria.
I knew Alfred would be able to see it.
"Say it, good friend." Alfreid took a sip of water to moisten his dry throat after the lecture. "What can't we talk about between us?"
"In two weeks, Bordero will hold a huge banquet. Suria, Emilia and I will be invited …" Laing told Alfred Frey about Julius.
"Understood. In two weeks … No problem. I'll go with you, Madame Suria and Miss Emilia." Alfred Frey nodded in agreement. "After six years, this place can operate automatically. And since the Cult of Chaos and the vampires are almost extinct in your territory, I don't have to spend much effort."
With Alfred Frey, a Paladin, Laing could help a little more with the matter of Julius. This was good news.
At noon, Laing, Suria and Emilia enjoyed a simple lunch in the Temple of Justice. There were smoked fish, bacon, barley bread, ham and some seasonal vegetables. This lunch was not very good, but not very bad either. It was the standard of a Paladin. Alfred Frey was Laing's childhood playmate and good friend. Although they had different beliefs, Suria still treated Alfred Frey with high respect and courtesy.
As for Laing's wife, Suria, Alfred Frey also felt that Laing's marriage with her was a match made in heaven. Naturally, he also gave his blessings. After the Paladin deliberately said some good words, Suria was also very satisfied.
Only Laing and Emilia were secretly laughing. In fact, this was another kind of show of strength and respect. Suria walked around Laing's territory and completely established her authority as a countess.
After lunch, they rested for a while. Laing originally planned to leave with his wife and little maid. However, when the group was about to leave the Temple of Justice, the wind was strong outside. Dark clouds covered the sky and a downpour fell from the sky like a waterfall, covering the whole city in a curtain of rain. The foot of the mountain near the Temple of Justice was a dense forest. The heavy rain brought fog into the air and dyed the distant mountains black.
The rain and fog soaked the territory of early spring. The lush trees and newly grown grass were covered by the rain and fog. Jean Town was close to the Oracle Mountain Range. Following the Oracle Mountain Range was the Chalon Forest. Looking out from the entrance of the Temple of Justice, the Oracle Mountain Range in the distance was shrouded in a thick fog. It was like a divine kingdom that existed beyond the horizon.
Since it was raining heavily, Laing and the others weren't in a hurry to leave. Since they didn't have anything to do, Alfred Frey brought Laing, Suria, and Emilia back to the Temple of Justice. The main entrance of the Temple of Justice wasn't very big because most of the temples of the Church of Justice were built like fortresses.
Passing through the dripping corridor, large amounts of rain poured down along the pillars of the Temple. Emilia was almost splashed by the water. The little maid hurriedly stepped back and hid behind Laing, pulling the corner of his clothes. The girl's white sandstone fishtail dress was her favorite set of clothes. She always wore it when she went out with Laing.
Leon simply let Amelia hold his arm to protect the little maid by his side. He looked at the heavy rain and knew that it would be difficult for the heavy rain in spring to stop in a short period of time. "Ah Fu, it seems that the lady also wants me to stay with you for a while."
"Just in time. The Temple of Justice has just built a noble guest room. You can stay here today." Alfred Frey was bored during this period of time. The serfs were all busy with the spring plowing. There were very few people who came to pray and repent.
"No, let's wait for the rain to stop and then go back …" Suria didn't want to disturb Alfred Frey. As a devout follower of the Lake Fairy, the female knight didn't like to stay in another God's Temple.
"There's a hot spring under the Temple. The hot spring here has been blessed by the God's power for a long time. It has the effect of accelerating blood circulation and beautifying the body. It's especially good for the body." Alfred Frey introduced casually. "The VIP hot spring pool is independent. You can use it as you wish."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Alfred Frey." After hearing Alfred Frey's description, Suria's attitude changed 180 degrees. She said to her butler, Henderson, "In that case, we'll stay in the Temple of Justice tonight."
"Yes, madam." The butler bowed his head. The group of servants brought by the female knight immediately began to decorate the VIP room.
After a simple dinner, the sky gradually darkened. Suria and Emilia couldn't wait to soak in the hot spring, leaving Laing and Alfred Frey to sit in the attic and drink dark beer. The rain poured down. The nearby mountains were full of weathered rocks. Under the rocks, a large number of short trees and shrubs occupied the area, withstanding the erosion of the rain. From the attic, they could see the mountain spring and small waterfall at the foot of the mountain. The waterfall fell into the pond surrounded by the Church of Justice. Below it was a canyon with ferns and moss.
"Ah, women." Laing raised his glass and toasted with his childhood playmate. He shook his head helplessly. He squinted at Alfred Frey. "Alfred, you must have done it on purpose."
"The Temple Knights never lie. I'm just telling the truth." Alfred Frey drank a glass of dark beer. The blonde Temple Knight paused for a moment and changed the topic. "Actually, there's a hot spring in the basement of my bedroom."
"Hmm?" Laing sensed something and looked at Alfred Frey. "So?"
"Don't you want to soak in it?"
"Then I'm sorry."
Twenty minutes later.
The two men had towels tied around their waists. They soaked their strong bodies in the hot spring water. In the round bathroom made of stone and granite, the hot spring water made Laing feel very comfortable. He screamed, "Ah! Praise my heart! "
"F * ck! We can!" Alfred also soaked his body in the hot spring. The newly promoted Holy Knight leaned against the wall of the bathtub. The basement was only twenty square meters in size, so it was relatively small. The Holy Knight looked at the wounds on Leon's chest and arms and suddenly reached out to touch them. "My good friend, are these … left behind by the Chaos Demon?"
"Ah! Damn you, Alfred, why are you touching me? " Laing slapped Alfred Frey's hand away and pointed at the scars on Alfred Frey's body. "The Chosen One from Khorne, Egil, also has scars. You have scars too."
Alfred Frey also had many scars on his chest and abdomen. The blonde Temple Knight followed Laing's finger and looked at himself. "I encountered these when I was traveling. I went to the forest with Sir Hans to fight a necromancer. We lost more than thirty knights, but we won in the end."
"That must be very tragic." Ryan also leaned against the side of the bathtub, mimicking the others.
"My Lord guided me from one battle to the next. I will devote my life to fighting evil. I believe that when my soul returns to heaven, I will return to my Lord's side and continue to fight." Alfred Frey nodded and said to Laing, "There is no victory without sacrifice."
"Speaking of which, Alfred, you still don't plan to get married?" Laing thought that Alfred Frey was also a fanatic.
"No. If I don't meet a suitable person, I don't plan to get married." Alfreid shook his soaked blonde head. Even though the two of them were in the hot spring in the basement, they could still hear the pitter-patter of the rain outside.
"Not getting married? How are you going to fight evil without children? " Laing dipped one hand into the warm spring water. He did not comment on Alfred Frey's answer.
"Marriage has always been a luxury." Alfred Frey's eyes also became a little deep. He looked up at the dense fog in the room and whispered, "The Temple Knights do not forbid marriage, but what kind of woman should I marry? With a family, can I still fight evil without hesitation like before? "
"You will. Sometimes, a family is not only your concern, but also your strength and source of fighting." Laing advised, "You are in your early thirties this year. It's time to get married. I will ask someone to find you a few suitable marriage partners."
"Forget it. Let nature take its course." Alfred immediately waved his hand to indicate that it was unnecessary. He looked at Ryan for a while and suddenly smiled. "I once imagined that neither of us would marry. The kingdom's knights and Saint Samurai would be partners, adventuring in the entire old world and spreading justice. We would accept quests and earn a lot of wealth. When we were bored and tired, we would find a city to live for a while. We would play chess and explore together and search for lost ruins. If we really needed to, we would go to the brothel to find women. That would definitely be a very happy life."
Hearing Alfred Frey's vision, Laing's mouth opened wide.
He thought that Alfred made so much sense that he was speechless.
"Laing, what's so good about women? Are they as interesting as doing morning classes and praying? You are just finding yourself a shackle by marrying so early. Look, you are now a lord and a noble. You have a territory, a court of women, and a wife. You also have so many knights and soldiers under your command. You are like a horse that has been reined in. How can it compare to the two of us in the past, when we could go wherever we wanted to? " Seeing Laing's expression, Alfred Frey continued, "Women are troublesome and pretentious. They can forget your good in three days, unlike doing morning classes where both body and mind are immersed in satisfaction. That kind of feeling is different. Laing, don't be stubborn anymore."
"If a wild horse is not saddled and bridled, then no matter how powerful and strong it is, it is still a wild horse that can't play any role." This time, Laing shook his head and laughed. "The marriage between Suria and I was solemnly confirmed after much consideration. At the same time, it was also the oracle of the Lady. Suria is very good to me. I am very satisfied with her. She is my wife."
"So, you are now married. I was just saying it casually." Alfred Frey shrugged, a little regret on his handsome and mature face. "Now, you are already an earl and the Chosen One champion. I am also an official Templar Knight. Since we have found our respective directions, let's move on."
"Yes, that is exactly the case."
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