At the same time, on the mountain road in the distance, a group of knights wearing pure white armor were walking up the road, heading towards the direction of Parsus.

"I never expected that there could be such a place in this remote place."

Morris lifted his mask, looked at the road in front of him, and couldn't help but sigh. Looking from the mountainside, he could faintly see the village of Passos. It was already spring, and it was the season of sowing. There were fields everywhere.

Seeing the farmers working hard, it looked like everything was prosperous. This made Morris a little surprised. Although such scenes were common in Seth, the Holy Country. But after arriving at the Eagle Plateau, what they saw along the way was...

It's a mess. It's no wonder that the Skaar Federation is currently fighting everywhere. After the spring blossoms, in order to prevent the National Salvation Army from seizing all the territory, the Parwood family immediately sent troops to launch a large-scale attack on the Southern Alliance.

Because of this, most of the people Morris saw along the way were displaced refugees. Even the civilians looked like they were too weak to survive. Moreover, because the labor force had been conscripted into the army, most of the fields were

There is also no one farming. Everywhere looks dilapidated. On the contrary, after entering the Passus Territory, not only the bandits and bandits who were disturbing everywhere disappeared, but even the defeated and chaotic atmosphere outside disappeared.

It was swept away, replaced by a kind of comforting happiness and ease. A few days ago, looking at the dilapidated scenery around him, Morris just wanted to turn around and leave quickly. But after arriving in Passos

, but he rarely had the idea of ​​​​appreciating the surrounding scenery and mountains.

In addition to this comfortable and harmonious atmosphere, Morris also discovered many subtleties. For example, the road they are walking on now has not only been smoothed with gravel and mud, forming a flat avenue, it has even

A small lamppost made of amber was erected on both sides of the road. This amber product can not only serve as a lamp holder to burn torches to illuminate the road at night, but can even drive away some low-level beasts and monsters to ensure the safety of the caravan.

There are not many places like this even in Seth. But they can be seen everywhere here, which shows that the lord of this territory has really taken great pains. You must know that although this thing does not cost much, most nobles are eager to buy it.

If all the money is collected in his own pocket, how can he care about the life and death of the people under his rule?

"Humph, extravagant and lustful, vulgar."

When he heard Morris sigh, a cold and tough voice sounded, interrupting his words. Hearing this voice, Morris helplessly turned his head and looked towards the place where the voice came from. He saw a man who was protected by the paladins.

The old man among them was sullenly watching everything in front of him. This was none other than Archbishop Edward, the representative of the Holy Church. At this moment, he raised his head like this, raised his goatee, and looked with disdain.

Looking at everything in front of me.

"After all, these are just illusions piled up with wealth. In life, greed for enjoyment is the beginning of depravity. Look at the suffering outside, and then look at the sinners here who only want to enjoy temporary happiness, but completely forget about the suffering in the outside world. It is simply

It’s disgusting!”

"That's what you said."

Faced with the words of the old bishop Edward, Maurice spoke with a smile, but he disagreed with it in his heart. As a member of the Reform Party, Maurice was not the kind of rigid person. And Edward's colleagues in the Holy Church

His reputation among them was not good, not only because of his stubbornness, but also because he was also responsible for judging heretics. Not only his enemies, but also many of his colleagues were examined by Edward. This old bishop was rigid and stubborn.

Anyone who disagrees with his ideas will be labeled as heretics. He himself even publicly declared at the Archbishop's Conference that those who called for reform were all heretics who had deviated from the beliefs and will of God. They should all be dismissed from office and burned at the stake.

His heretical remarks. This statement also caused an uproar, so much so that even the supreme bishop of the Temple of the Sun had to come out to clarify. After that, as a representative of the conservative faction, the dispute between Edward and the reformers became more and more acute. This time he appeared

He also reacted the most violently to this incident. He even asked the Holy Knights sent by the Holy Church to completely encircle the Parsus Territory and capture the madman who caused trouble. Of course, this did not get the approval of the Supreme Bishop.

However, the old man was stubborn and stayed in the White Tower from morning to night every day, as if he would die in the White Tower if he did not agree to his conditions. Finally, the supreme bishops took the trouble to send an investigation team.

The regiment sent him away. As the leader of the Sword-bearing Knights, Maurice accompanied him as a guard. However, he himself was a member of the reformist group, so he naturally disliked the conservative Edward.

Of course, reformers are also divided into moderate and radical ones. Morris himself is not that kind of radical, so he doesn’t really support Zhan’s approach. But after coming to Passus, everything he saw

But it changed Morris's mind about the Lord. At first, Zhan gave Morris the impression that he was a wealthy, arrogant and arrogant person. But after entering the Parsus Territory, his mind changed.

You must know that this investigation team is here to catch Zhan En's pigtails. Naturally, they will look around to see if there are any bad rumors about this lord. But the result is beyond their expectations. Almost everyone has no idea about this lord.

All the lords were full of praise. Whether they were businessmen, farmers or craftsmen, they all appreciated everything Zhan did in Passus. According to them, this lord not only collected very little taxes, but also

They are also given convenience in many places. Not only that, as long as they work hard, they can even be assigned houses and fields. This is great for the displaced refugees.

Maurice and Edward were both a little surprised by the news they heard. Of course they knew that Zhan had a lot of money, so they naturally thought that his money came from taxes in the territory. In a barren place like Passus, they wanted to live a luxurious life.

That must be a heavy tax. But I didn't expect that not only the tax is half lower than that of other places, but the collection time is also different. In other places, taxes are paid quarterly, but the taxes received in Passus are paid half a year.

Moreover, the amount paid is similar to the amount paid quarterly in other places. Even if clerics like them are not good at politics, they still know how difficult it is to govern a city and how much money it costs. After all, the rulers of many places with these difficulties have

I mentioned it to them, but I didn't expect that a small place like Passos could be managed so well.

Of course, if there is any flaw, it is that the lord likes women. However, according to Morris's investigation results, none of the women around him were robbed from nearby villages. According to those

The civilians' narrations seemed more like the retainers he brought from his family... Of course, this is not a pigtail. Let's not mention that Zhan En is not a believer. Even if he is a believer, the Holy Temple Order does not include every god.

They all advocate abstinence. It is not forbidden for clergy to get married, but most clergy are devoted to their devotion to the gods and have not developed in this direction.

Not to mention that Zhan En is a noble. It is absolutely normal for a noble family to have three palaces, six houses, seventy-two concubines and so on. If the Holy Church dares to catch this pigtail who is Zhan En, it will offend everyone in the world.

A nobleman, even as tough as Edward, would not be so stupid.

However, during the investigation, Morris also discovered some strange things. That is, there is no temple in the entire Parsus Territory. Of course, considering that this place used to be remote and desolate, it is normal that the Holy Church did not build a temple here.

But now that this place has obviously developed, it is a bit strange that there is still no temple. Not only that, the most important reason why general temples can gain a foothold in an area is that they can help local residents expel threats such as goblins and bandits. In addition to

In addition, it is about curing diseases and saving lives. After all, holy healing is still very useful, and low-level priests can also learn it to treat illnesses and save lives for local residents.

But in the Parsus Territory, a group of mages and alchemists are responsible for this task. Divine magic includes holy healing, and magic also includes alchemical potions such as cures and disease resistance. After investigation, Morris found that this

A Parsus lord built an institution called the Healing Hand, which was filled with low-level spellcasters and alchemists. They were not only responsible for curing diseases, but also selling medicines to resist diseases. This made the Healing Hand even more powerful than the temple.

It is even more popular, because although the holy water in the temple has the effect of eliminating diseases, the production is limited, and it is also used to eliminate evil and cannot be used casually. But the healing hand is different. Not only can you

For medical treatment, as long as you have money, you can buy a few bottles of medicine to take away. In this way, even if you get sick, you don't need to come for treatment every time. As long as it is not a serious illness, just drink a bottle of medicine and it will be solved.

To be fair, Morris also knew that this was indeed more convenient than the temple, and this also made him a little worried. Because everything in front of him proved that a territory could live well without a temple, and Edward's complexion was even darker. Morris

I am really worried that the archbishop will get angry. If something happens, even he will not be able to dissuade him.

According to the road signs, as long as you walk through this mountain road, you can reach the new city of Passos. Morris heard many people mention this city on the way here, and they all said that it was unique and unprecedented, which made him

He was also yearning for it. But now that he saw Archbishop Edward's face, his mood was not getting better. Because according to the plan, after arriving in Passus City, they were going to meet the lord. Who knew at that time,

What will happen?

Although he was very worried in his heart, when he turned around the mountain road and saw the rumored city of Passos with his own eyes, Morris couldn't help but froze. (To be continued...)
Chapter completed!