A week after the submission period ended, the list of winners was posted on the bulletin board in front of the church.

To the residents' surprise, there was only one winner, and it turned out to be a prisoner named Hans.

After that, rumors circulated that His Holiness the Holy Son personally received the prisoner at the Knights' headquarters. While everyone was curious about what this man named Hans had written, a large tent was being temporarily erected in the square in front of the church in Muxi Town for a theatrical performance.

The tent took a full two weeks to set up. During this long period, a play based on the novel "The Robin" was also officially presented to the residents of Muxi Town from this tent.

That evening, a total of 300 audience members came to the simple theater with 200 seats.

During the hour-long performance, people initially talked loudly, but as the plot unfolded, their voices gradually lowered, eventually turning into endless weeping and sobbing.

Despite the simple stage setting and hastily arranged props, the tragic fate of the father and son in "The Robin" deeply moved the audience, leaving them overwhelmed with sorrow.

In the following days, the stage play "The Robin" caused a sensation throughout the entire town of Muxi. Not only were the performances sold out, but people from faraway towns even traveled for a day and a night by carriage just to get a ticket.

As for the screenwriter, Mr. Hans, he was completely treated like a star and was adored by everyone.

Todd not only delivered the competition prizes and performance income to him as agreed, but also allocated funds from the Muxi Mutual Aid Fund to establish a "literary studio" for him, supporting his full-time writing.

Through this "Storytelling Contest," some changes are quietly taking place in Muxi Town.

First, people's views on literature gradually broke free from the shackles of theological allusions and myths, taking a big step towards the awakening of self-awareness and a transformation in thinking.

Secondly, the success of "The Robin" spurred the commercial development of literature and drama. In Muxi Town, more and more merchants saw the enormous business opportunities, eagerly seeking any potentially successful novels and plays, indirectly creating a driving force for grassroots creative output.

Finally, and most importantly, the demand for literacy in Twilight Town grew exponentially, driven by literature and drama. For those with the means or the dreams to pursue, a new path in life—writing—was presented. And to put their thoughts into writing, they first had to learn to write. Driven by this motivation, and at Todd's own initiative, free classes run by monks and students sprang up like mushrooms after rain. The people's surging enthusiasm, coupled with the mass production of textbooks, ushered in a wave of learning in Twilight Town.

Of course, that's a story for later. Let's turn our attention back to the Knights of Twilight. After finishing up with the 'Story Contest,' Todd began to focus on military matters.

After nearly three months of expansion and reorganization of prisoners, Todd convened a military meeting at the Knights' headquarters. The only attendees were Huggins, Cumberland, Alfonso, and Tristan, who was attending as an intelligence agent.

The meeting began with Harkins introducing the expansion achievements of the Twilight Knights: relying on the "Inheritors" and explosive packs, the Knights' forces were invincible, winning every battle. Harkins led his troops to conquer a total of eleven fiefdoms, relocating approximately 1,300 residents to Twilight Town and acquiring around 130,000 silver moons in wealth. Through numerous battles, the Twilight Knights' reputation had greatly increased.

Cumberland then incorporated 229 prisoners into a cavalry company of 25 standard lances and a semi-organized heavy infantry regiment. During this time, Alfonso took over the town's defense from Huggins and conducted a new round of selection and training for the militia.

Finally, Tristan, a deacon from the Papal States capital, shared the news he had recently learned from the Church with the Knights of Twilight.

The first piece of news concerns the situation on the Eastern Front. The combined forces of the Holy Guard and the Knights Templar have been fighting for months against the allied forces of Silver Ring and the barbarians. The largest clash occurred twenty days ago, with both sides deploying a total of [number missing] troops in an encounter at a mountain pass near Watchtower. After a day and a night of fierce fighting, although the combined forces of the Holy Guard had a better casualty ratio than the allied forces, the battle ended with the Holy Guard retreating.

The second piece of news came from the south. According to information obtained by church missionaries, sectarian strife within the southern desert kingdom of Fatima, under the political machinations of a prime minister named Saladin, had gradually escalated to a fever pitch, and the infidels who believed in Allah were at risk of breaking out into civil war at any moment.

The third piece of news came from the Papal States. After the "Disaster of Truth" incident, the First Inquisition collected a large amount of evidence of heresy. Although the secular nobles of Tero City tried their best to prevent the trial from proceeding, the situation was becoming increasingly dire for the arrested scholars and disciples.

Regarding the first two matters, Tristan's advice to the Knights of Twilight was only four words: "Wait and see." But regarding the third matter, he appeared unusually anxious and impatient.

The young deacon initially thought that the Church, in the past, had always had to consider the feelings of the secular kingdoms when judging the faculty and students of the academy. He assumed this trial would be like the past, all bark and no bite, ultimately fizzling out. But to his surprise, the Pope seemed determined to target the academy's people. Ultimately, this was less a trial of truth and more a warning and threat to secular power.

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