In the side hall of Twilight Town, Todd first picked up the report that Rachel had brought and looked at it over and over again. It described the lives of 12 alien refugees who concealed their identities and entered ordinary residents' families.
Overall, these mutants initially lived a relatively peaceful life. The members of these families underwent repeated screening and comparison by Todd and Rachel to ensure they held no prejudice or ill will towards the mutant race. Even so, they both agreed that the mutants should remain discreet and not reveal their abilities prematurely. After all, the phenomenon of "professing a love for something one is actually afraid of" is not uncommon in real life.
The second report he picked up came from Huggins, mainly documenting the movements and actions of the Cumberland army. Todd initially harbored great wariness and apprehension towards this military force that had "forcibly" joined Mushy Town. Based on his experience from his previous life, the principle that "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun" is an eternal truth, regardless of time or place.
For the poorly armed town of Muxi, the introduction of such a powerful army was a blessing or a curse, and Todd was somewhat unsure. As the direct commander of this 200-man force, if Cumberland intended to seize the town, a single call to arms could easily lead to unforeseen events.
However, Todd accepted the team not only because Cumberland and Queen Mary needed to rely on him to overcome their difficulties, but also because of another reason—the mismatch between the development speed of Twilight Town and its defense capabilities.
On the one hand, in the past, the residents of Muxi Town were mostly poor people with little to no income, and the town used the church as a front to intimidate surrounding forces, so it naturally didn't attract much attention. However, with the town's development and the "escape incidents," the possibility of the town being attacked is increasing.
On the other hand, unlike the diplomacy and wars between countries in the previous modern era, this medieval-like otherworld often ignites a war over a mere border dispute, a personal attack, a careless remark, a failed marriage proposal, or sometimes even just a gesture, an expression, or a gesture. Not to mention places like Muxi Town, which is described as a "miracle land" blessed by God.
Therefore, putting aside Todd's last trump card, the "Alien," the town does indeed need a resident force to deal with any potential threats.
Todd turned his attention back to Huggins' report, which surprised him, or rather reassured him. Cumberland had voluntarily relinquished command of his troops, confiscating all weapons and armor into the Holy Treasury. He also suggested that the troops be dispersed and stationed throughout the city to assist the town's guards and the Holy Order Enforcement Corps in the defense and security of Twilight Town. The old knight himself volunteered to be an instructor, responsible for teaching the town's troops their daily training.
The last report came from Brother Joe, and it was the longest of the three. The first page of the report contained only one thing the brother did—pour out a torrent of complaints.
Too much to do, too few people, not enough money, I just want to sleep...
Todd raised an eyebrow and flipped directly to the second page of the report. Brother Joe offered his suggestions regarding the current arduous and harsh working conditions: the "Bibles" sent to the monastery earlier had been unanimously praised by the senior monks; they had even taken the handwritten copies from the library's display case and placed them in place of these new "Bibles" with impeccable packaging and handwriting. If possible, in Brother Joe's own words, "Could we consider sending more exquisite books to the monastery to recruit more monks to Twilight Town?"
Upon seeing this sentence, Todd could almost picture the monk sitting at the table, his eyes bloodshot, struggling painfully between "dying from overwork" and "betraying his friend for personal gain," ultimately choosing the latter.
With a flourish of his pen, Todd wrote the word "agree" on this page.
Turning to the third page of the report, Mr. Qiao finally began to talk about the important matters of Muxi Town.
The adjustment of the core area of Muxi Town has been basically completed. Following the block distribution of the ancient city of Taro, the building clusters of the residential area, commercial area, and public building area have been replanned. As for the planning of the external area, there is only a rough plan. Demolition and design are scheduled to begin next month: the industrial area will be moved outward to the mountains to the north, the pastoral area to the hills to the south, and the agricultural area to the plains to the east. At the same time, manpower will be recruited to construct buildings such as the Knights' headquarters, barracks, training grounds, stables, a large market, a central square, and a bathhouse.
Brother Joe had also prepared a rough financial calculation specifically for these town facilities and functional buildings. Todd looked at the long string of numbers indicating the funding requirements, carefully counted the digits, and finally gasped in disbelief.
In his report, the monk questioned, in particular, the necessity of Todd's proposal to build a "bathing area." In his view, bathing was not only useless, but would also alienate the Holy Spirit from the mortal world.
Upon seeing this, Todd suddenly realized that he hadn't showered for a week and unconsciously scratched his back.
In the Middle Ages, according to the Church of God, a dirty body was seen as being closer to God, and not bathing became a symbol of holiness. Those who had the courage to go for years without bathing were even canonized, much like the chastity arches erected in ancient times to honor virtuous women. Many devout clergy and Christians embarked on arduous ascetic practices of complete filth—in the Bible, there is even a figure who persisted in not washing his face or feet for 50 years, ultimately being canonized!
Todd wanted to change this situation, but considering the current financial situation of the residents, he had to suppress the idea of promoting the bathhouse. In the notes at the end of the report, he indicated that the construction of the Knights' headquarters and the Grand Bazaar should be given priority, and other buildings could be postponed.
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