Chapter 94
The execution chamber is currently mainly under Uther's control, but Veris did not intend to entrust this matter to Uther, instead sending it directly to Sylvain.
Salem can be considered Uther's hometown. Regardless of who is behind this, a large portion of the church envoys sent to Salem each year to inspect the work of various cathedrals are chosen by Uther.
Although Uther didn't interact much with other archbishops, he still had a following, especially during his years in charge of the execution chamber.
Veris did not punish Uther, but this matter was absolutely not one that Uther could interfere with.
After receiving Veris's notice, Sylvain pondered for a moment, then got up and went outside.
He needs to quickly organize a group of people to oversee Salem. As for the selection of the cardinal of Salem Cathedral, Veris has not yet given any instructions; let's wait and see.
-
Veris, who was in charge of Salem Cathedral, got to know the remaining relatively honest priests and pastors, and then issued an order that the bishops in charge of each cathedral should go to the main city of Salem within three days.
The first to arrive were naturally the churches around Salem's main city. These people had some connection with the cardinal, and they were all on tenterhooks. Veris sat in the study that once belonged to the cardinal, flipping through the account books of the past three years. He glanced at the group of people and saw their guilty conscience clearly.
He only asked three questions.
First, the division of personnel within the church; second, the taxes and actual income for the current quarter; third, adherence to dogma.
They could barely answer the first question, but when it came to the second, their expressions changed, and they stammered and couldn't answer.
Veris told them to pack their things and get out of the church.
A junior pastor was standing nearby. When Veris told someone to get out of the church, he would mark a name on the register, signifying that person's expulsion from the church.
Finally, someone finished answering the second question. Veris looked at him, unsure if he believed him, and began reciting dogmas and the general code of law promulgated by the Execution Division several years ago.
bishop:"……"
Stumbling and hesitant, but still managing to finish the answer, Veris put down the thick booklet in his hand, looked up at the man, and said, "Since you know these laws by heart, why do you still knowingly break them?"
The man's face turned deathly pale, his eyes darted around, and he said in a bitter voice that it was the cardinal who had coerced them.
Those who hadn't yet had their turn nodded quickly.
Veris smiled and said, "Alright, then you can go and confront him."
"Take him out and lock him up."
As for the bishops of other churches, they had no idea what had happened in Salem's main city. Three days was enough time; even the border town furthest from Salem's main city could be reached if one traveled quickly.
Veris promoted several honest priests and appointed several clever pastors to replace the original priests.
Church affairs in Salem's main city are still operating normally.
During these three days, they met with bishops from all over Salem, most of whom were quite old.
Veris was very polite to the older bishops and told them about the cardinals, which successfully changed their expressions. He then said that these sinners of the church had been taken back to the Papacy for sentencing.
The entire process took only a few days, and the action was extremely swift.
The young man said calmly, "The verdict has been delivered, and he'll probably be hanged in the next couple of days."
Everyone in the study dared not utter a sound.
They knew more or less that the atmosphere around the cathedral was bad, since they had to come to the main city cathedral to report on their duties every year, but they never expected that the cardinal would be so audacious.
The mere fact that they distorted the doctrine sent a chill down their spines.
At the same time, these people immediately thought of some strange demands made by the main city church over the years, and hurriedly explained them, including but not limited to, increasing taxes, distributing newly revised doctrinal pamphlets, reducing literacy classes, and building more monasteries.
Veris frowned. "A monastery? Wasn't that abolished over a hundred years ago?"
A bishop with a brown beard said, "Last autumn, the main city church proposed to rebuild the monastery, but it was too cold in winter, so it could only be built this spring. The main city church then said that it could not allocate funds and asked us to put it on hold for now."
Others chimed in, "Yes, there's even a foundation laid next to our church."
"Are you choosing a new location? A few people came to the main city church and told us to cancel the literacy classes and build a monastery on the site of the literacy classes."
"Sigh, it's probably because we're far from the main city that they're unwilling to come to our area."
The monastery existed for less than three years. After Veris discovered that it had become a breeding ground for filth, he abolished the monastery and instead established literacy classes and a charity home.
The charity home takes in homeless orphans, and the church provides relief funds in the event of disasters or extreme weather.
The brown-bearded bishop shrugged: "Anyway, I didn't do it, so there's nothing he can do to me."
The main city church is crooked, and he feels that it will be exposed sooner or later. When that happens, they, the "accomplices," will definitely be punished no matter what.
But taxes are no good; those people in the main city church value money more than their own lives.
Veris tapped the table: "The Papacy's special envoys visit all the cathedrals in Salem every year, why has no one reported this?"
The bishops looked at each other in bewilderment.
Brown Beard: "To be honest, I have mentioned it to the Special Envoy every year, but the Special Envoy always says that he will report it to the Archbishop, but there has never been a result."
Someone else echoed his words: "I also tactfully informed the special envoy, but the special envoy also told us to wait for the outcome."
Veris frowned, asked a few more questions, and then gestured for them to leave.
After sitting in his study for a long time, Veris pulled out a piece of paper, hesitated for a moment with the pen in his hand, and then quickly wrote down a few lines.
The situation in Salem is so dire that Veris intends to send the archbishop to investigate the situation in other counties.
But he decided to ask who was willing to go first.
Life in the capital city of Papacy was peaceful, stable, and pampered; one was respected wherever one went. But leaving District 11 and going to other counties meant encountering unpredictable dangers.
When Veris's message reached the Papacy, a meeting was immediately convened within the Papacy.
Even Hilda, who was in the fourth district, rushed back, and the Holy Son Sylvain presided over the meeting.
Today is the fifth day since the Salem incident.
The other archbishops had heard some rumors, but Salem wasn't their responsibility, so they could only turn around and reprimand their own parishes; there was nothing else they could do.
Clark was originally wandering around the Seventh District when he received the disciplinary notice issued by His Holiness the Pope, and immediately packed his things and rushed to the Papacy.
With his keen intuition, he knew this time he wouldn't let it go easily.
To be able to carry out these actions within Salem, which borders the Kingdom of Lortheran, and keep it a secret for three years is truly terrifying—well, even without thinking about it, it's still terrifying.
Garcia was still sitting with his two brothers, the two behemoths together making Granva look even smaller and more adorable.
Barbara still looked like she hadn't woken up properly. Ophelia next door asked her if she was whispering to herself while hugging the alchemy cauldron again, but Barbara shook her head: "I cleaned up all the things in the diocese overnight. Fortunately, there weren't any major problems. I dealt with a few unruly priests, and the bishops sincerely admitted their mistakes."
“Oh, oh, that’s very good,” Ophelia said.
He was responsible for dealing with the royal family and some of the daily affairs of the Papacy for many years, and he also took care of the diocese's affairs in a timely manner, so he remained quite calm.
Granvard was also calm. He had recently been sent back to his diocese and had thoroughly investigated the situation there, only daring to return to the Papacy after confirming that everything was in order.
His Holiness the Pope has instructed His Son to convene a council of archbishops. Although the specifics are still unclear, it is certainly related to Salem.
The old man squinted and glanced subtly at Uther, who was sitting in the head seat opposite him.
And right next to him was Garcia, Clark.
Garcia sat upright, showing no trace of his usual playful demeanor.
Granva suddenly turned to look at Garcia: "Garcia, you look very nervous."
Garcia whispered, "Of course, I also stamped the seal of Salem's envoy last year. I feel like I'm in big trouble."
The confirmation of the list of special envoys required the seals of three archbishops.
Veris believed that the special envoys selected by the four archbishops were capable of minimizing the probability of accidents, and there had been no problems so far.
"Didn't you go to investigate?" Granva asked, his expression unreadable.
"I don't see anything wrong with it either," Garcia muttered.
Copperfield, sitting on the other side, was also on pins and needles. Granva turned to look at him again: "It has something to do with you too."
Copperfield said with a long face, "I picked the person."
Granvard: "Oh, then you're doomed, Copperfield."
Copperfield: "Don't be so smug. You stamped the list from two years ago. I stamped it with you. I remember it clearly."
"..."
The voices of the group were clear, and for a moment, a sense of sadness filled the entire meeting room, because given the three-year duration of the Salem incident, none of them could escape.
Ophelia looked at Barbara who was sighing and asked, "Barbara, which year were you in charge of?"
Barbara: "I was the one who chose the special envoy three years ago."
She paused, then added, "I remember I didn't know any of those people. I was so busy that I was dizzy, so I just randomly picked a group of people."
Ophelia: "..."
He gave a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Why didn't you say so earlier? It was me who stamped the seal that year."
Just as everyone was sighing in despair, Sylvain arrived.
He was carrying a dozen parchments and a black-bound book.
The crowd quieted down.
Sylvain didn't waste any time and went straight to the point, first recounting the various chaotic events in Salem that Veris had sent back.
What concerns these archbishops most is the selection and evaluation of special envoys.
For counties outside the eleventh district, the archbishops mostly shared the same sentiment: following the king's policy of the past few centuries, the counties remained independent, and they were more concerned with how to handle the affairs of their own dioceses, paying little attention to the church affairs of other counties.
If the archbishop above has this kind of thinking, then those below will naturally follow suit.
"They are clever enough, but lack vision." Veris had made this assessment of this group of archbishops many years ago.
Everyone wanted to protect themselves, and with the Pope having delegated almost all power in the first ten years of his life, their pressure increased dramatically, fearing that something major might happen in the diocese that might disturb the Pope.
But Veris did not believe that this was the reason for their dereliction of duty.
The church's system has long been established, and it's unlikely that any major problems will arise if it operates according to that set of rules and regulations. The Eleventh District's constantly optimized system reduces the pressure on the archbishops, precisely so that they can better handle affairs outside the Eleventh District.
This group of people, however, has put the cart before the horse.
Although Veris was furious, now was not the time to settle scores.
After Sylvain finished recounting Salem's story, he immediately moved on to Veris's plan.
It is proposed that an archbishop be sent to each county to personally inspect the condition of the cathedrals.
Those holding positions at the Royal Capital Academy gasped; they couldn't leave, but this was a golden opportunity to redeem themselves through merit.
But others also had concerns, as traveling to other counties was dangerous.
Sylvain waited quietly for their answer, his brow furrowed slightly. Even if the continent of Icarus was dangerous now, it was not as dangerous as Icarus during the chaos of hundreds of years ago.
Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long, almost a minute or two, when an old man excitedly stood up: "I'll go!"
It was Griva.
Garcia tugged at him: "Lord Granvar, you're getting on in years, perhaps you should..."
“Bullshit! I just came back from a trip around the parish, and I’m perfectly healthy!” Granva shouted, his eyes shining.
An opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
This would not only make up for the recent mistake, but also provide an opportunity to see the local customs and culture of different parts of Icarus. Moreover—this time, the Papacy would definitely allocate funds for the trip.
A publicly funded trip!
Sylvain's expression softened slightly, and he glanced at the others again: "Is anyone else here?"
Garcia was also willing to go, but the royal family couldn't do without him now, and he had to stay in the capital. Thinking of this, his face couldn't help but twist.
However, although everyone had their own reasons, no one spoke up to defend themselves. If they couldn't go, they couldn't go. Why bother saying so much?
Clark chuckled and raised his hand: "Hey, I can go too. I haven't been anywhere else yet."
He then looked at Granvar and said, "Your Excellency Granvar, rest assured, I will definitely protect you."
Granvard: "...Thank you." Clark is one of the five great magicians; he's not at a loss.
Hilda, sitting opposite him, also revealed a longing look in her eyes. Originally, he had time, after all, the royal family's population had suddenly decreased, so wouldn't he, as the main person in charge of liaising with the royal family, have nothing to do? However, he was busy infiltrating various merchant guilds during this period, and he had to squeeze in time to attend the meeting today. After the meeting, he would have to rush back to the Fourth District.
With the archbishop chosen for the inspection tour, Sylvain nodded and brought up one last thing.
The matter is brief: the Pope will impose appropriate punishments on the archbishops for their mistakes.
After the meeting ended, Sylvain hurriedly left again.
Hilda followed suit; the Chamber of Commerce still had a lot to do.
The remaining people moved at a leisurely pace. As the two bishops who were about to travel to other counties for inspection, Granvar and Clark huddled together, while Garcia was squeezed to the side... or rather, it would be more appropriate to say that Garcia and Clark surrounded Granvar.
They weren't worried about being punished; at worst, they'd just get a beating.
Fortunately, he only got a beating at the execution chamber.
Garcia wasn't angry; he was just thoughtful, wondering what the Pope's order meant.
He had a gut feeling that, given the relationship between the old emperor and the pope, this plan must have a deeper meaning.
"Reorganize the churches in each county..." Garcia suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
The moment the idea popped into his head, he almost jumped for joy, but his weight limited his ability to do so. So he had to say goodbye to his good friend Clark and hurry out of the Grand Vatican.
He has to go to the palace.
The reason why we didn't pay much attention to churches in other counties in the past was that if we did anything big in those counties, the local duke would definitely make a scene, saying that the church was interfering in their county's affairs.
It was getting annoying, and after a while, since it wasn't a major issue like rebellion, Garcia figured he could let them do whatever they wanted.
But just now at the meeting, His Holiness the Holy Son said that, strictly in accordance with the standards of the Eleventh District, all counties were ordered to rectify their churches.
What does this tell us?
This means they're looking for trouble!
Thinking of the large army marching north, Garcia became excited.
Upon arriving at the palace, Garcia hurried towards the king's bedroom. Near the bedroom, he unexpectedly encountered Crown Prince Ethan reciting a poem in the garden.
Ethan also saw his uncle, so he stopped reciting and greeted Garcia.
Garcia thought for a moment, walked over, and without asking what he was memorizing, exchanged a few pleasantries with a smile.
Ethan answered them one by one. Garcia wondered if it was just his imagination, but Ethan seemed to have gotten a bit darker than before.
He found it strange, so he asked.
His Highness the Crown Prince was somewhat embarrassed and said, "My brother took me hunting and I also had to practice martial arts. I was out in the sun every day, and my teacher said I've gotten a bit tanned."
Garcia laughed heartily. Ethan used to be a little prince who never left his home, but now he actually has quite a bit of energy.
However, he didn't forget the important matter. After laughing, he said in a low voice, "Ethan, what do you think of the other counties outside of District 11?"
Ethan blinked: "Which aspect are you referring to, Uncle Wang?"
Which aspect are you thinking of?
Ethan replied, “I used to think that the other counties were all fiefdoms of our relatives, and everyone was law-abiding and maintained the peace of Lortheran.”
“But Brother Wang told me that those relatives are all traitors who betray their own people, and that sooner or later they will all be taken down.”
Garcia was stunned for a moment when such rude words came out of the mouth of the once noble little prince.
He remembered that not long ago, this nephew was still feeling melancholy and sentimental.
Ethan noticed Uncle Wang's shock and whispered, "I was wrong before, Uncle Wang, please don't look at me like that anymore."
Garcia: "..."
To transform a lamb raised for sixteen years into this state in just a few months, no, in half a month—the old emperor truly possessed extraordinary abilities!
Garcia chuckled, told Ethan to study hard, and then went to find Lortheran.
Outside Lortheran’s study stood several ministers, all of them dull-looking, with slumped shoulders, like wilted eggplants.
The sound of Lortheran's rude curses could also be heard from inside.
Upon seeing His Highness the Prince, the ministers hurriedly greeted him.
Garcia waved his hand, signaling his secretary to go in and announce the news.
After the secretary went in, the cursing continued for a while. Then the door opened, and several ministers came out carrying official documents. They smiled at Garcia, but their smiles were full of misery.
Garcia: "..."
The secretary came out and said, "Your Highness may go in now."
Garcia suddenly hesitated to go in. It was all the fault of these people; they must have angered the old man again. What if they took their anger out on him?
Despite his youthful appearance, the old emperor still had a terrible temper.
As a plump figure squeezed into the study, Lortheran, who was drinking water, didn't even look up: "What is it?"
The secretary thoughtfully closed the study door.
Garcia shrank back and honestly recounted the events of today's archbishops' meeting.
Lortheran: "How many incompetent fools are there in your Grand Papacy? Let me see if there are more incompetent fools in the court or in your Grand Papacy."
Garcia dared not reply, but instead smiled ingratiatingly, "I heard His Holiness the Pope say that the churches in other counties are being renovated and strictly according to the standards of the Eleventh District. I have a guess in my mind..."
Lortheran placed the water glass on the table with a "thud," and looked Garcia up and down.
“That’s right,” Lortheran answered readily. “I want to abolish the counties and divide the entire Icarus into districts.”
Garcia gasped.
Then I heard Lortheran say, "Reed is going north, and I'm thinking about going south. Garcia, could you lose weight? Veris and I recommended you, but you're too fat, so I turned you down."
Garcia said with a mournful face, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty..."
The young king waved his hand: "Don't apologize to me, apologize to your own flesh."
After he finished speaking, he said seriously, "I plan to have Ethan go with me."
Garcia's mournful face froze for a moment, then his expression changed drastically. He thought to himself that Ethan could barely ride a horse, let alone charge into battle while the commander and his adjutant rode those magical beasts.
But then he remembered seeing Ethan standing in the garden under the bright sun, reciting his lessons, without a trace of complaint.
A great curiosity arose in his heart: "How did His Majesty teach Ethan? The change in him is truly remarkable."
Lortheran calmly took a sip of water: "I took him to stay in the army for two days, and then to stay in the most chaotic district of the capital for two days. That's about it."
"So, I was forcing him to ride a seventh-tier magical beast while chasing after a sixth-tier magical beast. Oh, it seems the roles are reversed now; he's being chased far away. Then I had to fight him one-on-one and make him run. Sigh, young people can't afford to be weak. Back when I was his age—"
Lortheran paused for a moment, recalling when he was sixteen, torn between continuing to cut grass by the river or leaving his home to find a new path.
“I can cut grass from an entire valley,” he said with a proud grin.
Garcia remained silent; mowing the lawn was simply too far removed from his own royal lineage.
"Oh right, I also replaced his teachers several times, and they finally became more pleasing to the eye."
Garcia couldn't help but say, "Letting Ethan go south is just too dangerous..."
Lortheran stroked his chin and suddenly said, "You're right, he absolutely refused to go at first, so I hired a helper."
Garcia: "?"
He watched as Lortheran pulled a piece of paper from the messy desk and handed it to him.
Upon taking a look, oh, the handwriting looks so familiar—isn't it Granva?
The above sentence is also brief: "The cradle of literature lies in suffering and on the journey."
"This kid hasn't given up writing novels yet, but his writing skills are so poor that he's practically unknown in the capital. I told him that he needs to go through hardships before he can write a work as excellent as Mr. Granvard's, and he agreed without hesitation."
Lortheran recalled Garcia mentioning that Granvars was among those who had gone to inspect churches in other areas, and couldn't help but sigh, "That's the power of example."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Granvar's Free Trip Dungeon Difficulty: Two Stars
Ethan's publicly funded trip difficulty: 5 stars
Ethan (moved) (made up his mind): I'll listen to you, idol!
See you tomorrow! [Sprinkling flowers]
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