Lin De was somewhat bewildered by the huge crowd in front of him.
Lind helped Leonis, who was kneeling on the ground, to her feet and led her aside.
"Leonis, what's going on? Why are there so many people?"
Leonis explained:
"They are all builders of the church. The church knows that your territory is just starting out and is in dire need of manpower, so it sent them to help you build the church."
"These people are all highly skilled construction craftsmen who have participated in the construction of churches in various regions many times, and have also participated in the construction of noble castles more than once or twice."
"The adults only need to take care of their meals; the church will handle all other matters, including the materials and expenses for building the church."
"Your Excellency can also send them to build a castle for you; you will surely be satisfied."
Linde felt this wasn't a good place to talk, so he sent men from the military camp to settle the group in and let them stay there temporarily.
Lind then took Leonis back to his mansion, intending to discuss the rest of the matter.
To be honest, the sudden appearance of these people gave Lin De a headache, even though they were clearly talented in construction, and even seasoned civil engineers would have to admit they were experts.
He was too lazy to bother looking for architects, so his castle was now secured.
The main problem is that with so many more people to eat in the territory all at once, Linde feels that his food supplies are not keeping up.
Although he still had a large stockpile of grain in the warehouse, the sudden arrival of 400 more people still made Lin De somewhat worried.
Leonis promised that they would not remain in Lind's territory as subjects after the church was built, but they would certainly have to eat in his territory.
The slaves he had previously purchased had already consumed a significant portion of the grain, and it would be quite some time before the territory could produce its own grain.
Looks like I'll have to go to the fortified city and get some food...
Thinking of this, Lind intended to subtly remind Leonis to find a way to reveal Swift's identity, but he saw that Leonis seemed hesitant to speak.
"What's wrong, Leonis?"
It seems there are still some things to attend to at the sanctuary...
"My lord, there are three other matters I have come here on behalf of the Holy Church."
"oh?"
This surprised Lind somewhat; there were so many juicy stories about the Holy See?
Leonis then took an exquisite box from the package on her back and handed it to Lind.
"Firstly, this is a personal gift from the Holy Church to you, and we kindly request that you accept it."
Linde opened the box with some curiosity, wondering what the ever-generous Holy Temple would bring out.
Inside the box lay several carefully packaged alchemical potions, as well as a very peculiar holy emblem.
Linde immediately recognized what those alchemical potions were.
That's a total of 5 Gold Advancement Potions and 1 Fine Bronze Advancement Potion!
"!?"
Is the church really that arrogant? Are they trying to bribe me?
This made Lin De suspicious. The church was building churches, giving people away, and sending medicine. Was it trying to win him over?
Or perhaps, the Holy Church reached some kind of agreement with his count father, forming a united front?
Indeed, the sanctuary had just helped the Earl quell a cult invasion that could have been no less serious than the Consecration Ceremony. The old Earl couldn't possibly refuse the sanctuary's request; it's quite possible that some kind of agreement was reached between them.
Only when you arrive at his place will you receive such a lavish gift.
Seeing Linde staring blankly at the few alchemical potions, Leonis couldn't help but remind him:
"My lord, that thing next to the potion is a holy emblem bestowed upon faithful believers by the sanctuary. It is said that wearing this allows one to glimpse the holy image while praying."
These words made Linde take notice of the item. He picked up the holy emblem and examined it closely, feeling a mysterious and alluring attraction about it.
Now was not the time to delve into this, so Lind looked at Leonis, signaling her to continue.
"The gift you just gave is the first thing. The second thing is that the church has appointed you as the priest of this place, and I have appointed you as your deacon nun."
"puff!"
Lin Degang almost spat out his water after taking a sip. "There's not even a church in sight yet, and I'm already a priest?"
The Holy Church's attempt to win them over is all too obvious.
Linde recovered for a moment, then asked:
"And the last thing?"
Leonis then said with a somewhat serious expression:
“Investigate the Church of the Fortified City and Viscount Swift thoroughly; they are very likely accomplices of cultists.”
Linde thought about it and agreed. The Holy Church wasn't stupid. Anyone with eyes could see that there was such a large underground cult stronghold near the Fortified City, with a scale that was even comparable to a town. How could it not have been funded by Viscount Swift?
The only difficulty is that Viscount Swift is, after all, a nobleman in name only, and part of the Earl of Sutherland's faction. The Church itself finds this matter somewhat difficult to handle, as it involves divine authority and royal authority.
However, this time, with Earl Truk joining forces with the Holy Church, they will definitely bring up Viscount Swift's involvement in cults and collusion with foreign powers.
It remains to be seen whether Viscount Swift's standing with the Earl of Sutherland will be enough to save his life.
At this point, Leonis continued:
"Furthermore, if this matter goes smoothly and the cult rooted in the Fortified City is caught, the Holy Church will offer other rewards that will surely satisfy you."
Lind nodded. This was good news for him; he could now rightfully get back at Viscount Swift, whom he had long wanted to avenge.
Previously, because he secretly colluded with Tamarin to instigate a war between humans and orcs, he may have also had the idea of profiting from the war.
Because of this deep-seated hatred, Lin De had long harbored the idea of tearing him to pieces.
Seeing Lind nod, Leonis finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried that Lind would distance himself from the Holy Church because of what had happened before and refuse this mission.
Now it seems I underestimated Lind.
Although he didn't know what method Linde had used to trap Saen, judging from the rumors along the way, Linde, the son of an earl from a remote place, must have something extraordinary in his possession.
However, Leonis covered up all these secrets for Lind, and publicly claimed that it was the work of the Holy Church.
She didn't want to expose some of Lind's hidden cards because of herself; perhaps in her heart, she already considered Lind and the Holy Church to be on the same level.
"Alright, are you free now?"
Linde got up from his seat and stretched a little.
"Hmm?" Leonis asked, somewhat puzzled.
Lind reached out his hand to the former Holy Knight.
"Come on, let's join in! Today is the day the fertile land calls, a day for celebration."
"..."
"good."
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