Chapter 402 Help
Soon, many people discovered that unlike his gentle appearance, the new Pope Pavard Miller was actually a madman.
At this critical juncture when there were powerful enemies outside and internal strife, instead of trying to stabilize the situation and appease the church, he announced with astonishing courage that he would carry out reforms within the church. He drastically cut many high expenses that were considered traditional, and reduced or even canceled a series of luxurious and cumbersome religious celebrations.
He even publicly announced as the Pope that if one wanted to spread the glory of Zephyr, the god of light and glory, it did not depend on the height of the statue or the splendor of the temple's decoration, but on the respect and awe in people's hearts and the devout practice of the doctrine of light. He also actively encouraged many priests to take off their gorgeous robes, take up arms, go out into the secular world, and fight against the Ferros people together with their poor "brothers and sisters."
This rhetoric was extremely inflammatory to the lower-level priests and believers, as if the Glorious Church really intended to make a clear break with the corruption of the past, and it perfectly fit the image of Pavaton Miller as a "common bishop" - or now it should be said as a "common pope".
However, the royal family and the nobles were enraged by this act of solicitation, which could be described as "betrayal". They attacked the young Pope as a spy of the People's Party, who had connections with the Ghost and was a traitor who attempted to seize military power and overthrow the Silver Iris Empire.
However, the other party was too adept at asserting the moral high ground. Standing in Yuanxin Palace, he bluntly questioned the ministers who besieged him, asking if those who refused to live lavishly, exploit the common people, and surrender to foreign enemies were all members of the People's Party. Under the queen's sullen gaze, no one dared to respond, and they could only mutely try to find other ways to make amends.
The political struggle is intensifying.
Everyone suddenly realized that accusing political opponents of ties to the Populist Party had become the best tactic for attack. Regardless of whether this was true or not, the Queen seemed furious at the repeated defeats in the battle against the Populist Party. She was also deeply dissatisfied with the old nobles, led by Duke Cam, who did not support royal reforms and were constantly plotting against them. Suddenly, she actually singled out many nobles and ministers suspected of colluding with the Populist Party, some even sending them to the guillotine.
The noble blood of the nobles stained the cracks in the stone of Kite Heart Square, mingling with the rainwater to form a murky, dark crimson stream. In a mere two months, the various factions of the royal city underwent a silent earthquake and a bloody reshuffle. Some new nobles climbed the ladder, stepping on the blood of their peers, edging closer to Queen Esmeralda, while others lost their fortunes and reputations overnight, unable to even save themselves or their relatives.
The Bateman family is one of them. Marquis Mani Bateman, the right-hand man of Duke Kamu who proposed and implemented the infamous "Imperial Thirteen Taxes", was suddenly imprisoned on more than ten charges. His eldest son, Jolini Bateman, the Knight Commander of the Kite Heart Guards, was forced to suspend his post pending trial for suspected "betrayal of the royal family", but he "died of a sudden illness" before he could be brought to trial.
As for the only remaining son of Marquis Bateman, his second son, Tran Bateman, he inexplicably disappeared without a trace from the St. Bartolomeo School of Warlocks in the middle of a stormy night.
…
Ironthorn Territory, Ghost's hometown, is only about two days' drive from White Tower Town where he made his fortune.
Once a barren, narrow expanse of land, haunted only by shepherds and weavers, this place is now the only place to have been transformed into a vibrant district simply because of its "ghost" name, attracting countless tourists. The Brody family mansion, now dilapidated and on the verge of collapse, has become one of the world's most precious and famous historical sites.
But at this moment, Tran Bateman didn't see the value of this place in the slightest. He was in a state of disgrace, his coarse cloth robes, tattered and tattered from days of fleeing, stained with mud and dirt. The irritating rain soaked his hair, and his clothes clung to his skin. Even on a summer day, the nights were chillingly cold.
The political storm that swept the Batman family came too quickly and too violently. His father's imprisonment and his brother's sudden death happened almost overnight.
If his father and brother had not believed that the St. Bartolomeo School of Warlocks was even safer than the royal city during the war and ordered him to stay in the school; if Marquis Bateman had not mobilized all the remaining strength of the Bateman family in prison, ordering and helping him to escape quickly, little Bateman would probably have disappeared silently like the rest of the family in a cold dungeon somewhere in the royal city, or simply "committed suicide."
The journey of escape was extremely difficult, with fear and hunger following him everywhere. He did not dare to reveal his identity, and in just ten days, the hardships along the way almost wore away all the pride of a nobleman that little Batman had.
He had slept in filthy haystacks, stolen raw potatoes from farmers' fields to fill his stomach, dodged bandits and Fellowes men, and even seen his own wanted poster. But as a top student at St. Bartolomeo's School of Magic, every horse hooves and every interrogation was enough to make him as frightened as a mouse.
Compared to his brother, young Bateman wasn't as bright, but he knew that all the glory of the Bateman family had been shattered at this very moment. His former acquaintances were probably desperately trying to disown the Bateman family, and if he rashly approached them, he would most likely be caught in a trap and become a prize for the Queen's efforts to gain her favor.
After thinking it over, little Batman was horrified to find that the only person he could go to at this moment without losing his life immediately was the Ghost, the chief of the People's Party, with whom he had briefly "cooperated" - although it was forced.
What's even more interesting is that he and Ghost's cousin used to be classmates. Although their relationship was... uh, a little subtle, at least he had taken the risk of informing others at his father's instruction, and conveyed the news that the queen intended to send the royal city army to Ironthorn Territory.
Considering these two points, Percy Brody wouldn't kick him out the first time they met...right?
After entering Ironthorn Territory, he didn't see many people as disheveled as he was. The civilians passing by, though plainly dressed, were at least neatly dressed. But no one seemed to notice him. Little Bartman strongly suspected that the people of Ironthorn Territory mistook him for a refugee displaced by war.
But it was almost the same. When Tron Batman saw Percy Brody, whom he had not seen for a long time, in the Brody family mansion, he suddenly saw from those cold and arrogant eyes that he looked extremely miserable, no different from a beggar fleeing famine. This made him look away in embarrassment, and his fingers could not help but pinching into his palms bit by bit.
...If possible, little Batman didn't want to ask for help from his mortal enemy from school. But he didn't want to die, and his father was still waiting for him in prison.
No one spoke.
The handsome young man with black hair just sat there, looking at him coldly, which made Tran Batman's hair stand on end.
After not seeing Percy for a few years, he found that this kid was becoming more and more pretentious. He couldn't help but mutter in his heart that before, his mood changes were almost written on his face, and he would explode at the slightest provocation, but now he was as cold and unpredictable as a piece of cold and hard meteorite.
He stood there, nailed to the cold gaze, rain dripping down his hair and clothes, gathering into a small puddle of dirty water on the floor of Brody's house.
In the eerie silence, the pretended levity of his complaints gradually disappeared, and little Batman's face became paler and paler. The cold and hunger almost made him shiver.
...Big brother was absolutely right. Either crush the person completely, or don't make enemies for no reason. It was a pity that he was still young and frivolous at the time and didn't listen at all. Otherwise, the situation wouldn't be as awkward as it is now... Thinking of his big brother, who had a bad temper but treated him well, and the other person's tragic death that was obviously man-made, little Batman couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in his heart, almost crying.
"...Mr. Brody, I have nowhere else to go now." He sniffed, straightened his back, and tried his best to maintain his pitiful dignity in front of his former "enemy." "If possible, since I have informed you of this, I hope to get some help from you...or your brother."
Hearing this, a sneer mixed with sarcasm gradually appeared on the expressionless face that was somewhat similar to the ghost.
"So, you suddenly had a sudden impulse at this moment," the current head of the Brody family said calmly, his voice without emotion, but every word piercing the heart: "You decided to run to my 'slave den' and ask for help from a bumbling and dirty thief like me?"
Little Bartman's face flushed red. Shame burned his ears. He knew what Percy was referring to - he had used similar contemptuous words to attack people at school.
He forced himself to calm down, pretending not to hear, and replied in a hoarse voice: "The Batman family has obtained some information that Mr. Ghost might be interested in, about Pope Miller, Duke Kamu, and the Queen..."
"Mr. Brody, please believe me," Little Batman took a deep breath and took a step forward anxiously: "The Batman family is definitely more valuable than you think. I-"
Percy suddenly interrupted him expressionlessly: "Is it 'you' who wants help, or is it the Bateman family who wants help?"
Before little Bateman could answer, he continued coldly: "If your memory is correct, the people sent by the Bateman family indirectly killed Mr. Ghost's mother, my aunt."
As little Bartman's face gradually turned pale, the black-haired young man seemed very confused. "How dare you just show up in front of me and tell me that you, or your family, need help from Mr. Ghost and me?"
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