Chapter 78 Three Thousand Silver Paladins
Nothing unexpected happened on the journey of Gervis and his party back to the Golden Castle. However, because the carriages they took on the way here were used to transport food, all the guards had to return on foot, which slowed down the return journey. It took them twice as long as the time they had taken on the way here to reach the gentle slope of the castle.
It wouldn't have mattered if we spent a little more time on the return journey, but halfway through the journey, the full moon in the sky had disappeared, replaced by spider-web-like lightning that streaked across the sky, illuminating the entire world, and the terrifying sound of thunder continued to be heard.
Gervis was very worried that it would rain. The roads in this world were all dirt roads. A rainstorm might make several carriages unable to move forward. Moreover, being exposed to the rain all the time might make people catch a cold. There was no specific medicine in this world, and those with poor resistance might die from a minor cold.
Fortunately, when they felt outside the castle, the torrential rain they had feared did not pour down.
"Phew! We finally got there!"
Riding on horseback to the gate of the Golden Castle, Gervis finally breathed a sigh of relief. They finally returned to the castle before the rain.
The procedure for entering the castle was exactly the same as the last time I returned to Gandalf's castle. A guard was lowered from the castle with a sling, and the gate was slowly opened after confirming Gervis' identity.
"My lord, thank you for your hard work!"
Gervis and his companions filed into the castle through the castle gate. Anna and Thomas were already standing in the vestibule. As soon as Gervis dismounted from his horse, Anna came up with a towel and handed it to Gervis.
"My lord, you have worked hard!"
Anna has now become Gervis's personal maid, and all these matters of serving Gervis are now done by her. Thomas, on the other hand, stood behind Anna and did not come forward. He just waited for Gervis's instructions with a flattering look on his face.
"Thank you, Anna!" Gervis wiped her face and hands with the towel and handed it back to Anna. He looked at her cute face and thanked her with a smile.
"Thomas, ask the kitchen to prepare some hot food for the soldiers. Oh, and roast some of the storm wolf meat. Lord Nashen and I will also want to eat some later."
It was already midnight. Everyone had been busy for half the night and was starving, especially him, who had been fighting the entire night.
"Yes, sir."
Thomas took the order and hurried back to the inner castle.
"Anna, there is a lot of food on the carriage. You are responsible for counting it and having the soldiers carry it into the warehouse! You are also responsible for counting and classifying the swords and leather armor, and the results can be handed over to Butler Thomas."
"Yes, sir!"
After Thomas and Anna each went to do their work according to Gervis' instructions, Gervis brought Nashen to the hall on the first floor of the inner castle.
"Lord Nashen, thank you for your hard work tonight!"
Gervis sat in a wide armchair, gulped down several gulps of juice, then looked at Nashen with a smile and said.
"Master Gervis, you are too polite. I am just following orders. It is my duty. And the reason why tonight went so smoothly is all thanks to you, Master."
Na Shen was too embarrassed to accept Gervis's thanks. To be honest, if Gervis had not designed to kill several famous knights tonight, it would be hard to say whether they could successfully intercept the convoy. Only in the camp did he and Gervis sneak attack the armored man, and the rest of the time he was basically just a bystander.
"I should thank my dear father. If it weren't for his support, this ambush plan would not be possible. I never thought that there was a mithril mine in that camp."
Gervis laughed in silence, but he felt a little proud in his heart. The top knights died under his sword. If it were not for the aristocratic law, Gervis would have the urge to hang a banner to show off.
"Master Gervis, the fewer people who know about the Mithril, the better. Especially don't let the people in the church know about it."
When Nashen heard Gervis mention Mithril, although he was also laughing, his tone became slightly serious, and he slowly spoke to Gervis.
"Oh? Does the church also collect mithril?"
Gervis was a little surprised. It was understandable that fewer people knew about this. After all, it was a crime to possess a treasure. If someone coveted it, his life would be difficult. His overall strength was still very weak. If people knew about it, he would not be able to protect the mithril mine in the buffer zone. It was just that Nashen specifically mentioned the church, which made Gervis a little confused.
"Yes, Master Gervis, the church collects mithril. Most of the mithril in our principality is taken away by the church. Some mithril mines are even mined by the church. Only a small part of the mithril mines are hidden by the lords and mined and sold privately."
"Lord Nashen, the church isn't at war, so why would they need so much mithril? Even if they were to equip a few knights, they wouldn't need that much, right? Are they deliberately hoarding it to raise the price? Doesn't the king interfere?"
Gervis was a little confused. Although mithril ore was a good thing, it was not edible. The church actually monopolized the mithril of the entire principality. Gervis could only guess whether the church wanted to make money, but such a mercenary behavior was different from the original owner's impression of the church.
"No one knows what the church wants so much mithril for, but the price of mithril is not because of the church. Mithril is rare and has great uses, so it is so expensive. 10 gold coins for one gram of mithril is the price sold by the church. Alchemists use this price to buy mithril from the church. As for those lords who sell it privately, the price may rise to 11 gold coins per gram, because the number sold by the church each year is limited, and only alchemists have the right to purchase first."
As he spoke, Nashen took a few sips of the juice in his hand, moistened his throat, and then continued to say to Gervis: "The church is very powerful. The pope of the church is a top golden knight, and the church has three knight orders. The Holy Knights are all composed of silver knights, with a number of about 3,000 people. The strength of the remaining two knight orders is unknown, but the knight orders are stationed in the Holy City. No one except the people of the church can go to the Holy City."
Hiss~
After hearing what Nashen said, Gervis took a deep breath. This was the first time he knew that the church was so powerful. No wonder it could take half of the tax revenue from the lords and monopolize the mithril. Even the king did not dare to object.
Gervis knew that the Paladin Order was a legion that provided security for the church when it traveled around the continent. However, he did not expect that this order was composed entirely of silver knights. The thought of it was daunting, and this was only the church's open armed force.
God knows what the strength of the other two knights stationed in the Holy City is, but since they can be used as a trump card to protect the Holy City, Gervis thought that they are always stronger than the open Knights Paladin. To put it conservatively, their strength is at least comparable to that of the Knights Paladin.
If it is true as speculated, it means that the church has nearly 10,000 silver knights, as well as a top-level golden knight pope, and archbishops with extraordinary strength. Gervis feels that unless several major duchies unite, they will be able to compete with the church.
"It seems that the information about this mithril must be kept secret. When it is used, it can only be used little by little. It cannot attract the attention of the church, otherwise I will have to give up the mithril mine."
Having fully understood the terrifying power of the church, Gervis also took seriously the confidentiality that Nashen had instructed him to keep.
(End of this chapter)
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