The last time Loren came to the church was when he was on his way to the imperial capital of Golovin.

At that time, Byrne Cathedral still did not come out of the shadow of the "Red Blood Castle Beast" incident a few years ago - because of the Centaur War, the Dwarven Kingdom Civil War, plus the construction of new armies, wizards' guilds and "Firmament Wings Legion", Byrne simply did not have much money and materials to really invest in the restoration of the church.

Coupled with the fact that a large number of high-ranking members of the church frantically resold all kinds of metal utensils in the church, and even the statue of the Holy Cross, three years later, many ruins of the explosion and fire can still be seen, and only the cathedral itself has barely been repaired.

On the one hand, there is really no way to do it, and on the other hand, it is also to avoid being influenced by too many church voices when developing the wizarding guild - for a long time, Byrne Cathedral was more like an elaborately decorated tomb, and everyone living in it couldn't wait to leave.

And when Webb took over Byrne Church, it was only a year before the entire church was renovated.

Although the Byrne Church lost a great deal of wealth and a steady income after abandoning a large number of parish administrators, estates, and estates, it also reduced its expenses while winning the friendship of the upper echelons of the principality.

No matter how much Loren resisted the Church, he had to admit that their influence in the empire and even in the principality was almost half to half of the belief in the Holy Cross and the traditional worship of the Valkyries, which were not inferior in any way.

After settling an agreement with the Countess of the Red Blood Castle and having a small stable income, Webber used donations from all over the duchy to restore the cathedral and plan the design according to his heart's content.

Born in the imperial capital, the young clergyman, who had spent a long time in Lothair, was disgusted by the mystical majesty of Golovina or the extravagant style of Byrne, and admired Lothair's "simplicity"—a place of church preaching, with only a pulpit, icons, benches, and a cistern of holy water.

As for what organs, incense jars, crystal chandeliers and marble statues...... After meeting the corrupt deacons of the former Byrne Church, Webb became extremely disgusted with these things.

On more than one occasion, he publicly denounced these as "goods" that "corrupted the mind", and told Charlotte that she should advocate frugality, use her money for moral cultivation, and let the workshops in the city produce cheaper tools, medicines, and daily necessities instead of expensive luxuries, and should reduce the number of monthly banquets and drinks.

Of course, the proud Countess of the Red Blood Castle couldn't have listened at all.

The banquet was still held, the duke's seat in the Hall of the Round Table was replaced by wooden chairs and marble high-backed chairs, crystal chandeliers were replaced by better fluorite lamps, and the luxury goods produced by the alchemy workshop and Byrne's fine wine were still sold throughout the empire.

For Charlotte, a "pure Byrin", there is no banquet, no food, no wine, no music, paintings, sculptures, artworks, incense and beautiful costumes......

What's the point of such a boring life?

Weber even wondered if the faith in the Church and the Holy Cross was just a "luxury" for life and spirit in Charlotte's eyes, like wine, food, or beautiful clothes.

After several failed attempts to "save", Weber could only focus on the purity of the church itself—he had been trying to restore the ancient church model from beginning to end, and he had always pinned his hopes on making the Holy Cross Church a moral model that could lead the believers.

"I already know about Ain... Ah, I'm sorry. ”

Outside the corridor of the cathedral, seeing the obviously unhappy expression of the black-haired wizard, Webb hurriedly apologized: "I was outside when you and Isaac were arguing, I didn't mean to ......"

"It's okay, I know what's going on. Waving his hand helplessly, Loren interrupted him: "You're not here to persuade me, are you?"

"Of course not, I am your friend, but not your family, and have no right to interfere in your marriage. The little priest Weber nodded, his expression right:

"Putto the Holy Cross is to the Holy Cross, and to those in power - what I want to do is to marry you and bless you before the Holy Cross, not to interfere with your rights. ”

"As for Charlotte and Ain, they're good girls, though... None of them are devout believers in the Holy Cross. Speaking of this, Webb sighed involuntarily.

Whenever I failed to preach or was not understood, I felt a deep sense of frustration.

"Really, just not religious?" Loren glanced at the little priest Weber, "I thought you would use the power of the bishop to force me to judge them." ”

Webber was stunned at first, then laughed.

This kind of "joke" can only be made between the two of them.

"The Old Book of the Holy Cross says, "Birth, knowledge... These are never evils, the real evils come from the infinitely expanding desires of our own hearts, and this is the power that destroys everything. ”

Saying lightly, Weber stared at Loren with a sincere expression: "Ain is also my friend, I also know her as a person, and as a humble servant of the Holy Cross, I am still ashamed of her kindness and bravery. ”

"As for the ungodly... That's the sin of our people, just as it's the sin of a shepherd dog to let an innocent lamb go missing in the pasture. ”

"If anyone burns her at the stake under the pretext of 'witches,' it is not because of unpiety—this kind of scheming, greedy, ill-intentioned person is the wretched man who is really destroyed by inflated desires. ”

Silently bowing his head, Loren breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

Of course, he was not just joking, but also to confirm Weber's attitude.

It would have been impossible for Weber to snitch or reveal the true identity of the little wizard, otherwise he wouldn't have had to wait until now, but his opinion on the matter was still important.

For witches... Even for wizards, the attitude of the church has always been very tough, and Weber, a young priest from the imperial capital, knows better than Loren what the attitude of the church towards witches and heretics is, and what kind of crimes are in the church if he deliberately ignores or even conceals it.

In a sense, this is tantamount to completely splitting Weber, and the Byrne Church behind him, with the Holy Cross Church.

"Actually, you don't have to worry about me at all, Loren. The usual calm words of the little priest rang out: "From the day I became Bishop of Byrne, this kind of thing was almost inevitable for me. ”

"At first, I had fantasies that fantasies could change the atmosphere of the church little by little, but the story of Little Yoder soon taught me a lesson and made me see a... Very scary fact. ”

"That is, the Church is now more akin to a semi-independent 'principality' than a church—only the principality is too divided, and the 'territories' are scattered throughout the empire, and the system is more dispersed. ”

"This 'principality' has its own army, finances, and people, and the bishops and church priests are more like governors and tax collectors appointed to extort money, or to compete with the local lords for power...... "The little priest sighed, as if determined:

"If this monster is not destroyed, if it is not fundamentally denied, the church I hope for... It can only exist in hope forever - because if they really understood what I was going to do, they would definitely kill me. ”

Closing his eyes, the little priest with a pained expression trembled slightly.

Loren had seen this expression once, and that was at the royal trial, when the young priest Weber finally met the dagger.

He knew that what he was doing was cruel, and he knew that he was going to hurt a lot of people, even making his former friends, parishioners, relatives, and even mentors enemies that he had to defeat... Don't say it, just thinking about it makes him feel painful.

But he's going to do it, because that's Webb.

No matter how painful it is, no matter how unbearable it is, my heart is like a knife... As long as he thinks he's right, he won't stop - crying until he can't stop crying, trembling all over, and waving the butcher knife in his hand without hesitation.

"They won't kill you. Loren's voice was smooth and serious:

"They're going to have to kill me first, and I'm never going to give them that chance. ”

The little priest, who was slightly startled, opened his eyes, and an urge to laugh and cry came to him.

But in the end, he also pursed his lips, only bowing slightly.

"I won't interfere too much about the wedding, just let me know when you think about it or need my help. The little priest whispered:

"Right now we're dealing with the Church of the Holy Cross and the dragon - as far as I know, the citizens and nobles of the Red Blood Fortress have their opinion on the crimson dragon... Very big. ”

Although Webber had carefully considered his words as carefully as he could, Loren couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

In just two or three days, the people of the Red Blood Castle had quickly changed from fear, curiosity, and excitement to extreme chaos about the existence of the dragon.

Yod Jr. complained to Loren that the crimson dragon's demands were almost incredible, and that the demand for live cattle and sheep was "enough to eat Byrne in a year";

Unfettered, even roaming freely in the territory of the Red Blood Castle, the dragons often infested the woods and farms, and although there were very few casualties, the damage caused was very severe.

The appearance of the dragon is more like a fuse for Byrne, either a question of the loyalty of the Turin family, or a hope to improve Byrne's status in the principality, and all kinds of voices are constantly emerging and noisy.

"I have always believed that Loren you are loyal enough to the Empire, or at least to His Highness Brandon, and have no ambitions to become Emperor. The little priest reminded, "Just as I have absolute confidence in the loyalty of those brave Byrne knights. ”

"If this chaotic situation is allowed to continue, coupled with the deliberate guidance from the Heavenly Dome Palace and the Church, it will soon become out of control and develop for the worst. ”

"And the worst-case outcome is that before facing the Azorean elves, a civil war will first break out between Byrne and the Empire - this kind of room-fighting situation must be avoided as much as possible!"

When the words fell, Webb's expression was extremely serious.

"And what are your plans?" asked Loren dryly.

Since Webb brought it up, he must have had an idea.

"I'm just making a suggestion to you. After a slight pause, a smile appeared on the face of the little priest Weber—the feeling was as if he had returned to the ancient wood town of Lothair:

"The current chaos is not so much because of the dragons as it is because you, Loren Turin, have been in this situation because of the prestige you have earned at the Battle of Ebolden, and the esteem you have received in Byrne and even within the Empire. ”

"The nobles of Byrne want you to go further, the knights of Byrne have unrealistic ideas, and the attitude of the Heavenly Dome is more subtle, and the church is full of hostility. One by one, the little priest listed the questions:

In such a situation, it is impossible for you to put forward any kind of idea that will satisfy everyone, let alone win the approval of the majority, and if you try to do so, you will only offend everyone. ”

So my advice is not to take a stand right away and let this confusion continue—the Holy Cross teaches us that faith can only be weighed in hell, and that faith that has not been tested is worthless. ”

"Only through the test of chaos can you know who are your real enemies and which are your friends to unite with, and so is faith, and so is loyalty......

Weber, the little priest who had touched his heart, sighed, and Loren, who saw this, did not interrupt him, but continued to walk forward.

"Let's not talk about that, let's talk about the next wedding. Cheering up, Webb smiled reluctantly:

"There's less than ten days left, and while that's a bit abrupt, I'm wondering... Have you decided?"

"What?!"

Loren was shocked: "There are less than ten days left?!"

"That's right, everything is going according to plan. Webb frowned: "Charlotte didn't tell you?"

What did she tell me?!

A sentence almost blurted out, but Loren quickly stopped him—he suddenly remembered that he had barely seen Charlotte since that day.

"To be honest, I was surprised when I first heard about it. Webber, who didn't notice Loren's expression, continued: "I thought that a guy like you who cares about practical interests would not care about anything traditional or anything like that—I thought you would marry both Charlotte and Duke Salica at the same time. ”

"After all, you are the leader of the Turin family, and even if you don't have this idea, the Turin family must want to strengthen itself, and even be able to compete with the de Salion family - I know how proud the descendants of the ancient knight kings are. ”

"How dare I?" Loren thought he was joking, "What's more, marrying two at the same time... Neither the Holy Cross Church nor the Imperial Law could agree to such a thing, right?"

As soon as the words fell, Weber, who was still laughing just now, suddenly turned his head and looked at Loren with a puzzled expression:

"The Holy Cross Church and the Imperial Law have restrictions on this, how could I not know?"

Well?!