612

Irena stood alone in her dressing room, reaching for one last time to adjust the position of her hairpin and net.

Of course, the people of the Aurora Society—which they still need to call before officially changing their name to such and such a church—would not care what their future saint wore to the promotion ceremony today, and she herself did not care, but she needed such an act to relieve her nervousness.

In the aftermath of the Divine War, the Council of Intis remained silent about the change of gods until yesterday, when it became operational again.

The parliament, which is supposed to maintain a superficial "democracy", but is in fact controlled by the top echelons of the church and the business oligarchy, completely exposes the essence of its theocratic council, that is, everything is dominated by the church and everything is subject to the gods. The speed at which the direction and the law were adjusted was nothing short of spectacular.

The Divine War and the Lord God changed hands quickly, and with the help of himself and others hidden in the Church of the Eternal Sun, most of the believers could not react to what was happening, and this extremely small religious war was over.

She glanced up at the jeweled wall clock on the wall of the dressing room, the hour hand pointed to 9 o'clock, and it was time for her to go to church for the ceremony.

Irena took a deep breath, then retracted her expression and walked out with her chest held high.

The mansion, which used to be noisy and noisy, is very quiet today, and the servants along the road have saluted the young lady, which is rare and clean.

There was no extravagant banquet that lasted from last night into the morning, no lingering smell of wine and spices, no annoying guests who began to harass maids and manservants when they were drunk, no drunken strangers, no parents and brothers who hung out with their lovers until early in the morning...... Except for a very few deviant madmen, most of the Intis nobles have been figuring out their divine will in the past week, reducing their spending on banquets and balls, all of which made Irena feel comfortable physically and mentally, and her chin was raised a little more, and she couldn't help but walk in an elegant straight line down the corridor.

She was in a relaxed mood until her eldest brother appeared around the corner in front of her, the eldest son of the marquis with golden brown hair and piercing eyes, reminiscent of the marquis, and some kind of bird. He held a glass of sparkling wine for breakfast, as if he was waiting for his sister here.

"What's the matter?" Irena stopped two meters in front of her brother, "Honorable Viscount Clovis? ”

"Did you really decide to serve as a deacon to the Cathedral of Light?"

Taking advantage of the height difference, Clovis condescendingly asked his sister, "Your actions are tantamount to showing that the noble Montmar family has produced a traitor who believes in evil gods, and besides, this position is now stared at by many pairs of eyes at the same time, and you will be jealous beyond imagination." ”

After hearing the first half of the sentence, Irena rolled her eyes very rudely, and Clovis shrugged her shoulders as well.

Clovis showed a hint of a smile: "I have to say, sister, because of you, the family has received some boring impeachment and gossip, and those fools who can't understand the situation always like to show off their scattered brains." Speaking of which, yesterday a duke revealed his intention to intervene in your marriage contract, and he was willing to make you his eldest son's betrothed. ”

Irena narrowed her golden eyes and asked with a graceful and sharp smile:

"Do you think I'll stop at the deacon, or the main priest?"

Clovis knew his smart and ambitious sister well, and laughed unsurprisingly:

"Of course not."

"To the Duke, this is already an act of good intentions, but it is not enough. Our marriage has to be used for something more valuable, and I'm glad you didn't really believe in Him, oh, now it's time to call Him the Great Creator and praise the Lord. ”

Clovis said slowly in an aristocratic tone, and the way they talked between them was more like a collaborator than a brother and sister: "He wants to intervene in the marriage contract now, just to give you a blank check that you can rely on the marriage to inherit the other party's family property and title, but in fact, with your existence, the Montemar family already has the possibility of becoming a duke's family, and I no longer need to exchange your marriage with the duke for status." ”

Irena's smile softened again:

"What does Father mean?"

Clovis couldn't hold back a laugh.

"The old marquis dreamed of becoming a royal family." He leisurely shook the sparkling wine in his hand, brought it to his lips and took a sip, "Hehe, old people always have similar obsessions. However, the Church of the Creator has gradually expanded the scope of extraordinary knowledge popularization, and the trial operation of the "Extraordinary Management Regulations" is going well, and anyone with a discerning eye can see the meaning of the Lord and the church—they clearly want to impact the current order and expand the extraordinary influence. As soon as extraordinary knowledge is no longer in the hands of a few, more and more people will join the church. Now that the power of the world has weakened, what else do you need the royal family and the royal family to do? We might as well go to parliament and fight for military power, or become a vital archbishop. ”

He showed his attitude and looked into his sister's eyes.

"I'm glad I have a wise brother."

As the maid passed by her, Irena took a bottle of sparkling wine from the tray in her hand and shook it as leisurely as her brother: "The church is God's shepherd dog. And the royal family is nothing more than an instrument of the church, and the royal family can change people at any time, as the fall of the Sauron family has proven. At the beginning, the Eternal Sun probably felt that it was nothing more than a royal family or a lifelong ruler who changed his surname to Gustav. ”

Clovis held the goblet forward, and Irena clinked glasses with him.

"Everyone's idea is different, some people want to be a tool to enjoy the more and more ethereal worldly glory and wealth, and some people want to be a sheep who knows nothing. But to be honest, it doesn't feel good to be a shepherd dog to God, but it should be the best. ”

"yes."

"After your promotion ceremony, go to the cathedral as soon as possible, and continue to act like you are not compatible with me because of the marriage contract."

Clovis drank half of the sparkling wine in his hand, squinting his eyes similar to his sister: "This is easy for me to operate." ”

Irena agreed with her brother's words, and then asked, "The military power of the council will inevitably fall into the hands of the Iron Cross, how are you going to fight them?" ”

"Join them." Clovis shrugged disapplausively, "They're going to need a great nobleman to take the lead in submission." ”

“…… You're really open-minded. ”

After the failure of the restoration of the royal family of Sauron, the nobles of Intis realized that they were abandoned only at the whim of God, and thus had an unimaginable zeal and piety for nearly two hundred years. Although it was a matter of profit, it was not so easy to convert, and Irena could almost imagine how much the Marquis's eldest son would have to take the lead in submission and what impact it would have on the aristocratic circles of Intis.

"By joining them, I can legitimately contact the army and train my subordinates, so that I don't have to avoid suspicion and join the national army."

Clovis snorted: "It's a pity that my talent is not good, and I have only just touched the threshold of Sequence 5 until now." I have a smart and gifted sister who can help me, and it is not in vain that I have been covering up and funding you. ”

"It's not a good thing to be able to stop at the demigods."

"I understand. Let the old marquis and his useless brother go on like this, I will delay your engagement with the duke's family first, you concentrate on your business, and take advantage of the scarcity of talents in the Creator Church now, and quickly establish your reputation and power. ”

Irena nodded slightly, "I know what to do." ”

Clovis raises:

"The Montemar family will be glorious again in our hands."

They clinked glasses again and drank the sparkling wine.

"By the way, sister, there may be a time when you need to come forward this year." Clovis suddenly remembered something, "The scale of the battle between Fersack and Rune in the Amanda Mountains has tended to increase, and it is estimated that Fersak will soon open a second war route from the Sea. ”

"We've had several of our distant relatives in Rune write to ask what the price is for receiving them."

Irena couldn't help but raise her eyebrows: "This is already looking for a way out?" ”

Although the secular aristocracy is also quite small in war, such behavior is also a little too spineless.

"Yes. In a more tactful way, you can contact their dependents and ask them how much property they have......"

……

Beckland, Rune Veterans Club.

Councillor Mahert takes Dwayne beyond a larger room, where the intricately carved mahogany door is a sign of the user's high value.

Before entering the door, Councillor Mahert took a deep breath and said to Daun in a low voice:

"I must apologize to you once again."

"And those who didn't come here are families with survivors."

The mahogany door cut off the breathing and heartbeat of the guests inside, making it impossible for Crane to judge the number of people inside. He calmed down a little, nodded to Councillor Mahert, and opened the door to enter.

Fewer people came than thought.

This was Klein's first reaction.

The second reaction was that almost all of them were dressed in black, like a dark cloud. The gentlemen were dressed in formal attire, and some wore white flowers in front of them; The ladies were covered by patterned tulle, and the atmosphere was as heavy as if they had entered a large mass mourning service.

In fact, it is not far from a mass mourning meeting.

Crane's gaze swept over the men and women with heavy or serious or sad expressions, matching each person with their names and identities with extraordinary abilities and memories. In a sense, the loss of a parent's child, the death of so many young people, or the outbreak of war are all events to be sad about.

But whenever Klein had similar thoughts, he couldn't help but think of the big, bright-eyed little girl he had seen in the Southern Continent, and the disabled man who begged him to buy the teenage girl and even take her away as a mistress.

As a result, his sympathy for the nobles who have lost their families in front of him will be reduced, and in the end he will almost only mourn the loss of life itself.

At least you still have dignity, money, noble status, a rich life, and other relatives...... But it's not right to be more painful, Klein thought silently, restraining his emotions.

He said a brief hello and took a seat on the empty couch, which was supposed to be reserved for him, facing all his clients, making Crane feel as if he had arrived at a briefing meeting, should say something, or be the target of public criticism, waiting for everyone's verdict.

Congressman Makht sat down on another couch at his hand.

The closest to Daun was Colonel Calvin, the officer who single-handedly brokered the commission. His expression looked a little incongruous, not as heavy as the others, and he even glanced at Daun, as if he was deliberately grimacing compared to the people around him.

It seems that his juniors are still alive......

"Mr. Dawn Dantès, first of all, I need to thank you for your efforts in the Southern Continent." Calvin does seem to have a slight affection for Daun, so he first emphasized Daun's risks and efforts, "In the chaotic time of war, you ventured out to sea with your bodyguards and not only successfully reached the Southern Continent with our belongings, but also smoothly crossed the warring zones and plains to send them to Behrens. ”

"You have been instrumental in this commission, and in any case, I ......"

But before Calvin could finish his words, a voice full of anger suddenly spoke in the gloomy black cloud:

"Regardless of the outcome? How can it be regardless of the result? ”

The voice was made by a middle-aged and elderly man with brown hair, wearing white flowers on his chest, and his hair and beard trembling slightly with anger.

"Your Excellency!" Calvin spoke with a grimace.

"Mr. Dantès, why did you come back with all your beard and tail? Do you have the connections to go into wartime Behrens, but can't you bring even one more person out? The elderly baron stood up, ignoring the Colonel's face, and asked Klein almost uncontrollably with his personal emotions, "You! I commissioned you to see my children, but you didn't even stay in Behrens for a little longer, and you didn't even bring back my children's letters or oral messages! I don't even know if he saw the letter we gave him! ”

His first words were the hearts of almost everyone present, and more than a dozen pairs of eyes looked at Daun, waiting for his answer.

“…… I've already explained this ......"

Dawn Dantès's face was expressionless: "Colonel Alfred Hall has taken your belongings and asked me to leave immediately on the grounds of danger, I am sure Ling Lang must have seen your letter." "Otherwise, you're questioning Alfred Hall's personality.

The Baron of the Conservative Party was furious, but unwilling to step into this blatant trap, much less to arouse the disgust of Earl Hall, a key supporter of the New Party, he closed his mouth tightly and sat down indignantly.

Immediately another man in the crowd spoke with a slight sarcasm:

"Even the whereabouts of Major General Konstantin, the Levitt's family's most promising successor to His Excellency Emilius, are unknown, what are you compared to the Levitt family? How can your child be alive? ”

These words suddenly opened everyone's chatterbox, and the old baron's face turned red, but he didn't dare to refute this sentence.

"Major General Konstantin is still missing, what if the family is still alive?"

Another shrill laugh exploded from the crowd: "Maybe the people were just captured, maybe the major general took people into hiding, and the whereabouts of the unknown are hope, but your children are really dead!" ”

Low mockery and curses rang out from the gloomy black clouds, and the bereaved children mocked each other mercilessly, trying to prick others in sarcastic ways, basing their own little comfort on the pain of others,

In the midst of the noise, Dwayne Dantès became the least important one again.

Colonel Calvin exhaled softly and whispered to Klein, "Daun, I am grateful to you for delivering the news that my second son could be captured and returned to us alive. ”

Walk the gap that the Iron Cross will deliberately release to get out? Klein wasn't surprised, or rather surprised, that so few people had left that place and were captured. Someone must have leaked the news, it seems that the enemy's net is not as open as the contradictions within the army, and when only the children of the nobles and the rich can survive, the hatred of the civilian soldiers for the high-ranking will reach its peak.

With that, he paused, glanced a little fearfully at the big men who were mocking each other in an elegant tone, and spoke again:

"There are more than a dozen families who have received your help and want to give you some thanks privately, and I will try my best to maintain your connections."

Klein stared at everything in front of him, tilted his head in the direction of Colonel Calvin, and nodded slightly:

"Thank you."

After saying that, he turned his head once more, staring at the nobles in front of him with a calm gaze.

He had thought of what to write on the message to the Dark Sage this week, and he wrote: Some of the nobility have lost their vital heirs, and some have lost their wealth and dignity. The overall strength of the aristocracy did not weaken significantly, but their cohesion and loyalty to the state declined rapidly, and they would take a more negative attitude towards the ensuing wars, and perhaps even directly lead to the loss of the war......

In addition to this, the internal contradictions of the state in Rune are still intensifying.

Klein looked at his hands, he had been going back and forth frequently to the Rune Scholarship Foundation for the past two days, and he saw more unemployed people on the way.

They were supposed to be middle-class people with a relatively decent job and savings, and the rest of the family also had jobs, so they didn't go to the East End immediately after losing their jobs, and they were able to stay in Beckland to continue looking for work.

Food prices are rising slightly, as are cotton fabrics, most notably cakes and bread at the Fetus food processing plant, each of which has risen by half a penny. Although there is still a steady stream of buyers, the economic downturn is evident even for laymen like Klein, from the mass layoffs of female textile workers in the East Side to the middle class that is gradually beginning to see unemployment.

The lives of the nobles would not be affected for a short time, but Crane had already begun to hoard food, and had the butler and his own servants start hoarding it.

The next step seems to be wartime economic policy, but the state does not seem to have a more effective regulation.

After finishing the manuscript in his mind, Klein suddenly felt that this history was strangely familiar. After a moment, he frowned slightly, leaned back slightly, and took a breath.

"This is the ...... of the First World War"

TBC

——————

Well, airship bombing......

(End of chapter)