New Habsburg.

After two months, the branches of the tree of life have become more and more lush.

The extent of the oasis has spread to unprecedented proportions.

It is said that in the neighbouring barony of Zugar, farmers run to the border every day, looking far away, hoping that the green will be closer.

Baron Zugar, who used to complain about the barrenness of his territory every day, now speaks of the generosity and generosity of the lord of Lothar, as if he has become a loyal fan of Lothar like Baron Argon of Petra.

The midday sun is blazing.

The peasants who drove the horses and the endless stream of pilgrims knelt on the ground and prayed.

The city already had its prototype, with rudimentary wooden walls surrounding the houses, which were made up of logs with sharpened ends stuck in the earth, and would continue to expand outward as the city expanded.

The castle in the inner city has been completed, and the lighting here is not good, and it has a strong European style, because the craftsmen who built it are pilgrims from Europe, and their craftsmanship cannot be both beautiful and defensive.

Andreas sat in the hall of the lords, dipping his quill in an inkwell and writing on parchment.

The central throne of the lords is vacant, and two coats of arms hang side by side, the cross of Jerusalem and the double-headed eagle of Lothar.

Andreas sat at the square table where the throne was in the lower hand position.

He had grown a beard, dressed in a well-dressed silk shirt, and had the nobility of a Curonian butler, a far cry from the little servant who had followed the rough knight in the past.

"Good day, Your Excellency the Guard."

Footsteps rang out in the hall.

Andreas put down the quill in his hand, got up and said, "Good day, honorable priest. I wonder what your Excellency is here for? ”

The man who came was a priest named Melun, who claimed to have consulted with him.

Dressed in red and yellow robes, Father Melen smiled and said, "Your Excellency the Guard, I have heard that you are a very competent officer and knight, and that you have led the patrol cavalry to bring to justice those raging desert bandits, which is a good deed commended by the Heavenly Father. ”

Andreas said: "It's over, Father, you have something to say." ”

As if not expecting Andreas's bluntness, Father Mellen frowned, stretched out again, and the smile on his face squeezed out two folds: "Your Excellency, I would like to lease a piece of land near the New Habsburgs for the construction of a new monastery and listen to the teachings of the Heavenly Father up close. ”

"The Abbey?"

Andreas frowned.

The monastery is not a church, the monastery is more closed, under normal circumstances, outsiders are not allowed to enter, and there are even guards, such as the monastery on the outskirts of Alaindel, which is like a vulnerable fortress.

"That's not going to work, Father Mellen."

Andreas shook his head and said, "I have no right to deal with this kind of matter involving the change of estate, this needs to be decided by the Earl himself, even His Majesty the King cannot bypass the Lord and distribute his land to anyone." ”

Father Melen wondered, "You are the guard appointed by the Earl, and you don't even have this power?" It's just a lease, and it doesn't involve a change in ownership of the property – could it be that during this time, the outsiders who settled in the New Habsburgs were stealing your family's land for free? ”

Andreas was momentarily speechless.

Of course, it is not that he does not have the authority to deal with the matter of land lease, but he is just unwilling to lease the land to the church.

Father Mellen said with a strong temptation: "This is a sacred cause, Mr. Guard, if you think about it, every morning and evening there is the sound of morning and evening prayers, and the most knowledgeable bachelors will listen to the voice of God at close range, and write theological scriptures that will be passed down through the ages, and the whole Christian world will remember your merits." ”

Andreas shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Father Mellen, I know it's a sacred cause, but in the realm of your lordship, all theological matters are the responsibility of the Order. ”

"Huh? Are you talking about the clay-legged men and the fighting monks who have swords in their hands and know scriptures that are no more than a piece of parchment? ”

Fr. Mellen sneered: "With all due respect, their theological attainments are not worthy of lifting our shoes!" ”

Andreas said without humility or arrogance: "You can go and confront Father Ulding face to face, he is the bishop of the diocese of Alandler, whether it is the divine character or the priesthood, he is above you." ”

Fr. Mellen was not surprised by Andreas's reaction: "Yes, it is true, I may not be as skilled in theology as Bishop Uldin, but I am here on behalf of His Excellency Bishop Sebastian, who is His Majesty's most trusted assistant, and I think you should know what that means." ”

He paused slightly, and then said, "A sacred place like this should not be placed under the jurisdiction of a secular lord, and if you are willing to help, the Bishop will not treat you badly. ”

As he spoke, he took a large ruby ring from his finger and placed it on the table.

Andreas's gaze swept over the ring, and a hint of visceral disgust flashed in his eyes, the church is occupied by such greedy and vulgar people - if they have the tree of life, there is a high probability that they will surround the towering wall and enclose the whole tree inside, and every pilgrim who wants to take a look will have to collect money, right?

He forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart and pushed the ring back:

"Father Melun, you may or may not have inquired, but I was once a personal servant of a vulgar knight, and my lord appreciated me, and bestowed upon me the title of knight and the rank of officer of the guard."

"What am I not satisfied with? Greed, but the original sin. ”

Andreas stood up: "Please leave, Father Mellen. ”

Father Melun's face turned pale: "This is your own decision, boy, even if it is your loyal master, he will not want to offend us. ”

"I have received reports from others that someone has witnessed a black demon dragon looming around your family's body, and I reasonably suspect that your family has been bewitched by the demon king Satan."

The dragon is often associated with Satan, and according to legend, at the Last Judgment, Satan took the form of a big red dragon with seven heads and ten horns to fight the archangel Michael.

Andreas's face became much more ugly, his expression was serious, and his tone was even higher:

"Father, I want you to think clearly about what you are saying, and without evidence, how dare you accuse the Savior of the Holy Land, the Grand Master of the Royal Order of Jerusalem, the most trusted courtier of His Majesty Baldwin, the lord of Transjordan and Hebron, a saint-like model Christian, who has been seduced by Satan, the Demon King?"

Father Melen was taken aback by Andreas's fierce face, and said with some confidence: "I just have reasonable suspicions - everything has to be decided by the Inquisition. ”

"Bastard, you even want to send my lord to the Inquisition?"

"Guards!"

The guard, wearing a pot helmet, a full set of armor eliminated by the standing army, and a white robe on the outside, rushed into the room with a fierce halberd on his face: "Lord Guard, someone is making trouble? ”

Andreas pointed at Father Melen and shouted angrily, "Blasting out this fanatic who insulted your lord!" ”

The guard glanced at the priest, bald, robed - obviously a clergyman.

But he only hesitated for a moment, and a fierce look appeared on his face, what about the priest, if he dared to insult the lord, he had to pay the price.

"What are you going to do? I am Cardinal Sebastian's confidant. ”

Bang –

The guard kicked him and staggered: "Get out of New Habsburg, no, out of all of Transjordan, you're not welcome here." ”

Father Mellen cried out: "How dare you injure a noble clergyman, such a desecration of the Holy Father is a sin, and I will accuse His Majesty the Pope that Transjordan is a group of heretics who do not respect the Father!" ”

"Shut up!"

The guard slapped Father Mellen in the face, only to see two broken teeth burst out of his mouth, and he almost sat on the ground.

The guard snorted coldly, compared to the awe of the clergy of the native Christians, the reason why he, a former Zoroastrist, threw himself into the Ecumenical Church was only because he could divide two more fields, where would he be used to such people.

Father Mellen's servants, the clerk and others immediately swarmed up.

"You beat the clergy in the street, and you are guilty of unforgiveness!"

"Why don't you lay down your arms and repent to your Heavenly Father!"

The guard snorted coldly: "If there is a fight, my men and I will accompany you at any time, but don't forget, this is the new Habsburg, and if I shout that you have insulted your lords, you may not have a chance to leave here alive." ”

The people of the new Habsburgs received the most from Lothar, and the newly built city, from a ruined village, took less than half a year to become a city with thousands of people.

In this process, every craftsman, hired worker, farmer, has benefited a lot.

The people at the bottom, though easily fooled, are not stupid, and they can tell who has made their lives better and who has made their lives more difficult.

Father Mellen and his entourage thought about it for a long time, and when they saw that their fellow guards had also come to their aid, they knew that it would be impossible to get back the field today, so they left without even saying a cruel word.

"Sin is deep, blasphemous?"

In the guard's mansion, Andreas had a self-deprecating wry smile on his face, drew a cross on his chest, and whispered, "It is much more blasphemy to learn how to govern with a vampire than to instruct others to beat the clergy." ”

After thinking about it for a while, he wrote two letters, one to Kurs in Hebron and one to Hans in Jerusalem.

Obviously, the so-called Archbishop of Sebastian is not going to rest on his laurels.

In this era, churches around the world are very persistent in "making saints", and churches that claim to have "holy bones" and "holy foreskins" can piece together all the "holy things" and create a giant.

This can also attract pilgrims from all over the world to come and want to pay their respects, not to mention the miracle of the "sacred tree" in the new Habsburgs, which is so obvious that it cannot be replicated.

And I'm afraid it's not just the church that covets.

A holy relic that can turn the desert of the Holy Land into fertile soil can make every desert lord crazy about it, and it is just that people who have not dared to do it before, or have not yet received the news.

At the moment, the adults are not in the territory, and they can only hope that Kurs and Hans, who are the most important of the remaining personnel, can make an effective response.

(End of chapter)