Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1435 The Pivot of Salvation

It is common knowledge that Changfeng Territory is neutral, but in this world, neutrality does not guarantee one's safety.

Lord Borian gladly accepted Father Thorne and his entourage. As the carriage entered the territory, the apothecary lifted the curtain and let the two nuns come closer.

Apart from the lord's castle, the people of Longwind Territory live in quite remote areas, and the territory clearly lacks roads and housing planning. After the land is cultivated, people build houses nearby. These houses, built of stone, wood, and thatch, are cool in winter and warm in summer, and leak wind and rain in spring and autumn, but even such houses can be considered decent dwellings.

"Does anyone remember the imperial nobility ranking system?" the apothecary asked.

Veronica and Vanessa exchanged a glance, and then Vanessa spoke up: "From the Emperor down, there are Grand Dukes, whose lands are called territories; a Grand Duke can appoint up to five Lords, whose lands are called counties; below the Lords are lords who govern their territories, and lords can appoint knights, nobles, and scholars; however, below the lords, no land can be granted, only titles and positions."

"Yes, that's right. Has anyone told you about the current situation?"

“Yes,” Vanessa replied.

"How many Grand Dukes are there in the empire today?"

"Four years ago, after the death of Grand Duke Falo, according to the Imperial Code, his son, who had not made any meritorious contributions, could not succeed to the Grand Duke's position and could only be called a nobleman. There should be seven Grand Dukes in the Empire now."

"The places we just passed through are Paduville and Canks, which are under the jurisdiction of Grand Duke Engle and Grand Duke Toril, respectively. However, although Canks is under Grand Duke Toril's name, it was directly granted the title by Lord Medved, so its stance is on the Lord's side, supporting Prince Huffman, rather than on Grand Duke Toril's own power. Therefore, they will fight because of the friction between Prince Huffman and Grand Duke Engle."

“Uh… why, Madam Pharmacist? Even if the Canks Territory listens to Lord Medved, doesn’t Lord Medved also need to listen to Grand Duke Toril?” Veronica asked.

“Grand Duke Toril probably has no idea that a war has broken out here,” the apothecary laughed. “That’s the power of loyalty. Similarly, the Longwind Territory we are in now is actually part of Grand Duke Toril’s territory, but the lord who granted Longwind Territory to him has passed away. Nominally, it is directly under Grand Duke Toril’s jurisdiction, but because it is too far away, as long as the annual taxes are paid, Grand Duke Toril basically ignores it. That’s why this place has the status of being neutral.”

“What if someone covets Changfeng Territory and sends troops to destroy it?” Vanessa suddenly asked.

"Grand Duke Toril's taxes are paid every six months. So at most, he will learn about the tax problems here within six months. If someone who is not a Grand Duke himself is sent to annex territory without authorization, it is a serious violation of imperial law, and Grand Duke Toril can legitimately invoke the countermeasures to annex the territory."

"What about those at the Grand Duke level? I've read the code, and it should be illegal for them too, right? The code states that the imperial territory and power are granted by the Emperor and are inviolable," Vanessa pressed.

"Even so, with the Grand Duke personally involved, everything becomes negotiable," the pharmacist chuckled. "At that point, the matter becomes a private transaction, and the Imperial Code doesn't prohibit land sales."

Veronica and Vanessa both looked completely bewildered.

"However, all of this has been about the powerful and influential. Now, you need to lower your expectations a bit, look at Changfengling, or even lower—you need to go find herbs for tomorrow's homework, girls." The apothecary clapped his hands.

Soon, at the apothecary's request, Father Thorne parked the carriage near the castle. Since there were still quarters for the knights, there were quite a few houses nearby, unlike the desolate scene of a single house amidst vast fields earlier. The apothecary had two nuns follow him out of the carriage and explained his teaching plans to the priest. Father Thorne readily agreed, assigned two knights to protect the three of them, and then led the rest of the group to the castle to see the lord.

The two knights were young, unlike Gale who was already married. They were quite curious as they followed the apothecary and the two nuns onto the muddy road.

After all, they were used to seeing such muddy roads, a few unremarkable houses, and farmers turning over the barren fields back in their hometown. The two knights were curious as to why these three would get out of the carriage instead of staying in such a common sight.

"I believe you have all memorized the appearance of those five herbs. I won't give you anything too difficult in the first lesson. As long as you distinguish them carefully, there are no particularly similar-looking 'relatives' growing nearby. Although you still have half a day tomorrow, I think today is the best time. After all, you will probably spend tonight and tomorrow memorizing them." The apothecary clapped his hands gently. "Go on. If anyone finds them quickly, I will give them some rewards as a recognition of outstanding students."

Veronica and Vanessa immediately rushed out, one quickly running to the vicinity of the field ridge, and the other sliding down the slope to the bottom of the main road, both of them quickly checking every herb within sight.

Not bad. It seems that Father Thorne's upbringing did not turn these two nuns into fools who only know how to pray in front of the idol. The apothecary glanced at the two young knights, then grabbed a handful of grass, put it on the ground, and sat down.

The sunlight is shifting westward, but as summer approaches, the days are always longer, giving people more space to move around. A lean season has just passed, and people need to hurry and plant crops to avoid a meager harvest in the autumn and uncertainty about how to survive the winter.

Unfortunately, this is only a hope in peacetime. In turbulent times, even such a small wish is quite difficult to realize.

Welcome to the scene "Silent Spring Day".

Visitors will assume the role of inquisitors among the seven cardinals of the Holy Church of Radiant Light.

Those who enter the cardinals are inspired by God and answer His call. However, it is precisely because they are cardinals that they know God does not favor mortals, and thus they know that cardinals must act on behalf of God to ensure that virtues in the world are passed on.

With the death of Rodrik III, imperial power temporarily declined, and the Plague Lord had quietly extended his tentacles into the world. Perhaps an era of rampant plague would end the rule of a continent; or perhaps someone, with the will to conquer nature, would thwart the Plague Lord's plot and usher in another century of dormancy.

You have been appointed as the Inquisitor of the Carrier of Salvation.

You should walk the earth, witnessing the myriad forms of humanity, regardless of their birth or their destination. The Saviour's Lance does not bear the responsibility of salvation, but only seeks a path of continuation. You should ask all the clergy under the Church: if enlightenment has not arrived, where is the dawn?
The first main task has been generated.

A preordained suspension—this is not accidental, but inevitable. When the scorching air is compressed within the chamber of the gun, you already know where it will be fired. Pharmacist, go find the person you should find, and recreate the promise etched in your past, in her future.

A gust of wind blew across the fields—it was the turn of spring and summer, and the wind was quite strong, making the traveler's cloak on the apothecary flutter loudly. She did not reach out to block it, but instead kept scanning the two figures between the ridges of the field.

Veronica was a very conscientious child. Perhaps because she was two months older, she had a strong sense of responsibility as an older sister. She carefully examined each blade of grass along the weeds between the ridges of the field. She had clearly memorized the shapes of the five plants, and finding the corresponding herbs was only a matter of time, as long as she compared them to her memory.

Vanessa, on the other hand, was clearly more resourceful, or rather, preferred the less strenuous method. She indiscriminately gathered all the visible grass at the bottom of the slope, picking out the most similar ones from memory, and then moved on to the next patch of grass. She was much faster than Veronica, but it was obvious that she had to do a final, thorough screening. The apothecary pulled out a book, opened it, and glanced at it. Both knights were somewhat surprised by this, one even letting out a quiet gasp.

"You are knights of the church, yet you cannot read?" the apothecary asked directly upon hearing the voice.

"You're literate, we didn't expect that..."

"Sorry, he was being nosy. We shouldn't have asked."

Many people in this era were illiterate; those who could write their own names were considered cultured. Even in a relatively cultured place like the church, there were many who didn't have the opportunity to learn. For example, these two young knights were probably sent to the church by their parents to participate in the knighthood selection as soon as they came of age. The fact that they had no insignia on their chests indicated that they were just apprentice knights, and they were probably forced to leave their homes shortly after becoming knights.

“Don’t worry, you’ll have a chance to learn.” The pharmacist chuckled softly. “Father Thorne will be staying here for a while. During this time, his little church will need to be expanded.”

Neither of the two knights dared to utter a single word.

As the sun began to set and dusk approached, the apothecary had turned halfway through his book, and the two nuns finally returned to the muddy path. Veronica had already found five corresponding herbs, while Vanessa was still hurriedly picking through a large bunch.

Veronica went over to help Vanessa choose something, but the pharmacist said, "Veronica, the homework is indeed due tomorrow, but if you help her now, she will still miss out on a part of her studies."

Hearing the pharmacist say that, Veronica hesitated for a moment, then looked at Vanessa. Vanessa smiled and said, "Hehe, it's tomorrow anyway. I can just take all of these back and look for them tonight. I'm sure I'll find them eventually. Veronica, we should go back now, or the priest will worry."

“Yes.” The pharmacist stood up, patting off the dirt. “Also, your clothes need to be washed.”

The two nuns were not wearing nun's habit, only the iconic emblems and headscarves, which were the minimum required for church personnel to identify themselves. Their coarse cloth clothes were covered in mud and grime, but after looking at each other's dirty faces, they laughed together.

"Let's go to the castle. In half a day, Father Thorne's price should have been settled."

The pharmacist gave a signal, and the five of them walked along the muddy ground toward the huge shadow cast by the castle in the distance.

As soon as she arrived at the castle gate, the apothecary saw Sir Gael standing outside, his face beaming with undisguised joy. She stepped forward and asked, "Sir Gael, it seems Father Thorne's negotiations went very smoothly. What were the final terms?"

"Hehe, there's a shortage of people here in Changfeng Territory for both farming and fortification. The priest plans to bring his men to take over some of the work. As for us, we can go to the prayer room and chapel in the castle, of course. By the way, rooms have been reserved for you guys. There aren't many empty rooms here, so the three of you will have to squeeze into one room—as for you!"

Gale suddenly raised his voice, and the two young knights immediately tensed up.

"Come to my room and wash my feet!"

"Isn't Sir Gael with the lady?" the apothecary asked.

“Ha, there are quite a few women and children. We really can’t accommodate one room for each family. Even the three of you were specially requested to come by Father Thorne. The priest himself can’t live alone.” Knight Gael waved his hand. “Don’t be picky. We’re not staying here for nothing. Let’s see how the priest arranges things.”

The pharmacist shrugged: "Then please give us directions."

The castle of this era was a typical stone castle, with a small interior space but very thick walls. After entering the castle, the apothecary found that the inner walkways could only accommodate three people walking side by side; if it were someone as burly as Knight Gael, it would probably only be two.

The lord's quarters were naturally more spacious, but the living quarters for everyone else were just small rooms with very hard stone beds covered only with some dry grass. The apothecary reached out and touched it; it was alright, not the damp kind of dry grass, but who knew how damp the room would become when the rainy season came.

The two nuns quickly began tidying up the small living space. They each had a roll of thin bedding and a change of clothes—but boiling water in the castle was done at strict times and not every day, so for now they could only change their clothes, wash their bodies, and wipe themselves with cold water.

“Pharmacist, you didn’t bring any bedding?” Veronica asked.

“No need. I’ve lived in much worse conditions. The grass is dry, and the season is perfect. It won’t affect me.” The apothecary placed his bag at the foot of the bed, then glanced at the oil lamp on the only table. There wasn’t a drop of oil in it. The lord here wasn’t that generous.

By the time they settled in, it was already dusk. No one came to inform them of the meal, clearly indicating that Father Thorne wasn't influential enough to warrant a meal from the lord. However, neither the apothecary nor the two nuns seemed to care much.

"Light Spell".

Veronica gently cupped a sliver of light in her hands and floated it above the ceiling. In the gradually darkening room, this small glimmer of light immediately warmed it considerably. Vanessa, meanwhile, had already taken out a flint and some iron bars and begun to build a makeshift stove.

"Do you have enough provisions?" the pharmacist asked.

“There’s still food. The priest took a lot of food from those people as a condition of his protection.” Vanessa grabbed a handful of mixed grains from a small bag and threw them into a small pot. Veronica went out to fetch water and came back. The two worked together quite well and soon started cooking porridge.

"Do you still have any dried meat?" Veronica asked.

"There's not much left, Madam Pharmacist. Would you like some?" Vanessa asked, wiping her sweat.

"Yes, let's add it together."

Just as the two girls were about to grab it, they saw the pharmacist throw a piece of jerky over, which landed right in Vanessa's arms.