When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 1117 The Parliament Hill Controversy

In the rotunda of Parliament Hill, nearly a hundred silver candlesticks stood, illuminating the dimly lit chamber due to the overcast sky.

The light swayed, casting flickering shadows on the long brown table.

Despite no prior arrangement, more than two hundred members of parliament sat on either side according to their factions.

The Frenchmen's silk robes and the Saint-Union's woolen robes were clearly distinct. A dozen or so peasant representatives huddled in a corner, the legs of the benches they were sitting on crooked.

"quiet."

As soon as the master of ceremonies finished speaking, the white-haired and white-bearded Judge Hadius of El walked up to the platform, carrying the heavy Gospels.

This elderly judge is the "neutral speaker" jointly recognized by the Holy Alliance and Dawn Island.

His hand rested on the gold-embossed cover of the Gospels, and his aged voice echoed in the council chamber: "May the Father bless Dawn Island, may justice and fairness descend upon this land..."

The lawmakers lowered their eyes and pressed their hands to their chests; even the most arrogant oligarchs temporarily toned down their arrogance.

At the end of the prayer, Hades raised his right hand and exclaimed, "Amen!"

"Amen!" Right hands were raised in unison, and the crowd's response struck the dome, leaving behind faint echoes.

Hadius stepped forward and rang the small bell in front of him: "The Dawn Island Conference is officially open!"

Before the chimes had even faded, Colin, a member of the Holy Alliance, suddenly stood up.

"Gentlemen, we defeated Leia, so everyone should be treated equally." He pointed to a corner, "But look here, why is the farmer's representative only allowed to sit on a bench? Is this what you call equality?"

I propose that the seating be redistributed so that every delegate receives equal treatment!

The council chamber immediately stirred, and the farmer representatives lowered their heads and shrank back nervously.

“Ridiculous!” Gatz retorted immediately. “Congressman Colin, please note that equality for all does not mean equal distribution of resources. What does it matter to me if they are poor and cannot sit in a good chair?”

"You're wrong!"

Colin wanted to argue further, but was interrupted by the voice of a farmer representative.

The farmer representative, bowing and rubbing his hands, stood up and said, "Congressman Gatz is right! We...we volunteered to sit on the bench. Congressman Colin, please mind your own business. We are already very satisfied to be able to attend the parliamentary session!"

The members of the Holy Alliance were stunned by these words.

“Foolish farmers, we’re speaking up for you!” Valo, a member of the Holy Alliance, turned bright red instantly. He clenched his fists and roared at the farmers.

The farmers were so frightened that they fell over on the spot and almost fled in panic.

Bradak, who was standing next to him, immediately grabbed him, glared at him, and shook his head.

"Silence!" Hadius rang the bell again. "Personal attacks and interrupting others are prohibited!"

Just then, Valeris slowly stood up.

The mayor of Silverburg, dressed in a navy blue suit made in France, behaved with the elegance of an aristocrat.

He raised his hand and pressed down, and the council chamber instantly quieted down considerably: "I agree with Representative Colin's proposal. Equality is the goal we are pursuing."

Everyone was stunned.

Even Gatz frowned, not understanding why Valeris was speaking up for the Holy Alliance.

Valeris didn't look at anyone, but simply waved towards the door: "Someone, bring chairs for the farmers' representatives."

Two servants soon carried in a dozen or so ordinary wooden chairs and placed them behind the farmer's representative.

The farmer representatives stood up one after another and bowed deeply to Valeris.

"Thank you, Lord Valeris! You are a truly kind person!"

"Thank you for the seat, Your Excellency Valeris!"

“It’s what I should do.” Valeris nodded with a smile, but his eyes swept over the members of the Holy Alliance.

Colin was trembling with rage, while many of the Saint Union's members were both puzzled and furious.

This is the right I fought for you, and you thank Valeris for nothing?!

Bradak, however, kept his eyes fixed on Valeris, who effortlessly defused their plan.

Bradak and his group intended to stall for time by raising various minor issues, such as the order of speaking, until Jeanne arrived.

The situation will definitely turn around as soon as Jeanne arrives.

Whether it was to avoid suspicion or because something was really wrong, the Holy Maiden was late in arriving.

He glanced out the window discreetly; the clouds had thickened, and raindrops began to pound against the glass.

Bradak and Tora's hearts felt like they were being soaked by rain, growing heavier and heavier.

For the next two hours, the clashes in the council chamber never ceased.

They argued about everything from the vote counting method to the order of speaking and the speaking time.

Tora tried several times to find new excuses, such as "questioning the electoral qualifications of certain Franz faction members" and "demanding that the withdrawal agreement of Leia be discussed first."

But Valeris deftly defused them all.

Each time the Holy Alliance raised objections, the Franco faction either made slight concessions or came up with a "neutral solution," always firmly controlling the direction of the meeting and aiming directly at the first issue.

The bronze bell on the wall struck eleven times, the rain intensified, and the air in the council chamber grew increasingly stifling. Fine beads of sweat appeared on the foreheads of the Holy Alliance members, their cuffs soaked and clinging to their arms.

"Gentlemen," Valeris glanced at the bronze bell, his voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable force, "it's getting late. We should move on to the first core issue—whether to abolish the Common Piety Council..."

"No way!" Workshop owner councilor Buckley immediately stood up. "The Common Piety Committee is the organization responsible for coordinating the cooperation between the Holy Alliance and the Dawn Island Workshop!"

"If we cancel it, our orders with the Holy Alliance and our food aid will be interrupted. Who will compensate us then?"

“Congressman Buckley,” Gatz sneered, “your so-called cooperation is nothing more than helping the Holy Alliance use the committee to investigate its competitors, isn’t it?”

"You fart!"

“Last time, my leather workshop was found by the monks of the committee to be using contract child labor, and I was fined five hundred gold pounds. Wasn’t it you who reported it?” Gatz asked rhetorically.

Barkley retorted, "Reporting child labor is everyone's responsibility."

"I think this committee is the Holy Alliance's spy and traitor, and it must be abolished!"

"I'm a traitor to the Holy Alliance, so aren't you a traitor to France?!"

"You're the traitor!"

"I'll fucking kill you!" Barkley charged at Gatz.

"What? You want to fight?" Gatz stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and said, "Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

Chaos erupted instantly, with the Franco faction members standing up and shoving each other around Barkley.

The Saint-Alliance members pointed at the Franco-Alliance members' noses and roared, grabbing tables and chairs and rushing forward to help.

The sounds of tables and chairs colliding, angry shouts, and the dull thuds of fists hitting flesh mingled together in the council chamber.

"Stop it, all of you!" Justice Hadius roared, trembling with rage. "Any further fighting will result in disqualification from parliament!"

At Hadius's call, the guards rushed in and separated the two groups of senators.

As the chaos gradually subsided, Buckley's lip was cut and bleeding.

As for Gatz, his dress was torn, revealing his hairy belly, and his hair was a mess.

Hadius composed himself, stepped forward, and rearranged the vote counting board: "Now, let's begin the vote—whether to abolish the Common Piety Committee. Those who agree to abolish it, please raise your hands."

The Francoist members of parliament raised their hands in unison, and even a few neutral independent members hesitated before raising their hands.

The members of the Holy Alliance gritted their teeth as they watched the number of red crosses on the vote counting board increase.

Many monks were so angry that their eyes turned red.

This is not just about canceling a committee; it's about the Farran faction weakening the Holy Alliance's influence over Dawn Island.

"156 votes in favor of abolition, 58 votes against, and 12 abstentions." Hadius's voice was icy as he rang the small bell. "First resolution—the Common Piety Committee is hereby abolished, effective immediately!"

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

As the small bell rang, the church's noon bells also began to chime.

The dull tolling of the bells pierced through the rain and reached every corner of the council chamber.

The members of the Holy Alliance sat down, and no one spoke. The only sound was the piercing patter of rain against the windows.

"We will take a one-hour break at noon," Hadius announced. "At one o'clock this afternoon, we will continue voting on the next item."

The members of parliament split into two groups, one on the left and one on the right, and walked out of the chamber one after another.

The Franco-style oligarchs, arm in arm and laughing, walked toward the banquet hall next door.

Gatz put his arm around Valeris's shoulder: "Lord Valeris, you really know how to handle things! The first resolution has passed smoothly, so things will be much easier from here on out!"

Valeris smiled and nodded, his eyes sweeping contemptuously across the banquet hall windows toward the members of the Holy Alliance.

The members of the Holy Alliance gathered in the corridor, their faces grave.

Tora lowered his voice and said to Bradak, "I just saw several workshop owners and councilors from Barkley being dragged to the banquet hall by the Frans."

"Didn't they just have a fight?"

"Is saving face more important or money?"

Bradak frowned, took out half a piece of dry bread from his pocket, but had no appetite to eat it.

He looked out the window, where Longbow Castle was blurred by the rain: "Where is Jeanne? If she doesn't come soon, we're really going to lose."

What's her backup plan? Is she really so naive as to expect the Dawn Islanders to decide their own fate?

"I don't know." Tora shook his head, his voice weary. "The messenger I sent this morning to deliver a message to the Guardians of the Faith hasn't returned yet, and we can't even contact the monks of the Holy Alliance."

It seemed as if the entire Holy Alliance forces of Longbow Fortress had suddenly fallen silent.

The two looked at each other in silence and sighed.

Just when they were at their wits' end, a series of hurried footsteps came from the end of the corridor.

A young monk ran over, his face pale: "Councilor Bradak! Something terrible has happened! The news of the cancellation of the Common Piety Council has spread, and the laborers outside the city are in an uproar!"

(End of this chapter)