Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 145 Cultists

It was just the beginning of spring in the Xieyue Mountains, but it was still not a suitable time to grow crops. The land had not yet thawed, and even with oxen it was impossible to plow the land quickly.

These days without harvest, coupled with the demon invasion war that had lasted for many years, brought only fear, hunger and death to the local civilians.

But Scarhead Carl was having a good time recently. Priests and deacons of the Church of Light suddenly came to him and hired him to drive to the border of the war front several times to take church believers in Blackrock City to the newly opened mining area.

Blackstone City is a huge city located at the foot of the Evil Moon Mountains, on the border of the Wizard Kingdom of Orland. It is also the frontline war fortress for the human race against the invasion of the demon race.

This city, which can accommodate tens of thousands of people, is stationed with nearly 5,000 extraordinary armed forces, including the battle mages of the Spellcasters' Union, the mage coalition of the seven wizard kingdoms, the judgement army and war priests of the Church of Light, etc.

There are also nearly 10,000 ordinary knight regiments that are stationed there on a rotating basis for half a year to resist the attacks of the demon army.

The daily lives and work of the civilians and believers living in Black Stone City are entirely centered around supporting this huge coalition of nations. Such a completely counterintuitive urban ecology could not exist in any other city in the southern countries, but it is very common in Black Stone City.

At daybreak, "Scarhead" Carl put on harnesses and reins for two skinny old horses in the backyard of his dilapidated wooden house, and slowly drove the covered wagon covered only with oilcloth towards the city gate.

This is a good job. You can earn about twenty silver coins per person in one trip. Moreover, the offensive of those damn demons has slowed down recently and they no longer harass the border frequently. You will pass through several camps of the Judgment Army along the way, so you don’t have to worry about your personal safety at all.

Today was his last trip, but it was a little different from the previous ones. A small group of church believers from outside Blackrock City came to him and paid an extra fee to let him take them to the mining area.

Being able to earn double commission is a pleasant surprise.

"Old man, please don't sit on the shaft with me. Go sit in the carriage. It's not warm in the early spring. Be careful of frostbite. We'll have to beg the priests for help when we get to the mining area."

The gray-haired old man who insisted on sitting on the shaft with Carl shook his head, rejecting his kindness. He even took out a small tin wine flask from his arms and took a sip. "It's nothing. It's even colder in winter. I'm used to it a long time ago."

It seems that although the other party is not a local resident of Black Rock City, he must be a local who has lived in the farms and villages near the Evil Moon Mountains.

Carl nodded and changed the subject to pass the time. "Why do you insist on taking your family to the mining area? I heard that there are still many scattered demons there who have not evacuated. Moreover, the mining area is in the mountains, and life there is much harder than in Black Rock City."

The old man glanced sideways at Karl and asked in confusion: “Oh? Have you been to the mining area?”

"Well, I've done this job four times already. Every time I have to spend the night at the mine and return to the city the next day."

As he finished speaking, a scarred man in the carriage poked his head out and asked in a deep voice, "Are you familiar with the parish being built in the mining area? How many believers have been relocated there? Are there many priests and pastors there?"

The old man's face froze slightly and he glared at the scarred man.

Scarhead Carl, however, was unconcerned. He smiled and said, "Of course. The churches, monasteries, and parishes in the mining area are being built day and night. The church leaders seem to be pushing them very hard. Many of the believers have become sick from exhaustion..."

He asked curiously, "Are you also going to aid the parish's construction? Although the old man looks healthy, I'm afraid he can't endure this hardship."

The old man raised his lips, a strange smile on his face. He said, "By the Lord, even if I don't have the energy to contribute to the development of the diocese, as long as I am humble and pious enough, the priests will always find a place for me." Carl himself was only a shallow believer, and upon hearing this, he could only sigh, "That's right, you believers are always so pious..."

……

The magic stone mining area located at the mouth of the canyon in the Evil Moon Mountains is tightly guarded by two thousand church judges, guarding several major checkpoints in and out of the valley, and is surrounded as tightly as an iron gate.

In the valley, which is not very large, several mine tunnels have been dug in advance on the side close to the mountain for mine carts and people to pass through. However, there are no miners working in and out, but a team of judges is stationed there.

On the gentle slope outside the valley, there was a scene of bustling work. Countless church believers in plain and ragged clothes were driving cattle and horses, or pulling the stone slabs mined from the mountain with their bare hands, and marching with difficulty towards a church on the hillside where the foundation had just been laid.

They had just been escorted here by the Judgment Army sent by the Church and did not even have time to build a temporary residence for themselves. They could only rely on the oilcloth tents distributed by the Church as a simple shelter for rest at night.

Some priests and pastors in pure white robes stood scattered on high places, holding scriptures and staffs, and constantly and loudly proclaimed the Lord's mercy and truth to the believers who were working hard. Every time a scripture prayer was chanted, believers would spontaneously stop what they were doing, kneel on the dirty mud ground, and pray devoutly in response.

High Judge Zack Hyde stood on a makeshift wooden tower, looking seriously at the crowded scene below.

"Priest Raphael, how long will it take us to repair the main building of the parish?"

The white-robed priest bowed slightly and responded in a low voice, "Sir, the number of believers who have moved to the mining area and are able to participate in the construction work is less than 500. Most of the others are elderly and infirm. It will take at least two months..."

"What? Two months! I can't wait that long. The Holy City has already done its utmost to condone my unauthorized actions. They have to withstand the pressure from the Federation and the Wizarding Kingdom. I don't have much time left."

What's more, Zack Hyde also drew out half of the Judgment Army from the Blackrock City Church Regiment, including nearly two-thirds of the Bloodline Knights, which was equivalent to cutting the armed forces of the Church in Blackrock City in half.

If the conflict escalates to the point where it becomes unavoidable, Blackrock City will be plunged into a situation where the church's power is extremely weak, and may even be directly dominated by the Federation.

"If there aren't enough believers, send more judges and priests to further afield to recruit people. Hire more coachmen and caravans to move them here as quickly as possible!"

As long as the cathedral and the Holy Monastery of the Inquisition, which represent the authority of the church and the ownership of the parish, are built, and enough civilian believers gather here to live, the church can publicly acknowledge the legitimacy of its actions and declare that all this is to protect the ordinary believers here. Then the Federation will no longer be able to intervene before them and divide up the profits of the magic stone veins.

They did not have the courage to engage in direct armed conflict with the Inquisition Army in the mining area, unless they disregarded the covenant agreement and did not worry that the spellcasters would accidentally injure civilians, thus provoking conflicts between them and the people of various countries and the secular nobles.

"I heard that among the believers who migrated here today, some have received basic aristocratic education and can read and write?"

The priest thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, I remember in particular that a small farmer from a nearby city moved here with his family. They claimed that their family had been devout believers for generations, and both men and women, young and old, were willing to come here to dedicate themselves to the Lord..."

Zach Hyde smiled with satisfaction and said, "Our Lord's glory always shines upon them. Naturally, it is time for them to dedicate themselves to Him. Select some of these educated people who do not need to participate in the construction work and assign them to assist the priests and pastors in copying scriptures and sewing ceremonial banners."

"As you command, my lord."

(End of this chapter)