Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 308 Public Trial
Since the construction of the Pioneer Territory City Hall, there have been many wooden notice boards in the small square at the gate. All laws and regulations, job recruitment, and conscription notices issued in the territory are posted here. At fixed times every morning, noon, and evening, officials from the City Hall will stand next to the notice boards with alchemical loudspeakers and repeat loudly to answer questions and resolve doubts for the people who come to watch.

In addition, there are many local residents who have received basic literacy education. They will take the initiative to come to the square during their free time at work and spontaneously explain the content of the announcement to the illiterate new immigrants who moved into the territory later, in exchange for praise and compliments from everyone, satisfying their own vanity of being able to read and write.

But the situation today was a little different. For the first time, a wooden platform was built in the center of the municipal square. A circle of police officers from the National Police Department in formal uniforms surrounded it, which scared away the residents who had gathered to watch the excitement.

As early as three days ago, the city hall posted a notice that a public trial of criminals would be held in the square today. Although the people in the Pioneer Territory lived a wealthy life, the people had very few entertainment options. Apart from playing cards in public chess and card rooms after get off work, they could only find some fun during a few major festivals throughout the year.

Hearing that the lord would personally judge the criminals, the local residents were delighted. Not only would they be able to see the wise and generous lord make a public appearance, but they might also have the opportunity to see the "despicable southerner" swinging from the gallows after trial. This would become a topic of conversation for them for a long time to come.

Before the trial even started, the wooden platform in the square was already packed with people. Since they didn't have to work on holidays, and although there were sporadic snowflakes falling from the sky, the people who came to watch were in high spirits, completely ignoring the cold brought by the wind and snow.

When Lord Harvey stepped down from the alchemical vehicle, the crowd in the square burst into huge cheers.

He climbed onto the stands that had been set up long ago, and looking at the crowded people below waving their hands at him, he couldn't help but feel emotional - in just two or three years, these people who were once displaced and poorly clothed in the wilderness really regarded this pioneering territory as their paradise and home, and regarded him, a commoner spellcaster who didn't even have noble status, as a lord of noble status and gave him their allegiance.

With cheers rising higher and higher, the first criminal to be publicly tried was brought forward. This was the only member of the Church Inquisition Army who had survived the attack of two high-level spellcasters during the battle in Jackdaw Town and was captured alive by the Bloodline Warriors. Although he was only a low-level combat priest, he was still an appropriate example of a villain.

Facing the surging crowd below the platform, the priest's pale face looked even more dejected. He had seen many such scenes in Jinhui City before, but those were when the bishop was holding high masses and ceremonies, with hundreds of believers bowing down in worship.

But the situation was obviously different now. These people with red faces and excited emotions looked at him with eyes full of undisguised anger and contempt. He even saw many people holding stones and mud balls that they had prepared long ago. If it weren't for the uniformed soldiers repeatedly suppressing them, they would have probably thrown them at him long ago.

Harvey stood up from his high-backed chair, smiled and waved to the crowd, signaling them to be quiet.

"My people! Please be quiet..." He spoke through the alchemical loudspeaker, and the noisy crowd immediately quieted down like docile sheep. "I've gathered you all together today to publicly expose several shameless crimes!"

The priest was forced by two bloodline warriors to kneel on the platform, his forehead almost touching the ground.

"As you all know, a while ago, the Lord of Grizzly Castle colluded with the Church and brazenly invaded our territory... However, our people's army lived up to expectations and intercepted and annihilated the enemy in Jackdaw Town."

There was a burst of warm cheers from the crowd.

"However, there is a despicable conspiracy that needs to be told openly to everyone. You have the right to know the full truth. Remember the plague that broke out earlier? Many of the people present here must have been forced to flee their homes because of that plague and settled here, right?"

Harvey pointed at the priest kneeling beside him and shouted, "This plague was spread by the Church themselves! Not only did they unleash this plague in the southern countries, they also attempted to collude with Earl Fagan of Grizzly Castle to invade our territory and bring the plague to our homeland!"

There was a buzz of discussion among the crowd, and many new immigrants who had fled to the south looked puzzled.

Harvey raised his hand and asked the guards to bring a complete set of "evidence" and displayed it on the podium for everyone to see. "The army has confiscated a large amount of evidence from the hands of captured and killed Church Inquisitors... Secret orders personally delivered by the Bishop of Jinhui City, bottles of plague fluid, potions to treat the plague... Hehe, there's even a document with the seal of Grand Duke Saint Valen!"

No... these things... The priest raised his head with difficulty and opened his mouth to argue, but suddenly he felt a biting cold coming from the place where his shoulder was pinched by the warrior behind him. The coldness instantly spread to his neck and head, making him paralyzed again and lower his head.

"My subjects, many of you were once devout believers of the church, right? Come forward and take a closer look... Look at the Glorious Seal of the Archbishop of Golden Glory City, look at the Royal Seal of Grand Duke Saint Valen! These things cannot be faked!"

A middle-aged man, whose face was still covered with ugly scars after the blight had faded, squeezed to the front of the platform. He leaned in to examine it carefully and exclaimed, "It's real! I am a resident of Jinhui City. The Bishop's Seal of Glory cannot be copied!"

He stared in astonishment for a moment, his face slightly distorted as he turned and shouted, "The plague was actually caused by the Church! They even have the nerve to hold up the divine potion that cures the plague and demand that we give up half our wealth in exchange for a chance to live!" A middle-aged woman with gray hair also struggled to the front, glanced at the evidence in the guard's hand, and collapsed to the ground with tears. "My two children... They died during their escape because of the worsening plague! They didn't make it to Jackdaw Town, and they didn't have the chance to receive free treatment and shelter from the lord... Oh my God!"

Two policemen immediately stepped forward, gently helped the middle-aged woman up, and took her to a shed nearby to calm her down.

Two "victims" from the South came forward to testify to Harvey's claims about the church's shameless conspiracy and evil crimes. The crowd, which included many refugees from the South, was immediately swept up in the excitement.

"Damn the church! Damn the southern nobles!"

"My family all died in the plague! These charlatans should pay for their lives!"

"Everyone, look at that priest! He's silent with his head down. If that's not an admission of guilt, what is it?"

"Hang him! Hang the church's charlatan! Avenge our dead relatives!"

Harvey narrowed his eyes, and taking advantage of the excitement of the southern refugees in the crowd, he added fuel to the fire, stirring up the emotions of the local wastelanders as well.

"Do you know why the Lord of Grizzly Castle colluded with the Church to wage war against us?"

"Those nobles heard rumors from somewhere that gold had been unearthed in our territory, making our people incredibly wealthy. They became greedy and ruthless, like bandits, and brazenly sent troops to plunder the frontier territories, abducting the people as serfs, stealing the food and wealth we'd labored so hard to accumulate, and burning down the comfortable homes you'd so painstakingly purchased!"

The local people, who were of wasteland origin, did not empathize with the plague suffered by the refugees from the southern border, but once their own interests were involved, the hatred and anger they erupted were no less than those of the new subjects who had lost their families and children.

"What? Gold mines? Where do we get gold mines? It's just an excuse for the nobles to send troops to plunder us!"

"These dog nobles! Want to steal our property? Dream on!"

"I bought my house and bicycle with installment loans! I haven't even paid them off yet, and they're already targeting me? Damn it!"

"Hehe! My three sons are all in the army. They joined the army to protect the security of the territory and everyone's property! They will never let these shameless southern nobles snatch it away!"

The indignant voices of the people gradually became unified, and finally a stone flew from nowhere and hit the priest who was being forced to kneel on the platform. Then, there was only one sound left in the entire public trial.

"Hang him!"

"Hang the church's charlatans!"

"Hang the nobles of the South!"

"Be careful! Don't let the rocks hit the lord, you fool!"

(End of this chapter)