Mystery: The Last Shepherd.

Chapter 652 Post-War

St. Samuel Church, North of Backlund.

In a spacious underground plaza, many people were crouching, heads in their hands. Among them were men and women, young and old, well-dressed middle-class individuals and impoverished homeless people. Before today, these men, women, and children might have had different identities, but at this moment, they all had only one title: cult followers.

"Do not move."

"Don't look up!"

Night watchmen and elite red-gloved soldiers were scattered among them, the dark muzzles of guns scanning their bodies. If any of them dared to move, they would be mercilessly shot and subdued.

Lu Ze walked through the crowd.

"This, this, and this..."

His red eyes reflected the figures of the believers, and he kept raising his hand, pointing at one of them. Once someone was pointed at, a night watchman would immediately come over, pull him up from the ground, and drag him out of the square.

It was as if a butcher was selecting lambs to be sent to slaughter.

"Ah, no, please spare me, I can believe in the goddess..."

"Hahaha, the Lord will eventually come, and our souls will be reborn on the end of the world..."

These believers were ordinary people stripped of their extraordinary abilities, utterly powerless against the powerful Night Watchers. When they were dragged up, they either cried out or maintained their fanatical faith. But the Night Watchers were trained and knew not to believe a single word the cultists said. They remained unmoved, simply gagging them and quickening their pace to drag them away.

The square quickly fell silent, a heavy sense of oppression filling everyone's hearts as they feared the figure announcing death would approach them.

"Yeah, that's about it."

Lu Ze circled the crowd three times before finally stopping.

Those he singled out were all individuals too deeply influenced by the true creator and beyond redemption. Relying on his exceptional spiritual vision and his sensitivity to the true creator through the "Secret Prayer" pathway, he could easily distinguish people from the crowd.

"Those guys should be dealt with according to the rules."

Luzer told Soster, who was following him, "Contact the police if you need to, go to the Inquisition if you need to."

""

The procedures for dealing with cult members are relatively complicated because the crimes they commit are often quite complex. For example, a well-trained cult member may have participated in a black mass, sacrificed a living person, or spread curses, leading to dangerous situations, casualties, and economic losses.

These matters fall under the jurisdiction of the police, but also have religious implications.

Therefore, once these cult members are captured alive, they will be subject to sanctions from both sides: the courts and the religious inquisition will conduct a trial, and then a sentence will be imposed according to the crimes they have committed and the degree of danger they pose. If, after evidence collection and trial, the guilt is confirmed to be clear and unambiguous, the corresponding sentencing procedure will be initiated.

Even if such believers survive the trial, they will never see the sky again in their future lives.

Some might question why cult members, who pose such a serious threat, wouldn't be better off simply being shot?

Intis in the west did indeed do this, resulting in the Eternal Sun Church wielding immense power. Anyone labeled a heretic could be punished. Ultimately, everyone lived in fear, wary of each other, afraid of being reported, which even affected many innocent people. From cities to the countryside, vast amounts of production and daily life were disrupted.

The chaotic situation in Intis did not improve until the Steam Church and Roselle gained power.

As for the Rune, since it is a tri-god faith with mutual checks and balances, it is more important to adhere to procedural justice.

After Lu Ze's selection, nearly one-tenth of the people remained in the square.

"Your Excellency Ishmael, what should we do with the rest?"

"Soster asked."

"The rest of the people, huh?"

Lu Ze's gaze swept across the crowd, and their faces immediately showed expressions of fear, as if he was afraid that his next words would be something like "Kill him."

"They were basically uncontaminated and are the kind of people who can be saved."

Lu Ze said that these words made them feel as if they had been granted a pardon.

These people have probably only come into contact with the sect and haven't started praying to the true Creator yet; their souls haven't been corrupted by evil gods.

"Can he still be saved?"

Soster and many of the night watchmen found it unbelievable; in their view, anyone who had contact with a cult was practically doomed. How exactly did Your Excellency manage to screen them so precisely and confirm that they were alright?

"Yes, I'll handle it."

Lu Ze said calmly, "You should leave first."

"yes!"

With the deacon giving the order, the others couldn't disobey. They quickly sheathed their weapons and left the square. They guessed that Lord Ishmael's next move might be related to their secrets, which couldn't be easily revealed. The sensible Soster even assigned his men to guard the exits to prevent anyone from accidentally entering the square and seeing something they shouldn't.

In the square.

Those left behind were filled with anxiety, unsure of what Lu Ze was up to.

Then they heard the aloof man speak in an unquestionable voice.

"Alright, everyone look at me."

His voice carried authority and an unyielding command. To ordinary people who weren't even extraordinary, this voice was absolute law. They all looked up in bewilderment, meeting Lu Ze's golden, vertical pupils.

"The true creator is a filthy and corrupt evil god, and anyone who would believe in Him is a brain-damaged idiot."

His voice resonated in everyone's hearts, planting the strongest suggestion in their subconscious: "He is neither all-knowing nor all-powerful... He cannot even climb down from the upside-down cross."

A golden light shone in everyone's eyes, and contempt naturally appeared on their faces. They resonated with Luze's emotions, and from that moment on, only complete rejection remained towards the true creator.

"alright."

Seeing this, Lu Ze stopped the hypnosis and said to the group, who were just waking up from their daze, "Go outside and make some notes, then you can leave."

Their information will be kept on file, and they will be kept under close surveillance, becoming targets for future inspections... but it's still much better than those guys who ended up in the Inquisition.

After finishing his important tasks, Luze went to report to Archbishop Saint Anthony.

"You did a great job."

The old man listened calmly to his report, smiled slightly, and said, "We killed a saint, the escaped divine messenger died, and the rest were either killed or captured alive... It was done even more cleanly than I expected."

"After all, I already made that promise to you."

Lu Ze replied, "The spoils have already been sent behind the Chanis Gate. What do you think we should do with them? If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."

"Wait a minute."

Anthony laughed and said, "Ishmael, don't forget our promise to go to the ball."

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