I find it very sacred to pick someone up and make them a saint.

Lucia walked beside Mien:

"Does Count Neuer have any contact with the teacher?"

Mien laughed and said, "No, but that doesn't mean I don't know her schedule."

"Luya, what's your impression of Count Neuer?"

"I've never seen her."

"I know."

After thinking for a moment, Lucia replied, "It's not very good."

The reason is simple: the situation in the city-state of Vargan is right before our eyes, and it is definitely not a place that is well-governed.

Lucia resented Neuer, whom she had never met, as much as she resented the managers of Iron Can Street.

Mien, of course, knew what Lucia was thinking, and said:

"Neuer is the lord here, but strictly speaking, her true identity is actually a knight commander in the Imperial Army."

Her busy work will likely involve military duties, not within this fiefdom.

This only fueled Lucia's disgust, but she remained silent.

Mien looked at Lucia and smiled:

"I know you hate her, and everything that happened here is her fault. She deserves all the resentment."

However, in my estimation, this young lady knight wasn't ignoring all the problems here; rather, she simply knew nothing about this place and had never seen anything like it before.

Lucia, of course, could not forgive him, and a hint of disgust flashed in her eyes.

Mien had no intention of getting Lucia to forgive her, and continued:

"So, this time, we're going to show the esteemed Lady Knight every corner of this place."

They soon arrived at the westernmost city gate.

The majority of the Papal Guards who once garrisoned this place have been withdrawn, leaving only four people to remain.

The rest of the group had already assembled and were preparing to depart for the center of Wangcheng in the afternoon, where the real stage would be.

The few remaining were all low-ranking soldiers without any official rank. They were carrying a wooden bucket and sitting around playing cards.

Upon seeing Mien and Lucia, they immediately jumped up in fright, stood side by side, and bowed respectfully to everyone.

They were all eyewitnesses from a few days ago.

Lucia didn't even bother to look at them.

Mien stopped in front of them, making their hair stand on end, and slowly asked:

Where is that Oscar now?

A guard, his shoulders hunched, hurriedly answered loudly:

"After being punished by Bishop Phil, he was sent to guard an abandoned factory in the east of the city. He will face even greater punishment upon returning to the Vatican after the ceremony!"

Mien led Luya onward, and the four breathed a sigh of relief, having survived.

A dozen or so people stood quietly outside the city gate, surrounded by colorful fruits growing in the woods, and the melodious chirping of birds could be heard.

Before long, a flock of birds took flight and scattered, and a sound came from the road ahead.

Neuer returned to his fiefdom with dozens of knights as his personal guards.

Amidst the silver armor, the red ties and lining added a touch of girlish vitality and the flamboyance of a young general.

She was somewhat surprised when she saw Mien and the others from afar.

Lucia's gaze dimmed, and the corners of her mouth drooped slightly.

Upon arriving before the group, she dismounted, just as she had done a few months earlier at the manor, and knelt before Mien in a half-kneeling knightly salute.

Lucia relaxed her expression slightly, looking puzzled.

"Count Neuer," Mien returned the greeting, then waved slightly to Lucia beside him, introducing her as follows:

"This is Lucia, the prospective saintess of the Academy."

Lucia nodded in greeting.

Neuer looked Lucia up and down in surprise.

This inexplicably annoyed Lucia, who responded by slightly raising her chin.

After a moment, Neuer nodded, as if Lucia had passed his test, and smiled as he walked up to her.

He once again performed the knightly salute with utmost seriousness and reverence.

Lucia unexpectedly took a half step back with one foot, then stepped back again, accepting Neuer's courtesy to the Holy Maiden of Light.

"Why are you two here to greet me?"

Mien said, "It was my decision to hold the promotion ceremony in the city of Valgon. The scholars from the Academy who come here to conduct the ceremony will surely pay their respects to the Countess."

Neuer quickly accepted this reason:

"In that case, Your Excellency and the Holy Maiden, please return to the city with me."

Mien smiled and said, "Of course, Lucia, the prospective saintess, and I will also be stationed at the ceremony center. We can go together."

Neuer handed his warhorse to a guard, and he and Mien entered the city of Valgon.

Along the way, the long-quiet city-state of Vargan began to stir.

Someone ran back from a distance, and was startled to see Mien and the others, so they hid to the side.

Judging from the whispers of the crowd, it was clear that Prince Phoenix had arrived.

Neuer frowned and said, "I had no idea that His Highness Prince Phoenix would be coming in person."

It seems I won't be able to greet you in time.

Mien's lips curled into a slight smile as he said, "It's alright, there are other princes here as well."

As soon as they finished speaking, a tremor came from not far ahead, and Rachel had already ridden up to them.

Her eyes gleamed as she finally caught up with Mien and Lucia, who had disappeared into the street.

But when he turned around and saw Neuer beside him, his expression darkened.

Arriving before the three, Rachel deliberately did not dismount, but looked down at Neuer and said:

"Count Neuer"

Neuer made no attempt to hide the hostility on her face and gave the princess a flippant bow.

"Your Highness, Princess Rachel, hello."

Rachel smiled with satisfaction, then dismounted and greeted Mien and Lucia.

"I wonder why the Chief is with Earl Neuer."

Rachel was suspicious. She didn't even know Neuer's itinerary, so how did Mien know?

Mien smiled and said, "Because the ceremony is to be held in Valgon, according to the rules, the Academy of Scholars needs to send detailed information to Earl Neuer in advance."

After contacting them, some things still need to be discussed in person. Follow-up work is busy, so it's good to meet and communicate on the outskirts of town first.

Rachel nodded; this was the proper procedure, perfectly normal.

I was indeed being a bit too suspicious.

Neuer was surprised, as he had never communicated with Mien before; Mien was lying.

However, she naturally wouldn't refute it; Mien was cooperating with her to deceive Rachel, her enemy.

Instead, it inadvertently brought him closer to Mien, and he vaguely stood on the same side.

Rachel smiled and invited, "Then let's go back to the center of the ceremony together."

The even larger group occupied almost the entire street.

The surrounding people were pushed back into their houses, not daring to touch them at all.

As Lucia walked among several important figures, she couldn't help but frown.

A sense of helplessness and sadness welled up inside me.

The group quickly returned to the high platform at the center of the ceremony and to the front of the Vatican.

The Phoenix prince's procession also came into view. He was dressed in gold, shining like the sun in the sky, making one want to cry and raise their hand to thank him for his kindness.

Upon reaching the ceremony site, where numerous soldiers and high-ranking officials were stationed, everyone bowed in unison to the prince.

The momentum was deafening!

At the same time, the entire city of Vargan surged into action, and the whole city-state seemed to tremble.

All the soldiers scattered across the four locations surged together toward the center of the ceremony, the real stage, no longer caring whether this small place could accommodate them all.

The remaining remote neighborhoods were quickly cleared out, and after a few days of eating and drinking to their hearts' content, no one cared anymore.

Meanwhile, the people in the city center all retreated to some unknown corner, and not a single person could be seen.

This place has become a gathering place for the high-ranking officials of the imperial palace.

Don't dare to speak loudly, for fear of shocking the heavens.

…………

At that moment, Oscar angrily kicked a pebble near the abandoned factory.

He grumbled and complained about being left alone here.

He drew his sword and made a gesture as if to swing it at two gang thugs to the side, venting his resentment.

Just then, a simply dressed young woman walked by, her face covered, and accidentally bumped into her own belongings.

"Are you blind?! Get out of my way!!"

The young woman quickly moved away.

Oscar cursed a few more times.

The young woman in disguise revealed a slight smile, along with her distinctive two canine teeth.