Witch Troupe and the Undead

To be honest, the power of a single shot of this slicing bullet is not much different from that of a low-level arcane mage's wind-slicing blade. In addition to their physical strength, they also have extraordinary martial arts skills. No matter how powerful the bullet is, it still needs to hit a target that can instantly blend into the shadows with Shadow Step.

"It's a pity it's too cumbersome. Otherwise, the Rada Kingdom's army would have suffered a great loss on the battlefield," said Knight Commander Rick regretfully. The need for a steam engine to power it meant that it couldn't be mounted on a mount, and its deployment on the battlefield was limited to camps and city defenses. In terms of attacking and defending camps and cities, both sides already had too many pieces of equipment that rendered individual martial arts useless. Adding another heavy crossbow didn't seem to make much of a difference.

"That's not necessarily true..." Professor Wedel shook his head. The locomotive research group had recently been preparing to use the newly developed wind turbine steam engine, which had already been successfully tested, to create a new type of large vehicle-mounted weapon because of this.

Professor Roach calls it the Railway Cannon. Accelerated by the torrent of refined wind elements provided by multiple windmills, the ammunition can be accelerated to an unbelievable speed or a large number of ammunition can be fired in an instant.

Even without ammunition, the Wind Element Torrent itself is an absurdly powerful form of ammunition, and during this process, a phenomenon named "Elemental Transmutation" by the Academy was observed.

The wind element transformed into a special form between the wind and fire elements, which Roach called the "ionic state." However, the professors argued that this name was not quite accurate and should be called the "mixed state," referring to a state where elements are mixed and indistinguishable.

At close range, the multiple protective barriers set up by the professors were shattered by a single shot. However, the range was too short, so it could only be used for simple close-range self-defense when ammunition was unavailable.

"Sir Rick, how long will it take for this chaos to finally end?"

"It seems like this can't be resolved anytime soon," the Knight Commander sighed. Today's events have made the conflict between the Church and the Redemption Church irreconcilable. This will not change because of the will of the Archbishop and other high-ranking officials. The two sides no longer seek peaceful coexistence or resolve the conflict peacefully.

"More chaos is coming, not only in the capital, but also throughout the empire. To be honest, the demands made by the Redemptionists are indeed a bit excessive. I can't even imagine how they are going to deal with the church's expenses."

“Maybe they have their own source of income,” Roach shrugged. “An organization, no matter what its slogan is, must first have its own source of income. Otherwise, they can’t do anything. They have so many people, which means they have a source of income that is no less than that of the church, whether it is legal or illegal.”

"Maybe... but wouldn't that make things worse?"

"Yes, it's even worse." Without recognition, and through the chaos and armed conflict in the capital, they realized that the church was incapable of reform. So, a break between the two sides was only a matter of time. Just like the Church of the Holy Light, it wasn't just the church in the empire. There were at least three independent churches on the continent that all claimed to be orthodox and would fight each other to the death when they met.

One is the "Church of Holy Light" located in the Northern Continent. They believe in Holy Light, not the Holy Lord, just as the Eastern Orthodox Church believes in the Virgin Mary. However, they also acknowledge the many aspects of the Holy Lord and the identity of the Lord of Holy Light.

However, if they encounter the self-proclaimed orthodox Holy City Church on the Empire's side... a friendly gesture would be to shout, "Holy Light, that heretic is worth fighting!" an unfriendly gesture would be to smash a warhammer down on their heads without saying a word.

Another one is the "Holy Church" located on the other side of the Storm Sea in the southern part of the continent. It is also the type that is called heretical by the other two factions. They are more extreme and believe that there is only one God in the world, and all the gods are just one of its manifestations - otherwise they would not have been driven to the desolate land on the other side of the Storm Sea.

"Soon, a new sect and church will emerge, and the Empire will likely have little free time." Unlike others that are separated by geographical borders, these two factions are directly embedded in the empire, a giant powder keg, and will explode sooner or later, or rather, they are already exploding.

"Especially now that the empire is in the midst of a civil war, let's hope they don't create a situation that leads to a complete tearing apart of the empire from top to bottom?"

“Definitely,” Roach shrugged. As a historian, he had seen this kind of thing too many times. Perhaps they and the Grand Duke’s army didn’t have much in common on the issues of interests and core demands, but that didn’t stop them from using this war as a reason to escalate their conflict from a war of words to a formal war of arms.

"You should be glad that the Empire doesn't have any organized religious armies besides the Holy City Guard, otherwise you would be fighting two civil wars at the same time."

“Yes…” Knight Commander Rick covered his forehead, speechless. Fortunately, the emperors of the past had never yielded on this issue of papal authority, and now, apart from their own supernatural powers, the various churches did not have any organized armies.

"But it would be troublesome if superhumans started fighting inside and outside the city, making the conflict public!"

"Especially since they also incite believers and civilians to participate, the civilians might already be divided into several factions fighting each other before their supernatural powers even clash." The professors sighed in unison, looking worried.

On the contrary, Roach didn't react much. For him, his feelings about the Empire were limited to "a boss who pays his salary" and "a generous boss." He wasn't an Imperial citizen, so he couldn't talk about any sense of national belonging.

Moreover, Roach felt that this might be a deliberate act by the ruling class. After all, if the common people were to split into factions and fight each other because of religious reasons, then the rule would be stable. As for whether this would lead to the long-term and slow decline of the empire... Roach thought it was unlikely, because according to various studies in the academy, they were in the early stages of an era of change.

There will be no chance of "slow death." It will either be reborn from the ashes in the midst of new changes, like the British Empire in the past, or it will be invaded by foreign enemies in decline and perish in agony, like the Qing Empire.

The future of these two empires depends on their choices and preparations in this transformation. If they are like Great Britain, then the wealth and dividends from the colonies will greatly heal this rift, covering it up to the point that the problem is not visible, until the colonial system collapses.

By then, if Roach hadn't possessed any immortality, he'd probably be long dead. If it were like the Qing Dynasty, then either they would be completely conquered and ruled, or they would forge entirely new national characteristics and cohesion through hardship, and then, with a few strong men and brilliant ideas, they could usher in a new era of change.

"Well~ it has nothing to do with me anyway~" Roach did not participate in further discussion. They were just workers in the Empire who were paid to stay. After the little witch satisfied her curiosity and thirst for knowledge, it was hard to say where she would go next. Maybe she would return to the living forest and continue to live a peaceful life like a plant.

It could also be a trip to the Kingdom of Rada. The continent is so vast, traveling around is a great option, isn't it?

“But in any case, the chaos in the capital has finally come to an end.” Alessina looked at the refugees standing or sitting around her and said, “At least for them, it’s over.”

The academy didn't provide these people with anything except safety, which is a normal phenomenon in this era and this world. No matter what, the academy belongs to the "aristocratic class," and even the commoner students who enter it belong to the "quasi-aristocratic class." It's impossible for them to use the academy's medicines and food to help these people.

Of course, students and the sponsoring businessmen are a different story. After all, a significant portion of the shops around the college street are owned by the families of graduates, as well as businesses owned by chambers of commerce that have partnerships with the college. If these people come to seek refuge, the college will definitely provide them with basic supplies.

However, ordinary civilians who came from farther away didn't have such good fortune. Of course, the good news was that the shops in the academy castle were still open, and they could buy potions and some supplies with gold and silver coins. As for food and water, it had only been a day, so it wouldn't be a big deal if they didn't eat or drink.

Livia pressed her long wooden staff to the ground, her eyes closed, emerald crystals floating around her body, and a pale green life force spreading outwards in a regular pattern from her center, transforming into healing and restorative power.

Life mages also possess healing abilities, but compared to the holy gifts that require no effort from the mage, such healing either consumes their own stored life force or the life force that can be collected from the surrounding area. As a result, life mages rarely heal others other than themselves.

In this respect, Livia is no different. She cannot create life out of nothing, but she has collected a great deal of life force. One by one, the living snacks fall down and turn into ordinary cookies and candies, while the life force stored in them is released and transformed into this super-wide-range healing spell.

"Phew~" The little witch exhaled, having exhausted the life force she had collected, while the injured ordinary people and students around her were basically completely healed.

“You’re being too rough with your method. Didn’t your mentor teach you that?” Lady Elena walked over, wearing a greyish-white cloak. She also looked a little injured. With so many clergy members from the church, even a witch would suffer some losses. However, for a life master specializing in transformation, such minor wounds would heal in an instant, so she didn’t pay any attention to it.

"Your weaving of life force is quite meticulous, but why is your treatment so rough?" Ms. Elena tapped the ground with her toes, and a thick vine rose up, weaving into two armchairs. "Let's sit down and chat for a while."

"Mmm~" Livia sat obediently in the chair.

"Is it a lack of experience, or a lack of training in life-healing spells? I mean, the large-scale ones?"

"Hmm...not very familiar with it~" Livia said softly. She really didn't have much experience or opportunity to use it in this area. If she or her companions were injured, they could either use magic potions to heal them, or simply pour life force into them to heal them.

“I see. Then you can look for it in the library. I think it's in the third row of section L. There are materials on elven healing spells. For ordinary humans, learning the unique magic system of elves would be quite troublesome, but I don't think it should be too much of a problem for you, right?”

"?" Livia tilted her head, seemingly puzzled, but finally nodded slightly to indicate that she understood.

Would you like some herbal tea?

"Yes!" Elena took out a metal cylinder and poured some cloudy tea into a cup made of vines on a small tea table. The tea emitted a scent of herbs and honey.

"This little trick was also learned from the spirit tree mage of the elves, isn't it great?"

"Hmm!" Livia looked curiously at the completely leak-proof vine cup and the newly sprouted plants. She couldn't twist the plants like that. Oh, she meant that she couldn't actively twist these plants with the power of arcane magic. If she used another method, these trees and vines would not only form a seat, but would also prepare tea for her.

"Regarding the homework for fourth-grade students, I have received many complaints that the homework you assigned is too difficult."

"Difficult?" Livia was a little confused. What was difficult about it? This was all very simple knowledge.

“Yes, it’s difficult. For them, they don’t actually need to master such advanced knowledge. They only need to master a certain level of knowledge. Knowledge also comes at a price,” Elena said.

Livia taught genuine knowledge, even though her teaching skills were truly poor, and she didn't even know how to answer students' questions. However, she did teach truly profound magical knowledge.

However, without prior knowledge and learning, and lacking teaching ability or even the ability to answer questions, learning these advanced concepts is extremely painful for most students. This is why the professors did not interfere with Livia's teaching plan.

"Not everyone can become a witch or a sage. In fact, it is already an extraordinary achievement if even one student in each class of the academy can grow into a Star Silver-level Archmage. The vast majority of them only need to become ordinary Bronze-level Arcane Mages or, if they are better, Bronze-level Arcane Mages with certain teaching and inheritance abilities."

The number of high-level superhumans is maintained in a tacit understanding and is controlled. Of course, even without active and conscious control, the path to becoming a high-level superhuman is far more troublesome and difficult than imagined, especially for spellcasters.

"Intelligence, talent, perception, even perseverance... Most of them are neither qualified nor capable of accepting and studying what you teach, no matter how much effort they put in, unless..." Unless they spend unimaginable wealth in addition to their efforts to obtain potions or treasures that can change their talents and abilities, otherwise, most people's achievements are truly predictable.

"And most of them don't even have that kind of thought themselves."

Having served as dean for a long time, Elena naturally understood that most students truly lacked the will and desire to pursue the mysteries of magic. They were more driven by practical needs; some wanted to enhance their resumes, some wanted to find employment, some wanted to achieve upward social mobility, and the simplest goal was to secure a high-paying job.

If it were Roach, he wouldn't have the same questions as Livia. He knew very well that among thousands of students in a university, those who truly wanted to become scientists, had the ability to become scientists, and had the talent to become pioneering scientists were extremely rare. Most students went to university with the goal of "finding a good job."

Those who truly want to learn something are few and far between, let alone those who genuinely want to dedicate themselves to academia and scientific research. Moreover, there is an even more practical issue: "wanting," "being able," and "producing results" are three completely different concepts and levels.

"No?" Livia tilted her head.

“No!” Elena took a sip of tea. When she said no, she meant that these people really couldn’t reach that level. At least 99% of them didn’t even have that idea, and 99% of those who had that idea didn’t have the ability.

Even among capable individuals who currently receive instruction from Livia and have numerous future educational opportunities, the number truly reaching that level is likely to be one in a thousand at most. Otherwise, top-tier spellcasters like witches and sages wouldn't be so rare across the entire continent.

Chapter 235 The Husky Among the Wolf Pack

In the capital, at least four or five faiths have gathered. Although the largest is the Church of the Holy Lord of Light, the other faiths have not been expelled and remain rooted in their respective communities.

Outsiders from Rock Tower County and the North worship "The Roar of Frost," a war god belonging to the Highlanders. Their worship is limited to the mining and shantytown areas outside the North City. The largest church or sanctuary in the city is only two stories high and was converted from a bankrupt tavern.

Many merchants from the east and north believed in the Church of the Moon Mother. The sanctuary, like Tallinn, was a rocky circle in a garden, with a long wooden house surrounding it, located near a small garden in the southern part of the western district.

There are also smaller branches of faith, such as the "Temple of Knowledge" and the "River Goddess," hidden around small shrines or temporary altars in various neighborhoods, distributed according to the community distribution of their followers.

However, regardless of the community or street, there must be a sanctuary of the Holy Lord as a node, especially in the capital city near the Holy City, where more than 80% of the people are believers of the Holy Lord. It is for this reason that strange beliefs such as the Horse-Headed Holy Lord also have considerable supporters in the capital city, and that such a huge tearing and chaos would occur when the conflict started.

Although the emperor promptly mobilized the Imperial Guards to cooperate with the academy in quelling the chaos, this did not mean the matter was over. It merely brought the previously behind-the-scenes struggle into the open and made both sides realize one thing.

"The hope of peaceful coexistence has been shattered, the things that should have been done have been done, and the moral principles that should have been upheld have been upheld, and now..." The priest, wearing a rough linen robe, looked at the believers below the platform, "those despicable hypocrites who have seized power and ignored the Lord's teachings, those false shepherds who have tried to deceive the Lamb of the Lord with the power and money in their hands."

“But we can’t beat those bishops at all. Their holy magic is too powerful, and the Lord is watching them.”

"No!" the priest interrupted a citizen who had spoken up. "They have stolen the Lord's power, a bunch of despicable thieves, enjoying power that is not their own, sitting on a stolen throne. Even if they adorn themselves with gold and silver from all over the world, they are nothing more than clay statues covered in silver leaf, a bunch of charlatans and thieves without any faith or piety!"

The priest's voice was unusually stern. Lower-ranking clergy members like him particularly agreed with the doctrines of the Salvationists, since they didn't get any benefit from the holy water and indulgences anyway, and the higher-ranking priests would take away most of their income.

They even had to pay high tuition fees for studying at the seminary, and in order to be promoted to a higher rank, they needed to bribe their superiors to get the opportunity to go to the cathedral for worship and further studies. This was the thing that lower-ranking clergy hated the most.

Not to mention other issues of discipline: one must abstain from sex, while the priests above can freely play with young boys; one must fast, on certain days only able to eat water and bread, while the bishops can feast on meat and fish, and enjoy banquets hosted by nobles.

There is nothing in this world that can cultivate hatred more than watching others feast while you are starving yourself. So it is normal for them to support the Redemptionist ideology—since I can't eat, you can't either; since I don't have a little boy, you can't either!

If we can't share wealth and honor, then let's share hardship. As long as we're both poor, then the suffering won't just be my problem.

"Most of the village churches support us, and many nobles also support us. As long as we unite..."

"Bang!" The door of the small church was kicked open, and several fully armed paladins walked in. "We received a report that someone is engaging in heretical practices here." A parchment scroll was thrown on the ground, and then the knights drew their longswords. "Kneel down or die."

"No, I am a servant of the Holy Lord, you have no right to take me away!" "This is the decision of the Inquisition, priest!" The leading knight sneered, and then a fierce but brief battle broke out in the small chapel.

A few minutes later, "Go back and report that Pastor Li En has been called by the Lord. As for the rest... take them away!"

Although the Empire tried its best to suppress the power of religion, even Roach had to admit that in a world where gods and supernatural powers truly existed, it was impossible to completely abandon religion or turn it into a decorative object that only appeared on holidays to show its presence.

Therefore, the greatest limitation the empire could impose was preventing the Inquisition from trying or arresting anyone under the "protection" of any noble, including merchants, citizens, and serfs. This was because, according to ancient law, citizens or those residing in cities were naturally, implicitly, and unquestionably guaranteed and protected by the local nobles; while serfs were the private property of their lords, and the Church was not allowed to bypass the noble lords in their dealings.

As for the free people in the suburbs, most of them need to obtain a declaration of protection from the local lord to buy a house. Finally, there are the merchants. Generally speaking, most merchants also have similar noble guarantees, but it is possible that some small merchants are mixed in, especially those traveling merchants.

With these noble guarantees, the Church's Inquisition could not make arrests and interrogations on its own. All arrests had to be authorized by the local lord, who had to declare that he no longer protected someone or that someone was a "sinner" and not protected by any imperial laws or regulations.

Therefore, the Inquisition can directly arrest and interrogate only two groups of people without the consent of nobles. The first group is the baptized, or in this world's terms, the "protected." The second group consists of people from pioneer villages and natural villages without lord protection. They do not pay taxes and are naturally not protected by the Empire.

Not all believers are baptized, because there really is a God and divine power in this world, and blessings and gifts truly have supernatural effects.

Believers need to go through the "catechumenate period," "worship period," and "offering ceremony" before they can be called "asylum seekers," a process that takes at least two years.

The catechism period is the stage for most believers, especially casual believers and novice believers. It involves going to church with others to listen to sermons, attend services, and participate in religious and community activities. This stage is no different from religions on Earth; it is essentially a social activity.

But things are different during the worship season. That's when you're truly preparing to join the church. The final dedication ceremony and blessing make you a protected person. Their benefits are supernatural, including greater resistance to evil spirits and demonic spells, and depending on the deity bestowing the blessing, they receive other minor protections.

For example, those protected by the God of War are slightly stronger than others under the same conditions; the Church of the Moon Mother reduces the pain of childbirth; and the Temple of Knowledge improves one's concentration in learning.

Another benefit is that after the above rituals, if a crime is committed, the local lord cannot punish you alone; he must consult with the church, first removing your status as a patron, and then punishing you according to the laws of the empire or the noble territory. This complex system is the result of the power struggle between the imperial monarchy and the church in the context of the real existence of God.

However, this time, the Inquisition arrested only such people because those casual believers didn't care about doctrinal disputes at all, and even if they did, it wouldn't matter, because they could easily turn to other churches, since other churches also have a true God behind them.

Because the empire forbade the church to carry out burning at the stake outside the Holy City, these captured "heretics" could only be sent to the Holy City by carriage for imprisonment and trial, and finally burned to death one by one.

“Our parishioners have been arrested by the Inquisition. They plan to send them to the Holy City tonight. By the time they get there, it will be too late.” The barefoot priest walked along a dirt road in the countryside, accompanied by several companions who looked no different from old farmers.

"Their route will pass through Nightingale Town. That will be our chance to strike. God is watching us..."

"Is the news reliable?"

“Reliable, not all the judges and ascetics are on the side of those robed guys.”

In a world where a true God and the supernatural exist, a significant portion of the Inquisition's judges are truly on the front lines, facing the corruption of evil spirits, the temptations of demons, and all sorts of dangers with devout faith and unwavering will. These people are naturally attractive targets for the Redemptionists.

As for those who sit in offices within the church, it's hard to say. Of course, some of them got their positions this way, so it's worth trying, but the chances are slim.

However, this is not absolute. Many of the judges on the front lines also felt that the Redemptionists were right, but the thought that "if you don't reform, I have to risk my life on the front lines; if you reform, I still have to risk my life on the front lines, then I've supported you for nothing" was also very common.

They're working themselves to the bone now, hoping to retire in the future and start making money in the office, living a comfortable life. But if you come to power and really implement these reforms, let alone making money, they feel they might not even receive any allowances.

Therefore, even though they clearly knew that the Holy Lord had indeed acknowledged the doctrines of this tribe, and even ascended to sainthood on the spot to support them, many judges still chose to lie through their teeth. In the conflict between faith and personal interests, they took the latter side.

Similarly, many members of rural churches and even the Redemptionists themselves can be recruited by the main church. Some of them genuinely disapprove of the church's actions, while others simply haven't benefited from them.

The two sides have been infiltrating, bribing, and lobbying each other, and it is now becoming increasingly clear that they have completely broken off relations and are confronting each other. They are even openly suppressing each other, such as directly attacking each other's gathering places, and frequently carrying out arrests and cleanups.

Naturally, the Redeemers who believe in the Holy Horse Head will also retaliate accordingly, but they haven't gone too far yet. However, as the conflict escalates, it's only a matter of time before it turns into a direct small-scale or even medium-scale armed conflict. At the very least, the Empire's requirement is that they keep the conflict within the city or suburbs and avoid large-scale operations like sieges.

"So what are the specific times and personnel involved?"

"I'm not sure. The judge who delivered the message to us was just an apprentice; he didn't know much."

“That's a bit troublesome… We’re mostly ordinary people here. The few who have mastered the Holy Art of Grace only know the most basic spells. Compared to those Inquisitors and Paladins who are used to fighting…”

"I have no intention of fighting them head-on."

As night fell, carriages drove out of the west gate. Church war priests and paladins, with torches lit, surrounded the prison carts in the middle. These were the first batch of "heretics" of the day. Their fate was either the dark prison of the holy city or the stake. There were no surprises.

"Don't delude yourself into thinking anyone will come to save you unless that saint comes in person. Didn't she say she would look after everyone? Now is the time to test her faith and promises." The leading paladin said, tapping on the bars of the prison cart.

“False believer, spit your venom all you want. The Lord’s true believers will not be harmed by your venom and lies.” The priest stared intently at the man, whose hands and feet were bound by obsidian shackles, which greatly suppressed his ability to use holy magic.

“Black obsidian from hell… Hah~” The priest raised his hand and sneered twice. It was the first time he had ridden in the Inquisition’s prison van, and the first time he had learned that the Holy Lord’s Church actually used obsidian from hell as a material to make this kind of anti-holy magic shackles. “Then it shouldn’t be surprising if I see a demon grand duke enjoying a barbecue of human flesh in the Papal Palace.”

"Or is there something more exciting to open the eyes of this old, senile pastor?"

"Don't worry, old dog, there are plenty of things in the dark dungeon that will broaden your horizons. Even the greatest demons of hell would scream in terror." The paladin spat and said, "A bunch of damned heretics."

"Heretics? Is that what they told you? We're heretics?"