Witch Troupe and the Undead

Rhodes was stunned by this tactical plan, but the locals all thought it was good, so he couldn't say much. After all, this world really does have magic, and the form of war is similar to that on Earth, but there are still big differences—at least on Earth, there are no people who can't be killed by machine guns, while in this world, there are really extraordinary individuals and extraordinary military units that can withstand artillery fire.

Although there aren't many knights who can withstand exploding fireballs, there are many knightly orders that can withstand several exploding fireballs without suffering large-scale casualties when they form special formations. The explosive fireball's yield on Earth should be equivalent to a 120-150 mm howitzer shell.

During fortress battles, fireballs fired from city defense magic cannons can be as large as 200 to 300 millimeters. It's not uncommon for fire clouds the size of a football field to fall during magical siege battles.

Similarly, there are plenty of city bricks that can't be broken by one or two exploding fireballs, and there are also monsters and high-level magical beasts that can survive being hit by exploding fireballs.

Of course, this conversion cannot be so simple and crude, because these are "magical attacks". In other words, anti-magic materials and spell annihilation arrays can greatly weaken their actual output. If you replace them with real physical explosive weapons with great force, you may not be able to withstand them.

However, no matter what, seeing the military happily taking away the samples and blueprints, Roach felt that the war scenes in this world were going to become even more bizarre, and the old man's castle could really stand up now.

Then they received a new order, this time from the church. They thought that if the castle could move, then the church could too... Church pilgrimage teams are very expensive. If there were a real mobile church, it would be very useful for missionary work, fundraising, pilgrimages, and all sorts of other tasks.

Chapter 242 is often referred to as "not understanding politics".

In the suburbs, the retreating escort team had reunited with the search team sent by the Holy City, but all the prisoners they were escorting had been rescued by the Redemptionists, and they had also lost several men.

Knight Commander Daryl, seated on his warhorse, pointed his whip at the disheveled priest before him, his face a mixture of surprise and disdain: "You just slunk away with your men like that? So much so that our rescue team couldn't catch up with you. Should I praise you for being fast?"

“Your Excellency Daryl, those heretics are everywhere in the countryside. Farmers, adventurers, and even merchants are helping them. We were even attacked at the sanctuary of the Earth Goddess.” The priest tried to defend himself. “Those farmers would never have dared to lay a hand on the sanctuary before, but now they’ve allowed these heretics to do so. This shows how those heretical demons can bewitch people’s hearts!”

"Don't try to argue!" Knight Commander Daryl wanted to lash out with his whip, but he held back because he knew this wasn't his subordinate, not one of those lowly soldiers he could whip at will.

"It seems that heresy has spread throughout the Empire. The Holy City should conduct a larger-scale trial of heretics to ensure that these evil ideas do not spread further."

In the eyes of the priests, being canonized in the arena was no big deal. The ignorant men and women in the countryside didn't care about it at all. Moreover, they were illiterate and didn't understand any principles. As long as the priests and officials in the various grassroots churches were controlled, the saints and the redeemers could be quickly turned into two different concepts and entities.

After all, there was no radio or broadcasting in this world, and methods of communication such as eagles were too expensive for ordinary people. Moreover, both writing and reading letters required a certain level of literacy, and most common people, especially farmers in rural areas, were illiterate.

"What else?"

"There's also an unidentified force helping those heretics, some kind of psychic magic..."

"You mean the Imperial Academy and the Arcane Society are also involved?" The Knight Commander felt this was indeed a bit tricky. This meant that the imperial power and mages of the Empire had also begun to get involved. Even if they weren't determined to side with the heretics, they were definitely happy to cause trouble for the Holy City.

Every nobleman, every priest, and even the head priest of the Holy City in the Empire knew one thing: in the eyes of the Imperial Family and even those nobles who did not follow the religious system, this "City of Faith" built in the western part of the Imperial Capital was a festering sore growing on the body of the Empire.

It was only because God and divine power truly existed and played a crucial role between nations and nobles, rather than merely providing convenience for rule, that the Church had to reluctantly condone and tolerate the expansion of its power and its semi-independent autonomy.

The Redemptionists would inevitably split the Church, and at the same time, they could provide functions equivalent to the Church. Obviously, the royal family may have already been tempted, including the abnormal activation of the city defense system in the capital. Of course, the explanation afterward was that the mage in charge of the city defense magic array misjudged the situation and thought that there were hostile invaders inside the capital, so he activated the encouragement magic array to enhance the ability of urban warfare.

The mage stopped his work, but that was all. Everyone knew who was qualified to issue such an order and to so easily use the capital's super-large-scale city defense-level mental magic. However, it would be impolite to investigate further.

Ultimately, the church accepted this explanation. As for ordinary people, they didn't need to know too much. The city's order had been restored on the surface, and various jobs needed to be done. Even among the urban class, most families relied on manual labor for their livelihood, so they didn't have much time to care about other things.

"I'm not sure, it could also be mages hired by those heretics." The priest quickly changed his tune, because he realized that if this matter were brought to the forefront, a nobody like himself would inevitably become a sacrifice and cannon fodder.

“Alright, I will report your report to the Holy City, but I will also report the missing prisoners and other losses. Now, go back to the city and organize your remaining manpower. The heretics in the city have been mostly captured, and we need you to ensure that they do not counterattack!”

As for what happened outside the city, everyone tacitly refrained from mentioning it. Even Knight Commander Daryl didn't say that he saw some villagers erecting a statue of a horse-headed giant on the road, yet they did not launch an attack rashly.

On the one hand, these villagers are subjects of the local lord, and taking action without the lord's permission could easily be seen as a provocation against the aristocratic system, which is unacceptable for the Holy City, which is already in a state of turmoil.

On the one hand, he wasn't sure if this was a trap. He didn't have many people with him, and the saintess was missing. The likely outcome for a high-ranking knight commander against a saint was that he would be killed on the spot.

Of course, the Holy City is actively communicating with the local nobles, and a result is expected soon. They believe that the greed and tyranny of those nobles make it impossible for them to abide by the doctrines of the Redemptionists. However, at present, the Redemptionists are only targeting the Church, not the nobles. They will only openly or secretly help the Redemptionists fight against the Church when it comes to their own territorial rights.

However, as long as the Redemptionists maintain their naive doctrines, conflict among themselves is inevitable. They reduce the common people's spending on faith and healing, and this surplus is quickly taken by the nobles—which is why the nobles side with the Redemptionists. They charge lower fees, so the people below have relatively more surplus, meaning they can exploit more.

"This is a fundamental conflict of doctrine between them. They may not confront the nobles at this critical juncture, and the nobles haven't figured out these people's bottom line yet, so things are peaceful for now, but..." Knight Commander Daryl explained to the priest, "they will soon clash." Because he was also born out of wedlock into a noble family and had climbed all the way to this position after joining the church, he had seen all sorts of bizarre things.

The nobles haven't yet figured out how much to increase exploitation. The secret to noble rule is ensuring that most people don't starve but aren't overfed. Most noble lords who can maintain their rule keep most of their subjects at this standard of living. If they're unsure and increase exploitation too much, large-scale exodus and rebellions will occur. With the royal family eyeing and consolidating power, such losses and leverage are unacceptable.

If the exploitation is not increased, these subjects will become wealthy. Once they are well-fed, they will think more and become less conducive to the rule of the noble class. Therefore, most nobles are still observing. In addition, now that the battle in Catherfield County is on the verge of a decisive battle, they are even less willing to have their own backyard on fire while they are on the battlefield.

However, once the war in Catherfield County ends, their conflict with the Redemptive Church will immediately be looming ahead.

“Unless those heretics are just chanting slogans but actually doing the same things as us,” the priest suddenly understood the current situation.

"Therefore, we don't need to worry about those villages. We just need to guard the towns and ensure that the nobles are not misled by heretics. Then..." At that time, they will not be facing a church that is restricted in every way and must maintain a certain tacit understanding with the royal power; but the entire system of exploitation and the ruling structure of the empire.

Imperial College.

"So, Master Roach, why are you designing weapons for the Empire? Doesn't that mean you're getting involved in Imperial politics?" Alessina was very curious as to why Roach would do this favor.

“Two reasons. First, this allows me to refine my magic engine design, and I have free manpower and materials to practice with. Plus, they paid me, and you know how extravagant that young lady is with her money.” Roach held up one finger. “Second, I’m not designing weapons for the Empire. I haven’t proposed or applied any advanced theories; I’ve simply integrated existing theories in a certain way.”

"I don't know!"

"It's very simple. This means that the Empire doesn't actually possess any core technologies, and I'm using the most basic spell configurations. I haven't used expensive rare materials or overly advanced spell knowledge, which means that the spellcasting skills required for the creator and user are not high." This also means that the Empire doesn't have an irreplaceable advantage or any core monopoly advantage in this matter.

"So, the Empire might start manufacturing first, but soon everyone will start manufacturing, and even later, some smaller powers will be able to manufacture some stripped-down versions of the product." Without a sophisticated industrial system on Earth, it's impossible to build tanks on your own, and even if you did, they couldn't possibly engage in combat with real armored forces.

Here, although this so-called tank or mobile castle looks grand and impressive, apart from the floating array, the rest of the parts are very ordinary. The magic engine and even the most expensive component are just plated with mithril. Theoretically, the little witch could build it by herself if she had the materials and blueprints.

"In other words, soon all countries will start manufacturing this thing, and this thing..."

It wasn't just the knights' castles that were shattered, but also the shackles of the aristocratic system, for a very straightforward reason: it didn't use overly sophisticated magical technology, which meant that recruiting a large group of high-level spellcasters to manufacture it would undoubtedly drive up the cost to the sky, thus requiring a large number of basic workers to share the burden.

Even the most expensive mithril-plated shield plate, in Roach's view, was only incredibly expensive in terms of labor and material costs, not in terms of sky-high technical costs. While material costs might be optimized in the future, what about labor costs? The simplest solution was to simplify it to a level that even an alchemy apprentice could do.

"It's not just about fortresses, but also transportation, manufacturing, mining, and so on. Mass production of these magical engines requires a group of skilled apprentices." The academy can mass-produce them quickly, partly because of the help of little witches and partly because of a large supply of free, high-quality labor.

"In other words, the empire or any great noble family and power must train these apprentices in large numbers, and they all need to be literate in order to work." Just as firearms and industrial systems on Earth shattered not only the castles of knights.

"And this kind of work will shake the rule of the nobility..." It's not just about literacy, but also about the production work itself. This means that you need to organize hundreds or thousands of able-bodied men to work. They can use wrenches in an organized way, and they can use magic crossbows in an organized way. And if they know how to repair and manufacture those parts, they know how to make simple magic crossbows.

"In other words, as long as they are organized, they can manufacture these magical mobile castles themselves if they have the materials." After all, the biggest advantage of the magical world is that things that require a complex and precise set of industrial equipment and factories on Earth can be made by hand here.

The biggest advantage of arcane magic is that, except for a very few people who are born with almost no perception (such as Roach), it can be used as long as the process and understanding are followed (theoretically, everyone can be a mage, but the knowledge itself and the training cost are not low).

Furthermore, the only difference between an apprentice and a grandmaster is their proficiency and control over complex rituals. As mentioned earlier, even an apprentice can unleash spells that only a grandmaster can use, as long as the ritual is long and not too difficult or complex.

This means that as long as these apprentices are organized and have a complete set of blueprints and production experience, they can manufacture the same mobile castle themselves, with the only difference being the working hours and the scrap rate.

"Why are you so eager to destroy the rule of the nobility?" Leslie asked with curiosity.

“Because their rule is nearing its end.” Roach sighed. Outside the window, steam and smoke from the factories in the northern part of the empire hung over the city like an ever-present dark cloud. In the era when steam industry existed on Earth, nobles and knights were practically destined for the guillotine.

However, it was still a long way off here. The power of the steam industry was not enough to crush the power of the extraordinary knights, but the magical moving castle could already greatly diminish the advantages of those tall magical defensive castles and the extraordinary knights—at least even if they used extraordinary martial arts, their lances would have a hard time piercing the enchanted mithril steel plates protected by multiple shields.

"But what does this have to do with us?"

“This is certainly good for us…” Roach looked at Livia, who was sitting by the window reading a book. She seemed to sense his gaze, looked up at him, and then gave him a soft smile.

"As I said, we can use their materials and manpower to practice, and there is no need for core technology or expensive materials. This means that the young lady can build a mobile castle."

"Moreover, at the very least, once trains become more widespread, our travel will become much more convenient."

"As for crushing the rule of the nobility, that's a long way off. By then, we might have already gone back or gone to other countries. However, it will still be beneficial to us..." Roach complained, "Haven't you had enough of being tormented by all sorts of territory taxes and currencies when you buy things?"

"..." This reason is very convincing.

"Moreover, the aristocratic system is now restricting the development of productivity..." The reason why railways cannot be popularized is not only because of their high cost, but also because nobles do not want railways to be built to their doorsteps. No one wants the imperial army to be able to reach their castle gates in five hours.

"This means that for us, shopping, accommodation, and various other things on the road will be affected, either directly or indirectly."

"But have you considered that this could trigger a civil war, or even lead to the overthrow of the dynasty? If that happens, it will be even more difficult for us to travel."

“But it’s easier for us to stay at home,” Roach spread his hands. “During the civil war, no one would have the leisure to run to the border forests.”

"Besides, even if I don't help, they will develop it sooner or later, and civil war is inevitable. Do you think Princess Freya would be a good empress?"

"I think she's a pretty good person..." As a beastman, Alessina had a very good impression of this bloodthirsty princess; she really had the air of a beastman!

"First of all, they are already fighting a civil war, and two of them, though on a small scale. Secondly... if you think the princess is a good person, then the nobles will think that after she ascends the throne, it will be a dark and hopeless time."

Because of class, as ordinary people and the middle class, Alessina and Leslie, as well as the citizens, workers and merchants of the capital, all felt that Princess Freya was a good candidate for empress. However, the more they thought so, the more the nobles, as the ruling class, felt that this girl should absolutely not take the throne!

"Therefore, once she ascends the throne, the division and civil war of the empire will be inevitable, and this kind of military equipment can accelerate the reunification of the empire and end the war as soon as possible," Roach said. After all, it's better to hope that Freya will have some kind of unifying power to create a large-scale mobile castle than to hope that Freya will have a hole in her head one day.

“Based on what I know of this princess… she probably doesn’t understand politics at all, and don’t get me wrong, I’m saying that in a compliment,” Roach quoted a famous line from a British TV series: “because she really does keep her promises, if she says she’ll open the octagon she really will, and she doesn’t lie or compromise much. And usually, we call people like that ‘politically illiterate’.”

And such a person, once in power, should not be expected to have the political skill to resolve conflicts in a gentle way. This is both a bad thing and a good thing. From the perspective of Earth's history, the former can certainly allow the national regime to transition smoothly, but the gentler the approach, the more it means that the conflicts are only temporarily covered up rather than really disappear. Moreover, the more compromises are made, the greater the hidden dangers will be later.

The good thing is that she probably doesn't really understand politics or military affairs, but she seems to really understand economics, and things like magic castles...

"It's a brutal clash of economic power!" I can build bigger and more mobile castles, and I can crush all your resistance. When facing a castle that can stand up and speed, a lack of military talent is not a problem at all - if you don't get close to the fortress, the fortress will get close to you (literal meaning).

"What happens after that?"

"Well, we'd better pray that she really understands economics." Roach wasn't sure if Princess Freya understood economics. She seemed to understand it, but she also seemed not to. Judging from the results, she did understand it, but judging from her behavior, it was somewhat ridiculous for someone who didn't understand politics to say that she understood economics.

Chapter 243 The Religious War Begins

On the outskirts of the capital, the escaped Redemptionist believers and priests gathered in an abandoned barn. Many of them bore the scars of torture and torment. Even though most of their external injuries had been healed with the help of divine grace, they still appeared extremely weak.

"This can't go on any longer! Those fallen ones in the Holy City are becoming increasingly brazen. They're not only hunting down our brothers in the towns, but they're even declaring us blasphemers who have received the power of hell in the countryside!" the priest leading the operation shouted. "We must fight back!"

Will those villagers believe them?

"Yes..." The frail old priest nodded with difficulty. Most of the villagers were illiterate and did not understand any doctrines. In their eyes, the priests from the city were extraordinary noblemen, and they would believe their words unconditionally.

"How stupid!"

“It’s not that they’re stupid, it’s just…” the old pastor gasped, “it’s just that they lack knowledge, are used to obeying the orders of nobles and the church, and don’t understand our doctrines.”

In their eyes, they were all spellcasters who used holy magic. Since they were all masters, they naturally had their own way of judging and life experience. Obviously, the poor-looking Redemptionist masters were not doing well, so they were naturally less credible than the priests of the Holy City who wore gorgeous robes.

"Besides, they've been fooled countless times, so it's normal for them to be skeptical of new things... Guess what those fallen ones will say about us?" A battle priest, also from a rural church, said with a wry smile.

"Smearing us? Fabricating things that didn't happen and pinning them on us, even framing us for their bad deeds?"

"No, it's not that complicated. They just need to all say the same thing: that we are fallen priests who worship demons, that we use demonic power, and that everything we do is to obtain souls for our demonic masters." The battle priest said in a low voice, "It's that simple."

"That simple? No evidence?"

"No need. They will attribute all their misfortunes to the devil's doing. Poor harvests, no rain, and no piglets are all because of the devil's doing. We are the ones who worship the devil, are bewitched by the devil, and secretly do bad things with evil magic. All the sins are our doing, and they can continue to live their lives with a clear conscience."

The pastors, who had experience in rural missionary work, nodded in agreement. This was indeed consistent with the mindset of the villagers and farmers they had encountered during their missionary work. In fact, at the beginning of their missionary work, they had actually experienced being treated as cult members.

“Don’t blame them. If they seriously considered why they were living such a hard life…” the battle priest smiled bitterly, “they would either not understand it and would not have the courage to continue living; or they would understand it and either join us or join those tax-resistant ‘villains’ and be killed by the nobles. Those who are still alive are those who do not think about these deeper things.”

“Ultimately, they simply don’t understand what we’re doing.” The old pastor sighed, then looked at the priest leading the group. “I suppose not all parishes are like this?”

"Yes, the earliest parishes are no longer fooled by such rhetoric, if you can call it rhetoric."

Because the earliest parishes were in border villages and pioneering villages that the church was unwilling to go to, in other words, the locals had no habit of trusting priests. Although they knew that the spellcaster was a master, they had never seen a master from the church come. In addition, most of the people who had the courage to establish pioneering villages did have a bit of "unruly" courage in them.

Therefore, the Redemptionists, who had already established a firm foothold in the local area and built trust through inexpensive holy magic services and long-term relationships, could not be swayed by a few priests sent from the Holy City to bluff and spout some devilish nonsense.

“People from the countryside have their own wisdom, so our previous plan won’t work.”

For the country folk, it wasn't that they truly believed the church lords' words; it was simply the easiest way. On the contrary, questioning those robed lords could easily lead to a beating or even death. The nobles wouldn't turn against the church for a few serfs, so why would they risk their lives to speak for the Redeemers?

And even if they risk their lives to speak for the Redemptionists, what benefit will they gain? What substantial effect will it have?

"But there are no benefits to believing in the church!"

“At least there’s no greater downside.” The old pastor shook his head. “Even if the holy water and holy magic we provide are cheap, they still can’t afford them. After all, the cost is there.”

Real holy water requires amethyst and silver powder. Even with small quantities and dilution, it's difficult to reduce the price to a few copper coins. For serfs and farmers in the countryside, there's no difference between holy water worth one silver coin and one worth ten silver coins; both are luxuries they can't afford.

Holy healing also involves considerable human and material costs. Unless it is a saint, whether it is replenishing divine power or performing some complex holy magic, it is necessary to set up a ritual. No matter how simplified the incense and offerings are, it is impossible to really charge nothing.

"but……"

"The old parishes... are practically nonexistent. The Holy City Church doesn't even bother to look at them, while only we go to these places to preach. For them, believing in the Holy City means losing everything. So, they don't trust us more, but rather they distrust the Holy City."

Of course, another reason is that the traditional wisdom of the locals also made them clearly aware that if they accepted the benefits from the church in the Holy City, all sorts of exorbitant taxes and levies would soon follow, and there might even be an additional lord above them. This is a rule and lesson that the people of the pioneering village learned by risking their lives. Not to mention, the premise is that the Holy City is willing to give them real money and benefits.

“For city dwellers, a silver coin is a price of holy water that most citizens can afford, and they are more supportive of us.” This is the old pastor’s experience over the years. “Besides, they have seen too much of the ugly side of those priests.”

“Yes, I know that. The least devout people in the world are the residents of the Holy City.” A priest sneered. It’s not contradictory that the residents of the Holy City, the headquarters of the Church, are the least trusting and least devout people in the world.

After all, those high-ranking priests didn't really hide it from people when they were raising and playing with little boys and girls. Even if they tried to cover it up, it was impossible for people living in the Holy City to completely avoid discovering something.

Not to mention the filth and depravity hidden beneath those magnificent cathedrals, which could not possibly be kept secret from the grooms, cooks, and servants who served the cathedrals. And when they returned home, they would naturally spread these "secrets" among their families and neighbors.

In other words, pilgrims from other places would feel that this is a pure land paradise. Of course, the residents of the holy city would not support the salvation faction. Just because they do not believe in the church does not mean that they have not benefited from the church's extravagance and decadence. Regardless of the consumption of those groups that have been tricked into coming for pilgrimage, the scraps and leftovers flowing out of those churches are enough for them to eat their fill.

"So, what should we do if those villagers report us or think we're demon worshippers?"

"Should we do the same? Say that the priests of the Holy City are fallen men who have abandoned their faith?"

“It’s no use,” the old pastor shook his head. “In the end, those villagers may be devout, but do they really know what the right faith is? Have you preached to them?”

"…Preaching is definitely part of my job; I'm not one of those people who just collect money."

"Did they understand?" the old pastor asked rhetorically.

"what?"

“I mean, whether it’s our scriptures or the scriptures of the Holy City, do they understand them? You see, when you preach to them, they know the glory and power of the Holy Lord, and they also know that we, the servants of the Holy Lord, have extraordinary power. Perhaps some brothers who are good at preaching and proselytizing can make them understand that the Holy Lord is a being that leads to goodness and light, but what about the rest?”