Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 261 Church

   It was the morning of the fourth day Winters returned to Wolftown, and it was also a Sunday morning.

  Winters walked comfortably around town, picking up a nail or two from the scorched earth every now and then.

  People who were going to mass saw the resident officer and waved hello from a long distance, and Winters also said hello to the villagers.

  In the early years, when the village was established as a town, in addition to the town hall, there was only a church in the center of Wolf Town—to be precise, there was a church before the town center.

  The vast majority of the people in Wolf Town live by farming, and only a little handicraft is scattered in each village.

  Gillard did everything he could to make Wolftown grow into what Winters saw when he first arrived.

  For example, the blacksmith workshop - Girard poured Misha unconscious several times before successfully persuading the old brother to move the workshop from Dusa Village to the town center.

   Destiny is messing with people, people in Wolf Town have been on the road for thirty years, and a round of military disasters has destroyed them cleanly.

   Fortunately, Winters came back here and rebuilt her with his own hands.

   Next, another round of military disasters, Winters' hard work was also burned...

   But the proverb says it well: [Don't spit into the well, one day you will drink from the well].

  At present, the main responsible persons of "Two Ruining Wolf Town" are weaving baskets to atone for their sins in the labor camp, and this town that Winters loves has been full of vitality again.

   The cold forge burst into flames, and the clanging sound came from the blacksmith shop again. The key components and drawings were still there, so the sawmill soon resumed production.

  The prison rises from the rubble of the barracks—the flat ground that has been rammed down makes no sense to abandon it.

  Samukin learns what Winters does, and he does it well.

   That is, Father Kaman may be a little unhappy, because his church has just been rebuilt, and it has been burned down by a fire.

  It stands to reason that it is fine to burn it, just recreate it. There are tools, hands, and wood in Wolf Town, and it's just a matter of burning them down to make something more beautiful.

   The problem is that Kaman is a duly ordained old clergyman, and Samukin...Samukin is Protestant.

   So Samukin was able to assess the importance of Wolftown Church with an objective and dispassionate attitude—no doubt at the bottom of the list for reconstruction, with occasional cuts in the queue.

  Samukin built a shed with no walls for Father Kaman, which was temporarily provided to the old believers as a place to hold ceremonies.

   Kaman did not come to Winters to discuss the explanation, and Winters did not apologize or explain to Kaman.

   On the first day back in Wolftown, Winters sent someone to **** Brother Sean, the potter, to Rewardin. For the remaining days, he spent most of his time at Mitchell Manor.

  Kaman ignored Winters, but Mrs. Mitchell was glad that Winters was back.

  Winters chatted with Mrs. Mitchell, mainly about Pierre and Scarlett: Pierre's experience on the moor? What has Scarlett been up to lately?

   From time to time, I also talk about the recent situation of the province and Veneta, as well as the anecdotes and customs of the Tanilla Islands.

  When Winters and Kaman first met, Kaman had a gentle smile on his mouth all the year round, but Winters always looked impatient and didn't bother to pay attention to the former.

   Now the way they get along is completely reversed: every time Kaman sees Winters, he is so anxious that he looks irritable; however, Winters takes the initiative to say hello to the priest with a smile.

   But "follow me to Gervodin" was never mentioned by Winters.

  The sound of the bells came from the old church site, which was the announcement that the ceremony was about to start.

   Winters heard the bell and walked back to the labor camp, Samukin waiting at the door.

   "Have the captives been assembled yet?" Winters asked with a smile.

   "Everything is ready." Samukin saluted.

   "Yes." Winters handed the nails in his hand to Samukin: "This is still usable, why not recycle it?"

  Samukin couldn't help laughing and laughing. He rummaged through the **** wolf soil for a long time, but he was picking up rubbish.

  Samujin resisted his smile and replied seriously: "Yes, I'll arrange for someone to pick it up."

   "Forget it." Winters sighed: "I've been looking for it all morning, and I should have found it all."

   On the other side, Father Kaman saw that the believers had almost arrived, and began to preside over the ceremony.

  Kaman wears a long white coat and a dark green velvet embroidered sacrificial shawl. The holy belt goes around the neck and hangs on the chest, which is sacred and solemn.

   He bowed and was about to speak when he saw Winters happily walk into the "teaching shed".

  Kaman took a deep breath and continued to preside over the ceremony.

   The next moment, the words he hadn't spoken were choked back in his throat by the chant of "Right! Left! Right...".

  The prisoners came out of the labor camp in columns, row after row, like a long snake crawling towards the new church site. They walked all the way to the outside of the wooden shed and took their seats one by one under the guidance of the guards' passwords.

The old believers in   Wolf Town did not know why, and even panicked and looked around.

   No matter how good Kaman's cultivation is, he can't bear it any longer.

   He angrily walked up to Winters, gritted his teeth and asked, "What the **** are you doing?"

  Winters was sitting in the first row of this humble church shed, and answered dignifiedly: "At Mass."

   "You are a magician, you are a fart!" Kaman's face flushed.

   "Silence." Winters rebuked: "It's not good for the believers to hear how much you swear."

"Winters Montagne! You think you are a magician, and I can't deal with you! Can't I?" Kaman clenched his teeth, clenched his fists, his cheeks were twitching: "You think you can challenge me again and again the limit of endurance, isn't it?"

   "Not because I'm a spellcaster." Winters put his hand around Kaman's shoulder: "It's because we are friends."

  Kaman smashed Winters' arm fiercely: "I'm not your friend!"

   "But I'm your friend!" Winters tried his best to show his most sincere smile.

   "What the **** are you doing?!" Kaman was almost mad.

   "You really want to know?"

"Say!"

   "I want to pardon most of the prisoners in the labor camp." Winters replied sternly: "Before announcing the pardon, I want them to listen to a Mass and give them some religious advice, so that they will not do bad things in the future."

   "That's all?" Kaman was like being poured a bucket of cold water.

"that's it."

   "Is that all?"

   "That's all." Winters told the truth: "There is absolutely no second purpose for bringing prisoners."

  Kaman turned around with a sneer, and returned to the altar in doubt.

   Having presided over the previous ceremonies, it was finally time for the sermon. Kaman sighed, put down the prepared speech, and began to tell the believers about "Saint Matthew's Calling".

   "[I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance]..." In response to today's emergencies, Kaman wrote about new life, repentance, and salvation.

   The green sacrificial shawl he wears also has the meaning of "hope and new life".

   Winters listened and observed carefully. But he is not listening to the content, but to the sound; he is not looking at the altar, but the look of Kaman.

  The shed with no walls on all four sides had poor sound-retaining effect, and the prisoners sat outside the shed until they were several tens of meters away.

  Kaman had to preach in a loud voice so that the believers in the back row could hear him clearly.

  The voice of Kaman's preaching is indeed loud and clear, sacred and solemn, even the prisoner sitting at the end is listening carefully.

   But as a senior speaker, Winters is sure that this level of voice is not something that can be easily produced by human beings, at least it has to be blushing, hoarse, and shouting hoarse.

   From this, Winters judged that Kaman must be preaching using a magical technique similar to [Amplification]; or conversely, the magical technique can also achieve the effect of [Amplification].

   Winters even wanted to write down the discovery on the spot, and it took a lot of effort to resist the urge to reach for the notebook with his right hand.

  Just like that, the ceremony went smoothly.

When    received the Holy Communion, Winters also smiled and walked to the altar, not avoiding it as he did in the past.

  Winters thought it through now - there was no need to deliberately take the pose of a spellcaster, but that would be the end of the line; he should eat and drink, and he should eat the biscuits for free.

   On the other hand, when he saw Winters coming to receive the sacrament, he deliberately took out a piece of bread that had not been consecrated to Winters, and did not give Winters the "Holy Blood". It was unfair for Winters to dismiss Winters casually.

After the    ceremony, Winters asked the prisoners to line up in the open space, and the believers in Wolf Town were not far away to watch.

  Plato has a tradition of taking prisoners of war as slaves—slavery is actually not worthy of being called a tradition, and all the ancient countries recorded in the epic had slaves. It's just that while others ditched slavery little by little, the Palauans perpetuated it.

   From a practical point of view, it is understandable that the Palatine people took the Hurds as slaves. They want to weaken the Heard tribes, and they can't "relocate the barbarians to the inside", so killing men alone is meaningless, women and children are the key.

   But the Platos were equally ruthless when it came to attacking them. In the past, the Palatine nobles fought private wars, and prisoners of war who had no money to redeem themselves were either serfs or sold overseas. Before the woollen industry flourished, slaves were Prato's main export.

  So although Winters' captives were reluctant, they accepted the situation of forced labor to some extent - after all, they were not sold overseas, so it wasn't too bad.

   Seeing that all the prisoners who were about to be pardoned had arrived, Winters stood on the platform made of carriages and asked them loudly, "Do you deny me."

   His eyes swept across the crowd, the prisoners bowed their heads, no one dared to look at each other, and no one dared to answer.

   Who doesn't know the blood wolf? It was the blood wolf who caught them here.

   "Do you know why I treat you like slaves?"

   Still no one dared to speak.

   Winters paused for a moment, then answered for the captives: "Because you lost the battle, didn't you?"

   This sentence can be said to be in the hearts of the prisoners, most of them are members of the grain collection team who were ambushed in the later period. After the early ambush raiders were screened, most of the prisoners were released directly.

"It's a big mistake! You work because you deserve to starve if you don't work! You're standing here, but it's not because you lost the battle!" Winters snarled: "Look up and look at me! You stand Here, because you used to rob the people of their food! Forcing them to live! If you don’t clean up you, only you will survive, and everyone else will starve to death!”

   The expressions of most of the prisoners were blank and puzzled.

   How many people can understand this truth? Winters doesn't know, perhaps the logic of "defeating the battle and becoming a slave" is more acceptable.

   Winters sighed inwardly. Big Benting escaped with his life today. Bud firmly opposed the public trial of Big Bentine, because as long as Winters was still wearing the cloak of the garrison, he would have no legitimate reason to try "the dutiful mayor of Bentine".

   Where is the legitimacy of the regime he wants to build? God? force? public opinion? This was the question Winters had to ponder.

   But Winters wasn't here to give the prisoners a meeting today.

   "Among the enemies I have captured are those who committed serious crimes such as murder and **** during the grain requisition." Winters pointed to the gallows outside the labor camp, and his voice made all the prisoners shudder: "All have been ordered."

   "Among the enemies I have captured are those who committed minor crimes such as wounding people during the grain requisition." Winters announced beyond doubt: "Continue to serve the sentence."

   "You are left! You mediocre villains are left! I will give you a chance to regain your freedom, and I will give you a chance to return to your family."

  Winters waved his hand, and Samukin led someone out of the brazier, which contained six soldering irons.

   "But the chance, only give you one time!" Winters pointed to the brazier, indifferent and majestic: "If you want, come forward."

  The prisoners looked at each other, but did not dare to move.

  Samukin strode up to a thin captive in the first row: "You! Do you want to go home?"

   "Me?" The captive swallowed in panic and timidly said, "Think."

  Samukin dragged the captive back to the brazier and took out a soldering iron. The head of the soldering iron turned out to be in the shape of a holy emblem, and it was already burning red.

   "Tear off his shirt." Samukin coldly ordered his subordinates.

  Two strong guards immediately held down the captive, and the third tore off the latter's shirt.

  Samukin made his hands expressionless.

The    branding iron was mercilessly buckled on the prisoner's left chest, and anyone who got close could hear the creaking sound of fat hitting a hot pan. The screams of the prisoners were unbearable, and the people of Wolf Town who were watching subconsciously looked away.

  Samukin wasn't trying to kill the captive, so he just touched it for a second or so and then removed the soldering iron. The captive's left chest left a mark of the Holy Emblem.

   The guards dragged the captive to the side and applied a scalding ointment made of turpentine, egg yolks, and rose oil.

"There is only one chance." Samukin made the most real threat to the captives on behalf of his centurion: "If you dare to take up arms again, what is waiting for you is the sword inserted from the holy emblem! Whoever doesn't want to, just Go back and continue serving your sentence! Next!"

The    captives were shaken, but still no one dared to come forward.

   I saw a person coming from the back row—Prisoner Ivan stepped out of the queue and stood tremblingly beside the brazier.

   He didn't want others to hold him, but first swore to the holy emblem soldering iron, then revealed his chest by himself, closed his eyes and waited for Samukin to do it.

  Samukin nodded, didn't say anything, and released his hand after only half a second.

   "Follow him!" Samukin pointed to another prisoner in the front row and ordered: "You, next!"

  With Samukin around, Winters doesn't have to do everything himself, which is very worry-free. He got out of the carriage, and saw Kaman, who had taken off his sacrificial robe and put on his regular clothes, walking towards him.

   "What is this doing?" Kaman asked, frowning.

"Leave a memory for the captives. I hope they will have a little memory next time they want to hold their swords at me. They can't just let them go, right?" Winters answered honestly, he said with a smile: "I also chose A widely loved symbol."

   Not far away, the captives swore, were branded, and finally brought to the side for healing. The screams came one after another, and the air was filled with a very fragrant barbecue smell, which was disgusting.

   Widely loved symbol? Kaman was puzzled, and then he saw the mark of the holy emblem on the captive.

   He was angry at first, then helpless, and finally sighed deeply.

   "You don't make them slaves anymore, it's a good thing anyway." Kaman looked at the prisoners in the open space and explained himself: "This holy emblem is very suitable for use here."

   "I thought you were going to fight with me." Winters was a little regretful.

  Kaman snorted disdainfully.

   "Do you want to know how I became the protector of Seven Towns?" Winters asked suddenly casually.

"Do not want to know."

"It's alright, I agree to tell you," Winters said casually. "I ambushed the grain requisition team and brought the captives back to the villages to be identified by the people. Which murders, arson, abuse of women? Which stole, wounded? Stupid way to screen out captives, but if you do it too much, I'm the protector of the seven towns. So the seven towns south of the St. George River are willing to support me, and the eight towns to the north are close to me. That's it."

  Kaman sighed deeply again. He looked directly into Winters' eyes, as if to see the bottom of Winters' heart, and Winters met his gaze without any hesitation.

"Mr. Montagne, I respect you, and I also know that you are a good person." Kaman told Winters solemnly and solemnly: "But I have sworn a secret oath, and I will not tell you any secrets about magic. I don't want to tell you, even if it's not bound by an oath. And don't try to explore, because it's not something you can touch. I hope you understand."

   "Why are you in such a hurry?" Winters asked back with a smile: "I didn't ask you either! Did I ask you? Didn't I ask a word?"

"Don't pretend." Kaman became irritable again: "You might as well ask me outright, I will reject you outright. Don't you want to pry the secret of magic from my mouth when you return to Wolf Town? I I tell you, it's impossible! You can't get anything about magic from me!"

   "I'm really curious about the principle of magic. But this time when I returned to Wolf Town, I really came to pick up Brother Sean, the potter!" Winters exclaimed injustice.

He also restrained his expression and said solemnly and solemnly: "I know you don't believe me. I swear by my parents' graves, and I will never ask you about the secrets of any magical technique - without your permission. How about this? "

   "Without my permission?" Kaman snorted coldly.

   "Maybe one day you will tell me voluntarily?" Winters smiled.

   "I can tell you right now." Kaman said amazingly.

"I do not believe."

"The magic comes from the devout belief in the only savior. The magic does not belong to me, but the Lord does it through my hands. You can't understand." Kaman said coldly to Winters: "You unbeliever think Use magic? Convert first and then."

   "Is that so?!" Winters was elated: "I'll convert now! You teach me!"

  Kaman clutched his chest, bent down, and took a while to recover.

   "You..." Kaman looked at Winters and said with a complicated expression: "You...you have changed."

   "It's all well taught by Father Rhett."

   "No wonder." Kaman coughed: "No wonder."

   "Brother Kaman, I'm going back to Revordan." Wentesla grabbed Kaman's arm and said reluctantly, "I'll give you a gift when I leave."

  Kaman threw off Winters' arm vigorously: "No need, just leave quickly."

   "Don't, I thought about this gift for a long time." Winters blinked: "I'll give you a cathedral."

   "What about the Gervoudan Cathedral?" Kaman sneered: "You have taken down the emblem of St. Aldous, so there is nothing you can do."

"You really wronged me." Winters was surprised at first, and then aggrieved to the extreme. He asked back: "The Cathedral of Gervoudin was looted and set on fire by thugs. Wasn't it my people who saved it? The lost holy artifact. , didn't my people chase it back?"

His words hit Kaman like a cannonball: "Do you know how short of money I am now? It's because of your face that I didn't melt down the gold and silver sacred objects in the Gervodin Church! The emblem of St. Aldous is In the hands of Bud, but it was only borrowed, with an IOU! It was used for good deeds! This time I come to Wolf Town, I want to bring back the emblem of St. Aldous!"

"Father Kaman, we have come together in blood and fire. How can you make such a serious accusation against me without discrimination?" Winters grabbed the front of his shirt with pain: "I am so sad. It's gone!"

   "You didn't destroy the Cathedral of Gervoudin?"

"No!"

   "You didn't take anything from the Cathedral of Gervodin?"

"No!"

   "You didn't hurt any clergy?"

   "No!" Winters added: "Although the bishop died, it was because he panicked and ran to the roof to take refuge and accidentally fell. I didn't kill it, nor did my people kill it."

  Kaman stood for a while, then said with difficulty: "I'm sorry..."

   "It's okay, I'm very happy to forgive you." Winters laughed and took Kaman's shoulders: "Although the church in Wolftown was destroyed, how about I get a bigger one? Not bad, right?"

"Not so good." Kaman knocked off Winters' arm again and refuted coldly: "The church is the property of the church, not your gift. How can you allow you to grant the bishop's office in private? Besides, Wolf Town is mine. Diocese, how could I just leave? If I leave Wolf Town, what will happen to the believers in Wolf Town?"

   "Send another one from Gervoudin." Winters disagreed: "As for the position of Bishop of Gervodin... I have the final say in Gervodin, and I can recommend you."

   "Oh? Mr. Montagne. It turns out that you are not the mayor of Wolf Town, but our Pope?" Kaman said angrily: "If you say it is recommended, it is recommended, do you have the final say?"

   "Okay. You don't want to accept this gift, and I won't force you." Winters patted Kaman's shoulder regretfully: "I'm going back to Revodan today."

  Kaman sneered and waved his hand.

   Winters nodded in greeting and walked away without looking back.

  Kaman watched Winters' back, until the latter disappeared from sight on horseback, he was surprised to realize: Winters really left.

   After a while, Ciel ran over: "Father Kaman!"

   "I knew it wasn't over!" Kaman was both angry and amused: "What's wrong?"

   "My brother asked me to tell you that Mrs. Mitchell is also going with us to Gervodin. Let's go today."

   A mouthful of blood rushed to Kaman's throat: "What?! Why didn't anyone tell me?"

   "My brother said, if you ask this question, let me answer you like this." Charles cleared his throat and imitated Winters' inexplicable tone: "Who are you? Why did I tell you?"

   [Thanks to book lovers for their collection, reading, subscription, recommendation ticket, monthly ticket, reward and comment]

   [The legitimacy of governance is an issue that Winters cannot avoid. This chapter will briefly mention it and expand it later]

   (end of this chapter)