James stared at the commander: “The Ingres people are not idiots like you who would get lost in the heavy snow for three days! They have dealt with heavy snow since they were young! Now! Send someone out to find them immediately!”

The disagreement on the commander’s face disappeared, and he became more solemn.

He also realized that there was a problem.

Damn it!

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Those procrastinating bastards from the Five Port Alliance made him almost used to transport teams arriving at such late times!

It had been snowing a lot these days.

But James was right about one thing. In Ingres, during winter, the cold current along the coast would make their snow fall almost as thick as that in the Northland. Moreover, the Ingres people have just established a deal with Legrand, so they won’t be as lazy as the people of the Five Port Alliance after just a few months.

Most importantly!

——This was Newcastle.

The riots last year had just subsided, but from time to time mobs still attacked the troops stationed here. Although all this time, their attacks have been sporadic, like annoying mosquitoes.

“F**k!”

The commander cursed, he didn’t bother to drink any more bulls*t spirits, he turned around and strode towards the barracks.

“Get out here now!!”

There was a clamor, the sounds of whinnying horses and clanging armor.

Soon, the drawbridge at the southwest gate of Newcastle lowered, and the guarding soldiers watched as the commander led a group of cavalry to rush across the bridge like a whirlwind.

They rushed into the vast snow under the urging of the commander.

…………

Horses fell in a pool of blood, and Ingres’ soldiers gathered together. They used the vehicles transporting iron and wood as a temporary fortress for defense.

But, to be honest, this temporary fortress was too shabby.

The Ingres were known for their combativeness.

The Rose royal family conquered Ingres for many years, but they still failed to completely pacify them. Although they were extremely poor and lacked advanced weapons, often only wearing leather armor and using bows and spears to fight against heavily armed knights. All the same, they relied on their swiftness to catch their enemies off guard.

For hundreds of years, they relied on this guerrilla tactic to defeat Legrand’s army, but today these advantages failed.

They escorted ironwood away from the familiar Ingres mountains to the unfamiliar Northland.

Only to be ambushed.

The opponent was far more familiar with the terrain here than they were. The enemy was lurking in the place they must pass through to Newcastle——a slightly long canyon.

When they marched to the middle of the canyon, the enemy suddenly jumped up from the snow on both sides.

The enemy wore  thick white cloaks that blended perfectly with the heavy snow, their scent covered by the snow, and even the horses didn’t notice any strangeness. When the snow on both sides flew up and the situation was found to be wrong, there was already no way out.

As soon as the commanding officer of Ingres’ transport team pulled out his curved sword, the sound of sharp arrows flying through the air could be heard.

Iron arrows cut through the air like rain.

The commanding officer swung his knife and batted away a few iron arrows, but the horse under him fell to the ground with a scream. He staggered and pulled out the leg that was pressed down by the horse, and rolled onto the ground under the loaded iron and wood cart, avoiding the rain of arrows.

This was simply a one-sided massacre.

Ingres’ soldiers only wore simple leather armor, but the opponents were holding refined iron crossbows banned by the Holy Court.

Under such a short distance, the crossbow shot so fast that even the most elite Ingres knights have no time to react. As we all know, the reason why the crossbow was banned was because it could penetrate the best chain mail! This was the weapon known as the “Cursed Object”.

Chain mail was like paper in front of it, let alone Ingres’ crude leather armor.

In a blink of an eye, the white snow was stained red with blood.

When the horse was wounded and ran off, it overturned the cart full of ironwood, and the black logs rolled down and scattered on the ground. The corpses of Ingres soldiers and horses fell to the ground at the same time, and the air was filled with blood in an instant.

He should do something!

Hearing the pained cries of his comrades in his ears, the commanding officer tightly clenched the curved sword in his hand.

Amidst the sound of arrows raining, the hoofbeats of galloping war horses could be heard.

The commanding officer rolled abruptly from under the carriage. A warhorse with an arrow in its hind leg was charging from behind. The enemy’s target was the soldiers, not the horses, so no one paid attention to it. The officer was almost trampled on by the galloping horse. He quickly grabbed the saddle, turned over, and got on the horse.

The wounded horse carried him out of the canyon like the wind.

At the moment the commanding officer rushed out, some enemies spotted the missed target, and they shouted behind him.

The commanding officer caught their language.

Newcastle was invaded by sea barbarians in the twelfth century BC in the Western Continent, and their language had deep-rooted barbarian characteristics. Especially the local dialect, which was very different from Legrand’s common language.

These lurkers were Newcastle’s rebels.

A doubt flashed through the commanding officer’s mind:

——Although Newcastle’s economic situation was better than Ingres, it was only better than Ingres! The Northland had also been plagued by poverty for a long time, and it could be called Ingres’ suffering brother. So why do these Newcastle rebels suddenly have such sophisticated weapons?

Where did they get it?

These doubts passed in a flash, and the commanding officer would never have them answered.

Because the enemies behind him had aimed their crossbows at him again.

The sharp arrow pierced through the air, and the commanding officer turned the curved sword backwards to protect his back. In the blink of an eye, several arrows pierced his shoulders, and he almost fell off his horse of not for the stirrups.

The war horse was also hit by an arrow, and it speeded up with a mournful cry and a final burst of speed.

The man and the horse rushed out of the mouth of the canyon.

In the heavy snow, a cavalry came quickly from a distance.

With the last of his strength, the commanding officer threw the curved sword towards the cavalry.

Then he rolled off his horse and fell headlong into the icy snow. The white snow rustled down, covering his young face.

“Something bad happened.”

The commander reined in his horse and swung his sword horizontally to prevent his soldiers from advancing.

He saw the scene where the commanding officer of the Ingres transport team fell from his horseback, and he also saw the curved sword inserted not far from them.

“They’re under attack! We have to go to their rescue!”

The knights around him became anxious.

“No!”

The commander calmly looked at the gloomy canyon, where it looked like a poisonous snake with its huge mouth open. It had devoured the life of a convoy and was now licking its teeth, waiting for a new sacrifice.

“Withdraw!”

“Why!”

The knights could hardly believe the order they heard.

“I said withdraw!”

The commander roared.

Ingres soldiers, known for their warlike behavior, chose to escape from the canyon and threw their weapon that was equivalent to their lives——this was a warning to them! There was a huge danger hidden in the canyon, a danger that even if they went there, they would not be able to hold up against!

The other party chose to convey the news to them desperately.

“Withdraw!”

Under the roar of the commander, this cavalry turned around and returned to Newcastle.

The boundless snow soon covered the body of the Ingres commanding officer.

Not long after the cavalry didn’t approach and quickly withdrew, a group of people appeared at the entrance of the canyon. They were covered in snow-white cloaks, wearing fine iron armor that the Northland should not have, and holding crossbows glowing with cold light in their hands.

“Let’s go.”

Looking at the shadow of Newcastle in the distance, the leader turned his head and said coldly.

Newcastle.

Just as the guard yawned, he saw the commander who had left in a hurry come back with the cavalry. He put down the suspension bridge full of questions, and was just about to ask something, when he saw the commander rushing into the castle with a cold face without stopping.

“On defense! On defense!”

The commander’s order, yelled at the top ogf his lungs, spread along with the cold wind.

1432, less than a week until the end of the year.

An urgent battle report was sent from Newcastle.

By the time the Duke of Buckingham in the Rose Palace received the battle report, it was already covered in blood.

………………

Tomorrow was a new year.

Today was a jubilant celebration.

Thanks to the efforts of the city cleaning team, this was probably the first time Koszoya had ever been so tidy.

The streets were clean, the sewage system had paved the main streets, and the places that have not been paved, the garbage was no longer piled up randomly like before. Crimson banners were hung in the streets in an effort to show the city’s vibrant side.

But it was not destined to be a peaceful celebration.

A travel-worn messenger rode into the city gate, and soon he was received by the King.

He came with a message that cast a shadow on the festivities:

In the Northland, Newcastle, another rebellion broke out.

The flames of war started from Newcastle and were now spreading rapidly. The transport team from Ingres to Newcastle was cut off. Relying on the newly built Newcastle royal military castle, the soldiers stationed in the Northland were struggling to hold on day after day.

On receiving this news, the King hastily returned to his study, took up his pen and began to write a royal writ.

He issued a decree and appointed the Duke of Buckingham as the general of the army, and the power of enlistment was directly appointed to the Duke.

According to Legrand’s military system, all those who have obtained titles and lands from the King were obliged to lead their knights to fight when the conscription order was issued. This was also the common military system of all countries in this era, but the time for cavalry military service was limited, serving forty days a year.

Fortunately, in the “Rose Crisis”, the King relied on the army of the Ingres, and the confrontation between the Duke of Buckingham and the Duke of Grice at that time was also not within the scope of military service.

“Do you think the Duke of Buckingham has already started preparing for conscription?”

Charles watched the King write his decrees.

“Yes, he has,” replied the King, “but he doesn’t have that power, so I will give it to him.”

There was no room for any peace talks, and there was absolutely no need for any damn meeting to discuss things. Those useless wastes might still think this was a common rebellion just like before. But even a long distance away, the King had already determined that his uncle would definitely make the same choice as him:

War.

This was no ordinary rebellion!

Behind this rebellion, there was a shadow closely related to the Pope’s arrival in Bressi.

Rising to the sky above Koszoya, the bell of the new year rang, and in the chilling north wind, goshawks fluttered their wings.

And on this day when the old and the new were changing, on the sea surface of the Abyss Strait, deathly silent plague ships were heading southeast of Legrand. The prophecy the Witch once made had come true:

——Those plague ships, like schools of dead fish, has come across the sea.

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The crowds outside were still enjoying themselves, while the King’s messengers were already rushing out of the city gates with a letter addressed to the Duke of Buckingham. At the same time, the decree, which heralded war, was also sent off, and it would spread throughout the counties of Legrand.

1432 had passed.

In the early morning of 1433, the Duke of Buckingham made a decision to fight immediately in the palace, and in the southeast where the King was, the plague ships were approaching the coastline.

The curtains on the real turmoil had finally risen.

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The others withdrew from the room, and Charles took out a secret letter and presented it to the King: “From Adaube.”

Adaube, a country next to Bressi, the Adobe Queen was the cousin of Ferri III.

The King understood, the letter actually came from Bressi.

The “ally” of Legrand, Ferri III.

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The King opened the letter, and read it quickly.

The letter was divided into two parts, one part was written by Ferri III himself, and the other part apparently came from Bressi’s overseas spies——it was information about the movements of the lowland countries across the sea from Legrand.

The lowland countries.

The King frowned slightly. He got up and walked to the “cloth of the world” map hanging in the room.

In the north of Bressi, there were more than a dozen small countries such as Hull and Carleland, which were collectively called the “lowland countries”. They were across the sea from the northern part of Legrand, but there had been no dispute between the two sides.

Ferri III was not an idiot, and he would not do useless things at this juncture.

“What are you looking at?”

Charles got up, walked behind the King, and looked at the map hanging on the wall with him.

“What do you know about the lowland countries?” asked the King, who was currently pondering over this.

Charles cast his eyes on the dozen or so small countries, and shook his head slightly puzzled: “If you are talking about the lowland countries before the 12th century AD, after they were completely occupied by the sea barbarians, they used to have considerable strength. But now the lowland countries are in decline, and for three centuries they have not participated in the great events of any one of the continents.”

As Charles said, the lowland countries have kept a low profile for hundreds of years.

Perhaps because they knew that they were not strong enough, they only focused on the development of maritime commerce, and tried to avoid any major political disputes. It seemed that they were trying their best to build themselves into neutral “sea sailing ships”. For this reason, they even endured relatively high customs and tariffs from Legrand, Bressi, and many other countries.

What they received in return for paying such a high price was that although the lowland countries were weaker in military affairs, they still gained room to survive by relying on commercial luck.

“Neutral?”

The King shook his head slowly.

He returned to the desk, quickly laid out the letter and picked up the pen, writing to the Duke of Buckingham in the Rose Palace.

Across the Abyss Strait, Legrand’s knowledge of the lowland countries was absolutely inferior to that of Bressi, who was next to the lowland countries. If the King understood correctly, in return for Legrand’s notification of the deadly trap in the coronation ceremony, the meaning of Ferri III’s letter was to alert Legrand in return:

Watch out for the lowland countries, they were also taking part in this upheaval that was brewing.

“Have our overseas spies be even more careful,” the King said to Charles at the same time.

“You aren’t optimistic about Bressi?”

Charles sensed this.

“Yes.” The King did not answer this question directly, but asked Charles, “What do you think of our Koszoya City Council Chairman?”

The Chairman of the Koszoya City Council.

He was one of that group of city officials just now who came to report to the King about the New Year celebration.

Charles thought about it, he had to deal with many officials along the coast during the past few days, and he also heard about this high-ranking official in Koszoya City——generally speaking, this was a man who, other than having a little more mistresses than his peers, was very mediocre in all aspects. He was not great but also not too bad as a city official.

But at this time, being mentioned by the King might not be a good thing.

“Our mediocre gentleman is actually not mediocre at all.” The King said with a smile in a complimenting tone, “His lovers also have extraordinary relationships with priests. This broad-mindedness is not something other ordinary gentlemen could possess at all.”

“You mean?”

“It must have been hard for him to manage the complicated government affairs and at the same time try to send secret letters to the bishop of the monastery.”

The King smiled, as if he was sincerely praising the Chairman.

But Charles understood that the King already possessed murderous intent.

Charles sighed slightly.

Before the wandering painter Mr. Clark came in, the conversation between the King and the city officials was the same as usual, though dignified but not at all sharp, and even he didn’t notice anything unusual. Mr. Chairman may never have imagined that when he thought he had successfully hid his actions, the King had already set the date of death for him in his heart.

The King looked at Charles: “In Legrand, even in Koszoya after I came, there are still people who have accepted olive branches from the Holy Court, let alone Bressi who is under the shadow of the Holy Court?”

There was a slight sneer in his tone.

The Holy Court of this world would only become more powerful.

Because——

The “God” of this world truly existed.

During this Black Death, the King himself could use the power of Hell to enhance the brilliance of monarchy. But in the same way, the Holy Court could also use extraordinary power to consolidate its position during the Black Death——in the letter from Ferri III, it was especially noted that the Pope and his party had cured many Black Death patients and won the support of the great nobles.

The power of the Holy Court in this world was more stable and stronger because of those true existing “sacred relics”.

“Tell our spies to be wary of those of Ferri III’s faction who come into contact with them.”

The King gave the order.

Charles understood the King’s meaning, and he silently accepted the King’s order.

Ghost ships were real, Hell was real, and the eyes of God looking at the earth were also real…..For thousands of years, human beings have struggled to live and move forward under heavy shackles.

However, some people were unwilling to live under such surveillance and accept such a fate.

So in this long history, the blood of generations of the Rose family have stained the earth. What they wanted was for human beings to stop being the lambs of God, the servants of God.

The King was silent for a moment: “Recruit more sailors, the blockade cannot be relaxed.”

Qatani chose the Holy Court and brought a great plague to Legrand.

But at this time, there must be many plague ships on the sea, the King didn’t think that the Holy Court would limit their target to just one Koszoya. The coastline was long and there were always weak spots. In fact, if the target was not a large port city like Koszoya, the Holy See could have driven some ordinary fleets to “send the plague” to Legrand.

If he was the Holy Court, then he would definitely not use this low-cost method that could cause huge damage to the enemy only once.

This was a conspiracy.

Next, there would definitely be more ships trying to spread the plague into Legrand.

——The King being in the southeast was also to deal with this.

“When the epidemic ships are active, they will act.”

The King said quietly.

At this moment, Koszoya’s bell rang, the sound loud and echoing.

Charles looked out the window: “It’s almost a new year.”

“A new year.”

The King also looked out of the window.

The rays of the sun in the last days of 1432 enveloped the port city.

The snow was falling heavily, and in this city, most people celebrated that a catastrophe had just passed, and waited for the new year with joy. They didn’t know what kind of undercurrent was raging, let alone what kind of turmoil was about to erupt.

This turmoil, at this time, would only weigh on a small number of people who saw it.

“When our court painter wakes up, have him paint a new painting.”

The King suddenly spoke.

“What do you want him to paint?”

Charles was a little curious. The King who became the monarch of Legrand from birth naturally received the most outstanding education. Most monarchs have good cultivation in all aspects. But the King had always been more interested in theater than art.

“The Night of the Plague of Koszoya.”

The King answered.

He wanted everyone to remember those dead cavalrymen, those brave pirates who died in the sea.

Charles was taken aback for a moment, and he turned his head to look at the painting “The King and His City” that was still in the room——there was no doubt that this was an outstanding painting that would remain in people’s minds. He didn’t know exactly what the “light of literature and art” spoken by the King meant, but at this moment he understood what the King’s order represented.

If so, this was the dawn of literature and art.

The King didn’t want to let the light focus on himself, but let this glory fall on those who sacrificed their lives.

How many monarchs remember their fallen soldiers?

In war, the most worthless thing was human life. If the dead soldiers were not nobles, they were worthless, and a little pension money was enough to pay their families off. People have always believed that and accepted it that way.

——They will be remembered.

That night, where the pirates were buried, the King promised so.

He believed it.

And the King would not disappoint his trust.

Charles laughed.

He could already see that scene in his mind, wherever the will of the crown was directed, the Iron Rose Cavalry would follow.

“The world will envy Legrand.”

He said softly.

The King looked at him slightly surprised.

Charles just smiled mildly, without explanation.

——They would envy Legrand for having such a monarch.

………………

Legrand Northlands at the time the King sent the letter to alert the Duke of Buckingham of the lowland countries.

Newcastle.

The panic caused by the Black Death did not affect this place. After receiving the rich iron and wood resources from Ingres, the military castle ordered by the King to be built here last year progressed much faster than before.

After his request for more funds from the King was rejected, James, the architect of the castle, began to write to the King with “the enthusiasm of writing to his little mistress”.

The first half of each letter was a detailed explanation of his new ideas for the military castle, and then the second half of the letter was the same——asking the King for more funds.

The commander stationed here accidentally saw the letter written by James, and the corners of his mouth immediately began twitching uncontrollably.

He felt that the King did not match the rumors.

——For example, towards James’s audacious behavior of asking the King for money every day, the King actually let him live to this day. How could a tyrant be so tolerant.

Anyway, since his “war maniac attribute” was awakened, the commander began to see the original church designer as a very bizarre fellow…..This guy not only squatted on the observation deck every day thinking about how to improve the archery holes, but also kept insistently urging him to ask the King to privately build a batch of crossbows…..

The commander had to wonder, was he the soldier, or was this guy the soldier?

And the King actually agreed to build a batch of banned crossbows for Newcastle.

However, building a batch of crossbows was obviously not something that could be completed in a short period of time, so since then, the commander had avoided James almost every day, for fear that this guy would nag about the crossbows whenever he came across him.

“Don’t you think it’s a little strange?”

On this day, the commander carefully avoided the places where James often haunted, and was about to take a sip of strong wine, when a gloomy voice suddenly came from behind.

He was so frightened that he almost spit out his drink. When he turned his head, James was standing behind him with an unshaven beard and dark circles under his eyes.

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“You, you, you…..” The commander twitched the corners of his mouth, and finally said helplessly, “What is it now?”

“The convoy hasn’t arrived yet.”

“It’s snowing heavily, my dear architect!” The commander was full of bitterness, “In the past two days, you have asked hundreds of times! Listen to me, let those poor artisans also have a rest!”

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The year was coming to an end.

There were only a few days left in December, and the shadow of the plague in Koszoya was gradually being dispelled during these days when the King was in the southeast. While the city was being cleaned up, the citizens were hurriedly preparing for the Christmas celebrations under the leadership of city officials.

It was in this atmosphere that Clark, led by a royal attendant, walked into the mansion where the King lived temporarily.

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Years of a wandering life have left him shockingly thin, and these days, day and night, painting without any sense of day or night had almost drained all the energy of this penniless painter. If it weren’t for his overly bright eyes, as if all his life force was burning, he would almost be no different from a living corpse.

He was originally a student of an outstanding master of the Ike painting school of thought, but he questioned the classic Ike painting theory and was expelled by his teacher. Later, because he was drunk, he accidentally said in a tavern that “painting, as an art of expressing emotions and thoughts, should not be limited to religious themes”, and was reported.

The “Capital of Art” where he was at that time was very close to the city where the Holy Court was located. If not for a friend who took the risk to alert him, he might not even have a chance to escape, and he would have been directly burned on the stake.

Clark had to hide his name and cross the Abyss Strait, coming to Legrand where the influence of the Holy Court was relatively small compared to other countries, and became a nameless wandering painter.

Today’s decision was his most risky yet.

The proprietor of the tavern thought he was crazy——a nobody artist like him wanted to invite the King to see his paintings!

Clark waited several days outside the King’s residence.

There were too many people who came here to file lawsuits, and a wandering painter had no sense of existence. But things took a turn for the better when the tavern keeper tried to force him back. General Sheehan, who came back from his inspection, saw his painting by chance, and the noble knight-general promised to mention it in front of the King.

That was how he happened to be here today.

Clark’s breathing came a little short, and his usually steady hand trembled uncontrollably while holding his paintbrush.

——He had a wish. He hoped that his new painting method and concept could be spread, which was almost impossible for one such as him who left the art capital.

But, today, he felt that this was his only chance to make his wish come true.

Was it possible?

Could Legrand’s King grant his wish?

He did not know.

The door of the King’s study was right in front of him, and the attendant pushed the door open after getting permission.

…………

The King looked at the painter standing before him.

It could be seen that he had likely tried his best to clean himself up before coming here, but the embarrassment of poor economic conditions made it impossible for him to make too many changes. His coat was old, and the exposed lace cuffs were stained with various paints that could not be washed off. His aura, however, reminded the King of his own group of gentlemen from the Lunatic Academy.

Maybe geniuses always had an air of neurosis about them?

Following Mr. Painter was the tavern keeper who temporarily acted as his assistant.

“Relax, gentlemen.” The King withdrew his scrutiny. “You may say what you want.”

He said this largely to the excited and nervous tavern keeper who looked about to faint, because Mr. Painter looked more worryingly exhausted and like he might die suddenly at any time.

——This actually had something to do with the King.

On the one hand, when inspirations surged over him, the painter often forgot himself. On the other hand, it was also because the painter did not know how long the King would stay in Koszoya. He knew that once the King left Koszoya, it would be difficult for him to see the King. Adding the two together, he almost risked his life to finish the painting as quickly as he could.

“I want to dedicate a painting to you.”

Clark made up his mind and said.

After obtaining permission, Mr. Tavern Keeper assisted the wandering painter to display the painting before the King.

In the room, besides the King, were the Master of Households, Mr. Charles, and several other city officials. But after the painting was erected, almost everyone’s eyes were attracted by that painting.

Contrary to all the paintings seen before, there was no trace of religion in this painting.

Time suddenly turned back, and the great plague in December suddenly jumped out again, spreading before people’s eyes.

The gloomy atmosphere in the painting collided with the splendid light. Dark clouds pressed down on the city of Koszoya. On the streets, large and small, there were countless moaning patients hidden in the shadows. People’s memories of that disaster were awakened again, and those sorrows and deaths floated in front of them.

But death and despair were not the subject of this painting.

The sick struggled to raise their heads from the shadows, the King’s attendants stood in the streets distributing rose coins to the people, and crows fluttered their wings on the tall building of the Free Chamber of Commerce headquarters. In the sky, in those thick dark clouds, bright light broke through the clouds and spread to the whole city.

The light fell on the faces of the patients who raised their heads, fell on the scattered crows, and fell on those knights in armor…..Light and shadow, death and life, all those strong emotions full of trembling power surged out from the painting.

This was a painting without God, but it taught people to be reverent.

The city officials stared at it tremblingly, wondering where their awe came from. How could a painting make people feel that there was some terrible power hidden in the brushstrokes?

They didn’t even understand what that power was.

The frozen silence caused cold sweat to roll down the tavern keeper’s forehead. The reason he would accompany Clark was partly because he had a good relationship with Clark, and partly because he thought the painting was really good. Although he couldn’t tell what was so good about it. So he followed along with a gambler’s mentality.

But the current silence could not help but make him have strong doubts.

“I noticed that this painting of yours is not created in the style of Ike, is it a new technique you have developed yourself?”

In the silence, the King broke the silence.

Clark was a little surprised at the sharpness of the King’s eyes.

He replied: “Yes, I don’t create with transparency effect.”

Ikeism painting used transparent pigments layered on the canvas. But this often required waiting for each layer of paint to dry before proceeding to the next layer of overpainting. This was the painting method that painters were accustomed to use today, and it could make the painting show a strong sense of reality.

When Clark was studying painting, he tried to point out that this painting method, in addition to the defect that the colors were sometimes difficult to blend and connect, also tended to rigidize the thinking of painting and was not easy to express the painter’s thoughts flexibly.

However, his suggestion was not recognized at that time, and instead angered his mentor.

Art was used to praise God, and it needed to be treated seriously. In Will City, which was close to the Holy Court, Clark’s thinking could be called rebellious. He was therefore expelled from Ikeism, and later persecuted for “heretical speech”.

During his long wandering life in Legrand, Clark often faced the problem of needing to finish a painting faster. During this process, he gradually explored a painting method different from the transparent painting method.

“The King and His City” adopted this new direct painting method.

“I call it the ‘direct painting method’.” The thin painter’s eyes were bright and his tone was slightly excited when he talked about his hard work, “Besides that it can be completed quickly, the more important thing is that it is conducive to express the artist’s feelings, and painting is not just to depict those icons! Mortals can also be painted by the brush.”

The tavern keeper almost fainted.

He really wanted to gag Clark’s mouth, why did this guy seem like a different person when he spoke of his beliefs!

Just when the tavern keeper was trembling with fear and sweating, someone applauded gently.

It was the King.

He looked at the painting and applauded it.

Immediately afterwards, applause broke out in the room, and everyone applauded for the painting.

“Mortals should also be painted by the brush. You are right, sir.”

The King made his assessment.

The tension in Clark’s heart finally completely relaxed.

Overwhelmed with joy, he couldn’t help but smile brightly.

Because of his beliefs, his fiancée left him and he had to leave home and wander in an unfamiliar country. This young genius from the art capital became a nobody who painted portraits for a living.

More than ten years of suffering, more than ten years of wishful thinking, more than ten years of being misunderstood…..Amidst this applause, the past that was ridiculed, despised, and ignored was finally rewarded. His beliefs that were dismissed as “unrealistic” finally got the applause they deserved.

He wanted to laugh, and he wanted to cry.

“A seat for our illustrious Mr. Painter.”

The King said to the Master of Households, smiling.

Just as the Master of Households was about to carry out the King’s order, he saw the painter, who had just made a speech, fall forward without warning, and fell to the floor with a “thump”.

Everyone in the room was taken aback by the turn of events.

The Master of Households hurried forward and turned over Mr. Painter. He stretched out his hand, then looked up at the King dumbfounded: “He fell asleep.”

——As soon as the tight strings were loosened, coupled with the high-intensity painting for many days, this gentleman should have been lying down long ago, but his will supported him to finish speaking his philosophies in front of the King.

“Alright.”

The King looked helplessly at Mr. Painter who fell on the floor, completely out cold.

He didn’t intend to blame Clark for his impolite behavior, so he ordered the Master of Households: “Take our painter down to have a good rest. I’m afraid he will make people think that despite the enormity of Legrand, we can’t even feed a court painter.”

The worries that the tavern keeper, who had developed a good relationship with Clark these days, was holding tightly, finally let go.

The attendants came in quickly and carried out the down-on-his-luck painter who was sleeping soundly in front of the King. The Master of Households understood the meaning of the King and followed.

The city officials withdrew with the tavern keeper, leaving only the King and his godfather in the room.

“William also liked to support some starving painters.”

Charles seemed to have remembered something, and said to the King with a smile.

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“I am hardly supporting some starving painter.” The King replied, “This is the light of literature and art I want.”

Under the shadow of theocracy, the voices uttered by mortals themselves, the light they strive to find. In the eyes of the King, this was even more useful than aid from Hell.

The shackles were as heavy as a mountain, but someone would always burst out with an unyielding cry from the cracks.

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General Karl’s outstretched hand trembled violently. He originally wanted to take the letter, but at this moment it felt as if he touched a flame. He looked up at young Ferri III in disbelief.

“Le…Legrand?”

General Karl asked.

The war between Bressi and Legrand had lasted for hundreds of years. The two sides have shed countless blood on the battlefield. It was not an exaggeration to say that they were life and death enemies.

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“The knights who pledged allegiance are not as good as Legrand, who has been an enemy for generations. People in the future will think it is absurd to even talk about it.” Ferri III smiled slightly, “The “Holy Order” has circulated again, we don’t have the time to quibble over the status of our ally.”

The Holy Order was an important document circulated in all countries within the Holy See’s sphere of influence during the ninth century. The content included the letters of the bishops of the Holy See and the documents of the conferences with various countries. Rather than calling it a “Holy Order”, it would be better to call it a “knife on the king’s throat”.

In the Holy Order, the Holy See once again emphasized the absolute status of the Holy See, taking the appointment and removal of bishops away from the king in the form stipulated in documents. In Bressi, the abbey nobles and monasteries controlled nearly one-third of the land, and after these bishops were completely controlled by the Holy Court, Bressi actually saw the appearance of a “state within a state”.

“It was true that Legrand’s overseas spies are cautious, but after all, they are separated by a strait.” Ferri III said indifferently, “Collect the movements of the lowland countries controlled by the Holy Court and pass them on to Legrand.”

General Karl understood what Ferri III meant.

Their cooperation with Legrand would never be made public, and it was even more like a temporary alliance between the wolf and the lion than that of a true “ally”.

Once the Pope’s scheme succeeded, Bressi and Legrand would face the most dire crisis at the same time.

Therefore, Bressi paid attention to the actions of the Holy Court on behalf of Legrand, hoping that Legrand would contain the power of the Holy Court. And Legrand would send a way to help the King of Bressi not be controlled by the coronation and baptism, so as to avoid Legrand having to face a Holy Court with a real kingdom overnight.

General Karl must ensure that those who carried out the order did not know the inside story. Bressi’s royal spies would only think that they were collecting information to serve the royal family, but they would not know that the information would cross the strait and be sent to Legrand’s king.

If either party was exposed, the other party would never admit to anything.

There was no sincerity at all, and the two sides were nothing but accomplices with no trust.

“Have our warriors prepare armor and swords.”

Ferri III said while looking out of the window, as if he could see the aggressive papal delegation.

General Karl obeyed and withdrew.

…………

In the territory of Bressi, Kolo City.

Under the gray sky, a deacon and a man with a hood got off a black carriage. The man was holding a black leather box. They hurried through the street to the gate of the monastery.

At this time, the Pope’s mission was stationed in the monastery in Kolo City, and the heavily armed Templar knights surrounded the Pope’s resting place. The two approached, and the longsword of the Templar knight was raised immediately, the light flickering off the sword cold and overwhelming.

The deacon raised his hand to show the Templar the papal order in his hand.

The Templar put away his sword and stepped out of the way.

“Let’s go, Mr. Ansel.” The deacon turned his head and said to the man in the hood who seemed afraid of being seen.

The black curtained carriage that sent them moved forward slowly, and when the wheels rolled, bright red blood dripped down continuously, as if the other people in the carriage had all been killed.

The person called “Ansel” shuddered and followed the deacon into the monastery.

As the most powerful within the entire Holy Court, the room where the Pope rested in the monastery could be called simple. Apart from the luxurious Holy Court carriage, the Pope had no other luxuries on this trip.

The deacon solemnly stepped into the Pope’s lounge, followed by Ansel. As soon as he entered, his breathing felt slightly suffocated. In the small room sat two bishops of the Holy See cardinals, one was very young and the other was white-haired. And other people from the Pope’s Secretariat stood quietly at attention.

Unable to restrain his trembling, Ansel took off his hood before entering the room. If General Karl was here, he would be able to recognize him.

He was one of the deacons of the important castles of the Bressi royal family, and was also an earl that was not of a low status at all.

“Prince Charles is willing to dedicate this object to the Holy See.”

Under the signal of the deacon’s eyes, Ansel kneeled down and held the black box high with both hands.

At this time, the Pope was sitting behind the desk in the room, flipping through the documents sent by the Eleventh Ministry. He stopped writing and glanced at the white-haired cardinal.

The old cardinal got up and took the black box from Ansel. The lock of the box was closed, and the deacon stepped forward, took out the key and opened it. A yellowed letter lay on the golden flannel within.

The cardinal picked it up gingerly, inspected it carefully, heaved a sigh of relief, and presented it to the Pope: “Your Holiness, this is it.”

The Pope took the letter.

Ansel knelt on the ground, not daring to move.

He also knew the contents of the letter.

It was a letter written in AD 723 by King Clemo V of Bressi to the Archbishop Encias, in which he promised to hand over to the Holy Court the secular dominion of the entire lowlands and the western part of the kingdom. In history, Clemo V was not the blood of the descendant of the hero king. He killed his brother by means of a conspiracy and ascended to the throne.

At that time, the entire Bressi nobles were clamoring, so fearing the strong criticism in the country, the conspirator Clemo V tried to get aid from the Holy Court.

Unfortunately, soon Clemo V’s knights betrayed and assassinated him. Because Clemo V became the shortest reigning monarch in the history of Bressi, he was nicknamed “the Short-lived King”.

With the death of Clemo V, this letter was sealed together with other documents in Bressi’s royal archives.

However, Ferri III’s younger brother, Prince Charles, who competed with Ferri III for the throne some time ago, stole it at this time and secretly sent it to the Pope.

After the Pope finished reading the letter, he put it down and looked at Earl Ansel, who was prostrate on the ground: “The Holy Court cares about every one of its children, but Prince Charles’ contempt for the Holy Court some time ago made those who care about him heartbroken.”

This was a condemnation, but the tone was gentle.

Earl Ansel knew how to answer. Some time ago, during the battle for the throne, it was customary for the Holy Court to support Ferri III, who was the crown prince. So Prince Charles, who regarded the Holy Court as an enemy, did some disrespectful things.

But that was in the past, wasn’t it?

“Prince Charles has repented of his sins, and he longs to return to the embrace of the Holy Lord. Today, I am here on Prince Charles’ own will, a voluntary act, and the purpose is to redeem his crimes.” Earl Ansel raised his hand and made a sign of the cross on his chest.

The Pope looked at the others in the room: “My dear friends, do you think this poor young man deserves forgiveness?”

The cardinal, the deacon, and the head of the Secretariat looked at each other. They raised their hands and drew a sign of the cross on their chests, reciting: “God, please take pity on me according to your benevolence, and blot out my sins according to your abundant mercy.”

“Father, forgive him, for he does not know what he has done.” The Pope got up and helped up Earl Ansel, who was prostrated on the ground, “The Holy Lord is lenient and merciful, he forgives the mistakes of the lost, and treats them with high hopes.”

“Our Holy Father is merciful.”

The boulder in Earl Ansel’s heart was finally let go, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.

“Then relay to him the Lord’s delight at his return, sir.”

The Pope smiled.

After Earl Ansel left, the Pope picked up the letter written by Clemo V which was stamped with the royal family seal of Bressi, and he looked at the capable men in the room: “The Millennial Kingdom is approaching, and we are duty-bound to build His kingdom on earth. St. Peter handed over the two swords to us servants of God, so that we can restore His kingdom.”

Others in the room stood up and crossed themselves: “Holy, holy! Lord of hosts, king of kings!”

Beneath the solemn chanting was the light and shadow of conspiracy and sword.

…………

Legrand, Koszoya.

The shadow of the Black Death receded with the arrival of the King. General Sheehan took this opportunity to seize the time to organize citizens to join the cleansing operation of the entire city. People scoured the streets with buckets, and the urban sewage system started by Mr. Architect unfurled three times faster than before.

The blockade was lifted.

Those originally worried sick, for fear that the Black Death would spread to their own cities, also breathed a sigh of relief. After the Koszoya plague incident, the dissident voices about the Free Chamber of Commerce in the southeast finally gradually faded away.

Since he came to the southeast in person, after finishing the matter of Koszoya, the King took this opportunity to personally handle some affairs along the southeast coast.

As a king, there were two most important responsibilities, one was to lead the army to fight, and the other was to administer justice.

During the period of Mad King Henry, in order to suppress the power of local lords, shortly after the abolition of divine judgment, the trial power of most cases was transferred from the lord’s court of law to the royal court of law. During the period of William III, the royal family set up the central royal court of law, and at the same time set up the royal circuit court to reduce the burden of the central court.

The courts of law, which were supposed to be regularly patrolled, were put on hold due to previous civil unrest and subsequent events. If one wanted to conduct judicial proceedings, one could only go north to the Metzl Palace. Since the King was in the southeast at this time, it was really good news for those who have been waiting for their lawsuit for a long time.

The King also intended to use this opportunity to achieve some goals.

The great nobles of the manors in the southeast were one of the groups most affected by the rise of commerce in Legrand, and their power was far less than that of the northern landlords. During the trials, the King took the opportunity to deprive some nobles of the land that they had taken from the peasants through bankruptcy.

In the name of the royal family, he rented out these lands at low prices to some free people who were facing the situation of becoming serfs.

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Charles was silent for a while after witnessing how the King granted a land disputed by two families to a third family and provoked a fight between the traditional aristocratic forces in the city.

——It had to be said that the monarch had never been fair and benevolent when it came to controlling power.

After the King settled a territorial dispute that day, General Sheehan reported:

A painter asked to see the King.

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“May I be allowed to speak with you alone, Your Majesty.”

Charles frowned.

The Witch didn’t look at Charles, but just stared at the King quietly.

“Of course.” The King raised his hand and interrupted Charles, who was about to say something, “I am very happy to.”

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Charles sighed helplessly, glanced at the Witch, then bowed and left. Only the King and the Witch were left in the bow.

“It seems that Charles should be able to guess what you want to say.” The King glanced at the dark purple tint at the end of the Witch’s eyes. The pale face of Witch Grella matched the ghost ship very well, as if she was the resident ghost of the ghost ship in legend, “What do you want to ask, Miss Griselda.”

“Help. Help that only you can possibly provide.”

The Witch replied, her voice taking on a melancholy tone.

“Tell me.”

The Witch took two steps forward, and put her pale hands on the railing of the ghost ship: “You know, they have their own thoughts and consciousness, and she is called ‘Jenny’.”

Accompanied by the Witch’s words, dark green rose vines suddenly popped up on the railing of the ghost ship. The Witch put her hands on the vine, and folded her hands together. The thin vine in her palm grew a small flower bud at a speed visible to the naked eye, and then under the eyes of the King, a crimson rose bloomed.

The scene was both strange and beautiful.

“Is this your power as a Witch?”

The King looked at the rose with some interest.

“You seem to have a certain degree of tacit understanding with Ms. ‘Jenny’?”

Accompanied by the King’s words, the bow of the ship shook slightly, the range was very small, like a child snorting unhappily.

The Witch picked off the blooming rose: “Sorry, ‘Jenny’ prefers to be called Miss. She is still a little girl.”

The King understood.

He had heard from the Devil that these alchemic half-living ships had their own consciousness, and now it seemed that this consciousness was almost the same as that of a human being, and it also had its own temper.

“Hawkins said that you are very sharp.” The Witch raised her eyes. “After seeing you, I finally confirmed that this is the only credible word he has said for so many years. My soul and the ghost ship are connected as one, and often I am the person actually controlling the ghost ship. I can cooperate with Jenny to bring out her power more.”

Both Charles and Hawkins have mentioned to the King that there was no way for the Witch to leave the ghost ship.

It seemed that was because of this.

“If you want to be able to operate and live on a ghost ship for a long time, you must sign a contract with the ghost ship. Your Majesty, you are a distinguished guest, so you are not included. Every pirate of Walway has a contract with at least one ghost ship.”

The sails of “Jenny” the ghost ship began flapping without the need of wind, as if echoing the Witch’s words.

“I have read some records in ancient books. If the contract signed is old enough, then through special means, the contract can be used to retrieve the soul of the contractor and summon him back in the form of a ghost.” The Witch looked at the sea, “I asked them about the chance to come back in the form of a ghost…..they looked forward to it and were very happy.”

“You want to call your companions back, don’t you?”

The King understood what the Witch meant.

The Witch bowed deeply to the King: “Yes, but the ceremony is too cumbersome and complicated. I need a long preparation, and I may need your help in the future.”

“This should not be an easy task for you.” The King remained calm, “You cherish your companions enough to move all poets.”

“I am one who should have been burned on the stake, but they saved me and gave me a safe place to stay.” The Witch straightened up, “I am willing to use all the secrets I have, all the power, all the ancient sorcery——if you are willing, I want to exchange such a favor with you.”

The King showed his first faint smile of the night: “I am very glad that you are a member of the Walway Pirates. And that my godfather and Mr. Hawkins has been assisted by you for so many years, Miss Griselda.”

“You agree?”

“No.” The King smiled, “This doesn’t require a deal, they are my soldiers, since they want to return in the form of ghosts, then this is also one of my responsibilities.”

Tap, tap, tap.

There was a cheerful sound of wood knocking, the two wooden boards on the bow jumping up automatically and bumping into each other, simulating the action of human clapping.

“It seems that our Miss Jenny also agrees with me.” A rose newly emerged from the railing, rubbed against the King’s hand, swaying. The King obeyed its will and picked it down. Holding up the red rose, he smiled slightly at the Witch, “Then I ask Miss Griselda to spend more effort in the next few days.”

“I will, Your Majesty.”

The Witch bowed deeply, and said “Your Majesty” more solemnly than before.

When she straightened up, the King had already turned and left.

“This is not your safe place. More so, I think…..” The King walked in the direction Charles left, his voice carrying on the night wind, “This is the home of you and all the Walway brothers.”

The Witch was stunned.

She was a late addition to the Walway Pirates.

By the time she became a member of Walway, William III had already died. She just heard some bits and pieces from the mouths of the pirates. Before that, she couldn’t understand why Hawkins and Charles were willing to travel thousands of miles to fight a fierce battle as soon as they received a letter from the Duke of Buckingham.

But now, looking at the King’s back, she seemed to understand something.

On the railing, another rosebud popped out with a “boing”, and the flower bud rubbed against the Witch’s hand, as if expressing its approval of the King.

…………

The King soon learned further how self-aware the “living ship” was.

“F**k! Jenny, I haven’t offended you recently, have I?”

When a pirate with a piece of black cloth tied obliquely on his head was going to take in the cable and stepped on the deck, a small hole appeared in the deck out of thin air. The unlucky Mr. Pirate stepped into the hole and got stuck in midair.

The wine jug, which was randomly thrown on the deck, rolled towards him with two “bang bang” sounds.

“You have seen a joke, Jenny has a bit of a childish temper.”

Charles sighed helplessly.

There were three ghost ships of Walway, one was stingy, one was a warmonger, and the “Jenny” on which the King was on was full of mischief. Sometimes, Charles wondered if it was because they had an out-of-the-ordinary captain such that even the ghost ships were out of tune.

……That envoy ship from Hell was not bad-tempered, but it loved stealing things from the crew. Every few days, pirates full of resentment would go to the cabin to find their own drink money.

“Miss Jenny is quite lovely.”

The King looked at the pirate who was struggling to pull out his leg, and the corners of his lips curved slightly.

Seeing this, Charles dispelled the idea of speaking out to stop ‘Jenny’.

Anyway, these guys were not stuck on the deck once or twice, and it was more important to make the King feel lighthearted.

The black cloth pirate didn’t know what their always elegant and fair first mate was thinking, yelling with a bitter face, “Jenny! I was wrong! I don’t dare to litter again!”

He yelled his apologies twice, and promised to wipe the deck for three days, and only then could he pull his foot out of the hole. As soon as he looked up, the black cloth pirate was stupid on the spot.

——The King and Charles stood not far away, looking at this scene.

The black cloth pirate stood at attention, straightened his back, and tried his best to pretend nothing happened.

“Wipe the deck well, sir.”

The King smiled and passed him with Charles.

Black Cloth Pirate: …..Ahhh!

………………

Bressi Kingdom.

The Pope’s convoy had entered the territory of the Bressi Kingdom and was heading towards the capital of Bressi.

The carriage with white and gold as the main colors was spacious and luxurious, and the sacred cross was embroidered on the hanging curtains. Surrounding the carriage were heavily armed Templar knights. There were dark patterns of crosses on the front and back of their armor, and those dark patterns would faintly flash with a subtle luster.

The Pope was not moving fast this way.

Accompanying him was not only the Templar knights, but also a group of priests. The route the Holy Court personnel took did not avoid the places where the plague broke out. If they encountered people infected by the plague on the way, these priests who rarely appeared in front of the world would take action to treat them.

Under the light of the Holy Cross, the sick were brought back to life.

The capital of Bressi, the castle of Acelli.

“…..The Holy Spirit brought down brilliance, and God saved those pious people.”

Ferri III put the letter full of praise on the table heavily, reciting a passage from the letter.

General Karl sat solemnly beside the new Bressi King.

“What a good solution to the Black Death, our good Pope.” At first glance, Ferri III’s gray eyes carried a smile, but the smile didn’t actually reach his eyes at all, “How is he here to crown me? He clearly came to crown himself.”

“Your Majesty.”

General Karl didn’t say anything like “speak carefully”. He also felt the aggressiveness of the Pope.

The Black Death was spreading across the land of Bressi, but it wasn’t a big problem before that. Because people were dying everywhere, all people were dying, nobles and paupers alike——the priests were no exception. But since the papal mission of the Holy Court arrived in Bressi, everything had changed.

The Holy Court’s priests healed many sick people along the way, claiming that it was the will of God.

They announced to the world that the Black Death was the Holy Lord’s punishment for the prevailing sins in the world. They uphold the will of the Lord to forgive those who were already pious.

This kind of statement spread rapidly in the land of Bressi, and apart from Bressi’s own deep religious roots, Ferri III knew without thinking that those nobles who were greedy for life and feared death wanted to express their loyalty to the Holy Court so as to maintain their privileged position in the face of the plague. He was afraid that they would likely become the Pope’s lackeys due to this.

They fueled the flames of publicity, and they did a very good job.

“What are you going to do?” General Karl asked.

“Contact our ally.”

Ferri III said slowly.

“Ally?”

General Karl was taken aback.

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Ferri III took out a secret letter from his sleeve and handed it to General Karl.

“Legrand.”

AN: Daily life of the pirates on the Jenny: littering–>being punished–>doing cleaning.

 ——Everyone is responsible for caring for the environment. 

By The Walway Pirates

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The patients who left from the headquarters of the Free Chamber of Commerce were excited to find that they had recovered their health. They bowed to the King repeatedly before leaving reluctantly to return to their respective places of residence.

These people described the King to others with passion and love they had never known before.

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While other people who failed to participate in the ceremony were envious, the King’s attendants in red cloaks walked into the streets of Koszoya. This time, they were welcomed like never before. People flocked to these executors of the King’s will to receive rose coins tied on white ribbons from their hands.

There was even a bold girl who squeezed into the crowd, stood on tiptoe, and dropped a thankful kiss on the face of the King’s young attendant.

This was absolutely impossible to happen before!

In the past, people avoided the King’s entourage like they were tigers, either trembling in fear or full of resentment. Where had there been such a scene full of respect and love?

The King’s attendant was originally seriously distributing rose coins, but suddenly he received such preferential treatment, and the hand holding the rose coin was left suspended in the air. His face was blank for a moment, and then it turned red like his cloak. Seeing this scene, the people around him let out good-natured laughter.

Light and happiness, these things that the people darex not hope for have returned to Koszoya.

These were the things as precious as the plague gradually dissipating.

Wonderful, peaceful.

General Sheehan stood at the window facing the streets, watching the commotion of the crowd.

He watched his soldiers who had been feared in the past receive cordial greetings from the people, watched those cold and hard young men show all sorts of embarrassment in the face of such enthusiasm, and watched the people spontaneously organize parades. They waved all the colorful ribbons they could find, shouting “The glory of the rose bless Koszoya” and “God bless my King” over and over again.

General Sheehan couldn’t help but also smiled.

“God bless my King.”

He resisted the urge to follow the happy parade, raising the rose coin tied on the white ribbon in his hand.

When the procession passed by an inn, a wandering painter who temporarily lived in Koszoya leaned out of the window with most of his body.

Inspiration burst into his mind, and he trembled all over. After waiting for the procession to leave, the impoverished painter quickly set up his panel.

He wanted to memorialize all this!

The moment the brush fell on the cloth, the wandering painter knew what the painting should be called——

“The King and His City”.

His quick strokes on the canvas broke all painting traditions since the Return of the Holy Spirit movement.

He wanted this canvas to be a canvas in which there was no god to take pity on the world, no Holy Spirit to transcend worldliness, no angels to guide the people. He wanted the sky above the city covered by dark clouds to break through the clouds, the rose representing the national will to bloom, and the people to follow the King’s envoy, with sincere smiles on everyone’s face.

He wanted to make “mortals” the protagonists of art.

………………

“You succeeded.”

Charles stood with the King at the window, smiling softly, with a touch of pride in his tone.

Koszoya was a port city, and no King had ever stayed here before. After the ceremony, the King temporarily rested in the number one residence of Koszoya, which was once owned by the Ross family. As the wealthiest family on the southeast coast, the Ross Manor was considered quite luxurious.

The King was also looking at the city that belonged to him.

After the crows transformed from the plague doctors completed a wonderful performance, they scattered all over the city, and the large number of plague doctors quickly cleaned up the plague in the entire city. This was combined with the action of the King ordering his people to issue rose coins, and thus the desired result of the King had been achieved.

From today on, in this city, the status of the rose in the people’s hearts would be higher than that of the cross.

Despite such a great achievement, there was no smile on the King’s face.

The enthusiastic cheers of the people did not make him smile.

Charles sighed in his heart, becoming more and more aware of the nature of his godson. He was frighteningly sober and frighteningly calm. He would not be dazzled by the appearance of victory. Such a person would always look farther away.

When ordinary people were cheering for success, as the leader of success, his eyes were on the various crises hidden behind these grand scenes.

This was what a monarch should be like.

There was no peace in being a king, let alone indulging in joy.

“What are you thinking about?”

Charles asked gently.

“The Holy Court.”

The King answered.

Captain Hawkins captured the man in the black cloak that night. After Captain Hawkins’ secret interrogation, he got some key information——there were instigators behind Qatani’s actions, they and the Qatani kingdom had reached a secret agreement.

Although he didn’t directly receive the answer of who the instigator was from that person, he could guess it.

The shadow here was exactly the same as the shadow of Legrand’s split: the Holy Court.

“The Holy Court wants to establish a nation.” The King said slowly, he was thinking about something, “It should be soon.”

“Are you sure?” Charles was taken aback, his expression suddenly became serious, “The Holy Court wants to establish a nation.”

Just repeating this sentence once, Charles felt the scent of blood sweeping towards his face, as if he could see the endless flames of war in front of him.

The King nodded slightly.

This was a judgment drawn from the Koszoya incident.

The Black Death did not infect Legrand, which was definitely a dangerous signal for the Holy See, but they did not choose to intervene directly, but instead made a detour, using Qatani to trigger the plague in the southeast and cause turmoil.

Why did they want to do this?

Because their main strength must be focused on Bressi at this time, and if they want to build a country, Legrand was definitely the strongest obstacle. The Holy Court wanted to drag down the power of the Rose royal family in Legrand first, so as to ensure the smooth progress of the plan.

Such urgency proved that they would act soon.

When the assassination failed some time ago, the Holy Court seemed to have no response on the surface, but the Qatani incident showed that the Holy Court was by no means unresponsive, but had a bigger plan.

“This is just the beginning.”

The King whispered, resting a hand on the railing while standing against the wind.

Charles was silent for a moment: “I am at your command, Your Majesty.”

The King smiled slightly as he watched a crow fly by in his field of vision.

There was one more thing he didn’t say.

Even if this time, Hell did play an important role in solving the plague, the King still did not relax his vigilance because of this

——On the contrary, he cared more about the connection between the Rose royal family and the Devil, and Hell.

Whether it was the Duke of Buckingham or the former knight commander of the Templars, even Charles and the others, they were no strangers to the Devil and the power from Hell.

Hell was restricted, the Holy Court controlled the earth, and the enemy of an enemy was a friend. Under the premise of having the same enemy, the two sides could cooperate with each other at certain times. In this kind of cooperation, “trust” was an absurd joke. The two sides were just using each other for their own purposes.

This was a political norm.

However, there was one point.

The King felt that the relationship between Hell and the Rose royal family was not as simple as cooperation in the face of a common enemy. The contract between the Devil and him was not simply a soul contract.

He was guessing in his mind, but needed more clues.

While lost in thought, the sky had already dimmed.

With the cold wind blowing, the King looked at the dark night and asked in a low voice, “Was it a night like this?”

Charles was taken aback for a moment, and after seeing the King looking towards the port, he understood what the King meant. He was silent for a moment, then replied: “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Yes, it was a night like this one.

Qatani’s plague ship threw the corpses into the city, and the pirates of Walway bravely sailed out of the port to meet the plague ship. And the Iron Rose Cavalry searched for all the corpses.

“Let’s go, take me to see where they fought.”

The King said softly.

Charles glanced at the sky, and wanted to dissuade him.

The King saw his intention.

“They fought and died for me.” He said flatly, “Let’s go.”

Charles bowed deeply: “I thank you on behalf of my Walway brothers.”

…………

Port.

The sea breeze was so strong that it rolled up the one’s cloak. The King stood still on the shore, looking at the sea under the night sky. The night tide rose and fell on the sea, and the water was as dark as ink.

“Where are their tombstones?”

The King asked.

“There are no tombstones.” Charles stood beside the King, his blue eyes staring at the sea he was familiar with. “There are no tombstones, Your Majesty.”

Pirates were not as happy as people think.

Although they were free, most of the time, they had to endure the narrow space and poor living conditions on the ship during the long voyages. While gaining freedom, they were also doomed to be expelled by the land, unable to go ashore to drink to their heart’s content. Few pirates lived long, and most died of disease, sword, or the gallows.

The Walway Pirates were no exception.

But unlike ordinary pirates, their love for the sea was branded into their bones.

So when the Walway pirate died, his brothers simply sent him into the sea. He was born in the sea and rested in the sea after death.

This was where they belong.

“There is one thing, I think they want you to know.” Charles said gently, “you gave them respect, so they serve you. It was their own choice to die for Legrand’s honor. It’s an unprecedented happy ending for them.”

“Take me to where they rest.”

The King was silent for a long time after listening, before saying quietly.

The gangway was lowered from the ghost ship docked at the pier, and the King stepped aboard.

During the Koszoya Plague, the Walway pirates suffered the most casualties. Except for the people on the three ghost ships and one envoy ship from Hell, two-thirds of the pirates on the other clippers died.

Could it be that some of them, perhaps, had once drunk on the same ship as his father, saw him as the child of their good brother, and thus were willing to fight for him?

The King did not know.

When the pirates on the ghost ship saw the young King accompanied by Charles, they subconsciously jumped up, trying the best to salute the King. The King nodded to them all.

Watching the King go to the bow accompanied by first mate Charles, an old oarsman muttered to himself: “So alike.”

The ghost ship sailed to the place where the naval battle was held that day, and this was also the burial place chosen by the Walway pirates themselves. Buried in the place where they won victory, these pirates have extraordinary pride. Perhaps it was because of this pride, they could become the most famous pirates on the sea.

“They will be remembered.”

The King gazed at the sea that swallowed his soldiers, and promised.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )

“I trust you.”

Charles replied.

Footsteps were heard behind him, the King turned his head, and the Witch in the pointed hat curtsied to him. Lifting her head, the witch stared at the King with her dark eyes.

“I want to ask you something, Your Majesty.”

The Witch said.

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