Chapter 79: The Secular World and the Church

George felt a bit strange about the situation High Priest Virginia mentioned. Although it was not common for clergy to hold government positions in this world, there were still some scattered cases. So, George asked in confusion, “Aren’t the priests of the Goddess of Wealth and Commerce serving as finance ministers in those commercial republics in the South? That is truly a high-ranking position. And aren’t the clergy of the War God also serving in the armies of many countries in the South?”

“You know those are commercial republics. More than sixty percent of their population are believers of the Goddess of Wealth and Commerce. For the Goddess of Wealth and Commerce, that place is basically her Divine Realm on earth. Combined with the power dispersion caused by the state system, which makes expansion difficult, only then could the clergy of that church hold central positions despite the secular pressure from surrounding nations.” High Priest Virginia first explained the external environment that allowed this situation to exist, then sighed and told of the efforts the Church had made, “Even so, the Temple of Wealth spent nearly ten years on this. First, they leaked news to test the waters, then they did all kinds of lobbying. Every step was taken with great caution. After establishing a foothold, they used money to pave the way and bought off the reactionaries on a large scale. So, most people admire the vision and methods of the current Pope of the Church of Wealth and Commerce…”

‘I never thought there were so many secrets in this. It seems this world has strategists no less capable than those in my previous world.’ George couldn’t help but sigh in his heart. Such intelligence was hard for lords far from the location to obtain. Or perhaps, due to the limitations of their vision, most lords paid little attention to things that did not seem to affect their immediate interests in the short term. Even if distant nobles wanted to learn such information, it would become mere gossip after meals due to distortion during transmission, making it hard to be of much use.

However, for intelligence like this, which was almost a classic case study in missionary work, every Church would do its best to collect and analyze it. For those Churches dedicated to development, there was never a plan to avoid extending their tentacles into secular regimes in the future. If George wanted to learn more specific details in this area, the best method was to start from here.

‘This is a good chance to ask about the reasons behind the War God Church’s involvement! I don’t know when the next suitable occasion will come. I can’t believe that as the High Priest of this Diocese, Mr. Virginia wouldn’t know such information.’ Having made up his mind, George continued, “Then, what is the reason the War God Church was able to interfere in the army?”

Although High Priest Virginia was strange about why George cared so much about this news, he still made his own analysis on this matter to maintain the relationship between partners: “The problem here is quite complicated. The current War God rose to power by stepping on the corpse of the previous one. Only with such a terrifying momentum at the beginning could he make other Churches pretend not to see this. Most importantly, the other side also knows how to keep their boundaries, only responsible for the daily training of the standing army. Even when accompanying the army on expeditions, they only recorded the battle situation and never interfered with the army’s command or the regime change. Of course, their behavior of developing believers and selecting reserve forces for the Temple within the army also caused the vigilance of secular lords. But for those countries that have enjoyed peace for a long time, it is difficult to train a sufficiently excellent army without relying on these people. In short, the situation there is now in a very delicate balance.”

The military book “The Methods of Sima” once said, “Though a country is large, loving war will lead to its destruction; though the world is peaceful, forgetting war will lead to danger.” A country that had to rely on the Church to train its army just to maintain its combat power was hard to describe with any word. But suddenly, a piece of information flashed through George’s mind. ‘No! This might not be a special case. I remember that in the European history before I transmigrated, there was a time when the Polish army, during its reforms, was trained in the Prussian style, and even the initial commanders were Prussians. But this did not prevent this army from becoming the backbone of Poland. Besides, around the time of the Renaissance in Europe, mercenaries were truly in vogue. Famous Swiss mercenaries and German Hessian mercenaries were among the best. French foreign mercenary companies even lasted until the 21st century. In that case, perhaps it is my own cognitive bias, or maybe I am just making a mountain out of a molehill. Could it be that my worldview before transmigration and the situation around me after transmigration created a perceptual barrier?’

“A country that must rely on the War God Church to train qualified soldiers. If such a country and such a lord really went to war, they would be wiped out.” George pretended not to understand, as if waiting for an explanation from High Priest Virginia.

“Wiped out! What does ‘wiped out’ mean?” High Priest Virginia was completely confused by the new word George just said.

‘Oh no! My old habit is back.’ George quickly started making up an excuse: “‘Wiped out’ is a translation from the Xianglong language of the Continent of Karatu. Oh, now it should be the Kingdom of Earth Dragon, since they are currently experiencing a north-south split! The original meaning of this word is to fall down on the street, and later it was extended to mean dying from a fall while walking. Just now, I used it to describe an army that has no chance of winning in a war.”

“Heh! Heh! Don’t underestimate them. An army like theirs can still be useful in war. The effect of suppressing bandits and quelling rebellions is also not bad. It is the goblin tribes that often invade, and the half-orc bandits who roam in small groups, that are the real enemies of ordinary Manors. Being able to deal with such creatures is basically enough for local minor lords. The main force in real large-scale wars is basically the Royal Guard or Mercenaries.” High Priest Virginia did not dwell on the new words. He just regarded this behavior as a hobby of this young man. After all, who doesn’t have a few hobbies? Especially some dark hobbies and perverted behaviors of certain nobles. If not exposed, who knows what kind of sins might be hidden! In High Priest Virginia’s eyes, George’s habit of speaking with fresh words was, in a sense, quite cute.

‘This is really similar to the European countries of the Middle Ages before I transmigrated.’ Although George looked down on such an army in his heart, he still said in a tone of disbelief, “Can it only be used to deal with goblin tribes? That’s unlikely! If a real war breaks out, let alone other things. Our Duchy of Nohan’s Guard forces are much stronger than them. If that’s the case, aren’t those guys only good for fighting when the wind is in their favor?”

“Mainly because the armies of most other surrounding countries are about the same. Since everyone is like this, it is naturally enough. As for Nohan, let’s not compare you with them. They are not even on the same level. In the eyes of most countries, the Duchy of Nohan is an important barrier blocking the invasion of barbarism and ignorance into the civilized world. It is only natural that their combat power is strong.” While informing George of the situation, High Priest Virginia could not help but praise the Duchy of Nohan. After all, he was preaching on the land of the Duchy of Nohan now. Telling the lord some nice words was only natural. After all, saying something unpleasant might not bother George as a partner, but such things were basically not kept secret. If it reached the ears of some serious people, someone might trip up the Church’s affairs behind its back.

‘Good! This is a lead!’ To get more information, George started to joke around: “You speak as if the difference between our Duchy of Nohan and other countries is really huge.”

“That’s for sure! Do you know how the surrounding countries call the Duchy of Nohan?” High Priest Virginia blinked and asked, although his face made George feel a bit uncomfortable.

“Oh! Is there such a saying?” George became interested now. Such a title represented the general view of other countries toward the Duchy of Nohan. In a sense, it was also very important intelligence. Unfortunately, George had previously been limited to his own territory and did not pay too much attention to this. However, the events that happened in Greywood Town had dragged him into the vortex between nations, so he could not ignore it now.

Seeing that he had aroused George’s interest, High Priest Virginia seized the opportunity to say: “Of course! People are always curious about things they are not familiar with. Just like the commercial republics mentioned earlier, the smallest one, Tore, has the title ‘City of Sin’. As for Nohan, it is called ‘A Country that Owns an Army’.”

‘A Country that Owns an Army! Other countries have an army. But here it has become a country that owns an army. That means in the eyes of many people, Nohan is not even a normal country. As one of its members, I must be seen by them as a noble hiding from a lord! The road ahead is truly long and full of heavy responsibilities.’ This gave George a bad feeling, because the history of countries with such a name in the world before his transmigration was not very good.

Seeing George suddenly lower his head and think, High Priest Virginia curiously asked, “Did you have any thoughts after hearing this?”

“I have a point, but I can’t quite figure it out yet.” George shook his head.

“Being smart is always good!” Seeming to realize that his previous behavior had wasted quite a lot of time, High Priest Virginia joked and then reminded, “But our topic has drifted further and further away. We must give us a complete plan for personnel arrangements as soon as possible. The faster our preliminary preparations are, the better, after all, the groups that are against our Church openly or secretly are not as few as those against the Church of the Goddess of Wealth and Commerce.”

“Don’t worry. The plan in this regard is basically ready. Of course, there are some details that need to be consulted with the Temple.” George said confidently.

Hearing George’s affirmative answer, High Priest Virginia’s slight worry dissipated like smoke and clouds: “Oh! The plan is already set? It seems I worried in vain in this regard. Is there anything else you need to consult?”

Since he was not quite sure about the accuracy of the previous intelligence, George asked in an uncertain tone: “It’s like this. I once heard someone mention that the Paladins of the Temple of the Lord of Justice can use Detect Evil and Detect Lies without restrictions, right?”

As soon as George finished speaking, High Priest Virginia, a professional who had immersed himself in law and judgment for many years, immediately knew the other party’s purpose: “How should I put it? Detect Lies is a 3rd Level Divine Art for Paladins, and a 4th Level Divine Art for Priests. Just from what you mentioned, I know roughly what you want to do. Are you planning to use this spell to ensure the authenticity and validity of the suspect’s testimony when questioning them in the Court?”

‘It is so much easier to talk to smart people!’ Hearing High Priest Virginia’s words, this thought popped into George’s mind. At the same time, he told High Priest Virginia his general plan: “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. And not only in the court, if possible, it would be best to use it even in the questioning and recording process during the investigation. I also know that the number of Divine Arts each clergy member can use per day is limited. A 4th Level Divine Art is already quite high, and it is said that the effect of Detect Lies does not last long. So, after hearing that news before, I just asked.”

“Your idea is certainly good, but such an idea is probably hard to realize.” High Priest Virginia poured a bucket of cold water on George who was in high spirits.

‘Is the intelligence wrong after all? It seems that intelligence collected from hearsay is indeed hard to distinguish between true and false.’ Thinking that his intelligence might be distorted, George, although he already had an answer in his heart, still asked tentatively with hope: “Oh! Is it that the Paladins of your Temple do not have such abilities?”

“Well, how to say! This is actually an internal matter of our Temple. Although it is not a secret and other Temples know a bit about it to some extent, you should not tell anyone else after hearing it.” Saying this, High Priest Virginia lowered his voice and moved closer to George. However, in such an environment, it was unlikely that anyone was eavesdropping. This move was probably to strengthen the atmosphere and give a psychological suggestion.

“That is natural. I can keep the secrets of my partners.” George quickly nodded and promised.

“There is indeed a group of people within the Church who can use Detect Lies at will. However, they are not ordinary Priests or Paladins, but a special advanced profession exclusive to our Temple called Inquisitors. Perhaps some of them advanced from Paladins, and some of their abilities are easily confused with those of Paladins! That is why there is such a rumor outside.” High Priest Virginia first explained the source of George’s information, then gave a negative answer, “But it is probably impossible to ask them to serve in your territory.”

“Oh! It seems it is a matter of numbers.” When hearing the words “exclusive special advanced,” George knew that this matter was basically hopeless.

“Numbers are indeed one of the reasons! But it is not the main one. The key is the Inquisitors who can use Detect Lies at will. They are at least Black Lead Rank experts. So, basically, each of them is responsible for very important tasks. Theoretically, there is no possibility of moving them from their current positions. Moreover, because the conditions for advancement are harsh, their status in the Temple is also relatively high.” High Priest Virginia patiently explained his difficulties to George.

With this plan foiled, George began to comfort himself and muttered, “Black Lead Rank experts! It seems I was too presumptuous. Since it is a 4th Level Divine Art, it is not that easy to use casually.”

‘Black Lead Rank! That is an existence that transcends the limits of mortals, with both body and soul elevated. In a sense, they are no longer Human. Taking the current Bolerum Territory as an example! Including Viscount Bolerum himself, there are only six experts above Black Lead Rank that can be openly produced. This is the greatest wealth accumulated by Bolerum Territory over three hundred years. There are six knight families with inheritance, including the Lord himself, which is not few for a Viscount. Moreover, in my father’s generation, it was very lucky that every family succeeded in promotion. As for the hidden ones, such as the knights of the previous generation, the total number known to George probably does not exceed two hands. Since there was a peak in the previous generation, there must be a valley. At the lowest point, there were only two Formal Knights in the new generation of Bolerum Territory. Those years were all supported by the older generation. Of course, whether the Retainers of the knights should be counted is hard to say. Besides, there is also the existence of Val Knight, who is out of the standard in a certain sense. His Retainers should be at least Black Lead Rank, otherwise, it would be hard to survive until now with him!’ Knowing the preciousness of the Black Lead Rank, George naturally understood that such Church members were unlikely to be restricted to Bolerum Territory, even for just one or two years.

Seeing George suddenly fall into deep thought, High Priest Virginia did not disturb him. Because the other party was likely considering the impact of the failure of this project on the overall plan and other emergency measures.

After waiting for a while, George finally seemed to have finished thinking and started to look up and say, “Then, let’s put the personnel arrangement in this aspect aside for now. Now let’s talk about other parts. Currently, Bolerum Territory needs at least three Clergy who are proficient in law, and two who are proficient in investigation and search. The level of Divine Arts does not need to be very high; entry-level is enough. But besides ordinary writing skills, it would be best to have some who are proficient in documents. These are all full-time administrative personnel. Regarding the remuneration, we will talk about it later. If the territory’s finances allow, we will give the best treatment possible. At the same time, if sudden situations arise, we also hope to have some temporary reinforcement personnel.”