Chapter 1079: Chapter 1021: Turmoil in the Green House (Double-Length Chapter) (2)

"The Holy Sect is a faith for the believers, while the Divine Essence Sect is a faith for the priests." Svensen turned his head and cursed at the monk on the other side, "Are the people at the Great Duke Meeting believers?"

"I agree with Svensen’s idea; we should write to ask His Excellency to delay further. Delaying until next year would be much better than now."

"I disagree! I think..."

"What, are you challenging me to a duel?"

Soon, the living room was filled with the sounds of a few esteemed Holy Sect monks bickering angrily.

Jill scratched his ears and frowned at the monks before him.

He couldn’t understand why these priests, who usually called each other brothers and were so amiable, would lose their composure over this issue.

The arguing in the living room was vexing, yet Jill felt a tap on his arm.

Turning to look, he saw young Pierre cheekily pointing behind him.

Using coffee as an excuse, Jill followed young Pierre up to the study on the second floor.

The door opened, and as Jill stepped in and saw the person seated inside, his foot paused.

"Your Excellency Richelieu, you returned from Falan?"

"Indeed, I arrived just after the news of the Sixth Great Duke Meeting." Armand, with a stubbly face, pointed to the chair in front of him, "Sit."

Jill placed the teacup on the flower pot stand, wiped the sweat from his palms, and sat opposite Armand.

"How have the operations of the Saint Father’s Association been during my two-month absence?"

"Due to the war, many Brotherhoods have detached themselves. During this period, we’ve been trying to re-establish contact with them..."

"Have you managed to?"

"Of ten, only four or five can be contacted; the rest either pretend not to know us, evade us, or simply vanish without a trace."

Regarding what Jill mentioned, Armand already had a rough understanding.

In the Leia Region, nearly every county’s governance center has a Saint Father’s Association contact point.

As for areas like Windmill Town, where cities are dense and suitable for mobilization, nearly every larger town has a contact point.

These contact points often don’t bear the name of the Saint Father’s Association but use the title of the Begging Order.

However, the members of the Order are almost always members of the Saint Father’s Association.

According to reports and registers sent a while ago, there are now over thirty such contact points.

As for the people they reach, it spans between twenty thousand and six hundred thousand.

The twenty thousand are registered members of the Saint Father’s Association but might not be present at critical moments, while the six hundred thousand encompass various Brotherhoods’ affiliates.

These Brotherhoods are composed of town workers or villagers from smaller towns and rural areas.

They often support each other, opposing the Workshop Masters or Manor Lords to improve their living conditions.

This mode had been attempted before.

Due to the knights’ extraordinary power being too strong, such structures often got obliterated before they could even begin.

Why this method works now boils down to one reason—Horn sent the Divine Favor Seeds and the Clockwork Guns.

Replacing rational criticism with physical criticism made Manor Lords much more compliant.

Additionally, several local wars in Leia, along with conflicts with Horn, have depleted the nobility’s powers substantially.

They were forced to compromise.

Yet, this Brotherhood structure is exceptionally loose, so loose it borders incredulity.

Often, right after achieving a small victory, Brotherhood members cheer and spontaneously disband.

This is also a problem that has continually troubled Jill.

In the eyes of farmers and workers, the Saint Father’s Association seems like their tool, discarded after use.

Not to mention that sometimes Brotherhoods would betray the Saint Father’s Association, which infuriates Jill, making his heart ache.

"Life in the Golden Plains is still too abundant, unlike the barren borderlands." Armand sighed.

Regarding the Saint Father’s Association in the Leia Region, Armand had a precise analogy, likening it to a type of fish in the Xilan Sea—the "King Fish."

This King Fish isn’t large and has no scales.

But it can attract small fishes to attach themselves to it, posing as a large, colorful fish to intimidate enemies.

When a truly formidable enemy arrives, the small fish scatter, leaving only the King Fish for the enemy.

This is the predicament of the Saint Father’s Association in the Leia Region.

It matches the adage Horn annotated for Armand: "Growing large but not strong, starting without glory."

"You’ve done well during this period, also bearing significant risks." Armand walked around the table, kindly picking up the cup Jill left on the plant stand, "Milk or sugar?"

"Milk, please."

After pouring a cup of coffee for Jill, Armand remained at the door, watching the argument in the living room through the crack.

"Your Excellency Richelieu, are you going to intervene?"

"Me?" Armand waved his hand, "There’s neither need nor necessity. They have their reasons for arguing this way."

The fall of Holy Seat City and the loss of the Threefold Crown, people continue to eat and drink, seemingly unaffected.

But it’s simply because the Empire is vast; time is needed for ripples to become waves.

Gradually, some are realizing it; the priest Lemington is one, monk Svensen is another.

They are both low-ranking monks who, although dwelling within the church and order system for years, remain marginally involved in the mundane world.

In other words, they’re not deeply institutionalized, so they sensitively notice changes.

The Holy Seat City—that imprisoned thoughts, suppressed progressive priests, monopolized all authority in interpreting doctrines—vanished.

So far, there’s no sign of reconstruction.