When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist

Beside the swift river waters, small and large narrow sailboats and cargo ships with large heads were crowded in the harbor.

The gray-white sunlight fell equally on every passerby's shoulder and head in the azure sky.

The winter wind, slightly warmed by the sun, wantonly blew on the wooden sign engraved with a pointless mermaid next to the roadside tavern.

Between the swinging signs were ropes and festive banners hanging above the street, prepared to welcome the early December Winter Market and the late December Winter Festival.

Under the cross-hatched triangular flags, merchants and commoners passed by in twos and threes.

Norn people wearing thick fur hats, Falan people with fabric-decorated hair, nobles in tall hats, laborers in brimless hats, people flowed like threads, weaving through the streets.

The sun was scorching, causing people's backs to itch and burn. Just as they took off their coats, the cold wind started up again, making passersby sneeze repeatedly.

The dock workers, however, didn't have this problem. After a morning's work, covered in sweat, they only wore simple long-sleeved linen shirts, perhaps with a coarse woolen vest over them.

Resting dock workers gathered by the boardwalk, sitting on the ground, rolling up their sleeves to reveal shiny, strong muscles, as they ate softened black bread soaked in water.

An older laborer sat straddle-legged on a barrel, surrounded by dozens of similar workers, chewing bread and listening intently to a story he heard at the tavern last night.

This was their only entertainment during the lunch break.

"...Knowing that the evil Village Hall Bishop Durdafer wanted to escape, Saint Son Horn lay in ambush by the river in advance. At the time, Durdafer had three hundred armored soldiers, while Saint Son Horn was only accompanied by the Saintess."

"How could that demon withstand the might of the Saint Son? With a surge of holy air from him, the armored soldiers prostrated themselves, yet over a hundred demon impersonators still fiercely resisted..."

"And so, the Saint Son sent Saint Jeanne to slay the demon-disguised soldiers while he bravely battled Demon-Emperor-prototype Durdafer. This was the Holy Father descending as the Eye of God to cast heroic spirits with Blood Covering Cloud, while that was the demon unveiling with a false bishop and dark sword igniting Celestial Demon Flame..."

"War!"

"Their swordsmanship was extraordinary, each move executed with exquisite precision, and amidst the earth-shaking battle, even the roads beside them were ground to dust..."

The workers were still listening intently and didn't notice the three merchants standing nearby, clad in gray cloaks, hooded faces partially concealed.

"These stories sure spread far and wide." Catherine's voice betrayed no emotion.

Mitney chuckled softly and said, "After all, this is the hottest topic of late. Ever since the Second Demon Emperor Hos appeared, discussions regarding the Salvation Army and Blue Blood Monastery have been almost a daily occurrence in taverns."

Qianqian felt a bit embarrassed: "I had only intended to clear the name of the Salvation Army, but now the stories are spreading quite exaggeratedly."

Since the Blue Blood Monastery incident was exposed, people's curiosity about the Shorthairs, or the Salvation Army, reached a peak.

In the past, people merely regarded the Salvation Army or Shorthairs as a distant rebellious faction, but now the situation had changed.

They started to become curious about what the Salvation Army had done, intrigued by the legendary deeds of killing the Duke.

At this juncture, a short story named "Saint Son's Expedition" became popular. Initially, it was just a collection of minstrel summaries regarding the Salvation Army's activities.

But later, through iterations by jesters, clowns, and tavern patrons, it transformed into a thrilling collection of stories, filled with colloquial and amusing language.

Unlike the demon-hunting stories published by the Demon Hunters, this story series opened a new narrative space about peasants outsmarting priests and knights.

In most story series of this era, the protagonists were Demon Hunters, knights, and priests, while commoners were often depicted as lowly servants or foolish comic relief.

However, in "Saint Son's Expedition", knights and priests became the clowns, while ordinary peasants and petite bourgeoisie took on roles of intelligence and justice.

This certainly heightened the sense of immersion.

Catherine too was very curious about the legendary Saint Son, a curiosity born from hearing about Horn's deeds of killing the Duke and the motto afterward: "Kill all inequalities for peace."

This curiosity reached its peak after Qianqian brought Horn's letter.

That letter left Catherine deeply impressed, it wasn't just a deep impression but could be said to have opened the door to a whole new world.

Sometimes, she even dreamt of the contents of the letter.

"...After low-cost grain and massive amounts of precious metals from overseas entered the Empire market through trade, with population growth, there appeared a local imbalance in agricultural and commodity production..."

"...I call this economic change the 'Price Revolution'. Under its influence, gold and silver depreciated, and prices soared..."

"First to suffer are feudal landlords collecting monetary rents. With soaring prices, their fixed-rent contracts saw what seemed unchanged income diminish due to depreciation, leading to poverty and bankruptcy..."

"Secondly affected are urban and rural wage laborers. With extraordinary forces at play, lords can focus solely on employers' interests, implementing a 'Labor Law' that limits wage growth, causing it to lag behind price increases..."

"Similarly, as commodity economy develops, material life grows richer. Throughout the Empire, regardless of class, people begin changing their previously pessimistic attitudes to pursue secular life..."

"Beneath this surface, class-wise, peasants are at the bottom, and region-wise, the Thousand River Valley people are at the bottom..."

"...Everyone believes that the Thousand River Valley people are done for, finished, destined to never rise again, but let me tell you, rest assured..."

"...The Thousand River Valley is the weakest link in the Church's strong rule. It is the worst, yet it is the most opportune. No one is more desperate than the Thousand River Valley people..."

"...Abolish the three-tier peasant system, make peasants the owners of land, giving them the motivation to reform the land..."

"...Absorb surplus laborers and vagrants into urban handicraft systems. By tariff protection and lifting private tax cards, we can unleash the commercial potential of the Thousand River Valley..."

"...Where else can you hear such a clear rebellion plan? Keep up with my pace..."

Thinking of the words in that letter, Catherine smiled coyly.

It was said that this Saint Son was self-taught, unsure if those intriguing words and phrases were intentional or not.

"How's the discussion going with the Church over there?" Without continuing to listen to the workers' storytelling, Catherine slowly walked toward the Rapids City tower.

Mitney whispered, "We've settled with the lower-ranking monks and priests. As long as the plan in three days goes smoothly, we can marginalize the Rapids City diocese's bishop and take control of the entire Rapids City."

"What about the City Guard?"

"Carl's been handling it lately, with just a few still fiercely resisting."

"Speaking of which, is Carl still unwilling to cooperate with the Salvation Army?" Qianqian asked, tucking her long hair behind her ear.

Mitney helplessly spread his hands: "What else can I say? He just can't get over Duke Kush, after all, over three generations of them..."

"He's hardly deserving of being called Duke of the Kush people." Catherine cursed lowly without concealing her disdain, "Back then, when he brought the Kush people here, it was to escape the vampire wine of the Kush people. Instead, he turned us into the Church's wine."

"Sigh." Mitney sighed lightly, "Regardless of how he thinks, after Duke Kush's death, we do need to collaborate with the Salvation Army."

After all, Rapids City isn't far from Joan of Arc Castle, and with Shelley City under Blago Monastery, and Catherine's position in Rapids City, as well as Joan of Arc Castle, the three locations can support and assist each other.

Initially, Catherine planned to cooperate with Duke Dane because of this geographic advantage.

But now, if the Salvation Army could take the place of Duke Kush and occupy Joan of Arc Castle, there would be no issue with cooperation.

Ignoring Mitney's light sigh, Catherine turned to Qianqian: "Are you certain that the Saint Son can rise with an army three months later?"

"I swear on my life." Qianqian stopped, and for the first time, the lines of her face were so resolute, "If you walked with us through the Path of Blood and Sweat, you'd know my judgment is never wrong."

"Alright." Catherine nodded, "I'll write him a letter. Rest for a bit, and in a couple of days, head to Joan of Arc Castle to clandestinely deliver the letter to him."

"At your service."