Global Game: Developing a Knight Clan-Chapter 88 - 87: Viscount’s Domain, An Oracle’s Audience

Chapter 88: Chapter 87: Viscount’s Domain, An Oracle’s Audience

[Family] (Expand)

Family: Smith Marsh Territory

Family Functions: 1. Bloodline Reinforcement (Weak); 2. Many Children and Blessings Level 1; 3. Family Totem Level 1.

(Buff: Reproduction Rate +5%, Extraordinary Bloodline Activation Rate +5%, Potential +5%, Feedback Growth Level +10%)

Patriarch: York Smith. (Tier Three Great Knight)

Title: Viscount

Bloodline: Residual Shadow Demon Rabbit (Wind, Middle Tier)

Spouses: 3

[Wife: Lucia Callum (Tier One Flame Mage)]

Bloodline: Flaming Scorpion (Low Tier)

Lovers: 2 (Omitted)

Heirs: 4.

1. Caesar Smith (Approx. 4 years old, Flaming Grey Wolf Bloodline manifested, not activated);

2. Willard Smith (Approx. 1 year old);

3. Julian Smith (Approx. 1 year old);

4. (Unborn)

Territory: Swamp Territory (Approx. 124 square kilometers).

Population: 5,368. (32 Knight’s Squires, 186 Death Warriors, 640 soldiers...)

(Note 1: Patriarch has broken tier. The Player can claim +10% Growth Level feedback. One heir’s bloodline has manifested but is not yet activated to Entry Tier. The Player receives no bloodline feedback for now.)

(Note 2: Title has been elevated. The family crest can be upgraded, providing a slight functional boost. This requires manual action from the Player.)

——————

Lince was very satisfied with the current changes in the Swamp Territory.

Because of York’s promotion to Viscount, his wife, Viscountess Lucia, who was in charge of the domain, had already begun another large-scale expansion of the population during the last Inference Day.

Compared to five hundred days ago, the population of the Swamp Territory had now surpassed five thousand, and the entire town had undergone significant expansion.

After the war, York had only taken three Knight’s Squires and ten soldiers to the Royal Capital for his enfeoffment. Thus, his wife Lucia also rewarded some of the soldiers who had followed York on the campaign and returned early.

Following York’s instructions, Lucia promoted several squad captains from among the soldiers.

She then promised to make them Knight’s Squires.

The plan was that as soon as York returned from the Royal Capital, the Swamp Territory would officially have thirty-two Knight’s Squires.

As for the other half of the new Knight’s Squires, many had actually been selected by York from the territory before he set out on the campaign.

Half of them had completed the Entry Tier ritual, while the other half were still waiting for the right time.

In this regard, York was strictly following Lince’s instructions and actively expanding the number of his Knight’s Squires.

Now, York had returned to the Swamp Territory with the first group from the Church, who were responsible for selecting sites for the new church and its station. It was also time for the Swamp Territory to further expand its active domain.

After all, now that he was a Viscount, no one would be suspicious if he expanded his territory.

With the Truth Church establishing a presence, it would even be reasonable for the Swamp Territory, a supposed land of Divine Favor, to expand its domain several dozen times over.

He wouldn’t have to worry about being unable to manage it once the territory was larger.

As a Viscount, York now had the ability to establish several scattered small villages and towns.

The management and governance of these small villages and towns could later be entrusted, or even granted as fiefs, to his Knight’s Squires.

For instance, the two Knight’s Squires from his main household who had been with him from the start, and the five Mercenary Knights, including Paul, who were among his earliest followers.

This was the essence of a Knight’s Domain.

Therefore, the Swamp Territory was going to be very busy for some time to come.

The expansion of the main town, the enfeoffment and construction of Knight’s Domains—all of this would require a great deal of money.

Fortunately, money was the one thing York didn’t lack right now.

Not to mention the influence of the Church. One could imagine that, within the Western Realm, given a few years, the Swamp Territory’s prosperity would rival that of the Duke’s Mansion’s capital.

Furthermore, after all this, it was no longer appropriate to call it the Swamp Territory.

As for what to name it, Lince wouldn’t get involved. He’d leave it entirely up to York to decide.

The Swamp Territory was now in the spotlight.

Even before York’s return yesterday, the Swamp Territory had already seen a massive influx of outsiders in recent days.

There were mercenaries, merchants, nobles, and believers—all sorts of people.

It was a motley crowd, with the transient population already exceeding fifty thousand.

In these past few days, York and his wife, Lucia, had been incredibly busy.

They had to occasionally receive visiting nobility while also overseeing the major construction projects outside the town.

Fortunately, at this moment, York’s father, Old Eric, arrived!

Old Eric brought a large number of hands to help Lucia. At the same time, Lucia’s paternal family—her father, Viscount Calum—also sent many helpers. As for Calum himself? He had been severely injured on the battlefield and was still recuperating.

Thus, the current Swamp Territory had the feel of a grand project supported by many hands.

——————

「Viscount’s Mansion.」

"To be honest, even now, I’m still skeptical about the Miracle the Pope, and even you, Your Lordship, have spoken of."

"But since Lord Tyr was the one who said it, I chose to side with the Kingdom."

"As for what Lord Tyr said about power and money corrupting the Church... In my opinion, whether it’s power or money, does acquiring them mean we are no longer faithful to Our Lord?"

"Furthermore, when has the Truth Church ever used its power to force others to believe in Our Lord? That’s utter nonsense! Even if it has happened, it was only due to the selfish motives of a very few."

"We are mortals. For mortals to have selfish desires does not conflict with our faith in Our Lord at all. If we were without selfish desires, would we still be mortal?"

After several days of travel and a day of rest, the high-ranking members of the Church finally had the energy to discuss the matter of the Miracle with York.

As for Pope Tyr, he was still on the road, comforting the faithful in the various duchies, so he had not rushed back to the Swamp Territory.

The one speaking now was one of the former twelve Royal Capital Bishops of the Truth Church.

In the recent civil war of the Eagle Kingdom, the Truth Church had suffered a devastating blow.

Of the original six Cardinals, only Tyr remained. Of the original twelve Royal Capital Bishops, only three were left.

As for the regional bishops within the Kingdom’s various duchies, only six remained.

For now, only five bishops had arrived in the first group, along with nearly three hundred Missionaries of various ranks.

In the meeting room, the group sat around a table, all looking at York and Oleg, who was beside him.

"Bishop Aemon, are you sure you want to question Our Lord’s Oracle at a time like this?"

"What you’re saying... I imagine that’s what the traitors would say, isn’t it? Are you still sympathizing with them?"

"You’d better think carefully. If Lord Tyr hadn’t pleaded for you, do you think you would have escaped this turmoil unscathed?"

Oleg looked at Aemon Hawke, his expression calm.

Hearing this, Bishop Aemon shot a cold glare at Oleg.

"Oleg, what right do you have to accuse me here?"

"Don’t forget how you managed to get out of the Royal Capital alive! You’re a stupid ass, and your ideals are ridiculous. Even if that incident hadn’t happened, you would have offended the entire Royal Family and Nobility sooner or later. Hmph! I wouldn’t be surprised if you suddenly turned up dead in a church one day, you idiot!"

"So, you’re saying what those people did to me before was for my own good? Should I thank them for it?" Oleg said calmly, unmoved.

"And you say selfish desires are limited to a few people. Then tell me, why were the previous Pope and five Cardinals involved in a massive black market trade? Why did they defile so many nuns?!"

"Even the Holy Son and Saintess—which of them didn’t suffer oppression from these so-called ’great figures’? Such filthy, unspeakable acts of blasphemy, and you tell me it’s just the selfishness of a few?"

"Forget about them. Just look at the lower ranks. How many of the Resident Missionaries are still clean? Don’t be so quick to deny it. My own eyes have told me everything over the past few decades."

Oleg’s words seemed to rip open the festering wounds of the Church, making the other four bishops present look awkward and ashamed.

But their shame was just that—shame. It stemmed from the mentality that one shouldn’t air the family’s dirty laundry in public.

These four bishops, including Bishop Aemon who had spoken, were relatively clean. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be standing here today. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Oleg, you don’t understand people at all. And neither does Lord Tyr."

"The secular world requires compromise and balance. Such radical measures aren’t always necessary."

"But what’s done is done, and I don’t want to say any more about it. After all, they got what they deserved. It’s just a pity that our Truth Church has now completely lost all its say within the Kingdom."

Bishop Aemon didn’t deny what Oleg said, and in the end, could only sigh with an air of resignation, as if giving up on a hopeless situation.

Bishop Aemon and Oleg had been students together under Cardinal Tyr’s tutelage. The reason they could be so blunt with each other was that they knew each other’s character all too well.

At this point, his tone shifted as he turned to look at York again.

"I believe Lord Tyr, so I am willing to believe this is an Oracle from Our Lord. But I still want to confirm it all with my own eyes."

"Besides, Lord Tyr personally promised that after the war, we could question you directly, Your Lordship, upon our arrival in the Swamp Territory."

"I do not know what connection you have with Our Lord, Your Lordship, but since Lord Tyr said it, I will trust it. Of course, that also gives me reason to ask."

Bishop Aemon’s words were met with approval from the other four bishops present.

One of them added, "Indeed. While we trust Lord Tyr and believe in the reality of the Oracle and Divine Favor, ultimately, we should have the right to know the full story, shouldn’t we?"

"I feel the same. In particular, I’m very curious about the whereabouts of the Divine Dragon that attacked the Green Vine Duchy. Since It was born into this world through Our Lord’s Divine Favor and brought His Oracle, It should still be in the mortal realm, correct?"

"I think we at least have the right to meet this honored Divine Envoy of Our Lord in person. It can’t have returned to Our Lord’s Divine Kingdom already, can it?"

York felt a little helpless as he looked at the bishops before him.

’The identity of the Rock Steel Giant Dragon is extremely sensitive.’ That was why Tyr had told the bishops who joined him that the Rock Steel Giant Dragon was a Divine Envoy sent by the God of Truth.

It was a reasonable explanation, and a better way to conceal the fact that It was a Deity, and a God of Another World made manifest.

Lince, naturally, had agreed to this.

He was even willing to meet with these bishops of the Truth Church later. After all, Lince didn’t need to bother with the lower-ranking missionaries and believers, but these bishops were necessary.

They were needed to pacify the lower echelons of the Truth Church in the days to come.

However, York had contacted the Rock Steel Giant Dragon just yesterday, only to learn that His Majesty’s gaze had left the mortal world two days ago.

’What am I supposed to say to them?’

’Take them to see the mortal vessel, which lacks His Majesty’s divine power?’

’That definitely wouldn’t convince them. It might even threaten the Rock Steel Giant Dragon’s safety.’

’Should I try to stall?’

’But every time His Majesty leaves, it’s for a long time! At least a hundred days, sometimes as long as a year or two.’

’How can I stall for that long?’

However, just as York was pretending to be calm while lost in thought, a familiar feeling suddenly washed over him!

Yes, Lince’s Oracle had descended once again!

In that instant, York finally felt a wave of relief! He was so excited that he shot to his feet.