Chapter 1057: Chapter 1000: Are You Not Welcoming the Saint’s Grandson?

"Your Holiness, there’s important correspondence from Kasha County."

Putting down his wine glass, Horn picked up a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, apologized to the fellow council members and plantation owners, and then stepped away.

Taking advantage of the Saint Sun Pope’s absence, a councilman wearing a thick gold chain around his neck leaned over to Jose.

"Brother Jose..." Lowering his head and using a small pineapple on the table to cover his mouth, the councilman whispered, "Was your plantation attacked?"

"Whose plantation hasn’t been attacked?" Jose complained, swallowing the curry chicken, "What about yours, Olludo?"

"Isn’t it absurd?" Olludo clicked his tongue, "The Holy Grandson arrived over a month ago, and the beastmen have been attacking our plantations like wild dogs drawn to the smell of feces."

"Shh, be careful, the Cheka might hear you and accuse you of blasphemy!" Jose punched him on the shoulder.

Even after shutting up the loose-tongued Olludo, Jose found himself growing anxious.

The attacks from beastmen and the Secret Party in the Woods have always been the most painful issue for these plantation owners.

Especially with spices and herbs, the harvest has a time gap—just one or two days.

Too early and the spices and herbs lack potency; too late and they’re doomed, not only ineffective but also poisonous.

The beastmen and the Secret Party originally only attacked spice ships and grain ships.

Now they’re attacking plantations!

The beastmen move swiftly by rowing small boats, often choosing night-time attacks, setting fire to plantations and abducting people.

They’ve grown clever, learning human language from somewhere, knowing how to plant undercover guides among the slaves.

Thinking about the contracts signed with the Spice Company and the hefty breach penalties, Jose and the other plantation owners are all worried beyond measure.

This is no laughing matter.

He looked up again at the hall of Celestial Maiden City, where a long U-shaped table stood on the marble floor, Silan female slaves with wheat-colored bellies roamed among them.

On usual days, these plantation owners would definitely be gleefully taking advantage, but today they were all restless.

As for the Saint’s Grandson on the terrace, he smiled while reading the letters and talking to two accompanying monks who had followed him out.

Seeing that the Saint’s Grandson wasn’t paying attention to this side, Jose raised the wine glass from the table and drank it all in one go, pulling Olludo aside: "I’ll ask you one last time, are those brothers in the woods reliable?"

If asked before, Olludo would certainly have agreed with confidence that they were reliable, absolutely reliable.

But given the current situation, he’s starting to have some doubts: "Should be reliable, right?"

"Then why aren’t they just plundering spice and grain ships, but attacking our plantations?"

"No, brother, those Secret Parties in the Woods aren’t in complete control of the beastmen tribe." Olludo quickly pleaded, "Besides, you see, all the tax police are concentrated around Celestial Maiden City, the Divine Punishment Battle Group is also gathered along both banks of the river, how could they plunder grain ships now?"

"But it’s not like there’s much food in our plantations!"

"I don’t know, even mosquitoes are meat, if they’re not starving, they definitely wouldn’t do this."

"This damned Holy Grandson is so troublesome, just staying in Celestial Maiden City without leaving..."

The two were whispering in a corner, but suddenly felt a shadow fall over them.

Looking up, they saw the tall tax police chief, Saphie, standing behind them.

"What are you mumbling about?"

Seeing it was Saphie, Olludo immediately rolled his eyes and laughed, "Lord Saphie, we were discussing the recent beastman attacks on the plantations."

"What’s happened with this matter?"

Jose followed up, "Ever since His Holiness visited Black Snake Bay, all the security forces have been concentrated around the river and Celestial Maiden City.

It’s just the season for growing spices and herbs, and the beastmen attacks aren’t a solution, are they?"

"You plantation owners, aren’t all of you from the Wizard Clan? Are you still scared of those beastmen?"

As Saphie mentioned, after the "Secret Party Registry Act," Wizards began to divide up.

Those who could still use spells, the first, second, and third generation affiliated wizards went to become plantation owners, while the fourth generation and alchemists chose to move into towns.

This makes sense, as Black Snake Bay has many beastmen and wild people, spell-wielding wizards have strong survival abilities in the wilderness.

Moreover, these high-ranking wizards are the main branches of the Wizard Clan, having strong control over the clan’s resources.

They have resources and land, so naturally, they establish plantations.

Alchemists have weaker survival abilities, only possessing alchemical skills, so naturally, they live in towns.

In towns, there are alchemy workshops for producing various alchemical products.

Not mentioning the production issues, the craftsmanship and technical levels of these alchemy workshops are stronger than those in ry Court Barracks.

For example, the washing workshop’s soap solution and softening agents, Celestial Maiden City and Long Embankment City provide seventy percent of the production.

Jose spoke helplessly, "We are Wizards, but we can’t stay at the plantation and guard it every day, can we?

And the beastmen always come when we’re away, like right now."

After Horn arrived at Celestial Maiden City, besides visiting surrounding towns, he talked to council members.

He truly arranged individual meetings, discussing in great detail whether Black Snake Bay was religious or secular.

He forced every member of the Black Snake Bay Federation Council to stay in Celestial Maiden City—without the highest combat power of the clan, the defensive strength certainly weakened. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Exactly, our plantation covers thousands, even tens of thousands of acres, and even if we bring the clan Mages, we can’t oversee it all."

"So what are you saying?"

"Our point is, if the Saint’s Grandson wants to talk, he should do it all at once for greater efficiency." Olludo responded with a playful smile.

"Oh, I see." Saphie nodded, "So you two Rasomi Town council members aren’t welcoming His Holiness the Pope?"

What?! Blood almost rushed into their eyes.

How did it turn into not welcoming the Saint’s Grandson? Who would dare not welcome His Holiness the Pope?!

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no." Both shook their heads like rattles and their hands trembled like they had Parkinson’s, speaking incoherently to explain.

But before they could finish explaining, another person even darker in appearance approached.

The Military Police Captain Kesuku!

"Saphie, what’s up with these two?"

"These two seem to think the Saint’s Grandson has used too much security force and want him gone."

"No!" Jose was so startled he almost jumped, "I didn’t, I didn’t say that, Captain Kesuku, I really didn’t say that!"

Olludo couldn’t even utter a word, his face turning ashen as he gestured in denial.

As a military police officer, Kesuku has unlimited investigative authority in Black Snake Bay.

Merely suspecting a plantation slave of harboring rebels could cause a plantation to incur heavy losses.

Kesuku didn’t say much, just glanced them over and said calmly, "Come on, His Holiness wants to ask you something."

Relieved that Kesuku didn’t come for disciplinary reasons, the two relaxed a bit.

"Now?" Jose asked nervously.

Kesuku didn’t say much, instead, he walked straight to a small study next to the hall.

Jose and Olludo had no choice but to follow them into the study room, where they found all fourteen council members from Rasomi Town and neighboring Moska Town gathered.

Among them was the veteran Mage Anthony Seck, who had helped Jose become a council member, sitting half on the chair and chatting happily with Horn.

Upon seeing Jose, Anthony Seck stood up eagerly and introduced him to Horn: "Your Holiness, this is Council Member Jose Kukulkan.

Thanks to your grace, he returned from the eastern counties to the developed three counties and was elected as a council member again this time.

To be honest, he originally learned spells from me; he’s my student—one of us, hahaha."

"Hello, Mr. Jose." Horn reached out, intending to shake hands with Jose, who quickly leaned in to kiss Horn’s hand.

"Oh dear." Anthony Seck hurriedly tried to smooth things over, "He’s from the countryside, lacks experience, just overly admires Your Holiness.

Boy, there’s no hand-kissing etiquette anymore!"

Jose naturally gave a silly smile, and the others followed suit, as the room filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Just as they were about to introduce Olludo, Kesuku leaned in to whisper something in Horn’s ear.

In the next moment, thinking he was off the hook and about to sit down, Jose heard Horn speak with a smile:

"I’ve heard from Kesuku that you, Council Members Jose and Olludo, both agree that I’ve wasted too much security force, causing damage to your plantations?"