Chapter 44: New Weapons
The next day, after bestowing blessings upon Knight Wolf's team.
Corleon was in the back room of the church.
On the small table lay a wooden tube, containing the leftover 'pure water' from the blessings.
As a bishop, Corleon could perform blessings, using the language of the Lord to imbue ordinary items with miraculous power.
This dew, once blessed, became what the Lord referred to as pure water.
Corleon wanted to test the effects of this blessed pure water.
But he hesitated.
If it were George, he might have unhesitatingly inflicted a wound upon himself.
Taking a deep breath, he retrieved a short dagger—an inheritance from the old priest.
An aged short dagger, which the old priest had intended to keep for self-defense.
Perhaps the church was too impoverished, never attracting any robbers.
Of course, it might also be due to its proximity to York Town, making it too risky.
Rolling up his sleeve, he pressed the short dagger against the back of his arm and gently made a cut; the sting caused Corleon's breathing to quicken as blood oozed out.
He picked up the wooden tube from the table, hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and poured the water onto the wound.
The stinging intensified, but soon the wound began to itch slightly, and visibly, it started to heal.
Eventually, aside from some bloodstains on his arm, the skin was perfectly restored, as if it had never been injured.
"Truly miraculous," Corleon felt an indescribable sensation in his heart.
Wiping off the blood and water from his arm, he took out a piece of parchment, pondered, and finally wrote some words on it.
Since the sequence of commandments from monk to priest to bishop could be confirmed, it was also necessary to develop 'weapons' that others who accepted this series of commandments could use.
After all, they were not Corleon, who held the ultimate authority of interpretation.
...
Yara arrived, bringing three horses.
"The lord has permitted us to domesticate horses and released a batch from the stables. I was lucky to secure three," she said with a smile.
There were only over a hundred horses in the lord's stables; this time, the lord released more than thirty.
She and Terry joined forces, leveraging Piero's name, and directly seized three.
Piero was naturally afraid; after all, it had been less than a day, and Yara's group was already eager to feast.
But he still gritted his teeth and did it.
The lord's order was merely to sell these horses, with no further instructions.
Moreover, Yara was considerate, purchasing the three horses at triple the price.
He nervously reported to the lord, who merely responded with a single acknowledgment.
Only then did he allow Yara to leave.
"Will the lord release all the horses?" Corleon was somewhat surprised; horses were strategic resources.
"Yes, and not just that. The lord also allowed us to train blacksmiths and use oak wood," Yara said. "If the priest needs to purchase weapons in the future, you can come directly to me; there's no need to go to Alton anymore."
"Of course, perhaps the priest will never find him again."
Alton's business style was evident from how he dealt with Corleon—he was ruthless.
Now, without the lord's backing, and having lost his means of livelihood...
Even if he had good relations with the powerful, so what? When he was useful, he was naturally a friend.
But once he lost his value, he became a piece of fat meat everyone wanted a bite of.
"So, Miss Yara, are you returning to the village now?" Corleon didn't want to discuss these matters and changed the subject.
"Yes, the affairs in town are settled. Next, I need to handle some family matters," such as recalling certain 'nails' that needed to be retrieved, and eliminating those that had gone out of control.
Moreover, it had to be done swiftly; she had already instructed Terry to have someone send the message home in advance.
Those prospective knights, full of thoughts of honor, had already left the city with their men today. If the recall was delayed, those 'nails' might become their achievements.
The York Territory wasn't small; from the northernmost to the southernmost point, even lightly equipped cavalry would need a whole day to barely traverse it.
But the York Territory wasn't too large either.
Knight Wolf, an experienced knight, had divided the periphery of the York Territory and assigned it to six prospective knights and himself, barely managing to control the entire region.
"Of course, I also need to attend to the priest's matters," she still remembered this. "Tomorrow, the priest can recruit them for work."
Yara knew that Corleon hadn't directly recruited them for labor because he was waiting for her to return and give the notice.
This rule-abiding behavior of Corleon made her very pleased.
It proved that Corleon was a good partner for her.
At least, more reassuring than Terry.
"Do you need to see Ando?" Corleon said, "I have already completed his baptism; he is now a monk."
Perhaps there was no need for Yara to answer; Ando had already run over.
"Sister!" he shouted, with Agamemnon slowly walking behind him.
He didn't have Ando's energy; after carving emblems yesterday and collecting dew early today, he was now somewhat drowsy.
Yara squatted down and hugged Ando, "Haha, my Ando has become a sturdy young man."
Yara said with a smile, glancing at the listless Agamemnon behind him, her smile growing more satisfied.
"Good child, practice well in the church. When you come of age, I'll come to take you home," Yara patted Ando's head.
A 'bang bang bang' sound was heard.
Perhaps she was too happy and didn't control her strength, making Ando grimace in pain.
"No, I want to become a Temple Warrior now!" Ando said loudly.
"Temple Warrior?" Yara was taken aback; she hadn't heard of this title.
But looking at her silly brother, then at Corleon...
She guessed he was attracted by the stories.
"Alright, alright, then I'll look forward to the day you become a Temple Warrior," Yara wouldn't dampen her brother's aspirations.
After all, their family already had someone who had been educated into a fool by their father's harsh teachings.
She believed that when Ando came of age, he would naturally understand his responsibilities and mature.
"Then I'll leave him in your care, priest. I'll be very busy afterward, but if I have business in town, I'll also drop by to see him," Yara said.
"Please rest assured."
"By the way, when will Monk George go over?" she asked.
"I need to ask him," Corleon said. "See when he's ready to go."
"Alright, once the time is confirmed, I'll arrange for people to help build the small church."
"You are devout to the Lord; the Lord will protect you," Corleon made the sign of the cross.
"Yes, praise the great Lord," Yara said casually, then forcefully patted Ando's head.
"Ando, you must listen to the priest, understand?"
"...Understood," Ando didn't dare to touch his head, which had been hurt by the pat.
Yara led the horse and left; she had never ridden a horse before.
Following her were some laborers that Terry had assembled, helping to bring the supplies purchased from the town back to the village.
Of course, they wouldn't use horses to pull carts; in their eyes, horses were more precious than human lives.
"Priest, we're going to help Cicero," Ando said.
"Mm, go ahead, but I need you to pass on a message for me," Corleon said. "Tomorrow morning during prayers, once the worshippers arrive, he can start recruiting workers."
"Alright, priest."