Chapter 497: Riot in the New Territory
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Hobert named the "Farbauti's Ring" as "1-106" and placed it on the stone platform for Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts.
Compared to the ring given by Farbauti, Hobert now preferred to keep "1-102" with him.
As for Grade 2 Sealed Artifacts, except for a few frequently used ones, they were basically all placed in the "Nation of Disorder."
Then, Hobert reminisced about his conversation with Farbauti. During the "Lilith's Fall Incident," the "Mother Goddess of Depravity" and the "Mother Tree of Desire" each obtained a portion of Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics!
However, neither of them obtained the Beyonder characteristics they wanted. Instead, they ultimately allowed their opponent to obtain the Beyonder characteristics they desired.
This made Hobert exclaim: Farbauti is indeed a "Devil Monarch," specializing in being a pain in the ass!
Hobert also thought: So, the "Lilith's Fall Incident" wasn't a collaboration between two Outer Gods, but rather the "Mother Tree of Desire" discovered an opportunity while stalking its enemy and then used the "Mother Goddess of Depravity's" conspiracy to obtain some benefits.
The entire "Lilith's Fall Incident" was a major event of the Second Epoch. If further explored, more inside stories might be uncovered.
And the "Chained God" Tolzna didn't deserve his current fate at all. It turned out that he had already betrayed his own side early on because he failed to withstand the test.
After sealing the relevant memories, Hobert returned to the real world and continued to rest.
The next day, Hobert invited April again and gave her some of Captain Dunn's hair and blood that he had collected in Tingen, asking her to help him refine a puppet.
There were only five or six strands of hair because Captain Dunn didn't have much hair to begin with.
April carefully put away the blood and hair, telling Hobert that it would take about half a month to refine the puppet. She then chatted with Fors a little before leaving.
In the next two or three days, Hobert noticed that ships gradually began to use the Taz River channel. Because only Jeffrey Territory in the entire Southern Colson area could provide supplies and docking, it had almost become a must-stop station for cargo ships.
Hobert asked Allen to inquire about it, and sure enough, the previous wedding report had played a role. Princess Ethel had even passed through the Taz River to Jeffrey Territory and highly praised it, which was enough to prove that some previous reports slandering the Taz River were rumors.
In addition, it was said that Fors's new book had sold out in major bookstores. After reading the book, many people showed enough curiosity about this place and planned to take time to vacation in Jeffrey Territory.
Unfortunately, the transportation here was not very convenient, with only a few passenger ships per week.
Hobert was wondering whether to take the initiative to contact the shipping passenger company when the passenger company took the initiative to send someone to him, hoping to set up a station at Jeffrey Port.
Hobert put forward two requirements: the first was to give Jeffrey Territory-related ship entry permits, and the second was the revenue sharing of passenger and freight transport.
The operation of the Nepote Kingdom's railways and shipping was not a direct unit of the kingdom, but some large passenger or shipping companies.
According to custom, if a station was to be set up in Jeffrey Territory, Hobert, as the ruler of this territory, had the right to demand a share from the other party.
After making the request, Hobert handed over this negotiation to Philip. As the lord, he didn't need to spend too much energy on such trivial matters.
What "Lord Hobert" was more concerned about was a report submitted by Conrad. During the post-disaster reconstruction and land reform, Conrad discovered that the people of the new territory, in addition to being excessively thin, also seemed to have some problems with their mental state.
They were still worshiping those ugly demons. Conrad had tried to destroy those statues, but was met with resistance and opposition from the locals.
After learning about this, Bishop Simpson organized people to destroy the statues and some symbolic symbols, and recited the glory of the Mother Goddess.
However, Conrad found that this didn't seem to work very well. The villagers would still worship the broken statues or the original locations of the statues.
Instead, it deepened the contradiction between the town government and the villagers, causing a confrontation between the two sides.
After reading the report, Hobert frowned. This was a bit strange. Compared to those demons, the villagers should be more willing to believe in the Earth Mother.
Then Hobert realized that this was the situation in Jeffrey Territory, or rather, the east bank of the Taz River.
This side was basically the territory of the Theosophy Order. Although the Theosophy Order's exploitation of the people was also very severe, at least they didn't like to kill people at will.
Hobert thought that the people on the west bank might have been in a bloody rule for a long time and had become accustomed to that bloody and brutal environment? Suddenly, they came to a normal environment, but they were not used to it?
He thought: No wonder they digested so many potions at once. It turned out that the people on the west bank fell into unprecedented panic and confusion after being rescued. This reaction made the hearts of the people on the west bank extremely chaotic, so they digested the potions so obviously.
At this time, only the power of religion can give people some comfort.
Hobert asked Allen to invite Bishop Simpson. He planned to renovate several churches on the west bank and let Bishop Simpson send priests there.
Hobert met Simpson in the side hall. This was the first meeting between the two after the battle with the "demon."
After each briefly talked about their recent situation, Hobert smiled and said, "I suddenly remembered that our transaction regarding the 'Ancient Azure Dragon Beast Liver Crystal' has not yet been completed."
The smile on Simpson's face grew stronger: "I was just about to talk to you about this. The previous battle was highly affirmed by the Pope, and Bowen's Beyonder characteristics are also a trophy that the Holy See values very much.
"If I get the 'Ancient Azure Dragon Beast Liver Crystal' again, I will definitely have the opportunity to become a 'Classical Alchemist.'"
Hobert held his teacup: "That's great. There should be a demigod sitting in the Southern Colson area."
If Bishop Simpson could become a demigod, it would mean that the binding of the two people's interests would become very strong.
After taking a sip of tea, Hobert said with some embarrassment: "In theory, I should directly give you that main material, but you also know that Jeffrey Territory is spending so much money now!"
"Of course I know!" Bishop Simpson cooperated and said: "Don't worry, just name a price."
"30,000 gold lire."
Bishop Simpson agreed without hesitation: "No problem."
Anyway, he didn't have to spend his own money, and Hobert didn't ask for an exorbitant price, which had already given him a lot of face.
Then Hobert talked about the mental state of the people on the west bank. Before he even mentioned the renovation of the church, Simpson shook his head and said, "They are beyond help."
Hobert was stunned: "What do you mean?"
"I went to the scene to see it." Bishop Simpson said with a look of regret: "Their spirit bodies have been affected by the 'demons' for a long time and have been somewhat polluted.
"According to the church's experience, this kind of corruption cannot be eliminated at all!"
Hobert was a little surprised: "Is there any solution?"
Bishop Simpson shook his head again: "The corruption of the spirit body is the most difficult to treat. At most, you can only use some sedative drugs to prevent them from having the energy to hurt others.
"I suggest that the administrative staff you send should do nothing, because according to my observation, most of them will heal themselves after a few months without contact with the 'demon's' statues and symbols.
"During this period, their emotions are very easy to get excited, and it is easy to offend them no matter what you do!
"And about 30% of the people have no possibility of recovery. They will worship demons for the rest of their lives and will affect the people around them.
"I suggest that after a while, check and move all these incurable people together to live, so as not to let them affect others."
Hobert frowned. He was not satisfied with this solution: "'Demons are really harmful!"
"Yes." Simpson echoed: "I have read some classics. It is said that a long time ago, there was a kingdom of demons.
"It's hard to imagine how miserable the lives of the people in that kingdom were."
Hobert asked again: "Is there no other solution?"
"This is the only solution I can give you." Bishop Simpson's words seemed to have some deep meaning.
Hobert also thought of other solutions, which were nothing more than: kill!
But Hobert was even less satisfied with this solution.
When Bishop Simpson got up to leave, he seemed to say casually: "Archbishop Gabriel is very interested in your faith."
"I am a believer of the Earth Mother." Hobert smiled and said, "I accepted the baptism in front of the Life Saint Emblem, and the Goddess's favored one performed the baptism for me."
Bishop Simpson nodded meaningfully, which was similar to his guess. Hobert's baptism was successfully completed, which meant that the Goddess recognized having two faiths at the same time.
If Hobert had malicious intentions at the time, the baptism would not have been completed smoothly. As a favored one, Utravsky would definitely be able to feel the Goddess's intentions and terminate the baptism.
Perhaps there was also cooperation between the gods, but that was not something a bishop should consider.
Simpson believed that as long as he maintained a good relationship with Hobert and provided enough support, he would definitely gain some benefits in the future.
After seeing Simpson off, Hobert asked Allen to recall Freya and the other two. He wanted to hear a detailed description of the mental state of the people on the west bank from the three of them.
Hobert's order went back and forth, and it wasn't until the next day, which was Monday morning, that Hobert saw his two students and a male servant.
After they had breakfast, Hobert immediately called them to the study and asked, "I heard that the mental state of the people on the west bank is not very good."
"It's not just not very good, it's very strange." Selena, with her red hair, was the first to answer: "Sometimes they just sit there all day, not eating or drinking.
"At first, I thought they were so sad because they lost their loved ones!
"Later I found out that it wasn't! This seems to be their habit or custom, doing nothing and eating nothing.
"I brought food and water to them and asked them to eat their fill and then go to work with me, but after they finished eating and drinking, they didn't listen to me at all.
"Two soldiers were holding guns and forcing them to work. They seemed to have suddenly changed into a different person, kneeling and smiling flatteringly, and then following them happily."
Hobert was stunned. Although he was not a mental doctor, he could still make a judgment. This was a serious mental illness.
Dennis, who was much more stable but still occasionally showed his dazed side, added: "They believe in evil gods. Bishop Simpson's preaching was so wonderful, deepening the faith of the believers present in the Goddess.
"But they couldn't listen to it. After smashing their statues, they showed angry expressions, and some even sat on the ground crying, looking very desperate."
Hobert nodded almost imperceptibly and looked at Freya.
Freya, whose face looked a little rosy and whose shiny hair was combed into a ponytail, was the last to say: "There are a total of 59 households in the village I went to, none of which are complete families. At least two people in each household were killed by the previous rulers.
"There are many reasons for being killed, because of breathing, because of walking with feet, because of passing by the river, because of being forced... When forced to do that kind of thing, they don't resist, looking like a dead person, because..."
Freya's eyes turned red and she couldn't go on.
Selena and Dennis were dumbfounded. Only now did they realize that they seemed to have missed the point.
Hobert patted her on the shoulder and comforted her: "We are here, they will no longer have such encounters."
Freya nodded, took a deep breath and continued: "I learned that their ancestors used to live a rich life, and that village used to have more than a hundred households.
"Since those demons came, they gradually realized that they must devoutly worship those demons. Only in this way, when they encounter those demons, they can be like a stray dog kicked away, being kicked away by the demons with a smile, so as to avoid being killed.
"But after worshiping the demons many times, their emotions became more and more easily agitated, or simply lost any emotions.
"As for having angry or desperate reactions after smashing the statues, it is because they are afraid that if that group of demons comes back, they will vent their anger on them.
"The bishop can leave, and our people can also leave, but they can't leave.
"I think the act of smashing the statues is too extreme and should take some softer measures to gradually change their habits."
Hobert nodded seriously: "If this is an assessment, only Freya among you three is excellent.
"Because she found the root of the problem, and you only saw the surface."
Selena was a little ashamed, feeling that she had lost an opportunity.
Dennis did not expect that he would also have this opportunity.
After spending this time with the Duke's two students, he had learned some information about Beyonders and knew how rare such an opportunity was.
"Don't be discouraged, you two." Hobert said to the competition and Dennis again: "This is a lesson. When this matter is over, I will also let you become Beyonders.
"Okay, let me talk about the several Beyonder pathways I have mastered. Freya can choose from them, and you two can listen first."
"Firstly, regarding my own pathway, after consuming the potion, one becomes eloquent and persuasive, capable of twisting others' thoughts, and the physical body becomes very strong. Subsequently, one gains the ability to distort thoughts, corrupt minds, and plunge others into chaos."
"Then there are my wife Fors's abilities. Initially, she can open a phantom door; no place can confine her. She can also use many trick-like abilities. Later, she can divine, record the Beyonder abilities of others, and appear in other countries in a very short time."
The three were slightly stunned; they only now realized that the Lord's wife was also an extraordinary being.
Hobert continued, first explaining the "Corpse Collector" and "Hunter" pathways, for which he possessed complete potion formulas: "Seel is a Beyonder of the 'Hunter' pathway, but Selena and Freya cannot choose this pathway..."
Then came the pathways for which he had partial potion formulas, such as "Arbiter," "Warrior," "Seer," "Sailor," and so on, rattling off several pathways in one breath.
Freya felt a sense of dizziness for a moment.
"You can consider it first and give me your answer in the afternoon," Hobert said.
"I want to become an 'Arbiter'!" Freya suddenly said, "That way, I can judge and punish certain people and events in the future."
Hobert nodded, "I respect your choice. Come and collect the potion in the afternoon."
After dealing with the students' affairs, Hobert's worries deepened. The real situation was more serious than Conrad's report and Simpson's statement indicated.
Hobert decided to consult Audrey at the Tarot gathering later to see if she had any good ideas.
Then, he would return to the West Bank with the students to conduct a personal investigation to see if there were any solutions to the problem.
After one o'clock in the afternoon, under Hobert's supervision and witnessed by Selena and Dennis, Freya consumed the potion and became an "Arbiter."
Hobert had just finished explaining the abilities of an "Arbiter" when Allen entered with Archie, a soldier from the guard: "Lord, a riot has broken out in the West Bank!"
"What?" Hobert stood up abruptly and asked Archie, the burly soldier, "What's going on?"
"This morning, some of the people became very angry! They started attacking us," Archie, who was also Dennis's older brother, said. "Captain Seel saw that the situation was not good, so he immediately covered the government personnel and the young adults who went to help, retreating back to the Lord's Manor.
"Now the people are surrounding the Lord's Manor, and Mayor Conrad and others are confronting them."
Hobert walked up to Archie in two steps and asked, "Did we suffer any casualties?"
"Because the response was timely, only a few people were injured, but they were all external injuries such as fractures and bleeding; nothing serious."
Hobert breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Did Seel fire his gun?"
"Captain Seel said that without your order, he cannot fire into the crowd," Archie replied mechanically. "But in order to cover everyone's retreat, we did fire warning shots into the air!"
Hobert nodded with satisfaction, "Seel deserves the credit!"
If it were soldiers brought out by Christian, they might have already started a massacre, but Seel had been with Hobert for a while after all, and knew the Lord's style and character.
In this critical moment, Seel's response pleased Hobert greatly.
Hobert sat back in his chair and calmly thought for a few minutes before saying to the others, "Archie, Dennis, go to Roy and ask for men, and take a batch of supplies to the West Bank. Do not actively engage in conflict with the locals.
"But if you encounter an attack, you must also launch an effective counterattack.
"Freya, Selena, prepare yourselves. In a few minutes, come with me to the West Bank first."
"Yes!"
After everyone left, Hobert felt Archibald's gaze. He then said, "You stay behind. After the Lady returns, have her hold down the fort at the Lord's Manor. Don't go anywhere else. Just stay here and assist her."
Archibald nodded, "Okay."
Hobert suddenly realized that this "hound" had suddenly become motivated. In the future, when assigning tasks, he could include Archibald.
Thinking this, he returned to the bedroom, put on his cloak, and prayed to "The Fool," indicating that he had encountered an unexpected situation and could not attend this week's Tarot gathering.
Without waiting for "The Fool's" reply, Hobert returned to the study. Freya and Selena, who had quickly tidied up, had also returned.
Hobert used "Travel" to quickly bring them back to the West Bank.
The three suddenly appeared in the main hall of Baron Felix's Lord's Manor, startling everyone there.
However, those who were in the main hall at this time were all high-level personnel previously sent by Hobert. Seel was already an extraordinary being, Corwin, who had bandages wrapped around his head, knew some knowledge of the extraordinary world, and Conrad was surprised for a moment but quickly hid his emotions.
Only Baron Felix was surprised for a few seconds before bitterly saying in his heart: I actually wanted to take back the ruling power in the chaos. I am really naive. Hobert can even drive away those demons. How could I be his opponent?
After Hobert appeared in the hall, he asked, "What is the situation now?"
Conrad, while getting up to yield the superior position, reported, "The people have stormed the Lord's Manor twice, but we have repelled them with clubs."
Hobert sat down, and Freya and Selena stood consciously behind Hobert.
Hobert asked, "Have you asked what their demands are?"
"We asked," Conrad said. "They demand the restoration of faith, the re-sculpting of the demon statues, the re-drawing of abstract symbols, and the offering of sacrifices on time."
Although Conrad and others had become experts in government affairs under Hobert's training, they had not dealt with group incidents and were somewhat helpless at this time.
Hobert then recalled some methods for dealing with group incidents in the Common Era.
Even if he hadn't dealt with them, he had seen many such TV series and novels.
"Let them choose ten representatives to negotiate," Hobert said. "I will receive them outside the door of the Lord's Manor."
"Yes!" The people present immediately got up and went outside to deliver the notice.
They all knew Hobert's abilities and were not worried that Hobert would be in danger.
After Baron Felix also got up to say goodbye, Selena asked curiously, "Teacher, are you really going to agree to let them restore their faith?"
Hobert shook his head gently, "We cannot restore their so-called faith. This is the bottom line."
He smiled slightly, "Didn't I tell you at noon that my pathway will give people excellent eloquence?
"Alright, you guard the door for me. I need to do some preparations."
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