There is no doubt that the arrival of the Holy Light Church mission has injected a bit of vitality into this already declining city.
Especially those more intelligent and sensitive clergymen immediately thought of the unusual behavior and actions of the bishops in recent times, and also realized that this might be an opportunity for themselves.
After all, if the two churches really merge, Holy City will inevitably get rid of the previous state of lying down and dying together.
It may even rise again due to its special geographical location in the center.
The only question is, how much benefits can a church that is half-dead on its own side gain from negotiations?
Of course, there are those who agree and those who oppose it.
Some radical guys always feel that Holy City has become like this, all because of Holy Light Church's fault.
They began to secretly collude with officers and soldiers, planning to stage an "uprising" to directly assassinate Artoria and his entourage, and also kill all the capitulating bishops at the top.
As the sun slowly sets from the horizon, darkness falls again, and the entire Holy City Rapona becomes undercurrent.
Plus those Yoma and Awakened Beings hidden among the ruins and ordinary people...
This originally lifeless city suddenly became extremely lively.
Even people like Clare who don't care much about changes in the outside world feel a strange atmosphere.
However, as Claymore who came to kill Yoma, she did not forget her mission and responsibilities. She quickly left the hotel and tried to contact the church's client in order to obtain first-hand information.
As for Laki and Allen, they were left in the hotel room.
Laki stayed because he doesn't have any fighting ability now, and having him around is just a burden.
And Allen is purely because Clare thinks he is annoying and hateful, and doesn't want to have such a guy around who can cause trouble for him at any time.
But what Clare never expected was that not long after she left, Allen took Laki out of the hotel and went to a place specializing in special services a few streets away.
Looking at the scantily clad "big sisters" at the door with eyes that seemed to eat her alive, Laki instantly became extremely nervous and lowered her voice and begged, "Mr. Allen, I think we should go back. Otherwise, if Clare finds out..."
"What are you afraid of! Did she ever say we are not allowed to come to a place like this? What's more, she is not your relative or elder, so what qualifications does she have to teach you a lesson?" Allen asked nonchalantly.
"But... but..."
Laki hesitated for a long time, finally gave up the argument, and followed behind with his head hanging down.
Obviously, although he knew that there were problems with what Allen said, he didn't know how to refute it.
"It's nothing! Don't forget, you are a man. Men should tell the truth. Whatever you want or desire, say it openly, and then get it in the way you think is right. Don't be coy and act like a shy little girl, that will only make people feel hypocritical and weak." Allen slapped the young man on the shoulder hard and scolded.
After getting along with him for a few days, he finally understood why Laki, the "male protagonist" in Claymore, was always nicknamed "trash" and was always quite unlikable.
The reason is very simple!
This guy's character is so weak that he wants to please everyone around him all the time. It can even be said that he lacks the most basic dignity as a human being.
Just like the famous saying "If you lick a dog, you will die a good death".
Let me ask you, if a person voluntarily gives up his dignity as a human being, how can others respect you?
In comparison, "North Horse" Isley is much more popular.
Because he always knows what he wants, has a clear bottom line, and will never please anyone for no reason.
Unfortunately, Laki is too young to understand this well.
Finally, after struggling at the door for a while, the boy gritted his teeth and followed Allen into the second floor surrounded by a group of scantily clad young women.
In just a few minutes, poor Laki was so teased by these "big sisters" that she could only lower her head and clench her legs.
It wasn't until he walked into the private room and found a seat by the window that he sat down. When he could barely breathe, he huddled in the corner alone, assuming a defensive posture.
And this reaction just proved the guesses of this group of experienced women.
One of the young women, who was tall and slender, even laughed and joked, "What a cute little brother. Why don't you let me, sister, teach you how to transform from a boy to a man tonight?"
"Hahahaha! I think it's good. Tonight, no matter who of you can transform him from a boy into a man, the money will belong to that person." Allen took out a small bag of gold coins from his pocket and threw it directly on the table.
Wow!
With a crisp sound, the zipper of the leather bag opened instantly, revealing the golden color inside.
moment!
The scantily clad women present were breathing rapidly, and their eyes were fixed on the round coins that gave off a golden light under the refraction of the oil lamp.
But just a second later, they collectively turned their heads and turned their attention to Laki. It was as if Incarnations became Garou in an instant, and they wanted to swallow this piece of fat.
Laki, who had never even held a girl's hand, had never seen such a battle before. He was so frightened that he huddled in the corner and did not dare to move.
Several times I tried to look like Allen for help, but was ignored.
After a brief silence of about ten seconds, these women rushed forward in a swarm and blocked the young man in the corner.
It didn't take long for his clothes, pants, shoes, and socks to be torn apart by these crazy women. He couldn't help but scream in despair, "Mr. Allen! Save me! Come and save me!"
But Allen watched this scene with great interest and comforted casually, "Don't worry, your life will not be in danger. They just want to teach you how to become a man. This is a process that every boy must go through, and the process is far from as scary as you think. On the contrary, it is very pleasant. After tonight, you will be able to properly control that Sword of Desire."
"NO!!!!!!"
With a hoarse scream, Laki was finally forcibly dragged to the bed.
Although he struggled desperately to escape, how could a helpless young man be the opponent of a group of women who were like wolves and tigers?
Seeing the shy, scared, and even a little expectant reaction on Laki's face, Allen couldn't help but smile and shake his head, turned around and jumped out of the window, walking through the streets and alleys at extremely fast speeds.
He quickly passed through the layers of blockades of the guards and successfully entered the house only one street away from the cathedral.
Artoria, who had been waiting for a long time, put down the book in his hand, raised his head and asked, "Why are you here?"
"Sorry, something interesting happened, so I stopped and watched for a while." Allen explained with a smile.
"Something interesting?"
Artoria obviously noticed the fleeting drama and immediately realized that someone must be unlucky.
Because Allen would only show such an expression when he was in a bad mood.
"Okay, ignore these trivial matters. Tell me, how is your Holy Light Church development in the south?" Allen decisively chose to change the topic.
He didn't want too many people to know that he brought Laki to the special service industry.
"Not bad! According to your plan, I have integrated all the towns and villages in the south through Holy Light Church to form a huge interest Alliance. Almost all the rulers are now Holy Light believer. But I don't understand. Don't you hate religion the most? Why do you want me to establish Holy Light Church to control the southern region?" Artoria asked a question that has been bothering him for ten years.
Allen touched his chin and explained meaningfully, "No! You misunderstood. What I hate is not religion itself, but those interest groups that use religion to enslave people, amass money, and seize power. What's more, do you think Holy Light really is Religion? Compared with religion, I think it is closer to the category of philosophy, because Holy Light does not have a specific individual worship, but simply emphasizes unswerving will and determination. The most important thing is that it can give people real power and sublimate their spirit."
"So... you established a material-based regime in Western Lands, and asked me to establish a spiritual-led regime in Southern Lands, just to let the two ideas collide and compete with each other?"
Artoria is worthy of being a person who has been King, and he immediately understood the real meaning behind this operation.
Just as human society on Earth requires different ideas and ideologies to collide and compete with each other in order to develop, the social structure of this world cannot be too single.
Otherwise, the error tolerance rate is too low. Once a wrong step is made in the future, the entire human society will be instantly catastrophic.
Allen nodded slightly. "That's right! Only when there is competition can there be progress, and only when there is collision can there be development. Take modernization, which is something that has been taken for granted in modern society on earth. Do you know why the more modernized a country is, the wider the gap between the rich and the poor is?"
"Why?" Artoria frowned subconsciously.
Because when she was at Marvel Universe, she was completely attracted by the advanced technologies and the vast number of products available on the market, and she really didn't notice this.
"Because building a modern society requires paying very high maintenance costs. This includes a series of financial expenditures such as military, administration, justice, public transportation, medical care, pensions, etc. Guess who will bear these heavy costs in the end? Those powerful financial groups, Banks, monopoly giants in various industries and countless billionaires? No! It is borne by the disadvantaged groups with very limited income, that is, the common people. Therefore, the system and experience of modern society are not as good as they seem, and they are not necessarily the only correct way."
Allen expressed his thoughts directly without any disguise.
As a Travelers who constantly travels through various worlds, he has already broken out of the confinement of his original thinking and began to observe the pros and cons of different worlds, different eras, and different social structures from a higher dimension.
Take the gap between rich and poor as an example. The gap between rich and poor caused by industrialization and modernization is far more terrifying than any other gap in the history of the earth.
So modernization and urbanization initiated by Western capital, capitalizing and valuing everything, are they really correct?
If it were before, Allen would have given a positive answer without hesitation.
But now, he began to have a different view, or a bigger picture.
A thoughtful expression appeared on Artoria's face. "I understand! You are worried that after counterattacking the mainland, once those two countries are wiped out, the regime established by Western Lands will become complacent and then embark on a path of no return leading to destruction. For this reason, you plan to preserve diversity for this world."
"Yes! Over the years, Western Lands and Southern Lands have always maintained smooth trade, so privately many people have accepted Holy Light as their spiritual belief and sustenance. Even the entire Southern Lands is incorporated, this belief will not disappear. On the contrary, it will fill the spiritual void caused by material abundance and eventually become the only legal sect in the entire country. Of course, you still need to play your role well before that."
While saying this, Allen turned his attention to the street not far away.
With eyesight comparable to that of astronomical Telescope, he could clearly see that Clare was trying his best to fight against a Awakened Beings.
Due to the evenly matched relationship, the two had been fighting for several minutes, but neither one could take advantage.
As for the few cannon fodder Yoma next to them, they had all been torn into pieces long ago.
The dazzling plasma directly dyed the ground red.
Fortunately it was night, otherwise I would have heard the piercing screams one after another.
Artoria undoubtedly noticed this and asked in an uncertain tone, "Aren't you going to help?"
"No! It's not necessary. If Clare can't even deal with this level of Awakened Beings, that would be very disappointing. After all, I gave her a Seed of Life Energy, and it's almost time to give birth to Root Hatsu buds."
Just as Allen was speaking, Clare in the distance suddenly couldn't dodge and was instantly pierced through the abdomen by his opponent's sharp claws. He knocked down a wall with a bang.
Just when it was about to go up and strike, an indescribable terrifying aura spewed out from the broken wall, crushing all the slightly collapsed buildings around it into dust on the spot.
boom!!!!!!
Immediately afterwards, a spike that had mutated from a hand or a foot, and with a speed that Blitz Gundam couldn't cover his ears, pierced Awakened Beings's calf with a pop, and cut off the area below the knee.