Chapter 48

Segalot stayed in Desinia Territory for a total of seven days.

During that time, Cyrus summoned Grove and all the other priests, and the Pope personally conducted their appointment ceremony.

From then on, Grove became the bishop of Visas Church and was authorized to appoint another person as acting bishop.

Grove and the other priests had never expected to see the Pope in person within Visas.

They knelt on the ground with excited expressions, thanking the Pope for his grace.

Segalot said to Cyrus, "If you are ever dissatisfied with them in the future, you may replace them at any time. You do not need the Holy See's permission."

The Holy See's clergy were not subject to the control of nations or territories.

They possessed special privileges, and the Holy See alone granted rewards or punishments. Even kings had no right to interfere with their dismissal from office.

If a clergyman violated the laws of an empire or even any small nation and committed a crime, the king would submit a document to the Holy See explaining the circumstances.

Afterward, the Holy See would dispatch an archbishop specifically responsible for handling regional affairs to conduct a thorough investigation...

Segalot's personal declaration meant that Cyrus now possessed a special privilege.

Leaving aside the dismissal of Grove and the other priests, even their lives had, from that moment on, been firmly held in Cyrus's grasp for him to deal with as he pleased.

Grove's heart tightened, and he nearly raised his head in shock.

Ever since childhood, he had taken pride in becoming a clergyman who served the Creator God. After entering the Holy See, what he heard most often were rumors about the current Pope.

It could be said that from cardinals at the top to the lowest-ranking assistant deacons, all of them sincerely respected and submitted to the Pope.

Grove naturally held the Pope in awe.

And now, the Pope had granted the lord special privileges. What did that represent...?

Grove could not stop his thoughts from churning. He lowered his head again, looking even more humble.

The priests behind him were the same.

Cyrus accepted Segalot's goodwill.

Still, he always felt that the current Pope's gaze toward him seemed especially... affectionate?

It had to be an illusion.

Segalot had no intention of staying in Desinia Territory for long.

Before leaving, he handed Cyrus an exquisitely crafted box embedded all over with gemstones, claiming it was a gift.

"After I leave your territory, I probably will not be able to see you again for a long time."

Segalot sighed softly. "I thought I should give you something to carry my feelings of longing."

Cyrus: "..."

There was really no need.

This was truly unnecessary.

Seeing the small expression that unintentionally appeared on Cyrus's face, Segalot could not help curling his lips slightly.

Before Cyrus could react, he suddenly bent down and said almost inaudibly, "Little Rose, I look forward to your growth."

After saying that, Segalot turned and left with the black-robed man, the carriage gradually disappearing into the distance.

Cyrus stood where he was with his mouth slightly open. Holding the exquisite treasure box in both hands, he could not help looking at Judas. His cheeks slowly puffed out as he stared with large caramel-colored eyes, clearly looking like he had something to say.

Judas leaned over slightly and asked, "What is it, my lord?"

Cyrus said, "Judas, can I change the design of my family crest?"

"Of course not, my lord," Judas replied with a proper smile.

Looking troubled, Cyrus handed the treasure box to Judas and told him to hold it properly. Then, with his fair hands crossed at the wrists like a flower supporting his chin, he tilted his head and asked, "Do I look like a plant?"

[Honestly, I've recently been using reading apps to follow updates. You can switch sources, and there are many narration voices. Available on both Android and Apple.]

Judas froze at his words, and then the tips of his ears gradually turned red.

He coughed lightly. "My lord, how could you possibly resemble a plant?"

How could he make such a gesture? It was far too unfair.

Cyrus thought the Pope had no sense of propriety at all, actually giving him a nickname...

After secretly pursing his lips, he quickly stopped dwelling on it and began wondering what gift Augsger, the current Pope, had given him.

"Judas, open the treasure box."

"Yes, my lord."

The item inside the treasure box soon appeared before Cyrus's eyes.

It was a badge only half a palm in size. Golden and silver lines cast from copper intertwined across its surface, outlining an image of a radiant sun and a bright moon meeting where light and darkness converged.

Cyrus looked astonished.

Judas blurted out, "A Papal Edict."

Only the Pope could possess this badge.

Anyone else who possessed it could freely dispatch any clergyman in churches and temples to serve its holder, and could even command cardinals in certain matters.

Cyrus had never expected the Pope to give him such a precious item.

In an instant, the mixture of embarrassment and irritation he had felt when Segalot called him Little Rose vanished.

Call him whatever he liked. It was nothing. He truly did not care.

The badge before his eyes was something money could not measure. It was worth it.

Churches and temples of the Creator God began to be built throughout Visas.

At the same time, Cyrus focused on paving the city's roads and the like.

Of course, the first thing to be built was the city's most important and basic infrastructure—the drainage system.

After all, the use of water in daily life was undoubtedly extensive and necessary.

The water that needed to be discharged through the drainage system included wastewater, sewage, rainwater, melted snow, and more. Besides, Visas was close to the sea, so its drainage facilities had to be the best.

To understand the specific process of urban drainage and the detailed composition of the system, Cyrus spent quite a bit more prestige in the library on the system interface, exchanging it for many related books.

He first had to read and understand that knowledge before he could extract the important contents and guidance from the books, then discuss and research them with engineers from the Artisans' Guild and elsewhere.

The drainage system required careful deliberation, while the construction of flood prevention and flood control facilities also needed clear planning.

Cyrus calculated the reconstruction plans he would carry out in the future.

There had originally been only Visas and Komoy Fort, but now there were thirteen cities...

Reconstruction was not yet complete. The lord still needed to work hard.

His current plan was to let the advanced areas lead the less developed ones.

Once one or two cities were successfully rebuilt, the people of the territory would see the results, and both their enthusiasm and initiative would follow...

But a tall tree catches the wind.

Too many things that had never existed before had appeared in Desinia Territory: plant medicines and ointments still being produced, Papermaking, Watermarked Paper, bricks, Movable-Type Printing, the asphalt concrete roads that would soon be laid, and more...

Not a single one could be overlooked.

Once he possessed them, if he stood out too much, then no matter where it was or what country it was, he could very easily become a target for everyone.

Cyrus had wanted to quickly develop sugar from beets as well, but then he reconsidered. The Gadayat Kingdom had only just become a thing of the past, and Desinia Territory had only recently been established.

It was the only independent territory of its kind on the Western Continent. Who knew how many eyes were covetously watching it in secret?

He could not risk introducing something even more tempting, such as white sugar.

At the very least, before he possessed military strength capable of absolutely deterring other nations, he could not carelessly ignore any risk.

Now was the time to recuperate and carry out comprehensive construction.

With the Thorn Merchant Guild backing him, Cyrus had no problems with money.

After planning for the future, he marked military schools and ordinary schools as priorities. What they still lacked most was talent, and schools were the most direct places to receive and discover talent.

From then on, Desinia Territory entered a period of comprehensive recovery and reorganization.

Construction beginning in Visas would gradually expand into the other cities, and this was a plan and goal that would take a long time to achieve.

The winter three years later.

A heavy snowfall arrived as expected, covering all of Visas in a glittering, beautiful blanket of silver.

The city had now completely changed.

After three years of development, its prosperity and liveliness far surpassed Kaies, the former royal city. It stood as the undisputed administrative center.

Komoy Fort stood beside Visas. As one of the rebuilt cities, the changes within it were equally astonishing.

Although Visas and Komoy Fort were still under construction, the focus of development had gradually shifted to other cities, and the Artisans' Guild had expanded accordingly.

Three years was neither long nor short.

Desinia Territory had changed greatly. The snow concealed much of it for the moment, and besides, Cyrus and the others were not in the territory.

They were far away in a mountain forest outside Gaina Royal City.

The royal palace of Gaina.

After reading the note in his hand, Light threw it into the fireplace and burned it.

Watching the flames gradually devour the words on it, he turned and said, "I understand your lord's intentions."

"Gaina has already split in two. There is no pity in giving him this half-ruined kingdom. I only want to personally cut off Bruno Green's head..."

There were only two people in the vast study belonging to the king.

One was Light Green.

The other was wrapped entirely in a black robe. However, because he was indoors, the robe hung slightly open, revealing the silver-white armor beneath.

The man was tall. He held the helmet he had just removed in the crook of his left arm, while his right hand rested on the hilt of his sword. Hearing this, he smiled. "Your Majesty is not the only one who bears a grudge against Bruno Green."

"The lord agreed to your request because he once promised someone that he would let him avenge his blood feud and personally kill Bruno Green."

"I cannot guarantee whether he or Your Majesty will be the first to kill that traitor."

Over the course of those three years.

Desinia Territory had developed without pause, while major events had also taken place in Gaina.

After more than a year of silence.

Bruno Green had finally grown unwilling to remain merely a minor lord.

He secretly plotted and reached a partnership with the king of Helgoda.

Helgoda would provide military support, while he promised that after succeeding, he would cede part of Gaina's territory to Helgoda.

Helgoda was the kingdom neighboring Gaina.

The entire country was surrounded by the Aibuting River, so its shipbuilding industry was exceptionally developed. Almost nine out of every ten people in the kingdom were skilled swimmers.

However, Helgoda's territory was extremely small, and people could only travel by boat.

Although that was highly inconvenient, every advantage had its disadvantage. The Aibuting River's encirclement had also ensured that Helgoda had never suffered harassment or invasion from any nation.

With Helgoda's secret support, Bruno Green had once nearly succeeded in assassinating Light.

Fortunately, Cyrus had always had Ferdinand send people to closely monitor him. This gave them the chance to notify Light and let him prepare in advance.

Even so, Gaina had been split into two from then on.

Bruno Green became wary and retreated to his territory, waiting for the right opportunity to strike again.

He guarded his territory as tightly as an iron barrel. Even though Cyrus wanted Ferdinand to use the opportunity to kill him, they could not find a single opening.

During that time, Light continually attempted to reclaim the cities occupied by Bruno. The tug-of-war lasted nearly half a year.

It had to be said that Bruno's mind and methods were indeed exceptional.

After fully unleashing his ambition, he quickly won over the vast majority of people to serve him. Naturally, this also involved threats and coercion.

Although Light was a qualified king, he was kind by nature.

Back then, he had not hardened his heart enough to kill Bruno, thinking of their brotherhood. And so now, Bruno Green would stop at nothing to kill him and take his place.

Bruno Green's goal had always been Gaina's throne.