"It's not impossible for a small town to fight against the entire Tree Worship Church, but it's absolutely impossible for us to do it alone."
Ed's gaze swept over the crowd, and the townspeople looked at him knowingly.
" The Second Holy See needs everyone's help. Right now, countless children are still trapped in countless dungeons. Without you, the Fallen One will soon retake this place, and everyone who knows the truth will likely die. The children in other parishes will also never see salvation."
Ed's words touched almost everyone.
Those who are reunited with their children do not want to be separated again, those who have lost their children do not want the tragedy to repeat itself, and no one wants to die.
Encouraged, or rather incited, by Ed, someone soon shouted:
"Your Excellency, what do you need us to do?"
"Yes, what can we do?"
Seeing the townspeople already roused, Ed shouted to them:
"What the Second Holy See needs from you is very simple: get moving!"
Compared to other organizations in this world, the followers of the Tree Worship Church can live almost without cost because of the existence of the Symbiotic Tree, so labor has disappeared from their vocabulary.
Without labor there is no production, and without production there is no progress. All living things in this world are trying to survive. Whether it is fortunate or unfortunate, the members of the Tree Worship Church found the shortest shortcut, but at the same time paid a hidden price: stagnation.
Even players felt that the Tree Worship Church's territory was too lifeless; the only options for spending money, besides the official store, were player stalls or Dragonborn Village, making it seem like a bug.
Ed is determined to change all of that.
From the moment Ed saw Gray's bio-powered mobile fortress, Ed knew that using the Tree Worship Church's technological level to deduce the development of other factions would definitely lead to serious problems.
So what he had to do was get his followers in his territory to take action, pick up the abandoned labor again, and get his sphere of influence running again like an old machine.
The same applies to Midstream Village, White Wax Town, and even those stubborn "volunteers" behind me. Everyone must start working!
The fearless players, as they fight their way out to conquer the world, naturally need the logistical support of these civilians from another world.
Players cannot become new bullies of the natives of this world, but they also cannot allow them to support these alien natives for nothing.
Seeing the townspeople's confused looks, Ed explained:
"The entire Tree Worship Church is lifeless because it has no worries about survival. As long as everyone starts working and producing, it is by no means impossible for a small town to fight against the entire province or even the entire Tree Worship Church."
"The Second Holy See has Elite Warrior dedicated to combat, the very ones beside me. These warriors will resolve all existing and potential crises for you."
Upon hearing Ed suddenly mention them and seeing the NPCs' eyes all focused on them, the players immediately displayed their most spirited and reliable side. Although some still couldn't help making a few funny faces, their well-proportioned figures and neat standing positions had already convinced the townspeople to believe them to a large extent.
Sensing some people's hesitation, Ed made a final reassurance, putting everyone at ease:
"I, Ed Adrian, in the name of the leader of the Second Holy See of the Tree Worship Church, guarantee that none of you will be forcibly conscripted, nor will you be sent on missions that will lead to certain death. Your private property will not be plundered, nor will you be sold to any other power. You may cultivate, build, raise livestock, trade, perform arts... All your labor activities will be recognized by the Second Holy See and will receive practical support and protection."
"With everyone's help, more and more children will be saved, and such tragedies will never happen again."
Under the blazing midday sun of midsummer, the square in front of the church fell into tranquility.
Ed knew that many people were experiencing intense inner struggles.
Perhaps it was laziness, perhaps it was inner imbalance, perhaps it was fear of the behemoth that is the Tree Worship Church... There were too many things that could make them hesitate and struggle. After all, they were just ordinary townspeople, and their weak bodies and empty pockets left them with almost zero ability to withstand risks in all aspects.
What more can one ask of such a pitiful person?
So Ed gave them time to think, gave them the opportunity to choose, and hoped they could make a decision they could be true to themselves.
Under the blazing midday sun, finally a town resident spoke up and asked:
"Your Excellency, I truly want to help you, but I really don't know anything about it..."
Ed smiled as he looked at the middle-aged man who was slightly bald and had a tree growing from his shoulder:
"What you up to?"
"I want to farm. I remember my family has farmed for generations, but I don't know how anymore. Can you help me?"
Ed turned to look at the players:
"Is there any Soul Returner can help him?"
[ On the Do Some Farm Work ] hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and said loudly:
"Your Excellency, I know how to farm. The crops on the plot of land I cleared by the river have already sprouted!"
What are you planting?
"Have no idea!"
[ Do Some Farm Work ]'s confident reply almost made Ed faint. Fortunately, Little Green saw the situation was not good and turned off the simultaneous interpretation in time. From the tone alone, it was impossible to tell how outrageous [ Do Some Farm Work ]'s reply was.
Ed then looked at the middle-aged man below:
"Did you hear that? He can farm; he can help you."
Another town resident asked from below:
"Your Excellency, my house has been leaking for ten years, and I want to learn how to build houses."
This time, it was [ Zhongde ] who stepped forward and shouted directly to the person below:
"Drawing and applying ash, I guarantee you'll learn!"
Seeing that both men had received promises from the bishop, the townspeople gradually began to cheer, and the previous somber atmosphere slowly dissipated. Some townspeople even shouted:
"Your Excellency, I'd like to study business."
This... this is not a place for education!
Ed ignored the intense gazes from the [ Shit Appraisal Master ] and [ The Good Times Don't Last ] and looked at the man:
"Alright, merchants from other places will be coming here soon, and I will introduce them to you."
"We're both good at business; you can learn from us!"
Compared to a young high school graduate, the [ Shit Appraisal Master ] was even more shameless. He squeezed through the crowd and shouted at the townsman, while a chorus of boos came from behind him.
The promises made to the townspeople finally put their minds at ease. With various thoughts in mind, they perhaps also wanted to add some variety to their decades-long, unchanging lives...
Fifteen minutes later, the townspeople finally had no more questions, Ed looked at them and said:
"Everyone, you can start preparing for what you want to do now. My garrison captain Duolin, and his squad will be stationed in White Wax Town for an extended period to maintain order. You can ask them for help with any problems you encounter. If they can't solve a problem, they will report it to me, and I will definitely get a response."
Get ready for a new life!