Although nearly a hundred years have passed since the outbreak of the Demonic Tide, a hundred years is not enough to completely sever the entire history.
Many people, though they've spent half their lives using tree seeds, know that gold, silver, and copper coins exist. However, these are considered contraband in the Tree Worship Church. It's fine to keep some privately, but if you dare to spend them, you'll be hanged and dried meat if caught.
Seeing the crowd's expressions of wanting to believe yet being unable to, a third "shill" stepped forward:
"Not only that, I've also heard from my relatives in the Aduolin Province that if that Son of God needs anything from us commoners, he always hires them."
"No, what do you mean by 'hire'?"
An NPC who looked physically strong but not very bright scratched his head.
"It means giving money. Didn't that nursery rhyme say, 'When the Son of God comes, there are no corvée labors; when the Son of God comes, there are no taxes'? It means that the Son of God will pay for everything and will never let his subordinates work for nothing."
"Do... do such people really exist?"
This time, it wasn't some pre-arranged plant who spoke up, but rather some NPCs who genuinely raised their questions.
They had lived most of their lives in the Tree Worship Church and had never heard of such a bishop or archbishop. However, the man wasn't a bishop; he was some kind of " Son of God."
After some explanation, the Soul Returner had initially carried the stretcher, now returning home, spoke with a serious expression:
"That's why I made you swear not to leak this out—if all of this is true, who do you think will still protect this city for the Archbishop? I'm afraid even the Holy Crusaders will lead the way in surrendering."
"Gurgle."
Many people felt a burning sensation in their throats and unconsciously swallowed.
"Gentlemen, what I mean is that going to fight the Archbishop now would be tantamount to suicide. It would be better to wait until His Holiness the Son of God Child's army attacks the city, then we can coordinate with them from within and open the city gates to welcome His Holiness the Son of God into the city!"
Upon hearing this, everyone present immediately showed delight. Compared to a pointless suicidal attack, a coordinated attack from within and without seemed like a much better option.
Upon learning of this new possibility, the militiamen immediately began discussing it animatedly, while the Soul Returner searched the crowd for those who seemed to be forcing a smile, ready to strike at any moment if they suspected these undercover agents.
The Soul Returner, led by [ Ginseng Rooster ], had long anticipated that the militia camp was not a monolithic entity.
If Luorui'er were a normal person, he would never build a new army without having any informants.
Previously, identifying these individuals had been extremely difficult, but now that everyone was discussing their rebellion, these informants were needed to make their mark.
After looking around, the players actually found a few people who seemed to be forcing a smile or behaving suspiciously. They secretly took pictures of them and sent them to the group, preparing to arrest them.
The militiamen discussed it for a while, and finally looked at the two Soul Returner.
The leader fell into a coma, and they instinctively chose to trust the two guys who had followed him through thick and thin.
"Okay, let's do it this way. What do we need to do?"
The most hot-tempered militiaman sheathed the birchwood sword back into the scabbard at [ Ginseng Rooster ]'s waist, then waited indignantly for the two new officers to give orders.
"What we need to do now is simple: stay angry and keep training!"
The Soul Returner quietly increased the concentration of [ Forget-Sorrow Mint ], while the two leaders began their final performance:
"Everyone, if you still consider Brother [ Ginseng Rooster ] as your boss, then don't forget the anger we felt today."
"From this day forward, our training is not for the archbishop, nor for reward or provisions, but for ourselves, so that when the Son of God's army breaches the city, we can work together from within and without to completely eliminate those priests who ride on our heads!"
"If you all agree with my idea, then please continue training. As for contacting the troops outside the city, and when and where to move, leave those matters to us!"
After his speech, the militiamen had no further questions.
Although rebellion may seem far removed from their lives, it is not in fact impossible.
Those outside the city aren't rebels—they all claim to be the army of the Son of God, how could they be heretics?
Judging from the current situation, isn't Archbishop Luorui'er in the city more like a heretic?
One is exploiting labor for free, the other is paying for everything. It's obvious who is right and who is wrong, who is orthodox and who is heretical.
Having quelled the militiamen's anger, the Soul Returner knew this was the last time.
When the royal army besieges the city, that will be the time for the militia, like a live volcano, to erupt...
The rest of the day passed quickly. Moved by the words of the Soul Returner, the militiamen trained extra hard for their future, and their morale was even higher than before.
As night Descent, the militiamen, having experienced emotional highs and lows and spent the whole day outside in the wind and sun, returned to their tents, and soon the sound of snoring of varying volumes filled the air, much like a tractor factory.
In the darkness, several furtive figures slipped out of the tents, the black night providing them with perfect cover.
These people moved freely with almost no effort, their heavy snoring filling the air, and soon reached the edge of the camp, where they began to tiptoe up the spiked fence.
The group thought they had done something flawless, but in the eyes of the Soul Returner with their night vision, it was as ridiculous as a farce.
Enduring the pain of being stabbed and bleeding, the few sneaky fellows finally climbed out of the tent, and unsurprisingly, they were tackled to the ground after only a few steps.
"Bang!"
A slap in the face!
"Bang!"
A blow to the leg!
"Bang!"
A blow to the waist!
Familiar yet unfamiliar stick techniques struck the group. Unfamiliar because they had never been hit like this before, yet familiar because the moves seemed identical to those used by the enemies who had suddenly appeared from the sky...
Completely incapacitated, the group was gagged and bound hand and foot, and was quickly taken back to the barracks through the main gate by the Soul Returner.
"Clang clang clang!!!"
A sharp, rapid chime of a bronze bell rang out, instantly waking the militiamen who were snoring loudly.
This is an emergency assembly order!
A militiaman pulled back the tent flap and peered outside—it was so dark outside, had everyone only slept for a few hours?
Although he felt somewhat resentful, he still woke up his companions and they went outside together.
His intuition told him that tonight's events were not simple.