Chapter 2509: From Today On, Listen to Me
“Where are your current organizations located? What are their structures?” I asked Hildegarde first, it’s better to understand their organizational framework before contacting them.
“We don’t have a fixed church headquarters. If we have to say, it used to be in this manor. Normally, everyone lives scattered in the villages of the Republic of Genoa or the Kingdom of Piedmont. The sisters of the Plague Church also live like this, occasionally coming to the manor to use the ritual grounds or discuss important matters,” Hildegarde said.
So, this seemingly abandoned manor was their headquarters. No wonder they were unwilling and tried to reclaim it, only to be wiped out.
As for the Kingdom of Piedmont, it is north of Genoa and is currently a territory of the French Empire, with Turin as its royal city.
Due to the small land area of the Republic of Genoa and the high cost of land, many merchants actually live in the countryside of Piedmont. It only takes one to two hours to drive to Genoa.
The Kingdom of Piedmont also welcomes this. Relying on the commercial Republic of Genoa, a large amount of goods passes through Piedmont to various parts of Europe. The circulation of a large amount of goods has led to the economic boom of Piedmont.
Furthermore, more wealthy individuals have settled in Piedmont, which has also boosted the local industries and jobs. After all, the consumption of a rich merchant in terms of food, clothing, and daily necessities is quite astonishing. Just meeting their living needs is enough to support several industries.
Another point, which I also observed in Genoa, is the habit of merchants near the Apennines donating to local infrastructure projects and naming them after themselves. They also like to donate to build roads, bridges, and schools after settling in Piedmont. The main purpose is to leave their names and increase their reputation.
However, this has objectively improved the infrastructure level of Piedmont, making life more convenient for the commoners there. Therefore, passage between Piedmont and Genoa is free, with only a customs tax for merchant caravans.
But, there is one thing that I remember from my past life: Piedmont and Sardinia jointly formed a kingdom, the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was the predecessor of the unified Italian peninsula later on.
However, in this world, Sardinia still belongs to the Iberian Empire, under the rule of the Kingdom of Aragon. We came from there, and the Kingdom of Piedmont is also subordinate to the French Empire.
Therefore, there is no Kingdom of Sardinia in this world. Its two core territories have not even seceded to become part of the trading kingdoms or commercial republics on the Apennine Peninsula. Consequently, the Apennine Peninsula in this world is not unified, and Italy does not exist.
“You and the Plague Church are scattered in the villages of the surrounding areas? What about the Murder Church? Theoretically, there should be some followers of the Lord of Murder leading you, right?” I asked.
Since these two goddesses are subordinate gods of Baal, and they are true subordinate gods, their followers should also be under the jurisdiction of the followers of the Lord of Murder. I thought it would be normal to have high-level leaders from the Murder Church if both sides are present?
Unexpectedly, Hildegarde hesitated and then said, “There are no people from the Murder Church here. Most of the members of our two churches are scattered in the vicinity, not necessarily in villages. Some people are in cities and have their own jobs.”
“What? No one from the Murder Church leading you?” I was a bit surprised. I didn’t doubt her latter statement; the Church of Suffering is so poor that they wouldn’t be able to eat if they didn’t work.
Hildegarde said somewhat embarrassed, “Yes, because the brothers and sisters of the Murder Church usually don’t like to lead or stay in one place for too long. We came here to preach with the intention of developing freely and avoiding risks.”
I understood a bit from her words. In the end, they didn’t want to be led by those crazy murderers, so they came here to preach independently. Otherwise, it would be quite unpleasant to automatically be subordinate to the people of the Murder Church.
Moreover, the Murder Church’s way of acting is naturally hateful. Being with them might lead to being jointly eliminated by righteous warriors within two or three days, just like Falbedy Cemetery. I can understand not wanting to be with them.
Also, when they received the divine revelation, the purple-robed Death God, without a second thought, took all the personnel to carry out assassination missions, even handing over the leadership of the cemetery to Lavias, who was not from the Murder Church, for interim management. This shows how little desire they have for power.
“Ah! I didn’t mean that we don’t welcome people from the Murder Church! As long as any brothers or sisters from the Murder Church pass by, we give them the highest level of reception. We have also provided them with places to hide, medical treatment, supplies, and so on. We have absolutely not mistreated them!”
Seeing my silence, Hildegarde seemed to misunderstand that I thought they were disloyal to the Murder Church, and quickly explained. In fact, I didn’t think in that direction at all, and her explanation only made things worse.
“Okay, I understand. I don’t mind. Then, who is the highest-ranking decisive person in your Church of Suffering now? Have her come to see me,” I said, now I have this confidence.
Unexpectedly, Hildegarde showed an embarrassed expression and didn’t answer for a long time. I impatiently asked, “What’s wrong? Is it so troublesome to have your decision-maker come to see me? Then I can go and see her.”
“No, it’s just that… because all of our higher-ups have been petrified, so currently, the person with the highest status in the nearby Church of Suffering seems to be me…” Hildegarde said with a wry smile.
“Ha? So it’s you?” I looked at Hildegarde. Even if she was just an interim representative, did it seem too understaffed for the current highest leader to personally lead the raid?
Moreover, her strength is really not good. Although she might be decent among the followers of the Goddess of Torture, she is very weak in front of us. At least in a one-on-one fight, she definitely couldn’t beat Lorna and would be instantly killed by Giselle.
She probably couldn’t even beat one of us sisters, including Madam Margaret. Maybe she could fight evenly with the former slaves liberated by Older Brother Jayad.
“Yes, I am currently managing the Church of Suffering on behalf of the sisters in the higher ranks. You can directly instruct me on anything you wish to say,” Hildegarde said.
“Alright, since you say so, then from now on, I will take over the leadership of this church district. The Church of Suffering and the Plague Church will both listen to my command. Is that okay?” I said directly.
Hildegarde was taken aback. With the higher-ups absent and without consulting the Plague Church, how could she agree to such a major matter on their behalf? She was directly asking for leadership.
But thinking about it, the other party was a Divine Favorite of the Murder Church, and she was indeed qualified to lead them. Even if the higher-ups of both churches were gathered for a meeting, they would likely reach the same conclusion.
