Unlike the worried citizens, Armand's steps were brisk as he walked through the Uffizi Palace with a few scrolls tucked under his arm.

His feet moved lightly over the red-carpeted marble steps, his palm brushed across the smooth oak railings, and Armand stood on the second-floor corridor, thoughtfully surveying the residence before him.

This Uffizi Palace is an ancestral property of the Megedi Clan, a three-story structure 15 meters high, with a total of 45 rooms, designed with a long corridor style.

The U-shaped palace has three corridors, each with a series of interconnected rooms on both sides, each featuring unique murals and reliefs.

Walking down the corridors, one can see brightly colored panels on the walls, and various ceramic crafts and saint statues either hanging on the walls or placed on tables.

The first floor consists of public spaces, including various storage rooms, meeting rooms, accounting offices, and offices.

The second floor displays various artworks and crafts collected by the Meigedi Commerce Association over the years, including various statues, paintings, and books.

The third floor contains the living quarters of the main members of the Megedi Clan and is currently where Horn is working.

This residence was sold during Catherine's father's generation, but after Catherine regained power, the original buyer returned it as a gift.

After some repairs, it became Catherine's second residence, apart from the Palazzo Pitti in the Port District.

Fortunately, Palazzo Pitti was transformed into a fortress during the war and was set ablaze in a battle with the Church army, while the Uffizi Palace was preserved.

Currently, an entire administrative team of the Salvation Army has relocated here under Catherine's suggestion.

After greeting the sentinel at the stairwell, Armand arrived at a study on the third floor and gently knocked on the oak door.

"Come in."

The monk secretary by the door opened it, and Armand stepped inside with firm strides.

This study is about 200 square meters, divided into inner and outer sections, but Horn had removed the inner section door, so guests only needed to wait by the inner porch.

In the spacious inner room, a large ivory carving hung on the wall, and a three-meter-long chestnut table stretched across the lavishly decorated room.

The table was piled high, nearly half a meter, with various documents and atlases.

Between these heaps of papers, Horn sat in a gilded and intricately carved soft-backed chair, absentmindedly twirling a feather quill pen, while listening to the reports from Jeska and others.

To Horn's left, Catherine, wearing her crystal glasses, leaned over the chestnut table, quietly reading through the correspondence and regulations of the Pope Country.

Having just returned from Dog Fox Village, Jeanne awkwardly gripped a pen, copying assignments left by Horn.

However, judging from her nodding frequency and the drool at the corner of her mouth, she had probably been asleep for a while.

Without interrupting the report, Armand nodded in greeting to those present and sat aside to listen, waiting for his turn.

"... The settlement of those betrayers and collaborators is more than halfway done; although quite a few remain suspicious, we're no longer pursuing them."

Catherine beside him noticeably tensed, and Horn glanced at her indifferently before asking, "Why not continue?"

"The wealthy merchants are all on edge right now, and I'm afraid further investigation might implicate too many people and drag ordinary citizens into unnecessary trouble," René replied with his eyes downcast, not at all like the feared head of the Cheka.

The group of traitorous merchants within the city had basically been taught the meaning of loyalty by the Salvation Army's Holy Gun, resulting in the confiscation of over ten thousand gold pounds.

René had halted the investigations to prevent implicating a large number of innocent people and to avoid the Cheka getting distracted by greed and creating wrongful convictions.

"Then let's pause for now; the atmosphere in the city has been sufficiently stirred," Horn said, glancing at the obedient Armand sitting nearby, "Don't leave yet; I'll need you later."

"Yes, Your Grace."

René walked straight over to Armand's side, and the two exchanged glances, their mouths twitching in unison.

They had been friends since the days of Red Mill Village; though precocious, they were only sixteen or seventeen years old, an age when it's hard to hold back laughter.

This youthful leadership is actually quite common within the Salvation Army.

However, most of these young priests are more nominal leaders, serving to oversee and convey Horn's intentions.

Finding another young authoritative priest like René and Armand is nearly impossible within the Salvation Army.

Of course, within the Savior Pope Country, these youths are viewed as future warriors, the second-generation elites, with the real pillars still being the batch of people like Jeska and Hakuto.

Jeska, who returned from Dog Fox Village, unfurled a brief in his hand, making himself comfortable on a cushioned seat opposite Horn before speaking:

"The main estates and nobles of Dog Fox Village have been taken down; currently, the roads and canals on both sides of Dog Fox Village are under control..."

"The remaining Black Hat Legion is still plundering estates and lending money at monasteries, with some leaning towards the Juanist Faction, which we did not attack..."

"Most nobles from Dog Fox Village have fled, with some forming various Robber Knight squads, continually harassing our roads..."

"Approximately how long until Rapids City and Joan of Arc Castle can be connected?" Horn flicked his right hand in rhythm with his words.

"They are already connected, but due to the Robber Knights' raids, it's not guaranteed safe.

Currently, the Black Hat Battle Group is stationed in the Dog Fox Village area, clearing out residual Church forces.

To completely clear them, it will take at least three to four months, but if it's just to ensure road safety, I think a month and a half will suffice."

"That's a bit slow... let's do this." Clicking his tongue, Horn pulled out a document and swiftly wrote a few lines, "I authorize you to recruit a group of 150 Rangers from the retinue knights as a reconnaissance unit directly under the Black Hat Battle Group.

...Hmm, I'll also assign the Holy Gun Cavalry to you, complete this in three weeks, any issues?"

"No problem," Jeska replied confidently, patting his chest.

"Remember, no idle words in the military," Horn chuckled, placing the hand-delivered order aside for the monk to break down into tasks and formal orders, passing them to Jeska.

Settling the matters related to Dog Fox Village, Horn waved to the last person standing, waiting—Hakuto: "How's the cleanup operation in Rapids City going?"

"The small remaining enemy groups in the suburban areas have been completely cleared, leaving aside the Port District outside the city. The four major districts within the city have all been cleared."

In Rapids City, the city is divided into four main districts, referred to as major districts by Hakuto, which are the Saint Hundred Flowers District, Plaza District, Cross District, and Holy Spirit District.

These major districts are well identified, all named after landmark buildings, like the Saint Hundred Flowers District, which is where Baihua Cathedral is located, and the Plaza District is where the Municipal Square lies.

Underneath a major district, there can be as few as four to five, or as many as seven to eight street sub-districts; for instance, the Uffizi Palace where Horn currently is, lies in the Fox Skin District under the Plaza District.

The reasoning behind names like this likely lies in the area's historical precedence as a fox fur trading market centuries ago, and these street names mostly originated from such names.

"How does the infrastructure evaluation look?"

"If we're talking about residential housing, they are not severely damaged and can still be used with some repairs. The issue lies in the Cross District, located at the South City Gate, which sustained most damage.

Yet, ironically, that area is a gathering hub of craftsmen and workshops, and many handicraft workshops were burnt down completely. Housing is adequate, but the jobs may not be available.

According to those calculating youngsters, this war will take Rapids City's economy several steps back.

It could cause unemployment for about 8,000 to 10,000 people, including artisans, laborers, notaries, and lenders...

They predict that at least in the next two to three years, income for those employed in Rapids City will decrease by at least 30%, a view agreed upon by the astrologers."

Horn looked over to Catherine, who appeared as if she hadn't heard, continuing to read through her documents serenely.

"Once the brief is submitted, we'll summarize and then discuss it collectively in a few days."

Following etiquette, Hakuto closed the door with his back toward Horn, biting his lips in anger as he restrained his outcry from Jeska's pointed shoe pokes shut behind.

Horn grabbed the table to stand up: "The rest of you, please step out for a moment."

The attendants and monks present handling the documents exited the room, leaving only two monks from the Saint Father's Association seated in place.

"Let's talk then." Horn stretched and poured Armand a glass of iced mint water, "How's the Saintess Catherine Project progressing?"

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