Imperial Calendar, August 2, 1445.

It has been ten days since the Battle of Rapids City, and the ruins of the entire city are gradually being cleaned up.

The bloodstains on the streets have been washed away, the debris on the main roads cleared, and the corpses that lay dead in the streets have been dragged away.

As the rogues and scoundrels who attempted to loot during the chaos were captured, some neighborhoods slowly began to regain their usual order.

Every morning, small markets started to reappear as farmers pushed their carts to the stalls at the street corners, displaying fresh cabbages, peas, and carrots on dirty single-layer wooden shelves.

On secondary streets, shops and taverns that had previously closed reopened their doors after cleaning off the traces of smoke and fire.

Walking under the shade of trees in the scorching sun, some citizens even felt a fleeting sense of returning to the past.

Unfortunately, the corpses of traitors and betrayers still hung from the flagpoles, and Salvation Army soldiers patrolled every street corner.

Beneath the layered eaves, one could still see the shelters for distributing food and the tents of refugees within the ruins.

However, today, the idle or those clearing the ruins all came out of their homes and headed towards the Cross Street Fountain Square in the sunset.

This is not a celebration of some festival, but rather the new lord of the city, the leader of the Salvation Army, the chosen Saint Grandson Pope Horn, holding a Believers' Assembly.

In the early days, there were few believers of the Miseria Faith, with only dozens to a hundred in a region, so assemblies were simple to hold.

But now, with several thousand to tens of thousands of believers in any given region, such gatherings have become rare.

For the citizens, during Catherine's reign, they held small meetings within each neighborhood and guild, then sent representatives to the City Council for larger meetings.

Gathering so many people at once like this could only be described as a throwback to the Salvation Pope Country's old customs.

Monks wearing the unique half-cape robes of the Salvation Army had already taken tin megaphones two days prior to notify citizens of this event along the way.

Under the leadership of respected individuals and councilors from each district, people formed a mighty torrent and headed towards the Cross Street Fountain Square.

Since the assembly only summoned adult believers, some teenagers, discontent with being confined at home, climbed onto rooftops to watch the spectacle.

As far as the eye could see, the crossroads at Cross Street were teeming with people, a wave of shoulders and heads even cresting over eaves and statues, pouring into the irregular octagonal square like rivers into the sea.

A wooden platform three meters high had been erected in front of the square, with a bonfire lit in advance before the fountain.

The sound of footsteps thrummed, and the rustle of linen and wool clashed, as the shouts and laughter of nearly ten thousand people assaulted ears in a chaotic cacophony.

But this chaos did not last long, as black-clad soldiers wielding sticks, shields, and long forks charged into the disorderly crowd.

There were even Holy Gun Cavalry with sacred guns tucked in their boots entering the square to maintain order. Amid the sounds of sticks striking flesh, the uproar and chaos of the crowd finally ebbed somewhat.

Besides keeping order, these black-clad soldiers carried small baskets, handing out large red-painted beans to everyone, instructing them to keep them safe.

Citizens examined the beans in their hands, finding nothing unusual, and simply tucked them into their pockets or held them in their palms.

"Toot, toot-toot-toot-toot-toot—"

With the symphony of trumpets and organs, the crowd fell silent, observing the figures emerging behind the high platform.

At the forefront, a young man with wheat-colored skin and a smile on his face, was the leader of the Salvation Army, the farmer Saint Son Horn.

He wore a finely crafted Holy Robe and a Triple Crown tall hat without a triple emblem, and he gracefully strode to the center of the platform.

Behind him were several dozen city councilors and leaders of various guilds.

They wore peaked caps with draping cords, dressed in robes of embroidered leaf-patterned brocade, some spirited, others particularly weary, presumably having been imprisoned by Horn for some time.

Before the Believers' Assembly commenced, Horn had dealt with these opinion leaders by various means.

His arrival in Rapids City was fundamentally to provide aid according to the alliance, but his current lingering behavior was meant to annex this commercial hub.

Using force to annex was certainly feasible, but evidently, the Salvation Army's power was not yet strong enough to warrant scholars defending their actions.

To unite more people while not wanting to abandon Rapids City, Horn had to set up a façade.

Therefore, when settling scores with Rapids City's betrayers, Horn deliberately muddled some concepts, including many city councilors suspected of misdeeds or dishonest business practices.

These councilors, wishing to preserve their safety and assets, bowed to Horn, becoming new pathfinders in a sense.

Standing at the platform's center, over a dozen Sound Transmission Cultivators from Joan of Arc Castle stood at the corners of the platform, arms spread towards the crowd before them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we may be meeting for the first time, so let me introduce myself: I am the sinner Horn, the True Pope of the Empire, the chosen Holy True Grandson..."

Such an introduction was merely due to the many relatives of the Holy Father of Thousand River Valley. To distinguish himself, Horn had to add "True" to his title.

He rambled on, routinely introducing the origin of the Salvation Army and its grand goals to the citizens. As they increasingly became drowsy, he finally touched upon the crucial point:

"...So, I'm here in Rapids City for three things!

The first, which I believe is of great interest to you all, is to lift the military control over Rapids City!"

Upon hearing this, the citizens' expressions brightened.

A part of the Salvation Army (mainly the Black Hat Army) often extorted shops, harassed civilians rudely, and seized ownerless property, but their discipline was a moral model compared to most Imperial Infantry.

The presence of black-clad soldiers hadn't caused much harm to the citizens, but they still felt uncomfortable, the constant sense of unease and lack of freedom being hard to bear.

For them, this news was undoubtedly a great boon.

"In the next month, we will gradually withdraw the armed forces from Rapids City, leaving only one corps stationed at the Uffizi Palace and another in the Port District.

At the same time, the Savior Pope Country will discuss issues such as the resettlement and reconstruction of the current refugees in Rapids City with the city councilors.

After all, as an ally, the Savior Pope Country is obligated to assist and support Rapids City."

"Holy Trinity, we praise Your greatness."

"You are truly Sinatrus reborn!"

Praises for Horn immediately filled the air, comparing him to Sinatrus, a renowned statesman of the Seven Hills Kingdom.

Hearing such praise, Horn couldn't help but smile after a brief thought.

He had to admit these citizens were quite capable, choosing apt figures for their praise.

Sinatrus was a temporary dictator during the Seven Hills Kingdom era who saved the besieged Eir army from barbarians. After winning, he laid down his arms and returned to farming, only serving as dictator for 17 days.

They likened themselves to the besieged Eir army, elevating Horn to the unselfish Sinatrus, attempting to coax him into returning power.

Who knows how long they rummaged through historical texts to find such an apt comparison.

Unfortunately, their wish to reclaim power would likely not be realized.

Horn gestured gently with both hands, smiling as he said:

"...The second matter is simpler. Given Rapids City's current situation, it's incapable of handling external affairs independently.

Therefore, through unanimous decision by the city councilors, Rapids City will join the Savior Pope Country as a directly governed city under the Pope's vassal state!

This means that besides Rapids City itself and its suburbs, surrounding rural areas and small towns will become part of the Salvation Army's jurisdiction."

The crowd was initially silent, then discussions erupted once more, but the sentiment was noticeably more negative than before.

Some shamelessly muttered phrases like "inviting a wolf into the house" and "clearly came with intentions."

The city councilors, who already knew about this, immediately appeased the believers on-site: "Don't worry, everyone. Vassalship is a high form of alliance!"

"We'll keep doing what we've been doing. Is anything really going to change?"

"If the Salvation Army leaves and the knights attack again, who else can help us? Continue relying on Catherine as governor?"

Under the pressure from the city councilors, despite continued murmurs, much of the opposition waned after some persuasion from these opinion leaders.

Horn's fingers tapped unconsciously on the lectern as he scanned the citizens before him with a burning gaze:

"Now, the third, and final matter, concerns the current governor of Rapids City, Catherine."

All the believers present appeared somewhat uneasy, knowing the real drama had arrived.

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