Chapter 90 : I Will Give Her an Offer She Cannot Refuse
Chapter 90: I Will Give Her an Offer She Cannot Refuse
"So you're betting that the Church can stand against them?"asked Corleon.
"Yes, I’m betting on it. But like I said, I have no choice,"Terry replied frankly.
It wasn’t that she wanted to ally with the Church—she simply had no other option but to do so.
Corleon closed his eyes. When he opened them, he asked:
"If the Adams Family relocates from the town, how many people can they bring?"
"Twelve from the main family, twenty-two guards and servants. Besides them, thirty slaves. So, in total, sixty-four people,"Terry replied without hesitation—she had calculated these numbers long ago.
"Once you’ve chosen a site for the village, I will send the Believers from Daniels Village to your settlement. There are about thirty of them,"said Corleon.
"She won’t let them go. She’ll act friendly and release people before the chapel is burned down, but once things fall apart, she won’t care for such pleasantries."
"It’s fine. I will give her an offer she cannot refuse,"Corleon stated.
"You just need to plan according to these numbers."
Terry was momentarily stunned but eventually nodded."I will plan according to these numbers."
"But when there are refugees coming to the Church to receive the Sacrament, please have the Bishop direct them to settle in my village."
"Certainly. But you must heed my words—adhere strictly to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures of the Lord,"Corleon warned. "I don’t wish to see another uprising in the northern villages, especially not with signs pointing again to the Church of the Sanctuary."
Terry couldn’t help but glance at Corleon.
Originally, she and others had thought it was just some people using the Holy Scriptures of the Church of the Sanctuary to incite rebellion.
After all, they were aware of everything that the Church of the Sanctuary was doing.
But now, Corleon’s words...
She dared not dwell on it.
"Of course. Agamemnon will be the head of the Adams Family in the future,"she said.
"Very good,"Corleon nodded.
"Then, I won’t disturb your study, Bishop. I’d like to go see Menon,"Terry rose and bowed slightly.
She didn’t mention any formal alliance pact—such things were only useful when needed and easily torn apart when not.
"He’s probably helping Cicero right now. Ando should be with him as well. But I don’t want you saying anything unnecessary,"Corleon looked at Terry.
The next few days returned to peace. Corleon also ceased correspondence with Nyx.
It seemed just as suspected—the werewolves’ target was Marquis Demitri’s domain.
There were no further large-scale attacks by werewolves.
Occasionally, Monk George would bring back heads of lower-tier werewolves that had been transformed.
Terry acted swiftly.
After forming an alliance with Corleon, she quickly established a connection with Administrator Piero.
After several days of consolidating, she led her family northward to establish a new village.
Before departing, she intentionally passed by the Church with her people and held a worship service.
As the journey resumed, her group now included three Temple Warriors, and they carried with them a half-body-sized Sacred Cross.
After Terry’s party headed north, the restrictions in the town also loosened.
The commoners within began to venture outside the town, though they dared not go far.
The villagers from those surrounding villages, however, did not come out. It seemed they used this wartime preparation as a pretext to return their villages to a state of extreme isolation.
A few days later, Terry sent word—she had chosen a new site to build the village and had already set up a temporary camp.
Corleon called out to Monk George, who had just returned after delivering a werewolf’s head and was about to head back out for more hunting.
"Terry’s village site has been confirmed. That will be a place under the Lord’s Protection,"said Corleon.
"That’s great,"George replied with a strained smile.
Evidently, what happened in Daniels Village still left him somewhat uneasy about such matters.
"However, in Daniels Village, there are still Devout Believers of the Lord suffering. So I need you to go there and persuade the Daniels Family to allow the Lord’s Believers to move to the new Sanctuary,"said Corleon.
George hesitated."Of course I’m willing to go, but I don’t know how to do it."
His experience, observations, and interactions with the Local Gentry had already made him question the communication model between them.
Corleon looked at the confused George with a trace of pity. But this was a trial he had to undergo.
"I’ve arranged a helper for you,"said Corleon, beckoning with his hand.
Far off in the distance, Marl immediately jogged over.
"His name is Marl. He was rescued by Hode’s squad from Hayes Village. He’s currently studying at the Monastery,"Corleon introduced him to George.
The two exchanged polite greetings.
Marl looked enviously at the equipment George wore.
Iron bracers on both wrists, iron greaves on his legs, a simple linen tunic, several leather pouches tied around his waist, and weapons consisting of a studded shield and an iron flanged mace.
Iron armor for body parts was still difficult for the Church to obtain.
The arm and leg armor currently worn had been traded from the Rat Path, thanks to Terry’s support.
The shield and flanged mace, on the other hand, were equipment provided by Knight Wolf. Though these were considered outdated, they were far better than the flanged maces found in the Rat Path.
These were now standard gear for the Temple Warriors.
"Marl will go with your squad. When the time comes, just follow his command,"Corleon said.
"Is that so?"George hesitated.
"Lord George, when it comes to dealing with those Local Gentry, you can trust me,"Marl noticed George’s hesitation and said.
"I know exactly what those Local Gentry are thinking, and I know exactly what to do to make them accept our terms,"he grinned.
"Marl, remember that I only need the Daniels Family to release the people,"Corleon said with a trace of warning.
"You don’t need to do anything extra."
"This is also a test of whether you can truly become a Priest."
Through Revelation, Corleon had long reconstructed Marl’s past.
He had originally come from a relatively happy family. However, in order to establish ties with the Hayes Family, Marl’s father had sent his mother to be toyed with by them.
After that, Marl’s mother never returned.
Marl’s father, having leveraged that relationship, was then allowed to run small businesses and gained some standing in Hayes Village.
Thus, Marl harbored deep hatred toward the Hayes Family and, by extension, toward the entire Local Gentry class.
Moreover, Marl was clever.
Someone had performed the Enlightenment Ritual for him, and it appeared he had some connections with the two individuals who had led the village uprising.
Marl hunched his shoulders and laughed,"Of course, we are the Church, not bandits. I understand."
Corleon nodded and turned to George.
"After the Daniels Family releases the people, you must escort them to Adams Village, which Terry established. Afterward, your squad is to patrol that area."
"That area had previously suffered severe werewolf attacks. Even though there have been no large-scale assaults recently, we must remain vigilant."
"Once Adams Village is fully built and strong enough to resist werewolf attacks, then you may return."