Chapter 67 : The Church Branch Must Be the Biggest and Grandest! The Sanctuary Quota Is Nearly Impossible to Get!
Chapter 67: The Church Branch Must Be the Biggest and Grandest! The Sanctuary Quota Is Nearly Impossible to Get!
The day after Thanksgiving.
Old John stood on the castle terrace, overlooking the scorched earth that had been destroyed by the Undead.
A shrewd glint flashed in his merchant-like eyes.
“Demolish!”
He waved his hand decisively.
“Level it all! Don’t leave a single brick or tile standing!”
The foreman in charge of reconstruction quickly asked carefully, “Lord John, after we level it… what should we build?”
“Huh?” Old John widened his eyes.
Spittle nearly sprayed out as he barked,
“Are you an idiot!?”
“Of course, we’re building Lord Angel’s Lynn Church Branch!”
He pointed at the ruins as though directing a grand empire.
“Build it big! Build it magnificent!”
“Use only the finest stone and the tallest spire!”
“I want the entire eastern border of the Empire to know—Oak Town is under Lord Angel’s protection!”
But then Old John paused, his tone turning sly.
“As for the money~ that’s no problem at all!”
“I’ll personally take the lead in donating!”
“If that’s not enough, we’ll have the wealthy merchants in town make some ‘voluntary contributions!’”
“Whoever tries to be stingy—well, that means they’re opposing Lord Angel!”
Once those words came out, no one dared to make a sound.
Now, out of every ten people in Oak Town, nine and a half believed in the Angel.
No one wanted to be branded as “unfaithful.”
Build the church?
Of course, they must!
And it had to be taller than the lord’s castle!
“But… in that case, this area might be a bit small…” the foreman muttered quietly.
“What kind of problem is that!” Old John snorted.
“Those shabby houses nearby—aren’t they an eyesore anyway? Tear them all down too!”
“Pay what compensation is needed, relocate who needs to be moved! In extraordinary times, we must look at the bigger picture, right?~”
……
Inside a suite on the top floor of Oak Grand Hotel.
Colin was packing a simple travel bag.
Daniels stood behind him, his tall frame nearly blocking the doorway, eyes steady and sharp.
“Everything’s arranged, Colin.”
“The horses, dry rations, spare Holy Water, and a few forged identity documents—just in case.”
Colin nodded, stuffing the last few scrolls of parchment containing basic Divine Arts into his pack.
He planned to set off for Lemon Port together with Daniels.
Because their original plan had been completely disrupted.
Maple Leaf Town had fallen and was no longer an option.
White Rock Fort, being the closest to Maple Leaf Town, was on high alert for emergencies—paranoid and defensive.
The city was under complete lockdown, allowing no one in or out, and was strictly inspecting for hidden traitors.
So that was not a good destination either.
On top of that, the Undead were moving faster—and in greater numbers—than they had anticipated!
They had to deal with the confirmed crisis at Lemon Port as soon as possible, or the consequences would be unimaginable.
That was a city even more important than Oak Town, Maple Leaf Town, and White Rock Fort combined.
Its priority was certainly much higher!
However—
Colin still felt reluctant to leave Oak Town, where he had worked so hard to establish the foundation of faith.
“You’ve worked hard, Brother Daniels. Then about Oak Town…”
“Don’t worry,” Daniels replied. “Everything’s arranged.”
“Old John may be a sly fox, but with Lord Angel as his greatest backing, he wouldn’t dare act rashly.”
“And Siance is reliable enough. With him and those boys Luke and the others watching over things—and Reed’s mercenary group helping out—”
“The screening and relocation of our new residents shouldn’t cause any major problems.”
Colin nodded slightly, finally setting his worries aside.
He hefted his pack firmly and took one last look at the bustling construction site outside the window.
“Let’s go. Hopefully, all goes well. May Lord Angel bless us…”
The two slipped away without alerting anyone.
Their figures soon vanished along the trade road leading toward Lemon Port.
……
At Oak Town’s southern gate—
The temporary registration site was now as lively as a market.
Siance stood with his hands on his hips, his voice nearly hoarse from shouting.
“Line up! All of you, line up properly!”
“What are you pushing for!? Try it again, and I’ll cancel your qualification!”
Before him was a sea of people, dense as a black tide—
Men, women, the elderly, and children—all crowded together.
Each person looked eagerly at Siance.
In their hands, they tightly held items that could prove their usefulness—
A carpenter’s plane, a blacksmith’s small hammer, a farmer’s well-polished sickle.
There were even merchants clutching their account books...
Now, too many people wanted to go to the Sanctuary protected by the Angel.
Nearly ten thousand of them!
Therefore, they couldn’t just let anyone join freely.
There simply wasn’t enough space!
Land reclamation, house construction, food supply—all these were real, demanding necessities that required steady accumulation.
If the population grew too large,
There would be famine and homelessness even within Holy Light Town—how laughable would that be!
It would only tarnish the reputation of Lord Angel and the Lynn Church!
So after some discussion,
They decided to accept only one thousand residents from Oak Town.
That was already about the maximum Holy Light Town could currently accommodate.
Even then, Reed and several other mercenary groups had to make constant trips back and forth to transport supplies—barely keeping things stable.
Therefore, those one thousand people couldn’t just be chosen randomly.
Skilled workers had priority.
Carpenters, blacksmiths, and masons—these essential trades.
Also, a fair number of farmers, merchants, and mercenaries were needed.
Idlers—forget about it.
After all, Holy Light Town had earned the right to be selective now.
Perhaps only once it became a real city, with no shortage of food, shelter, and comfort, would they start keeping some idle folk around.
“Sir! Please look at me!”
“My family has been masons for three generations—we’re masters at walling and stoves!”
A man shouted, waving his chisel.
“I can farm! Any crop you name, I can handle it! I even know how to graft fruit trees!” an old farmer called out unwilling to be outdone.
Luke and the four young boys and girls were busy beyond belief—sweat soaking their foreheads.
They were registering names while cross-checking the list of skilled workers provided by Old John.
“Hey~ Little brother, you’re Luke, right!?”
At that moment—
A burly man reeking of alcohol quietly squeezed up beside Luke.
In his hand, he clutched a greasy little cloth pouch, trying to stuff it into Luke’s arms.
“A small token of appreciation! Come on, be generous, just add my name to the list, eh?”
“I might not have a trade, but I’m strong! One of me’s worth three men!”
Luke was so startled by the attempted bribe that he jumped back, face flushed red as if scalded.
“What are you doing!? Take that away!”
“Lord Angel is watching us at all times!”
Siance, quick-eyed, dashed over in an instant.
With the strength of a First-tier Knight of Light, he lifted the man like a chick and yanked him aside.
Then he scolded him fiercely, “You dare bribe us!? Get the hell out, now!”
“Believe it or not, I’ll remember your name—but on the blacklist!”
“And I’ll make sure you never set foot in Holy Light Town for the rest of your life!”
The man turned pale from fright and hurriedly slunk back into the crowd.
“Listen up, all of you!”
Siance climbed onto a large stone and shouted loudly.
“Holy Light Town is not a refugee camp—it’s the sacred place protected by Lord Angel!”
“But space is limited, and so is food!”
“So only one thousand people will be accepted this time!”
“Skilled workers, farmers, and merchants get priority! As for idlers and tricksters—get lost early and stop wasting everyone’s chances!”
He pointed toward a nearby squad of fully armed soldiers.
“See them? That’s the Hundred-man Guard under Lord John’s command!”
“And the brothers from the Gray Wolf and Iron Spear mercenary groups—they’re escorting the wagons with food and equipment!”
“The roads are dangerous! If you’ve got no skill or strength, you’ll only cause trouble once you’re there—they’ll send you straight back!”
“So why waste the effort?”
The crowd grew a bit quieter.
Though disappointed, they understood.
In the apocalypse, being offered a safe place was already a blessing—let alone one under angelic protection.
Selection was inevitable.
The screening lasted for several days.
Some were happy, others sorrowful.
In the end, a list of one thousand names was finalized with great difficulty.
Carpenters, blacksmiths, masons, experienced old farmers—
Along with seven or eight honest fabric merchants and general store owners, plus their families—
Together, they formed this great migrating group.