At the same time, on the mountain road in the distance, a group of knights in pure white armor were walking up the road, in the direction of the Palsus Collar.

"I really didn't expect that there could be such a place in this remote place."

Morris lifted his mask, looked at the road in front of him, and couldn't help but sigh. From the mountainside, you can faintly see the village and town of Passus. It's spring, and it's planting season. I saw farmers working hard everywhere in the fields, and it seemed that they were prosperous. This surprised Morris, even though such scenes were commonplace in the Holy Country. But after coming to the Eagle Plateau, all they saw along the way was a mess, and it is no wonder that the Skar Federation is currently fighting everywhere, and after the spring blossoms, in order to prevent the Free Salvation Army from seizing all the territory, the Pawood family also immediately sent troops to launch a large-scale attack on the Southern Alliance. Because of this, most of the people Morris saw along the way were displaced refugees, even the civilians looked like they were powerless to die, and because the labor force was conscripted into the army, most of the fields were left uncultivated. Everywhere seemed to be in ruins, but after entering the Passus Territory, not only were the troublesome bandits and bandits disappearing, but even the chaotic atmosphere outside was swept away, replaced by a comfortable happiness and ease. A few days ago, looking at the dilapidated scenery around him, Morris just wanted to turn around and leave quickly. But after coming to Passus, it was a rare idea for him to enjoy the surrounding scenery and mountains.

And in addition to this cosy and harmonious atmosphere, Morris also found many subtleties. Like the path they're taking now. Not only has it been leveled with gravel and mud, but it has formed a flat avenue. There are even small lampposts made of amber erected on both sides of the road. This amber product can not only be used as a lampholder at night to burn torches to light the way, but also can disperse some low-level beasts and monsters to keep caravans safe. There aren't many places like this even in Seth. But it can be seen everywhere here, which shows that the lords of this territory are indeed painstaking. You must know that although this thing doesn't cost much, the average nobleman is eager to collect all the money into his own pocket, so how can he care about the life or death of the people under his rule?

"Hmph, poor and extravagant, vulgar."

And hearing Morris's exclamation, an indifferent and tough voice sounded, interrupting his speech. Hearing this voice, Morris reluctantly turned his head to look at the place where the voice came from. I saw an old man under the protection of the paladins with a gloomy face, staring at everything in front of him. This is the representative of the Templar Order, Archbishop Edward. At this moment, he raised his head like this, cocked his goatee, and looked at everything in front of him with disdain.

After all, these are just phantoms piled up with wealth, and in life, greed for pleasure is the beginning of depravity. It's disgusting to look at the misery out there, and then look at the sinners here who are so obsessed with the pleasures of the moment that they have completely forgotten the sufferings of the outside world! ”

"That's what you said."

In the face of Old Bishop Edward's words. Morris said with a smile on his face, but in his heart he was very unimpressed. As a member of the reformers, Morris was not the rigid and rigid kind of person. And Edward didn't have a good reputation among his fellow Templars, not just because of his stubbornness. All the more so because he also has the responsibility of judging heresy. Not only the enemy, but also many of his colleagues were under Edward's scrutiny, and the old bishop was rigid and stubborn. As long as they do not agree with his ideas, they will all be branded as heretics. He himself even openly claimed at the Archbishopric that those who cried for reform were infidels who had deviated from the will of the gods. They should all be dismissed and burned at the stake for their heretical remarks. This remark also caused an uproar, so much so that even the Supreme Bishop of the Temple of the Sun had to come out and clarify. Also after this. As a representative of the old school, Edward's dispute with the reformers became more and more acute, and he also reacted the most violently to this incident. He even demanded that the Holy Knights sent by the Templar Order completely encircle the Palsus and arrest the madman who was on the wrong side. Of course, this did not have the support of the supreme bishops, but the old man was also stubborn, staying in the White Tower from morning to night every day, and he looked like he would die in the White Tower if he did not agree to his conditions. Eventually, the archbishops took the trouble to send a team of investigators to send him away. And Maurice, as the head of the sword-wielding knights, is also on his side with the responsibility of guarding. However, he himself was a member of the reformers, and he naturally did not like the old-fashioned Edward.

Of course, reformers are also moderate and radical, and Morris himself is not that radical, so he is not very supportive of Jenn's approach. It's just that after coming to Passus, what he saw changed Morris's mind about the lord. At first, Jenn gave Morris the impression of being a wealthy and arrogant man. But after entering the Passus Domain, his mind changed. You must know that this investigation team has come to catch Jenn's pigtails, so they will naturally look around to see if this lord has any bad gossip and the like. But it turned out to be unexpected, and almost everyone was full of praise for the lord, whether it was the merchants, farmers, and craftsmen, who admired what Jenn had done in Passus. According to them, the lord not only collected very little taxes, but also gave them convenience in many places. Not only that, but as long as they work hard, they can even get a house and a field. This couldn't be better for those displaced refugees.

The news they heard surprised both Morris and Edward, who of course knew that Jenn had a lot of money, so they naturally thought that his money came from the taxes of the territory, and that in a barren place like Passus, if he wanted to live a luxurious life, he would definitely be heavily taxed. But I didn't expect that the other party not only had half the tax lower than other places, but even the collection time was different. In other places, taxes are paid quarterly, but Passus's taxes are paid semi-annually, and the amount paid is similar to the amount paid quarterly in other places. Even if they are not good at politics, they know how difficult it is to govern a city and how much money it costs. After all, the rulers of many places have mentioned these difficulties to them, but they did not expect that such a small place as Passus could be governed so well.

Of course, if there is any flaw, it is that the lord likes women, but according to Morris's findings, none of the women around him were looted from nearby villages, and according to the accounts of the commoners, they looked more like retainers he brought from the family......... Of course, this is not a small braid. Not to mention that Jenn is not a believer, even if he is, not every god in the Templar Order advocates abstinence. It is not forbidden for clergy to get married, but most clergy are bent on dedicating themselves to the gods and do not develop in this direction.

Not to mention that Jenn is a nobleman, it is no longer normal for a nobleman to have a seventy-two concubines in three palaces, six courtyards or something, if the Templar Order dares to catch this pigtail that is Jenn, it will be tantamount to offending all the nobles in the world, even if he is as tough as Edward, he will not be stupid to this point.

It's just that during the investigation, Morris also discovers some strange things. That is, there was not a single temple in the entire Passus Territory -- of course, given the remoteness and barrenness of the place, it was normal that the Templars did not build a temple here. But now that it's clearly developed, it's strange that there is still no temple. Not only that, but the most important reason why ordinary temples can gain a foothold in an area is that they can help the local residents expel threats such as goblin bandits, in addition to healing the sick and saving people. After all, the Holy Healing Technique is still very useful, and low-level priests can also learn it to heal the local inhabitants and save people.

But in the territory of Passus, this task is carried out by a group of mages and alchemists, and there are holy healing techniques in divine arts, and alchemical potions such as dispelling diseases and disease resistance in magic. Upon investigation, Morris discovered that the Lord of Passus had built an institution called the Healing Hand, which was filled with low-level spellcasters and alchemists who were not only responsible for curing diseases, but also selling potions to resist diseases. This makes the healing hand even more popular than the temple, because although the holy water in the temple has the effect of removing diseases, the production is limited, and it must be used to destroy evil, so it cannot be used casually. But the healing hand is different, not only can you treat the disease here, as long as you have money, you can also buy a few bottles of potions to take away, so that even if you are sick, you don't need to run to treat it every time, as long as it is not a serious illness, you can drink a bottle of potion and you can get it.

To be fair, Morris knew that it was more convenient than the temple, and that made him a little worried. Because everything in front of him proves that a territory can live well without a temple, and Edward's face is even darker. Morris was really worried that the archbishop would be furious, and if something really happened, even he would not be able to dissuade him.

And according to the signs, just walk this mountain road to reach the new town of Passus. About this city, Morris has also heard many people mention it on the way here, and they all say that it is unprecedented, which makes him yearn for it. It's just that now when he sees Archbishop Edward's face, his mood is not good. Because according to the plan, when they arrived in the city of Passus, they were going to meet with the lord. Who knows what will turn out at that time?

Although he was very worried in his heart, when he turned the mountain road and saw the rumored city of Passus with his own eyes, Maurice couldn't help but be stunned. (To be continued......)