[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing":3,"chapter-the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-chapter-122":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Holy Church Begins with Bestowal of Blessings",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1688795,2156,"Chapter 122 : Expedition","the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-chapter-122",122,"\u003Cp>Chapter 122: Expedition\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Church’s warriors set out, with a special squad escorting a massive cross upon which perched several White Doves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They brought no logistical personnel, only enough food on each person to last three days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the grand Blessing ceremony before the expedition, the Local Gentry had tacitly come to observe. Naturally, they noticed the Church’s preparations and shook their heads in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who goes to war without bringing logistical militia, and even hauls along such a heavy cross?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the strategy was to fight while foraging, it still required logistical militia for transport.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nonetheless, they merely watched, waiting to hear the news of these warriors later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marl understood that such a march had issues. Even though he had not formally received military training, he knew that besides manpower, the most crucial aspect of warfare was logistical supply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, since this was arranged by the Bishop, he could only suppress his doubts and lead the warriors forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They passed through the northern villages and entered the Marquis’s Territory before nightfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they followed the map to locate the first village, Marl understood the Bishop’s reasoning behind the arrangement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a village that had been attacked by Werewolves. All living people had been killed, leaving behind only over thirty disoriented Werewolves wandering and hiding within the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marl could discern from their disordered state that these Werewolves were formerly the villagers, now Transformed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the number of Werewolves here suggested that they should have been following an Upper-Ranked Werewolf. Ordinary Lower Warriors could not control this many Transformed Werewolves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nevertheless, Marl did not dwell on it. The Transformed Werewolves, despite their numerical inferiority, charged straight at their group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They did not retreat. Instead, he ordered the warriors to form a battle line and wait for the Werewolves to break upon it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were only disorganized Transformed Werewolves. Before their transformation, they had merely been commoners. Compared to these warriors who had trained together for nearly two months, there was a fundamental gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t even break through the defensive line formed by spears before being skewered into clusters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These Werewolves, however, remained vigorous. Even while impaled, they thrashed and snarled, still requiring the warriors to finish them off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After clearing the Werewolves, Marl searched the village but found no survivors. In the Manor now turned into a Wolf’s Den, he discovered a large amount of food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Werewolves were not human. They were purely carnivorous beings, uninterested in human wheat or flour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though this seemed to resolve the issue of food, Marl was not pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The situation here was graver than he had imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the third day after Marl entered the Marquis’s Territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George and Julian returned to the Lord’s Castle with the expeditionary force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among their ranks trailed a somewhat battered carriage, inside which sat a Baron they had rescued in this campaign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve received some troubling news,” said Knight Julian as he rode closer to George on his warhorse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wore heavy armor and lifted the visor of his helmet, revealing a sweat-slicked face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His steed was clad in Thickened Cotton Cloth. After all, the temperature in the Marquis’s Territory wasn’t as high as in Greenwood, or the horse would have suffocated under it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Werewolves in the east have gathered and established their own nation,” Julian said, looking at George.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A nation of Werewolves?” George frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George also wore Iron Armor, a gift from Belair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His helmet hung from his horse, for during the march, it was stifling to wear it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A White Dove perched on his shoulder, peering around curiously and occasionally preening its wings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Led by the Chieftain of their tribe, the Werewolves have formed a nation,” Julian nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’ve taken over the center of the territory and are now calling back the Werewolves scattered throughout the Marquis’s Territory. Only a few Transformed Werewolves still roam, seemingly abandoned by them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s troublesome,” George replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, very troublesome. Do you know? That Werewolf even sent a messenger to the Lord’s Fortress, seeking to form an alliance,” Julian said, a sneer on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Lord surely refused,” George said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, the Lord refused and even attacked them. If Knight Bedi hadn’t reacted a bit too slowly, the Upper-Ranked Werewolf leading them could have been slain on the spot,” Julian shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Upper-Ranked Werewolf... there were fewer than forty Werewolves in this invasion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is communication restored now?” George asked, noting the number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, the Rat Path proactively contacted the Lord and sold the information,” Julian nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Their information network has been restored, and the Lord took the opportunity to inquire about the Marquis as well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But those people actually demanded three thousand gold coins.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This message is that expensive?\" George was a bit surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Information from the Rat Path had always proven to be worth the price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three thousand gold coins, and it wasn’t even exclusive—clearly, this message was highly rated by the Rat Path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, it is expensive, but the Lord still paid the amount. Moreover, the message received was indeed worth that price,\" Julian said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What was the message?\" George looked at Julian. \"If it’s inconvenient, just pretend I didn’t ask.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, it’s not inconvenient. In a few days, you’ll know anyway,\" Julian said, then took a deep breath in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Marquis is dead,\" he finally said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Marquis is dead?\" George was shocked by the news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This information was well worth the three thousand gold coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, the Marquis died in the succession battle in Greenwood City,\" Julian said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s truly a sorrowful message.\" George turned and looked at the White Dove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Indeed, a sorrowful message, but also one that makes the lord happy,\" Julian said with a trace of mockery in his tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George gave no reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course he’s pleased. With the Marquis dead, this place descends completely into chaos and disorder.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It means the entire Marquis’s Territory can now accommodate his ambition.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It means he no longer needs to worry about his father and elder brother returning to strip him of his title.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s why the Lord sent word for me to quickly lead the warriors and clear out the western part of the Marquis’s Territory, to fully bring it under his control.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And the Wolf King, as if in tacit agreement with the Lord, is plundering and consuming the eastern part of the Marquis’s Territory.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The lord, lacking sufficient knights and warriors, must swiftly consolidate the domain and its resources. As for those Werewolves, their numbers are too small to fully control such a vast territory.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having said this, Knight Julian looked at George.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, the Wolf Catastrophe here has already subsided. What remains are those inferior Transformed Werewolves, who just need to be cleared out step by step.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then, Sir George, are you still willing to work alongside me?\" Julian asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this time, Knight Julian had often discussed matters regarding the Lord, nobles, and Local Gentry with George—topics deeply tied to politics—so George could understand Julian’s meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Belair had not formed an alliance with the Wolf King, both sides clearly understood each other’s intentions and had reached a sort of tacit agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To digest and secure their respective territories and fully solidify their power.\u003C\u002Fp>",1204,"2026-06-06T13:52:13.932Z",1,"novelbin.me","26547d392f6882524e0b5fe739a11d5c79692817cb57b25f0d8debcfdfcf02e3","the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-chapter-123","the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-chapter-121",373,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-cover.jpg"]