Work Prophet
Chapter 332 - 90: The New Army

Chapter 332: Chapter 90: The New Army

"Do you not understand what I’m saying?" Constantino raged, "Right now, with just one word, I could have you all thrown into Ducity’s dungeons, and you might even get to meet your god."

"You must help us enter the city because that’s what you owe Sir Ireya," Redio suddenly spoke up.

Upon hearing this, Constantino’s complexion turned extremely unsightly, his neck and face flushing red as if he were a volcano on the brink of eruption.

Seeing this, Tom quickly changed the subject, "We are not entering the city to cause trouble or trouble for your father, I can swear that on Saturday."

"Then why do you want to enter the city?"

"To find someone, our person, who was kidnapped about two months ago. According to the information we currently have, she’s likely in Duolin City."

Constantino’s expression softened slightly but remained skeptical, "Kidnapping? Duolin City’s security is usually good, such cases rarely happen..."

He stopped midsentence and, after a moment, continued, "You shouldn’t have come at this time. Priest Herodotus is recruiting manpower, training them to become soldiers. Right now, almost all the devout followers from the western territories are gathered in Duolin City.

"I’m not trying to scare you, but if they discover your identities, you’ll find it difficult even to get into the dungeons."

"Saturday will not abandon any of its followers," Tom said.

"If you insist." Constantino sighed, ultimately compromising, "Follow me. Let’s enter the city first, I’ll issue you a new Passage Order, and it’s best you leave immediately after finding your person."

"Thank you, Sir Ireya spoke truthfully of you; you truly are a noble with high morals."

Constantino, after all, was still young; flattered by Tom’s sycophancy, he felt that the Saturday followers in front of him didn’t seem so repulsive anymore.

Well, except for one skinny guy who nevertheless sported a little belly.

With the son of the sheriff leading the way, the group encountered no further hindrances, yet upon entering the city, the sight that met Tom’s eyes deeply shocked him.

The last time he visited Duolin City was two years ago, and although it was not as bustling as Rock Snow City, it was still a top-tier city in the western territories.

Moreover, as the birthplace of the Silver Moon Church and the location of the Church Court, this city had the most priests and high priests in the western territories.

Thieves and criminals were infrequent; walking down the street, everyone’s face bore a genial smile.

But two years later, Tom’s return felt completely different.

The pedestrians on the road were sparse, each walking briskly with their heads down, as if something were chasing them.

The shops were mostly closed, with some open but utterly empty, so clean there wasn’t even a straw on the floor.

Tom even saw several burnt-down homes and shops.

"What happened here?"

Before Constantino could answer, a group of people emerged from a tailor shop, dressed in sackcloth robes that reached their knees, with waists cinched, and carrying hoes, sickles, and daggers.

The one leading the group was dragging a woman by her hair, pulling her along for a dozen steps.

The latter continued to struggle and wail, but the group of linen-clad individuals remained unmoved, with someone even extending a leg to kick the woman in the abdomen twice.

Witnessing this scene, Constantino couldn’t help but fly into a rage, spurring his horse forward as he shouted, "What the hell do you scoundrels think you’re doing in broad daylight?!"

However, faced with the interrogation from the sheriff’s son, the hooded figures did not show much panic, nor did they flee, standing their ground instead.

Calmly locking eyes with Constantino.

"By the Church’s command, we are capturing spies within the city," a man with rotten teeth declared.

"Grace the tailor has been living in Duolin City for over thirty years now, her tailor shop is renowned far and wide, how could she possibly be a spy?"

"Even Martina has betrayed the Church, anyone could be a spy," the toothless man said indifferently, "including you, and your father."

"How dare you question my father’s honor, say it again and I will duel you!"

Constantino drew his family’s heirloom sword.

The rotten-tooth man glanced at his sword, then looked at Tom and his companions behind him.

"If it were your father here, he certainly wouldn’t act so recklessly." With a sneer, he released Grace the tailor’s hair and, along with the others, left the street.

"Thank you, Lord Constantino, if it weren’t for you, I would’ve been in danger today." The woman, clutching her abdomen, struggled to rise from the ground, her gratitude evident.

"Those bastards!" Constantino tightened his grip on the long sword, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"Who were those men just now?"

Seeing the tumult subside, Tom and the others also rode their carriage over, the Guard Captain of the Black Hound curious.

"Herodotus’s newly recruited troops," Constantino said through gritted teeth, "It’s these rascals that have made Duolin City a hellish mess, now everyone is afraid to walk the streets."

"New troops? Those men?" Tom expressed surprise, "Their weapons and equipment looked inferior to even the rural militia."

"Herodotus had previously recruited around three thousand men, mostly untrained peasants, while Priest Martina has six thousand troops, largely comprising elites from major families. On our way here, even more have been joining, and rumors say the Church Protection Army’s numbers have already surpassed ten thousand.

"To calm the hearts of the people in the city, Herodotus further relaxed the recruitment criteria. Now even beggars and thieves can join the new troops, and their numbers swelled to over twenty thousand overnight.

"There are not enough weapons in the city to give them, so Herodotus has allowed these people to bring their own weapons. The Church provided some money, but it was nowhere near enough to pay everyone’s salary, so Herodotus made them take part in trials within the city.

"They were tasked with capturing and robbing heathens, but there are not many heathens in Duolin City, as most people are followers of Pisya. Later, Herodotus ordered the new troops to catch spies in the city, ostensibly for cooperative defense, and that brought even more misfortune on the people."

"Those scoundrels set many fires throughout the city the night before last," Constantino said bitterly, "Goodness knows how many honest townspeople have had their lives ruined because of them. These guys are worse than locusts."

"Didn’t Sir Ed say anything? Duolin City is his territory, after all."

"Sir Ed hasn’t left his mansion for several days now. Not only that, but he’s also called most of the city guards to protect his residence," Constantino said expressionlessly.