Berserk, Total War: Second Son of Nobles

Chapter 230 The Old Man Tried to Trick Me

"Have you heard that Count John, who met the King of France, is the reincarnation of an angel?"

"Who did you listen to?"

"I heard from the tax collector in charge of our area that he heard from a certain priest. He said that this news came from above."

"It hasn't been confirmed yet. If it's true, then there will be a lot of construction going on near the palace, and we will have to pay more taxes for building the church. It's better for this rumor to dissipate as soon as possible."

The citizens of the two holy cities were talking to each other when suddenly a shout reached their ears:

"Take a look, take a look, this is the plague protection suit imported from Franche-Comté. After you put it on, you don't need to worry about the plague demon entering your body anymore."

Hearing this, the two became interested and followed the sound to find the man who was shouting hard. The crowd around him had surrounded him so tightly that they could only hear his voice but could not see him or what he looked like.

The two of them struggled for a long time before they squeezed to the front, where they saw a man dressed like a shop helper standing in front of a shop. Next to him was a full-body suit similar to armor, but a little different from armor. The most noticeable thing was the metal cross on the breastplate of the suit that was shining in the sunlight.

Different from the understanding of plague in other surrounding countries, people in the French King's Hall believed that plague was an invisible demon that would randomly possess a person and suck his soul. If that person had a devout belief in the Lord, then the demon would be destroyed by the Lord after entering the person's body. Otherwise, if the person died of the disease, it meant that the person's faith was not strong enough.

Although everyone was still a little skeptical after hearing what the clerk said, due to the influence of previous rumors and the fact that the workmanship of this protective suit was quite exquisite, someone asked the price:

"Then how much does this protective suit cost?"

When someone asked the price, the clerk immediately smiled and replied:

"Although this protective suit is imported, it is not expensive. It only costs fifty silver coins."

"That being said, fifty silver coins is still a bit expensive."

Seeing that the person who asked the price just now was wavering, the clerk patiently explained:

"You think it's expensive because it's much more expensive than ordinary clothes. This protective suit covers everything from head to toe. And the reason you came here is because it can stop the plague. If ordinary clothes can have the same effect, then you wouldn't be around me."

"Although the epidemic situation has improved recently, who knows when it will come back again. It may not be easy to buy it then."

After the clerk brainwashed and fooled him, the man who asked the price looked at the people around him and found that they were all staring at him to see what he would do next. After thinking it over, he felt that if five silver coins could protect his health and safety, it would be a good deal, so he said:

"Okay then, give me a set."

"Okay, let's go in and talk. I'll measure your height to see which one is suitable for you." After the clerk said this, he pulled the other party into the store. People outside the store were whispering. A small number of citizens who had some savings looked at the protective clothing in front of them and wanted to buy it.

Whether it can stop the plague is not the point. The key is that wearing this protective suit gives you the feeling of a knight. An ordinary set of knight armor must be calculated by gold coins at least, but this set is only five silver coins. Even a fool knows that this is a good deal.

John in the military camp was a little shocked when he read the report. He did not expect that the protective clothing made by his family would be so popular and sold out in just a few days.

From the very beginning, John came to the Holy City with the goal of making money from the powerful people in the Holy City. Except for a part of the protective suits sold to the Tailor Guild, John dressed up the rest of the protective suits in fancy colors and let the Simon Chamber of Commerce, which had already taken root here, sell them to those wealthy people.

Since John met the King of France when he first came to the Holy City and the King of France personally brought a group of senior clergy to hold mass for John, although those wealthy people did not care much about things outside the King's Hall, everyone with a discerning eye knew that John was highly regarded by the King of France. Although these wealthy people were rich and some even worked in secular institutions established by the King's Hall, some very "motivated" people still wanted to go further.

So even though John set the price of the aristocratic version of protective clothing at ten gold coins, most of the wealthy people would choose to buy one or two sets or even order a batch from the Simon Chamber of Commerce. They could still judge the friendship between ten gold coins and a celebrity in the King's Hall.

Thinking that his purpose of coming here had been achieved, John was about to order the soldiers to pack up and return to the territory when a soldier came in and reported:

"Sir, a man claiming to be from the Bandimeo family has come to invite you to the chief's home on behalf of his chief."

When John heard the word "Bandimeo", he was stunned. Although John planned to improve his reputation in the Holy City so that Fidelicio would look for him for cooperation, he did not expect that the other party would be so eager to find him after just a few days.

"Could it be that the other party is jealous of the money I make?" John shot down this thought as soon as it popped up. Although the prospect of selling medical supplies in the next few years is indeed good, the money is not enough to make them come to talk to him in person.

Although the matter was very strange, John did not want to miss the opportunity to get to know this powerful person in the French King's Hall, so he gladly invited him and went to the Bandimeo family's mansion under the guidance of the other party's family members. At the same time, for safety reasons, a hundred fully armed White Wolf Knights also followed behind John's carriage to prevent any accidents.

The Bandimeo family residence is located next to a square in the central area of ​​the holy city. It is said that it was named after a saint. Looking at the castle-like building in the distance, John could only sigh that rich people really know how to have fun and see castles in the city.

As the two heavy yet artistic doors in the middle of the castle opened, John ordered the knights to stay where they were and then followed the messenger into this building that seemed to have a long history. John felt that he was not visiting someone's home, but visiting a famous scenic spot.

After climbing countless stairs and walking through countless corridors, John came to a door. The servant who led the way knocked on the door first, and after getting a response from the person inside, he said to John respectfully: "My master is waiting for you inside." Then he opened the door and stood aside.

John entered the room, which was a room with windows, but the reason why the room was so bright was not the sunlight but the hanging chandelier. At this moment, a slightly thin middle-aged man walked up to John and said:

"Hello, I am Fidelicio Bandimeo, the current patriarch of the Bandimeo family."

"Oh, hello, I am John Hohenzollern. Thank you for inviting me to your home today. Your mansion is the most magnificent building I have seen in the past twenty years, except for the palaces of my king and the King of France."

The two of them complimented each other and came to the table next to the window. After sitting down, John asked:

"Excuse me, sir, what do you want to see me about today?"

But Fidelicio said:

"It's nothing important. I just want to ask you about some things that happened outside the French King's Hall. I heard that you have paid tithes on time in recent years and also set up a religious force to eliminate some pagans who are against the church. Is this true?"

"Yes, that's true. It was indeed a bit difficult when we first started preparing, but with the development of the territory, everything is now on track." Although John didn't know the significance of Fidelicio asking him about these old things, he still answered his doubts.

"Your piety really makes me ashamed of myself. No wonder the King of France often praises you as a warrior of the Lord." At this time, Fidelicio praised calmly, and then looked at John with his deep eyes that seemed to see through everything.

John didn't notice these details, but said modestly:

"No, no, it's not that I am outstanding in ability, but that the Dharma King gave me the opportunity. If it weren't for His Majesty the Dharma King, I wouldn't have achieved such great success today."

The two people in the room had a pleasant conversation from the afternoon to the evening. After enjoying a sumptuous dinner, John, whose stomach and purpose were satisfied, got on the carriage and drove towards the military camp.

Outside the mansion, looking at the carriage in the distance, Mrs. Bandimeo, who had come with her husband to see him off, looked at her husband who was still waving goodbye and asked in confusion:

"John is just a fallen nobleman from a foreign country, with no family background and no cultural accomplishment. Is it necessary for you to care so much about him?"

Hearing this, Fidelicao first pulled her into a room, and when he saw that there was no one around, he immediately complained to the air:

"I knew it! I knew it was that old French king who was behind this."

"What happened this time?" Seeing her husband, who was usually calm, now so impatient, the wife hurriedly stepped forward and asked.

"Let me ask you a few questions. First, why is John so loved by the King of Law after his name first appeared in the King's Hall? Second, I know about this John. His territory is on the border between Midland and Yoda. Why can he, a rookie, stand firm in such a dangerous position? Third, a large number of dignitaries in the King of Law's Hall have been infected with the plague, and some have even been basically wiped out by the plague. Now the King of Law does not comfort them at this time, but summoned a foreigner instead. Don't you think these phenomena are very strange?"

"Why are you asking me? I don't understand your politics." Mrs. Bandimeo said with a wronged look on her face after seeing her husband angrily asking her three unclear questions.

"I didn't understand it before, but now I understand. John is the secular spokesperson that the King of France found for himself. Although John pays the tithes diligently every day, the King of France secretly gives it to John to build his territory. He may even give him part of the tithes from other places. Although they pretend not to know each other, they probably send private messages to each other all the time." Fidelicao said confidently, as if he knew the reasons for everything and had discovered a huge conspiracy.

"Also, due to the plague, many lives were taken away from each family, and the industries they operated also suffered serious losses. This was the time when secular forces were the weakest, but the King of France summoned him at this time and held a mass for him in public. In addition to telling the world that John is his man, he was also telling us that without us, the King's Office still has alternative figures to manage the secular affairs of the King's Office, and they are finding ways to get us old people out. I was also wondering why he suddenly wanted to strengthen the influence of religion on neighboring countries in recent years. It turns out that he was supporting his own people." As Fidelicao spoke, he felt that the King of France was becoming more and more unfathomable and almost deceived him.

"What should we do now? Should we kill him?" Mrs. Bandimeo asked anxiously.

"How is that possible? In factional struggles, assassination is always the lowest option. Except for fools and madmen, who would stab their opponents to death when they meet them? Even if John dies, the King of France will bring another one in a few days. And look at the guards around him. How could they let him be assassinated so easily? If all the assassins are summoned at that time, the King of France will have a handle on me and my family."

Fidelicao first refuted his wife's words, then covered his forehead and said:

"For now, we should make friends with him so that he won't have the chance to strike first. While paralyzing him, I also need to observe the King's next move so that I can come up with some countermeasures."

"Ah!"

The King of France in the palace sneezed in his sleep. After getting up from the bed and glancing around, he fell asleep again, leaning on the pillow tiredly.