I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 214 God's Apostle (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader Kongling)

"As you can see, Luc, there are twenty-five able-bodied men here, just enough to fulfill your wish to build the church. For God's sake and for our friendship, I'll sell it to you for two pounds, just two pounds!"

Auvergne Quarry.

Old Pons, leaning on his sword, drew a cross on his chest and then extended two fingers.

"Thank you for your kindness. I want to have your name engraved on the church wall when it is completed, so that the world will know your generosity and piety."

“That would be perfect,” old Pons laughed heartily.

Two pounds for twenty-five slaves.

This is practically free.

With the fall of Berg, his knights perished along with him, and his territory would certainly not fall so easily into the hands of his five-year-old son.

But old Pons also understood that even so, he might not be able to swallow this piece of fat meat, so he sought out Viscount Moore and shared the Berg family with him.

"Following your advice, I moved the families of the dead peasant soldiers in Berg to the quarry to work as miners, and I also released some miners to serve me. As expected, they were very grateful to me, and I gained a loyal and skilled army as a result!"

Because of their daily work in the mines, exposed to wind and rain, the miners have developed excellent physiques. Furthermore, due to the need for coordinated quarrying, their organizational skills far surpass those of ordinary peasant soldiers, making them natural candidates for military service. Old Pons simply restored their status as ordinary serfs, which was enough to earn their gratitude.

However, as a result, Old Pons, who had gained half the land and half the population, could not support too many people. So the extra twenty-odd people were taken over by Luc.

"These twenty-five people are all serfs, totaling six households."

"enough."

The six families were all from a knight village in Berg. Looking at the unfamiliar Luke, their eyes were full of confusion and fear.

After declining old Pons' invitation to dinner, Luc resorted to his old trick, using the church flag as a pretext to barely keep the people in line.

The ten barrels of ale were handed over to old Pons. After tasting them himself and hearing the "old stories" about the Luke Aachen Church, the old baron immediately bought all ten barrels and hoped that Luke could supply them for a long time.

Before leaving, Luc was surprised to find that Byrne was still in Ponsburg, so he hired the two of them to help escort the serfs.

……

"Sir, Sir Luke has brought another group of men."

At the shooting range, David, who was training his eldest son to ride a horse, turned around with slight surprise upon hearing Dio's words, "How many men has he brought this time?"

"Twenty-seven men, including a knight and his squire."

"Is this guy really doing this to build a church?"

David rubbed his eyes, his head aching. Ever since Berry's band of bandits was wiped out, Berry seemed to have quieted down a lot, but David, who knew that cunning and treacherous dwarf well, knew that the other party must hold a grudge against Luke, after all, there were seven soldiers in that group.
"For old Baldwin's sake, send someone to remind him that his construction crew, including that damned legal armed guard, should stay far away from our village. God above, I don't want to be surrounded by dozens of people every day! If anything goes wrong, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"No problem, my sir!"

……

Including the craftsmen and others, there were already sixty people gathered at the abandoned church.

Luke mixed the newly arrived refugees into the construction team, forming two separate teams.

With more people comes more problems, from eating and drinking to sanitation and security management. Fortunately, Luke has been running Knightsburg for many years and handles things in an orderly manner.

"master!"

After Byrne took his leave, and after a period of adjustment, the church construction continued. One evening, Lane led a burly man with a thick beard to Luc and said:
"Sir, his name is Andrew, and he says he would like to speak with you."

"Want to talk?"

Luc looked at the somewhat familiar-looking man in front of him; it seemed to be one of the arrogant fellows from when he first accepted prisoners.

"master…"

However, after Andrew bowed respectfully, there was no further indication of any restlessness on his part.

"My lord, I no longer wish to be a slave building churches; I wish to become your private soldier!"

Andrew, shirtless, his eyes gleaming, said:

"I have been on the battlefield and know how to use swords and spears. I can definitely become the sharpest sword to serve you!"

Luke glanced at Ryan and saw him nod slightly, knowing that Ryan had already tested his martial arts skills.

“To become my servant, one needs not only martial arts skills, but also loyalty. You cannot prove your loyalty to me now, so I refuse your offer.” Seeing Andrew’s dejected expression, Luc changed the subject, “However, I can give you a chance.”

"What opportunity!" Andrew looked up immediately.

"I appoint you as the captain of the first construction team. I will issue an order that the team that finishes its assigned work first each day will receive an extra cup of ale for everyone at dinner, while the losing team will be punished by having one-third less vegetable soup."

"If you can lead the team to victory multiple times in a row, I will consider releasing you from your slave status later."

Andrew took a deep breath, calming his violently pounding chest, and said, "Watch me, sir!"

"Another fellow villager?"

When Andrew walked out of the military tent, Luke glanced at Ryan sideways.

Ryan had already learned basic literacy and, following Luke's rules, had all the newcomers registered in the household register.

Ryan grinned and said, "You're mistaken this time. He's an Arthasian."

"Alright, no matter where he's from, observe him carefully and see if he's really reliable."

"Do not worry."

With twice the number of workers and the addition of a reward and punishment system, the church construction progressed rapidly.

Luke went to purchase another batch of stone along the way, and then secretly returned to Knightsburg to check on Duss and the manor.

The new farmland on the estate has been planted. The newly reclaimed land is not fertile, so we will plant a crop of rye to improve the soil first.

Duss's belly was already showing. Luc pressed his ear to her belly, and although he couldn't hear anything, his mouth was almost stretched to his ear.

"Lisa, you've served me very well. I'll definitely reward you with a wool coat next year!"

"Thank you, sir!" Lisa said happily, lifting her skirt and slightly squatting.

Call old Ek over and tell him to build a few shacks at the lumberyard.

He then gave Jason a portion of the specially collected limestone fragments, asking him to see if they could increase the melting point of the iron ore.

After taking some ochre powder and a sundial, they rushed back to Fort David after the church was built in its initial stages.

"Gentlemen, I have a good suggestion."

In late autumn and early winter, Luc stopped three craftsmen who were arguing heatedly about the orientation of the windows on both sides of the church, and slowly revealed his long-planned scheme.

“This church is not particularly grand, but I firmly believe it is still a precious and great church, not only because of the Cluny Abbey and my identity, but also because, even if we cannot build it to be breathtaking on the outside, why not build it to be breathtaking on the inside?”

Under the puzzled gazes of the three craftsmen, Luc said without hesitation, "I believe I should take over the rest of the project!"

Long before the church at Knightsburg was built, Luc had been pondering how to enhance the grandeur of the chapel.

Relying on his authority, Luke took over the project and first ordered people to find some pottery jars.

At the base of the western wall where the sun sets, a pottery vessel with its opening facing inward is buried every two steps. When the clueless Saul has placed all the pottery vessels, an even stronger echo is produced as soon as Luc opens his mouth.

Then, with a decisive move, six twelve-inch narrow windows were opened on both the north and south sides. Especially on the south side, Luc used a sundial to measure the position of the sun on the winter solstice and deliberately left a window there.

Then, craftsmen like Saul painstakingly polished the limestone with sandstone and water, and laid it on the innermost part of the church, on the high platform where the cross was suspended.

He then instructed George to take ochre powder and paint several images of Jesus Christ around the walls.

Finally, they deliberately made the door shorter.

Before the first snow fell, Luc looked at the church in front of him and deliberately chose a sunny afternoon to lead everyone into the church to pray.

As they squeezed through the low doorway one by one, the moment their previously bent backs straightened, their entire view suddenly opened up:
The vertical windows on both sides bathed the entire church in a golden hue, and the statue of Jesus, bathed in sunlight, looked so lifelike. The smooth stone slabs reflected the light onto the tall cross, as if it were shrouded in a layer of radiance, hazy yet holy.

Luc stepped forward and prayed softly, but the faint sound was amplified by the earthenware pot, as if all sounds were magnified here, and no one could hide their secrets.

Whether they were prisoners from all directions or serfs from the village of Belge, they all seemed to be watching Jesus at this moment, bowing their heads in prayer with both fear and excitement.

Saul stared intently at Luc's retreating figure, lost in thought.

Raoul, who had come to keep his appointment, entered at that moment and happened to see Luc bathed in light. He couldn't help but cover his mouth.

"Could he really be an apostle of God?!"

(End of this chapter)