Zombie World: Starting as an apprentice of the Thunder King

Just then, a priest strode over.

"Your Excellency, something has happened outside!"

Sergio paused, then calmly asked, "What is it?"

"Several people from Kyushu are spreading rumors in town that we are a cult and are preventing people from believing in God!"

Roderick's eyes turned cold: "I'll have my men take care of them!"

"No..."

Seror stopped Roderick, chuckling, "Let them live for now..."

"These people will show up during tomorrow's prayers. We'll then publicly declare them heretics, burn them at the stake, and make sure no one dares to oppose us!"

Roderick chuckled, "In this way, we can intimidate everyone in the town, and no one will dare to harbor any disloyal thoughts."

Seror waved his hand. "Tonight, send men to keep an eye on those heretics. Tomorrow morning, let the whole town witness the fate of these heretics."

The priest bowed and accepted the order, then turned and quickly left the church to arrange for guards.

Roderick looked at Samuel.

"Should I mobilize the Templar Knights to reinforce the defenses of Tomorrow Square?"

"Mobilize half of the knights to guard the perimeter of the plaza to prevent any unforeseen events."

"Yes, sir!"

Roderick turned and walked out of the church hall to give orders.

The next day, before the morning mist had even dissipated, the bells of the small blue-brick church at the east end of the town rang out.

"Clang...clang...clang..."

The three chimes echoed through every alley of the town.

People gradually came out of the house, walking hurriedly toward the church, their eyes vacant.

Blacksmith Zhao Si squatted in front of his shop, watching his neighbors pass by one by one, his brow furrowed.

"Ergou!"

He called out to a young man, "What are you doing? Aren't you going to do your work in the fields so early in the morning?"

When the young man turned around, Zhao Si was startled.

Er Gou is only seventeen years old. He's usually lively and energetic, but now his face is expressionless, and his eyes are fixed on the direction of the church.

"Fourth Uncle, I'm going to pray. After I'm done praying, the priest will give me bread."

"What a load of rubbish bread!"

Zhao Si angrily retorted, "Your parents worked so hard to grow this grain, and it's being fed to a bunch of ungrateful wretches!"

"You believe whatever that foreign monk says?"

"What kind of God is this? Who cares about the flood?"

Er Gou ignored Zhao Si and followed the crowd.

Zhao Si was so angry that he threw his pipe on the ground and turned to go back into the house.

There were three people sitting in the room, all of whom were prominent scholars in the town.

The schoolteacher, Li Wannian, was in his fifties, his beard was all white, and his face was even more somber at this moment.

Sun Wenju, a scholar who had come from a private school, was in his early forties and wore a long gown that had been washed until it was faded.

There was also a young man named Zhou Ziheng, who had just returned from studying in the provincial capital and had seen some of the world.

"Fourth Brother!"

Li Wannian looked up. "How's the situation outside?"

Zhao Si plopped down on a bench and said angrily, "There are at least a hundred people there."

"Those foreign monks distributed porridge and bread every day, winning over the hearts of everyone in the town, young and old."

Zhou Ziheng put down his book. "That's seduction!"

"You've converted to Christianity, yet you neither farm nor work, relying solely on the charity of others?"

"They don't even care about their ancestors, and they don't recognize their ancestral halls. Can they still be considered people of Kyushu?"

Sun Wenju angrily retorted, "If a scholar can tolerate this, then what cannot!"

"They use the guise of missionary work to destroy our culture and sow discord among our people!"

"We, who are well-versed in the classics, how can we sit idly by and do nothing?"

"Brother Sun is right."

Li Wannian stood up. "Today, while they are praying, we will go and expose their deception in public!"

"Let the people open their eyes and not be fooled by that foreign monk's sweet talk!"

Zhao Si slapped his thigh: "I'll go with you!"

"Although I, Zhao Si, am not very literate, I've seen plenty of this kind of ridiculous nonsense!"

The four of them discussed things inside the house for a long time until they heard the sound of chanting scriptures coming from the church, at which point they went out together.

At this moment, the square in front of the church was filled with a dense crowd of kneeling people, men, women, and children.

Samuel stood on the stone steps, enveloped in a soft white light.

"All the suffering in the world is caused by the sins of all living beings."

"Only by taking refuge in the Holy Lord and sincerely repenting can one cleanse oneself of sins, receive protection, and survive the chaos and calamities of this world."

"The Holy Lord bestows grace and redeems all people."

"To receive lasting protection, one must offer sacrifices with sincerity, providing wealth and food as a sign of piety."

"Those who are not sincere and do not dedicate themselves will not receive divine grace and will find it difficult to avoid calamities."

"Bullshit!"

A loud shout rang out from behind the crowd, startling everyone who turned around to look.

Zhao Si strode over, followed by Li Wannian, Sun Wenju, and Zhou Ziheng.

"What kind of bullshit sin is this?"

"We, the people of Kyushu, live with integrity, farm diligently, and have a clear conscience before Heaven and Earth!"

"What crime did you commit?"

Samuel's smile remained unchanged as his gaze swept over Zhao Si and the others before returning to the kneeling people.

"who are they?"

"Your Majesty Bishop..."

A priest stepped forward. "They are the heretics who spread rumors in town yesterday."

Samuel nodded slightly, his tone gentle: "Heretics are those whose hearts are blinded by the devil and whose souls are trapped by evil."

"Brothers and sisters, do not be misled by them."

"Damn it!"

Sun Wenju stepped forward, pointed at Samuel's nose, and said, "You foreign missionaries, who have left your homes and crossed oceans to come here, what brings you here?"

"If it is truly as you say, that it is only for the purpose of spreading the doctrine and saving the people."

"Why is it that wherever they go, the people become mentally impaired, and their ancestral property falls into the hands of the church?"

Li Wannian also stepped forward, took out a roll of paper from his sleeve, which was covered with dense writing.

"I've checked the county annals. Since you built the church in town a year ago, the people who converted have donated all their farmland to the church!"

"Now nine out of ten households there are poor, and they've all become tenants of your church!"

"Is this your salvation?"

A commotion arose in the crowd. Several people kneeling in front raised their heads, a hint of doubt flashing in their numb eyes.

Lord Templar Roderick stepped forward and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Samuel raised his hand to stop him.

"The ways of the Lord are bright, and all who obstruct the light are servants of darkness."

Samuel's voice remained calm, but his eyes were now filled with murderous intent.

"Brothers and sisters, look at these strangers, they claim to be doing you a favor, but have they ever given you a bowl of porridge? Have they ever saved a single patient?"

He raised his scepter, and the jewel at the top of the scepter burst forth with a blinding white light.

"They'll just stand by and make sarcastic remarks!"

"They are preventing you from being saved, preventing you from cleansing your sins!"

"The Lord says, all who oppose are heretics."

"The sin of heresy shall be washed away by fire!"

Samuel's expression changed, and his kind and gentle mask was completely torn apart at that moment.

With a wave of his hand, Roderick summoned four Templar Knights who rushed out of the side door of the church, swords in hand, and headed straight for Zhao Si and his companions.

"What are you trying to do?!"

Zhou Ziheng stood protectively in front of Li Wannian, saying, "In broad daylight, under the clear sky, how dare you commit such a heinous act in public?"

The Templars ignored him and two knights grabbed Sun Wenju's arms and dragged him toward a stone pillar in the center of the church square.

"Let me go! You insolent brat!"

Sun Wenju struggled desperately, but he was a weak scholar and no match for the fully armed knight.

With his arms twisted behind his back, he bent his knees and fell to his knees.

"You're committing a crime!" Li Wannian shouted. "We're reporting this to the authorities!"

"Report to the authorities?"

Samuel chuckled. "Even the authorities can't save heretics."