Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Chapter 208 Saint Rosell

On January 14, the special train arrived in Tillands.

Even though an accident occurred en route, with two saints infiltrating the train and causing damage, this did not affect the Steam Church's original plans. Just like in Constance, the train chose to stop in Tillis for a day, only setting off again the following morning, and finally arriving in Trier on January 17.

Thus, this week-long journey has finally come to an end.

"Is this Trier?"

Audrey sat by the window, gazing curiously at the city outside.

It was a sun-drenched metropolis, situated between the Rhine and Serenzo rivers, a place of scenic beauty, abundant rose varieties, and a thriving arts and culture center—a haven for painters, musicians, and novelists. It was the capital of Intis, the first truly cosmopolitan city after the reforms of Emperor Roselle…

Audrey had seen similar descriptions in books more than once, and in most of the books she read, the heroines were based on noble ladies from Trier, with the once-fallen Soren family of Intis being the most popular.

Audrey had once been filled with longing for this city, but after she became a true extraordinary person, these things held almost no appeal for her, far less of the amazement and yearning she felt when she first read about it on paper.

Of course, although Audrey had never been to Trier, she was not entirely ignorant of the city.

Former Intis Republic Ambassador to the Kingdom of Rune, Beckeron, frequently hosted balls at the embassy during his years as ambassador, inviting bankers, large factory owners, philanthropists, and other well-known wealthy individuals and lawyers from the Kingdom of Rune to participate, and randomly giving opportunities to certain lesser-ranking businessmen.

In this atmosphere, he would tell his guests about Trier's prosperity and openness, and that the Republic of Intis was no longer dominated by nobles. Bankers, factory owners, lawyers, and other such people were the true masters of the country. They directly and indirectly held most of the seats in parliament, determined the direction of national policy, enjoyed true freedom, and possessed a high status...

This behavior was undoubtedly a provocation against the authority of the royal family and nobility of Rune, but neither the royal family nor the nobility took any extreme actions in response.

Firstly, as the ambassador of the Republic of Intis, Beckron represented the entire Republic of Intis; taking action against him would be tantamount to declaring war on the entire Republic of Intis. Secondly, Beckron's incitement was utterly meaningless—

The future direction of this world has never been determined by nobles and royalty, but by extraordinary power and the extraordinary!

History textbooks clearly record the significant contributions Rosell made to Intis:

Russell Gustav quelled the rebellion as a colonel, seized the opportunity to stage a coup, and transformed the Kingdom of Intis into a republic, appointing himself as consul.

Over the next 19 years, he reformed the legal code, encouraged invention, and safeguarded the Industrial Revolution, greatly enhancing the nation's strength. He also waged wars in the south and north, bringing countries such as Remnburg, Masic, and Segal under his protection, and causing the three powerful northern continental nations of the Fussac Empire, the Kingdom of Loen, and the Kingdom of Feneport to submit one after another.

At the end of 1192, as he approached the 20th anniversary of his consulship, Roselle transformed the Republic into an Empire and proclaimed himself Caesar. Less than six years later, he perished at White Maple Palace, ending the most legendary chapter of the Fifth Age to date.

Ordinary people can only see the legendary and inspiring life of Emperor Roselle, from a fallen nobleman to the ruler of a vast country, and even the country changed its political system three times because of him!

But from Audrey's perspective, she could see far more than the average person.

For example, the territories of the Kingdom of Intis and the Kingdom of Rune have not undergone fundamental changes for thousands of years. Even though the Kingdom of Roselle was able to temporarily overpower the Kingdom of Rune during the reign of Emperor Roselle, it was not strong enough to directly annex the Kingdom of Rune. In other words, the national strength of the two countries was actually quite similar.

In the Kingdom of Rune, a colonel is at least a Sequence 5 Extraordinary.

This was information Audrey obtained from her brother Alfred, who was a colonel and a Sequence 5 Beyonder.

This means that when he launched the coup, Emperor Roselle was at least a Sequence 5 Extraordinary, and most likely a Sequence 4 Demigod!

Without such power, Rosell's coup would never have succeeded.

Even if he had the strength of a 'demigod', Roselle's coup was not successful because of his own strength, but because of the support of the Church of the True God!

Whether the Republic of Intis can stage a coup, to what extent it can happen, and who will carry it out... all of this depends on the attitude of the Church of the True God.

Emperor Roselle invented the steam engine, improved sailing ships, and created a number of inventions that were unimaginable to his predecessors, which completely changed people's lives and left a significant mark on the Church of the "God of Craftsmen" at that time.

Even during its reign, the Church of the God of Craftsmen received its first public oracle since the Fifth Age, changing the title of "God of Craftsmen" to "God of Steam and Machinery".

This gives a glimpse into the relationship between Emperor Roselle and the Steam Church.

The coup he launched undoubtedly received the support of the entire Church of the God of Craftsmen at the time. While the Church of the Eternal Sun, another orthodox church in the Republic of Intis, might not have supported Roselle as fully as the Church of the God of Craftsmen had, it was highly likely that it would have welcomed the outcome.

After all, it's clear from the Kingdom of Rune that the three major righteous churches and the royal family are not of one mind; in fact, they are scheming against each other. If the Kingdom of Rune is like this, other countries are certainly not much better off. It's impossible that the Church of the Eternal Sun and the Intis royal family, which has ruled Intis for thousands of years, are without conflict.

The rise of a "young upstart" like Roselle is just what allows the Church of the Eternal Sun to reshuffle its deck.

The tacit approval, or even support, of the two major orthodox churches was the fundamental reason why Emperor Roselle was able to successfully stage a coup!

This isn't merely speculation; it's supported by facts. After all, even though Emperor Roselle changed the political system twice, neither of the two major churches ever expressed opposition. Therefore, the answer is actually quite obvious—

The reason Intis transformed from a 'Kingdom' into a 'Republic' was not because the country was particularly open and free, but simply because the person who prompted this transformation was named Russell Gustav, and he had far greater power than the Intis royal family and other nobles!

Even though Emperor Roselle ultimately failed, it was because he was betrayed and assassinated by the Church of the Eternal Sun, the Soren family of the Intis royal family, and other nobles, falling in the White Maple Palace. The Steam Church's absence from this incident already demonstrated its stance: the Steam Church tacitly approved of Roselle's death.

Even though Intis has changed its name back from "Empire" to "Republic," and even though they claim to be open and democratic, and that Intis is no longer dominated by nobles, but rather by bankers, factory owners, lawyers, and other similar groups...

But in reality, the essence of this country is still dominated by the 'nobles'.

This can be seen from the current situation of the Hall family's relatives in Intis.

When they married into the Hall family, they were nobles.

When Intis transformed from a kingdom into a republic, they were still nobles.

Intis went from a republic to an empire, and then back to a republic, changing its political system several times, but they remained aristocrats throughout.

Throughout the history of the two republics of Intis, the aristocracy was never abolished; the only difference was that no new nobles were appointed. After all, without a king, there would be no new nobles in Intis.

But this not only led to the decline of the nobility, but also made their status even more exalted!

The absence of new nobles means there will be no successors to the nobility, and the existing nobles will forever maintain a monopoly. Even the Soren family remains one of the most powerful families in Intis to this day!

Even though they are no longer the supreme rulers of Intis or royalty, they are still nobles, still enjoying a high status and rights, continuing their rule openly or covertly. However, their power is not what it used to be, and they no longer hold absolute power as they did when they were royalty. Instead, they have to compromise and co-govern with other nobles.

This country looks completely different from the Kingdom of Rune, yet they are fundamentally similar.

Audrey's eyes held a complex expression as she silently thought to herself:

"Even when looking at the same thing, different experiences can give people different perspectives."

As a child, she longed for the Republic of Intis; as she grew older, she became afraid—afraid that the "Republic" constitution would lead to the decline of her family, and afraid that her father would be filled with worry because of it. But now, her understanding of all this is completely different from before.

The thought had barely formed in her mind when Audrey suddenly gripped the ruby ​​necklace at her chest, frowning in distress. Although she could usually control herself well, she would occasionally be unintentionally influenced by 'lies,' her thoughts wandering uncontrollably.

Daisy took a few slow breaths and calmed herself down completely through meditation.

Only then did she look out the window again.

Intis is known for its openness, and its architectural style is quite different from that of the Kingdom of Rune.

The Kingdom of Loen places greater emphasis on preserving the original appearance of its buildings; therefore, most buildings in Backlund are low-rise and their styles are not significantly different from those of hundreds of years ago. In Trier, however, one can see high-rise buildings of reinforced concrete everywhere.

While Constance also boasts numerous reinforced concrete buildings, most are factories and lack aesthetic appeal. In contrast, Trier's architecture is predominantly residential and commercial, with a dazzling array of new buildings in various styles.

Although some buildings may look unpleasant, people can always find a style they like among the many buildings.

Most importantly, unlike Backlund, which is shrouded in smog year-round and rarely sees the sun, the sunshine in Trier is truly warm. The warm sunlight streaming through the window gave the girl a strong urge to take a nap.

But before that, there's another small problem...

A hint of doubt flashed in Audrey's eyes, and she murmured softly:

"Aren't we going into the station?"

The train had already circled half of Trier, which certainly allowed her to better appreciate the city's original appearance, but it also made her feel a little confused, because the train should have pulled into the station long ago.

Seeing the girl's confusion, Yu Jin shook his head and said:

"The train will go directly to the headquarters sanctuary of the Steam Church and will not stop in the city."

"Go straight to the sanctuary?"

Audrey was somewhat surprised. Did the Republic of Intis also have a station in front of the Steam Church's sanctuary?

This question didn't linger in the girl's mind for long, because a great bell tolled in the distance.

Audrey glanced at the clock on the wall; it was noon.

Through the window, the distant church came into view; it was the sanctuary of the Steam Church, the Church of Saint-Rossel.

Even though Audrey had never been here before, she recognized it at a glance. This wasn't because she had seen pictures of the church, but because the church was so distinctive…

when!when!when!

Twelve bells rang in succession, and white steam billowed from the chimneys atop the Church of Saint-Roselle. Hymns of praise echoed inside and outside the church as the giant gears and levers turned.

At this sacred moment, everyone in the square in front of the church stopped in their tracks. Some closed their eyes in prayer, while others listened quietly. Whether they were believers in the god of steam and machinery or not, only the fed white doves took flight at the same time, soaring into the sky.

Yes, this is the sanctuary of the Steam Church—

It can spew steam, turn levers, and ring bells, making it completely different from other churches, yet it perfectly embodies the word "steam".

Most churches prioritize tranquility, as they are sacred places of prayer where believers can only offer sincere prayers in a serene environment. Steam churches, however, take pride in noise; the more bustling a steam church is, the more beloved it is.

These traditions of the Steam Church originated during the reign of Emperor Roselle and were praised by the god of steam and machinery. That is why the church was named after Emperor Roselle to commemorate his outstanding contributions to the nascent Steam Church.

Finally, before the great chimes completely ceased, the special train slowly came to a stop in front of the Church of Saint-Roselle.

Other churches would move their churches as far away from the tracks as possible to avoid the noise of passing trains. But for the steam church, such noise was just right, and was even seen as a way to please the god of steam and machinery.

The train slowly approached the square, but still showed no sign of stopping.

The tracks extending ahead of the train lead all the way into the church.

(End of this chapter)