Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

Aaron shook his head: "I didn't go to see the king; we sneaked out of the city."

Aaron went to the storeroom and took out a simple suitcase. He packed a few clothes and necessities into the suitcase. Joan of Arc also quickly packed her luggage. She met Aaron, who was wearing a black trench coat, at the door. When Aaron saw Joan of Arc, he nodded slightly, his spiritual power surged in his hand, and he grabbed the white longsword.

"Let's go," Aaron said softly, as if they were just doing something ordinary.

The lights in an old house in Dongcheng District suddenly went out, and two dark figures boarded a carriage that had been prepared in advance and drove towards the city gate in the wind and snow.

What kind of city is Asgard? To those who don't know it, Asgard is exquisite, fashionable, and full of high society. But Aaron knows that Asgard is now a city under strict surveillance. Everyone entering or leaving the city is checked, and the city is currently conducting anti-spy activities. Why does Aaron know this? Because Aaron is one of the anti-spy agents.

He was well aware that the city was under such close surveillance, but fortunately, he was one of the monitors, which saved him a lot of trouble. He drove his carriage along a strange route, heading towards the city gate in the dark.

Although there were checks at the city gates, many carriages still lined up to enter and exit at night. Aaron chose to leave the city through the small gate on the east side of Asgard. The person in charge of the checks was a tall young man wearing a military overcoat. When it was Aaron's turn to be checked, the young man came to Aaron's side and said softly, "Lord Aaron, thank you for saving us that day."

After saying this, he pretended to inspect the carriage and then let Aaron pass. Joan of Arc, who was hiding in the carriage, was somewhat surprised. Only Aaron knew that this was one of the benefits of gaining the support of the nobles.

The job of guarding the city gates was very important, and such a job was only given to trustworthy people. Some nobles who had followed the king for many years got this job. Their family history was to guard the gates of Asgard. Because of the trip to Lister, Aaron gained their trust and thus received their help.

After leaving Asgard, everything became easier. Joan of Arc got out of the carriage to get some fresh air. Asgard was far from Orleans. Although there were main roads that allowed the carriage to travel, there were also checkpoints along the way. Aaron decided to follow their route back to Asgard from Orleans.

When Aaron brought Joan of Arc back from Orléans, Joan was still a little girl. When they rested in the snowy forest, Joan needed to snuggle in Aaron's arms to keep warm in order to get through the winter. Now things are different. Joan of Arc can withstand the winter on her own, but when they spend the night in the forest, they still stay together, as if that can keep each other warm.

Aaron took Joan of Arc more than ten days to return to Esgard from Orleans. This time, they traveled day and night and it only took them four days. If they hadn't taken a longer route to avoid checkpoints, they could have gone even faster.

On the fourth night, Aaron and Joan of Arc set foot on the land of Domremy. Compared to five years ago, Domremy had not changed much.

When Aaron first arrived in Domremi Village, the village was very quiet. At that time, the villagers were secretly carrying out cult activities. Now, the cult activities have been dismantled. Domremi Village is still quiet at night, but this is because the village has become desolate since the cult activities. The village is like a madman who was once injected with spiritual energy. He showed a strong aura of believing in something. Now that the madness has subsided, the strong aura on him has disappeared, and all that is left is despondency.

Joan and Aaron secretly went to the home of Joan's childhood friend, the one who wrote the letter to Joan and one of the few who did not persecute Joan when the villagers were holding cult rituals like madmen. Therefore, when Joan left Domrémy, she asked this childhood friend to take care of her mother and let her move to the city with her mother.

When Aaron arrived at his childhood friend's house, his friend was asleep. She was surprised to see Aaron and Joan of Arc return. She hadn't seen Joan of Arc for five years. Seeing Joan of Arc's amazing changes, she almost didn't recognize her. But Joan of Arc was the same as before. She hugged her tightly, making his friend realize that Joan of Arc hadn't changed at all.

"No wonder he's been to Asgard; he's completely different now," my childhood friend said happily.

After getting dressed in the room, the childhood friend led Joan of Arc and Aaron to the church.

When her childhood friend led the two to the cemetery, Joan of Arc fell silent.

The Kingdom of Lucerne was a nation that worshipped the Seven Gods. For believers of the Seven Gods, their final wish after death was to be buried in the churchyard, to be with God. This was because believers believed that the area covered by the church was sacred, a place blessed by the gods, and that those buried there would ultimately go to God's kingdom.

Therefore, in the New World, churches were often surrounded by cemeteries. People were used to such situations. Adults chatted by the cemeteries, and children flew kites and played nearby. They did not find it scary because the owners of the cemeteries were often people blessed by the gods. They made contributions to people in their lives and were able to go to God's kingdom after death.

Depending on their contributions during their lifetime, believers could be buried in different places within the church. Because the village of Domremi had a small population but the church had been expanded significantly, most kind-hearted believers could be buried in the cemetery around the church, which was also the wish of many villagers. Nobles and bishops of higher status could be buried inside the church.

The most typical example is the five stone chambers beneath the altar of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, where the kings of Lucerne are buried. After their deaths, they are placed in the place closest to God. Only kings can receive such a great honor, being able to be close to God directly after death. This is the highest respect for the deceased.

Since there are honored dead, there are also punished dead. For non-believers, those excommunicated, and those who committed serious sins in life, the punishment is that they cannot be buried in a church after death, so that they will be forever separated from God and will never be able to reach God's Kingdom.

Joan of Arc's mother was buried in the field outside the church walls, separated from the cemetery inside the walls by only one wall.

Chapter 75 Mother's Grave

But just a wall separates them: on one side are souls blessed by God, and on the other are lonely ghosts separated from God.

"I'm sorry... Joan of Arc..."

The childhood friend lowered his head and said, "Because we hadn't received a reply from you, and the village was in a hurry to bury the body, saying they couldn't keep the dead body at home indefinitely, we had no choice but to bury him without your permission..."

“I also wanted to bury my aunt in the cemetery, and I kept arguing with them, but the villagers who went through what happened back then... they just wouldn't agree no matter what I said…”

My childhood friend said haltingly, "I asked the parish priest, but he wasn't willing to help either... They even told me that if I really didn't want to bury her, they would bury her in the cemetery by the roadside at the village entrance. I argued with them... for a long time, but in the end, we had no choice but to bury her in the place closest to the church..."

My childhood friend lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry..."

Aaron looked at the cemetery beside the city wall in silence. He buried his mother outside the church wall, forever separated from God by a thin line. She could always see God's kingdom, but could never step into it. Rather than saying this was the villagers' compromise, it was more like the villagers' mockery of Joan of Arc's mother. This was Joan of Arc's mother's lifelong wish, but it could never be reached. Although we couldn't do anything to you while you were alive, we can let you suffer like this after you die.

After a long silence, Joan of Arc shook her head and said to her childhood friend, "It's alright, you've done your best."

"Hmm..." Seeing the expression on Joan of Arc's face, the friend said, "Then I'll let you two be alone for a while. I'll go first. Call me if you need anything..."

After his childhood friend left, Aaron watched as Joan of Arc gazed at her mother's grave and slowly clenched her fists.

This was the first time Aaron had seen such anger in Joan of Arc. He was a child who would think of others even when he was tied to the stake, yet now she was uncontrollably furious.

The church and cemetery belong to all the villagers; they are the property of all the villagers. The villagers did not want Joan of Arc's mother to be buried in the cemetery, and even the bishop could not change their minds. Since Joan of Arc's mother was brought to the city, many villagers had heard about Joan of Arc's deeds, knew that she studied at the Holy College in Esgard, became a saint, and had become a person of high status in Esgard. But Joan of Arc's mother's funeral was the villagers' last act of malice towards Joan of Arc.

They couldn't cause a ruckus in the cemetery; disturbing the church and cemetery was taboo in Lusset and would be condemned by everyone. This would also go against Joan of Arc's mother's wishes. They also couldn't use their power or status to intimidate others. They had come to Domrémy secretly, and it was fortunate that they hadn't been discovered by the king. If they caused any trouble in the village, it would only make things worse for them, while the villagers would be fine.

“Mingming…Mingming’s greatest wish before she died…was to be buried in the church cemetery…”

Joan of Arc said, "Why...why...they won't even grant this small wish...they did such terrible things back then...and I didn't even pursue it...why is that..."

Joan's voice was choked with sobs. Aaron wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know what to say. He thought he could tell Joan that when she became a saint of the entire country, she could use her religious influence to ensure that her mother was properly buried in the church in Domremy, or even better, to clear out a stone chamber in the church in Esgard and move her mother's body there. That place would surely be closer to God than the church in Domremy, and on that day, she could finally hold her head high.

But Joan of Arc thought differently. She said, "Why can people be so evil, teacher? We didn't do anything to them back then. They were the ones who did terrible things to me. Why can they be so evil?"

Joan of Arc pressed for an answer, while Aaron pondered the question in his heart.

Perhaps the reason lies with him, after all, he was the one who injured the villagers back then, and this is direct retaliation against him.

Or perhaps it was because of a cult, a cult that turned the villagers into this, or perhaps it was because they were foolish and cunning, cowardly and short-sighted, afraid to retaliate yet secretly using their petty tricks. They were neither smart nor kind enough. But ultimately, it was the environment that made them this way. Aaron didn't know exactly what happened back then, but later he heard that the village had suffered from years of severe drought, the villagers had fallen seriously ill, and a series of other things had happened, which ultimately led to this situation.

Aaron thought a lot. Joan of Arc was one of his students, and her way of thinking was similar to his. She had also thought a lot, and finally she said, "Teacher... I want to change..."

"Change?" Aaron was stunned.

"Yes, I want to change things. Everything in the village is wrong. From the people to the customs, everything in this village is wrong. I want to change the situation here."

"The way to completely change the villagers is to kill them all, then new villagers will move here and everything will change. That was my real thought just now, but I know it's wrong. It can only soothe my emotions temporarily, but it's not a real change."

Joan of Arc stood beside the tomb, looking towards the village of Domrémy:

“What I want to do is real change, so that such a thing will never happen again in Domremi. I hope that these villagers can truly realize that what they did back then was wrong, that they despicably insulted a kind person. I hope that one day they can truly repent, weep bitterly in the church, and sincerely repent for their mistakes. Even if those stubborn villagers can never change in their lifetime, I hope that their children can realize this, and then when that time comes, I will move my mother's grave into the church with dignity.”

Joan of Arc looked at Domrémy with a gleam in her eyes. Aaron rarely saw Joan of Arc make a vow to do something; it seemed that for the young girl, the life she had now was already enough to make her happy. But at this moment, Aaron saw a strong radiance emanating from Joan of Arc.

"Even if you are the most powerful person in Esgard, it is still very difficult to win their hearts."

"Alright, I'll be waiting for that day. But I must remind you, it won't be easy. Don't think that just changing a village is enough. To do that, you might need to change an entire country first."

“If that’s the only way to do it, then I’ll change the whole country.”

“Okay, I also really want to see the country transformed. Until that day comes, I will stay by your side.”

Chapter 76 Aaron: "There's one more bag."

Aaron and Joan of Arc did not linger in the village of Domremy.

Joan of Arc swept the snow from the grave with a branch, lit a candle at the grave, said her final goodbye to her mother, took one last look at her hometown of Domrémy, and left with Aaron in the heavy snow.

When Joan of Arc and Aaron entered the village, they didn't disturb anyone except their childhood friend. It wasn't until the villagers woke up early in the morning and found that the snow in front of the grave had been cleared and a candle had been lit on the ground that they realized someone had returned in the middle of the night. However, neither Joan of Arc nor the villagers could have imagined that after this farewell, she would not return to Orleans for many years. By then, the entire city of Orleans, including her hometown, would have undergone permanent changes.

It took the two five days to reach the village of Domremi. To avoid being discovered, they hurried back. On the fourth day, instead of traveling, they boarded a train back to Esgard.

TRAIN STATION.

The ticket gates were packed with people, who seemed to be carrying all their possessions and crammed onto the ground. They looked like they had been living at the train station for days, and everyone was staring longingly at the train. An ominous atmosphere permeated the area in front of the train station.

Aaron and Joan mingled in the crowd, wearing fur hats and woolen coats. Taking advantage of their rare rest after several days, they bought a bag of roasted chestnuts and ate them. With a loud rumble, the train finally arrived. Joan and Aaron boarded the train along with the eager crowd. Aaron heard cries of relief from the crowd.

Aaron managed to get this train ticket through some means. Since connections were useless outside, Aaron paid an exorbitant price for it, but it was worth it. This train was one of the few trains heading to Asgard in recent days, and it was full of civilians. Consequently, the checks were the laxest. Joan of Arc and Aaron could blend into the crowd and return to Asgard without attracting attention.

As Aaron boarded the train, he noticed the unusual behavior of the people. Everyone was making sounds of relief, and some were even moved to tears by the experience. Families huddled together, feeling happy to be able to stay together.

People sat in the aisles of the carriages, feeling anxious and uneasy. Everyone was talking to each other, and no one could sit quietly in their seats. Peace had become a luxury. At each stop, people hurriedly got off the carriage, not knowing what they were going to do, and then hurriedly got back on to continue to the next stop.

As the train approached the first checkpoint in Esgard, it suddenly stopped in the wilderness, and the passengers became fearful once again.

Aaron and the others in the carriage looked out the window and saw a freight truck approaching the train in the dim light. The truck was covered with a tarpaulin, and the civilians were talking amongst themselves. Aaron's eyes trembled slightly because he could vaguely make out what was inside the truck through the shape of the tarpaulin. He then looked in the direction the train was heading, which was the same direction they had gone.

Finally, the sound of "pass" came from outside the carriage, and the train started moving again, swaying and shaking, carrying the passengers whose hearts were also trembling. After a moment of darkness, the train finally entered Esgard. When they finally arrived at Esgard train station, people were about to rush off with their luggage when the train doors slammed open, and everyone was stunned.

The platform was filled with fully armed soldiers in black woolen uniforms, staring coldly at the people on the train. Only then did people realize that the train station had been taken over by the military, and everyone had to be checked before they could get off the train.

Standing in front of the soldiers was a cold, icy beauty. She wore a crisp military uniform, and the gold stars on her epaulets indicated that she held the rank of major general. Her expression was calm, without a trace of a smile. She calmly looked at the people in the train. People looked at this cold beauty, who resembled a black flower, and felt that she was even more unapproachable than the soldiers.

The people who had been on the train all day and were about to arrive in Asgard but were stopped, along with the soldiers on the platform, were clearly not in good tempers. As expected, a conflict broke out when the soldiers rushed onto the train. The aisles of the carriages were filled with screams and children's cries, and the people cast disgusted glances at the soldiers.

People carrying large and small bags of luggage lined up to get off the train. Aaron and Joan of Arc were also in the queue. Just as it was about to be Aaron and Joan of Arc's turn, the person in front of them was taken away. The man who had been in front of them at the beginning seemed restless, constantly looking down at his watch, as if he was in a hurry. As soon as the soldiers opened his luggage and saw what was inside, several soldiers pounced on him and pinned him to the ground.

The riot caused panic on the train. Aaron silently took a step back, not wanting to get involved, but it was no use. Several soldiers still rushed up aggressively, clearly taking Aaron as an accomplice. Aaron coldly looked at the burly soldiers, waved the hem of his coat, and shook everyone away. A vacuum zone suddenly formed around Aaron, shocking everyone.

The soldiers were both shocked and enraged by Aaron's actions, and they all drew their pistols and pointed them at him. In a short moment, Aaron was surrounded by guns. Aaron sighed and looked at the icy beauty in front of the platform.

"Don't move!" the soldier whispered to Aaron in a threatening tone.

Aaron did not do as they said. No matter how the soldiers pressured him, he did not listen. He slowly squatted down at his own pace, opened his luggage, took out a black passport from the luggage, held it in his hand, and faced the officer blocking his way.

Aaron did not show his officer's ID to the soldiers. He did not even show them his identification. To be precise, he only showed them the cover of the ID, a black, all-knowing light.

The soldiers didn't understand the meaning of the markings; they were simply shocked that the All-Knowing Light could be black. Aaron didn't expect them to understand it either, so he kept staring at the icy beauty standing in front of the platform.

The crowd behind him stared at Aaron in shock. They hadn't expected that the man who had traveled with them on the train was a young military officer, but when they saw him surrounded by pistols, they secretly worried for him.

“We’ve been looking for you for a long time, Lord Aaron,” said the icy beauty with the rank of Major General.

"With your rank, it seems you have no right to ask where I'm going." Aaron put away his identification and gave her epaulets a cold glance.

"Of course, so let me take you out. As the person who greeted you at the train station, I think my rank is just right."

The cold beauty walked naturally to Aaron's side, picked up the luggage bag on the ground, and just as she was about to ask Aaron to leave with her, Aaron interrupted her and handed her the luggage next to Joan's feet as well, "There's another bag."

"Cold Beauty: "..."

Chapter 77 The War Begins

Another soldier summoned by the cold beauty carried Joan of Arc's luggage.

The cold beauty was probably the highest-ranking person here. Under her guidance, they passed through various checkpoints and inspections without any hindrance. When people saw the cold beauty carrying Aaron's luggage, they all looked shocked and were guessing Aaron's identity.

The public could only guess that Aaron was a young officer, but they didn't know which officer could hold such a position at such a young age. The soldiers, however, knew that there were almost no such people in the military. The young man must be from another system. In Lusset, the three major knightly orders were naturally superior to the military. Therefore, Aaron obviously belonged to one of the three major knightly orders. But if he wanted the cold beauty to carry his luggage, his status must be very high in the three major knightly orders. They didn't know which vice-commander or high-ranking officer he was.

Aaron remained silent as he left the train station with the cold beauty, not because they had been discovered, but because of the changes in Esgard.

He had a vague premonition when he boarded the train, but he was unwilling to believe it. However, when they arrived at the train station, he was still terrified.

Flags were everywhere on the streets of Esgard, and the walls were plastered with all sorts of war mobilization slogans. The music was deafening, and the usually bustling streets were now deserted, filled instead with all sorts of groups.

Looking around, there wasn't a single elderly or middle-aged person to be seen on the streets, and even women were few and far between. The streets were occupied by young people in uniforms, and young model soldiers marched through the streets in their uniforms. These young people were all beaming with confidence, exuding an unprecedented aura. The streets were decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, just like a festival.

Aaron understood this feeling. In every era and every country, young people have always been neglected; the world belongs to "mature adults." But at this moment, these young people had suddenly been welcomed and respected by the entire nation overnight. They suddenly felt like the masters of their country. The unblessed young people and the blessed young people together radiated a unique light in their eyes.

Aaron now understood the unique atmosphere on the streets. At this moment, the entire country and the entire city had been mobilized. This nation of tens of millions of people had become one. Everyone was united by a single will.