Chapter 432 – To Collins

Chapter 432 – Going to Collins

A carriage was slowly driving on the dirt road in the countryside, judging from the style of the carriage’s decoration, this was a carriage that was specially used for rentals, for the more developed area of commerce and trade like Horned Bay, a large number of transportation rental services were stored, transporting goods, carrying people, and so on.

“Guest, if you ask me, you are quite bold, especially since you are still an outsider.”

The driver’s voice came in through the window at the front of the carriage.

Friedrich List smiled helplessly, were all the cart drivers in Horn Bay so chatty?

He just wanted to enjoy the scenery along the way in peace and quiet.

Still, out of politeness, he responded, “Why do you say that?”

“Don’t you know?”

There was surprise in the coachman’s voice.

“Tensions have been mounting on both sides lately.”

Lister knew that the two sides in the cart driver’s words referred to the coastal countries of Cape Bay led by the Cape Bay Alliance and the inland countries of Cape Bay led by Collins.

The explicit conflict between the two sides centered on whether or not to continue the witch hunt movement that had been going on for years, but Lister, who had lived in Horned Bay for a long period of time, understood that the essence of the conflict was still arising because of economic interests.

Coastal countries have long held the sea trade, year after year to earn a pot full of money, while the inland countries can only rely on undeveloped agriculture and handicrafts produced several local specialties to earn some external profits, such as tea, silk, on which also have to rely on those coastal people’s merchant ships, the coastal merchants often use various means to hold the sea transportation to lower the purchase price, how can not cause the Collins and other landlocked countries of cynicism.

The Holy See chose the Archbishop of Corner Bay to reside in the landlocked country of Corinth, and the income from the Corner Bay Church’s industries in various places, as well as the tithes collected in various places – this is the major part of the Corner Bay Church’s capital income – are all gathered in Corinth, and the Corner Bay Church pays the Holy See’s share to the Corinthian Church after the Corner Bay Church has finished paying the Corinthian Church. After the Church’s share is paid to the Holy See, the remaining money is mainly spent in the inland countries around Collins, so many people in the inland rely on the Church to make a living, and there are even many of them who receive the Church’s charity directly.

This biased use of funds policy of the Corner Bay Church had cultivated a large number of devout believers in the interior, resulting in a strong religious atmosphere in the inland countries, especially in its resident Corinth, from the king to the slaves were all faithful believers in the Church of the Illuminating God.

However, it also caused strong dissatisfaction among the coastal countries, which generally believed that the Corner Bay Church was killing the rich to help the poor.

In recent years, the witch-hunting movement has interfered with the normal trade and commerce of the coastal regions like never before, culminating in the throwing of a church messenger out of a window in the capital of the Horned Cove Alliance, followed by the widespread spread of new sects along the coast with the aim of resisting the control of the Horned Cove Church, which has pushed the conflict between the two sides, which has been accumulating for a long time, to a new peak.

Hearing the driver’s words, Lister asked rhetorically, “Don’t you often run this road? Aren’t you worried about yourself?”

The coachman turned around and smiled through the window, “Those of us who run both sides of the road all the time, naturally have our own way. Guest, don’t worry, if someone stops us on the road, just leave it to me. However, hey, when the time comes, you have to be a little more alert ……”

The driver’s words made Lister’s heart a little worried, although he had made preparations in advance and knew that the road might not be too peaceful, but he had a reason why he had to go on this trip – there was a very prestigious nobleman in Collins who had sent someone to contact the Todd Boat Company’s office in Nisborough, and he wanted to export his own silk and tea through the people of Aldorado.

Because of the recent situation, the merchants of the Northwest Gulf have eaten up a lot of business that would have belonged to the merchants of the Corinthian Gulf; on the one hand, the coastal states are trying to hit the interior economically, and on the other hand, the inlanders don’t want to continue to put up with the duplicity of the seafaring merchants.

It’s true that what you fear comes to you, just after Lister lifted his heart, dust raised from the road in the distance.

A group of people dashed to the vicinity of the wagons and surrounded them.

“Stop the car! What people are inside!”

The leader rode a high horse and shouted menacingly towards the carriage.

Lister was very nervous, remembering what the coachman had just said, and left everything to be dealt with. The coachman immediately jumped down and ran to the horse of the leading man, the man on the horse bent down and the two conversed.

Then the leading man shook the reins, came to the carriage, and in a deep voice bellowed.
“Aldorians! We are the witch-hunters of Collins; come down, and be examined!”

Lister had to open the door of the carriage, stand on the ground and carefully salute the man. “My lord, I am traveling to Collins to talk business with Earl Bridges.”

I thought that moving the name of that nobleman would make the person in front of me slightly more polite, but I didn’t expect the other party to mutter instead, “Another treacherous merchant.”

Frightened, Liszt stopped speaking.

The leader first those a stone, against Lister’s body, scratching up and down, front and back, and reciting words under his breath – it seemed to be reciting fragments from the Holy Scriptures.

Nothing unusual happened, “Well, you’re not a wizard, but ……”

He beckoned, and his attendant came over holding a box.

The leader reaches in and pulls out a piece of paper with something written on it crookedly.

“Listen, you godless heathens have accumulated sins in your bodies that can no longer be cleansed by ordinary means. However, we, the merciful servants of the gods of Collins, who have prayed devoutly to the Lord of Light day and night, have produced these sacred painted talismans for the world-the coupons of atonement! As long as you dedicate yourselves directly to the Heavenly Father, you will be able to obtain one, and then the sins on your body will be cleansed – note that it is only the previous ones – or else, hmmm, just wait to die and be roasted by the flames of fire in hell for all eternity!”

Lister was dumbfounded, there was such a thing?
And what was the meaning of that direct devotion?
He saw a nearby carter give him a gesture that was common in the Horned Bay, well, so it was spending money.

“My lord, I am also a devotee of the Lord of Light.”

Lister smiled and took out the holy emblem he was carrying.

The leader glared his eyes hard, like a raging bull, as he said wistfully, “Listen, Ao, you think that faith is just for show, I can tell at a glance that your faith isn’t pious at all, look at how your eyes are full of the desire for money.”

Lester still wanted to argue, but the other didn’t even give him a chance to speak.

“These eyes of mine that have been blessed by the servants of God will not deceive me! Those who bear sins in their bodies are not qualified to enter Collins!”

His men began to clamor, interspersed with a lot of Horned Bay slang that Lister couldn’t understand.

Lister wiped a cold sweat from his forehead as the face-watching coachman gestured at him repeatedly.

“Well, sir, may I ask how much I should offer to Heavenly Father?”

He compromised, serious business was important.

“One silver coin!”

The other man said in a jar.

So expensive? It was just a piece of paper.

However, Lister knew that the other party was not a good haggler, so he obediently paid out the money.

The group of people got the money and left cursing.

Finally able to get back on the road ……

(End of Chapter)