Warlord: King of All Clans

Leo walked into the Church of Holy Light and found that the layout inside was almost the same as his impression of a medieval church.

Apart from the place where the priest lived at the back, there was an empty hall in the front filled with long tables and chairs.

It was morning, and the townspeople were all working outside, so there were few people in the church.

The morning sunlight shines through the stained glass windows, refracting brilliant light and falling on Tyus, the patron saint of the North.

In the teachings of the Church of Holy Light, Holy Light is the newborn light of the universe, giving birth to all things. It is so great that it cannot be described with concrete images.

The Holy Light Church has a patron angel or patron saint in every parish. Under the shining of the holy light, they spread the gospel on behalf of the true God of Holy Light.

The patron saint of the North is called Tyus, a warrior full of Northern style.

According to the root of the Imperial language, "Teucus" is actually a derivative of "Tyrse". Translated into the Imperial language, it means "Saint Tyr" or "Son of Tyr", with only a few letters slightly changed.

But the Church of the Holy Light obviously does not acknowledge this. They put together the stories of several northern heroes and created the identity background of Tyus, the patron saint of the North.

The people of the North also do not admit this. The God of War Tyr is the true God of the North. How could he be reduced to a saint worshipped by the Church of Holy Light?

The Holy Light Church in Hewan has only been built a few months ago, but now there are hundreds of lay believers and dozens of devout believers on the peninsula alone.

Pan-believers refer to townspeople who believe in everything. After praying at the Holy Light Church, they turn around and worship at the ancestral temple after leaving the house.

If they can take a few eggs away after listening to Brother DeWitt's preaching, then it is acceptable for their beliefs to be more biased towards the Holy Light.

However, there are no idle people in the townspeople of Hewan Town. Everyone is very busy, and not many people can sit for a whole morning just for a few eggs.

The devout believers convert to the God of Holy Light and truly believe that the God of Holy Light is the only true God.

However, the ancestor worship of the people in the North is deeply rooted, and they will not reject ancestral temples like fanatics. They will still worship during festivals, after all, their ancestors are enshrined there.

These devout believers will spontaneously come to the Holy Light Church to pray and offer their own offerings.

Because of the prior agreement with Leo, the Holy Light Church in River Bay cannot collect tithes like other territories, and can only compete fairly with the Ancestral Temple and live on the offerings voluntarily paid by believers.

In fact, the Holy Light Church in this world is equivalent to the science, education, culture, health and wellness departments plus the neighborhood committee. It is deeply rooted in the grassroots of society and can take care of things that the lords are unwilling to take care of.

The Church of Holy Light almost monopolizes grassroots management and has great power. Many churches can even influence the promulgation of laws in the territory and have the power to collect tithes.

There are a lot of tricks involved. In most of the empire's territories, the lord's mansion is inherited by the eldest son, and the church is inherited by the second son. This allows them to collect double taxes while winning over the hearts of the people.

Therefore, most territories welcome the Holy Light Church to settle in, because it is also one of the industries of the lord's mansion.

If Urian had two sons, perhaps he would also like the Holy Light, but Leo is particularly averse to it.

He would rather establish his own grassroots management than throw it to the Holy Light Church to act as an agent.

In addition to banning the collection of tithes, Leo also banned any religion from preaching in public places, so Brother De Witt could only preach in the church.

But the young Brother DeWitt obviously didn't care about these things. After arriving at the river bend, he paid far more than he gained.

He would perform a holy light blessing every week to eliminate illnesses and regulate the bodies of believers.

Almsgiving was held every month, with the surplus money and food distributed to the poor.

This is also the reason why the number of Holy Light believers in Hewan has increased rapidly. A monk with the power of Holy Light is willing to cure diseases and injuries for the townspeople free of charge, and provide relief to the poor. He can attract a large number of believers wherever he is.

Nowadays, not only in River Bay Town, but also in River Mouth Town and Gravel Castle, many residents will bring their families to the Holy Light Church in River Bay to pray in their spare time.

In comparison, the ancestral temple with a "believe it or not, come or not" attitude seems to be a bit of a relic.

When Leo came in, Brother DeWitt was making a stained glass window with the help of his page.

During this period, he became completely fascinated by this art. In his hands, pieces of glass of all sizes and colors were transformed into colorful portraits and complex patterns.

This is much more attractive than boring scripture doctrines. After the doors and windows of Hewan Church were replaced with stained glass windows, the number of believers at least doubled.

He himself also felt that this kind of artwork, which was more gorgeous than oil murals, was worthy of the favor of the Holy Light.

In fact, this is true. When Brother Dwight was making stained glass art, he was peaceful and full of piety.

He was filled with holy light, even more obvious than when he was meditating.

"Are you busy?" Leo came over, watched Brother DeWitt concentrating on making the stained glass window, and greeted him casually.

Brother DeWitt also participated in the banquet last night to welcome Leo home. When he saw Leo come in, he simply bowed and continued with his work.

"No hurry. The priest of the Temple of the Ancestors commissioned me to create a picture of the god of war Tyr killing a giant snake. Here it is."

Brother DeWitt explained with a smile, pointing to the stained glass window that he had almost finished making.

Leo looked carefully and saw only a somewhat abstract picture of Tyr slaying a snake. If Brother Dewitt had not explained it in advance, he would not have been able to tell what was painted on it.

After seeing the exquisite works of art from later generations, Leo was not impressed by this primitive stained glass window.

But for the lower-class people in this world, this is simply a work of art that is ingenious and magical.

Even the mosaics made by ordinary craftsmen can make the country folks fuss over it. Brother Dewitt, who has ample artistic talent, naturally has more outstanding works in his hands.

Leo was very surprised to hear what Brother Dewitt said, "A commission from the Temple of the Ancestors? Your business is quite broad!"

Brother DeWitt smiled faintly and said, "We are all in the same industry, and it's not easy for everyone."

Leo already had a good impression of this Holy Light Monk, and after hearing what he said, he admired him even more.

He is wary of the Church of Holy Light, but that doesn't mean he denies the value of their existence.

In fact, in this world, the church is the main force in cultural inheritance and dissemination. The knowledge of the nobility is monopolized by the children of the nobility and even shelved, but the church is rooted in the grassroots and will absorb civilians into intellectuals, spreading culture to the grassroots.

The scriptures of the Holy Light Church also incorporate a large amount of content on science, education, culture and health. A qualified Holy Light monk is not only proficient in doctrine, but is also a doctor, painter, craftsman and literary creator.

What Leo is worried about is that people like Friar "Wind Chime" Lawrence, who rely on the Church of Holy Light to pursue personal gain and exploit civilians based on their faith, will come to River Bay and conflict with the folk beliefs of the North, causing unrest in River Bay, where the faith is already loose.

But Brother DeWitt's performance made him feel much more at ease.