Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

June 26, night.

All members of the camp gathered around the campfire.

Peter stood on a rock, while the old monk Martin stood beside him with his shield.

The performance was called a blessing, but it was hosted by Peter, a secular leader, rather than Martin Luther King Jr., who was in charge of the divine authority.

Secular things should be secular, and divine things should be divine. This was the principle Peter set from the very beginning.

A very negative example is the Hussite Wars.

The Golden Bull of 1356, issued by the Holy Roman Empire, had already laid the groundwork for the separation of secular and divine authority, but the Church's influence was still immense. The Hussite movement was initiated by the enlightened Bishop Janhus, and the Hussite wars were led by reformist priests. Secular leaders of military genius caliber like Jandjeska could only serve as military commanders, and even if they achieved many military victories, they were ultimately wiped out by the divisions and infighting within the Church's upper echelons.

When faced with a common external enemy, they can cooperate briefly. When the enemy retreats, they turn on each other due to ideological differences. They split into conservatives and radicals, the radicals further split into extreme radicals and relatively radicals, and the relatively radicals further split into defenders and counter-revolutionaries...

Ultimately, this people's war of resistance against aristocratic tyranny and against foreign invaders in Bohemia declined due to the division within the church leadership and failed because of their alliance with foreign powers.

As beneficiaries and cultural controllers of the medieval system, church members possessed a degree of enlightenment and reformist spirit, yet also exhibited significant weakness and a tendency to compromise. They were unable to become a decisive force for radical change and lacked the courage to carry out a revolution to the end.

Therefore, Peter could allow Martin Luther King Jr. to preach the Bible and comfort people on a daily basis, but he was not allowed to interfere too much in worldly affairs.

The power of this blessing ceremony did not come from God, but from Peter himself. Therefore, the blessing must be conducted by him, and the gratitude of the blessed must be focused on him.

"The blessing ceremony begins!"

Peter stood on the rock, waved his hand, and a three-meter-long square flag appeared in his hand. He waved it twice, and a red griffin in the flag moved with the wind.

"God is my witness, this is the red griffin flag of my Griffin family. It is God's devout blessing upon me, containing strength, courage, and a spirit of protection. And tonight, I wish to share this blessing with those who have pledged their allegiance to me."

Everyone looked up and saw the flags fluttering and rolling in the wind under the light of the campfire, with the griffins on them looking like living creatures, ready to pounce at any moment.

"Is this the adult's family crest? It's really impressive."

"Strength, courage, and protection? I want those too."

Everyone had different thoughts, but they were all filled with longing.

"Tom and Jerry, step forward!"

Peter began taking attendance.

"I obey your call."

The two responded and knelt on one knee.

"You two were the first to pledge your allegiance to me, and now I am the first to bestow upon you the shield bearing the Griffin family crest, granting you strength, courage, and a heart of protection."

Peter gestured to the old monk, who immediately distributed the two oak shields, each painted with a blue background and a red griffin.

Peter took the opportunity to open Tom and Jerry's character panels and add their remaining free attribute points and skill points.

A warm current flowed through their bodies. This wasn't the first time they had enjoyed the benefits of the upgrade, yet they still let out a soft hum of comfort, their faces showing a look of ecstasy.

Everyone who saw it thought it was incredibly exaggerated. They never imagined that Tom and Jerry had such great acting talent.

Peter drew his sword and tapped each of their shoulders, saying, "Recite the Griffin family motto after me: Fear not the mighty, nor bully the weak. Repay kindness, and settle debts."

"We are not afraid of the powerful, nor do we bully the weak. We repay kindness and debts."

Tom and Jerry snapped out of their reverie, clutching the shield adorned with a griffin design and chanting along loudly, their eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"Ding! Tom's loyalty +5"

"Ding! Jerry's loyalty +5"

.......

"Bodina, Pavlyna, Romeo, step forward!"

Peter continued calling roll.

"I obey your call."

The three responded and knelt on one knee.

"You are the elders of the camp, hardworking and never complaining. Today I bestow upon you coats bearing the crest of the Griffin family, granting you strength, courage, and a heart of protection."

Peter gestured to the old monk, who immediately distributed the three linen coats painted with blue backgrounds and red griffins.

Peter took the opportunity to open the three characters' character panels and add their remaining free attribute points and skill points.

For the first time, the stimulation was even greater, the warm current was stronger, and they groaned comfortably, their faces showing even more ecstasy. When they realized they had overstepped their bounds, they all blushed with embarrassment.

John the Big Mouth and the others exchanged bewildered glances. What had just happened? Was the power of their family crest really that great? Was Tom Jerry just putting on an act?

Peter drew his sword and tapped each of the three men on the shoulder, saying, "Recite the Griffin family motto after me: Fear not the powerful, nor bully the weak. Repay kindness, and settle debts."

"We are not afraid of the powerful, nor do we bully the weak. We repay kindness and debts."

The three recovered from their euphoria and began chanting aloud, feeling even more honored.

"Ding! Bozhenna's loyalty +5"

"Ding! Pavlina's loyalty +5"

"Ding! Romeo's loyalty +5"

.........

"Combat team members, step forward!"

Peter continued calling roll.

"I obey your summons, my lord."

Four official members and ten reserve members stepped forward and knelt on one knee.

"You are the guardians of the camp, my blade, my shield. Today I bestow upon you oak shields bearing the Griffin family crest, granting you strength, courage, and a heart for protection."

Peter gestured to the old monk, who immediately distributed 14 shields, each painted with a blue background and a red griffin.

Peter took the opportunity to give them extra points.

Faced with the sudden boost and a warm current flowing through their bodies, the 14 people were so comfortable that they couldn't resist.

So this is the blessing and power of the emblem from Lord Peter! So powerful! So comforting!

Peter drew his sword and tapped each of them on the shoulder, saying, "Recite the Griffin family motto after me: Fear not the mighty, nor bully the weak. Repay kindness, and settle debts."

"We are not afraid of the powerful, nor do we bully the weak. We repay kindness and debts."

The crowd chanted along loudly, their hearts surging with fighting spirit.

"Ding! Tom's loyalty +5"

"Ding, Andrei's loyalty +5"

.......

Fourteen consecutive messages indicating increased loyalty rang out. Indeed, firsthand experience is the most memorable.

"Doug and Charlie, step forward!"

Peter repeated the process, and Doug and Charlie, their strength enhanced, trembled with excitement. Following Lord Peter was indeed a promising path!

"Ding! Doug's loyalty +10"

"Ding! Charlie's loyalty +5"

The six guards, who had not pledged allegiance, watched the entire process in a daze, unable to empathize with the situation or realize what they had missed.

Finally, the ceremony concluded with the old monk leading the chanting of "Hymn of Thanksgiving." The crowd dispersed, excitedly discussing what they had witnessed; tonight's events were destined to be unforgettable, and they were filled with anticipation for tomorrow's battle.

Just as the old monk was about to leave and return to his wooden hut, a powerful warm current surged through his body. His aged form seemed to spring back to life, bursting with vitality. His muscles, weakened by age, began to swell again, and his dim eyes regained their brightness...

Is this a miracle? No, it's a blessing from Lord Peter!

The old monk turned abruptly, meeting Peter's approving gaze. Old Martin was speechless with excitement; only the aged could truly understand the meaning of a healthy and vibrant body. Peter hadn't blessed me publicly; he must have considered that I was a church monk, representing God, and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to kneel.

That must be it!

"Ding! Monk Martin's loyalty +10"

------

Meanwhile, the oak doors of the Troski City Hall were tightly shut, with candlelight seeping through the cracks, mingling with the smells of cigarettes and alcohol and the sounds of arguing.

"We must split up!" Captain Klaus slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Those bastards from Lower Semi killed my rangers! I've been wanting to wipe out those 'Ulcers' bastards for ages, but you insisted on waiting until the taxes were collected. Now that they're collected, you want to go to that damn Crossroads to catch that bigmouth John?! We might as well split up and take out two thorns at once!"

"idiot!"

Mercenary leader Ace kicked off his chair and stood up. "Splitting our forces? Do you even know how many strongholds that group has? What if they're all one group deliberately diverting our strength?"

"impossible!"

Urban, the leader of the Chamber of Commerce, flipped through the tax invoices on the parchment. "According to intelligence, John the Big Mouth is still selling medicine at the crossroads with only four men, and they don't even have decent weapons. The 'Ulcer' gang is hiding in the northern swamp, with at most ten or so men. We have twenty regular soldiers and have also hired Captain Hans and fifteen strong mercenaries. Even if we split into two groups, it will be enough to crush them."

"Crush them?" Ace sneered. "Excuse my bluntness, but have you ever been on a battlefield? Do you know how different the terrain is between a swamp and an open road? Divide your forces? That's an extremely unwise choice!"

"Damn it, our chamber of commerce pays you to fight, not for you to mock me!" Urban said, his face flushed. "I'm the boss!"

You'll regret it.

Ace, having taken someone's money, couldn't be tough, so he could only snort in protest, turn around, pick up his beer glass, and gulp it down.

"That's enough!"

The Executor Therush slammed his silver cup on the long table, scanned the crowd, and said, "Klaus, I grant you permission to lead a ten-man guard along the Lower Semi route to the Crossroads. You cannot linger until you find that bastard, Ulcer. You must reach the Crossroads and meet us before noon. What do you mean?"

"Ten men it is. Ten elite guards are enough to deal with that rabble of ulcers."

Captain Klaus, eager for revenge, agreed to the arrangement.

"Captain Ace, you're in command of our remaining ten guards, along with your mercenary squad, to advance from the Zheleyov side. You need to allocate manpower effectively and wipe out these bandits who run faster than rabbits! How so?"

"Executive Serusch spoke politely to the somewhat temperamental German mercenary captain," he said.

Captain Ace considered for a moment and said, "Okay. My men are all seasoned veterans with extensive combat experience. They are highly skilled in tracking, ambushing, and killing. We also brought several German Shepherds. Those bandits won't be able to escape our pursuit even if they run into the woods."

After discussing the details, the group finally finalized a complete plan half an hour later.

"Excellent! I propose a toast to our impending victory!"

"Hoo ho, cheers!"

.......

Outside the city hall, Barbara, a tavern maid, carried a barrel of ale and moved along the shadowy wall. She was barefoot, her footsteps silent on the stone slabs.

Her keen ears caught every word of the plans of everyone in the room.

"This German mercenary force that just arrived tonight is definitely a threat. I need to get the message out."

Barbara quietly slipped away and hurriedly left the tavern to find Vasek and Mikhail's house, where she gave them the information.

"Thank you, Barbara. This is five pfennigs. The information you provided was very valuable."

Vasek and Mikhail took this intelligence very seriously and quickly expressed their gratitude.

Barbara asked, "What are you planning to do? They're going to make their move first thing tomorrow morning."

"We need to deliver the message tonight."

"I've made up my mind," Vasek said.

Mikhail shrugged and said, "But we can't find any herbalists even if we go to Zhelyov now."

"Don't worry, Mr. Jerry told me about an emergency contact point, saying I can find him there if there's any breaking news," Vasek said. "I'll set off now, taking advantage of the night to avoid the night watchmen. Mikhail, you'll cover for me tomorrow; we'll meet at the sheepfold in Takhov village during the day."

"There are not only night watchmen, but also wolves. I'll go with you; if we encounter any danger, I can break their legs for you."

Mikhail swung his fist.

Barbara was puzzled and asked, "Why are you all going to such lengths to help that person? Is it worth it?"

Vasek and Mikhal shook their heads and said, "You don't understand, Barbara. He's the one who pulled us out of despair, the light in our lives. You'd be captivated by him just by seeing him, and willing to fight him to the death."

"You mean John the Big Mouth?" Barbara asked curiously.

"No, it's Sir Peter."