Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

5 month 21 day.

As night fell, the central campfire roared to life. Peter ordered the second "Holy Communion Blessing Ceremony" since the camp's founding—not only a testament to faith but also a demonstration of Peter's authority.

In the center of the square, there is a wooden platform on which wine, silver cups, and unleavened bread are placed.

On the high platform, the old monk Martin, dressed in a black priest's robe, presided over the ceremony, while Peter, clad in armor, stood beside him.

The first item on the agenda was the singing of hymns and the recitation of the Bible.

"Eat Peter's food, wear Peter's clothes, take Peter's axe, and suffer Peter's torments. God is watching over us, and sins are being cleansed; it is all thanks to the Lord. Amen."

"Amen!"

"Amen!"

"Praise be to God, thank you Peter!"

"Praise be to God, thank you Peter!"

There were only a dozen or so people at the first "Holy Communion Blessing Ceremony," but now, a month later, the audience is packed with over a hundred people. The old monk looked at the crowd with satisfaction and led everyone in singing the "Hymn of Thanksgiving" in Czech dialect.

Bojina, Pavlyna, Tom, Jerry, Romeo, Doug, and Charlie—a group of seven—stood solemnly below the stage. As camp elders who had participated in the first communion ceremony, they quietly shared their experiences of receiving communion with those around them.

Soon, the second part of the ceremony began: receiving Holy Communion and giving thanks for divine grace.

The old monk Martin took out a tattered Bible, spread it open in front of his chest, and began to speak in Latin in a way that no one could understand.

The audience didn't understand, but they thought it was amazing. Everyone bowed their heads, put their hands together, and silently recited the name of the Lord, asking Him to forgive their sins and not punish them by sending them to hell to suffer.

After ten minutes of devout prayer, it was time for communion. The old monk picked up a wooden plate containing many egg-sized unleavened breads and distributed them one by one, saying "Christ bless you" with each one he gave.

The person receiving the meal replied, "Thanks be to God."

The old monk distributed the gifts to every single one of the hundreds of people, which moved them deeply.

Then the old monk picked up the wine bottle, poured two glasses of wine, one for himself and one for Peter.

Then he raised the bread and wine, shouting, "This is my body, this is my blood!"

The audience looked up in awe.

"My body was given for you, I suffered for you; my blood was shed for you, to cleanse your sins. Amen."

"Amen!"

The audience lowered their heads and put the wheat cakes on their tongues.

The old monk and Peter did the same, raising their glasses of wine and drinking together. Everyone felt a great sense of satisfaction. Just when they thought the ceremony was about to end, they noticed that all the camp elders continued in their prayer positions. Puzzled, they saw the old monk refill Peter's glass.

Peter raised his silver cup filled with wine and said, “For centuries, only the church and nobles were entitled to taste the blood of Christ. They slandered us, saying that commoners neither knew nor were worthy of it. But I have been blessed by God, who said that while there may be high and low social status, the souls are equal and free. The Eucharist is God’s gaze upon the souls of believers; under His gaze, all souls are equal, and all people can share the wine and bread in the Eucharist!”

Peter's words sent chills down the spines of those who joined the camp later.

"Are we worthy to drink the blood of God?"

That's wonderful.

Are all souls equal in God's eyes?

"We believe in Sir Peter; he is the true messenger spreading the gospel of God!"

The crowd below the stage was buzzing with discussion, whispering amongst themselves, their spirits high.

"quiet!"

Peter raised his hand to signal, and everyone immediately stopped talking. He continued, "I am a knight blessed by God, acting on God's will. I must set things right and restore the Eucharist to its original form."

Then Peter slowly walked down from the platform, offering each person a glass of wine, saying, "With my blood, I will wash away your sins."

Praise be to Christ!

Whether they were veterans who shared the wine and cakes for the second time or newcomers who shared them for the first time, everyone was deeply moved. Tasting the wine's tartness, they felt their entire souls were elevated.

All of the more than one hundred people in the camp tasted the wine, including some of the children.

Afterwards, everyone spontaneously sang "The Song of Gratitude" again.

The third part of the ceremony then proceeds: offering loyalty and bestowing blessings.

Peter returned to the platform, longsword at his waist, standing in the firelight like a divine messenger. The old monk Martin, sensing the danger, left the platform, preparing his shield adorned with a red griffin.

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 waved his hand, and a three-meter-long square flag reappeared in his hand. He waved it twice, and a red griffin on the flag moved in 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 heart 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.

Some of the newcomers were excited. They had long heard that the Red Griffin family crest contained great power. Could they also obtain it?

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

"Tom, Jerry... John... step forward!"

Peter called out more than a dozen names, all of whom had distinguished themselves in the last battle and had gained experience and leveled up.

"I obey your call."

More than a dozen people responded and knelt on one knee.

"The Griffin family rewards merit and punishes wrongdoing. I remember your achievements, and now I bestow upon you even greater strength and courage, hoping that you will be even more determined to protect what you have done."

Peter opened their character panels and quickly allocated points. Everyone once again experienced that irresistible, exhilarating feeling. So, as long as they continued to perform meritorious deeds, they could continue to receive blessings?

Rewarded, everyone's eyes lit up, and they couldn't wait to rush down the mountain, fight the lord's army, and make new contributions.

"Carter the Tomcat, Conrad Wolff, Van Cleef the Mask, Ace the Hound, and Klaus, step forward!"

Peter called out names again.

"I obey your call!"

The five of them knelt on one knee, just like the others had done before.

"You five have pledged your allegiance to me; therefore, you should be diligent, self-disciplined, and courageous in your endeavors. I hereby bestow upon you a set of armor, a weapon, and an oak shield."

Peter gestured to the old monk, who immediately distributed the armor, weapons, and two oak shields painted with blue backgrounds and red griffins.

Peter took the opportunity to open the five characters' character panels, using a small portion of their remaining free attribute points and skill points, and reserving the majority for future rewards.

A warm current surged through their entire body, and a comfortable feeling instantly rushed from their heels to the top of their heads. They couldn't help but let out soft moans, and their faces showed a look of intoxication.

"Is this what a blessing is?!"

The five were filled with turmoil. The tomcat was excited that his swordsmanship could improve again; Conrad was moved that he had finally found hope of uncovering the Knights' conspiracy; Oda regretted not pledging allegiance sooner; Ace and Klaus suddenly realized why they had been defeated before, because they had actually fought against warriors blessed by the gods.

Who are God's warriors and the people of His law?

Now they finally have the answer.

Peter drew his sword and tapped each of the five men on the shoulder, saying, "Recite the Griffin family motto after me: Fear not the powerful, do not bully the weak. Repay kindness, pay debts."

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

The five men snapped out of their reverie, clutching the shield adorned with a griffin design, and chanted along loudly, their eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"Ding! Male cat's loyalty +5"

"Ding! Conrad's loyalty +5"

.......

Five consecutive reminders sounded, making Peter nod in satisfaction. These were all potential winners.

The others watched with envy, their hearts filled with trepidation, wondering if they would be chosen.

Peter then repeated the process, rewarding all 43 members of the carpentry team who had access to the panel with weapons and armor, and then incorporating them into the combat group as reserve members. The combat group quickly became the largest group in the camp, with 16 full-time members clad in heavy armor and 43 reserve members equipped with chainmail, all of whom had close combat experience. Peter also prioritized training them in swordsmanship, archery, and other combat skills.

Next, the panel of peasant characters with a loyalty level of 60 or higher from the agricultural militia was opened. Sauerkraut Pepa, Lucky Lak, Pig Herder Peak, and more than sixty militia men were all selected.

"Ding! Pepa's loyalty +10"

"Ding! Lak's loyalty +10"

"Ding, Peak's loyalty +10."

..........

No wonder later generations of regular armies preferred to train sons of good families, because bandits had to be reformed, while sons of good families were mostly loyal.

"Peter! Redeemer! Red Griffin!"

The bonfire blazed high, and everyone shouted in unison. The sounds of singing, drumming, and cheering mingled together, echoing through the mountains for a long time.