Enough ti had passed since the Proclamation of Industry, to the point where the authorities of the Catholic Church had gathered in Aachen at its famous Imperial Cathedral.
There they began to squabble about the ongoing market disruptions that were of pressing concern.
Ragnar's "Productivity Gospel" was far more popular than they had initially estimated, especially after the revelation that the Church's "holy water" was just unfiltered river water, while Ragnar's water ca from a sanitized pump.
As such, this was the most important concern which they discussed at the gathering.
Pope Leo IV, as always, had started the eting by shouting at anyone who opposed his fiscal policy.
Though he called this eting ahead of schedule to address the Industrial Reformation and the Schism between the warring Catholic monarchs, he was not a diplomatic man.
He was currently engaged in a debate with King Charles the Bald of Frankia over what should be done about the matter.
"If we do not nd our differences, this heresy being called the 'Directorate' will sweep across Christendom like a liquidity crisis!"
However, King Charles was in disagreent; after all, Ragnar had labeled it the Iron Empire. After the last disastrous crusade, the Frankish King had gathered quite a bit of information on Ragnar.
As far as he could tell, Ragnar's ambitions solely lay within the British Isles.
Thus he did not accept the notion that this Reformation was designed for anything more than England. Thus he was certain to voice his opinion on the matter.
"Ragnar and his pet priest Aethelwold have labeled this the Church of Progress. Why should I care what those island savages believe? The Caliphate is burning my southern border, not the Vikings!"
King Charles, as always, was drinking from a jeweled goblet while making his opinion well heard.
Though he was not as abrasive as Leo, he was equally short-sighted, not realizing that allowing the Industrial Reformation to fester could allow newer branches of economics to pop up and further challenge Feudal Authority.
These two n were both proclaiming themselves to be the central figure of authority for the defense of Christendom, and as such, were constantly at one another's throats.
Pope Leo, as always, was flushed with rage; his face was practically the color of his crimson robes as he shouted at Charles once more.
"Not your problem! The tithes of every English peasant are at risk to this heresy. Do you not care about the Church's revenue stream?"
King Charles rely smirked smugly in response to Leo's accusations.
He could not very well admit his utter contempt for paying taxes to Ro; after all, such a declaration would be unbefitting of a man who proclaid himself a Defender of the Faith.
However, he could not reject the claim in good conscience, as doing so would compromise his treasury. This action, of course, further enraged Leo, who struggled to contain his growing wrath.
Seeing the direction in which the eting was heading toward, one of the Archbishops present imdiately raised a major concern.
After all, the voice of reason who normally convinced these two to behave themselves was no longer present, for Bishop Aethelwold had switched sides and joined the Directorate.
"Bishop Aethelwold is no longer with us, and as such, we should take ti to consider the consequences of having a high-ranking cleric join this heresy known as the Industrial Reformation."
Seeing that the discussion was switched in another direction, the Pope and the King decided to put aside their differences for the ti being and address this concern. Pope Leo's reaction was quite extraordinary.
"We should capture all of the English Bishops and interrogate them to find out whether or not they have sympathies for this 'Efficiency'! It is the only way to ensure that more of them do not flock to this so-called Progress."
King Charles, on the other hand, was once more outraged over Leo's ideas.
Though the Pope led the spiritual world, the Kingdom of Frankia had always been an important factor in the Church's stability.
In Charles's view, if they were to discriminate against the English clergy who had shown no sign of heresy, then they would be driving more people into the arms of Ragnar, thus weakening the authority of not only the Vatican but also the feudal system itself.
Of course, the only person who would benefit from such an outco would be Louis the German, the King of East Francia, whose influence stretched to the Rhine and who had a long-standing rivalry with Charles.
As such, Charles quickly responded to this idea with contempt.
"You would like that wouldn't you, Your Holiness? Drive the English into Ragnar's arms so you can declare a Crusade against them and demand my knights to fight it!"
Pope Leo, of course, was adjusting his mitre when he denied the accusations against him.
"I am sure I have no idea what you are talking about, Charles. I only care for souls, not soldiers."
The result of this brief exchange caused the entire council to result in chaos as the cardinals and dukes who gathered all began to scream at each other and hurl insults about tax evasion and nepotism.
Eventually, a loud clacking noise appeared across the room, instantly silencing all of the banter.
When the cardinals and nobles searched for who was responsible for the noise, they noticed a Cardinal tapping a heavy wooden staff on the marble floor.
He was scowling at all of them as if they were a bunch of incompetent middle managers.
After staring down the crowd of clergyn and kings for so ti, Cardinal Humbert finally voiced his opinion on the matter.
"It has beco increasingly clear to that neither Leo nor Charles are fit to lead this crisis; thus, what I propose is simple. Both of you, two imbeciles, sit down and shut up, and allow us to form a Grand Coalition, one that is actually capable of combatting the crisis in which we find ourselves!"
Leo and Charles imdiately protested this option. However, they found little support in the room.
"Absolutely not! I am the Vicar of Christ!"
"Who are you calling an imbecile? I am the King of the Franks!"
Yet, not a single voice defended them among the crowd; the two n finally realized that their stock value had plumted. Last year this council was split into two sides that supported either the Pope or the King.
However, now, after the debacle of the failed Crusade and the loss of the southern border, not a single nobleman within the room was in support of either of these prospective leaders.
Cardinal Humbert, who voiced this option, stared nacingly at the two leaders and chastised them like children.
"Roland died because he followed your orders! He died because you sent him to fight a machine with a prayer! If neither of you is willing to adapt, then you leave us with no choice.
We will form a Holy League of Defense and sideline both of your personal ambitions. For once in your lives, you two should do what is best for the Market—I an, the Church!"
After such a verbal thrashing, both Leo and Charles looked at each other with helpless expressions; ultimately, Charles was the first to speak.
"I voluntarily cede operational command of the Southern Front to the League... provided I do not have to pay for the rcenaries."
With Charles's concession, all that remained was Leo. As such, the entire Council of Aachen stared at him with intimidating eyes before finally the man broke from the pressure and bent to their will.
"I... I will bless the League. But I retain the right to excommunicate anyone who uses a steam engine."
With that, the two leaders sat down in their seats and admitted defeat. They may be a pair of incompetent fools. Still, even they could realize when they lacked a majority vote.
If they refused to cooperate, they would be forced by the Coalition out of their positions and wander the world as irrelevant figureheads.
Thus, the Council would form a Committee of Public Safety in the upcoming month, where a single Strategist would be elected and placed in command of the Catholic defense for years to co.
Whether or not this Strategist would be more competent than Roland was yet to be known, but it was a good start on the path to recovery.
Though they solved one of the major issues of contention, two major issues presented themselves, which needed to be thoroughly discussed.
The ongoing Industrial Reformation and the Caliphate's war in Spain. As such, the Council had only begun to solve the current crisis the Catholic Church was going through.
***
anwhile, in City Titan
While the Council of Aachen was ongoing, Ragnar and his allies in the Directorate had made great plans to secure the regions in which their movent had taken a foothold. Northumbria, of course, was as secure as a region could beco in this chaotic age yet Ragnar's neighbors would need so assistance, and the young Director was more than happy to capitalize on such a venture.
Ragnar sat in his office, his silver-geared cane resting against the desk.
He was looking at a map of Scotland.
"The Scots have coal," Ragnar mused, tapping the map with a compass. "But they lack the infrastructure to extract it efficiently."
Gyda, sitting across from him, looked up from a ledger.
"I'm suggesting a Consultancy Firm. We send engineers to Scotland. We build their mines. We build their rails. And in exchange..."
"In exchange, we own 51% of the stock," Gyda finished, smiling.
"Precisely."
Just then, the door opened, and Vizier Al-Hakam walked in. He looked concerned.
"Director," Al-Hakam said. "My spies in Aachen tell the Catholics are forming a League. They have stopped fighting each other to fight the Moors."
Ragnar leaned back in his chair.
"That ans the pressure on your southern border is about to increase, Vizier."
"It does," Al-Hakam agreed. "The Caliph is requesting the Ironclad. Is it ready?"
Ragnar looked out the window toward the dry-dock, where the massive hull of Project: Leviathan was being plated with rivets.
"The hull is finished," Ragnar said. "But the engine... the engine needs a stress test."
Ragnar stood up, grabbing his cane.
"Let's go down to the docks. I think it's ti we showed the world what happens when you put a locomotive on water."
As the trio walked out of the office, Ragnar felt a sense of anticipation. The Boardroom Shuffle in Aachen had bought him ti. The Catholics were distracted. The Moors were engaged.
And the Iron Empire was about to launch its IPO on the high seas.
"One more thing, Director," Al-Hakam added. "The Pope... he declared that steam is the breath of Satan."
Ragnar laughed, a low, chanical sound that echoed in the hallway.
"Let him preach, Vizier.."
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