Losa furrowed his brow, saying, "How could that be? Which nobles have you treated? Haven't they spread your na?"
In Losa's expectations, as long as Urding used his divine skills to heal the injuries and ailnts of several noble lords, he would imdiately beco a sought-after figure within the circle of nobility.
No one can guarantee they'll never have injuries or ailnts!
By then, donations would flow continuously, and in no ti, the Order could develop into a dium-sized military monastery not inferior to the Teutonic Order.
And Losa would also gain a strong ally in the theological community.
Urding shook his head, "Not many are willing to accept my treatnt—the King has yet to disclose that he has already recovered.
Moreover, those who are cured also believe I use witchcraft, and to avoid provoking slander from rivals, no one wishes to publicize it—yet the consultation fees are substantial. If not for this, the Order wouldn't have sustained till now."
Losa furrowed his brow, pondering for a mont, then said, "Perhaps only when the next war erupts will they understand the significance of the Redemption Order's existence."
"I have other matters. In the coming days, there's a high chance I'll maneuver you into the position of Bishop of the Alandler Bishopric. Of course, you still need to remain in the Holy Land, develop the Order, and simultaneously maintain the King's health."
Losa stood up, preparing to bid farewell to Urding.
"I understand."
Urding remained silent for a mont, eting Losa's gaze.
"Is there sothing else you wish to say?"
Urding coughed lightly, his expression slightly awkward.
"My lord, regarding the donations?"
Losa seed to have been waiting for Urding to speak, and he sat back down in the chair.
Leisurely, he asked, "Donations aren't an issue, but I need to know what benefits I would receive?"
Urding furrowed his brow and said, "My lord, all the Defender Knights can fight for you at any ti—isn't that a benefit?"
"No, that's not enough. If I want to expand my military strength, there are more cost-effective and efficient ways than this."
The Imperial Knights under his command, aside from needing to provide their equipnt themselves, required no salary and could also help govern a domain; they were simply excellent value for the cost.
Losa shook his head, "Urding, do you really want to develop the Saint Lazarus Redemption Order into a charity organization?"
Urding was silent for a mont, then replied, "I will follow your will. If you wish the Order to transform, I will do it..."
Losa interrupted him, "I don't an that—the tithe from Alandler will be given to you as donations; use this money sparingly."
As the Alandler Bishopric, it enjoys nurous tax-exempt privileges. Donating the tithe to Urding's Order, in essence, ant giving what should have been handed over to the Jerusalem Church to Urding.
Equivalent to not spending a single coin.
But Losa had initially placed Urding in the bishop position of Alandler to save money.
So, he still suffered a loss.
"Thank you, my lord."
Urding said solemnly, "I thank you on behalf of those poor pilgrims, for your generosity."
Losa extended his hand, stopping Urding's attempt to kneel on one knee.
"Urding, when the Templar Order was first established, every two knights had to ride the sa horse, which even later beca evidence for the King of France to accuse them of homosexuality.
I want to say that their poverty surpassed yours—even at their earliest, their scale was by no ans as large as the current Saint Lazarus Order."
"But their poverty and devotion quickly brought them imnse wealth."
Losa said earnestly:
"The Order has poverty now, what's lacking is rely devotion."
Urding said gravely, "My lord, I understand your aning, but I cannot stand by and see these pilgrims suffer, without using what they see as herbology that equates with witchcraft."
Losa's fingers gently tapped the table, "Perhaps you should seek help from His Majesty, rather than ."
He couldn't bring himself to say, to let those patients fend for themselves, or to switch to more 'devote' ans.
For instance, using bloodletting instead of herbs—in Losa's view, it was no different from murder.
"In any case, Urding, your insistence on your path might not be wrong; the Templar, Hospital, and Teutonic Orders have already paved the way, and taking the sa path would yield even less for us."
"I'm leaving."
Losa stood up, bidding farewell to Urding.
Urding gazed at Losa's departing figure, a pang of bitterness surfacing in his heart.
"Although the Lord stands in darkness, the light in his heart truly surpasses the vast majority of people in this era."
He murmured softly, and involuntarily felt a pang of guilt in his heart.
…
A notification sound indicating increased intimacy echoed in his ears.
But Losa didn't pay much attention, as he brushed past the endless stream of pilgrims coming to the Order for treatnt.
Looking at those mothers holding children with sallow faces, brothers carrying terminally ill sisters, emaciated and coughing heart-wrenchingly, hunched over, middle-aged n with faces full of weariness...
And those ascetics wearing protective masks made of multilayered linen, most of whom were patients previously cured for free by the Order.
They busily walked among the crowd, inquiring about illnesses, guiding them to different consultation rooms, the green cross on their chests shining brilliantly in the sunlight.
The gloomy mood from a bad business deal he made suddenly felt much better.
"Sigh, let's just consider it as doing a good deed."
This ti, the military expenses for his expedition to Eira Port and Alandler alone were enough to sustain the Order's operations for a long ti.
But leading troops on an expedition involved not only costs but also returns.
If Losa was willing to sell the title of Baron of Eira Port to Baron Argon of Petra, not only could he recover his investnt, but also earn a considerable extra profit.
This was after Eira Port was previously pillaged by Zane, who fled with a bucket first.
This hasn't even accounted for Alandler City.
And donating to the Saint Lazarus Order, that was purely a donation, without leaving a good na behind.
European nobles are keen on donating to the Hospital Knight Order and the Templar Order precisely for the reputation of being "devout believers", aren't they?
It is said that the Templar Order's Great Treasury has heaps of gold coins, more than they can use.
Truly, so suffer from drought while others suffer from floods.
After Losa reunited with Prajna and Furinjira, the trio headed towards the foot of Temple Mount.
Along the way, there were still many low-class pilgrims to be seen.
Many of them resemble the poor Crusaders Losa saw in the Austrian Border Region.
Each dressed in rags, leaning on crutches made of wooden rods, without a single intact garnt.
Having endured countless hardships, countless travelers have died on the way.
Thinking they'd escape poverty to live in abundance upon reaching the Holy Land, the land flowing with milk and honey, but it's nowhere near that simple.
The bread regularly distributed by the Church barely fills the belly.
Unless one is lucky enough to encounter a lord who has lost many vassals and seeks to recruit peasant slaves as supplents—yet the land of the Holy Land is not fertile, and the number of peasant slaves it can support is actually very limited.
The prosperity of the Kingdom of Jerusalem stems from comrce, not farming.
Watching this scene, Losa mused.
"When Kurs returns to Jerusalem to manage the matters of the armor shop and print workshop, he may recruit so pilgrims to build New Habsburg."
With the thriving growth of the Tree of Life, the hydrological conditions around New Habsburg have greatly improved, and the oasis is rapidly devouring the desert.
Soon, Losa will obtain a vast swathe of fertile land, which will require manpower to cultivate.
The population migrated from Alandler is insufficient to fill New Habsburg.
Then these impoverished pilgrims recruited from Jerusalem may conveniently beco the vassals of New Habsburg.
This is a mutually beneficial move.
With Kurs's capability, surely he can discern who are vicious desperados and who are genuinely honest farrs.
…
Demon Hunter Anahad stood at the foot of Temple Mount, observing the endless stream of pilgrims coming and going.
His expression was solemn, using his vampire's powerful sense of sll to try to distinguish the scents on the passersby.
He had co to Temple Mount with Count Losa, but had not ascended it.
As Losa told him, this fellow Demon Hunter school exile held a demon's seal and was attempting to unseal the demon to contain it within himself.
Yet Anahad was well aware that the outco for his fellow would likely be failure.
The consequence of failure is the unsealing of the demon—harboring imnse hatred against the Warsaw Demon Hunter School, unleashing ceaseless revenge upon them.
He must stop his fellow.
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