A Hospital in Another World?-Chapter 888: Holy City of Radiance: How to Fight the Next Battle?

The kingdom's army, attempting to besiege, attack, and uproot the city of Ostend, met with disaster.

After the kingdom's army joined forces with the troops from the Six Connected Cities, they finally managed to obtain supplies. However, given that maritime routes were mostly unusable and land routes required long detours, the supplies they obtained were just enough to establish a camp and launch an attack that was neither too fierce nor too perfunctory.

Unfortunately, a large batch of supplies was held up in Ostend. The city lords and archbishops, led by the city of Carayas, were not willing to dip into their own pockets to fully supply the kingdom's army. They only provided basic provisions, enough for a few days of sustenance. If the kingdom's army wanted more, they would have to take it from Ostend themselves.

Duke Flamenco had no choice. Even if he didn't want to fight, he had to put on a show of doing so. After all, with the emissaries from the Holy City of Radiance arriving soon, he couldn't afford to be tied to the stake on their arrival day.

"If I am to be burned at the stake, I'll take you down with me first!" Duke Flamenco roared in the military tent. Behind him, a Level 15 Sky Knight stepped forward, silently gripping his sword, eyes full of disdain.

The message was clear: if a massacre were to start, he, the highest combat power of the duke's family, would ensure it physically.

The appearance of the Sky Knight was indeed intimidating. Unlike ordinary knights, Sky Knights could hover for prolonged periods without relying on any special techniques or magical equipment. This meant that no matter how one fled, the Sky Knight could fly, find, and eliminate them in no time.

Under such a powerful military threat, those soldiers who originally wanted to flee or revolt had no choice but to grudgingly comply. Slacking off and doing shoddy work was permissible, but outright desertion or rebellion was a pipe dream.

The kingdom's army had no choice but to form a semi-encirclement around Ostend and launch probing attacks. Crossing lakes, traversing ditches, and wading through marshes (where several people drowned), they finally reached outside the city, only to be met with an unexpected blow:

When did this trench appear here?

And why were there so many people hiding in the trench?!

Behind the trench, there was a row of fortresses, and from the holes in these fortresses, cold gleams flashed as a volley of alchemical crossbows shot out...

Duke Flamenco fled in disarray, leaving behind thousands of corpses. Only the necromancer hiding in the fortress raised his telescope, salivating over the bodies:

Corpses!

Corpses!

So many corpses!

Unfortunately, the distance was too great to retrieve them all, and even if they could, there was no way to process and transport them all back immediately...

The capacity of space bags was limited!

It felt like losing a billion! Such heartache~~~

Unable to advance or retreat, Duke Flamenco could only regroup his troops and maintain a siege stance outside the city. He fought a bit today, a bit tomorrow, all while eagerly awaiting the arrival of the grand army from the Holy City of Radiance, as if praying for rain during a drought...

The Holy City of Radiance was in an uproar. The Pope, high above, remained silent, and the Grand Inquisitor and the leader of the Holy Knights did not speak either. Below them, seven or eight cardinals slammed their hands on the table, causing a commotion.

But the most agitated were not they, but a group of furious ascetics. One hand on the table, the other pointing forward, almost poking the Inquisition's members in the nose:

"Violence, violence, violence! All you know is violence! Whether they are from Nederland or Ostend, most of them are God's lambs! To wield the butcher's knife against the lambs, what kind of heart do you have?"

"In a year of great calamity, when God's people cannot survive, we should be opening our granaries to the fullest, providing relief to gather the faith and gratitude of the people! But now, instead of relief, you want to use troops, and once troops are used, there's consumption, and with consumption, comes looting!"

"Your Grace..." one of the black-robed cardinals from the Inquisition smiled apologetically:

"You walk within the Holy City, seeing mostly those under the direct radiance, perhaps you haven't seen how cunning those Nederlanders are... They only recognize money and wealth. If you give them money, they would even sell their souls to the devil..."

"Bah!" Another ascetic spat right in his face:

"As if no one else has seen it! Not just Nederland, I've been to the Black Gate Peninsula, the New World, even the Kingdom of Kent! I've entered Nevis City several times!"

He extended his hand, turning it back and forth, showing the two missing fingers on his right hand to the black-robed cardinal:

"The poorest people are the same everywhere. Whoever gives them food, they will thank; whoever lets them survive the calamity, they will believe in! Look at this, what is this? Hmm, what is this?"

The black-robed cardinals of the Inquisition exchanged glances, none daring to speak.

This ascetic was originally from the Inquisition, severely injured during a mission and fell into the wilderness, discovered by two New World natives. Knowing he was doomed, he used his last strength to heal one of the natives, then fell unconscious.

Unexpectedly, those natives, grateful, carried him out of the wilderness and to their tribe. The ascetic stayed in the native tribe for a winter, preaching the Radiant Lord's teachings daily, healing them, guiding their training, and identifying herbs...

Eventually, he converted them to the glory of the Lord, achieving enlightenment himself, left the Inquisition, and became an ascetic. From then on, he roamed the lands in a simple robe and with a wooden staff, healing and preaching to the poor.

In thirty years, he advanced from a Level 8 priest to Level 18, surpassing all the contemporaries within the Inquisition, almost ready to inherit the mantle of "Holy Saint on Earth" and step into the legendary realm.

And these two fingers were lost during that mission. Even though he had mastered regeneration magic, he refused to restore his fingers, saying it was to forever remember the Lord's revelation to him.

Such devotion and achievements made the black-robed cardinals wary of contradicting him. A cardinal sitting in the back row murmured:

"But the rebels must be suppressed—"

"Who forced them to rebel?!" The eight-fingered ascetic immediately turned to the speaker:

"The loot, half of it for war, the other half into whose pockets? You all know well! —Saracon, didn't you get a manor outside Avila?"

"You slander me!"

"I only see the results!"

The elder ascetic, "Holy Saint on Earth" Lord Carnino, sat at the table, his face darker than the Pope's. The Pope had to cough lightly and slowly speak:

"With the enemy at hand, now is not the time to pursue these matters. Today, we discuss: first, should the strategy towards Nederland be adjusted?"

"Yes!"

"No!"

Several voices answered simultaneously, and the people on both sides of the table glared at each other. The Pope tapped his wooden staff:

"Speak slowly, one by one. Those who say yes, why?"

He glanced at a junior ascetic sitting next to Elder Carnino, who bowed slightly in greeting. He spoke softly, his voice like a song:

"Wherever the radiance shines, there are the Lord's people. As shepherds, we should fulfill our duties, lead them to lush pastures, provide them with clean water, and drive away wolves and snakes for them. Unless they flee, we should not whip them without cause."

"But they have already been enticed by snakes." Opposite, a black-robed cleric replied coldly. The ascetic did not raise his eyelids:

"God's lambs are weak, which is why they need us shepherds. However, if we treat them as wolves and snakes, it will only force them to grow horns and hooves, or worse, drive them to the devil."

"The Lord's people are the foundation of the church." Another cleric, dressed in a gold-embroidered white robe with many patterns, added:

"I initially agreed to thunderous means, believing it could quickly expel the devils hidden among the lambs. But now, the Lord's people have suffered too much... We should embrace them, comfort them, and lead them back to the righteous path."

"If they hadn't rebelled, I would also agree to take them back. But the Nederlanders have raised the flag of rebellion and openly sided with heretics and heathens. The Lord's thunder and sword must strike the rebels!"

"The Lord said: I see filth in this city, its people rebellious and wicked. I shall rain fire and brimstone to cleanse this city." The Pope recited the scripture, slowly making his judgment:

"In times of suffering and pain, people can pray in the church and call upon the Lord. But openly raising the flag of rebellion, colluding with heretics, and harboring heresies is a grave insult to the Lord. The Radiance above cannot tolerate these people."

"The Radiance above."

"The Radiance above!"

The clergy bowed their heads in agreement. Even Elder Carnino, the ascetic elder, lowered his head slightly, fingering his wooden prayer beads silently. The Pope continued:

"The second issue: what stance should the church take regarding the demands of

the central nobility of the Brolin Kingdom?"

"Let what belongs to the Lord be the Lord's, and what belongs to the king be the king's." This time, the leader of the Holy Knights spoke in a deep voice:

"The Holy City only cares about faith in the Lord and does not intervene in worldly disputes. As long as those nobles are devout to the Radiant Lord, their pursuit of earthly power is a matter between the king and the nobles."

The Pope slightly lowered his eyelids, neither nodding nor shaking his head. The Grand Inquisitor immediately said:

"But at this time, their pursuit of power cuts off the kingdom's army's retreat!"

"That brings us to the third issue: how should the church respond to the rebellion in Ostend and the damage to the Divine Array?"

An awkward silence ensued.

Ostend, having openly raised the flag of rebellion, should certainly be suppressed with thunderous means; but with the Radiant Holy Sword failing in its strike, stronger holy forces were required next.

And holy power either came from strong individuals and holy artifacts dispatched from the Holy City of Radiance or from the prayers and support of local believers...

And local believers' prayers largely depended on the attitude of local lords. The lords, the central nobles of the Brolin Kingdom, were now colluding to gain more power—perhaps to establish a kingdom or to become semi-independent from Brolin...

"I suggest sending two or three golden-robed archbishops with high-level holy artifacts to enact divine punishment."

"I suggest sending a large army. There are high-level mages involved on the other side. If divine punishment fails, or during the period of weakness after casting divine spells, we can't withstand legendary attacks."

"I suggest first gathering local public sentiment and proceeding slowly. After the summer harvest, the people's hearts will gradually return once they catch a breath."

"I suggest..."