Losa furrowed his brow, saying, "How could that be? Which nobles have you treated? Haven't they spread your name?"

In Losa's expectations, as long as Urding used his divine skills to heal the injuries and ailments of several noble lords, he would immediately become a sought-after figure within the circle of nobility.

No one can guarantee they'll never have injuries or ailments!

By then, donations would flow continuously, and in no time, the Order could develop into a medium-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 treatment—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 moment, 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 moment, meeting Losa's gaze.

"Is there something else you wish to say?"

Urding coughed lightly, his expression slightly awkward.

"My lord, regarding the donations?"

Losa seemed 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 time—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 equipment 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 moment, then replied, "I will follow your will. If you wish the Order to transform, I will do it..."

Losa interrupted him, "I don't mean that—the tithe from Alandler will be given to you as donations; use this money sparingly."

As the Alandler Bishopric, it enjoys numerous tax-exempt privileges. Donating the tithe to Urding's Order, in essence, meant 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 same horse, which even later became 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 means as large as the current Saint Lazarus Order."

"But their poverty and devotion quickly brought them immense wealth."

Losa said earnestly:

"The Order has poverty now, what's lacking is merely devotion."

Urding said gravely, "My lord, I understand your meaning, 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 me."

He couldn't bring himself to say, to let those patients fend for themselves, or to switch to more 'devote' means.

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 same 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 treatment.

Looking at those mothers holding children with sallow faces, brothers carrying terminally ill sisters, emaciated and coughing heart-wrenchingly, hunched over, middle-aged men 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 me doing a good deed."

This time, the military expenses for his expedition to Eira Port and Alandler alone were enough to sustain the Order's operations for a long time.

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 investment, 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 name 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, some 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 garment.

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 supplements—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 commerce, 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 some 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 become 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 farmers.

…

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 smell to try to distinguish the scents on the passersby.

He had come 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 outcome for his fellow would likely be failure.

The consequence of failure is the unsealing of the demon—harboring immense hatred against the Warsaw Demon Hunter School, unleashing ceaseless revenge upon them.

He must stop his fellow.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.