To be fair, Allen does not object to Silver Moon Monastery's approach.
The problem is that the town's finances are tight, and the limited funds have to be invested in construction, so it really can't afford the protection fee!
Silver Moon Monastery must first take the money, and then send people to protect it. If you don't see a rabbit, you won't scatter an eagle.
Allen cannot agree with this approach!
Let’s go on credit first, even if we add a little interest!
While collecting protection fees, we can also collect savings and lend money, and develop the banking industry. Wouldn't it be the best of both worlds?
Unfortunately, Silver Moon Monastery lacks financial thinking and is too rigid on this issue.
Far less intelligent than the Knights Templar in Allen's previous life.
The orcs and the monastery are just desperate for money.
There is another, more dangerous force that has also quietly infiltrated into the town.
They don't charge protection fees, they extort souls!
On the afternoon of the day he returned to town, Allen, accompanied by Teacher Sola, went to the Municipal Square to meet with the spokesperson of the third force.
A simple pulpit was erected in the square, surrounded by crowds of people, most of whom were women and children.
On the pulpit stood a young man wearing a black sacrificial robe.
This boy has a smooth face and a pretty face, and his eloquence is quite good.
Preaching in front of hundreds of people, he was full of passion and very motivating!
The women in the audience were mesmerized by what they heard.
Whenever the young missionary finished telling a gospel story, they would fold their hands on their chests and pray in unison, as if they had been brainwashed.
Allen noticed that the missionary's robe was embroidered with a conspicuous emblem:
Under the red full moon, a bat spreads its wings.
The red moon represents Red Moon Island.
Bats represent the "bat-man" branch of animal worship, which worships Charon, the "god of death".
Charon, one of the four gods of Zoroastrianism.
He is both the God of Death and the creator of bat-type lycanthropes.
The preachers of death preach a kind of eschatology.
It's just that the end of the world is approaching, and only by worshiping Charon, the god of death, can we escape the final judgment and gain a place in the new world after the catastrophe.
This argument is not new, but the poor and ignorant people at the bottom have fallen in love with this idea.
If you just promote eschatology, that's it.
The sanctimonious preacher actually secretly used magic to hypnotize the pretty women among the audience.
Claiming that they are more religious and luckier than others.
If they are willing to go to his private chapel to worship, he will be happy to help them receive divine grace and be sublimated from body to spirit.
Allen raised his hand with a cold face and blasted a "thunder wave" into the sky!
Boom!!
Thunder exploded over the square!
The people who were fascinated by what they heard were all trembling with fear!
The women who were charmed by the spell were also shaken by the thunder, woke up one after another, and ran away with blushing faces.
The bustling square became deserted, with only Allen, Sola and the missionary on the stage remaining.
Sora recognized the missionary wearing the "Holy Death Emblem" and knew that he had a good background. He quickly winked at Allen and advised him to be patient.
The missionary's face changed slightly, then he smiled again, walked down from the pulpit, and came over to say hello.
"Sir, Madam, I'm sorry to interrupt you for a few minutes. Please allow me to introduce to you our idol and savior Charon..."
"Stop this nonsense and just tell me why you're here." Allen interrupted him impatiently.
"My name is Charles, from Red Moon Island..."
The missionaries talked freely.
Allen could tell that this person had made a lot of preparations in advance and knew exactly where the immigrants in the town came from.
We know why they fled Quinte Island, traveled thousands of miles across the ocean, and moved here.
We also know that immigrants can establish themselves here only with the support of the Case family and the charter of Silver Moon Monastery.
"Sir, madam, this town is thriving and has good development prospects. The only facility it lacks is a church."
Charles said with a smile.
"We worship the beast religion, and with the belief of saving the world, we plan to build a church in the town. We hope that we will not be obstructed by the pagans."
"If our wish can be realized, then the townspeople will not only obtain the destination of their souls, but their safety will also be guaranteed."
"Haha... I heard that the orcs are very interested in this town?"
"If you ask Silver Moon Monastery to fight against the orcs, I'm afraid you will have to pay a lot of protection fees, right?"
"We worship the religion of beasts, are not greedy for money, have no worldly desires, and are dedicated to spreading the gospel and saving the world."
"If this town becomes a new parish of the Beast Worship Cult, there will be church members from Red Moon Island to help you deal with the beastmen."
"Sir, madam, this is a very fair deal. You should consider my suggestion carefully."
"This is my secret seal. Please keep it. You are welcome to contact me at any time to discuss the path to salvation."
After saying this, Charles handed over two business cards.
Put on your hat, pick up your cane, turn around and leave gracefully.
Allen watched this man go away.
He looked at the business card with the bat emblem in his hand and frowned.
Charles's meaning is very clear. They do not charge protection fees, but require the entire town's residents to convert to animal worship!
The Beast Worship Cult worships the so-called "Four Gods of the Apocalypse".
The Plague Knight riding a white horse, "Plague God" Squark, the main god of the rat people.
War knight riding a red horse, "God of War" Darragh, the main god of werewolves.
The Famine Knight who rides a black horse, "Insect Mother" Rhea, the main god of the insect people.
Finally, there is the death knight riding a gray horse, Charon, the "god of death", the main god of the bat-men, and the savior that Charles is trying to promote in the town.
Allen put away Charles' business card, turned around and asked Ms. Sola:
"Teacher, what do you think about this matter?"
Ms. Sola groaned and began to analyze seriously.
"Alan, first of all, you have to make it clear that if you accept the Beast Worship Cult to settle in, you will completely offend the Silver Moon Monastery!"
"If we pay protection fees to the Silver Moon Monastery, we will automatically become a vassal of the monastery and an enemy of the Beast Worship Cult!"
"Silver Moon Monastery and the Beast Worship Cult, you can only choose one side, there is no possibility of swinging from one side to the other."
"For now, I prefer to rely on the monastery, but it is also necessary to open up my mind and imagine another option." Allen put his hands behind his hands and walked forward, "Teacher, assuming we are on the side of the Beast Worship Cult, how should we operate?
"
Although this possibility is very small, Allen doesn't mind deducing it and making mental preparations in advance.
There is no eternal enemy in the world, and mountains and rivers will not change.
Ms. Sola nodded and continued the topic.
"The Beast Worship Cult is not a monolithic entity, it is divided into four major branches."
"If we join the Beast Worship Cult, we have to choose a backer among the four major tribes... Personally, I hate the insect-turned-human faction!"
Allen recalled what happened to his teacher when he was young, and he knew it without asking.
Sola sighed quietly, changed the subject, and said seriously:
"Exclude my personal likes and dislikes and think about the overall situation..."
"If we have no choice but to choose a belief among the four gods of the Apocalypse, we'd better choose... the insect-turned-human idol Rhea."
"Why is this...?" Allen was stunned.
"Because, compared to the other three outright evil gods, the insect mother Rhea is the least bad god."
Ms. Sora gave the answer frankly.
“What kind of idols there are, there are also what kind of believers there are.”
"Of course there are many scum among the insect-turned-human beings."
"But overall, his character and style of conduct are a little better than those of the other three departments."
"But, poisonous insects are obviously more terrifying than ferocious beasts..." Allen wondered.
Sora smiled slightly, held his hand, and explained patiently.
"You only think of terrible poisonous insects, locusts that cause famine, but there are also bees that are beneficial to farmers, and spiders that catch pests."
"More insects, such as ants, are neither good nor evil."
"Another example is a butterfly. The larvae eat crops and the adults help pollinate crops. Can you tell whether it is a pest or a beneficial insect?"
"The Mother Insect is the 'God of Famine' and the 'God of Harvest'."
"In ancient times, spellcasters who worshiped Rhea were called druids."
"It is true that Rhea is not a good god, but among the four gods, she is the least evil!"
"Teacher, I understand." Allen suddenly understood.
After careful consideration, Allen finally made a decision.
The Beast Worship Cult and the Silver Moon Monastery are incompatible with each other.
This is Silver Moon Island, not Red Moon Island. Is there any other choice?
If you want to gain a foothold on Silver Moon Island, you can only rely on Silver Moon Monastery.
Early the next morning, Allen sent a letter to Charles, confessing his choice and clearly informing Charles and his associates:
"Animal worship is an illegal organization in this town and is not welcome!"
"You must leave this town before dark, otherwise you will bear the consequences!"
Allen knew in his heart that animal worshipers were not good men and women.
Since they refuse to preach, they will inevitably be retaliated against. The only question is when the retaliation will come.
There was blackmail from orcs before, and threats from cults later.
The newly established immigrant town is in turmoil.
In this desperate situation, Allen was forced to bow his head and accept the asylum of Silver Moon Monastery.
People under the roof can only follow other people's rules and pay money obediently.
One year’s protection fee is really not cheap!
In order to raise this fee, all the townspeople had to tighten their belts.
The townspeople raised part of it themselves, the Case family funded part of it, and Allen had to pay for the remaining shortfall out of his own pocket.
Of course, hard-earned money cannot be advanced for free.
This loan follows the ancient financial tradition: nine out and thirteen back.
The town council issued him an IOU, with interest credited monthly.
The person who handled it was his father, the mayor.
The father complained to his son that the interest rate was too high.
Allen was unmoved.
When it comes to lending, my father also has to settle the accounts.
With his status as a creditor, Allen also gave himself the title of "Chief Tax Collector" through the town council.
With this title, it will be more convenient when collecting accounts in the future.
After Silver Moon Monastery collected the money, it was quite easy to do things, and they quickly dispatched a security team to the town.
The Silver Moon Security Team has a total of 93 people, whose cultivation level is at least the late first level.
The captain and the two vice-captains are all in the late third level of cultivation, and respectively represent the three major factions of Silver Moon Monastery.
Allen obtained the information of the three captains in advance through the Case family.
Captain Adam, of Ursine blood, twenty-five years old.
The eldest brother who was born in Xiongyuan has a kind-hearted personality and loves mead most.
Vice-captain George, of wild boar blood, is twenty-four years old.
The "big eater" in the pig farm has no other faults except for occasionally taking advantage of small things.
Maria, of lion blood, twenty years old.
The first direct disciple of Mao Yuan, known as "Sister Lion".
A bold girl with long legs and big blond hair, it is said that she likes to be pretty.
On the first day that the Silver Moon Security Team came to town, Allen entertained the three captains at his tavern.
In the name of catching up with the wind and washing away the dust, I followed their preferences and prepared a gift for each of the three of them.
The gift for Adam is the old wine brewed by his father.
The gift given to George is a blood vessel awakening potion. After injection, the "seasoning technique" will be awakened, which will help increase appetite.
The gift for Maria is Allen's homemade perfume. Spray a little bit and it will make you sexy all day long.
The small gift cleared the way, and Allen had a pleasant chat with the three captains.
"Three of you, to be honest, our town of New Quinte has been financially tight recently. Even the expenses for hiring you to maintain law and order have to be scraped together by pawning your pants. How miserable!"
The lion sister Maria, with thick golden curly hair hanging on her shoulders, glanced at Allen sympathetically, but hesitated to speak.
Allen could see that Maria was a warm-hearted elder sister, but not to the point of being "silly and sweet".
Pig brother George, a fat and bald man, laughed at his crying and continued to work hard with a vengeful attitude.
Brother Xiong, Adam, stroked his thick beard and looked at the fine wine presented by Alan, with a hint of unbearability in his eyes.
"Brother Allen, I understand your situation. It is indeed not easy, but the monastery has its own laws. We only have to show up and work. How much we charge, whether we can get discounts or deferred payments, are all rules set by the superiors. The three of us can't say
Words!"
"Brother Adam, I am very touched that you have such a heart."
Allen toasted Brother Xiong.
"Actually, the reason why this town is financially tight is mainly because a large amount of tax receivable has never been collected."
Who is taxed from?
Of course not the ordinary people in the town who are so poor that they don't have pants.
Allen put the hand-drawn map on the table and pointed it out to the three of them.
"From east to west, from south to north."
"The area circled in red, with a total area of tens of thousands of square miles, is the jurisdiction of the New Quint Territory."
"Our New Quinte Town Government has the right to collect taxes from any residents and institutions on this land."
"Wait a minute!" Brother Xiong Adam quickly declared, "You are not allowed to collect taxes in this small area in the upper right corner of the map!"
"Why not?" Alan asked in surprise.
"That area is the Flower Demon Valley, a resource point belonging to our monastery." Brother Xiong said solemnly.
Allen nodded knowingly and circled the Flower Demon Valley with a black pen.
"In other places, I will collect taxes, is that okay?"
"No problem, but I'm a little curious."
Piggy George narrowed his eyes and pointed on the map.
"This is the pirate's home."
"This is the wrought iron valley of the dwarves."
"This is the ogre's lair."
"Brother Allen, I'm afraid these three places won't pay taxes to you obediently."
"Brother George, we got to the point!" Allen followed suit, "Brother, I want to trouble the security team to take action and arm themselves to demand taxes!"