Chapter 71: Tough Measures

The next day, they continued their journey. After a whole day of travel, they finally saw the town on the third day.

A group of people urged their horses forward, racing towards it.

The guards at the city gate blocked their way, saying, “Each person must pay one gold coin to enter the city.”

One gold coin? That was clearly robbery!

Normally, the entry fee for commoners was just a copper coin, and for merchants, it was a silver coin.

Michelle’s expression turned cold; it was clear that the local nobles had arbitrarily increased the entry fee. No wonder there were so few people passing by.

“Do I, as a priest of the church, also need to pay the entry fee?” Michelle asked.

“You don’t need to, but the others do,” the city guard replied.

“They are all holy knights, disguised as ordinary people to carry out secret missions for the church.”

Michelle’s expression remained unchanged. Although she was lying, she was not a rigid person, and the lord of this town was too greedy and needed to be punished.

“I see, my apologies. Please enter!”

The city guard immediately stepped aside.

Leo gave a thumbs up to the saintess, noting how much sharper she had become.

Once inside the town, everyone led their horses along the road.

There were many people around, but their faces showed little expression, as if they had no energy. In the remote corners, many homeless beggars sat, and wandering children picked up things and ran away, with others chasing after them. The townspeople had long since become accustomed to this scene and were no longer surprised.

The entire town looked lifeless; this was the reality of a remote town.

Clop, clop, clop!

Horses galloped by, and on the other side of the road, a carriage sped towards them.

“You fools, get out of my way! Charge! Hurry up!”

A young nobleman drove the carriage recklessly, laughing at the sight of people scrambling to avoid him.

The surrounding people hurried to get out of the way, and no one stepped forward; clearly, this was not the first time such a thing had happened.

A white figure dashed past, slicing at the carriage with a sword, damaging the wheel, and the carriage staggered to the side.

“What are you doing? How dare you destroy my carriage!”

The nobleman emerged from the fallen carriage, shouting in anger.

Leo, Dino, and the others immediately rushed to Michelle’s side.

“What do you mean by this? I am the lord’s legitimate son. Are you trying to rebel?” His expression turned cold.

“Disrupting the order of the town, is this what a noble should do? I will report this to the lord here.”

Michelle’s tone was somewhat cold; she was clearly angry.

“What are you? You look pretty, and if you become my maid, I might forgive your rudeness.”

“I am a priest of the church. Don’t you think that’s disrespectful?” Michelle asked tentatively.

“So what if you’re a priest? The church here is filled with our people. If I want you, they won’t dare to oppose me. Are you scared? If you’re scared, come with me.” The nobleman was extremely arrogant, his words unapologetic.

Michelle’s chest heaved, but her mood quickly calmed. She had guessed that the local nobles were doing unspeakable things, but she didn’t expect them to be so brazen.

“I understand. Arrest him.”

With a command, Dino and the others immediately sprang into action.

“You dare!”

The nobleman’s guards quickly shielded him.

Leo had long since lost his patience; this foolish noble needed to be taught a lesson.

He weaved through the guards, who fell one after another, and in an instant, he was behind the nobleman, pressing his sword against his neck.

“What do you want?”

The nobleman trembled, his legs shaking.

“Bind him.”

Dino and the others were shocked by Leo’s speed and strength. It was clear that anyone who could stay by the saintess’s side was not simple.

“What are you doing? My father won’t let you go! Wuwu…”

The nobleman was quickly bound by the villagers, and his mouth was gagged.

Passersby glanced over, pointing and avoiding them.

Michelle ignored them and led the nobleman directly towards the church.

Some people who were not afraid of the commotion followed behind them, curious to see how things would unfold as the priest kidnapped a nobleman, striding confidently down the street.

Upon arriving at the church, it was quite different from the buildings nearby; this church was exceptionally grand and stood out from its surroundings.

It was built of white marble, intricately carved with various lifelike patterns.

On either side of the entrance, statues of holy angels stood tall, like loyal guards.

“Who goes there?”

The church knights immediately stopped Michelle and her group.

“I want to see your head priest,” Michelle said.

Upon seeing her priestly attire, which was not the usual garb but rather more elaborate, the holy knights quickly realized her identity was not simple.

“Please wait a moment.”

One of the holy knights went to report and quickly returned, saying, “You may enter; the others will wait outside.”

“We are her guards,” Dino said.

The holy knight was resolute, but Michelle stopped them, saying, “I can go in alone. Keep a close watch on this person.”

After Michelle entered, the door closed behind her.

“Should we not go in?”

Dino looked worriedly at Leo.

“No problem, I know what I’m doing.”

Hearing Leo say this, Dino felt reassured.

Leo leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and carefully sensed the surroundings. He would rush in at the first sign of trouble.

This church appeared magnificent, but it was merely a facade; the defensive magic array was insufficient and could not block his skill perception.

Michelle entered the church hall, where a bespectacled priest and a group of nuns approached her.

Upon seeing Michelle, they were taken aback.

“Are you Lady Michelle? I didn’t expect you to come here. A message has already been sent from above; as soon as you are found, you will be sent back immediately.”

The head priest recognized Michelle at a glance after seeing her recorded image, and his attitude instantly became very humble and respectful.

“There’s no rush. I want to ask about the situation here. The local nobles have greatly increased the taxes on the people, forcing some to the brink of survival, and the entry fee is exorbitantly high. Why is no one from the church managing this?”

Unlike her usual gentle demeanor, Michelle’s expression was imposing, fully displaying the dignity and authority of a candidate saintess.

“It’s unjust! It’s not that we don’t want to manage it, but our capabilities are limited, and we cannot do anything about the nobles.”

“Limited capabilities? Why is the church’s attire more splendid than that of some small chapels in the holy city? You say you lack the ability?”

As Michelle pressed on, the flattering smile on the head priest’s face gradually faded.

“Fine, no problem. I will now borrow the teleportation magic array to have the headquarters send a large force over. That should be enough strength, right?”

“This…”

The head priest looked somewhat awkward. “Actually, the teleportation magic array has not been used for a long time and is damaged. We are currently sending someone to maintain it, and it will take some time.”

“Give me a specific time.”

“If it’s quick, it will take a week; if slow, it will take a month.”

“I’ll give you three days to fix it. I will stay in this town for those three days.”

After Michelle dropped this statement, she turned and left the church.

The nobles needed to be punished, and the church also needed to be cleansed. But for now, it was not possible; they needed to wait for the headquarters to send someone over.

She let out a long breath. This was not her usual self; to be honest, she did not want to present herself in this manner, but her identity as a candidate saintess required her to be tougher with these people.

The borderlands were too far away, and the headquarters church rarely intervened in matters here, leading to the suffering of the surrounding people, many of whom were driven to desperation. This was inextricably linked to the local church.

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