Chapter 15: Sacking the Abbey
"What!?"
Startled, Scoke twisted his waist in alarm, only to injure himself and fall backward.
Seeing Damian, he couldn't help but turn pale with shock.
"You… How dare you consort with bandits? You're no ordinary rogue! I will petition His Holiness the Pope to have you excommunicated! You… You… From now on, you'll be the most evil bastard, I… Stay away from me!"
Damian raised his spear and slowly approached Scoke, who was so frightened that he not only broke into a falsetto, but also wriggled in an attempt to flee.
Unfortunately, how many of Scoke's servants were truly loyal?
The entire monastery had been turned upside down by Scoke, with honest men long since transferred to other counties or simply going into wilderness for solitary practice.
The consequence of sycophants running rampant was that when Scoke turned to escape, all he saw was his servants kneeling before Damian.
The servants, prostrated on the ground with heads bowed, pleaded for Damian's forgiveness.
The county where Damian resided, Gottingen, was located at the border between future France and Germany. Saxony and Meissen, respectively situated to the north and east of Germany along the Rhine River, were areas with a large number of pagan slaves due to their proximity to pagan territories.
Although the local church claimed there were no Christian slaves, in reality, many Christians were sold to local manors.
In such chaotic times, people generally value interests more than faith.
Seeing Damian drawing closer step by step, Scoke panicked.
He tried a different tactic, resorting to flattery: "Damian! Damian! I'll give you all my manors. Can't we reconcile? How have I treated you, don't you know? You're also a person of status now. That little minx Conosa, her words may sound sweet, but she won't give you any benefits. I'm more generous; I'll give you all my wealth! Spare me…"
As Scoke continued to beg for mercy, Damian stepped on his face.
Raising his spear high, Damian sneered, "Where's the entrance to your wine cellar?"
Gritting his teeth, Scoke put on his most ingratiating smile. "It's… under the third wall, beneath the central piece of wood."
He had indeed deceived Marian, hiding it under inconspicuous wood. Those pieces of wood were all used to make wine corks.
However, just as Scoke thought his deceitful words succeeded, Damian's spear suddenly dropped, piercing straight into his shoulder!
"Ahh!"
In pain, Scoke, like a fat pig, rolled on the ground begging for mercy.
Damian watched Scoke's miserable struggle with interest, mocking, "Do you have any more tricks? Spit them out."
After Scoke's wails, realizing Damian wouldn't spare him, he started cursing recklessly, "Do you think it's over for me? Do you think no one above can deal with you? Do you think I have no one behind me? You kill me, and you'll never know who's targeting you and Conosa! Haha, if you... Argh!"
The same boring rhetoric; Damian directly plunged his spear into Scoke's neck, blood splattering, and Scoke, who had ruled over the lucrative monastery of Gottingen for over a decade, finally died.
This also meant the Viking brothers of Gottingen County were eliminated by Damian in one fell swoop.
But how would the territory here be divided after the war?
Damian knew that there were powerful forces eyeing Scoke's position. Each family had countless illegitimate children and relatives vying for inheritance rights.
As an ordinary knight's son without inheritance or claims, he naturally fell short in the competition.
This is the ruthless Middle Ages indeed.
Everyone ranks based on bloodline; no matter how hard you try or how successful you become, it's nothing compared to the advantages brought by your father's sperm.
At this moment, the system timely provided a prompt.
[Main Quest: You, born ordinary, resolved the troubles of the entire county. But how will you ensure that your gains match your achievements? Requirement: Obtain any type of fiefdom. Reward: One randomly chosen elite affairs officer.]
The so-called elite affairs officer is someone completely transcending ordinary military leaders.
They possess various highly advanced skills and traits, excelling in managing territories and battles on the battlefield.
"Hmph, good news. Jeffrey, clean up the battlefield; we are about to give the monastery a surprise."
Damian stood up, signaling the Chivalrous Bandits to execute all these servants.
They have chosen to follow someone like Scoke, so they must be prepared to pay the price for their actions.
...
By evening, Damian and the Chivalrous Bandits appeared near the monastery.
Damian's plan was simple.
It was to intentionally create a formidable enemy to deter the nobles across the territory.
You don't want to grant me land? Fine, then I'll do nothing and let these bandits plunder and kill everyone in your family!
This is known as the strategy of raising bandits to restrain others.
For this strategy, Damian was prepared to make a big move.
He planned to seize the cultural high ground of Gothingen, the monastery!
With such a commotion, not only Gothingen County but the entire Lorraine Duchy would shift its focus to Gothingen.
Although during this process, Conosa's reputation would suffer greatly, as long as more powerful forces entered the fray, these local leaders would have to yield.
This way, Damian's achievements would be recognized.
The twilight was dimming, past 5 p.m.
The monks in the entire monastery had already had dinner and were engaging in their final prayers before sleep.
At the entrance, guards nervously held torches, inquiring about when Scoke would return.
At this time, there would be a dung cart specifically transporting excrement out of the monastery.
During this era in Europe, people had not yet learned to use human waste as fertilizer. Farmers only knew that animal manure could enrich the soil.
Therefore, agricultural productivity in Europe was extremely low at this time, to the point of planting one and harvesting three, yielding only tens of pounds per acre.
"Damian turned his head and raised his chin. The Chivalrous Bandits immediately surged forward, kicking over the dung cart at the entrance to prevent the guards from closing the gate, and then they rushed straight in!"
Being familiar with the monastery, Damian led his men into the church at the first opportunity, sweeping all the gold and silver vessels from the altar, then storming into the abbot's bedroom and study, plundering the chests full of wealth.
Next were the storerooms containing fur blankets, silk, spices, and more. Finally, Damian also stole one of the monastery's crucial items, the coin minting template for making silver coins!
After such a big commotion, Damian calmly left, while the monks were still trembling in their collective dormitory clutching their Bibles.
[System Prompt: Plundering income equivalent to 632 gold coins. Do you wish to exchange?]"
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