Chapter 1027: Chapter 573: Reactions from All Sides
"The martyrs are the most elite force of the Church; anyone who isn’t afraid of their power isn’t an ordinary person, they are clearly all heretics!"
"We can’t hesitate any longer, we must strike hard!"
"Send the inquisitors to send them all to heaven!"
"..."
Inside the church of Totnes, several high-ranking officials gathered together.
There was the Bishop of the Church in Totnes, the Knight Commander of the Order of the Holy Light, the Chief Judge of the Tribunal... and some other figures who might seem unremarkable here, but are significant individuals outside.
At this moment, all of them held intense hostility towards Hamlet.
The Bishop, whose face usually appeared open and honorable, could not help but show a hint of darkness.
They weren’t standing up for the Mendicant Monk duo, but rather because the authority of the Church could not be challenged.
It was already a troublesome time with the appearance of evil cults and strange occurrences within the Empire not fully dealt with. If they were struck this time and remained silent, people from all over the world might rise to challenge them.
But just then, someone interrupted the meeting, delivering the latest intelligence to the Bishop.
After reading it, the Bishop, who had intended to take action, suddenly appeared a bit peculiar.
The others seemed to have noticed something as well, and the previously restless atmosphere gradually quieted down as they all looked towards the Bishop, waiting for an explanation.
"I need to consult with headquarters on this matter. We need to await orders from above."
With those words, he passed the intelligence for others to read.
Those from the Church who saw the contents also fell into deep thought but soon became excited again.
"I think such a minor issue doesn’t need approval from headquarters; we can send people to deal with those blasphemers ourselves."
"Exactly!"
Others echoed the sentiment since anyone could see the huge interests involved.
However, the Bishop remained cryptic, offering only a brief remark.
"There are some things you don’t understand..."
Meanwhile, a similar discussion was taking place in the Association of Healers in Totnes.
The scholar who returned on the Romani ship had also come back to the Association. He was merely a professor studying medicine at the school, so it was difficult to promise Lance much.
But the information he brought back allowed the few individuals with real decision-making power to make a judgment.
"We visited some people and discovered many promoting new ideas within Hamlet, such as hygiene, viruses, sterilization, disinfection..."
Though the observation team hadn’t met the lepers due to obstructions, unlike the Church Duo who faced challenges in Hamlet, they managed to glean some information using financial influence, at least understanding some of the situation.
"What is your assessment of Hamlet?"
"They have advanced surgical capabilities, and we found some injured individuals who claimed to have received treatment for what would otherwise be fatal injuries. Unfortunately, they weren’t willing to disclose much to us.
However, the claims of curing leprosy seem to exist only in the accounts of those people, as we couldn’t access any cases."
The senior members of the Association weren’t particularly concerned about this and instead steered the conversation back to leprosy.
"If Hamlet truly had a cure, why would they isolate the lepers?"
"I don’t know, but the Lord did mention that they had completed treatment, yet similarly didn’t reveal much."
As a scholar, the professor cared more for the many new medical explanations being demonstrated in Hamlet than commercial logic.
If there wasn’t a need for someone to return, he would have liked to stay in Hamlet for more in-depth research.
The high-ranking members of the Association showed little interest in this matter, feeling that offending the Church due to this territory would be a mistake, potentially dragging the Association into the conflict with religious zealots.
Even if Hamlet indeed possessed the ability to treat leprosy, offending the Church would not be worth it, as this disease had already been defined as divine punishment by the Church, and curing it would only invite trouble.
More importantly, the Association principally consisted of merchants in medicine, and even if they obtained a treatment for leprosy, it wouldn’t be profitable and would offend others.
With little hesitation, the alleged top members rejected the professor’s suggestions, urging him to return to school promptly. As for the scholars who wanted to stay in Hamlet for more in-depth understanding, they were quickly dismissed.
They cut off relations with them from the Association, explaining their actions as voluntary, thus preventing the Church from using it as an excuse to create trouble later.
The professor was somewhat shocked by this and quickly expressed that those people were left with no choice to stay behind, and he could go notify them to come back.
But to those people, it didn’t matter at all.
"Let me tell you, they have nothing to do with the Association anymore. The school will dismiss them, and you better not stir up trouble under the Association’s name, or if the Tribunal catches you, no one can save you."
With a scare, they drove the professor away, not sparing some mockery.
"What were they thinking, almost burning a few people alive, and yet they riled up the Church."
"No need to say more, they are doomed."
"Is he that tough? Even if he is, might makes right..."
As the professor left, listening to the mockery behind him, he couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy.
