I Pioneered Scientific Magic - Chapter 262 (Patreon)

Chapter 262: The God of Miners, Lynn?

"Ham, take some men and search this church. Remember to destroy the statue of the goddess to avoid any mistakes," Raydell commanded, enduring the sharp pain in his head. Then, without resting, he began clearing the battlefield with the remaining people, ensuring proper burials for the miners' bodies.

Over forty people died in taking over this church. Raydell couldn't help but sigh. Despite highly valuing these clergy members and collecting all the crossbows seized, their opponent's strength still exceeded his expectations...

At least everything was over! By the time they finished clearing the area, it was already evening. Ham and his group had finished counting Count Joyce's finances, and crates of coins and treasures filled the entire treasury, dazzling those who saw them.

Raydell resumed his usual action—gathering the town's poor and miners together, dividing the treasures and Joyce's land among them.

"Are we really giving it all away?" Ham couldn't help asking. When Raydell distributed the property back in the Baron's territory, he found it somewhat unbelievable. This was worth tens of thousands of imperial gold coins at least!

"Of course. According to Lord Lynn's words, this wealth was all squeezed out from the poor by that count. Now, I'm merely returning it to them," Raydell said solemnly. Pausing for a moment, he continued, "Otherwise, could we take all these things with us?"

That was clearly impractical...

Raydell knew that despite capturing the Count's castle, with their ragtag group, they couldn't hold the castle. They couldn't even confront regular soldiers. They could only keep moving, shifting their positions.

Carrying this treasure would only slow them down. Having extra bags with food and clothes would be much better.

Ham looked on, both admiring and regretful as Raydell's guards opened boxes filled with gold and silver, distributing them among the miners and the poor.

Many were afraid and hesitant to accept Raydell and the others' goodwill. Some even suspected if they had some ulterior motives. Raydell didn't mind; trust always required a process.

Under the tempting lure of actual benefits, the majority of miners and poor accepted their goodwill.

Joyce's wealth seemed substantial, but much of it was priceless items that couldn't be evaluated. After splitting, each person could only receive around thirty silver coins. As for the miners who fought, they were rewarded with a gold coin for their heroic actions.

Raydell's generosity uplifted the morale of these people, who dared to smash the statue of the goddess.

After the distribution of the Count's gold and silver and improving relations, Raydell pulled out his trump card—hosting a large bonfire banquet. They gathered to accuse the past overseers and aristocrats' harsh treatment.

For instance, Baron Elvis's greed and stinginess were highlighted. His manor was extravagantly built, yet he only provided these slaves risking their lives in the mines with a few pieces of black bread and unpalatable wheat gruel. Even eating to half-satiety was a luxury.

Or the brutal steward who, while drunk, unreasonably whipped them in public...

The hardships were too numerous to count. Even if they spoke for days on end, those aloof aristocratic lords hardly regarded them as human beings. Taxes and levies from estates and churches almost crushed them. Just staying alive was a luxury.

Initially, the peasants from the Count's domain only dared to stand at a distance and listen. But soon, they grew angrier, joining in the accusations.

There were too many angry peasants, forcing Raydell's guards to maintain order. Then, they were ordered to bring all sorts of delicacies stored in the Count's treasury.

Many peasants and miners tasted the 'delicious' white bread for the first time, nibbled on a leg of lamb, or sipped some 'noble' red wine, experiencing the luxury life of the aristocrats.

"Raydell, when you were in the church today, were you calling down divine punishment?" A young miner couldn't help but ask during the bonfire banquet.

Immediately, Ham and others looked over. The scene in the church had surpassed their understanding. Continuous lightning strikes from the sky almost ruptured their eardrums, instantly turning the powerful Archbishop into a charred corpse. In their minds, only divine punishment could describe such a terrifying scene!

"No, that wasn't divine punishment. It was the application of electromagnetic principles..." Raydell hurriedly explained.

However, everyone present found it all perplexing. Terms like charge accumulation, potential difference, far exceeded their comprehension.

The vast majority firmly believed that Raydell must have received divine favor!

Some miners from the Baron's domain boasted about how Raydell led them to kill the wicked overseer, ambushed Baron Elvis in his sleep, and then continued their victorious march, scaring Count Joyce away, who didn't even dare to return to his castle.

Amidst the boasting, Raydell's cheeks flushed red, showing a hint of youthful embarrassment. Some of these achievements were indeed his doing, but many were not his merits...

Especially when dealing with Joyce, lacking military leadership experience, he had to frequently seek advice from that mysterious wizard. Even the method of encouraging everyone to voice their grievances was taught by that person.

"You must have received guidance from the true gods!" A miner exclaimed excitedly. Since Raydell told them that the so-called Goddess of the Moon, Ella, was just a fake god, using faith to deceive them, no different from the terrifying and evil gods and devils in legends, just more deeply hidden.

That meant Raydell must have received an audience with the real gods or received divine inspiration in his dreams to know all this.

Hearing this, Raydell fell silent. Until now, he hadn't figured out who that mysterious and powerful wizard really was or why he had chosen him.

All he knew was the person's extensive knowledge akin to the vast sea. They even bestowed magic upon him. If not for their claim to be a wizard, he might have thought he'd received genuine divine inspiration, just like these people.

Yet, in Raydell's eyes, Lynn, who knew everything and exhibited various magical abilities, was no different from a deity willing to save these lowly miners...

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