Watching the groups of people leave his territory, Ning Cuo stretched and turned to ask the nearby Toller.
“How’s John’s investigation going?”
A dignified Great Knight of the Divine Era’s armored cavalry wouldn’t simply vanish into thin air.
In fact, after verifying his capabilities the last time, Ning Cuo confidently entrusted him with the task he’d agreed upon with Nero.
Their plan was simple.
It was aimed at the Senate.
While Ning Cuo had made these people suffer consecutive defeats since his arrival, they hadn’t truly been harmed in any substantial way. The nobles of the entire Senate, combined, controlled nearly eighty percent of all industries in Rome. They had their hands in everything - commerce, population, various resources, even the military.
This situation was partly caused by the Roman Empire’s growing corruption. The nobles, unconcerned with the empire’s well-being, were firmly attached to it, sucking it dry to nourish their own families.
On the other hand, Nero’s predecessors, the emperors of Rome, had either died from poison or were murdered by conspiracy. The Roman royal family’s authority was steadily declining, ultimately losing complete control over the entire empire.
Under such circumstances, the nobles of the Senate united, effectively creating a situation where Rome was practically under their control.
Then Nero appeared out of nowhere.
She symbolized absolute force, intimidating the Senate. She cleaned up many of the most corrupt nobles, assuming the role of a tyrant. She placed loyal knights in those positions, barely maintaining the current stable situation.
But Nero was clearly unsatisfied with this.
Sadly, reality was cruel. Though becoming emperor would grant unparalleled power, one would also be controlled by various factors.
In this era, nobles monopolized all resources. Ordinary commoners, besides their physical strength, had no access to anything. Their knowledge level was only barely enough to count. If Nero wiped out the entire noble class, Rome would essentially announce its collapse on the spot. Though she did end up doing just that, it was just a last resort to vent her frustration in the face of a dead end. After the ashes, Nero became Rome’s last emperor.
If she had a choice, as emperor of Rome, Nero would obviously not choose such an extreme path. But fate had other plans.
Ning Cuo’s appearance broke the Senate’s control over the emperor. Whether it was the approach he proposed – combining religion and imperial power – or the abilities he demonstrated, they effectively alleviated the predicament Nero was facing.
The strategy was in place. The next step was to slaughter the pigs.
The two of them divided the tasks, working together. Nero, as emperor, would provide protection, cover, and wrap things up. Ning Cuo would take action, finding the opportunity to catch all the nobles of the Senate in one go. After that, things would be simple.
Gather the remaining nobles, host a feast, get them drunk, and turn them into dogs. Continue until the entire power structure of Rome was completely reshaped, rebuilding from the ruins.
The method might seem laughable, even ridiculous, but its implementation was incredibly complex. Everything needed to be perfect, without a single mistake.
Firstly, it was crucial to ensure the loyalty of every soldier involved in the operation. Not a single bit of information could leak during the entire process. Even Nero couldn’t achieve this, but Ning Cuo could.
The soldiers summoned by the system were practically a dimensional strike against this era. They were tireless and fearless, with emotions but also unwavering loyalty. Even if half of them fell in battle, they wouldn’t break and flee, fighting until their entire force was wiped out.
This was simply unheard of in present-day Rome. Even elite troops would suffer a severe morale blow if they lost one-fifth of their number. A higher percentage would lead to a complete collapse. The other challenge was finding a legitimate reason.
Nero’s reputation as a tyrant was already solidified. No matter what pretext was used to eliminate the Senate, it would be twisted into something else, causing unrest among the entire noble class. However, Ning Cuo stepped in and made up for this deficiency. He was the Pope’s appointed envoy, granted a degree of religious interpretive authority. He also thoroughly understood every aspect of the religion, capable of imitating its essence. Combined, the plan became feasible.
Toller rode up, his voice thick and heavy as he reported.
“Sir, we haven’t found any leads on John yet, but he found out that the Senate might be holding a banquet soon. This could be an opportunity to gather intel. Should I have him continue following up?”
Hearing this, a playful smile curved Ning Cuo’s lips. He considered all the cards he had, waved his hand, and smiled as he replied.
“Bring him back. We don’t need that anymore.”
..
【You vile heretics, God’s wrath will burn fiercely among you! May all your sins turn to ashes!】
The furious roar echoed in unison with the thunder of countless horses trampling the ground. Outside, the reflected flames illuminated the scene as the guards on duty were mercilessly slain. The blood stained the ground, disrupting the joy that should have been present at this banquet. Upon witnessing this, all the nobles of the Senate were completely stunned.
These nobles gathered for the sake of exchanging benefits and electing a new head of the Senate, who would represent them and continue probing the current Roman emperor.
Carlis Edward, the most likely candidate, stifled his anger and took a look at the situation outside, his expression instantly changing.
All these were the Heretic Inquisition’s Judgment Knights? Hundreds of them, all clad in white armor and blue plates, sporting the standard attire of Judgment Knights. The reason no one doubted their authenticity was simple: no force with the capability to muster hundreds of elite knights in a single go would also be foolish enough to offend both Christianity and the entirety of Rome.
“Can anyone explain what the hell is going on here?”
“Impossible, I have absolutely no clue what’s happening. Could there be some kind of misunderstanding?”
A cacophony of voices filled the room. The nobles might not have shown any outwardly panicked actions, but their expressions became guarded. All of them were born into aristocratic families, enjoying the most luxurious resources that Rome had to offer since childhood. Their lavish lifestyles went beyond the realm of extravagance. However, some of them had entertained, in their spiritual emptiness, some unsavory things, which these religious fanatics happened to discover. This made a world of difference. After all, private beliefs and being caught in the act were two completely different things!
The Crusades were becoming increasingly massive, Christianity unifying the entire spiritual realm. In this unstoppable tide, even nobles had to claim their faith in God, at least outwardly, demonstrating basic respect.
“Damn it, those Judgment Knights outside are about to launch an attack! Why aren’t they interrogating us first?”
Without time to think, one of the sharper-eyed nobles noticed the knights outside starting to retreat in unison, but they were all holding their lances high, their ranks retreating layer upon layer, forming a massive, uninterrupted encirclement. This clearly signaled multiple successive charges. Upon realizing this, even the nobles who held key power within the Senate began to panic. Something wasn’t right! It was supposed to be a single representative coming forward to ask some questions. Even if nothing could be found, for the sake of face, these nobles would push out a few unlucky souls to bring the matter to a smooth resolution. Everyone would save face! But what did this direct charge mean? This was Rome! It was why these great nobles brought only a dozen or so guards each to the banquet. Even if they combined, it would only amount to a few hundred. But foot soldiers resisting fully armored cavalry? Impossible! The most important point was that the Roman Imperial Palace was in the city. Nero was already back in the palace! It was the end of the world to eliminate the entire noble class of the Roman Senate right under the emperor’s nose. The subsequent chain reaction would be earth-shattering. At the very least, Nero would wage all-out war against Christianity. The clash of these two superpowers would be far more exciting than the Crusades. Judgment Knights, in everyone’s perception, were fanatical zealots who only saw God. Not even the Pope could forcibly command them. This meant conspiracy was also out of the question. Combining everything, it became quite clear. Suspicion grew further. One of these people must be a heretic! But naturally, those nobles wouldn’t stand up themselves. Seeing that the situation was spiraling out of control, Carlis Edward rushed out, shouting.
“No, we must go out and explain ourselves. We must try to tell them that most of us here are loyal followers of Christ, that we are just like them, devoted to God!”
He had finally reached the peak of his career, but if he died at this moment, he couldn’t accept it.