Help from a Noble Person

On their first day in Lucerne, Art and his companion enjoyed a good night's sleep at the inn. After a simple breakfast, Art instructed Ron to inquire at Selankver Monastery in the west of the city about a Monk Elder named Olof Hannes. Art himself traveled light, strolling around the city.

Upon returning to the inn, Ron had already brought back the news from the Monastery.

Olof Hannes was no longer a Monk Elder; he had long since been promoted to Bishop and served as the Abbot of Selankver Monastery. It was said that he would soon be promoted to Bishop of the Lucerne Archdiocese. During this time, Abbot Olof Hannes was supervising the reconstruction project of Hvorof Cathedral in the north of the city.

At noon, the two enjoyed a sumptuous feast of honey-roasted goose and salt-and-pepper roasted meat at the inn. This was the first time Art had personally tasted such delicious food. Although his stomach had adapted to bland bread and gruel, he still longed for meals rich in seasoning.

After the meal, Art changed into a brown fine-woven wool long gown, which he had purchased from a tailor for one hundred fenny. Ron changed into a grey linen padded short jacket worth fifty fenny. The two transformed into a city merchant and his attendant. Art and Ron left the inn with three gold ingots and entered the City Bank Guild, where they paid a thirty fenny tax to exchange the three gold ingots for twenty-four large silver marks and one hundred and forty-four small silver shillings. He put the small silver coins into a white cotton money pouch embroidered with a Holy Cross, and then took out six small silver coins from a deerskin money pouch to make it a round number. One hundred and fifty small silver coins—this was nearly three years' wages for an ordinary city laborer, without eating or drinking.

Leaving the guild gate, Art tucked the two heavy money pouches into his embrace, patted them, and motioned for Ron, who was waiting outside, to mount his horse and head straight for Hvorof Cathedral in the north of the city.

The two walked through the bustling market, crossed the wide and flat square, and arrived at a church in the north of the city that was very busy due to construction and renovation. Laborers and Master Craftsmen were going in and out of the church, some pushing wheelbarrows loaded with bluestone bricks and tiles, some carrying large pieces of timber, and others pointing while holding parchment blueprints.

"Excuse me, where is Abbot Olof Hannes?" Art walked up to a Master Craftsman who was drawing on a black wooden board and asked politely.

The Master Craftsman stopped his paintbrush, turned to look at the somewhat strange-looking fellow behind him, dressed like a merchant with a sword, then turned back to continue drawing. After a while, he said, "Abbot Olof is in the small chapel next door, but you are clearly late. There are no more contracting jobs available on the entire construction site now."

Art said nothing more, thanked the Master Craftsman, and led Ron towards the small chapel next door.

Two sword-wielding guards at the entrance of the small chapel stopped them. Art smiled and said to one of the guards, "Sir, I am an old acquaintance of Abbot Olof, named Arthur Wells. Please inform him." The two guards exchanged glances, and one of them turned and entered the church. The other guard, hearing that he was an old acquaintance of the Abbot, also relaxed his guard.

After a while, the guard came out and said to Art, "Mr. Arthur Wells, the Abbot invites you in."

"Please leave your sword and attendant outside," the other guard politely said to Art. Art unbuckled his sword and handed it to Ron, instructing Ron to wait outside, and then followed the messenger guard into the church.

The interior of the church adopted a dome structure, with a dozen stone pillars supporting the top of the church. A cross-shaped hollow was carved at the altar, and sunlight penetrated through it, forming a cross-shaped beam of light. Abbot Olof Hannes was kneeling before the statue in the small chapel, his hands on the prayer stand, silently bowing his head in prayer. The guard quietly stepped forward and whispered something into the Abbot's ear. Abbot Olof Hannes rose with the guard's assistance and turned towards Art, squinting at Art for a moment, his expression slowly changing.

"You are not Arthur Wells. Who are you? Why are you impersonating him?" Abbot Olof's tone was unfriendly, and the guard beside him also placed his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist.

Art knelt on one knee before Abbot Olof and whispered, "Respected Bishop, I am indeed not Arthur Wells; I am his son."

"You are Arthur Wells's son?" Abbot Olof still sounded somewhat skeptical.

"Seven years ago, you were still a military chaplain. In a small chapel northeast of the Holy Land of Irbid, you rescued a boy who had been wounded by heretics. That boy's father later became your guard." Art said, pulling open his upper garment, revealing a horrifying scar on his shoulder.

"Oh, my God, you are little Art!" Abbot Olof was stunned for a moment, then stepped forward, helped Art up, and gave him a hug.

"God bless you, how did you come to Burgundy? Is your father doing well?" Abbot Olof led Art to a nearby long bench and sat down.

"Respected Bishop, thank you for remembering us. After returning from the Holy Land, we encountered many misfortunes..." Relying on the original owner's memories, Art recounted how the original owner's territory had been treacherously seized after returning from the Crusade, how the father and son had risen in rebellion only to be pursued by their enemies, fleeing north to an Unnamed Valley in the southern border of Burgundy County, barely clinging to life.

Abbot Olof sighed repeatedly.

He and Arthur Wells had a deep acquaintance many years ago, because Art's father, Arthur Wells, had voluntarily served as his religious guard as a Baron, which was once widely praised at the time. Moreover, those few years as a military chaplain in the Holy Land were also Abbot Olof Hannes's most unforgettable and legendary time. It was precisely because of his experience as a military missionary in the Holy Land that he was promoted from Monk Elder to Vice Abbot and then to Abbot shortly after returning to Selankver Monastery.

"Alas, I have heard of Wadeberley's greed and shamelessness, but I cannot imagine that he would make a saint who shed blood for God shed tears again upon returning home," Abbot Olof sighed.

"Child, what are your plans now?"

"Art, I deeply sympathize with your and your father's plight, but I cannot restore your identity, much less reclaim your territory for you." Abbot Olof Hannes felt indignant for them, but the Wells Family's territory was far away in a foreign land, and furthermore, there were local church forces behind the Wells Family's loss of title and land, which he absolutely could not touch.

"Bishop, the Wells Family's territory and title were taken from my father and me. We dare not ask God to compensate us for our incompetence. I want to reclaim my honor and dignity by my own strength!" Art looked into Abbot Olof's eyes and said firmly.

"Very well, child, is there anything I can help with?" Abbot Olof breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you for your kindness and generosity."

Art stood up from the long bench, bowed deeply to Abbot Olof, and then said, "You must know that since last summer, Lombardy and Provence in the south have been in chaos for over a year. Now the south is in turmoil, which might be a good opportunity for me. But you know, I am a foreign wanderer whose fiefdom and title have been usurped. I have been hiding in the forest, barely surviving. Without a proper title, I will be restricted everywhere in Burgundy. And the southern border region where I am currently located is plagued by bandits..." Art poured out all his thoughts.

"Border Security Patrol Officer? Are you talking about the southern border of Tinietz?" Art wanted to secure a position as a Border Security Patrol Officer in southern Tinietz. Abbot Olof thought he had misheard.

"But Tinietz County is the Marquis's direct fiefdom, and Viscount Pierre manages it there. They have their own bailiffs, don't they?" Olof Hannes reminded Art.

"Yes, I just passed through Tinietz a few days ago. It is now crowded with refugees fleeing from the south. Viscount Pierre and his bailiffs can't even manage the security of the castle and its immediate vicinity. Now the entire southern Tinietz is full of cross-border refugees and bandit groups that burn, kill, and plunder. Lords of all sizes are too busy to care for themselves. Just a few months ago, a group of bandits occupied Alsburg in the south and killed the local lord..." Art spoke of the chaos in the southern border of Burgundy County.

"So you want to be a Border Security Patrol Officer? You have nothing now, and Viscount Pierre is unlikely to give you any support. What will you use to maintain border security? Child, listen to me, I am currently in charge of renovating Hvorof Cathedral. I can let you be a contractor to earn some money, or you can come and be a guard by my side." Olof Hannes expressed concern about the young man's impulsiveness.

"Bishop, to be sheltered under your wings would be the greatest honor of my life. But I bear the heavy responsibility of clearing my family's shame and dare not slacken for a moment. You are right, Viscount Pierre and Tinietz will not give me much support, but they will also give me the greatest degree of freedom because of this, so I can quietly develop in the desolate valley without any restrictions."

"You mean, you want to develop in that Unnamed Valley? But as far as I know, that area has been uninhabited for hundreds of years. You will get nothing but wild beasts and devils." Abbot Olof still thought the young man was fantasizing, but upon closer thought, this young man in front of him was so similar to himself back then, who had disregarded everything to follow the army to the Holy Land.

"Child, are you firm in your idea?"

"Yes, unwavering!"

Abbot Olof lowered his head in deep thought for a long time, then raised his hand, patted Art's shoulder, and stood up, saying, "Alright, child, I will help you. Come to Selankver Monastery in ten days to find me."

Art felt relieved after hearing the Abbot's words. Then, he carefully took out a white money pouch embroidered with a Holy Cross from his embrace, knelt on one knee before Abbot Olof, and offered the money pouch with both hands, saying, "Bishop, this is a contribution to Selankver Monastery and Hvorof Cathedral. Please accept it."

Abbot Olof, while refusing Art's donation, curiously examined the money pouch embroidered with a Holy Cross in Art's hand. He suddenly felt that this young man in front of him might achieve something great.

Ultimately, Abbot Olof accepted Art's "contribution," firstly because he was raising a large amount of money needed for the renovation of the Cathedral, and secondly, because it required money to arrange for this "stained" foreigner, Art, to obtain the identity of a Border Security Patrol Officer in Burgundy County, even if the position was just an inexpensive civilian official.

The next morning, Abbot Olof took two guards and traveled by carriage to Besançon, where the Court was located.

The development of events differed somewhat from Art's initial plan. Art had originally intended to use the original owner's identity to ask Abbot Olof for the title of a Monastery laborer contractor, so he could openly return to the south to recruit refugees, bring them back to the Unnamed Valley to cultivate land and barren fields, and then slowly gather strength and gradually develop. However, when Art learned that Olof Hannes had already been promoted to Bishop, served as the Abbot of the Monastery, and might even be promoted to Bishop of the Archdiocese, he decided to make a bold and risky move.