Gévaudin, the stables of the bachelor officers' quarters.

Father Emond of Gevaudan Parish walked into the stables and found that in addition to the tribune Montagne, there was another man wearing an iron mask in the stables, and the two were chatting about something.

"...The stone bridge is much more troublesome than the wooden bridge." The man in the iron mask said in a deep voice: "But...the most important thing you are lacking now is manpower. It is not difficult to repair it..."

Along with the continuous strange noises, Father Emond heard the voice of Tribune Montagne coming from the innermost room of the stable:

"It was before, but it is now. It's different... In the past, if we didn't pay, everyone could barely accept it. But that's not the case now, no one wants to work for nothing... Alas, I still miss the people of Teltown...

Can I please leave this matter to you..."

The masked man sneered sarcastically: "I eat your food, drink your food, and live in your food. Do I have the right to refuse?"

"Of course."

The masked man obviously lacked the awe of the blood wolf that the people of Tiefeng County had. He snorted and was noncommittal.

"Then I'll take it as your consent. How long will the construction period take?"

The masked man answered casually: "Two or three years."

The strange noise stopped, and Tribune Montagne walked out of the stable with a shovel: "Two or three years?!"

But it happened to be like this. He could neither leave nor stay. Father Emond, who had been standing for a long time, was noticed by the other party.

"Your Excellencies." Father Emond saluted on his chest and spoke first: "Good day."

"Good day." Winters recognized the person who was the current actual steward of Gevaudan Cathedral and nodded in return.

"Should I excuse myself first?" Emond asked awkwardly.

"No need." Winters waved his hand: "Captain Moreau and I are talking about building a bridge, and I would like you to listen."

Immediately, Winters looked at the masked man: "Two or three years is too long."

"What you want is a stone bridge, not a wooden bridge." Moreau's impatience could not be hidden even with his mask: "With the span of the St. George River, two or three years will be short, but four or five years may not be enough.

Maybe. The key depends on how many people you can provide and how much money you have."

Winters immediately asked: "Give it to as many people as you need, how much you need, and how long it will take?"

With other people present, Moreau was unwilling to say more. He sighed deeply: "Just wait...tomorrow, I will submit a written plan to you."

After that, Moreau was about to leave.

Winters did not let go of the senior: "I still have a question. It's so cold in winter. Is there any danger in underwater construction?"

"There is no such thing as underwater construction that is not dangerous." Morrow replied with disdain: "When it comes to summer and rainy season, you won't be able to repair it even if you want to!"

Moreau immediately saluted Father Emond and walked out of the stable without looking back, regardless of Winters's questions.

Watching the senior leave, Winters politely explained to Father Emond: "During the previous siege, wasn't the bridge demolished? Since it needs to be rebuilt, I think it's better to just build a stone bridge."

Father Emond looked a little embarrassed, because the old wooden bridge was actually the property of the Gevaudan Abbey, and outsiders had to pay money to the abbey to cross the bridge.

"To have such a wise and kind tribune like you." Father Emond adjusted his position and spoke out his praises without hesitation: "It is really the Lord's gift to Gévaudin."

Winters walked into the stable again carrying a shovel: "What's the matter with you coming to visit me?"

Father Emond's gaze turned to the interior of the stable. Behind the gate was a pure black pony and two puppies.

The foal stood in the corner of the stable, his eyes filled with grievances.

The two puppies were running wildly next to Tribune Montagne, but the running posture was a bit strange - they all raised their legs. It was not like a dog... more like a horse's dance.

Edmond finally figured out where the strange sound came from: it turned out to be Tribune Montagne shoveling horse manure.

"It is indeed a hound you raised." Edmund racked his brains to find something to praise: "It actually walks in a goose-step."

Winters, who was swinging the shovel, froze and his face turned dark.

"This little black horse is also a great horse!"

Changsheng learned how to bark like a dog at the right time.

"Father, what's the matter with you?" Winters stopped and looked at the priest with his shovel in hand: "Please tell me directly."

Father Emond tried his best to put on a flattering smile: "I heard that your wife can also ride a horse?"

"Um."

"It is not convenient for ladies to ride big horses." Father Emond recommended enthusiastically: "I have brought you two 'ponies' that the nuns ride, and I hope you will accept them."

Winters couldn't laugh or cry.

After the former Bishop of Gevaudan Parish fell to death, the Gevaudan Abbey and its affiliated cathedral were temporarily taken care of by Father Emond.

Unlike his tactful and accidental predecessor, Father Emond is inexperienced, dull, and extremely pious.

According to Winters' observation, the reason why Edmund was elected was probably because other monks were afraid of the "blood wolf", so they put this honest man in front.

Fortunately, Emond is a good person and is very cooperative with Winters' arrangements.

But Gévaudin was probably the only one who could send a gift to the point where the recipient felt extremely uncomfortable.

Seeing that the other party hesitated and refused to talk about the subject, Winters went straight to the point: "If what you are asking for is the position of Bishop Gevaudan - with all due respect, that is an internal matter of your church and I have no intention of interfering. You should just leave the pony.

Take it back."

The Catholic Church is a centralized, centralized, top-down organization. Although the Pope is thousands of miles away, he still has to decide on the next bishop - in theory.

The actual implementation will involve power struggles within the church, and Winters does not want to wade into this muddy water.

"No, no, no." Father Emond shook his head desperately: "The appointment and removal of bishops must be decreed by the Pope. How dare I scheme!"

Winters was holding the shovel and did not speak. He waited for the other party to continue talking without saying a word.

"You seem to be short of money recently?" Emond asked tentatively: "How about Gevaudan Abbey giving you another cash donation? By the way! Donate in the name of building the bridge!"

Winters felt aggrieved. He wanted to ask the other party: "Building bridges and paving roads is a public expense. How can you say you are giving me money?"

But when the words left his lips, they turned into: "Then how much can you pay?"

Emond carefully said a weight - the weight of gold.

Winters cleared his throat, picked up two benches from beside him, and helped Father Edmund sit down.

Then Winters himself sat down, faced each other, and asked seriously: "Tell me, what do you want?"

Emond defended himself anxiously: "I, and the other brothers in the monastery, do not want to ask you for anything, we just hope that you can respect a sacred existing right of the Catholic Church."

"What rights?" Winters observed Father Emond with interest: "Is it worth two ponies and most of your family fortune?"

Father Emond swallowed: "The right of internal justice."

…

After a while.

Andre led the two miniature ponies into the stable.

The little pony is only about one meter tall, and its back just reaches Andre's waist. It looks like two large dogs.

"Where did these two little guys come from?" Andre asked as soon as he entered the door: "They are really rare things."

Winters teased the puppy without raising his head: "You want one? I'll give you one."

"I don't want it, these are all ridden by old men and old ladies." Andre found an empty stable and temporarily locked the pony in: "I'm riding, isn't that riding a rabbit?"

"Sent by Father Emond from the Abbey of Gevaudan."

"That's right, nuns and monks also ride this kind of horse." Andre dragged two large bundles of oat straw and rolled up his sleeves to spread bedding for another stable: "Don't underestimate it, these horses are expensive!

It’s more valuable than an ordinary horse. It’s also troublesome to raise. If I leave it to you to raise, I’ll probably end up raising it to death sooner or later.”

"I'll keep it for you."

"Where do I have time?" Andre spat out the grass clippings in his mouth and stood outside the stable fence waiting for the smoke to dissipate.

When he caught a glimpse of the two beagles fighting at Winters' feet, he couldn't help but laugh: "But I really can't raise them for you. Look at what you raise. Horses bark like dogs, and dogs goose-step. Don't accept it."

"

Looking at the two puppies with their legs raised, Winters hid his face and sighed.

Girard Mitchell's hounds had a litter of pups, and Mrs. Mitchell took two of them with her as companions when she left Wolftown.

Later, the two puppies were raised together with Chang Sheng. The final result was that the puppies walked in goose steps, while Chang Sheng barked unintentionally every day.

"Ronald brought back a prisoner from Lower Tiefeng County." Winters picked up a puppy and put it on his lap to comb it: "Do you know?"

The puppy, which couldn't stop for a moment, became very obedient the moment it was caught by Winters, sticking out its tongue to lick Winters' fingers in a flattering manner.

Seeing that the dust had almost dissipated, Andre led the two ponies into the stable: "I heard they are still Catholic clergy?"

"Yes. Have you seen that person?"

"I haven't seen you. I didn't go with Ronald when I came back." Andre picked up the empty bucket and went to get water for the little pony: "What's the matter?"

Winters fiddled with the puppy's fleshy ears: "The Catholic Church is going to deal with that prisoner."

Andre stopped and looked surprised: "Deal?"

"Hmph, dealing with them is considered friendly. A more accurate statement is..." Winters put down the puppy, watched the puppy run away to bite his brother, and slowly uttered one word: "[Inquisition Trial]
To be continued...