In the dimly lit hall, over ten candles are burning on the iron stands piled with untrimmed wax drippings.

Baldwin IV's sleeping chamber has always been like this, due to its rare visitors and the leprosy causing him light sensitivity, it appears somewhat eerie.

The king's close servant, holding a Demon-Blocking Golden Sword, bowed at the door: "Please come in, everyone."

Inside the hall, Baldwin IV's somewhat frail body leaned against the recliner, sitting before the lamp stand.

The young king, having removed his mask, appears with exceptionally soft features and a contour resembling Princess Sibilla's refined appearance.

Moreover, without a beard, he looks even younger than Losa.

"Your Majesty."

Losa drew a cross in front of him and greeted.

He was clearly a bit surprised by Losa's unexpected visit.

Nevertheless, he first returned the courtesy and then slightly nodded: "Lady Jeanne, Lady Prajna, and Lady Furinjira, it's a pleasure to see you all."

"Please, have a seat."

He put away the book spread on the table, gracefully composed, appearing somewhat elegant and indifferent: "Sir Losa, you've gone out of your way to come here, is there something you need to discuss?"

Losa replied with a smile, "Of course, to visit Your Majesty, seeing you in good health puts my mind at rest."

Baldwin IV smiled, giving Losa a deep look: "Be honest, I believe I know you well enough, between you and me, there's no need for that kind of false courtesy."

Baron Goffrey chuckled kindly: "Not long ago, Losa wrote me a letter, I thought he was inviting me to Hebron as a guest, didn't expect he only exchanged a few pleasantries before asking me to sponsor a batch of craftsmen for his castle building again."

He paused slightly, then added: "At least exchange three pleasantries."

Losa said somewhat awkwardly: "I have no choice, castle building is an urgent matter. New Habsburg is a hub connecting Hebron and Transjordan. Although the initial investment is hefty, once it's built, it will provide me with a continuous stream of taxes and revenue."

His tone shifted, complaining: "Both of you should know, I, a grand Count of Transjordan, only have Hebron and the barren Jorgelisburg as my estates, even my vassals have more power than I do."

This specifically refers to Baron Argon of Petra and the former Count of Transjordan, Reynard.

Baldwin IV said softly:

"Alright, no need for complaints, my situation and Goffrey's in Jerusalem is not much better than yours, just speak plainly."

Losa cleared his throat and said: "Your Majesty, I've published a new book, and I hope you and Sir Goffrey can help spread it quickly throughout Jerusalem."

He placed Song of Winter and Summer on the table.

The cover features a giant dragon composed of black and white stripes, poised to take flight; drawn vividly due to real-life inspirations.

Inside contains illustrations of key characters, though they are all in black and white sketches, the style surpasses the era's popular religious paintings by a wide margin.

"If the quality matches that of Demon Hunter, I think it will naturally become popular even without our help."

Losa nodded and said: "The quality is certainly guaranteed."

Goffrey was somewhat puzzled: "Losa, I don't understand why such a trivial matter is worth your visit?"

Due to the low literacy rate, Losa's initial release of Demon Hunter made only a small profit; surprisingly, the printed commemorative version of the Bible sold better.

However, this profit is but a drop in the bucket compared to maintaining an army.

"Moreover, in the book, I've promoted many of my industries, most importantly plate armor. This concerns the armor shop I plan to open in Jerusalem. If plate armor becomes popular, I think the money will be enough to maintain a five hundred men standing army."

Goffrey laughed: "I've seen the half-body plate armor your Winged Cavalry equips. The scene of Iron Knight Prajna charging on the battlefield is still vivid in my memory. I don't know where you found armor forgers more skilled than Milan's blacksmiths, but the price of this plate armor must be quite high."

Losa nodded and said: "Of course, but it's worth it. I think it's a good thing for the knights, for us, to spend their money on purchasing plate armor rather than wasting on women and alcohol."

Goffrey nodded and said: "That's fine, if you need space for a shop, I can spare a few for you, as they're not making me any money anyway."

Losa thanked again.

He did not mention gifting a set of refined plate armor to Goffrey because he hadn't prepared one for Baldwin IV—after all, production is limited, and Baldwin IV, not appearing in public, couldn't help advertise.

Losa continued: "One more thing, Your Majesty, if I intend to reclaim the lost territories of Transjordan, would it mean breaching the treaty with Saladin?"

The lost territories refer specifically to Eira Port and Alandler Bishopric.

They all belonged to Transjordan's rightful territory. After Reynard's initial failed strategy of traversing the dry land, they were taken back by Adil's army.

Baldwin IV was silent for a moment, then said, "If he wishes to count it, then let it be counted."

"But Saladin is likely too preoccupied now. His full attention is on dealing with internal rebellion. That little fellow Salah has done well, the rebellion he incited in Aleppo is quite formidable."

"In addition, the King of Kings from Sassan is reportedly leading troops to the border to question why he made peace with us. He is in quite a fix now."

Losa asked, "So, we're not counting it, right?"

Baldwin IV furrowed his brow: "Hmm, but where do you have the military strength to attack two fortresses?"

Losa said, "The garrisons for these two cities are limited. The castle in the Alandler Bishopric only has three hundred defenders. I plan to give it a try."

Baldwin IV nodded and said, "Alright, after all, you do have a legitimate reason. Just don't behave like Reynard, recklessly plundering villages and slaughtering civilians."

"I swear in the name of the Heavenly Father, I will not do such things."

Godfrey laughed, "I think so too. Losa is an upright Knight, more knightly than most Knights I've ever met."

Jeanne, who was sitting nearby, slightly curled her lips.

She murmured in her heart, "Indeed, even though I want to break the covenant, I am still a good Knight."

Losa further asked, "Your Majesty, how is the Church of Urding developing?"

"They've absorbed some Pilgrims, expanding their numbers to fifty. I granted them a church at the foot of Temple Mount as the residence of the Saint Lazarus Redemption Order, so it's on the right track."

"How about Hans?"

"He is leading the hunt against a group of evil Heretics… In a tavern's cellar, they discovered a ritual involving an altered Heavenly Father statue conducted by Heretic priests."

Baldwin IV stood up, pulled out a yellowed book from the bottom shelf of the bookshelf.

Losa picked up the book, and even before bringing it closer, he smelled a strong musty scent. He tried to open it and immediately frowned.

The contents were recorded in Greek, with many illustrations inside.

These illustrations, made of simple lines, conveyed a strong sense of sinister evil, even just by looking at them.

Baldwin IV said in a deep voice, "This was found on the Heretics."

"At night, they gather in a cellar, using infant corpses from who knows where, tearing them apart, and wrapping them in flour to make a blasphemous Eucharist."

"Their leader—a man who claims to be a Bishop—bewitches followers to offer their daughters for public copulation with everyone, and after giving birth, they chop up the infant and drink it mixed with wine."

"If Hans hadn't happened to capture one of their followers, I could hardly imagine that such sins could be hidden in holy Jerusalem."

Losa said sternly, "Is that 'Bishop' a fraud?"

"No, evidence shows he does possess some kind of extraordinary evil power. Of course, it might just be a blinding technique to deceive fools."

Baldwin IV's tone paused, looking at the three ladies behind Losa, he said earnestly, "If we could gain the support of the three Casters, these demons distorting the Bible would surely be swiftly brought to justice."

Prajna nodded slightly.

Furinjira looked at Losa, "If the lord asks us to act, we will certainly not refuse."

Jeanne frowned deeply, "Using children as sacrifices is an unforgivable sin. No person with a conscience would allow such a thing to happen."

Losa readily agreed, "Leave this matter to me."

Furinjira lacks human notions of good and evil. She is willing to follow Losa blindly; even if Losa asked her to slaughter a city, she would not refuse.

Prajna, however, is different. Although she doesn't care much about many things, it doesn't mean she doesn't have a sense of right and wrong.

If Losa forced her to do something against her beliefs, she might not refuse, but she would feel uneasy and develop aversion.

Jeanne, on the other hand, is completely different.

Losa guessed that no matter how high their intimacy, if he demanded something contrary to her will, such as asking her to slaughter the weak, she would definitely refuse.

And that is not a bad thing.

Because Losa doesn't want to see himself fall to such a state in the future either.

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