"Hoo......"
Wolf-like howling winds swept outside the Clock Tower, dispersing the accumulated stench of many years in Rino City and bringing a hint of freshness to the air.
The cold wind carved into the flesh of pedestrians like knives, freezing people's joints with intense pain.
Lacking both clothing and food during such a bitterly cold season, this winter presented an insurmountable barrier of death for the poor.
Yet despite this, massive crowds of the poor still gathered at the Church's recruitment office entrance, shivering in the cold wind, their faces pale from freezing, yet queuing up with shining eyes, waiting to be selected as soldiers.
His Holiness the Pope's conscription strategy had initially terrified the poor just two days ago, making them flee by any means possible. He had even been labeled a tyrant. But within these two days, everything had turned completely upside down, transforming his image entirely.
This was because the new Pope, His Holiness Adam, had issued another decree: those who joined the military would receive food and lodging, soldiers were permitted to plunder freely, with eighty percent of their spoils handed over, but they could keep twenty percent for themselves.
The poor, who had struggled to survive this winter, now saw a genuine chance at life—not just survival, but with good fortune, they could completely reverse their destinies and seek a new life in enemy territory.
Thus, recruitment shifted from requiring Church Knights to go out and capture people to simply waiting for volunteers to come to them.
And His Holiness the Pope transformed from a tyrant into a sage ruler, wise monarch, and even the Son of God. The Church's image was restored overnight, with countless people sincerely praising the Church's benevolence and God's holiness."His Holiness the Pope truly loves his people like his own children!"
"Of course! Ah, if I could just plunder some things from the Boar Empire, I could really become someone important!"
"I don't want to plunder things, I just want to plunder myself a wife."
The poor waiting in line for recruitment were neither hungry nor cold anymore. The moment they started talking about going to the Boar Empire to plunder, they became animated with beautiful conversations and delightful fantasies, no longer even fearing the battlefield.
These chaotic voices gathered together, buzzing like flies.
"Human hearts are so fickle!" Norton sighed with deep emotion, having witnessed firsthand how these people transformed from resenting the Pope, wishing to skin him and pick his bones clean for vengeance, into their current state of fawning over him.
This made him feel he should be even more wary of humans and must absolutely eliminate any compassion.
In his previous life, even helping someone up could become a problematic question. In this lifetime's environment, with these poor people whose animal nature far exceeded their humanity, they deserved not even a shred of pity.
These people had no human hearts.
Norton stood on the attic looking toward the Church direction at the massive crowd of poor people, releasing his magnetic field.
"Whoosh!" (onomatopoeia, though no actual sound occurred)
Though the magnetic field was formless and colorless, it still spread out like an invisible ring of light, instantly covering the entire area of Rino City.
Norton felt his magnetic field seemed to be changing over time too—not just in terms of area size, but in effect intensity.
However, he couldn't determine exactly how much his magnetic field had changed, since it didn't affect him directly. He could clearly sense the field's range but not the sensations it brought to others.
But the people of Rino City understood this very clearly.
The chaotic queue of poor people suddenly fell completely silent, and even the Church's Missionaries and Church Knights paused their actions for a moment.
Yet the next instant, Rino City gradually returned to its noisy state.
This feeling somewhat resembled a chaotic classroom spontaneously falling silent, yet it was completely different.
Classroom silence occurred due to the coincidence of human speech cycles, while Rino City's sudden stillness happened because everyone simultaneously felt something pressing on their hearts, though upon careful sensing, it seemed like just an illusion.
But this momentary illusion made Rino City freeze for an instant.
"There really is a change. Has the intimidation effect strengthened?" Norton's ears could capture extremely distant sounds, and this ability allowed him to keenly detect Rino City's momentary stillness.
Previously, when he tested his magnetic field ability in the slums, though it had an intimidation effect, someone needed to actually see him for it to truly take effect. Now, these people couldn't even see him, yet the effect still occurred, undoubtedly proving that his magnetic field's external capabilities were indeed advancing.
Actually, the true capability of Aura Pressure wasn't truly manifested on the people of Rino City, but rather on the new-style vampires.
However, compared to his magnetic field's advancement, he discovered a more important issue.
"Rino City Church has been unsealed? Abraham, you truly haven't disappointed me!" Norton's focus on his abilities was drawn to the Church area within his perception.
Previously, though his magnetic field ability could cover the entire city, the Church area had always been a dark zone where he couldn't generate any perception at all, like fog of war on a map.
But now things were different—the darkness had been dispelled! He could sense the scenes inside Rino City Church perfectly clearly, even how many vampires, how many people were inside, and what they were all doing—he could perceive everything completely!
This undoubtedly proved that Rino City Church had been taken over by the new-style vampires he had developed!
Norton's bark-like face contorted into an ugly smile, his crimson eyes fixed intently on the Church direction as he emitted pleased laughter.
"Hehehehe, I, Norton, have been a beggar for almost ten years—longer than Zhu Yuanzhang himself! And now, it's finally my turn to become emperor!"
Rino City Church had been completely cleared out by the vampires inside, probably with all religious items burned as well. Thus, with his current physical prowess, Norton was invincible within Rino City!
Then it was time for His Excellency Norton to ascend the throne!
Norton's eyes burned crimson as he leaped down from the twenty-meter-high Clock Tower.