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I am afraid of my own spirit.
Unwilling to transform themselves into righteous people
To become your food,
To become your sharpest sword.
"Snapped!!!"
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Constantine lashed out with tremendous force, and in no time, blood seeped from the whip marks on his back, a horrifying sight! Yet, he remained unmoved, his whipping not lessening in the slightest, as if he felt nothing at all.
I prayed,
Praying for your country,
Open the door to wisdom and truth.
"Snapped!!!"
"To guide you, the lost believer, towards the end of the road..."
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Constantine finally stopped whipping the statue after the last prayer was finished. He looked at the unchanging, indifferent smile of the Son of God in the image before him and felt a deep sense of disappointment.
He was so devout, yet he never received the slightest response from the Lord.
Is it...
A thought that sent shivers down his spine suddenly welled up in his mind.
Before the thought could become clearer, he forcibly dispelled it himself...
No...no...it must be that I'm not devout enough!
Lord... please forgive my wavering...
He instinctively looked back at the holy statue before him, wanting to beg for forgiveness...
However, at that moment, he clearly saw that the face of the Holy Son Micah on the unchanging holy image that had been hanging on the wall for years was looking at him, and behind the Holy Son, the circular halo was also emitting a holy but not dazzling light!
Then, he saw the Holy Son's face, bearing an eternally compassionate smile, nod at him with what seemed like approval...
"Clang!!" The leather whip in his hand fell to the ground...
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Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 819 Dreams
承和三十七年 2016年4月8日07:50 圣城贝尔戈佩里圣台伯街
Bergapolis is a holy site and a world-renowned tourist city. Some people call it "the city closest to God." As a result, real estate prices here are extremely high, making every inch of land incredibly valuable.
As an archbishop, Constantine Durand did not need to purchase a residence; he had a residence provided by the Vatican. However, when he passed away or went to take up a post elsewhere, the Vatican would reclaim the residence.
Constantine's residence in Bergopelli was a luxurious apartment with a yard on St. Tiber Street, furnished with elegant furniture and a spacious courtyard. However, Constantine did not actually like it there. On the contrary, he often missed his old home in the Teresivny mountains, where the people, though poor, were simple and devout.
When Constantine returned home late at night, he remained absent-minded even after entering his house. His mind was constantly replaying the scene he had witnessed in the office that afternoon.
That was a miracle!
Although the holy child in the painting only nodded to him, and the strange scene lasted for about ten seconds, it faded away and everything returned to its original state.
He lay prostrate on the ground for a long time, and only stood up again when he saw that there was no further development. His first reaction was to check the portrait of the Holy Son. Only after confirming that there was no "technological innovation" on it and that it was just an ordinary religious oil painting did he dare to believe that he had really witnessed a miracle!
He then waited in the office for a long time, until he was certain that the Holy Son didn't seem to be planning to show him anything more...
Even so, he was still extremely excited!
He had never been so convinced of it before...
The Lord has always been watching him!
The Lord was with him...
As a result, he got so excited that he couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned until the early hours of the morning before finally falling asleep. By then, due to the time difference, it was already 07:50 AM in Dazhao time.
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battlefield!
A brutal, life-or-death battlefield!
The sky was a dark night, and the battlefield was shrouded in a thin mist. Some buildings were burning, and by the light of the raging fire, one could see the shadowy shouts and clashes in the surrounding darkness.
Shouts, the clash of cold weapons, the neighing of warhorses, the splattering of blood, the fierce howls of unknown people... all sorts of familiar and unfamiliar sounds mingled together...
Constantine looked around in confusion, wondering where he was.
I don't know how I ended up in this place.
He stared blankly at his surroundings, breathing in the acrid smell of burning fuel mixed with an indescribable sweetness or something akin to rust. In short, the smell was unsettling, an instinctive unease etched into his very being…
That's right! This seems to be the smell of blood!
There was a loud, hoarse roar not far away, and the bell was used by the Qiyong (not) modern mainstream Rune or Gran German, nor the Lombard German used by Bergoperi. It seemed to be... an ancient Hiscanese, a language that was once popular in the Middle Ages but is now rarely used.
Because many religious texts from classical times used this language, Constantine was able to roughly understand some of it; the person was shouting:
"For my lord!!!"
Shouts and roars echoed from all directions...
"We swear to fight to the death!!"
"For my lord!!!"
"BOOM!!!" Thunderclouds seemed to be gathering in the sky, and a bolt of lightning ripped across the horizon...
Through that fleeting flash of lightning, Constantine was horrified to discover that, in the distance, countless warriors were locked in fierce combat, and their enemy was not human!
Those were bizarre, indescribable creatures!
"Holy War!!!"
A tremendous roar erupted from not far beside him. Constantine hurriedly turned his head to look, only to see a tall knight riding his warhorse galloping out of the darkness, knocking away a wolfhound-like monster with his lance.
However, at that moment, strange black ropes came whistling from the darkness further away, entangled the knight's horse's hooves, and the horse stumbled and fell to the ground.
But this knight was highly skilled; as his horse overturned, he leaped from its saddle, his lance flying through the air like a streak of fire into the darkness ahead, followed by a painful roar!
"Kill these demons!!!" the knight roared, drawing his longsword from his waist. With a spinning slash, he sent another monster that lunged at him flying. The heavy full-body armor seemed to be nothing on his body!
The next moment, however, something like a shadow enveloped him, pulling him into the distant mist, accompanied by the terrifying sound of bones cracking and agonizing screams...
Suddenly, a strange roar rang in his ears. He had just turned his head when he saw a huge and eerie shadow rushing towards him, accompanied by a foul stench...
The next moment, darkness enveloped everything...
"Huff!!!" Constantine sat up abruptly in bed, breathing heavily, his forehead covered in beads of sweat. After a while, still somewhat shaken, he looked at the quiet bedroom and the moonlight streaming in through the window, and his mood gradually calmed down.
"So... it was just a dream..." he murmured, then he wondered why the dream felt so real.
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承和三十七年 2016年4月8日08:10 建安省晋安市安宅
"Congressman Huang, I heard that the joint proposal you are preparing to launch with several other congressmen is about anti-monopoly, and it has already generated some public reaction. Could you please share your thoughts?"
"What I want to emphasize to all viewers here is that while monopolistic practices may seem far removed from ordinary people, platforms such as social media, shopping, and music and game distribution are all closely related to consumers. Without restrictions, they will inevitably affect the realization of everyone's two core rights: the right to fair trade and the right to choose freely!"
"The so-called right to fair trade refers to the fact that when people buy goods or services, if they do not have enough other options, they may spend more money than the goods and services themselves are worth. To some extent, this payment is forced and unfair."
Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 820 Anti-Monopoly
"The right to choose is easier to understand. For example, if businesses reach a monopoly agreement, we consumers will be in a weak position and will lose the opportunity to choose goods or services..."
“I see. Councilor Huang is truly concerned about people’s livelihoods… I heard that Councilor Huang used to be a legal professional and worked as an aid lawyer for two years. Is that true?”
"Yes, I worked as a lawyer providing legal aid to ordinary people for two years, so I know the hardships faced by people at the bottom of society. This has always been my core demand: to speak out for ordinary people!"
"Since being elected as a member of the National Council, I have visited hundreds of grassroots communities and related jobs. From what I see, the monopoly situation in some industries has reached an alarming level, which has affected the ecosystem of some industries and commodity prices. And the people at the bottom of society are the most sensitive to commodity prices."
"In a sense, a monopoly is equivalent to levying a tax on everyone; it's a tax called a 'monopoly tax'..."
"Councilor Huang truly cares about people's livelihoods. To be honest, if I hadn't listened to Councilor Huang's analysis, I wouldn't have realized how harmful monopolies could be..."
"You're too kind, host. This isn't actually my personal opinion. Our proposal has also received support from some well-known economists both domestically and internationally, such as Professor Yu Hanfei and Professor Tang Jun..."
"In fact, monopolistic practices are particularly damaging to market competition. Not only will they reduce the sense of gain for ordinary people, but in the long run, they will also lead to a high concentration of resources, thereby reducing market competition. If left unchecked, they will severely hinder emerging industries and ultimately affect the healthy development of the market, ultimately impacting our country's competitiveness..."
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In the restaurant, the An family was having breakfast. On the television next to them, a news anchor was interviewing Huang Weida, a member of the Jian'an Provincial Council of State. As Huang talked at length about the bills he had initiated, An Zhengquan, who was eating millet porridge, frowned slightly, as if there was something dirty in the porridge.
The Grand Council of State is the highest legislative body of the Great Zhao Dynasty. Many countries in the world today have similar institutions, such as the upper and lower houses of the Royal House of State. In the Grand Council of State, besides members born into the royal family and nobility who have permanent seats, there are also a considerable number of "representatives of the people." These "representatives of the people" are usually elected from various regions, and many of them come from commoner backgrounds. They frequently appear in various media outlets to express their views.
The annual Advisory Council meeting is about to be held, and the proposals are currently being submitted. As a result, major media outlets have been focusing on reporting on the relevant members' proposals and even inviting them to give explanations.
As An Huiling listened to the eloquent speech on television, she had a vague feeling that something was wrong. This year's National Consultative Council meeting had inexplicably seen some "representatives of the people" demanding opposition to monopolies and crackdowns on monopolistic enterprises. In particular, these legislators who were making their moves were almost all from ordinary backgrounds, using the name of "speaking out for the people".
"Therefore, I suggest that the country strengthen anti-monopoly legislation, review monopolistic industries and enterprises such as the internet, prohibit the abuse of social dominance, and break up certain heavily monopolistic enterprises..."