Chapter 428 Ruins

Horn blinked. He could hardly recognize the witch in front of him after she washed and put on makeup.

The Rose of the Magdeburg Chamber of Commerce walked over slowly. She reached out and tucked her long brown hair behind her ears, leaving a few strands of hair hanging down from her temples.

The shaggy hairstyle revealed her smooth forehead. Although Catherine applied light blush on her cheekbones and tried to cover it up with orange-pink blush and rose-colored lipstick, she still couldn't hide her haggard, pale face and lips.

Unlike Jeanne's hurried steps, Carrie's calm and steady strides, or Shilov's horizontal steps, Catherine's walking posture is that of an elegant lady.

She stood with her back straight, a smile on her face and looked straight ahead, and she walked very steadily and lightly.

According to some etiquette courtiers, this gait allowed a lady to run through Rogue Street in a long skirt without showing her ankles, and was the most suitable gait for the daughters of barons, knights, and urban nobles.

The steps of ladies of high-ranking nobles (early as the Earl) are even more different.

Because noble ladies cannot walk fast, and they have to wear heavy gold and silver jewelry and all kinds of gems, so they cannot walk around casually.

As she walked, her long-sleeved black and purple brocade dress swayed, and when she lifted the hem of her skirt, the lace lining on the cuffs was still shaking.

Seeing Horn staring at her intently, Catherine slightly straightened her chest and pushed up the gourd-shaped white silk tie on her chest. The round curve was faintly visible in the sliding silk.

"Does it look good?" Catherine asked this question as she walked in front of Horn. She regretted it as soon as she asked it. Why did the tone of the question sound so much like that of a wife who had just taken a shower and changed into new clothes?

In fact, when she was washing up just now, Catherine felt that she had been a little too offensive to Horn.

It was the first time for both of them to meet each other, and it was awkward for them to hug each other. How could they talk about messy topics like old women?

Besides, this Savior Army leader is not only her savior, but also the savior of Rapid City. He is even the military guarantee of Rapid City for a long time to come. He should be given enough respect.

With her middle finger tightly clenched on her palm, Catherine stared at Horn with rare uneasiness. She felt it was rude, but also looked forward to Horn's answer.

Horn had already honed his understanding of these issues during his time with the Gulag sisters: "I am face-blind and cannot tell whether a person is pretty or not."

Catherine pouted subconsciously, then quickly switched to an elegant smile and sat down next to Horn.

"Mr. Horn, I'm sorry for being rude just now. On behalf of the Magde Chamber of Commerce, I have to thank you for saving Rapid City."

"No, you saved Rapids City. I just drove away the coalition of nobles." Horn said sincerely, thinking of the long vine wall that blocked the church army that day and Catherine who was almost exhausted at that time.

Catherine shook her head and said, "Thank you very much for saving me. I won't force myself to do it and embarrass you.

Find an opportunity to send me to Black Snake Bay. I'm in charge of the White Mountain Hermitage, and those astrologers have nominated me as the leader several times."

"Not now."

"why?"

"I still need your prestige to unify the entire Rapid City. You are basically half the creator of Rapid City. We need you."

"But I think they won't listen to me anymore." Catherine smiled bitterly and raised her hand, pointing at herself with difficulty, "I am a witch..."

"You are a saint! Anyone who dares to say that you are a witch is guilty of aiding the devil. Anyone who dares to commit the crime of aiding the devil will lose his head!" Horn said firmly, "You have saved the lives of so many innocent people. Is this something a witch would do?" "I..."

"Can a person who has created so much wealth and provided countless people with enough food and good housing be a witch? Can a person who sacrifices herself for her followers be a witch?"

Horn sneered: "Everyone in the world has been deceived by the devil. The witch is unreasonable and the priest is reasonable. This kind of identity politics is too dirty."

Catherine sniffed when her speech was interrupted, but she was not very angry. Instead, she had a strange feeling of inexplicable grievance.

Originally, Catherine accepted being bullied by the citizens, but for some reason, after hearing what Horn said, she felt an unprecedented sense of grievance.

"Just rest and recover first. I've asked Armand to help you in the city." Horn looked at Catherine in front of him. Her thick and long eyelashes were flashing sadly. "Don't worry, you will only be a saint."

Catherine shook her head calmly: "I know those citizens too well. They are not as easy to deceive as the farmers..."

"Don't talk nonsense. When have I ever lied to anyone?" Horn said without looking up as he flipped through the briefing in his hand. "If I had lied to anyone, my head would have fallen off."

Seeing Horn's confident look, Catherine's complicated emotions calmed down and she stared quietly at the young man who was a generation younger than her.

The two sat facing each other for a while before Catherine suddenly said, "I want to see Rapid City now. Can you take me there?"

Horn closed the briefing in his hand and stared at Catherine's face for a long time before speaking: "Then you must be mentally prepared."

"I can accept."

Holding Catherine's arm, Horn took her to the terrace. The dazzling red light of the setting sun made Catherine squint her eyes after staying in the room for a long time.

But when she opened her eyes again, she couldn't help suffocating.

The former Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore was burned down in flames, the gilded bronze statue of Saint Shelley had its head knocked off by the knights who were unable to pull it away in time, and the clear inner city river was extremely turbid, with broken wood boards, strips of cloth and even dead bodies floating on the water.

The paint on most of the houses had fallen off, revealing the mottled walls. A few ignorant children were hanging on the wooden frames, laughing and giggling.

But the civilian craftsmen in ragged clothes were not in such a good mood. They just cursed and cleaned up the broken tiles and rubble on the ground under the command of the Salvation Army.

The city of Rapids at sunset is full of ruins.

Is this still her Rapids City?

"At present, the port area of ​​Rapid City is basically destroyed. The previous Red Dragon Breath Fire, the deliberate arson by the extraordinary knights, the vine wall and the street fighting... I have to say that most of the entire Rapid City has become a ruin."

Looking at the tents in the streets and the refugees sleeping on the broken roofs, Horn took out his notebook and wrote down two things: "At present, the remaining infrastructure in Rapid City is estimated to be unable to accommodate the remaining 30,000 people. You must at least relocate nearly 10,000 people to other places."

“Oh my God…” Catherine’s knuckles turned white as she grasped the railing. “How could this happen? Why did it happen like this…”

"But we won, didn't we?" Horn gently stroked Catherine's trembling back and said, "Don't worry, as long as Rapids City has not been destroyed and as long as people are still here, Rapids City will definitely be rebuilt one day."

(End of this chapter)