Chapter 1375: Chapter 93: Rebuilding the Nation (20)

As soon as the officers appeared, the Great Hall instantly fell silent.

The freemen from various counties either sat up straight with respect on their faces or hunched their shoulders like cicadas struck by frost. In any case, they all closed their mouths and silently watched the officers stream in through the main doors.

The officers entering the Great Hall did not head towards the seats reserved for them but instead stood along both sides of the aisle, forming two walls of people.

First came the junior officers with green sashes.

Then the mid-ranking officers with blue sashes.

Finally, faces that unintentionally made many freemen’s hearts tighten—a young-looking Winters Montagne alongside Gaisa Adonis, Skur Meklen, and Magash Colvin—entered the Great Hall and stood solemnly under the skylight in the dome, at the end of the human wall.

Some freemen were still curious, wondering why the officers did not take their seats.

Those with sharp eyes had already noticed an honor guard outside the main doors escorting something in.

Suddenly, a deep drumbeat rang out in the town square and echoed into the Great Hall, followed by a mournful horn and a long flute sound.

The drumbeat, horn, and flute intertwined to form a dirge, reverberating in everyone’s ears.

Under the gaze of all the “freemen,” the dignified honor guard, holding smoke-stained and blood-soaked war banners, marched into the Great Hall.

Virtually none of the banners were intact; many were tattered and full of battle scars.

Gerard realized in his heart—this was a ceremony to mourn the dead.

He stood up, placing his right hand over his left chest in salute.

At the same time, people from other county sectors also rose to pay their respects.

Soon, whether voluntarily or due to the atmosphere, all the “freemen” gradually stood up.

The honor guard marched to the center of the Great Hall, halting at the edge of the speaking platform, facing the “freemen” on the tiered seats, holding flags solemnly.

The next second, thunderous roars erupted outside the Great Hall.

Then came a second roar…

A third roar…

Four bronze cannons roared in turn every half minute.

Not far away, the bells of Revodan Cathedral also rang in harmony.

Listening to the cannon and bell sounds, Gerard gazed at the war banners on the platform, feeling nostalgic. He recalled his youthful comrades, remembering the laughter and tears of blood, yet could not vividly picture their faces, just blurred visages.

He looked at his companion beside him, somewhat surprised to find the always smiling “Fatty” Nandor quietly wiping the corners of his eyes.

Nandor seemed to sense being observed, lifting his gaze towards old Dusack.

The two exchanged looks, finding some solace in each other’s eyes.

The salute was fired twelve times, and the bells also struck twelve times.

After twelve rings, the moment of silence concluded, the honor guard withdrew the flags, the officers orderly went to their reserved sections, and the freemen from various counties sat down again.

Attentive freemen—like Richard from Blackwater Town—noticed that the officers seemed to know exactly where to sit, arranged by rank from distant to near the central platform.

Moreover, the officers’ seats seemed to fit perfectly, neither too many nor too few.

In stark contrast to the freemen from various counties, who either had no place to sit or enough space to lie down.

Thus, some freemen, already lacking trust in the “military group,” became more convinced—the “preparatory meeting” intentionally arranged the seating this way to assert dominance over all freemen, to make them realize who the true masters of the Newly Reclaimed Land were.

Honestly speaking, such thoughts were not entirely wrong but only half correct.

The fundamental reason for the lack of seating was the inadequate capacity of the venue.

The hall where the freemen assembly was held, fully named the “Maple Stone City Great Hall,”

was, in other words, an auxiliary building of the Maple Stone City government, not part of the Newly Reclaimed Lands Province government.

The design standard of the Great Hall was to accommodate all municipal representatives of Maple Stone City, never anticipating a day it would have to fit all the freemen of the Newly Reclaimed Land.

During the thirty years of rule by the New Reclamation Legion, probably no one ever imagined that one day all the freemen of the Newly Reclaimed Land would be gathered for a meeting—although theoretically, the “General Freemen Assembly” was the highest authority holder in the Newly Reclaimed Land.

Had the Maple Stone City Great Hall not been built with an observation gallery and some redundant space, everyone present might have had to squeeze tightly together to fit into the Great Hall.

In fact, throughout Maple Stone City, only one building could comfortably accommodate such a large number of adults.

That was the Maple Stone City Cathedral.

But Winters firmly opposed hosting the assembly in the Maple Stone City Cathedral.

Though the diocese of Maple Stone City was now almost obliging to Winters, even proactively offering to lend the cathedral to the “preparatory meeting.”

Yet it was precisely this overly accommodating demeanor that made Winters wary.

Moreover, holding a major political meeting at the main cathedral of the Public Church would undoubtedly strengthen the church’s authority in the Newly Reclaimed Land.

Thus, the Maple Stone City Cathedral, under Winters Montagne’s vehement opposition, regretfully was excluded.

That left the Maple Stone City Great Hall as the only indoor venue option.

As for the inadequate capacity of the Great Hall, Winters indeed proposed several solutions, such as removing the backrests or adding more seating…