Steel Empire
Meet With Ludolf

After meeting with Ludwig and discussing the new design, Berengar proceeded to the local chapel with his bodyguards following behind. While the Grand Cathedral of Kufstein was being built, the local chapel was seized from the Catholic Church and used by Ludolf to preach the Gospel and the words Berengar reform.

When Berengar arrived at the chapel, he saw the service in progress, and thus he looked from behind the church while listening to Ludolf's sermon. His sermon was about the separation of Church and State, and he therefore quoted Matthew 22:15-22 when he preached to the assembled crowd.

“Then the Pharisees went and conferred on how they could ensnare him in his talk. And they sent their disciples with the Herodians to him, saying, Teacher, we know that You are right, and teach the way of God in truth, no matter you to anyone: because you do not consider the human person. So tell us, what do you think? Is it permissible to pay tribute to the Emperor, or not? But Jesus saw their wickedness and said, Why do you tempt Me, you hypocrites?

Show me the tribute money. And they brought him a penny. And he said to them, Whose picture and writing is this? They said to him, Caesar's. Then he said to them, Therefore give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar; and to God what belongs to God. When they heard these words, they were astonished, and left him, and left."

Ludolf then continued to interpret the words by spreading the message of Berengar.

"So, in Christ's own words, we must obey the law of the Kingdom of Man while we owe our souls to the Father in heaven!"

The sermon lasted for some time before the Kufsteinians were finally disbanded. Finally, after some time, all that was left in the Chapel were Ludolf and Berengar, and seeing the man who had led him to enlightenment standing with a grin on his face in his church, Ludolf could not help but smile. 

Berengar quickly walked towards the man and patted his back.

"That's a very good sermon, buddy; you're really fit to lead our reform!"

However, Ludolf decides to tease Berengar as he clears some of the remaining mess from the encounter.

"I haven't seen your face around this part lately; I'm starting to think that you've lost faith."

Berengar, however, chuckled at these words and shook his head.

"Not in the least, I'm just too busy watching the kingdom and fighting against those who will hurt us. I tried to make it when I could, but the work of a Count was never really done."

Ludolf sneered at Berengar's comments and asked him a question

"Work of a Count or Duke?"

Berengar once again laughed at Ludolf's jokes before making his own.

"Be careful, those words are treason; if you let that little boy hear you say that, he might chop off your head!"

When Ludolf heard this, he could not help but laugh and sneer at the remark.

"Yes? Tell me, Berengar, without your consent who will obey the Habsburg Boy? Everyone knows that you are the one who really holds power in Austria. Conrad's just your doll."

Berengar did not deny the charges against him and simply smiled innocently before shifting the subject.

"So how did the reform go?"

After hearing Berengar avoid his statement, Ludolf received the hint and began talking about business. 

"This is going well; most of Bavaria is being converted, regardless of the war they are waging against you. Particularly in the Swabian region, it has also spread to Baden, Wurttemburg, and the Swiss Confederacy. The Reformation made progress in the East, all the way to Dresden. As far as the southern part of the German-speaking region, we've built a foothold."

Berengar was pleased to hear this news and congratulated his friend.

"Good! Very good, this is all thanks to you and your efforts!"

However, Ludolf did not seem too pleased, and Berengar immediately noticed it; therefore, he asked for the details.

"What's wrong?"

To this question, Ludolf let out a heavy sigh before voicing his concern.

"In the North, our people are persecuted, Catholics still hold great control over public opinion, and our followers are burned. It's really annoying to what extent they're going to silence us."

Inadvertently persecuting the Reformists in Northern Germany, the Catholics had given Berengar a reason to attack when he was finally ready to do so. However, he could not admit this well, and thus he pretended as if he was overwhelmed with grief.

"It is insane as you state, the fact that Catholics will kill those who interpret the word of God differently shows how corrupt they are. They don't care about safety but maintain control over people."

Berengar's words reached an agreement with Ludolf, and he wholeheartedly agreed. So he nodded his head and said the words Berengar wanted to hear.

"Please promise me that when you become strong enough, you will march on the North and free our brothers and sisters in Christ from the corruption of the sins of the Catholic Church!"

Berengar put on a face as if he was surprised by such a statement and pretended to be hesitant.

"I don't know about this ..."

However, Ludwig insisted and thus shook Berengar slightly 

"hear! Promise that! You have to save our people!"

Finally, after a while, Berengar seemed to budge and sighed heavily as if he was at odds with the matter greatly.

"OK, I promise you that when I have enough power, I will invade North American Germany and rid them of the terrible influence of the Catholic Church ..."

Seeing Berengar agree to Ludolf's suffering, the Priest smiled before patting Berengar on the back.

"Don't worry, my friend; we are only acting to protect our people from the evil of the Vatican! How could God scorn such a war?"

Berengar finally smiled and nodded his head approving of Ludolf's words. The man never stopped disappointing her. So he decided to shift the topic to something else.

"Do you need additional funds? Tell me how much you need, and I'll be happy to donate it to church!"

Ludolf began to chuckle when he heard these words, and he began to punish Berengar.

"You've built the Great Cathedral to rival Notre Dame Cathedral! How could I possibly ask for more money from your coffers?

However, Berengar shook his head after hearing this response and told Ludolf of his opinion.

"For the Reformation work, you just have to ask, and I'll be happy to fund whatever you need as long as I can afford!"

Ludolf was more adamant than Berengar realized and rejected his offer.

"I'm grateful for all you've done, Berengar, but we received sufficient funding from all the Nobles who supported our reform; you don't have to spend so much ..."

This news brought a smile to his face; the more Lords contributed to the reform, the better, and the Reformed Church now made enough money to stand alone without his support. At least for most. So Berengar finally relented to his offer.

"OK, let me know if you need anything, and if it's in my power, I'll be happy to help you."

With that said, Ludolf smiled and nodded.

"Of course, remember to keep your word. When the time comes, you must free our brothers and sisters to the North!"

Berengar chuckled when he heard that before asking a rhetorical question.

"Have I ever broken my promise, my friend?"

With that said, Berengar bid farewell to Ludolf and began to return to the Castle. He took a pleasant walk observing the progress of his Kufstein City when he did. Although he had built many structures out of concrete and steel, he knew one day he would have to rebuild many of them to ensure their structural stability for a thousand years. After all, he couldn't build his Empire's foundation from the structural materials that lasted 100 years at most. 

Concrete and steel are cheap to produce and are quickly converted into structures. However, the cost was longevity, and because of that, Berengar swore when he saw the grand design that was being built quickly that he would reconstruct it with stone and cement in his lifetime. Because if his culturally important building could not stand the test of time, how could his Empire?