The Church’s retaliation was faster than anyone had imagined.
On the morning of the paper distribution, troops of soldiers investigated every newspaper stand – acting as if they were hunting a mass murderer. With the City of Snow as their base, they expanded their investigation outward. Every house was ransacked, and if a Free Mage paper was spotted, an appointed priest would show up for a "talk".
At this point, politicians were shaking in their boots. Many kept their doors closed with the excuse of having suddenly come down with a disease. They could predict that a storm was coming.
The impact of the newspaper was dramatically reduced due to how fast the church reacted. The majority of the people had yet feast their eyes on the paper and before it was cut off. They would never know what was written inside.
