NOVEL NEXT Chapter 689: -135- The Power Behind the Northern Territory
Charlotte put away Nisi's magic book and dismissed a guilt-ridden black cat.
Then, she sank into her consciousness and entered the Dark Night Ancient Castle.
Seated high on the Blood Throne, the girl summoned Sebastian Flameheart. In the next instant, a crimson light flashed, and the conscious form of Sebastian appeared in the great hall of the ancient castle.
Perhaps due to his role as Castel Envoy, Sebastian was unusually not dressed in his deacon attire but wore a noble's robe in the style of Yonette.
Of course, as an elf who valued appearance, his attire was still elegant and appropriate.
"Great master, your most loyal servant, Sebastian Flameheart, offers you the sincerest blessings, may your glory shine upon the land, may your name spread among humanity..."
Sebastian knelt on one knee and bowed respectfully to Charlotte.
His expression was full of devotion and respect.
Charlotte nodded slightly.
Though with time, it seemed she had more and more followers with a tendency to fawn over her, she had to admit that if there was a competition for skill, this fellow would be the winner.
"Rise, and tell me about what you saw in the Northern Territory."
Charlotte instructed.
"Thank you, great master!"
Only after Charlotte's command did Sebastian slowly stand up. He leaned forward, bowing once more to Charlotte, and then with a solemn expression, respectfully said:
"Great master, I have met with the Northern Territory Duke, Duke Stefan Sobieski, and conducted an investigation in the Northern Territory. Contrary to my expectations, the waters of the Northern Territory Grand Duchy... are perhaps very deep."
Upon hearing Sebastian's words, Charlotte felt no surprise.
The Northern Territory hiding such a vast prohibition array, capable of even cutting off the divine connection of God's faith, it would indeed be strange if there were no stories behind it.
"Continue."
She gestured for Sebastian to go on.
Sebastian straightened his demeanor and continued:
"Master, the Northern Territory Duke invited the Castel Envoy Group to the Northern Territory, not truly with the intention of spreading the faith of the Holy Royal Court. More accurately, he intended to use the banner of the Holy Royal Court to suppress the totem beliefs of the various tribes in the Northern Territory!"
"The Northern Territory Duke is not genuinely interested in spreading the faith of the Holy Royal Court, but... he indeed plans to unify the faith in the Northern Territory. He wants to introduce a new faith in his name under the guise of the Holy Royal Court—a faith that he can control!"
"This is not merely a nominal faith, nor a false one. Further covert investigations revealed that the Northern Territory Duke has already trained some 'priests' who... can also perform Divine Arts!"
"Of course, these 'priests' are not of the Holy Royal Court, and their 'Divine Arts'... bear some resemblance to the totem beliefs of the Northern Territory tribes. The Northern Territory Duke... seems to want to reference the Holy Royal Court, merge their own totem beliefs, and create a new form of faith!"
"Moreover, the Northern Territory Duke has always been covertly monitoring Castel's situation. He's interested in our frequent missionary activities and has begun to harbour doubts about my faith, as well as your true stance..."
"He... has taken notice of the existence of our Dark Night Church."
After listening to Sebastian's words, Charlotte nodded slightly but did not feel too surprised.
The Northern Territory Duke's disinterest in truly accepting the faith of the Holy Royal Court was something she had already guessed. Various reports showed a monarch with ambition no less than, and perhaps even greater than, Louis V. Such a person would not be content to be a puppet of the Holy Royal Court.
As for faith, it's safest when held in one's own hands.
As for Castel... the existence of the Dark Night Church would eventually be impossible to conceal, especially after large-scale missionary work.
However, as the Holy Presence Day approached and various "cults" began to emerge across Mireya, Castel, situated on the edge of the Holy Royal Court's faith rule, wasn't yet as conspicuous.
But even so, it was necessary to make preparations in advance.
Luckily, Charlotte's "officially recognized" status as a Saintess remained. Even if the Holy Royal Court discovered the Dark Night Church, they would inevitably consider her position.
After all... the internally conflicted Holy Royal Court was no longer the behemoth that could casually mobilize hundreds of thousands of Holy Legions to crush anything in their way like before.
"So... what is the attitude of the Northern Territory Duke?"
Charlotte inquired further.
Sebastian answered respectfully:
"He is testing the waters, but... also showing goodwill. He seems quite interested in the Dark Night Church and has even subtly expressed the desire to form an alliance with Castel."
"In his words, if we in Castel are willing to cooperate, he is prepared to help you deploy troops, to assist you in your fight against the Bloodline of the Falling Star Kingdom, to become the true Falling Star Queen!"
Charlotte was genuinely surprised at this.
"And... what are his conditions?"
Charlotte asked.
Sebastian's expression was odd:
"The Northern Territory Duke hopes that after you ascend to your rightful throne, the captured Bloodline will be handed over to them to deal with. In his words, the Bloodline once caused the Northern Territory to be divided for hundreds of years, and this would be the Northern Territory's revenge against the Bloodline."
Even Charlotte's expression turned odd upon hearing this.
What?
Willing to form an alliance with Castel in exchange for the future Bloodline captives?
Watching Charlotte's subtle expression, Sebastian continued:
"Great master, actually... as far as I know, this is not the first time that the Northern Territory Grand Duchy has proposed such conditions."
"You might not be aware, but decades ago, the first Duke of the Northern Territory Grand Duchy, who is also the grandfather of Duke Stefan, proposed similar terms when allying with Louis V..."
"Only at that time, what was exchanged were members of the Shedite Clan's Bloodline, active in the New Moon 'Blood Demon Sect.'"
With a deep breath, Sebastian went on:
"Master, the Northern Territory Duke appears to have an inexplicable interest in the Bloodline. According to my investigation, those Bloodline from the New Moon Kingdom who were 'exiled' to the Northern Territory Grand Duchy as per the agreement during the Star Moon War ultimately vanished without a trace, completely disappearing."
"Behind the Northern Territory Duke, there might be other forces interested in, or, to say more accurately, hostile to the Bloodline, supporting..."
Other forces interested in the Bloodline?
No...
I'm afraid that the so-called power hostile toward Bloodlines might itself be a Bloodline.
More precisely, the force behind the Northern Territory Duke is likely to be one of the Six Great Bloodline Clans, Harcos.
Charlotte pondered thoughtfully, making her judgement.
This wasn't a wild guess; as the ruler of the Northern Territory, the Northern Territory Duke couldn't possibly be completely ignorant of the Magic Restriction that enveloped the Northern Territory. Moreover, Charlotte had already learned that the Harcos Clan were the ones maintaining that restriction.
Under such a restriction, planning to develop a new Faith would be impossible without the cooperation of Harcos.
And as for why the Harcos Clan would need captives from other clans… the possibilities were endless.
Not to mention during the millennium Blood War, the clans nearly went mad with fighting, always at odds with each other. For a Magic Race like the Bloodlines, whose superhuman powers are inherent in their blood and merge with their blood, it was possible to usurp each other's power through Bloodline Devour.
This was akin to a weaker version of Charlotte's "Devour" ability.
Charlotte could "Devour" the powers of other Transcendents and even deities, and while lower-ranking Bloodlines couldn't reach that level, they could still strengthen themselves by "drinking" the blood of other Transcendents, even directly "Devouring" the Bloodline Power of their kin to elevate their Rank.
And in Albrecht's memories, the strongest inheritance of such power was that of the Blood and Flesh Path Bloodline Clan, Harcos.
Of course, Devouring the Bloodline Power of one's kin also constituted a Taboo in the order of Bloodlines.
But now...
Could it be someone from the Harcos Clan had begun to touch upon these Taboos?
Charlotte naturally made such an association; after all, "disappearances" were hard not to imagine in the worst possible light.
Of course, with limited information currently, her speculation might not necessarily be correct.
But Charlotte could be certain of one thing: the force behind the Northern Territory Duke… was indeed likely to be Harcos Clan. If not a backer, at least a collaborator.
Judging by the actions of the Northern Territory Duke, they too might be amassing power in preparation for Holy Presence Day.
At this thought, Charlotte let out a soft sigh.
Holy Presence Day… Holy Presence Day…
Almost all significant moves by all powers were centered around the imminent Holy Presence Day.
Holy Presence Day signified the resurgence of the gods, yet the revival of deities wasn't welcomed by the majority of secular forces besides their own Churches—on the contrary… it was viewed as the greatest crisis in a millennium by all the major Transcendent Forces.
Although… the original source of powers for these Transcendent Forces was most likely some deity.
Not only that, some ambitious individuals might even be restless, ready to seize this rare opportunity for god hunting.
In a sense, this situation could be considered ironic.
"Sebastian, let's not mention the Northern Territory Duke for now; how are things with the Free Tribe Alliance?"
Charlotte continued to inquire.
"Mistress, the Faith connection of Divine Favored Astrid has been suppressed, and it seems she can no longer wield the power You bestowed. According to my tracking, they should have embarked on their journey back to the tribe, probably to attempt re-establishing the connection at the Divine Hall You foretold."
Sebastian replied respectfully.
Charlotte pondered for a moment, then commanded,
"Track them down and assist them in reestablishing their Faith. Their prayers alone are likely not enough."
Regardless of what secrets the Northern Territory Duke and Harcos were hiding, Charlotte's priority was to quickly formally incorporate those hundreds of thousands of Believers.
As for the rest, she had time to continue investigating; for now, the Northern Territory showed no threat to her.
"Mistress, about the Northern Territory Duke… how should I respond?"
Sebastian asked.
Charlotte considered this:
"Show goodwill, and at the same time… delay as much as possible. If you can't delay any longer, then politely decline with a proper reason—but don't burn bridges."
"Once I've dealt with the affairs of Falling Star Kingdom, I will personally head to the Northern Territory. For now… just continue to carefully investigate."
Sebastian bowed softly upon hearing this,
"I will heed Your Oracle."
After conveying the next set of orders to Sebastian, the duration for the summons was reaching its limit.
Charlotte waved her hand, concluding the Blood Summon.
Her consciousness returned to reality, she pondered for a moment, then connected through the Blood Favored in her mind, commanding Yulster,
"Yulster, come to me at once."
Not long after the command had been given, Yulster scurried over promptly,
"Tru... No, Her… Her Majesty the Queen!"
He greeted her with a nervous bow.
Charlotte glanced at him and asked,
"How are those who smeared Demon Marrow of the Deep Sea Demon Squid onto the warships?"
"They have all begun disembarking and are preparing to report to You. Should I have them go and surrender themselves to Count Stafford?"
"No need, just keep them confined for now."
Charlotte shook her head.
"Moreover…"
She paused, then continued,
"Prepare yourself. Tonight, I plan on visiting the headquarters of the Nais Clan."
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Count it as last night?