Gospel of Blood

Upon hearing Count Wittray’s words, Charlotte smiled.

“Sir, are you trying to deceive me about the value of extraordinary knights?”

“Ordinary conscripts aside, as far as I know, an apprentice priest in the church earns 15 gold tana a month. Although the pay for extraordinary knights can’t compare to that of priests, their monthly wage is still over 7 gold tana…”

As she spoke, her expression gradually cooled.

“You want to ransom extraordinary knights with less than two years’ pay. Are you joking?”

Despite her youthful appearance and the slight innocence in her voice, the moment her expression turned cold, Count Wittray felt as if the temperature in the entire council hall dropped a few degrees.

Facing Charlotte’s icy gaze, Count Wittray felt an indescribable pressure welling up inside him.

Although they held the same rank and had a significant age difference, at this moment, he felt a sense of awe akin to a subordinate meeting a superior.

This contradiction made him very uncomfortable and increased his stress.

He realized almost instantly that the young girl before him was likely not just a respected lord but also a powerful extraordinary being.

At least… her power was far beyond that of him, a Silver Moon Mage. This alone could explain how her few words exerted such pressure on him.

The pressure wasn’t from the words themselves or the tone but from the mental power contained within her words and the magical fluctuations in the hall that changed with her mood…

She was a powerful mage!

Far beyond an ordinary Silver Moon Mage!

Count Wittray immediately concluded this.

And this realization brought him even greater shock…

Because he knew very well that the girl before him had not even awakened her bloodline power two years ago!

Oh my God…

Gaining extraordinary power far beyond an ordinary Silver Moon Mage in just two years—was it possible that after His Majesty the King, another once-in-a-millennium extraordinary genius was emerging in the Crescent Kingdom?!

Count Wittray’s thoughts churned, and he felt a profound sense of awe.

Taking a deep breath, his demeanor became more respectful.

“Countess, a ransom of one hundred gold tana per person has been the standard for many years. Even during the Star-Moon War, the Starfall Kingdom paid His Majesty the King one hundred gold tana per extraordinary soldier…”

“If you’re not satisfied, we can increase the ransom price by another quarter to show our sincerity.”

“Additionally, for the nobles you have captured, we are willing to pay a ransom of three thousand to two hundred thousand gold tana, depending on their rank.”

“Of course, if you are not satisfied, you can negotiate directly with their families…”

“And this is only the ransom price. We will also cover all the food and lodging expenses of the captives during their detention.”

Charlotte frowned and looked towards Viscount Leon-Castell.

The Old Viscount approached her and whispered.

“Countess, the ransom price Violet offered for the soldiers is reasonable. One hundred gold tana per person is indeed the ‘market price’ for extraordinary soldiers accepted among nobles.”

He paused, then added meaningfully.

“Of course, this only applies to ransoming the soldiers themselves…”

Hearing the Old Viscount’s words, Charlotte got an idea in her mind and nodded.

To be honest, she had little use for those soldiers. Although recruitment efforts had been made during this time, the results were limited.

Most extraordinary soldiers had families and were unwilling to leave their homes. Moreover, many were loyal to their lords and would be difficult to recruit without significant expense.

Considering the cost, Charlotte felt it would be better to train her own extraordinary soldiers.

“Sir Wittray, we can accept the ransom.”

Charlotte said.

Count Wittray sighed in relief.

“However… we will keep the confiscated equipment.”

Charlotte’s tone changed.

“That’s impossible!”

Count Wittray blurted out.

“Oh? Impossible? Do you mean to say that you want to redeem not only the men but also their armor and weapons for just one hundred gold tana?”

Charlotte chuckled.

Count Wittray scratched his head awkwardly and said,

“No… of course not.”

“We are also willing to ransom the extraordinary equipment you captured at a price one-quarter higher than the market value…”

Hearing Count Wittray’s words, Charlotte’s smile grew brighter.

“Count Wittray, you’re joking again.”

“The value of enchanted extraordinary equipment is not lost on me. Even the worst enchanted equipment can sell for three thousand gold tana on the black market…”

“However, that’s just the price.”

“Ordinary equipment aside, enchanted extraordinary equipment can only be crafted by alchemists and mages, often being priceless.”

“Sir Wittray, the extraordinary equipment we captured may fetch a higher price if ransomed to Violet, but we can’t buy similar equipment for the same amount of tana.”

“In a sense, these enchanted items are even more valuable than the soldiers.”

“Exchanging extraordinary equipment for Tana is a losing deal, not to mention… Castell has never lacked tana.”

Hearing Charlotte’s words, Count Wittray frowned and said,

“Countess, do you intend to keep the captured extraordinary equipment to build your own standing army?”

“With all due respect, every set of extraordinary equipment capable of forming a magic formation has its own maintenance system and upkeep methods. Even activating the formation requires specific spell models…”

“Without these, the equipment you obtained would be just ordinary enchanted equipment, unable to form a magic formation.”

“Of course, if you wish to exchange for the related technology, that is impossible. The Duke would never agree. The methods for creating and maintaining extraordinary armies are noble family secrets…”

Charlotte smiled and said,

“Sir Wittray, I am aware of this. I do not expect to rely solely on these spoil items to form Castell’s own extraordinary army.”

Hearing Charlotte’s words, Count Wittray sighed in relief.

Not having the idea of forming an extraordinary army with captured equipment meant Castell did not necessarily need to keep these enchanted items.

And as long as they were not adamant about keeping the equipment, there was room for negotiation.

The thousands of sets of extraordinary equipment Castell obtained were extremely difficult to produce. This war had cost Boite-Linte decades of savings.

Before he left, the Duke of Violet repeatedly emphasized that no matter the cost, the extraordinary equipment had to be brought back.

“Countess, then… what conditions must be met for you to return the equipment to us?”

“If you find our offer insufficient, we are willing to raise the price by another tenth. Additionally, we will unconditionally return the occupied territories to Castell and recognize Castell’s independence and sovereignty over the Tulip County.”

“We also promise to support you in the upcoming kingdom’s noble council…”

“What do you think?”

Count Wittray asked respectfully.

“No, I do not need more money.”

Charlotte shook her head.

Then she looked at Count Wittray and smiled.

“I want extraordinary materials equivalent in value to the equipment and… a stable source for acquiring extraordinary materials.”