Gospel of Blood

“Extraordinary materials equivalent to the value of the equipment, and a stable means of obtaining extraordinary materials?”

Count Wittray was momentarily stunned, then gave Charlotte a meaningful look and couldn’t help but say,

“Countess… it seems you’ve reaped quite the harvest from Borde!”

Charlotte smiled slightly, not denying it.

Indeed, she had gained much from Borde.

After this war, merging with Tulip County and unifying the entire northern region was a certainty, and the captured Duchess and Borde army represented a ransom sum far larger than what the Violet Duchy could offer.

Moreover, to curry favor with the Third Prince, many nobles from the Borde Duchy participated in the war, and most of them became prisoners.

This meant another substantial ransom sum.

Of course, given Borde’s financial strength, it would be quite difficult for them to come up with such a large amount of money.

For instance… the magic formation and extraordinary technology that Borde possessed.

This technology was superior to that of the Violet Duchy.

It’s worth noting that the relevant extraordinary technology of the Borde Duchy was acquired by the former Duke from the Crescent Kingdom, making it generally better than what the Violet Duchy had.

Moreover, Borde’s extraordinary technology could also be used to maintain the kingdom’s standing army. Once Charlotte acquired it, she could immediately utilize the captured kingdom knight equipment from the Third Prince’s guard.

Those over a thousand sets of equipment were far superior to the average duchy’s equipment, all being enchanted plate armor. Charlotte had no intention of returning them and planned to keep them all.

She had done her homework beforehand: the guard equipment allocated to the prince had essentially become his private soldiers’ gear, and even the king had no say in the matter.

Given the Third Prince’s guilt in this war, even if Charlotte took these pieces of equipment, the Crescent Royal Family would likely have no choice but to accept it.

As for the other extraordinary equipment…

Castell currently had few extraordinary soldiers; keeping the equipment would only let it gather dust and incur expensive maintenance costs, and its quality was not as good as the kingdom’s equipment.

From the start, Charlotte had no intention of keeping it.

Count Wittray pondered for a moment before responding.

“Countess, I will report your request to the Duke. While extraordinary materials equivalent to the value of the equipment are precious, they are not impossible to exchange for. However, this requires the Duke’s approval, as it is quite challenging to gather such a large amount of materials at once. But…”

He paused and shook his head.

“Obtaining a stable source of extraordinary materials is not that simple.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

Charlotte raised her eyebrows slightly.

Count Wittray thought for a moment and explained.

“Countess, each duchy’s sources of extraordinary materials are part of a unique system, the result of long-term efforts by various families. Our Violet Duchy is rich in magical beast resources, but we also rely on bartering with other duchies for other extraordinary resources to establish our stable supply routes. ”

“In addition, some key extraordinary materials are directly controlled by the royal family, and the kingdom’s vassals only receive periodic quotas. Even we in the Violet Duchy find these scarce resources insufficient. ”

“If you seek magical beast materials, we can provide them and even sign a long-term cooperation agreement. However, if you need other extraordinary resources, that might be impossible.”

Hearing Count Wittray’s words, Charlotte felt a sudden realization.

“I see…”

Previously unfamiliar with these matters, she had assumed that each duchy controlled stable and comprehensive sources of extraordinary materials.

It turned out that they all relied on mutual exchanges!

However, it was essentially bartering.

Count Wittray continued.

“Countess, if you wish to cultivate an extraordinary army in the future and establish Castell’s own material supply routes, we in the Violet Duchy can offer some assistance and introduce you to other duchies.”

“I personally can also help, as I am responsible for the extraordinary trade in Violet Duchy.”

“Almost every duchy in the Crescent Kingdom has its own specialty extraordinary resources. Our material supply routes are established through mutual cooperation.”

“Additionally, since Castell is across the sea from the Starfall Kingdom, you could try to establish cooperation with them. However, the Starfall Kingdom strictly controls the export of extraordinary resources, so this might not be very effective.”

“Castell possesses valuable mithril mines, which could serve as the basis for transactions. I believe the kingdom’s lords would welcome this.”

Charlotte nodded slightly after hearing Count Wittray’s words.

Castell’s mithril was indeed highly sought after.

Most of the emissaries visiting her lately had proposed trade deals involving mithril.

Previously, as Borde’s vassal, Castell’s mithril sales were restricted, with only limited transactions allowed, and large-scale deals could only be made with designated partners, often receiving only tana in return.

This was one reason Castell, despite its mithril mines, had always lacked extraordinary resources.

Now things were different. Once Castell gained independence, these restrictions would be lifted, and establishing its own extraordinary trade network would be a natural progression.

“I understand. Thank you for your insights, Sir Wittray.”

Charlotte gave a slight bow.

Count Wittray smiled and said,

“You’re welcome, Countess. This information is not secret among the duchy’s vassals of the Crescent Kingdom. You were unaware simply because you hadn’t entered this circle. Once you gain independence from Borde, you will learn these things in due course.”

Count Wittray’s sincere attitude further eased the atmosphere in the council hall.

Despite this being a post-war negotiation, it felt more like a trade discussion.

There were no permanent enemies among the nobles.

Sitting down for peaceful talks right after the war was quite common in the human world of Myria.

In the end, if you trace the noble lineages, many of them are related, whether distantly or closely.

Seeing that the atmosphere was suitable, Count Wittray smiled and brought up one last proposal.

“Countess, regarding the exchange of the Third Prince and Count Linte, what do you think…”

“I’m sorry, but I cannot agree to that.”

Charlotte shook her head, firmly rejecting the proposal.

Count Wittray’s smile froze instantly.