Earl's Mansion, Banquet Hall.
The elven musicians dressed in traditional silk gowns gracefully conducted the half-elven band to play the elven music that was popular in Miria, which was quite exotic; the colorful and dazzling crystal chandeliers illuminated the magnificent hall.
The Castel nobles, dressed in their best clothes, were chatting and laughing, elegantly holding up their goblets, clinking glasses, and talking to each other in the hall of the Earl's Palace.
Looking around, there were probably three to four hundred nobles of all sizes attending the banquet, from three viscounts to seventeen landed barons, and down to large and small landed knights and landless nobles in the territories, almost all of them who could come came with their families.
Ever since the former Earl of Castel took office as the leader of the Bold Mage Corps, the Territory of Castel has not held a banquet of this scale for more than ten years.
If we count the servants and guards who traveled with the nobles and were not qualified to enter the hall, the number of people attending the banquet at the Earl's Palace would probably be even greater.
"Your Excellency Baron Angus, I haven't seen you for many years. You are still as handsome as ever."
"Your Excellency Baron Ghent, this is your youngest son, right? I didn't expect that he has grown up so big in the blink of an eye.
"Mr. Cole, I heard that you are planning to set up a new alchemy workshop recently? Are you looking for investors?"
"Hahaha, Lady Lola, are you interested? It would be great if the Gliss family is willing to participate!"
"… "
The nobles gathered in groups of three or four, talking and laughing.
Some people came to greet each other, some to reminisce about the past, some to exchange information, and some even took advantage of this opportunity to engage in family cooperation.
Almost all the nobles in Castel had fiefs.
Even those who do not have fiefdoms will at least have a manor or workshop industry, or they may be major shareholders or organizers of some chamber of commerce or fleet.
Although the nobles would hold banquets among each other on weekdays, most of the time they stayed quietly in their own territories.
Communication often brings intelligence, and intelligence always brings opportunities. As for the interpersonal exchanges between nobles... it is an essential daily routine for entering Castel's upper class society and maintaining status and identity.
That is why, unless one is stupid, no one would miss this good opportunity to fully communicate with other nobles and come to Beigang to attend the banquet.
After all, the only one who could gather all the nobles in the territory was the Lord of Castel.
More and more nobles came to the banquet hall, and the atmosphere became more and more lively.
When the elf dance music sounded, the highlight of the banquet also began.
Ballroom dancing has always been an important part of the social life of Miriah nobles, and dancing is almost indispensable at all banquets.
As the melodious tune sounded, the nobles paired up, saluted each other gracefully, and danced to the music.
The dance made the atmosphere in the venue lively and cheerful. Even the most serious nobles were gradually infected by the atmosphere and smiled unconsciously.
Even Viscount Roman Forge, who was sitting drowsily beside him, was tapping his head to the beat of the music and nodding his head slightly.
Nobles like Laura, who were already passionate and unrestrained, had already come down to the stage and were dancing gracefully with the cooperation of their partners, which drew cheers.
When the Lord of the North, Count Charlotte de Castel, came to the venue accompanied by the elf butler, the atmosphere in the banquet hall immediately reached a climax.
This was Charlotte's first time hosting a banquet as a lord, and also her first time entering a venue as a lord.
Today she chose a busty dress with white as the main color. Her soft blonde hair and fair skin sparkled under the light, giving people a mysterious, noble and holy feeling.
On her chest she wore a gorgeous ribbon with a black eagle painted on it, symbolizing the glory of Castel.
The moment Charlotte stepped into the venue, the half-elf band tactfully stopped playing, and the waiters, maids and guards saluted her respectfully.
The nobles soon noticed the arrival of their lord. The dancing men and women stopped almost instantly, and hundreds of eyes fell on Charlotte.
That sight was filled with amazement, joy, respect, and curiosity...
Regardless of what the nobles present thought of her in their hearts, when Charlotte cast her gaze at the crowd, all she saw were smiling, respectful, and elegant faces.
No malice, no hostility, no contempt.
Yes, there is only a brilliant smile that seems to come from the heart.
If Charlotte had not felt the contempt of the nobles, she would have almost believed it.
Drama queen.
They are all acting geniuses!
Charlotte complained in her heart, but her face looked elegant and calm, like a noble lady.
With Sebastian's help, she gracefully walked through the crowd and towards the front of the banquet hall.
The nobles moved aside to the sides, clearing the way for Charlotte to the lord's seat at the front.
Whenever she passed by, the nobles on both sides would consciously bow and salute her, with standard and respectful movements.
Black cat Nice still follows Charlotte.
Looking at the nobles on both sides who were bowing like wheat in the wind, it held its tail high, head held high, and chest puffed out, revealing the pet ring with the black eagle emblem on its chest. It looked so proud that at first glance you would have thought it was the one the nobles were paying homage to.
Charlotte walked slowly to the front of the banquet hall. The hall, which could accommodate hundreds of people, was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Under the gazes of everyone, Charlotte came to the lord's seat and sat down gracefully. Then she nodded slightly, saluted the band, smiled and uttered a word:
"continue."
At the signal, the half-elf band continued playing the music, and the nobles hesitated for a moment and continued dancing. Soon the lively atmosphere in the venue was restored.
Charlotte sat on the lord's seat, one hand supporting her head elegantly, the other hand resting on the gorgeous armrest. Her azure eyes gently swept over the crowd, and she verified the nobles' costumes and coats of arms with the information she had read.
North Port Mayor Maddock stood beside her.
Whenever Charlotte looked at a place, he would lean over slightly and respectfully introduce the other person's identity and family background to Charlotte.
Charlotte nodded and observed secretly, and soon recognized the three viscounts and seventeen barons among her direct vassals.
The dancing nobles seemed in chaos.
However, if you look closely, you will find that the Castel nobles gathered in the hall are vaguely divided into four factions.
Among them, the three major viscount families are each independent and have their own friendly nobles, especially Ryan-Castell and Legris, who are like the moon surrounded by stars.
The information of these two companies quickly emerged in Charlotte's mind.
She was very familiar with Len Castel, the main family of Baron Chalon and a branch of the Castel family. He was also a loyal nobleman according to historical records. He might have some little thoughts of his own, but he had always been a staunch supporter of Castel.
Its head, Emery, is a senior Silver Moon Knight who has served as the Earldom's Minister of Foreign Affairs for many years and has a wide network of contacts.
As for Legris... it is said that he is the earliest knight to follow the first Earl of Castel. He has the blood of a red dragon and is a true dragonborn.
The fiefdom of the Legris family is adjacent to the Grand Duchy of the North. It has a brave and combative cavalry unit, and its influence in the earldom cannot be underestimated.
However, Charlotte remembered that the Leglis family had declined in recent years with the passing of its old patriarch, but that was not the case today.
The new head of the family is also a Silver Moon, and she is such a young woman.
As for the last of the three viscount families, although the number of nobles gathered around the Roman Forge family is the smallest, this family has the strongest aura.
Charlotte keenly noticed that the other nobles almost unanimously moved away from where they gathered, and there was a feeling of isolation, awe, and fear.
This is similar to the information she has read.
Unlike other families, the Roman-Fol family is a surrendered family with the most complicated background.
Their ancestors, the Roman family, were once pirates in the North. Hundreds of years ago, when pirates were rampant in the North, the northern tribe to which the Roman family belonged often attacked the coastline of the Crescent Kingdom.
Later, the Roman family occupied the northern lands of the Crescent Kingdom. In order to win them over, the Crescent royal family, whose power was declining at the time, had to appoint them as Dukes of Roman, which is the origin of the current Duchy of Roman.
However, the Roman family later invaded the Falling Star Kingdom and established the Roman Dynasty in the Falling Star Kingdom, and the Roman Principality followed suit and became an enclave of the Falling Star Kingdom.
The Roman-Folt family separated from the Roman Principality shortly thereafter.
Unlike the Roman family, they chose to stay in the Crescent Kingdom.
Because they also inherited the pirate tradition, the Roman-Fol family did not have a very good reputation. Although they were selective in the targets of their privateering, they were despised by many nobles.
However, despite being despised, the Roman-Fol family controls a powerful fleet. In Castel, which is famous for its commerce, they are a completely domineering presence and are feared by almost all families.
Not only that, during the Star-Moon War, it is said that they were wavering between the two kingdoms, and even angered the Duke of Bolder at the time...
In short, they are a noble family with strong power, complicated background and delicate stance.
Thinking back to the information she had read, Charlotte slowly withdrew her gaze from Viscount Roman Forge.
For some reason, the moment she saw the other person, she felt a vague sense of familiarity.
In addition to the three viscounts, there are some landless nobles who form a small circle of their own. Although their titles are very low compared to those of the old nobles, many of them only have the title of baron or knight without fiefdom, but their clothes are quite gorgeous, and they even look richer than many old nobles.
After browsing the information, Charlotte knew that these people were the new rich who had grown stronger in recent years. Unlike the traditional nobles who relied more on taxes from their territories, almost all of them were engaged in business or had workshops. Many of them were originally businessmen and bought their titles.
They don't care about anything else but whether they can make money and how to gain a higher status in the earldom.
These four forces are almost the current situation of the Castel nobility.
Charlotte didn't know which of these people were involved with the Ness blood clan. It could be one faction, or more than one faction.
However, her purpose today was to observe.
Of course, observation alone is not enough.
If you really want to understand, you need to communicate and test.
Charlotte signaled with her eyes, and the waiter immediately understood and pulled up the curtain in front of the lord's seat.
The curtains were engraved with exquisite and intricate patterns, and if one looked closely, one could see some magical inscriptions.
This is a special curtain that has been blessed with special magic.
The curtain can block the view of the nobles outside, but on the inside of the curtain, Charlotte can clearly see every move of the nobles on the field.
Not only that, the curtain blocked the sounds from inside and outside. Charlotte could vaguely hear the music in the venue, but the conversation inside the curtain could not be heard at all.
This is a curtain specially used for meeting the lord!
This is a banquet, but also an event to receive audiences from nobles. While the banquet is being held outside, Charlotte will accept audiences from the nobles one by one on this side of the curtain.
Of course, not all nobles need to meet the emperor. Charlotte only named three viscount families and several baron families with greater influence. The rest who want to meet the emperor must apply on their own.
The curtains were drawn, leaving only Charlotte, Sebastian, Nice and their cat inside.
The nobles looked at each other, knowing that the opportunity to meet the lord had come.
However, the first person to come to see Charlotte was not a Castel noble.
But an old acquaintance of Charlotte.
"Sister Lottie, I haven't seen you for a while. Is your work at the church going well?"
Looking at the gentle priestess in front of her, Charlotte smiled in surprise.
She had asked about Lottie's work a few days ago. She heard that the priestess had been very busy since she came to Castel. She didn't know how much work was piled up in the church in Castel.
Charlotte had thought Lottie would not come today.
After hearing what Charlotte said, Lottie sighed, looking a little tired:
"It's a bit complicated. The church in Castel has more affairs than I thought. I've been busy dealing with them these days. I finally have some free time..."
Then, she couldn't help but say:
"Did you know that there is no priest in Castel Church? I didn't realize until I got to the church that I have the highest priesthood!"
Charlotte was immediately delighted.
She knew that the Holy Court had weak control over Castel, but she didn't expect it to be this weak.
"There's not even a priest in charge? Isn't that equivalent to being shut down?"
"Yes, the problem is... Even the Bold Church didn't know that Castel's chief priest had passed away a long time ago, and Castel's church never reported it. It's been seven years!"
"Seven years?"
Charlotte's heart skipped a beat.
After the trouble at the Castel Silver Mine, she was now quite sensitive to the number "seven".
"Yes, it's been seven years. Seven years ago, after the chief priest of Castel was promoted, a new priest has not been appointed. There is no record of this in Bold, and the Inquisition of the Principality has not been inspected for many years."
Lottie said.
Charlotte raised her eyebrows:
"Suppressed by the High Priest Lainas?"
Lottie sighed:
"I'm afraid so."
Charlotte sneered:
"This copper smelting addict is still haunting us even after being put on trial. It seems that he received a lot of benefits from certain guys in the past."
Lottie's heart moved:
"Some guys?"
"Some rats who want to cause trouble. I originally thought they only extended their hands to the nobles, but now it seems that they may even infiltrate the church."
After hearing what Charlotte said, Lottie's expression also showed a trace of worry:
"Speaking of which, Lord Earl, I have heard a lot of bad rumors these days, about you and the church..."
"You're saying that I want to force faith on non-believers and unbelievers, right?"
Charlotte said.
Lottie hesitated for a moment and nodded slightly.
"Don't worry about them. After all, I'm not a true believer in the Holy Spirit. These rumors will be dispelled over time."
Charlotte shook her head and said.
However, as soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to have thought of something, and her expression froze slightly:
"etc… "
"Your Excellency?"
Lottie looked puzzled.
Charlotte pondered for a moment, and suddenly said to Nice who was chewing dried fish:
"Nice, after the banquet today, go back to the church and check the identities of all the priests."
Nice put down the dried fish:
"Identity check? Meow? Lady Charlotte, do you suspect that Castel's church has also been infiltrated?"
Charlotte narrowed her eyes:
"Just be prepared. Although I am not afraid of certain rumors, I have to be wary of others using my name to mess around."
Then she smiled at Lottie:
"But maybe this is a good thing. Since Castel has no priest, we can probably ask Grandpa Raoul to let you be Castel's chief priest."
After hearing Charlotte's advice, Lottie hesitated to speak.
Of course, she understood what Charlotte meant. This was to completely control the faith of the territory and completely undermine the Holy Royal Court.
As a priest of the Holy Royal Court, she should have stopped this, but at this moment, she only hesitated for a moment before accepting it.
The speed of acceptance surprised even herself.
Perhaps... I have already fallen from the moment I knew that the high priest was the protector behind Zuimeng Salon.
Lottie sighed in her heart.
Even after her faith was shaken, she was still protected by the Holy Light. To be honest... she herself didn't know what to believe in now.
Maybe... only time will slowly tell her the answer.
"Sister Lottie, please be careful when you are in the church. When the banquet is over, go back and bring two guards from the Earl's Mansion for self-defense. I found two guard captains at the mining workshop who are quite good."
Charlotte said.
“Thank you for your concern.”
Lottie bowed her head slightly.
No matter how her beliefs changed, as a priestess, she always remembered that she was a descendant of the Broglie family.
The Broglie family has always been grateful and repaying kindness. After being saved by Charlotte, she had already decided to follow her. This was the only thing... that could never be wrong.
…
Lottie's audience was more like a greeting.
After a few words, she stepped out from behind the veil.
After Lottie withdrew, Viscount Ryan Emery, the head of the Ryan-Castell family, which was a branch of Castell and had a somewhat superior status in the earldom, was the first to enter the Veil.
As soon as the old viscount entered the curtain, he bowed to Charlotte tremblingly and said solemnly:
"My Lord Earl, I have important information to report to you!"
"Come to the Gliss family... I'm afraid you have ulterior motives!"