"I know about the Ness clan. This matter is related to the decision of their top leaders. They will probably stop infiltrating the North for the next period of time."
Charlotte thought for a moment and said.
The decision of Nice’s top management
Sebastian's heart moved slightly.
Thinking about the attack on the Earl's Mansion that day and the usual methods of the Nice Clan, he had some vague guesses in his mind.
"Sebastian, what about the descendant of the Blood Demon Cult just now?"
Charlotte asked again.
Sebastian's expression became serious:
"Master, I was just about to report this to you. After further secret investigations in nearby cities, we discovered that the nobles who embraced the Blood Descendants not only became collaborators of the Ness Clan, but some of them were backed by the Blood Demon Cult!"
"The Blood Demon Cult has also infiltrated the North, but I don't know exactly how much they have infiltrated. Judging from the clues left by the Ness Clan, they seem to have cooperated with the Blood Demon Cult."
"However, the Ness clan seems to have had a conflict with the Blood Demon Cult. This may be related to the retreat of the Ness clan. During the investigation, we found some traces of their battle. There was the breath of a giant dragon at the scene."
"After discovering the dragon's tracks, I decided to lead the team to retreat first. However, during the retreat, we were attacked by the blood demon cultist and the black dragon, and had to temporarily organize a defense in the castle..."
Hmm? The Blood Demon Cult was involved in the Ness Clan's infiltration of Castel
After hearing what Sebastian said, Charlotte frowned slightly, but at the same time she felt that this was the truth.
When investigating the Castel Silver Mine, she discovered that the blood descendant named Quixote's use of undead magic was neither like the style of the Ness clan nor the style of the Valadt clan recorded in the literature. Instead, it had a flavor of the Blood Demon Cult.
Combined with Sebastian's investigation, she now finally knew what was going on. It turned out that the Blood Demon Cult was involved.
However, I don’t know whether the Ness clan is desperate and trying anything possible, or for some other reason.
Through in-depth communication with Nice and the recent investigation of the nobles in the direct territory, Charlotte has almost figured out the purpose of the Nice clan.
After the Lilac War, the survival of the Ness Clan in the Falling Star Kingdom was severely challenged. They were probably preparing for a counterattack against the current Falling Star Royal Family supported by the Holy Royal Court, hoping to regain their sphere of influence in the Falling Star Kingdom.
In other words, these Ness vampires are likely secretly preparing for the Second Lilac War.
As for what role the Blood Demon Cult played in this, Charlotte had no idea.
But considering the purpose of that group of lunatics, it is probably inseparable from summoning the Blood Demon Duke to the world, or overthrowing the regime of the Crescent Kingdom or something like that.
The Blood Demon Cult... They have always been eager to watch the fun and are eager to destroy all order. They can be said to be the largest evil force in the Crescent Peninsula and the source of chaos.
After thinking for a while, Charlotte asked again:
"Which city are you investigating nearby? Whose lord is it?"
Sebastian said respectfully:
"My Lord, it is the city of Nord, and the Lord is Devonte de Legris."
"Come to the Glis family?"
Charlotte's eyes moved slightly.
"Yes."
Sebastian nodded.
"Come to Gliss..."
Charlotte gently patted the armrest of the Blood Throne, and the image of the female Viscount named Lola from the Laiglis family emerged in her mind.
"Master, have you thought of anything?"
Looking at Charlotte who was lost in thought, Sebastian asked with a slight movement in his heart.
Charlotte shook her head slightly:
"Nothing, I was just thinking about a question. When the female lord who came to the Gliss family met me, she said that she was framed by the Ryan-Castel family and attacked by the blood clan. At that time, I thought this might be a way for the Nice clan to check and balance the various Castel noble families, but now it seems... maybe not."
Sebastian's heart skipped a beat:
"You suspect... that the Blood Demon Cult is involved?"
“We cannot rule out this possibility.”
Charlotte thought for a moment and said.
"Then... do we need to investigate the Legris family?"
Sebastian asked.
"There's no need to rush. It's a general trend to review the entire earldom. Viscount Ryan Castel has already started the review. The Gris family is the most important link. Before the review of other nobles is completed, it is not appropriate to force them too early, not to mention... We don't actually know what the position of the female viscount is."
"However, since the Ness clan has already started to evacuate, I'm sure there will be some reaction from Gliss as well."
"Next, let's wait and see what they do next."
Charlotte shook her head and said.
The "Three Great Families" are the three largest forces in the Territory of Castel.
Apart from the famous Leon Castel, and Roman Forge, who had bad relations with most of the nobles and whose sphere of influence was mainly concentrated on the sea, the Legris family was definitely the most militarily powerful family in the Territory of Castel.
Charlotte had originally planned to negotiate with this family at the last minute.
She judged that if the nobles of the territory really united to fight against her, the one who would raise the banner would definitely be Laiglis, because other families simply did not have such reputation and strength.
Charlotte's censorship actions were bound to be opposed by the nobles, especially the great nobles.
Pressuring Glis too hard would only further intensify the situation and even lead to war.
Charlotte did not want to kill all the nobles, but only wanted to ensure their loyalty and take back the various powers they had seized when the Castel family was away.
War is the continuation of politics and the last resort. It will inevitably cause damage to the people's livelihood in Castres, so it should be avoided if possible.
And if the Blood Demon Cult really interferes with the affairs of the Gris family...
That would most likely be a different situation.
Thinking of this, Charlotte ordered:
"Sebastian, withdraw the guards to Caiyin City, and then secretly monitor the Legris family. Call me at any time if you have any questions."
"I will follow your orders."
Sebastian bowed respectfully.
"Remember not to be too aggressive, safety first."
Charlotte warned again.
"Sebastian... As you command!"
Sebastian's attitude became more respectful and submissive.
"Okay, it's almost time. Call me when you have other news."
Charlotte laughed.
After saying that, she waved her hand, and crimson mist began to spread in the Dark Night Castle, while Sebastian felt the familiar repulsive force coming from all directions.
His consciousness was hazy for a moment, as if he had traveled through time and space, but when the fog dissipated, he had returned to the real world.
Taking a deep breath, Sebastian stood up and walked out of the inner hall of the castle, and then ordered the Castel guards who followed him:
"Pass the order down. Let's set off after half an hour of rest. We are going to Caiyin City."
…
This is a black temple.
The temple is circular and surrounded by a circle of tall stone pillars. Each pillar is painted with ancient and mysterious reliefs describing the stars and destiny. Behind the pillars is an infinite starry sky.
A stone door floating in the air stands at the innermost part of the temple. It looks weathered and dilapidated, emitting a faint blue light. In front of the stone door stands a huge conference table.
There stood a tall shadow in front of the conference table.
His scarlet eyes stared quietly at the tightly closed stone door, deep and distant. After a long time, he sighed and turned around, his eyes sweeping over the three phantoms standing around the conference table.
Looking at the four phantoms, he frowned slightly and said in a deep voice:
"Are you the only ones here?"
As he spoke, his eyes rested on a rather tall figure:
"Alec, where are the other elders of Luna Island?"
The tall shadow smiled and said casually:
"Your Excellency the Great Elder, the two old guys on the island are not interested in this kind of meeting, so I have no choice but to be the representative alone."
The tall shadow's brow furrowed even deeper.
He glanced at the other person and said calmly:
"Go back and tell them to stop fiddling with their flowers and plants. They are elves, but they are also Ness. The lineage of Falling Star and the lineage of Moon God Island are one and the same. After the Holy Day of Apparition, the Moon God will not be able to protect their bloodline. The only one who can protect us is His Majesty Cosi!"
After saying that, the tall shadow looked at another shadow that looked quite old and hunched.
Without waiting for him to say anything, the old and hunched shadow took the initiative to speak:
"Your Excellency the Great Elder, the other three elders have not yet awakened..."
The tall shadow sighed:
"Then let them continue to sleep for a while. They did suffer a lot in the Lilac War."
After saying that, the tall shadow's gaze lingered on the last shadow among the three people:
"Yorok, tell me, why did you urgently convene the Council of Elders this time? Did something happen in the Roman Principality and Castel?"
"Your Excellency the Great Elder, it is just as you said. Something has indeed happened here..."
Duke York bowed slightly, and then told him everything that had happened in Castel and the results of his divination.
"The thorn and the rose? The holy emblem? Yorok, are you kidding? This kind of Coria pattern decoration is everywhere. If it is really the holy emblem of a certain god, why has no one discovered it for hundreds of years, and why did you discover it?"
Among the three, the old and hunched shadow frowned and said.
Duke York glanced at him calmly and said:
"Mr. Maxim, if you don't believe it, you can go and have another look."
"However, without the holy weapon bestowed by His Majesty Cosi, I cannot guarantee what will happen then."
The old and hunched figure looked at him deeply, and then said to the great elder in the front:
"Your Excellency the Great Elder, regardless of whether there really is a resurrected god, I believe that we should not give up on Castel."
"Castel's power is indispensable in the Return to Star Plan. Once Castel is controlled, the economic exchanges between the Falling Star Royal Family and the mainland will be severely damaged. I can control the sea power of the Star-Moon Strait, and even the fleet of the Holy Royal Court will not be able to land on the Falling Star Island!"
Duke York frowned and said:
"Mr. Maxim, I should have told you my divination results. That is not a god that has just revived, but it is likely a god that has been dormant for hundreds of years. My divination is already warning me that making an enemy of it may bring disaster to us, Nice."
Elder Ness named Maxim shook his head:
"Yorok, there are many explanations for the results of the divination. Your explanation is not necessarily correct. Not only that... the results of the affected divination may be wrong. Similar things have been verified many times in the long river of time."
"I don't think your reasons are sufficient. Or... do you still think we should abandon the Fallen Star Kingdom, avoid conflict with the Holy Royal Court, and head to the East Yunite Black Land?"
After hearing what Elder Maxim said, Duke Yorok's expression darkened:
"Master Maxim, do you mean to say that I am looking for a reason to back out?"
"Is not it?"
Elder Maxim glanced at him indifferently.
Duke Yorok snorted coldly:
"Since I have decided to implement the Return to Star Plan, I will naturally not give up halfway. I just don't want our enemies to have another alien god, making the already precarious situation even more difficult!"
Elder Maxim shook his head:
"The one who influences the result of the divination may not really be a god. The success rate of this kind of divination is not absolute. We have already worked together to deduce the success of the Return to the Star Plan. If it is really a god who has been revived for hundreds of years, why did our previous deduction go so smoothly?"
"Or do you want us to unite the entire Council of Elders to conduct another deduction?"
"Mr. Yorok, considering your relationship with Ms. Eugenia, do you still want to use the joint deduction to plead for the traitor?"
Duke Yorock's expression suddenly changed.
He glanced at the other person coldly and said:
"Maxim, be careful with your address! That's Her Royal Highness the Saint of Nice!"
Elder Maxim also snorted coldly.
He was about to retort, but soon fell silent at the calm "Silence!" from the Great Elder.
"Your Excellency the Great Elder, this concerns the future of Nice, please make the decision!"
Yorok bowed to the shadow in the front and said.
The Great Elder did not answer.
I saw him closing his eyes gently, with starlight twinkling around him, as if he was watching something.
Several blood elders were moved in their hearts, their eyes fell on the great elder, and they all fell silent.
The Ness clan is good at divination.
Apart from the former saint Eugenia who betrayed the gods, the person with the highest level of insight in the entire clan is the great elder.
After a moment, the light on the Great Elder disappeared, he opened his eyes, his scarlet gaze was deep and distant.
"Your Excellency the Great Elder, what is the result?"
Elder Maxim asked curiously.
The Great Elder looked around and after a moment of silence, he said:
"Notify them that all items related to the thorn rose pattern should be dealt with."
Elder Maxim's eyes widened, while Duke Yorok perked up and was visibly relieved.
However, just when he felt relieved, he was stopped by the Great Elder:
"Yorok, Castel is an important part of the Return to Star Plan and cannot be abandoned. Since you are in charge of the affairs of Castel Territory, you must shoulder your responsibilities..."
As he said this, he glanced at Yorok:
"I think... you should understand what I mean, right?"
YORROCK: …