Louis V's voice was calm.
But beneath the calmness, there is an unquestionable firmness.
Charlotte knew what the other party was referring to, which was the Territory of Castel. This monarch who was bent on strengthening central power would never allow Castel to become the territory of the church in the future.
"Sir Castel, I know you once swore an oath before the Lord God. Now you and your family are about to become my direct vassals. Before that, I must know your attitude."
Louis V did not delay any longer and went straight to the point.
Is the oath I made valid
Charlotte actually already had an answer and idea for this question in her mind.
However, standing here, she was still somewhat curious about how firm Louis V's will was.
"Your Majesty, if my original oath is still valid, what will you do?"
Charlotte asked.
"Then I will not recognize the legitimacy of the oath. You will still be my vassal, and the Castel family will still be protected by Valva. But at the same time, I will not allow the Castel family to enjoy the autonomous control of rare supernatural resources that direct vassals should have. Instead, I will continue to use the contract between Bolder and Castel to replace the kingship contract between the royal family and Castel, and restrict supernatural trade between other direct vassals and the Castel family."
Louis V said coldly.
Autonomous control over rare and extraordinary resources
Charlotte's heart moved.
In the continent of Miriam, all resources related to supernatural powers are called supernatural resources.
However, only those resources with scarce production and extremely high value, or those with high demand but insufficient production, are called rare and extraordinary resources.
For example, the rare soul stone used by high-level mages for meditation; the main material of refined gold for making enchanted equipment; the rare Warcraft materials required for high-level alchemy and magic energy conversion; and the mithril that the Castel family can produce on their own.
That’s right, Mithril is also a rare extraordinary resource.
Although the price of mithril is much lower than materials such as soul stones, dragon crystals, and star cores, it has become an essential material for alchemy and magic circles due to its extremely high magical conductivity and plasticity, and has been in great demand since ancient times.
Moreover, the low price is relative, at least it is much more valuable than gold.
As for the right to autonomously control rare and extraordinary resources, that is naturally the power to freely dispose of these resources.
The Crescent Kingdom is large, and there are many areas that produce rare and extraordinary resources, but not all noble families have the power to freely dispose of these resources, even if the place of production is their own territory.
In the entire Crescent Kingdom, only the kingdom's direct vassals have this power.
This is also one of the royal contracts between the royal family and its direct vassals.
Under the contract, the royal family's direct vassal families can trade their own extraordinary materials with other forces. These extraordinary materials not only refer to the output of the vassal's direct territory, but also include the output of the vassal's vassal territory.
During this process, the royal family will not interfere with the direct vassal's disposal of extraordinary materials. Even if they are sold to enemy countries, the royal family will not stop it, because this is the right that the vassal should have.
In exchange for the contract, the vassal needs to unconditionally transfer the output of part of the scarce resources to the royal family.
At the same time, the royal family will protect the vassal's ownership of rare resources, and other vassal's war claims for the resources will not be recognized.
Once a noble family really starts a war, the royal family can even intervene directly if necessary to support the family with scarce resources, condemn and sanction the family that started the war, and order the other party to cease fire.
It can be said that the right to independently control rare extraordinary resources is the most prominent power of the direct vassals of the kingdom, and it is also the contractual power with the greatest benefits and the most supported by the lords of the kingdom.
As to why this is the power with the greatest benefits…
That's because the Crescent Kingdom's royal contract stipulates that only the kingdom's direct vassals have the right to independently control rare extraordinary resources, and the vassals under the direct vassals must hand over the control of extraordinary resources to their own lords.
Take the Castel family as an example. The mithril owned by the Castel family is also a rare supernatural material. However, because they do not have the independent control over supernatural resources, the Castel family cannot trade the mithril to other forces at will, but can only sell it to targets designated by the Bold family.
It can be said that this contract greatly restricted the extraordinary powers of many noble lords who were not directly affiliated with the kingdom, and significantly strengthened the extraordinary powers of the vassals directly affiliated with the kingdom.
Some direct vassals with low titles and small territories possess more types of extraordinary resources than those indirect vassals with higher titles. This is the result of this contract.
As long as Louis V refused to recognize the Castel family's right to independently control supernatural resources, even if Charlotte wanted to trade supernatural resources with other nobles, no one would dare to trade with the Castel family under pressure.
That is not only the pressure from the royal family, but also the pressure brought by the control system of the Crescent Kingdom's extraordinary resources that all direct vassals jointly maintain.
For some mithril, no direct vassal family is willing to destroy the Great Wall, and even those who are brave enough will only trade secretly and will inevitably lower the transaction price to a rather exaggerated level.
It can be said that with this one rule alone, Louis XV could restrict the development of the Castel family's extraordinary power and even directly affect the development of the alchemy industry in the North.
"Not only that… "
Louis V paused for a moment, his expression becoming increasingly indifferent, and his gaze towards Charlotte gradually became colder:
“I will acquiesce to the claims of all noble families with northern claims to the Castel title, and even continue to allow them to use war as a means of warfare.”
"As a lord, I will not directly interfere in this claim war, but I will definitely not mediate in the process."
"And if there really comes a day in the future when Castel changes its owner, the royal family will definitely not sit idly by and watch the Northland fall into the hands of the church. Even if it means going to war, they will definitely prevent this outcome."
"In the final analysis, it still comes down to the same thing. Since the end of the Star-Moon War, the number of dukes with real power and dukes with divine power in the kingdom can only decrease, not increase."
Louis V looked serious and his voice was authoritative.
Charlotte was somewhat surprised to hear what he said.
She was not surprised by Louis V's attitude, but by his honesty.
This is honesty, but also a naked threat.
But again, where there is coercion, there is inducement.
What Louis V was talking about was only the possibility if Charlotte continued to uphold her vows.
"Then, Your Majesty, what if I take back the oath I made before the Lord and no longer recognize the validity of the oath?"
Charlotte asked again.
Louis V looked at her deeply, and his majestic voice softened again:
"If so, I very much welcome the Castel family to become my direct vassal. You and your family will be under the most comprehensive protection of the Valva family and enjoy the same royal contract as the lords of other kingdoms."
"The Castel family will have the right to independently dispose of the Castel mithril mines, and will be able to freely participate in the extraordinary trade of the kingdom's vassals. The Castel family will also be able to regularly obtain some of the rare extraordinary resources controlled by the royal family, just like other direct vassal families."
"At the same time, the Castel family will also have the right to enter the kingdom's cabinet and the kingdom's military. The core library of the kingdom's highest institution of learning will also be open to the Castel family, just like other noble vassals."
"In addition, the Kingdom will likely help recapture the territories that the Castel family claims outside of the Kingdom, and make them the property of the Castel family."
Louis V spoke calmly as he listed the benefits of Charlotte giving up her vow one by one.
After hearing this, Charlotte was also quite moved.
Needless to say, Charlotte must get the right to independently control extraordinary resources, unless she is determined to fight to the death with the royal family and does not intend to stay in Xinyue anymore.
The core library collection of the kingdom's highest institution of learning is also very attractive. Although Nice is already a cat-shaped magic encyclopedia, supernatural powers include more than just magic. There are some things that Charlotte may not need, but if she wants to develop her territory, the corresponding knowledge is definitely necessary.
Not to mention, such libraries often contain rich historical materials, which can help Charlotte understand the past, especially the history of her bloodline.
As for helping the Castel family to claim the title... Charlotte could probably guess what Louis V was referring to.
There is a territorial dispute between the Territory of Castres and the Duchy of Roman. Although the area is not large, only 5,000 square kilometers, it is still 4.2% of the current territory of the Territory of Castres.
This is a historical legacy of the Moon-Star War.
It is obvious that Louis V has not given up his legal claim to the Roman Duchy and still intends to retake the territory.
But Charlotte didn't care that much about this.
"Sir Castel, these are the royal family's conditions. So... what is your answer?"
Louis V looked at Charlotte again, his voice as calm as ever.
Charlotte also looked up at the elderly monarch.
Facing the other person's scrutinizing gaze, she smiled slightly and said:
"Your Majesty, do you know that after I arrived in Lutetia and settled down, the first place I visited was the Lutetia Cathedral."
Louis V did not comment, and his expression did not seem surprised:
"I know that during that visit, you stayed in the Lutetia Cathedral for nearly three hours, including two and a half hours of conversations with Archbishop Loren, Grand Inquisitor Champagne, and Cardinal Mazarin."
"In the remaining half an hour, you worshipped in the church, prayed devoutly, and even attracted the holy light of the Lord God's statue, causing quite a stir in the church."
"When you left, almost all the middle and high-ranking priests in Lutetia Cathedral were there to see you off."
"Oh, by the way, before the service, you donated a whole box of Quintana to the church. No more, no less, exactly 200,000. And they were all the sixth edition Quintana printed by the kingdom from 1437 to 1441 of the Holy Calendar."
As he spoke, Louis V glanced at Charlotte and smiled a little strangely:
"By the way, of the 200,000 quintana you donated, 100,000 of them were eventually replaced by the priest in charge of collecting the money with the fifth edition of quintana engraved in the year 1418 of the Holy Calendar."
Charlotte: …
My goodness, this Louis V... is a peeper, right? How could he know so much
As for what Louis V mentioned about her donation being replaced by church priests, this was a direct accusation against her.
In the year 1418 of the Holy Calendar, the Star-Moon War was in full swing. At that time, the Crescent Moon Kingdom and the Falling Star Kingdom were at war with each other fiercely and were in financial difficulties. All the engraved Quintana were of poor quality.
That was the fifth edition of the quintana after the unification of Miria's currency. Because the gold of the two kingdoms was mixed with copper and nickel, a quintana was actually only 80% of the pure gold, which was also a scandal in the issuance of currency between the two countries.
Less than thirty years later, the Holy Royal Court launched the sixth edition of Quintana and required all countries to print new coins for the same reason.
Charlotte smacked her lips and thought to herself that the Holy Royal Court was becoming more and more corrupt. There were priests who dared to commit fraud right under the noses of legends. They were really very bold.
However, considering the personalities of several legends, they probably don't care about such trivial matters as donations. After all, to legends, gold and silver are just numbers, and only the extraordinary can catch their eyes.
It must be said that although Louis V did it on purpose, Charlotte had to admit that her already subtle perception of the Holy Court became even more subtle.
If you don’t know, you might think she donated half of the Quintana that was of insufficient quality!
With a sigh, Charlotte said:
"Your Majesty, your information is quite detailed."
"After all, I am the master of the new moon. Nothing about Lutetia can be hidden from my eyes."
Louis V said calmly.
Nothing can be hidden from his eyes...
Charlotte's heart moved slightly, as if she was thinking about something.
Louis V looked at her again and asked with interest:
"So, Sir Castel, what do you want to say when you mention the visit to the church that day?"
Charlotte put away her thoughts and said calmly:
"That day, several legendary clergymen of the church invited me to become the Holy Virgin of the Holy Royal Court in the Crescent Parish."
Quiet…
The moment Charlotte finished speaking, the entire living room fell into silence.
It was not silence in the general sense, but the whole world seemed to have fallen into stagnation and depression in an instant.
Charlotte only felt that Louis V's gaze suddenly became sharp. Although the legendary pressure was not revealed, his whole aura changed drastically in an instant.
Facing Louis V's oppressive gaze, Charlotte smiled slightly and said:
"But I declined."
Almost in an instant, Louis V's momentum of climbing up quickly dissipated, the stagnant time started to move again, and the depressing atmosphere was swept away.
His eyes regained their composure, and his majestic voice softened again, with a little more appreciation:
"Wise choice."
After saying that, he picked up the still wine again, took a sip, and then asked inquiringly:
"Then, Lord Castel, can I take it that you want to tell me that you have given up the oath you made before the Lord?"
Charlotte sighed slightly, showing a nostalgic expression, and said with a little sadness:
"I respect the Lord God, so I made a vow in front of him."
“However, it turns out that the Lord is worthy of respect and the Church is worthy of respect are two different things.”
"I can dedicate everything to God, but the church... With all due respect, so many things have happened in the past two years. I am disappointed with the church today."
"I will remain single for the rest of my life and devote myself to God, but Lord Castel, I will no longer fulfill my previous vows."
After hearing what Charlotte said, Louis V's eyes finally became relieved. He smiled slightly and nodded with satisfaction to Charlotte:
"Then... Lord Castel, as the King of Crescent Moon, I welcome you to become my vassal."
"Of course, it is also an honor for the Castel family to become your vassal."
Charlotte replied.
Looking at Charlotte's respectful attitude, Louis V was even more satisfied:
"Sir Castel, since you have made your choice, the royal family will respond accordingly and give the Castel family the identity and status they deserve."
"Of course, just telling me this is not enough. I need you to publicly announce your abandonment of your previous vows, so that our contract can officially take effect."
"So, your majesty, how would you like me to respond publicly?"
Charlotte asked calmly.
"I need you to respond publicly at the Castel family's knighthood ceremony. I will hold the Castel family's knighthood ceremony in the Crescent Moon Palace in three days, and officially declare the Castel family my vassal."
Louis V said.
Charlotte thought about it and nodded slightly:
"Everything is as you wish."