Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel
Chapter 450: -191- Invitation from the Northern Territory Dukedom_2

Chapter 450: -191- Invitation from the Northern Territory Dukedom_2

"Oh? What is it that you hope for?"

The Northern Territory Envoy inquired.

"I need war horses,"

Charlotte paused for a moment, then stated her demand boldly,

"All captured war horses from the civil war shall belong to Castel, and in addition to that, the Northern Territory Dukedom must compensate Castel with a thousand age-appropriate standard war horses, one hundred of which must be male Dragon Scale Horses, and they must be in their prime."

This was indeed a bold demand.

It was known that, strictly speaking, the mounts used by the Cavalry of Isaac who joined in the Northern Land rebellion didn’t actually meet the stringent criteria for war horses, but on the whole, they were better than those Castel had.

After all, the Cavalry was light cavalry, which did not have high requirements for horse quality.

But what Charlotte mentioned about standard war horses was different.

The so-called standard war horses referred to those capable of being used by heavy cavalry, and these horses were so valuable that each one indicated the potential to form a squadron of Transcendent Cavalry.

Let alone Dragon Scale Horses, anything in this world mixed with giant dragon bloodline was extraordinary, and Dragon Scale Horses were no exception. They couldn’t be measured by ordinary war horses and could truly be considered Demon Beasts.

Many Knights entering the tier did not possess such mounts.

One hundred... and all males, even for the Northern Territory Dukedom, which had plenty of horses and significant assets, it was not something they could easily provide.

Not to mention this was a request from a neighboring nation, and the relationship between Castel and the Northern Territory Dukedom was always delicate, including occasional border conflicts...

To provide so many horses could even be considered "aiding the enemy" in some sense.

It was a tall order, and Charlotte’s demand was a classic example.

Of course, she herself did not expect the other side to agree to the figure she mentioned next; starting high to settle in the middle was the idea, and even if she could get three hundred standard war horses and ten or so breedable Dragon Scale Horses, she would be content.

After hearing Charlotte’s words, the envoy’s brows furrowed.

Charlotte saw him turn to whisper in the Northern Territory Language with the representatives accompanying him, which even led to several disputes.

Not until a moment later did the Northern Territory Envoy once again give a bow to Charlotte and respectfully replied,

"We understand, Count, we agree to your terms."

Charlotte: ...

Hmm?

They agreed?

Truly agreed?

She was perplexed, momentarily unable to discern if the Northern Territory Envoy was tricking her or if her audacious demand didn’t exceed their bottom line.

One thousand standard war horses was a significant number!

If crafting Transcendent Equipment was difficult, then finding suitable war horses was even more challenging, and a thousand Transcendent Cavalry could be enough to turn the tide of a secular war.

Not to mention 300 Dragon Scale breeding horses—if Charlotte really got them, it might be that in a few years, Castel’s cavalry forces would be transformed into mechanical giants!

"Oh? Lord Hamid? Are you serious? Can your decision represent the Northern Territory Dukedom?"

Charlotte asked.

Though the Northern Territory Envoy promptly agreed, she didn’t believe they would so simply acquiesce to her demands!

There had to be a catch, or they had other intentions!

The envoy nodded slightly and replied,

"Of course, respected Count, although your request is quite harsh, to show our sincerity, the Northern Territory is willing to fulfill your demands, as this was also the Duke’s intention."

"However... we do have a precondition, or more accurately, a trade, or perhaps an invitation."

As expected, there was a condition...

Charlotte slightly raised an eyebrow and then asked with an imperceptible smile,

"Oh? What condition?"

The Northern Territory Envoy took a deep breath, then once again gave Charlotte a respectful bow.

Under Charlotte’s slightly surprised gaze, he extended his right hand, and clumsily drew a symbol of the Ring Cross over his chest with an overly devout expression:

"Praise the holy," Count Charlotte said with reverence, "As you can see, I am actually a devout believer of the holy faith. Not just myself, but the current Duke of the Northern Territory Dukedom, His Excellency Stefan Sobieski, is also a follower."

"His Excellency greatly admires the doctrines of the Holy Royal Court and has always wanted to adopt the faith of the Holy Royal Court as the official religion of the Grand Duchy. However, as you know, the faiths in the Northern Territory have always been chaotic, and the faith in the Old Gods is not easy to break away from..."

"His Excellency holds you in high esteem and admiration, especially for your devout faith towards the Royal Court and your identity as the Saintess on earth, which has long been renowned throughout the Northern Territory."

"His Excellency seeks your assistance and extends an invitation to you, as well as the priests from your domain, to visit the Grand Duchy. He also wishes to station experienced priests to help us spread the faith of the Holy Royal Court among the holy believers in the Northern Territory..."

After hearing the envoy’s words, Charlotte was even more surprised.

She had speculated about various conditions from the Northern Territory Dukedom, but she never expected an invitation to visit and spread the faith of the Holy Royal Court!

"Thank you for the Duke’s invitation, but... I am but a minor count, and the Church Branch in my Castel Domain has only a First Tier priest. Why doesn’t His Excellency ask the Church Authority Country for priests instead of coming to us?"

"As far as I know, there are many priests, even Chief Priests within the Church, who are quite interested in spreading the faith in the Northern Territory."

Charlotte asked calmly.

The Northern Territory Envoy bowed respectfully and said,

"Count, you jest. His Excellency seeks the faith of the Holy Royal Court, and among those priests and Chief Priests of the Church Authority Country, who could represent the doctrines of the Royal Court and be more acceptable to the believers and the populace than you, the holy Saintess who walks on earth?"

Upon hearing his words, Charlotte slightly raised her eyebrows, lost in thought.

She understood the deeper implications of the envoy’s message.

Though the Northern Territory Dukedom wished to adopt the faith of the Holy Royal Court as its official religion, they likely did not want to be under strict control of the Church like the Yonette states.

The chaotic belief system in the Northern Territory was not conducive to rule; tribal alliances were manageable before, but with the establishment of feudalism, religious conflicts became increasingly severe, and the more violent doctrines of the Old Gods were no longer suitable for the new era’s demands.

At this time, choosing a benevolent faith like that of the "True God Church" to stabilize rule was only natural.

Yet, religion, while stabilizing, could also compete for power with the ruling classes, and the upper echelons of the Northern Territory Dukedom did not wish to see such a scenario.

Thus, they did not seek assistance from the Church Authority Country but approached Charlotte instead.

After thinking it over, Charlotte smiled and said:

"I understand the Duke’s intention. Sending priests to assist in spreading the faith is not difficult; I will consider the invitation, but it won’t be possible right now—at least not for the next half a year, as I am afraid I am too busy to leave the New Moon Kingdom."

"Of course, Count, to invite you as the Saintess would be best. But if it’s inconvenient for you, sending some priests from the Northern Land you approve of would suffice as well."

The envoy said respectfully.

Negotiations with the Northern Territory Envoy Group went much more smoothly than Charlotte had anticipated.

After clarifying the main points regarding the ransom and compensation, Charlotte concluded the meeting, leaving the details to be haggled over by the Count Mansion’s cabinet and the envoys from the Northern Territory.

The Northern Territory envoy took his leave, leaving only Charlotte and Sebastian, who had resumed his role as the steward, in the council chamber.

Seeing Charlotte deep in thought, Sebastian couldn’t help but say:

"My lord, are you... truly considering accepting the invitation from the Northern Territory Dukedom, to help them spread the doctrines of the Holy Royal Court?"

"Why not? It’s just sending some priests to preach. Besides, this could be an opportunity to busy those energetic and restless Church priests in our domain."

Charlotte said with a smile.

Then, she added, still with a smile:

"And besides... don’t you think this is also an opportunity? Since the beliefs in the Northern Territory are already so muddled, surely slipping in a little something of our own among the priests we dispatch wouldn’t hurt, right?"

Sebastian’s eyelids twitched:

"You mean... you also plan to spread your faith in the Northern Territory opportunely?!"

Charlotte smiled:

"If possible, why not?"

Hearing Charlotte’s words, Sebastian looked thoughtful.

After Charlotte finished speaking, she scanned the room and asked:

"By the way... where is Nisi? I don’t seem to have seen much of him since I returned."

Sebastian’s expression suddenly turned strange:

"Nisi... if I’m not mistaken, he should be currently playing hide-and-seek with Lord Yulster..."

Charlotte: ...?