Charlotte was no longer the novice she had been when she first crossed over, and a throne granted by Heavenly Descent naturally did not deserve to be refused.
Having understood Charlotte's thoughts, Nisi nodded and refrained from further comnt.
It had sought stability and had dared not claim the throne while Charlotte slept.
But if Charlotte, after awakening, wanted to take a gamble, it had no objections.
No.
In fact, Nisi found it entirely appropriate and fitting for Charlotte to take an interest in the succession of Falling Star.
After all...
The deity once ruled the continent!
While watching the girl sip milk from a goblet, Nisi thought to itself.
"By the way, where is Sebastian? I didn't sense his presence at the Count Mansion, is he still in the Northern Land aiding the Dark Mission's evangelism?"
Charlotte asked.
Upon hearing Charlotte's words, Nisi's expression turned rather peculiar this ti.
"Hmm? What's the matter? Did sothing happen to Sebastian?"
Charlotte frowned slightly.
"No... not really. Currently... he should be in the Northern Territory Grand Duchy, I suppose?"
"Northern Territory Grand Duchy?"
Charlotte was taken aback.
Nisi nodded:
"Yes, do you rember the emissary from the Northern Territory Duke after last year's Bold-Castel battle?"
Charlotte's heart stirred, and she began to guess:
"The one who invited to send priests to preach in the Northern Territory?"
Nisi nodded again:
"Exactly, Sebastian has been spreading your faith up north until the news that Edward III designated you for the throne, after which he returned to North Port."
"Unlike , who prefers stability, Sebastian believes we shouldn't give up the Falling Star throne. We even debated this... well, of course, I don't oppose your claim to the throne either. My preference to forego it was due to a greater self-awareness, especially since you were still asleep."
"But regardless of our stance on the Falling Star throne, the Castel Domain is once again at the forefront of controversy. Neither Sebastian nor I could persuade the other, so we decided to divide our responsibilities..."
"The stance of the Nais Bloodline is destined for a 180-degree turn, and the alliances have beco unreliable. I am in charge of continuing the pretense of your identity, buying ti, and making preparations in case we need to renounce the throne on your behalf to accept the conditions set by the Nais Clan. anwhile, Sebastian went to the Northern Territory Grand Duchy on your behalf..."
"Ostensibly, he went as the head of a priest group from the Northern Lands to spread the faith of the Divine Lord but in reality, he was covertly propagating your faith in the Northern Territory Grand Duchy. He used the burgeoning faith and prayers of the believers to hasten your awakening."
"At the sa ti, he was seeking support from the Northern Territory Duke regarding the succession of the Falling Star throne, to counteract any intervention by New Moon Kingdom in the Falling Star succession."
Hearing Nisi's explanation, Charlotte wore an odd expression:
"Northern Territory Grand Duchy? You plan to involve them too?"
"Falling Star Kingdom, New Moon Kingdom, and then adding the Northern Territory Grand Duchy... If the Holy Royal Court also decides to intervene, things could get complicated with the support of West Yonette Empire, who have always backed the Holy Royal Court wanting to weaken the New Moon Kingdom..."
"Setting aside the distant nations and not to ntion, the five powerhouses of West Mireya suddenly all might get involved."
"Damn, are you planning a world war in Mireya over the succession to the throne?"
Nisi chuckled and said:
"No, all five powerhouses of Western Mireya might get involved, including Coria Kingdom which is secretly controlled by the Bloodline, the renowned Wildness Clan of Vadret."
"Although the various clans of the Bloodline don't usually get along, if the Nais Clan really seeks their help, it's likely they will assist."
"After all... within the Nais Clan, there is already a faction that's close to Vadret."
Charlotte: ...
Alright then.
Falling Star Kingdom, New Moon Kingdom, Northern Territory Grand Duchy, West Yonette Empire, and the addition of Coria Kingdom.
Aside from the loosely organized Eastern Yonette rcenary Alliance and the Moon God Coast city-states which depend on the West Yonette Empire – virtually every powerhouse on the Mireya Continent could get involved!
"Hey, Master, this is Sebastian's plan. His thinking is sowhat different from mine; he believes we shouldn't give up the throne on your behalf, and the path he has chosen is rather wild. That is, if Castel itself isn't able to contend for the throne on your behalf, then drag all the other major nations into the fray."
"Currently, there's a delicate balance of power amongst the nations of Mireya Continent. New Moon Kingdom and Coria Kingdom play coy, lacking a formal alliance but having a connection stronger than one. They have tead up to counter the alliance between Falling Star Kingdom and West Yonette Empire."
"As for the Northern Territory Grand Duchy, it's been indecisive, though in recent years, there's been talk of countering New Moon's rise..."
"At this juncture, the dispute over the Falling Star throne becos pivotal, as it nearly determines the political leanings of Falling Star Kingdom in the balance of power among the major nations."
"Thus, using the balance of power among the major nations to achieve your objective indeed has so feasibility, but I see the risk as quite significant."
"As you've said, should things go awry, it could truly lead to chaos across the Mireya Continent, and it's a very plausible outco."
"My biggest disagreent with Sebastian lies here. I incline towards the view that involving major nations might lead to further war, whereas Sebastian believes it would make the powers wary of one another, thereby limiting the struggle for the Falling Star throne to within the kingdom itself."
"Lord Charlotte, what do you think?"
After listening to Nisi, Charlotte pondered.
After a mont's reflection, she said:
"If we truly can drag all the other nations into it, there shouldn't be a large-scale war..."
"Hmm? How did you co to that conclusion?"
Nisi asked curiously.
Charlotte glanced at it and said,
"Because 'Holy Presence Day' is approaching and the deities are about to awaken. At this critical mont, no major power would dare start a devastating war."
"Even a painful victory is still a defeat,"
"Just look at the Holy Royal Court. Everyone is consolidating their internal strength. Even if there is to be a great war, it's likely to happen after the Holy Presence Day."
After hearing Charlotte's words, Nisi was slightly taken aback, then realized,
"Oh, you're right. Having spent so much ti with you, I seem to have sowhat forgotten about the influence of the gods."
Charlotte gave it another glance but didn't expose it.
This guy hadn't forgotten about the influence of the gods; it was clear from the start that it never really took the gods seriously.
Stealing the walls from the Contract God and pulling the wool over the Divine Lord, there was nothing it wouldn't dare do. When it first confronted her, it even dared to use the 'Servant's Oath,' though, in the end, it tricked itself.
"So... the new believers I've recently gained are all from Sebastian's expansion in the Northern Territory Duchy?"
Charlotte inquired.
"Northern Territory Duchy? It should be too early for that. Sebastian only set off ten days ago, and I reckon that even if he rushed, he should have only just reached the capital of the Northern Territory Duchy by now."
"The new believers you've gained should be from the populace in Legris Domain. The Dark Night Church covertly supported the reconstruction work in Legris Domain a few months ago, gaining considerable prestige, and its growth has indeed been good in the past one or two months."
"Sebastian had proudly said that he was confident he could increase the number of Church followers tenfold within six months, reaching a target of 30,000! And it's said that he is now very close to that goal."
Nisi spoke.
Thirty... thirty thousand?
Shouldn't it be 470,000?
Charlotte was stunned.
She took another close look at the number of believers on the Blood Holy Scripture.
475,364...
Damn, there are even eleven more people than last ti she checked!
This is way off!
But the status display of the Blood Holy Scripture shouldn't be wrong, and she herself could feel the connection with her followers much more profoundly than before her slumber.
Her number of followers indeed far exceeded Sebastian's small goal of 30,000.
So the question was, where did these followers co from?
And why were they still growing at such a rapid rate?
Charlotte was very curious in her heart.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Sebastian's capabilities, but the growth rate of her followers was truly beyond expectations!
"Lord Charlotte, do you feel that the Church's growth rate is a bit slow?"
Seeing Charlotte's inscrutable expression, Nisi cautiously asked.
Clearly, it had misunderstood Charlotte's reaction.
Nisi thought for a mont and continued,
"Actually, Sebastian's efficiency is already quite impressive. It's naturally more difficult to expand within the sphere of influence of the Holy Royal Court, which can't be helped."
"However, in a few days, the Church should be able to expand rapidly."
"Since ancient tis, the Northern Territory Duchy has lacked a formal Faith, and there is completely a blank space of faith there. Although the Northern Territory Duke wants to promote the Faith of the Holy Royal Court, for our Dark Night Church, taking [this opportunity] to hatch chicks is really too convenient."
"A Church blessed by a god, going there would unquestionably be an overwhelming force!"
"It's just that the various tribes of the Northern Territory have always resisted external faiths, and the majority of the Northern Territory people are also mostly disinterested in beliefs from outside their land; otherwise, various Churches would have grown into towering trees in the Northern Land long ago!"
After listening to Nisi's words, Charlotte's face lit up with interest:
"Oh? It sounds like you also have so understanding of the Northern Territory's native faith?"
Nisi proudly declared:
"Of course!"
"Lord Charlotte, don't look at now; I was once a force to be reckoned with on the Mireya Continent."
"In pursuit of the mysteries of the Mythical, I traveled throughout the entire continent and spent a considerable amount of ti in the Northern Territory, so I'm quite familiar with the faith there."
"Not sure if it's the sa as the Northern Territory you knew from a thousand years ago, but as far as I know, most people there still only adhere to Totem and ancestral worship, and many still retain traces of Old Gods belief, practicing so ancient and sinister rituals."
"This is also the reason why the Northern Territory Duke introduced the Faith of the Holy Royal Court; the faith in the Northern Territory is too primitive and chaotic, no longer suitable for the unified rule of the Northern Territory Duchy, and must be reford."
"Do you know? So tribes there even worship legends that are not gods at all, such as a 'Savior' or sothing, which is even more ridiculous than Totem Belief."
Nisi said with a scornful tone.
However, Charlotte suddenly froze.
"What?"
She put down her goblet and instantly looked up.
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