Elf musicians wearing traditional silk gowns elegantly conduct the half-elf band to play the popular elven music of Miria, which is quite exotic; the colorful and dazzling crystal lanterns illuminate the gorgeous hall magnificently.
The well-dressed Castel nobles were chatting and laughing, holding goblets elegantly, drinking glasses and chatting with each other in the hall of the Earl's Palace.
Looking around, there were probably three to four hundred nobles, big and small, attending the banquet, ranging from three viscounts to seventeen fief barons, to large and small fiefdom knights and landless nobles in the territory, with their families and families.
Almost everyone who could come came.
Ever since the former Earl of Castells took over as the head of the Boulder Mages, the Castells Territory has not held a banquet of this scale for more than ten years.
If we include the servants and guards who were traveling with the nobles and were not eligible to enter the hall, the number of people attending the Earl's Palace banquet this time would probably be even greater.
"His Excellency Baron Angus, I haven't seen you for so many years, but you still look so dashing."
"Your Excellency, Baron of Ghent, is this your youngest son? I didn't expect that he would be so old in a blink of an eye.
"Mr. Cole, I heard that you are planning to build a new alchemy workshop recently? Are you looking for investors from all over the place?"
"Hahaha, Lady Laura, are you interested? If the Leglis family is willing to participate, that would be great!"
"..."
The nobles gathered together in twos and threes, talking and laughing.
There are people who chat with each other, people who reminisce about old times, people who exchange information, and there are many who use this opportunity to cooperate with their families.
Almost all the nobles in Castres had fiefs.
Even those who do not have a fiefdom will at least have a manor or workshop property, or be the major shareholder or organizer of some chamber of commerce or fleet.
Although the nobles would hold banquets with each other on weekdays, most of the time they still stayed in their own territories.
Communication often brings intelligence, and intelligence is always accompanied by opportunities. As for the exchange of favors between nobles... it is a necessary daily routine to join the upper class of Castel and maintain status and identity.
Therefore, as long as they are not stupid, no one will 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 summon all the nobles from the entire territory was the lord of Castells.
There were more and more nobles in the banquet hall, and the atmosphere at the venue became more and more lively.
When the elf dance music starts, the highlight of the banquet begins.
Ballroom dancing has always been an important part of the social life of Mirian nobles, and almost all banquets are inseparable from dancing.
The melodious melody sounded, and the nobles came into pairs, saluted each other gracefully, and danced to the music.
The dance made the atmosphere at the venue lively and cheerful. Even the most serious nobles were gradually infected by the atmosphere and smiled unconsciously.
Even the drowsy old Viscount Romain Faure, who was sitting next to him, was beating the beat of the music and shaking his head slightly.
A noble person like Laura, who was originally passionate and unrestrained, had already left the stage and danced gracefully with the cooperation of her partner, which attracted a round of applause.
When the lord of the North, Charlotte de Castel, Count of Castres, came to the venue accompanied by the elf butler, the atmosphere in the banquet hall suddenly reached a climax.
This is the first time Charlotte has held a banquet as a lord, and it is also the first time she has stepped into the venue as a lord.
Today she chose a corset dress with white as the main tone. Her soft blond hair and pink skin shone under the light, giving people a mysterious, noble and holy feeling.
She wears a gorgeous ribbon on her chest with a black eagle painted on it, symbolizing the glory of Castells.
The moment Charlotte entered the venue, the half-elf band stopped playing knowingly, and the waiters, maids and guards saluted her respectfully.
The nobles also quickly noticed the arrival of their lord. The dancing men and women stopped almost instantly, and hundreds of eyes fell on Charlotte.
That sight contains surprise, joy, respect, and curiosity...
Regardless of how the nobles present viewed her in their hearts, when Charlotte turned her gaze to everyone, she saw only smiling, respectful and elegant faces.
No malice, no hostility, no contempt.
Some only have bright smiles that seem to come from the heart.
If she hadn't experienced the contempt of the nobles, Charlotte would have almost believed it.
Drama queen.
They are all drama queens!
Charlotte complained in her heart, but her face was elegant and quiet, like a noble lady.
With Sebastian's support, she gracefully walked through the crowd and walked to the front of the banquet hall.
The nobles moved aside on their own, opening the way for Charlotte to lead to the lord's seat at the front.
Whenever she passed by, the nobles on both sides would consciously bend down and salute, with standard and respectful movements.
The black cat Nice is still following Charlotte.
Looking at the nobles on both sides who were bowing and saluting like wheat blown by the wind, it raised its tail high, held its head high, and exposed the pet circle with the black eagle crest on its chest. It looked arrogant. At first glance,
I thought it was it that the nobles were paying homage to.
Charlotte slowly came to the front of the banquet hall, where the sound of needles dropping could be heard in the hall that accommodated hundreds of people.
Under the gazes of one after another, Charlotte came to the lord's seat, sat down gracefully, then nodded slightly, greeted the band, smiled and uttered a word:
"continue."
After receiving the signal, the half-elf band continued to play music, while the nobles hesitated for a moment and continued dancing. Soon the warm atmosphere returned to the venue.
Charlotte sat on the lord's seat, supporting her head gracefully with one hand and resting the other hand on the ornate armrest. Her blue eyes gently scanned the crowd, matching her own with the costumes and coats of arms of the nobles.
The information I have seen corroborates it.
Northport Mayor Maddock stood beside her.
Wherever Charlotte's eyes turned, he would bend slightly and respectfully introduce the other person's identity and family background to Charlotte.
Charlotte nodded while observing secretly, and quickly recognized the three viscounts and seventeen barons among the vassals directly under her.
The dancing nobles seemed to be in chaos.
However, if you observe carefully, you will find that the Castel nobles gathered in the hall are faintly divided into four factions.
Among them, the three major viscount families each formed a faction, and each had its own nobles who were friendly with them, especially Len Castel and Leglis, who were like stars above the moon.
Information about these two families quickly came to Charlotte's mind.
She was very familiar with Len Castel, the head family of Baron Chalon, a branch of the Castel family, and a loyalist noble in the records. He may have some small thoughts of his own, but it has always been Cass.
A die-hard supporter of Terre.
The head of the family, Amory, is a senior Knight of the Silver Moon. He has served as the foreign minister of the earldom all year round and has a wide range of contacts.
As for Leglis...it is said that he is the earliest knight who followed the first Earl of Castel. He has the blood of the red dragon and is a true dragon descendant.
The Legris family's fiefdom is adjacent to the Grand Duchy in the North. They have a brave and capable cavalry force, and their influence in the earldom cannot be underestimated.
However, Charlotte remembered that the Leglis family recorded in the data had declined in recent years with the death of its old master, but that was not the case today.
The new head of the family is actually a Silver Moon, and she is also such a young woman.
As for the last family of the three viscounts, although the number of nobles gathered around the Romain-Fol family is the smallest, this family has the strongest aura.
Charlotte keenly noticed that the other nobles almost invariably moved away from the place where they gathered, and there was a sense of isolation, awe, and fear in them.
This is similar to the information she has read.
Unlike other families, the Romain-Fol family is a submissive 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 tribes to which the Roman family belonged often attacked the coastline of the Crescent Kingdom.
Later, the Roman family occupied the land in the north of the Crescent Kingdom. In order to win over them, the Crescent royal family, which had weakened its monarchy at the time, had no choice but to grant them the title of Roman Duke, which is the origin of the current Roman Principality.
However, the Roman family later invaded the Falling Star Kingdom and established the Roman Dynasty in the Falling Star Kingdom. The Roman Principality followed suit and became an enclave of the Falling Star Kingdom.
The Romain-For family was separated from the Duchy of Romain shortly after that.
Unlike the Roman family, they chose to stay in the Crescent Kingdom.
Because they also inherited the tradition of pirates, the reputation of the Romain-Fol family was not very good. Although they were selective in their privateering targets, they were despised by many nobles.
However, despite being despised, the Romain-Fol family controls a powerful fleet. In Castel, which is famous for its trade, it is a completely sideways existence and is feared by almost all families.
Not only that, during the Star-Moon War, it is said that they also wavered between the two kingdoms, and even angered the then Duke of Bold because of this...
In short, they are a powerful aristocratic family with complex backgrounds and subtle positions.
Recalling all the information she had read, Charlotte slowly looked away from Viscount Romain Faure.
She didn't know why, but the moment she saw him, she felt a familiar feeling.
In addition to the three viscounts, there are also some landless nobles who have formed a small circle of their own. Although their titles are very low compared to those of the established nobles, many of them only hold the title of baron or knight without a fief, but their clothing
But he is quite gorgeous, and even looks richer than many established nobles.
After browsing the information, Charlotte knew that these people were the nouveau riche who had gradually grown in recent years. Different from the traditional nobles who relied more on territorial taxes, almost all of them were doing business, or had workshops, and many of them were even businessmen.
, the title is bought.
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 nobles.
Charlotte didn't know which of these people were involved with the Ness Blood Clan. They might be from one faction or more than one faction.
However, her purpose today is 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 are carved with exquisite and complicated patterns, and if you look carefully, you can also see some magical inscriptions.
This is a special kind of curtain blessed with special magic.
The curtain can block the view of the nobles outside, but from the inside of the curtain, Charlotte can clearly see every move of the nobles on the field.
Not only that, the curtains isolated the sounds inside and outside. Charlotte could vaguely hear the music at the venue, but the conversation inside the curtains could not be heard at all.
This is a curtain specially used to meet the lord!
This is a banquet, and it is also an event to receive the nobles' audience. While the banquet is held outside, Charlotte will be interviewed by the nobles one by one on this side of the curtain.
Of course, not all nobles are required to meet in person. Charlotte only named three viscount families and a few more influential baron families. Those who want to make an audience with the rest must apply by themselves.
The curtains were closed, and the only people left inside were Charlotte, Sebas, and Nice, two people and a cat.
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 the Castel noble.
But an old acquaintance of Charlotte.
"Sister Lottie, I haven't seen you for a few days. Is the church work going well?"
Looking at the gentle Priestess in front of her, Charlotte smiled in surprise.
She had just asked about Lottie's work a few days ago. She heard that the priestess had been busy since she came to Castres, and she didn't know how much work the church in Castres had backlogged.
Charlotte thought Lottie wouldn't come today.
After listening to Charlotte's words, Lottie sighed, looking a little tired:
"It's a bit complicated. The church in Castel has accumulated more affairs than I thought. I have been busy dealing with them these days and finally got some free time..."
As she said that, she couldn't help but said:
"Did you know? There is no presiding priest in the Castres Church! Only when I arrived at the church did I realize that my priesthood is the highest!"
Charlotte was immediately happy.
She knew that the Holy Court's control over Castells was very weak, but she did not expect it to be so weak.
"There's not even a priest in charge? Wouldn't that be equivalent to a permanent shutdown?"
"Yes, the problem is...even the Boulder Church doesn't know that the priest in charge of Castres has long since disappeared, and the church of Castres has not reported it. This has been seven years!"
"Seven years?"
Charlotte's heart skipped a beat.
With the troubles at the Castres silver mine in the past, she is now quite sensitive to the number "seven".
"Yes, it has been seven years. After the chief priest of Castel was promoted seven years ago, there has been no arrangement for a new priest. There is no record in Boulder, and the trial court of the principality has not been inspected for many years.
.”
Lottie said.
Charlotte raised an eyebrow:
"Being suppressed by the great priest Linus?"
Lottie sighed:
"I'm afraid so."
Charlotte sneered:
"This copper-smelting addict has been tried and still lingers. It seems that he did not lack the benefits of some guys in the beginning."
Lottie's heart moved:
"Some guys?"
"Some rats want to cause trouble. I originally thought they just extended their hands to the nobles, but now it seems that they may even infiltrate the church."
After listening to Charlotte's words, Lottie's expression also showed a hint of worry:
"Speaking of which, Lord Earl, I have heard a lot of bad rumors these days, about you and the church..."
"You say that I want to force faith and force unbelievers and heretics to convert?"
Charlotte said.
Lottie hesitated for a moment and nodded slightly.
"Don't worry about them. After all, I am not a true believer in the Holy Spirit. These rumors will be disproven as time goes by."
Charlotte shook her head and said.
However, as soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to have thought of something again, and her expression condensed slightly:
"etc……"
"My Lord Earl?"
Lottie looked puzzled.
Charlotte pondered for a moment and suddenly said to Nice, who was eating dried fish on the side:
"Nice, after today's banquet, you go back to the church and conduct identity checks for all the church's priests."
Nice put down the dried fish:
"Identity check? Meow? Lady Charlotte, do you suspect that Castle's church has also been infiltrated?"
Charlotte narrowed her eyes:
"Be careful, just in case. Although I'm not afraid of certain rumors, I have to be wary of others messing around in my name."
After saying that, she smiled at Lottie again:
"However, maybe this is also a good thing. Since there is no priest in Castel, then maybe we can apply to Grandpa Raoul to let you serve as the chief priest in Castel."
After listening to Charlotte's suggestion, Lottie hesitated to speak.
Of course she understood what Charlotte meant, which was to completely control the faith of the territory and completely empty the Holy Royal Court.
As a priest of the Holy Royal Court, she should have prevented this kind of thing, but at this moment, she only hesitated slightly before accepting it.
The speed of acceptance surprised even herself.
Maybe... I have already fallen from the moment I found out that the great priest was the protector behind Zuimeng Salon.
Lottie sighed in her heart.
After her faith was shaken, she was still protected by the Holy Light. To be honest...she didn't even know what she should believe now.
Maybe...only time will gradually tell her the answer.
"Sister Lottie, please be careful when you are in the church. When the banquet is over and you go back, take two guards from the Earl's Palace to defend yourself. I found two advanced guard captains at the mining workshop, which is pretty good."
Charlotte said.
"Thank you for your concern."
Lottie bowed her head slightly.
No matter how her beliefs changed, while being a priest, she still remembered that she was a descendant of the Broglie family.
The Broglie family has always repaid their kindness. After being rescued by Charlotte, she had already decided to follow him. This is the only thing... she will never go wrong.
…
Lottie's interview was more like a greeting.
After chatting for a few words, she exited the curtain.
After Lottie withdrew, as a branch of Castells and with a somewhat transcendent status in the earldom, the head of the Lenn-Castle family, Viscount Lenn Amory, took the lead in entering the curtain.
As soon as the old Viscount entered the curtain, he tremblingly bowed down to Charlotte and said solemnly:
"Lord Earl, I have important information to report to you!"
"The Leglis family... I'm afraid they have different intentions!"
It’s the end of the month, shamelessly ask for a monthly ticket..._(:з)∠)_