CHAPTER 531: -47- NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE KING_2

It could be said that with this single move, Louis XV had been able to restrict the development of the Transcendent powers of the Castel family, and even directly impact the development of the Alchemy industry in the Northern Land.

"Not only that..."

Louis V paused briefly, his expression becoming even more indifferent as his glance towards Charlotte grew increasingly colder.

"I will tacitly allow all noble families with claims to the Northern Land to seek the Castel title, even continuing to permit them to use war as a means."

"As a Lord, I will not directly intervene in this war of claim, but I will absolutely not mediate during the process."

"And should the day actually come when the Castel changes hands, the Royal Family will definitely not sit by and watch the Northern Land fall into the hands of the Church, even if it means using war to prevent this outcome."

"Ultimately, it boils down to the same point, from the end of the Star Moon War, the number of Royal Dukes and Divine Authority Domain Lords in the Kingdom can only decrease, and not increase."

Louis V’s demeanor was serious, his voice authoritative.

Hearing his words, Charlotte was somewhat surprised.

She was not surprised at Louis V’s demeanor, but rather at his candidness.

It was candidness, as well as a blatant threat.

But likewise, where there are threats, there are also temptations.

What Louis V had described was merely the scenario should Charlotte continue to insist on her oath.

"Then Your Majesty, what if I retract my pre-Divine Lord vow and no longer recognize the validity of the oath?"

Charlotte asked further.

Louis V looked at her deeply, his authoritative voice again softening:

"If so, I would very much welcome the Castel family as my direct vassal, and you and your family would receive the fullest protection from the Valva Family and enjoy the same Royal Authority Agreement as other Principality Lords."

"The Castel family would have the authority to independently handle the Castel Secret Silver Mines and participate freely in the Transcendent trade of the Kingdom’s vassals, and also regularly access some of the rare transcendent resources controlled by the Royal Family, just like other directly subordinate vassal families."

"Furthermore, the Castel family would also be granted the rights to enter the Kingdom’s cabinet and military, and the most core collections of the libraries of the Kingdom’s Highest Academy would also be open to the Castel family, just like with other noble vassals."

"In addition, regarding the territorial claims of the Castel family outside the Kingdom, the Kingdom might also assist in regaining these and returning them to the ownership of the Castel family."

Louis V’s voice calmly listed the benefits should Charlotte give up her oath.

And upon hearing this, Charlotte felt quite tempted.

The autonomy over transcendent resources was a given unless Charlotte intended to have an all-out confrontation with the Royal Family and no longer planned to mix in at the New Moon; she would definitely want to secure this.

Access to the core collections of the libraries of the Kingdom’s Highest Academy was also very appealing, though Nisi was already a cat-shaped encyclopedia of magic, transcendent powers include more than just magic, and Charlotte might need certain knowledge if she wanted to develop her domain.

Not to mention, such libraries often contain rich historical materials, beneficial for Charlotte to understand the past, particularly the history of her Bloodline.

As for assisting the Castel family in their claims... Charlotte could probably guess what Louis V meant.

The Castel Domain and the Romany Duchy had territorial disputes, though small in size, only 5,000 square kilometers, it still comprised 4.2% of the current territorial area of the Castel Domain.

This was a historical issue left over from the Star Moon War.

Clearly, Louis V had not given up his legal claims to the Romany Duchy and still planned to reclaim the territories.

But this point was not of much concern to Charlotte.

"Lord Castel, those are the conditions of the Royal Family, so... what is your response?"

Louis V once again looked towards Charlotte, his voice as calm as ever.

Charlotte likewise lifted her head to look at the aged monarch.

Meeting his scrutinizing gaze, she smiled slightly and said,

"Your Majesty, do you know? After I arrived in Lutecia and settled my accommodations, the first place I visited was the Lutecia Cathedral."

Louis V showed neither agreement nor surprise:

"I’m aware of that visit. You spent roughly three hours in the Lutecia Cathedral, of which two and a half hours were spent in discussion with Priest Loren, Judge Champagne, and Mazarin Demon Hunting Cardinal."

"The remaining half-hour, you spent in the cathedral holding mass, praying devoutly, even causing the Divine Statue of the Divine Lord to emit Holy Light, stirring quite a sensation in the cathedral."

"When you departed, nearly all the middle to high-tier priests of the Lutecia Cathedral were present, all seeing you off together."

"Oh, right. Before the mass, you also donated an entire box of gold tana to the Church, exactly two hundred thousand, all marked with the Kingdom seal from the Holy Calendar years 1437 to 1441, sixth edition gold tana."

Speaking, Louis V glanced at Charlotte with a somewhat peculiar smile:

"As an aside, of the two hundred thousand gold tana you donated, one hundred thousand were swapped out by the priest responsible for receiving payments for those of the Holy Calendar year 1418, fifth edition gold tana."

Charlotte: ...

Good lord, this Louis V... must be a peeping Tom, right? How could he know so much?

These days, the peepers lingering around the manor must surely include many of the Royal Family’s spies!