CHAPTER 535: -48- “NEW MOON HEADLINES” CHARLOTTE

Any organization, when it grows large enough, will inevitably encounter various internal problems.

And if the organization spans a wide area with weak central control over the fringes, a splintering of power is almost certain to occur.

The Holy Royal Court is no exception.

Perhaps in the age when gods walked the earth, the Church’s centripetal force and commanding power were simply invincible with the prestige of gods.

But now, with the gods slumbering one after another, things have naturally changed.

The Holy Royal Court with its numerous dioceses is prone to conflicts when dividing interests.

Between dioceses and between dioceses and the Church Authority Country, there are areas where communication and reconciliation are needed, more or less.

Furthermore, to expand the influence of the Divine Lord, different dioceses have often incorporated different sub-gods, further increasing diversity and thus conflicts.

Although the Holy Royal Court remains a colossal force that every country must look up to due to its vast size and past accumulations, monarchs of various countries have come to a consensus that exploiting the contradictions between different dioceses within the Church is a means to balance power and demand even greater interests.

The New Moon Kingdom is no different.

The primary reason Louis V dared to openly challenge the Church was his firm belief that as long as he continued to endorse the Holy Royal Court as the state religion and regularly paid religious taxes to the Church Authority Country, the Church Authority Country would not directly interfere with his confrontations with the New Moon Diocese.

After all, as just one diocese, the New Moon Diocese, expansive as it is, is still responsible for more than just the New Moon Kingdom and cannot focus all its forces against Louis V.

As long as Louis V does not explicitly oppose the Church and instead slowly replaces its influence in the Kingdom with a "dull knife cutting meat" approach, he would naturally achieve his goals bit by bit.

After understanding all of this, Charlotte also felt some emotion.

The political entities of the Mireya Continent do seem to have a fondness for division.

This was the case with the once Yonette Empire.

A succession law dividing the Empire with each change of rulership resulted in almost inevitable splits, eventually leading to a direct split into east and west until its demise.

The same goes for the Yonette Empire, which virtually regressed into a political alliance.

With over two hundred lords large and small, almost every one of them had semi-independent diplomacy. Despite having a territory more than twice the size of the New Moon Kingdom and a population tripling that of New Moon, they were defeated by Louis V of Falling Star, and only after allying with Falling Star were they able to curb the expansion of the New Moon Kingdom.

Now, even the Holy Royal Court in the religious realm could not escape this trend.

Under the Church Authority Country, each diocese had become veritable religious princes. The influence of the Chief High Priest over local affairs had long since been eclipsed by the Diocesan Grand Priests.

Of course, this was also true for the New Moon Kingdom, as well as many other kingdoms and duchies.

Every country internally has a host of lords both great and small. Although they are vassals, they have strong independence, often obeying directives but disregarding announcements—that’s the norm.

A vast country with the Royal Family controlling only a small core area in the center is considered "common knowledge" in many countries.

It was only with Louis V that the New Moon Kingdom strengthened its central power.

Before the Star Moon War, the Valva Family faced a similar situation. They were even mockingly called "Count Lutecia" because the Royal Family’s control was previously confined to just the Royal Capital and its immediate surrounding area...

Even the rise of the Valva Family as the Royal Family of New Moon was initially because the great nobles of the New Moon Peninsula thought that the Valva Family’s territory was small and easy to manage, and thus they supported their enfeoffment as kings.

Having seen the history of Mireya, even Charlotte couldn’t help but reflect that the unified nations like Blue Star’s Heavenly Dynasty were the rare exception.

In the following days, Charlotte finally became busy.

Word from the Royal Palace spread fast; the news of her meeting with Louis V, abandoning her religious oath of land donation, and deciding to officially pledge loyalty to the Valva Family traveled quickly through the streets and alleys.

At first, it was just rumors, but when news spread that Louis V would hold the Castel family’s investiture ceremony in three days, everyone finally confirmed that the Northern Land, between the Church and the King, had ultimately chosen the King.

The investiture hadn’t yet begun, but nobles great and small were already paying visits, congratulating the Castel family on becoming direct vassals of the Kingdom.

Of course, apart from the congratulations, the main reason was to curry favor and trade.

The wealth of the Northern Territory was well-known; its trade routes were developed in all directions. Many merchants from New Moon, wishing to trade with Falling Star, Moon God Island, and the Northern Territory Dukedom, found the Castel Domain to be an unavoidable stop.

Not to mention, the Castel family also held the largest Secret Silver Mine in the New Moon Kingdom. Even though seventy percent of the mithril was controlled by the Royal Family, the Castel family, having gained full access to thirty percent of the mithril since their independence from Bold, had become a sought-after commodity in the eyes of many lords.

Mithril was a prized item, essential for Magic Energy Formations, and a top-quality material for both Alchemy and Magic Arrays. Highly priced and in great demand, it was considered a solid currency in transcendent realms.

Previously, various noble families were reserved and hesitant in trading with the Castel family due to uncertainty about the position of the Royal Family, but now that the Castel family was determined to become direct vassals, naturally, they all could not stay put any longer.