Tome of Blood

"How often do remote meetings of the Ness clan usually take place? Are there any rules?"

Charlotte ignored Agnes' astonished expression and continued to ask while playing with the communication crystal.

Agnes was silent for a moment, then said:

"Teleconferences are only held on the 1st, 11th, and 21st of each month. It seems that the crystal controlled by the Ness clan needs to be recharged."

"However, it doesn't have to be held every ten days. Generally speaking, before the meeting, the crystal ball will release a signal three days in advance, and the luster will turn red."

The 1st, 11th and 21st...

Charlotte thought about it.

Today is July 22, which means that Agnes and the others probably communicated with the blood race behind the scenes yesterday, and the next communication should be on August 1.

"You had a meeting yesterday?"

"Yes."

"Did the blood of the Nass clan say anything at the meeting?"

"Ask about their respective progress, and mention the workshop, saying what happened to the workshop."

"Workshop..."

Charlotte nodded slightly.

This must be referring to the Castel Mining Workshop.

Obviously, Charlotte's actions have aroused the vigilance of the blood race behind the scenes, and even said that it may have affected their plans.

"Hey! I've told you everything I know, but you haven't told me who you are."

"Winner and loser, I admit defeat, but at least... let me die clearly!"

Agnes gritted her teeth and said.

Charlotte glanced at her, chuckled and said:

"When did I say I was going to kill you?"

Agnes was taken aback for a moment.

However, Charlotte did not explain, but got up and left the interrogation room.

As for Agnes' doubts, she did not answer in the end, leaving the other party alone there suspiciously.

At the same time, Sebastian also came out of another interrogation room.

After seeing Charlotte, he naturally came to the girl and said respectfully:

"Master, Rachel's interrogation is over."

"Oh? How is it?"

"It went well. He was reluctant to say it at first, but after his subordinate threatened Agnes, he told me everything he knew."

Sebastian smiled slightly, and presented the middle-aged knight's confession with both hands.

While receiving the confession, Charlotte gave Sebas a strange look, thinking that the pair of master and servant are really master and servant, even the reasons for the confession are exactly the same.

Of course, she and Sebastian were pretty much the same, they both chose the same way.

After reviewing Lahaire's confession, Charlotte and Agnès answered correctly, but there was no difference.

Obviously, in order to keep her own knight, Agnes did not deceive her, and Lachel on the other side did the same.

"Master, we have already asked everything we can ask, how to deal with them next?"

Sebastian asked respectfully.

Charlotte pondered for a moment, and said:

"Close it first, maybe it's still useful."

To be honest, although Agnes and the two summoned the undead to attack her convoy, perhaps because they didn't cause too much damage, she didn't hate them so much, but she didn't have much thought of killing them all.

Now that she knew the reason why the other party hated Castel from Agnes, she couldn't hate him even more.

Even if the other party obviously hated her so much.

After knowing that Agnes and the others have a way to participate in the remote meeting of the blood race behind the scenes, Charlotte indeed intends to sneak in and have a look.

She doesn't plan to attend in person, though.

The reason is very simple. Although she just successfully activated the communication crystal of the Ness clan just now, the communication crystal is not as calm as it seems on the surface. When Charlotte activated it, she could feel the trembling of the communication crystal.

The communication crystal of the Ness clan... seems to respond very strongly to her bloodline.

Agnes said that the communication crystal is qualified to be activated by blood.

Obviously, the strength of Charlotte's bloodline, which possesses the Holy Code of Blood and has undergone deep physical transformation by the Holy Code, has already surpassed that of ordinary blood races.

Charlotte didn't know if the current bloodline strength of her body was at the "True Ancestor" level, but it was definitely much stronger than the three-generation bloodline Earl Hall that Agnes could counter-kill.

Under such circumstances, Charlotte was really not sure if something would happen if she sneaked in herself.

According to the description, she reckons that this kind of remote communication is likely to be an advanced application similar to the dream world. If this is the case, then her personality is indeed too high, and it is very likely that the moment she enters the meeting place, the entire meeting place will be at the same time. Turned into a dark night castle.

That's a big deal, she is too weak now, and the cheating time is limited, so she has to pay attention to hiding her identity.

Charlotte wondered, perhaps these two people would have to be used at that time.

Directly entering the meeting place, maybe she will cause visions, but it may be a good choice to sneak into the meeting of the Ness clan through Lahaier's spiritual world in a way similar to the favor of blood.

But this requires the cooperation of La Haier.

He doesn't need to become Charlotte's blood family member, he just needs to let go of the spiritual world, just like when Charlotte sneaked into Lottie's spiritual world.

But there is no rush, there are still eight or nine days.

Now Charlotte is even more curious about what the nobles on the territory and the vampires infiltrating behind the scenes will do at the banquet at the Earl's Mansion the day after tomorrow.

Thinking of this, Charlotte glanced at her mansion again:

"Where's that guy Nice?"

"Should we hook up with the maids in the mansion? Just before I entered the interrogation room, I saw it meowing and acting cute to the little maids in the mansion."

Sebastian smiled slightly, never forgetting to put eye drops on Nice in front of Charlotte.

Charlotte: ...

Her face darkened, and she said:

"Call it to meet me in the study."

After a while, Nice came to Charlotte's study in a hurry.

"Meow! Great Miss Charlotte, what do you need from me?"

Looking at the black cat who seemed to eat fatter and its hair more shiny after coming to the territory, Charlotte clicked his tongue:

"Nice, I feel that you have a good life as a child. How are the maids in the mansion?"

After hearing what Charlotte said, Nice's eyes lit up instantly:

"Meow! Not bad! It's really good! As expected of Castel collar, which is rich in beauties, the quality of the maids in your house is much higher than when they were in the manor! Master Cat, I..."

Nice didn't finish his sentence.

Because it quickly noticed that Charlotte's expression was playful.

"Say it, why don't you say it?"

Charlotte said with great interest.

Nice swallowed a mouthful of saliva, shivered coldly, it stopped talking quickly, changed the subject and said:

"Uh... that... why did you call me here?"

Charlotte didn't continue to care about the private life of this lewd cat, but straight to the point:

"What is the highest level of protection and sealing magic and magic that you can cast now?"

Nice thought for a while, and said honestly:

"Uh... for magic, you can only use the second level at most. The magic is better, you can squeeze Mithra... Ah no, you can borrow the power of the great God of Contract, so you can use the third level."

Charlotte: ...

Did you just want to talk about pulling wool?

Do you want to talk about pulling wool? !

After becoming a servant, she has never seen this lewd cat praying to the gods. Now it seems that it really took advantage of some loopholes to use the magic spell, right? !

This guy... is definitely not a follower of Rao Shizi's god of contract, Mithra!

Charlotte gave Nice a strange look, thought for a while, and said:

"Nice, I want you to cast all the high-level protection spells and sealing spells you can cast at the banquet in the Earl's Mansion, can you do it?"

Nice's eyes lit up:

"Are you going to deal with those blood races who may sneak in? Meow! Don't worry! Leave it to me! I promise to send all those who don't have eyes to a different space!"

Charlotte's eyes twitched:

"That's not necessary, I want to catch the living."

But after thinking about it, she said:

"It's okay to leave someone who can exile in a different space."

"Meow! Don't worry about our work!"

Nice patted his chest and said.

...

After ordering Nice to prepare the magic spell, Charlotte finally got some free time and planned to look at the collection of books in the Earl's Mansion.

However, after returning to Beigang from the mining workshop, she is destined to be unable to relax for the time being.

Before the sweet milk on the desk was cold, she received another request from Northport Mayor Madoc Olan.

"Maddock? Let him in."

She took a sip of milk and said to the maid Shirley who reported.

Shirley resigned respectfully, and soon, the mayor of Northport, Madoc Olan, hurried in.

"Lord Earl, I heard that you caught those mercenaries who attacked you in Qianshui Street?"

The chubby old mayor asked hastily as soon as he entered the study.

Charlotte was a little surprised:

"The news spread so fast?"

Madoc Oran nodded:

"Yeah, it's all spread. After all, all the city guards were dispatched to Qianshui Street in the morning. I heard that even the Mercenary Association sent a lot of mercenaries to participate. There was a lot of movement."

Then, he sighed again:

"This is also my negligence. I didn't expect these daring mercenaries to hide in Qianshui Street, and I didn't expect those poor people in Qianshui Street to dare to cover up criminals..."

"However, the problem of Qianshui Street is not a day or two. Please give me some more time, and I promise to take care of the security of this place!"

"Please rest assured, I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter!"

Madoc Olan gritted his teeth and said.

Charlotte gave him a strange look:

"The mercenary who attacked me was not from Beigang. Why did you mention Qianshui Street?"

Madoc Olan was stunned:

"Aren't you... not very dissatisfied with Qianshui Street?"

Charlotte frowned:

"I?"

She looked slightly cold:

"Who said that?"

Madoc Oran hesitated for a moment, and said honestly:

"I was told by the city guards. I heard from the guards that you were quite dissatisfied with the protection of Qianshui Street when you were searching for fugitives..."

Charlotte froze for a moment, and soon remembered that when he was communicating with the guards, he did seem to express dissatisfaction.

However, she was not targeting Qianshui Street, but answered her question at that time, describing all the residents living in the slums as guards who did not obey discipline and disturbed the law and order.

Now it seems that her expression at that time was misunderstood by the guards, and even spread to the mayor Maddock.

At this time, Charlotte somewhat understood why those in high positions in the previous life always carefully controlled their words and deeds.

Because your words and deeds may represent your attitude in the eyes of your subordinates.

And your attitude will directly affect the work below.

"I'm not dissatisfied with the protection of Shallow Water Street, but am surprised that there is such a poor place in the rich Beigang. After all... no lord will be happy when he sees his subjects are not doing well. "

After thinking about it, Charlotte said.

After hearing what Charlotte said, Maddock, the mayor of Beigang, was relieved. He sighed slightly and said:

"Shallow Water Street is also an old problem in Beigang. I have always wanted to solve it, but I am ashamed... There has been no way to eradicate it."

Charlotte's heart moved:

"Slum areas like Shallow Water Street...how long have they existed?"

Beigang Mayor Maddock said respectfully:

"It's been a long time. It should have been after all the land in Beigang was developed at the earliest. As you know, Beigang is a city built in water. It was a small island on a shallow beach at the earliest. Later, the successive earls continued to expand the area, and it became Today's size."

"However, the area that can be expanded in Beigang has almost been developed, but due to the development of the alchemy workshop industry in recent years, the population of Beigang has been growing rapidly, and now it has almost reached its limit..."

"Shallow Water Street emerged under such circumstances. Those who had no money to live in the city built houses along the water along the outer city wall, and finally became today's Shallow Water Street. No... To be honest, it can't be called Shallow Water Street anymore. Now, Qianshui Street is almost becoming a shallow water area.”

Charlotte frowned:

"Since there is not enough land, has there been no plan to continue to expand Beigang for so many years? I saw that Qianshui Street was completely exposed outside the city wall this morning. The weather is fine on weekdays. If it is stormy weather, I'm afraid you will lose a lot every time, right?"

Maddock sighed:

"What you're saying is that every time a storm passes, Shallow Water Street is in a mess, and dealing with relief after the storm has always been a headache for the city hall."

"As for the city expansion plan, there is one, but it has never been pushed forward. I have read the records of Beigang. The earliest plan was 80 years ago, but it was stagnated because of the Star-Moon War."

"The expansion of Beigang needs money, a lot of money. At that time, all the money received by Castel was invested in the war, so the plan was postponed."

"It's just that no one thought that the Star-Moon War had been fought intermittently for more than 80 years, so the expansion of Beigang was delayed until the end of the war..."

"However, not long after the war ended, the previous Earl, that is, your father, died, and the expansion plan of Beigang stalled again...until today."

Charlotte's heart moved:

"How much does the expansion of Beigang cost?"

Maddock thought for a while and said:

"This... has to be calculated carefully. Considering the need to recruit archmages or even legendary mages, it may be a sky-high price..."

"You know, now we don't have a Chi Yang mage."

Charlotte pondered for a moment, and ordered:

"Give me a list as soon as possible. I want to see the approximate amount of the expansion of Beigang, and... sort out the information on Beigang and Qianshui Street, and bring it to Earl's Mansion."

Now that you have become a lord, you have to do something first.

Receiving power is one aspect, and improving the status of the territory is another aspect.

Places like Shallow Water Street were never mentioned in the study materials of Castel Manor, and only after Charlotte came to the territory to check on the ground would he find out.

People are afraid of comparison. Compared with the comfortable life in the city, living in such a place, it is normal for the residents to feel resentment.

Charlotte felt that since she saw it, she couldn't ignore it.

While integrating the nobles to gather power, she also needs to do something to win the approval of the people and lay the foundation for future missions.

"Okay, Lord Earl, are you planning to expand Beigang?"

Maddock's eyes lit up, and he asked expectantly.

Charlotte looked at him and said:

"It's just a preliminary idea. Let me have a look at the information first, and then... don't spread the word beforehand."

"Follow your orders!"

Madoc saluted respectfully, said.

...

Maddock's efficiency is still very high.

It can be seen that the mayor of Beigang really wanted to make a good impression on Charlotte. The day after she gave the order, he used a carriage to pull the sorted materials to the Earl's Mansion.

"Lord Earl, here are the various information on Beigang and Qianshui Street, but... Regarding the expansion funds you mentioned yesterday, it will take some time to calculate because it is too complicated."

"As you know, different expansion plans require different amounts of funds. We have made some plans before, but...it's been a long time, and now many things have to be reinvented."

Maddock said respectfully.

"It's okay, don't rush this moment."

Charlotte ordered the maid to send the documents to the study and said.

Charlotte didn't check the files right away.

There are priorities, and the expansion of Beigang is not a matter that can be decided in a day or two. Right now, the banquet must be arranged first, and then I will talk about it after meeting my vassal nobles.

Tomorrow is the banquet at the Earl's Mansion, and she still has to make some preparations today.

Of course, specifically, together with Niss, they laid a net in the Earl's Mansion in advance, waiting for possible blood clans to take the bait.

It would be fine if the Nass clan didn't make a move.

If she really wants to make a move, she will leave everyone behind!

The day passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the Earl's Mansion banquet finally arrived.