Chapter 190: Northport Expansion Plan

"How often do the Nez clan's remote meetings take place? Is there any pattern to them?" Charlotte asked, ignoring Agnes' astonished expression while playing with the communication crystal.

Agnes remained silent for a moment before responding,

"The remote meetings only happen on the 1st, 11th, and 21st of each month. It seems that the crystal controlled by the Nez clan requires recharging."

"However, the meetings don't necessarily happen every ten days. Typically, the crystal ball will emit a signal and its glow will turn red three days before a meeting."

"So, the 1st, 11th, and 21st, huh..."

Charlotte mused.

Today is July 22nd, which means Agnes and her knight likely communicated with the bloodbornes just yesterday, and the next meeting should be on August 1st.

"Did you have a meeting yesterday?"

"Yes."

"What did they discuss?"

"They inquired about our progress and mentioned something about a workshop having issues."

"A workshop, huh..."

Charlotte nodded slightly.

This definitely refers to the Castell Mining Workshop.

It's clear that Charlotte's actions have already raised the suspicions of the bloodborne behind the scenes, potentially disrupting their plans.

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

Agnes gritted her teeth.

"Victors take all. I've lost, but at least... let me die knowing why!"

Charlotte glanced at her and chuckled.

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

Agnes was momentarily stunned.

However, Charlotte offered no further explanation, getting up and leaving the interrogation room.

She left Agnes alone, stewing in her thoughts and suspicions. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NøᴠᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

At the same time, Sebastian also emerged from another interrogation room.

Seeing Charlotte, he naturally approached her and said respectfully.

"Master, Lahel's interrogation is complete."

"Oh? How did it go?"

"It went quite smoothly. At first, he was reluctant to speak, but after I used Agnes as leverage, he revealed everything he knew."

Sebastian said with a slight smile, presenting the middle-aged knight's confession.

As Charlotte accepted the confession, she gave Sebastian a curious look, thinking that the master and servant really were alike, even down to the reasons for their confessions.

Of course, Sebastian and Charlotte had chosen similar methods.

After reviewing Lahel's confession, Charlotte found it matched Agnes' statements, with no discrepancies.

It was clear Agnes hadn't lied to protect her knight, and the same went for Lahel.

"Master, we've asked all we could. What should we do with them now?"

Sebastian asked respectfully.

Charlotte pondered for a moment and then said.

"Keep them locked up for now. They might still be useful."

Honestly, although Agnes and Lahel had summoned the undead to attack her convoy, since they hadn't caused much damage, Charlotte didn't harbor intense hatred towards them and had no real intention of killing them.

Now, knowing the reason for Agnes' hatred towards Castell, she felt even less inclined to act ruthlessly, despite Agnes clearly hating her guts.

Knowing that Agnes and her knight had a way to participate in the bloodborne's remote meetings, Charlotte indeed planned to infiltrate one.

However, she didn't intend to attend personally.

The reason was simple. Although she had successfully activated the Nez clan's communication crystal, the crystal hadn't been as calm as it appeared. When Charlotte activated it, she felt the crystal trembling.

It seemed the communication crystal reacted strongly to her bloodline.

Agnes mentioned that the communication crystal required a specific bloodline to activate.

Clearly, with the Gospel of Blood and having undergone deep physical modifications by it, Charlotte's bloodline strength far surpassed that of an ordinary bloodborne.

Charlotte didn't know if her current body's bloodline strength qualified as "True Ancestor," but it was certainly stronger than that of a third-generation bloodborne like Count Hol, who Agnes could overpower.

In this situation, Charlotte wasn't sure if infiltrating the meeting herself might cause something unexpected.

From the description, she estimated that this kind of remote communication might be an advanced use of the mental world. If that's the case, her stature might be too high, and she could end up transforming the entire meeting space into her Dark Night Castle the moment she entered.

That would be problematic. She's too weak now, her cheat abilities are limited in time, and she still needs to hide her identity.

Charlotte pondered that she might need to use Agnes and Lahel for this.

Directly entering the meeting might cause anomalies, but if she could infiltrate through Lahel's mental world, like using Divine Blessing to possess and attend the Nez clan's meeting, it could work.

This, however, would require Lahel's cooperation.

She wouldn't need him to become her blood servant, just to open up his mental world to her, similar to how she entered Lottie's mental world before.

But there's no rush. There's still about nine days left.

Right now, Charlotte was more curious about the banquet at the Count's estate the day after tomorrow, and what the nobles and infiltrating bloodbornes in the territory might do.

With this in mind, Charlotte scanned her mansion and asked.

"Where's Nice?"

"He should be trying to charm the maids. Just before I entered the interrogation room, I saw him meowing and acting cute to some of the maids."

Sebastian said with a slight smile, always ready to make Nice look bad in front of Charlotte.

Charlotte: ...

Her expression darkened as she said.

"Tell him to meet me in the study."

Before long, Nice trotted into Charlotte's study.

"Meow! Great Lady Charlotte, you called for me?"

Looking at the black cat, which seemed to have grown fatter and with shinier fur since coming to the territory, Charlotte clicked her tongue and said.

"Nice, it seems you're living quite well. How are the maids?"

Hearing Charlotte's words, Nice's eyes lit up.

"Meow! They're wonderful! The maids here are of much higher quality than those in the manor! I, the great cat lord..."

Nice didn't finish his sentence.

Because he quickly noticed Charlotte's amused expression.

"Go on, why did you stop?"

Charlotte asked with great interest.

Nice swallowed hard, shivering slightly. Quickly shifting the topic, he said,

"Um... so, why did you call for me?"

Charlotte ignored the private life of the lecherous cat and got straight to the point.

"What's the highest level of protective and sealing magic and divine rituals you can currently perform?"

Nice thought for a moment and replied honestly.

"Well, for magic, I can only cast up to second-tier spells. But divine rituals are a bit better, thanks to the power I can draw from Mithra, the great God of Contracts. So, I can cast up to third-tier divine spells."

Charlotte: ...

Did he just say 'draw'?

Was he trying to say 'leech'?

Ever since taking him as a servant, she had never seen this lecherous cat pray to any God. Now, it seemed he must be exploiting some loophole to use divine rituals.

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This guy definitely isn't a real follower of the so-called God of Contract, Mithra!

Charlotte gave Nice a strange look, then said,

"Nice, I need you to cast all the highest-level protective and sealing divine rituals you can during the banquet at the Count's estate. Can you do that?"

Nice's eyes lit up.

"Is it to deal with those bloodbornes that might infiltrate? Meow! Don't worry! Leave it to me! I'll make sure all those uninvited guests are sent to another dimension!"

Charlotte's eye twitched.

"That's not necessary. I need them alive."

But after thinking for a moment, she added.

"Still, it wouldn't hurt to have an emergency option to banish them to another dimension."

"Meow! Leave it to me, I'll handle it!"

Nice patted its chest confidently.

After giving Nice the order to prepare the divine rituals, Charlotte finally found some time to relax and planned to check out the Count's library. However, it seemed that her return to Northport from the mining workshop would not allow her any rest.

Before her sweet milk on the desk could even cool, she received a request for a meeting from Madoc Oran, the mayor of Northport.

"Madoc? Let him in."

She said to Sherry, the maid who reported this.

Sherry respectfully withdrew, and soon, the plump mayor of Northport, Madoc Oran, hurriedly entered.

"Countess, I heard you captured the mercenaries who attacked you on Shallow Water Street?"

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

Charlotte was a bit surprised.

"The news spread that fast?"

Madoc Oran nodded.

"Yes, it spread quickly. After all, the city guard mobilized to Shallow Water Street this morning, and even the Mercenary Association sent quite a few mercenaries. It was quite a commotion."

He sighed.

"This is also my failure. I didn't expect those audacious mercenaries to hide in Shallow Water Street, nor did I expect the impoverished residents there to dare harbor criminals..."

"But Shallow Water Street has been a problem for a long time. Please give me more time, and I assure you I will resolve the public security issues there!"

"Rest assured, I will give you a satisfactory explanation for this matter!"

Madoc Oran said, gritting his teeth.

Charlotte gave him a strange look.

"The mercenaries who attacked me were not local to Northport. Why bring up Shallow Water Street?"

Madoc Oran was stunned.

"Aren't you quite dissatisfied with Shallow Water Street?"

Charlotte frowned.

"Me?"

Her expression turned cold.

"Who said that?"

Madoc Oran hesitated, then said honestly.

"The city guards told me. The guards said you were very displeased with Shallow Water Street's harboring of criminals when searching for fugitives..."

Charlotte paused, quickly recalling her interaction with the guards. She did express dissatisfaction, but it was directed at the guards who described the residents of the slums as unruly troublemakers.

It seemed her expression had been misunderstood by the guards and even communicated to the mayor, Madoc.

At this moment, Charlotte somewhat understood why people in high positions often carefully controlled their words and actions. Because their demeanor could easily be interpreted as their stance, influencing those beneath them.

"I wasn't displeased with Shallow Water Street's harboring of criminals. I was astonished that a wealthy place like Northport still has such impoverished areas. After all, no lord would be happy seeing their subjects living poorly."

Charlotte said thoughtfully.

Hearing this, Madoc Oran breathed a sigh of relief.

"Shallow Water Street has been a long-standing issue in Northport. I've always wanted to solve it, but shamefully, I've never been able to eradicate it."

Charlotte's interest was piqued.

"How long has Shallow Water Street, or such a slum, been around?"

Maddock Oran respectfully answered.

"A long time, likely since Northport's land was fully developed. You know, Northport is built on the water. Initially, it was a small island on a shallow sea. Over time, successive counts expanded it to its current size."

"However, as Northport couldn't expand further, the population kept growing rapidly due to the booming alchemy workshop industry. Eventually, it reached its limit..."

"Shallow Water Street emerged under such circumstances. Those who couldn't afford to live in the city built houses along the outer city wall by the water, eventually forming today's Shallow Water Street. No, honestly, it has grown beyond just a street; it's almost a district now."

Charlotte frowned.

"Since it's due to lack of land, has there been no plan to expand Northport over these years? I saw Shallow Water Street is completely exposed outside the city walls. In good weather, it's fine, but during storms, it must suffer significant damage every time, right?"

Madoc sighed.

"You're right. After every storm, Shallow Water Street is a mess. Post-storm relief has always been a headache for the city hall."

"As for the city's expansion plans, there have been several, but none have been executed. The earliest was eighty years ago, but it halted due to the Star-Moon War."

"Expanding Northport requires a lot of money, and at that time, all funds were diverted to the war efforts. So, the plan was postponed."

"No one expected the intermittent Star-Moon War to last over eighty years, thus delaying Northport's expansion until the war ended..."

"But soon after the war, your father, the previous Count, sacrificed himself, and the expansion plan stalled again... until now."

Charlotte pondered.

"How much would it cost to expand Northport?"

Madoc thought for a moment.

"It's a complex calculation. Recruiting high-level mages or even legendary mages costs a fortune... We no longer have a Blazing Sun Mage."

Charlotte considered for a moment, then ordered.

"Prepare a detailed estimate for me. I need to see the overall cost of expanding Northport, and also gather all information about Northport and Shallow Water Street and bring it to the Count's estate."

Since she became the lord, she had to start taking action. Consolidating power was one aspect; improving her territory was another.

Places like Shallow Water Street were never mentioned in the study materials at Castell Mansion. She only discovered them after personally visiting the territory.

Comparison often highlights issues. Compared to the comfortable lives within the city, it's natural for residents living in such conditions to harbor resentment.

Charlotte felt she couldn't ignore what she had seen. While consolidating power among the nobility, she also needed to take action to win the people's approval, laying a foundation for future governance.

"Understood, Countess. Are you planning to expand Northport?"

Madoc asked eagerly.

Charlotte gave him a glance.

"It's just a preliminary idea. Let me see the information first, and don't spread this around yet."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Madoc bowed respectfully.

Madoc's efficiency was impressive. It was clear he wanted to make a good impression on Charlotte. The next day, he had the information delivered to the Count's estate by cart.

"Countess, this is all the information on Northport and Shallow Water Street. However, regarding the expansion funds, it will take more time to calculate due to the complexity. Different expansion plans require different amounts, and we need to revise old plans."

"No problem, there's no rush."

Charlotte said, instructing the maids to send the materials to her study.

Charlotte didn't review the information immediately. She had to prioritize tasks. Expanding Northport wasn't a decision to be made in a day or two. The immediate focus was preparing for the banquet and meeting her vassal nobles.

The banquet at the Count's estate was the next day, and she needed to make some preparations today.

Specifically, setting up a thorough defense with Nice at the Count's estate, ready for any potential bloodborne infiltration.

If the Nez clan didn't act, so be it. But if they did, she intended to capture them all.

The day passed quickly, and soon, the day of the Count's estate banquet arrived.