Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel

"Truly... True Ancestor, congratulations on your increased strength, you've taken another step closer to returning to your peak..."

Rushing into the study in haste, Yulster closed the door behind him and deeply bowed toward Charlotte.

Charlotte nodded slightly and said,

"Rise, and... from now on I am Charlotte de Castel."

Yulster hurriedly bowed again, stammering,

"Then... Lord Charlotte...?"

Charlotte shook her head:

"There's no need to be so formal, the previous title will do. Do you want everyone to know there's something amiss with my identity by being so flustered?"

Saying this, she looked toward the trembling Yulster:

"I've heard all about it from Nisi. Tell me, what is the current stance of the Nais Clan?"

Yulster hesitated for a moment, then smirked bitterly,

"Castel... Lord, the situation has become a bit troublesome."

"During the time you were asleep, there have been new changes within our clan..."

"In order to quickly implement the Returning Star Plan, the slumbering elders of the clan have all awakened. Since we've lost the Roman Sword, the ancestor approval ritual was also frustrated due to Prince Henry's death, which infuriated the awakened elders... Even the Great Elder His Excellency is considerably dissatisfied."

"Now, within our clan, the faction close to Castel, represented by Duke Yoroc, has been stripped of the right to carry out the Returning Star Plan. Currently, the leader of the Returning Star Plan has become the Great Elder himself."

"The Great Elder's stance is quite clear. He hopes that you will publicly announce your renunciation of the Falling Star Kingdom's throne. The Nais Clan will uphold the agreement to transfer the Romany Duchy to you and acknowledge your sovereignty over the Roman Sword..."

Toward the end, the volume of Yulster's voice became lower and lower.

Charlotte smiled:

"Yulster, do you think I would agree to such terms?"

Yulster sighed:

"Of course... you won't agree, but the clan doesn't think so. No matter how I try to persuade them, the attitude of the Elder Council is very tough. For the Nais Clan, Falling Star is their foundation. They've finally reached this point with the hope of driving out the forces of the Holy Royal Court. The Elder Council will not want to introduce another mythical force, even if it's a potential Bloodline Demigod... This would directly lead to the Nais Bloodline becoming a vassal to an 'alien god.'"

"What about the other Bloodline members outside the Elder Council?"

Charlotte asked.

Yulster hesitated, then spoke:

"Apart from the Elder Council, the other Bloodline members are not yet clear that there is a 'Bloodline Myth' behind Castel, so they only vaguely know about the alliance between the Nais Clan and Castel. They... support the decision of the Elder Council."

Charlotte nodded:

"So that means... the Nais Clan is ready to forcibly support a new king to ascend the throne and go to war with the Noble Council of the Falling Star Kingdom?"

Yulster gave a bitter smile:

"If we're only talking about the higher-ups, that's the case."

"Of the eight elders of the Elder Council, except for Lord Yoroc and the Great Elder, the rest are hardliners. Previously, there were some elders who had not yet awakened from their slumber, and the clan tended toward compromise, but now... all the elders have awakened, and Yoroc has also been stripped of his executive rights, so attitudes have changed."

"Especially the previous Great Elder, Elder Badak, has reawakened from his slumber; he is a senior to the Great Elder, a true second generation Bloodline, and one of the first Bloodlines you created. His rank is even higher than that of Stargazer Lord Cosy, who is a third-generation Bloodline..."

"The current decisions of the Great Elder have been deeply influenced by Lord Badak, no... to be more precise, Lord Badak has now effectively replaced the Great Elder as the real person in charge of the Nais Clan."

Badak?

Upon hearing this familiar name, Charlotte was momentarily startled, a vision of a tall and burly warrior emerged in her mind.

If she wasn't mistaken, the name of the commander of the Free City State military she met during her second crossing was the same.

At the same time, it was Commander Badak who had brought her to the City of Dawn to meet Lilith and Haral.

Was it... a namesake?

Or was it... the same person?

Charlotte's thoughts tumbled.

"True... Lord Castel, is there a problem?"

Noticing Charlotte's slightly furrowed brow, Yulster asked anxiously.

Charlotte shook her head:

"No, there's no issue, continue telling me about this Elder Badak."

Yulster nodded:

"Alright... of course."

"Elder Badak holds an extraordinary position within the clan, and the Elder Council respects him greatly. Many of the clan's decisions, even the major ones, were established by Elder Badak before his slumber."

"Elder Badak is a firm supporter of Stargazer Lord Cosy and is a typical representative of the clan's hardliners. He strongly supports seizing power through force and to directly eliminate Falling Star's opposition forces."

"Of course, the Returning Star Plan was intended to be a militarized coup from the beginning. Previously, as Edward III was still alive and there was no doubt about the succession to the throne, a coup would have faced great resistance, but now that the king is dead and the throne's succession is uncertain—even though there are many nobles opposed by the Luoxing Council—there are still quite a few who are willing to compromise with Nais. Even the prospect of war, in Lord Badak's view, puts the Nais Clan at an advantage."

"Furthermore, with the eighty years of the Star Moon War and the nearly seven years of the Lilac War, the nobles of the Falling Star Kingdom actually do not want to engage in another devastating civil war. In Badak's view, even the threat of civil war could likely make the Falling Star nobles compromise."

"Of course, this sentiment is also echoed among the mid to low-tier Bloodline within the clan. In the previous wars, many Bloodlines participated, and the casualties were equally severe."

"The civil war... in fact, is a last resort when all options are exhausted."

Charlotte felt a surge of emotion:

"So... the only variable is Castel, right?"

Yulster hesitated for a moment and then nodded:

"Yes, if you give up the throne, even if the Nobles of Falling Star don't like it, they will most likely have to compromise with the Nais Clan. After all... even if they choose another new King to support, it would be very difficult to contend with the well-prepared Nais Clan."

Charlotte caught on:

"Is that why the Nais Clan has become more assertive towards Castel?"

Yulster hesitated again:

"You could say that. Lord Badak became a Bloodline in the Mythical Era, and he understands myths quite well. In his view, even if you really have a Legendary Bloodline behind you, I'm afraid its strength has not yet recovered."

"Moreover, the Clan's interaction with you has always been a kind of test by the Elder Council. After over a year of probing, the Council has reached similar conclusions about the 'God' behind you... they are not as fearful as they were a year ago..."

As he reached this point, Yulster hesitated, looking at Charlotte with a strange expression:

"Led by Elder Badak, the majority of the elders believe that the 'God' behind you currently probably only has Divine Power in name, with very limited real strength to manifest."

"Otherwise, Castel would have intervened in the affairs of the Nais Clan long ago."

After listening to Yulster's account, Charlotte nodded slightly.

The Nais Clan Elder Council's judgment was not wrong. Before, her state truly was like 'having a realm but no power'.

No, or more precisely, the 'realm' belonged to the Blood Holy Scripture, and she herself could at best use the power of the Holy Scripture to achieve 'True Ancestor Liberation' for a few minutes, with a very brief climactic phase.

The Nais Clan was after all an experienced Transcendent Force with a solid foundation. If they had really had to confront each other before, even if a fully unleashed Charlotte could suppress them, once her limited climactic period ended, she would switch from offensive to defensive, and would be directly overwhelmed.

But things were different now.

Charlotte had already ignited Divine Fire, and her efficiency in wielding Divine Power had vastly improved compared to before. After merging with several Faceless Divine Statues, her body had undergone a transformation, and now she was indistinguishable from an incarnate God.

Even without the Blood Holy Scripture, she was now a Demigod.

Her capacity for sustained strength in bursts had greatly changed, and, in addition to the Bloodline Suppression unknown to the Nais Clan, if it truly came to confrontation, the Legendary Bloodline members of the Nais Clan would probably not be a match for her.

That was why Charlotte was not planning to give up her claim to the throne.

Because the balance of power had changed.

Of course, the Nais Clan was certainly unaware of this.

"Ca... Lord Castel, what... what do you plan to do then?"

Yulster asked cautiously.

Charlotte gathered her thoughts and said pensively:

"Tell the Nais Elder Council that I will personally go to the Falling Star Kingdom shortly to negotiate the succession of the Falling Star throne."

Although the envoy from the Luoxing Council had not yet arrived, Charlotte could roughly guess what terms they would propose; it was nothing more than some exchange of interests.

If the current authority of the Nais Clan was a second-generation Bloodline who had awakened and was also the Legion Commander of the Free City-State that she was familiar with, Badak, then perhaps... the course of events could be quite different.

Charlotte felt it necessary to personally make a trip to Falling Star.

"Soon? Lord Castel, may I ask for the specific time?"

Yulster inquired.

Charlotte glanced at him:

"The envoys from the Luoxing Council are already on their way; at least... after I've met with them."

After all, they were the local force that had supported her claim to the throne. It was necessary to meet with them before heading to Falling Star.

Even more so, Charlotte thought that perhaps returning to Falling Star with them might be the better option.

"Okay... alright, so I'll convey to the Council that you've decided to head to Falling Star soon to negotiate?"

Yulster asked.

Charlotte nodded slightly:

"That's fine."

Having received a definitive response from Charlotte, Yulster finally left her with peace of mind.

While he still wore an expression of concern and gloom, at least... he was no longer as frantic as before, clearly feeling more reassured.

And after Yulster's departure, Charlotte thought for a moment, and then contacted a certain unfortunate Legendary Bloodline through the Blood Servant Contract, directly issuing an 'Oracle' in their mind:

"Albrecht, come to North Port to see me within a week. Also, make a stop at the New Moon Royal Family library en route, and check the top of the tower to confirm if it has the following symbol."

As she finished speaking, Charlotte slightly stirred her Divine Power, materializing the Chinese characters for "been here" in the mind of the unlucky individual.

Somewhere in the Black Lands of Eastern Yonette.

Hearing the sudden voice in his mind while indulging in merriment with a few seductive Sub-human female mercenaries, Albrecht trembled faintly, spilling the beer in his cup all over the floor...

...

If Lilith is a 'Blood True Ancestor,' the survivors created by the Silver City who are Bloodline are second-generation Bloodline, whereas the third-generation Bloodline are the myths of the present-day Bloodline Clans. A first-generation Bloodline is considered a 'True Ancestor' in the Bloodline's understanding.