Chapter 167 17 North Port

Chapter 167 -17- Beigang

"Rumor? What rumor?"

Angus' words aroused Charlotte's interest.

"Your Majesty the Earl..."

Angus glanced at the priest Lottie and several former demon-hunting knights who were accompanying him in the motorcade, considered his words, and continued:

"Rumors say that you betrayed the family, betrayed Castel, and sold the interests of the Earl of Castel to the church in order to successfully inherit the title."

Charlotte:…

Damn it, what's this feeling of clearly wanting to refute but not knowing how to say it?

"Is it the vows I made to the church in Boulder last year?"

Charlotte asked.

Baron Angus thought for a while and said:

"It's somewhat related, but not entirely."

Charlotte is confused:

"How do you say that?"

Baron Angus replied respectfully:

"The promise you made in Boulder last year is well known in Castel. This matter has a great impact on the aristocratic circles, and many families are strongly opposed..."

"However, the high priest of Bold was later arrested and tried by the church's tribunal. Everyone knew that you made an empty promise with the high priest at that time, so no one gradually mentioned this matter."

"It's just that after you took the throne, this matter was brought up again."

"But this is not the fundamental reason. Maybe the nobles care about who the prince is, but for the vast majority of the people, I think they don't care whether the church or the nobles rule them. After all... many times The taxes in the ecclesiastical realm are even lower.”

Charlotte said.

After saying that, she looked at Baron Angus again:

"Not to mention, after I succeeded to the throne, I also hinted at the arrival of the envoys from the territory. That empty promise was just a delaying measure I made to balance the pressure from the Duke's Palace and other nobles."

"Here's the problem. To this day, the vast majority of nobles, including me, believe that you don't really want to dedicate Castelland to the church in the future, but you stand with the church on this matter. It’s a fact.”

Duke Angus said.

Charlotte's heart moved slightly:

"Oh? So, the nobles and people of Castel don't want to see me get too close to the church?"

Baron Angus nodded:

"Yes, you set out from Boulder with the priest appointed by the church. This matter was notified to the earldom by magic when you just set out on your journey."

"And recently, there has been a new statement that you do not really intend to commit Castel to the church in the future, but you want to bring Castel back under the faith of the church..."

"Many people are spreading the news that with your succession, the church will reintegrate the faith rule of the Castel Territory, re-collect tithes, and make up for all past owed taxes at once..."

Charlotte:…

She knew what the tithe was. It was similar to a certain church in the Western history of Blue Star in its previous life. It was a religious tax levied by the Holy Royal Court on residents.

The "Holy Code" clearly stipulates that paying tithes is the obligation of every resident under the faith of the Holy Royal Court, and the payment amount is one-tenth of the harvest of agricultural and animal husbandry products.

By the way, the Duchy of Bold has tithes.

Not only the Duchy of Boulder, but also any duchy or county that Charlotte passed through along the way.

Paying tithes has become a daily routine for the people in the world of Miriam. If placed in some theocratic territories, in addition to tithes, the people also have to pay land tax, transaction tax and other various taxes to the church...

The Holy Royal Court is not a charity, and the church's protection also depends on Quintana.

But that's not the point.

The key point is the other two meanings revealed by Baron Angus's words.

First, the beliefs of the Castel Territory are not completely unified.

Second, on this basis, it is very likely that the Holy Royal Court has not conducted substantial religious rule here for many years.

"Aren't the beliefs of the Castel Territory unified?"

Charlotte asked in surprise.

This matter has never been mentioned in the information of Castle Manor!

"Yes, our Castel Territory has been on the edge of the Holy Royal Court's religious rule since ancient times. When the first Earl of Castel opened up the territory, there were indeed many holy believers at that time. But as the Earl Territory With the continuous development of the country, more and more immigrants are immigrating from the interior and the north. Most of the immigrants from the interior are opponents of the church, while those from the north...are originally unbelievers and pagans. "

"To this day...the beliefs in the territory have long been quite confusing."

said Baron Angus.

Charlotte:…

No wonder the Holy Royal Court still supports her as lord even if she denies the promise she made last year. The real situation in Castel is actually full of heretics!

The "miracle" in her succession ceremony was so great that the name of the saint was almost confirmed. It was no wonder that such a lord was hostile to the locals.

"Holy Royal Court... How long has it been since the tithes were collected in Castells?"

Charlotte asked again.

Baron Angus scratched his head:

"I'm afraid...it must be more than a hundred years ago, right?"

Charlotte:…

Compared with the extraordinary protection of the church, tithes are neither important nor light.

But if the rumors say that it was all paid at once, then the tax amount for more than a hundred years... is a bit exaggerated.

However, Charlotte never said anything about the so-called tithe. She even just found out that Castel County had not paid taxes to the church for hundreds of years.

Obviously, someone was behind this rumor.

"This is a false statement. Today I first learned that the church's rule in Castel County has long been in name only."

Charlotte shook her head.

Baron Angus was obviously relieved and smiled:

"That's right, I also don't think you would do that."

Charlotte: ...

You must have thought I would do that when you looked so relieved, right?

I would do that, right? !

Although Baron Angus was a noble, he was an honest, serious and dull knight.

Even he couldn't grasp Charlotte's true thoughts, so it was normal for this rumor to spread throughout Castel.

To be honest, Charlotte didn't take the rumor about the tithe seriously.

This rumor about paying taxes for hundreds of years at once would be refuted if left alone.

Charlotte didn't even think about collecting taxes for the church again, after all, she wasn't a true believer of the Holy Spirit...

But she clearly felt the malice of the person who spread the rumor behind her.

And... things like the tithe, which directly affects the interests of the people, seem to be the most deadly thing, but in fact, it is not.

What's really deadly is the kind of remarks that use her position of leaning towards the church to set her against the people, the deeper meaning behind the tithe, and the words "re-incorporate Castel into the faith of the church."

Originally, Charlotte planned to act under the banner of the Holy Court.

But now, maybe she should reconsider her position.

However, from another perspective, the confusion of Castel's faith is also a good thing for Charlotte, which makes it easier for her to fish in troubled waters.

She doesn't really want to preach for the Holy Court, but to find a way to spread her own faith.

And on this basis, maybe Charlotte has to find out who is targeting her behind the scenes.

That is to say, she is not a true believer of the Holy Spirit. If she is really a "saint" with a devout faith, such remarks can really be regarded as hitting the snake at its weakest point.

As I said before, if you want to find out who your enemy is, you have to think about who will benefit after your defeat, or in other words, whose interests will be affected after you come to Castel.

Although there are archives in the manor, to be honest, the information from more than ten years ago does not have enough reference value in this regard, and Charlotte needs more information.

She has a hunch that this must be related to the nobles in the territory.

After all, it takes a certain amount of financial resources to make a rumor spread easily throughout Castel.

The convoy continued to move forward.

Although he could feel the indifference and even hostility of the people in the territory, fortunately, they only stopped at the level of cold-eyed observation, and no one surrounded the team.

Except for Baron Angus who was traveling with him, Charlotte did not encounter any new nobles along the way.

The urbanization level of Castel Territory is obviously higher than that of the Principality of Boulder or even the Principality of Moon Guard, especially after going north.

Towns of all sizes can be seen almost everywhere. In Charlotte's opinion, the population density even exceeds that of the two counties under the direct jurisdiction of the kingdom, and there are also many small nobles.

There are quite a few small nobles who come to visit along the way, but apart from inviting Charlotte to attend the banquet, they did not accompany her like Baron Angus.

Charlotte also clearly felt it.

Although she successfully inherited the title, she did lack authority and ruling power from top to bottom in Castel County, and was more like a bare man.

However, this situation has been significantly improved after entering the direct jurisdiction of the Earldom of Castel.

That's right, direct jurisdiction.

The Earldom of Castel also has direct jurisdiction.

In addition to the three viscounties and 17 baronies that were granted, Castel County still has one-fifth of the area directly governed by the Castel family, about 26,000 square kilometers, with a population of about 1.8 million, accounting for one-third of the entire earldom's population.

To be honest, this area is also very large. If it were placed in the Crescent Kingdom, it would be completely independent and a wealthy earldom.

This area can be further divided into two parts, which are located on the two obtuse sides of the obtuse triangle of Castel Territory, one on the left and one on the right.

The area on the left is directly north of Castel Territory, where the capital Beigang is located, and is also known as the Viscount Territory of Beigang.

Yes, Viscount Territory.

Strictly speaking, in addition to the Earl of Castel, Charlotte also has the title of Viscount of Beigang.

The Viscount Territory of Beigang has an area of ​​about 16,000 square kilometers, which is about the same size as the imperial capital of the Celestial Empire. It concentrates the most essential areas of the entire Castel Territory, with a population of more than 1.5 million, and is also Charlotte's destination.

The area on the right is the Castel Silver Mine Area on the border, which is about 10,000 square kilometers, mostly hills and low mountains, with a population of only 200,000.

Unlike the direct jurisdiction of the Principality of Bolde with baron vassals, and the direct jurisdiction of the Crescent Kingdom with earl vassals, the direct jurisdiction of Castel has no noble lords with the title of baron or above.

Here, the Castel family directly ruled the territory by the aldermen and the court nobles without fiefs. They only had administrative districts, no ownership of territories, and no military power.

Of course, they also have their own land, but at most they are just some manors.

The Viscount Territory of Beigang is obviously richer than other places in Castel Territory. The official roads in the wild are built like the city roads in the outer city of Boulder. The pedestrians are dressed more decently, and there are endless carriages on the road.

As soon as Charlotte entered the direct territory, she was warmly welcomed by the city officials who had been waiting for a long time.

It was really a warm welcome, which made Charlotte subconsciously think of the leaders' inspection in her previous life. Many officials from the territory came, and there were even a large number of people watching.

Not only that, there were even soldiers standing guard on both sides, well-equipped, and a large proportion of extraordinary people. It was obviously the armed force of Beigang.

Looking around, the team coming to greet Charlotte was probably about 300 to 400 people. If the people watching were included, there would be more people, and I am afraid the number would exceed 1,000.

It can only be said that not everyone believed the rumors, or that in Castel's direct jurisdiction, the people's trust in the Castel family may be higher than in non-direct jurisdictions.

And this is just at the entrance of the direct jurisdiction, not yet to the capital North Port.

The leader of the welcoming team is the mayor of North Port, Madoc Orlan, a municipal official from a civilian background.

Madoc is a middle-aged man who looks about fifty years old, with a lot of gray hair.

Compared to the mayor, he looks more like a businessman. He is chubby and always cheerful, like a Maitreya Buddha, which reminds Charlotte subconsciously of the fat butler of the Duke of Boulder's family.

As soon as he saw Charlotte, his eyes lit up, and he rushed over with a group of municipal officials and nobles, and said happily:

"Lord Charlotte, you are finally back. I haven't seen you for many years. You are getting more and more beautiful."

Well, another unknown acquaintance.

Not to mention that the memories Charlotte inherited were not very complete. Even if they were complete, the people the original body had seen in childhood would definitely have a vague memory after so many years.

Charlotte could only smile and nod.

"Lord Charlotte, you must be tired from the journey. The Earl's Mansion in North Port has been cleaned up and you can move in at any time!"

Madoc said with a smile.

Then, he took the reins of the carriage and drove the horse for Charlotte himself.

Surrounding Charlotte's carriage, the mighty team continued to rush north.

After walking for about half a day, Charlotte finally arrived at the final destination, the capital of the Earldom of Castel, the economic center and trade center of the northern lowlands, one of the megacities in the Crescent Kingdom with a population of more than 500,000, and the water city known as the pearl of the sea - North Port.

I was so scared that I almost missed it... Even the title was made up randomly