Lucien, the vice-chief judge, pondered repeatedly, torn and conflicted.
It was impossible for him to go in person unless he went with the army. Otherwise, he would never be able to go. The key issue was that sneaking in was useless!
With the target’s personality, once the surgery was done, he could turn around and head to Nevis. He might already be halfway there—
Intercepting him halfway? Sorry, the council’s intelligence network isn’t precise enough for that.
And attempting to assassinate a disciple of a legend, a sixth-level mage with his own mage tower in Nevis, and still hope to escape unscathed?!
Not to ntion, with his level, the mont he set foot in Nevis, the grand magic array atop Igor Peak would probably raise the alarm.
How to kill this guy? Who could he send? Or, if he used his own savings, what kind of assassin could he hire?
—Ah, if only the Radiant Holy City could organize a counterattack force to sweep across majestically!
At the Radiant Holy City, the three giants of the church—the newly appointed Pope, the Grand Inquisitor, and the Holy Knight Commander—were also troubled by this issue.
These nobles, when there were benefits, ran swiftly, but when asked to contribute, they all hesitated and made excuses!
Do they still want treatnt?
Do they still want divine power?
Especially so lords with ancient bloodlines or those in border regions, whose family bloodlines inherently had spell-like powers.
"How many of the nobles summoned have arrived?" The Pope, leaning on the armrest of a purple cedar chair, asked in a low voice, almost to himself, with his eyes half-closed:
"Did the heads of the families co in person, did they send their heirs, or did they send unrelated persons?"
"The seven electors of the Rhine Kingdom, including Joseph I, have all sent representatives," a young priest in a white robe quickly bent over and replied softly:
"The three church electors, Archbishop Coranna, Archbishop Trier, and Archbishop Martin, have all arrived in person..."
"They would co for sure." The Pope snorted lightly, interrupting impatiently:
"Get to the point."
"Yes. —Of the four secular electors, Joseph I ca in person. The King of Poi sent a nephew, the Duke of Saxony and the Earl of Askan claid heavy border pressure and only sent secretaries..."
"Heavy pressure?! All combat forces from the Barbarians and the Black Forest side are concentrated at sea! And they say the pressure is heavy? Do they not want their share of holy water this year?!"
The young bishop quickly bowed his head, not daring to speak. The so-called seven electors were the seven noble families entitled to elect the king of the Rhine Kingdom according to ancient covenants—
In theory, the king elected by the seven electors could not be interfered with by even the Pope. These seven great noble families, especially the four secular lords, were incredibly powerful.
Of course, among the seven electors, the three church electors were theoretically appointed by the Pope; the Radiant Church used this to balance the king, a long-standing tactic. Moreover, the king had to pilgrimage to the Radiant Holy City and be crowned by the Pope before he could call himself emperor.
Although not having the "emperor" title wouldn’t change much, who wouldn’t want such a prestigious title?
However, the secular electors were not without power. Any one of the four secular electors had more population in their territories than the three church electors combined.
Though these lords were in border areas with economically challenging territories, if they didn’t want to give the church face, the church couldn’t always force them...
The heads not coming in person or sending heirs already showed their attitude: They were willing to show respect and contribute so troops, but to exert full effort? No way.
The Pope snorted coldly. The golden lion of the Saxon family only had a daughter, who absolutely needed healers by her side for marriage and childbirth;
As for the border count "White Wolf" William, a 15th-level Heaven Knight, almost 100 years old, if he wanted to extend his life, relying on his family’s spellcasters wouldn’t be enough!
They would co begging the church!
The new Pope did not explode, just silently noted this in his mind. He then asked:
"What about the Carolingian Kingdom?"
"The king is young and didn’t make the long journey. The queen mother ca in person and is contacting several nobles of the Rhine Kingdom, seemingly to choose a queen for her son."
The young bishop answered fluently:
"Among the twelve great nobles, the Duke of the Netherlands, the Duke of Arden, and the Grand Duchess Alva only sent officers. The Duke of Upper Lorraine, the Duke of Lower Lorraine, the Earl of Anjou, and the Earl of Promy sent heirs, the Duke of Rollo and the Duke of disena ca in person..."
The voice grew quieter. On the purple cedar throne, the Pope’s eyes were slightly closed, his breathing light, seemingly asleep.
These nobles, upon visiting the Radiant Holy City, naturally wouldn’t just kneel in the church, do their prayers, and then shut themselves in. In fact, before the Pope summoned them, there would be nurous banquets, parties, balls, and even private etings:
"How many troops, how many ships can the Kingdom of Poi contribute to the crusade?"
"This year is particularly tough," said Earl Renner, the nephew of the King of Poi, spreading his hands with a bitter smile:
"The eastern heretical state is attacking fiercely for so unknown reason. Half of the kingdom’s army is already engaged, and they are asking for church support!"
"How many n can the Earl of Anjou contribute?"
"Three 500-ton ships, fifteen hundred n, no problem! Including at least fifty knights!"
"What’s with the Duke of the Netherlands only willing to send five ships? Aren’t you known as the carters of the sea? What use are just a few ships?"
"Ah... bad luck recently, lost two long-distance fleets, and the new ships aren’t launched yet. Besides, the last great war cost us two second-tier ships, still not replaced. You know, building those big ships isn’t easy..."
"When can they be replaced?"
"Next year, at least next year..."
The cardinals, authorized by the Pope, visited each noble, asking individually. After a round of visits, the data collected was very disheartening:
Compared to five years ago, during the war to support the king of the Kent Kingdom, this ti the assembled fleet was only two-thirds of the previous.
—Plus the recently lost church fleet, the power that could be mobilized looked very poor.
anwhile, the nobles gathered in the Radiant Holy City were privately toasting and networking. In the dark rooms, such conversations were not uncommon:
"Did you get that pain-relieving seal?"
"No, I only got the scroll... it is indeed quite useful..."
"Treatnt? There aren’t many priests, each with their noses in the air, needing extra gifts. In my opinion, that thing called ’penicillin’ is still the most effective..."
"Have you tried the steam engine? Don’t ntion it, it’s great for hauling ore from the mines..."
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