Gospel of Blood

The capital of Castell, Northport, is a city established near the sea, located near the estuary of the Doen River, the largest river in the Western Yunette region.

It is said that 800 years ago, this area was just a coastal swamp, uninhabited and surrounded by dense forests, teeming with magical beasts, and was once part of the Violet Forest.

Back then, the Violet Forest wasn't called the Violet Forest; it spanned the northern lowlands and was known as the Dark Forest. Many magical beasts frequently formed beast tides in the spring, attacking the southern human kingdoms' villages.

Later, to permanently solve the problem of northern beast tides, the King of the Crescent Kingdom implemented a policy of granting pioneering knights lands for development.

Anyone willing to head north and venture into the Dark Forest to establish settlements, regardless of being noble or commoner, could obtain the title of pioneering knight. All the land they developed belonged to them, with any rare resources discovered on the land being shared equally with the royal family. All pioneering knights who gained land could also receive corresponding hereditary noble titles.

The Castell County, the Violet Duchy, and even the Roman Duchy, now an enclave of the Falling Star Kingdom on the continent, were all developed in this way.

The origins of the Castell family date back to 700 years ago.

At that time, the prominent Borde family in the southern part of the kingdom had a magical genius named Castell.

At that time, the theory of four extraordinary ranks hadn't been proposed, and the ranks were not clearly defined, but... historical records suggest that the founder of the Castell family was likely a Legendary figure at his peak in middle age.

Being the posthumous son of the old duke, Castell did not inherit any fief or title. To obtain his own land, he chose to become a pioneering knight upon reaching adulthood. With the support of his elder brother, the Duke of Borde at the time, he organized a pioneering team of a thousand people.

The Castell County was developed by Castell leading his pioneering team.

With his formidable magical prowess, Castell slew countless magical beasts, carving out a territory in the Dark Forest. He chose to build a city on an island at a shallow sea beach along the Doen River, marking a large part of the Dark Forest as his domain.

There were four main reasons for building the city there.

First, the shallow sea served as a natural barrier against beast tide attacks.

Second, proximity to the Doen River allowed upstream travel, facilitating trade with the kingdom's interior and even the Yunette Empire and Coria Kingdom to the east.

Third, according to the pioneering knight treaty, noble fiefs were divided radiating from a central stronghold. A stronghold deep in the Dark Forest would secure a vast territory.

Fourth, Castell had pre-scouted the area, ensuring the chosen stronghold included the flattest and most fertile parts of the Dark Forest, which could be converted into arable land once cleared of magical beasts.

Thus, Northport City was built, becoming the northernmost city of the Crescent Kingdom, with the Castell family acquiring a vast 120,000 square kilometers of land. The Borde Duchy, already the largest duchy in the Crescent Kingdom, also benefited significantly, enjoying great prestige.

Many believed the Castell family was favored by the gods.

During the Great Expansion, when extraordinary power flourished in the human world, materials from magical beasts were highly sought after in all kingdoms.

Utilizing the rich resources of the Dark Forest, Castell’s Northport became a haven for adventurers and mercenaries. Merchants from all over Myria flocked there to trade with mercenaries and adventurers, purchasing precious magical materials and selling them worldwide.

In a sense, the Castell family’s wealth originated from commerce from the very beginning.

Over the next 200 years, the Castell family, using Northport as a base, gradually eradicated the magical beasts from their lands. Northport City continually expanded from a population of less than 2,000 to a burgeoning new city with tens of thousands of inhabitants.

Magical beasts gradually disappeared from the Castell County, and the once dense forests were completely cleared.

The residents of Castell began farming, and villages started to emerge.

However, because the land was no longer forested, the trade in magical beast materials gradually shifted away from the Castell County to the southern, Violet Duchy and the northern, Northern Tribal Alliance.

Logically, Castell County might have declined because of this.

But the gods’ favor came once again.

While clearing the hilly area in the eastern part of their territory, the Castell family unexpectedly discovered rich silver mines!

The then Count of Castell, also a mage, personally surveyed and found high-quality mithril in the mines…

Thus began the great silver mining era of the Castell County.

The mining of silver and mithril brought enormous wealth.

Not only did the Castell family benefit, but the Borde family and the Crescent royal family also reaped rewards.

Especially with mithril.

The extraction of mithril led to the emergence of the precious metals processing industry in Castell, which gradually developed into workshops for jewelry and extraordinary materials.

Merchants from all over the world flocked to Castell once again, this time in pursuit of the precious mithril.

As the mithril workshop industry grew, Castell County became the most famous mithril production site in all of Myria. This made it the most important trade hub for elves and humans who prized mithril.

From that moment, Castell’s commercial value became increasingly evident, positioned at the center of five powers: the Luna Island of the overseas elves, the Falling Star Kingdom across the Star-Moon Strait, the Crescent Kingdom on the Crescent Peninsula, the Blacklands Mercenary Alliance in Eastern Yunette, and the Northern Grand Duchy formed by the Northern Tribal Alliance.

The Castell family amassed immense wealth, becoming one of the richest families in the Crescent Kingdom.

As the capital of the Castell County, Northport underwent multiple expansions, transforming from a city built to fend off magical beasts into a mega-city with a population exceeding 500,000.

To this day.

Charlotte, upon seeing Northport for the first time, instinctively thought of two cities from her previous life on Earth.

One was Venice, renowned as the "City of Water" on the Apennine Peninsula, and the other was Amsterdam, the capital of the Dutch Republic, known as the "Sea Coachman" during the Age of Exploration.

Indeed, they were very similar.

Entering the city through the outer walls rebuilt during the Star-Moon Wars, one would find canals and waterways everywhere, with numerous bridges. While not as extreme as Venice, where waterways replace streets, Northport could certainly be described as "inhabited on water, water entering the city, people and water coexisting."

Northport’s prosperity surpassed even that of Borde City, the capital of the Borde Duchy, and Anro City, the capital of the Moonshield Duchy. One would hardly believe it was just the capital of a county.

The city was crisscrossed by canals, with spacious roads on either side. Merchant ships traversed the waters, while carriages moved ceaselessly on the roads.

It is said that every expansion of Northport was personally designed by the reigning Count of Castell, each time involving a grand mage in the renovation.

As an immigrant city, Northport’s architectural style was influenced by various regions of Myria, with Gothic architecture from the Crescent Kingdom being the most prevalent.

The Count’s residence, located in the center of Northport, was built on the foundation of the Castell Fortress constructed by the first Count of Castell, resembling a solemn manor-like castle palace.

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Due to the long-term absence of a resident lord, the mansion had few servants. Yet, as Charlotte alighted from her carriage, 200 stewards and maids lined up on either side to greet her respectfully.

Charlotte nodded slightly and, accompanied by her followers, entered the Count’s residence.

Standing beside her was Sebastian, dressed in a butler's tailcoat, elegantly and respectfully holding an umbrella for her. The black cat Nice followed behind, head held high, exuding an air of arrogance.

Upon entering the castle palace of the Count’s residence, Charlotte felt an intense sense of familiarity, as its decor was very similar to the Castell Mansion in Borde.

Clearly, the Castell Mansion was a scaled-down version of the Count’s residence.

The layout of the residence was also very similar. After passing through stairs and corridors, Charlotte easily found the Count’s master bedroom and study. The only significant difference in the nearly identical corridors was the portraits of the previous Counts hanging on the walls.

Charlotte even noticed a decorated blank space next to the last portrait, clearly reserved for a new portrait.

And it was likely intended for her.

In addition, from her time at the mansion, Charlotte knew that the Count’s residence had a secret chamber dedicated to the magical research of the Castell Counts.

Entering the master bedroom, Charlotte followed the records of the previous Counts, feeling along the walls until she found the mechanism. With a gentle infusion of magic, the wall rotated, revealing a passage to the secret chamber.

Charlotte walked down the passage, her expression turning somewhat peculiar.

This wasn’t just a simple secret chamber.

In fact, after passing through the passage, Charlotte discovered a hidden bedroom.

This room was just as luxuriously decorated, with an opulent bathroom and bath. She immediately realized its purpose—it was likely a place where previous Counts kept secret lovers or engaged in illicit affairs.

It might not have been her father, but certainly some ancestor, perhaps even used by multiple generations.

However, deeper inside was the real magical research chamber recorded in the archives, a circular room equipped with various intricate magical devices. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with books, serving as both a research lab and a study.

As a bloodborne mage, magical research wasn’t very useful to Charlotte, and she wasn’t inclined toward research. However, this space was perfect for honing her innate magical abilities or studying the powers of the Gospel of Blood.

After familiarizing herself with the residence, Charlotte was quite satisfied.

“Countess, the Mage Tower is ready for a mass transmission. You can notify all the nobles of your arrival in Northport whenever you wish. Do you want to order them to come for an audience as soon as possible?”

After a round of inspection, Charlotte returned to the main hall, where Northport’s mayor, Madoc, greeted her with a respectful smile and inquired.

“The Mage Tower? The one that broke down last year?”

Charlotte’s curiosity was piqued.

Madoc looked slightly embarrassed.

“Cough…yes, but that was an accident…”

“Our county has only one Mage Tower capable of long-distance transmissions. It was renovated the year before by elven craftsmen and is now the most advanced in Myria. It can transmit messages to all nobles in the territory at any time.”

“This is the highest level of elven magical craftsmanship, but it’s also somewhat unstable… Last year’s mishap was due to stormy weather disrupting the magic array.”

“At that time, the elven craftsmen had returned to Luna Island for the Lunar Festival, so it took two months to repair the transmission…”

Listening to Madoc, Charlotte gave him an unexpected look.

“You know magic too?”

Madoc scratched his head.

“To be honest, I dreamed of becoming a mage in my youth, but unfortunately, I lacked the talent to awaken a magic circuit. However, I’ve always been interested in magic and have learned a bit about it.”

Charlotte nodded in understanding.

“Countess, do you want to send the transmission?”

Madoc asked again.

“Do it. Inform them of my arrival and… I will host a banquet at the Count’s residence in a week. Invite the nobles from across the county. Until then, I want to tour the territory without interruption.”

Charlotte decided after some thought.

Meeting the nobles upon arriving at the county was necessary. Charlotte needed a banquet to assess the situation of the county’s nobles.

Madoc bowed respectfully.

“As you command. I will arrange it immediately.”

…

The news of the new Count’s arrival in Northport quickly spread throughout Castell County via the Mage Tower.

Meanwhile, in a dilapidated ancient castle near the Violet Duchy in Castell County.

Middle-aged knight Lahel looked at the bloodborne girl Agnes, who was trying on various maid outfits in front of a mirror, and hesitated.

“Miss, are you really going to attend her banquet?”

Agnes turned and glared at him.

“Of course! Why not?”

“The Book of the Dead is still in her possession! This is a great opportunity to infiltrate the Castell Count’s residence. I’m definitely going!”

…

Charlotte was unaware that the two bloodbornes who had previously attacked her had learned about her upcoming banquet.

With seven days left until the banquet, she had other plans.

Most importantly, she intended to visit the Castell Silver Mine to the east.

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