Chapter 517
“She was just confused, not really planning to give up her title.”
In the Dark Night Ancient Castle, Charlotte lifted the “surveillance” on Eleanor and muttered to herself.
It was her responsibility, after all. After the end of the Bold-Castel war, it was her intention to secretly control Bold through Count Gaston, but she had neglected the feelings of the rightful owner.
However, it now seemed not such a bad thing. Eleanor had pulled herself together and had become her believer under the influence of the werewolves. The Bold Duchy was almost in a position to become an extension of her influence in essence.
Of course, if she really wanted to achieve that, it would take time. Whether it was the further strengthening of Eleanor’s faith or her control over Bold, neither was something that could happen overnight.
But Charlotte saw a certain possibility.
A possibility to fully integrate Bold into her own territory.
However, Charlotte had no intention of revealing her true identity to Eleanor, not for now, at least.
The only ones who could know her identity were her core members.
In that case, Count Gaston was an exception. But considering his status as a Blood Servant, in a sense, he was also a “rightless” core member.
Exiting the Dark Night Ancient Castle, Charlotte returned to the real world.
After a moment of thought, she summoned Sebastian again.
“Oh great master, what do you require of Sebastian?”
The red-haired elf butler asked with a smile, elegant and respectful.
Charlotte gave him a look, her expression inscrutable:
“Sebastian, don’t you have anything to say to me about those believers of mine?”
Sebastian paused for a moment, falling into thought:
“Master, what do you specifically mean? The Blood Wolf Tribe of the Northern Land?”
Charlotte neither confirmed nor denied but asked directly:
“Eleanor has indeed become my believer, not only that, but her lead believer is Misha, and the way the sub-humans propagate the faith… Does it have anything to do with you?”
Hearing Charlotte’s words, Sebastian’s expression showed realization, and he smiled slightly, flattering like a lackey:
“Oh great master, you are so astute!”
“Sebastian initially intended to bring you a surprise, but it seems you’ve already noticed.”
Charlotte: …
Indeed, it was this guy’s doing.
She looked at him disapprovingly and then asked:
“How did you come up with this method?”
After some thought, Sebastian replied respectfully:
“Master, it is the mainstream method for gods to propagate faith at present. Since you also have plans to propagate in the future, I thought it was wise to make preparations. After all… Your ’Charlotte’ identity will eventually need to merge with the ’True Ancestor’.”
He scratched his head:
“However, our doctrines and tenets are somewhat troublesome. It seems that in the past, you did not actively propagate faith, so this area is completely barren. And the spontaneous faith of the Bloodline isn’t really suitable for widespread propagation…”
Exactly!
If she relied only on the texts, the Blood True Ancestor from history had merely raised Bloodline members as food sources, maintaining their extraordinary power without needing any believers.
And a god who preyed on descendants, what sort of faith would the believers shape? It was self-evident—it would surely be doctrine centered around intimidation.
Charlotte inwardly scorned.
Sebastian continued:
“Gods never actively promote their teachings. Most doctrines are created by believers based on their understanding of the gods. So… I’ve been thinking about how to refine the doctrines and tenets for you.”
“I’ve perused a great deal of the texts about your past, and I must admit, I think the faith shaped by your past believers was too biased and narrow-minded, completely different from the you that I know…”
“I think, on one hand, it could be malice from the Bloodline and the Holy Royal Court. On the other hand, it could be because your memories have not fully awakened. Besides, it might be related to the fact that you didn’t care about the faith of the believers.”
This was, indeed, an area where Charlotte lacked knowledge.
Although she had experiences of “crossing” through history, those experiences were still enigmatic to Charlotte, and she still couldn’t be certain if they were true or not, let alone what role she played in history.
She could only be sure that the tyrannical Blood True Ancestor described in those texts was definitely not her.
As for whether the history of the Blood True Ancestor had been smeared…
Perhaps the old Charlotte might have thought it possible, but now she didn’t believe so.
She still remembered how Yulster and Albrecht looked more afraid of her than mice of a cat, an expression not simply from being maligned, but of genuine, heartfelt fear and terror.
“Of course, each era has its own moral standards. Perhaps in that era, your way of doing things was indeed a bit rough due to the times…”
“But now, since you’re inclined to spread your faith in this era, then I think it should be shaped according to current needs, ultimately developing new doctrines that align with your path.”
“So… I think you can completely distance yourself from the past and create an entirely new faith for the great True Ancestor!”
“After all, couldn’t your previous slumber also be a kind of Nirvana?”
Sebastian spoke animatedly, clearly having thought deeply about this.
Upon hearing his words, Charlotte was also moved, sinking into thought.
Sebastian was right—if she wanted to spread the faith, she also needed doctrines that suited the times and herself.
She had not given this issue much thought before, mainly because the deep association with the “Blood True Ancestor” held her back.
But now, Sebastian had given her a new perspective.
Since the past was not suitable, she might as well start afresh and redesign everything.
This was quite reasonable.
After all, the “True Ancestor” had never placed much emphasis on faith historically, so it was normal for the “True Ancestor” to consider reshaping doctrines when preaching.
For Charlotte herself, this was also an opportunity, an opportunity to sever ties with the past “Blood True Ancestor.”
Her fate had been too deeply bound with the “True Ancestor,” intertwined to the point that now, from her body to her powers, she had almost completely assumed the form of the “True Ancestor.”
Such easily attained immense power was addictive, but it equally induced fear.
After all, who could know whether she was merely preparing a bride’s dress for the “True Ancestor”?
Therefore, Charlotte had to be cautious.
In that case, finding a way to forge her own mark, to sever ties with the historical “True Ancestor,” was truly meaningful.
Although in this world, gods do not need faith to maintain their existence, to return from their slumber, they require a directional external force.
When Charlotte changed the world’s impression of the “True Ancestor,” directing all targeted information toward herself, even if the real “True Ancestor” was someone else who intended to use her as a vessel for return, it would likely be impossible.
For she had been entirely supplanted by Charlotte.
With this in mind, Charlotte already had an idea. She nodded slightly and praised:
“Well said.”
“Now that you have this idea, go ahead with it, I indeed need a doctrine more suitable for preaching.”
Garnering Charlotte’s approval, Sebastian’s face flushed with excitement.
He took a deep breath and bowed respectfully to the young lady:
“Great master, rest assured, Sebastian will swiftly present to you a doctrine proposal that satisfies you!”
After speaking, he hesitated for a moment before adding:
“However… Master, Sebastian has a question and would like to take this opportunity to seek your guidance, as it relates to your faith.”
Charlotte nodded:
“Speak.”
Sebastian paused before asking:
“Master, how shall we establish the core of your doctrine?”
The core, huh…
Charlotte fell into thought.
A god’s doctrine cannot lack a core. The core of the Contract God Mitra’s doctrine is contract and justice, while the core of the Creator Divine Lord Haral’s doctrine is sanctity and gospel.
The core must be related to the essence of the god’s power, so that the god can establish a connection with the believers and benefit from their growth.
So… what should be the core of her doctrine?
Speaking from the identity of the Blood True Ancestor, naturally, the core would be Bloodline, but this was not enough.
For Charlotte, it was far from enough.
Bloodline elements could be one of the essential tenets of her faith, but it certainly could not be the only one, for she could not confine her believers to just the Bloodline descendants.
She needed a doctrine that was broader, more easily accepted, yet still maintained good directionality.
Charlotte’s thoughts churned, and a vague answer began to form. She pondered for a moment and said:
“Darkness, and… Order.”
“Darkness? Order?”
Sebastian’s mind stirred slightly.
Charlotte nodded slightly and said:
“Bloodlines are inherently creatures of the dark, darkness can be called a symbol of Bloodline, and, at the same time, darkness is the fundamental nature of Mireya’s transcendent world.”
“The Transcendent World is dark, cruel, oppressive, difficult to control, darkness is not evil, but represents the other side of light, the irrational aspect of the world, only by embracing darkness, understanding darkness, can one control darkness…”
“Bloodlines have a strict hierarchy, they also value order the most, order can also be one of the essential tenets of faith.”
“The world cannot do without order. By controlling darkness, one can bring a new order to the increasingly chaotic world, having order, one can constrain the transcendent, restrain the mighty, restrain the mundane, change the world…”
“Darkness and Order, huh…”
Sebastian pondered and then as if realizing something, nodded:
“I understand.”
After speaking, he bowed respectfully to Charlotte:
“Great master, I will take darkness and order as the core and promptly draft a suitable doctrine proposal!”
Looking at his earnest and eager expression, Charlotte nodded:
“Go ahead.”
Through her conversation with Sebastian, Charlotte had at last settled on the future direction of her faith efforts.
Next, it would be up to Sebastian’s implementation.
…
Before she knew it, another day had passed.
The time for the central conference to convene had finally arrived.