OBS Chapter 216 New Developments at the Vatican
Chapter 216 New Developments at the Vatican
Summer June 31th.
[Magnificent Building] Loading progress 70%.
a few days later.
The fine weather made the flowerbeds in the inner city bloom even more brilliantly, and the magic tree in the central square also sprouted new branches.
The main hall of the lord's mansion.
Richard sat on the lord's throne, while five Shadow Blades dressed in black stood in the center of the hall.
"Listen up." Richard's gaze swept over the five men, led by Kevin. "Personal safety should always come first. Gathering intelligence is the next thing to do."
"If you encounter a life-threatening emergency, do not hesitate, immediately abandon the mission and return to Chiffon, understand?"
"Yes, sir!" The five men straightened their chests and roared, their voices echoing throughout the hall.
Richard nodded in satisfaction.
Previously, intelligence was entirely relayed by Oscar, resulting in outdated and inefficient information with limited reach.
He plans to send some people out to other territories to build his own intelligence network.
Especially the capital city, which is the heart of the empire, yet he doesn't even know what's going on there. Is that reasonable?
Not only are there power struggles among various factions, but also all sorts of major empire events are brewing there, so we must take a good look into it.
Furthermore, as a Grand Duchy, Frostfoil Territory is the most core power in the North, and we should try to know as much as possible about the situation there.
Of course, building an intelligence network is not so easy. In unfamiliar territory, without connections and networks, it's no different from being blind.
In taverns and inns, places where all sorts of people mingle, you can at most find out some low-class gossip about slave-catching teams, bandit raids, and the movements of displaced people.
The core intelligence that truly concerns the aristocratic circles and power struggles can only be obtained through gradual infiltration and cultivation.
Just like the Ferret Trading Company, which trades with various territories, it can obtain information that the common people cannot access.
Richard believed that the safest approach was to use gold coins to corrupt the servants, cooks, and grooms in the castle, or to win over junior officers in the reserves.
If money doesn't work, there's still food to sustain life!
He had previously given away a few extra bottles of Venus honey, which made Frost Rose very distressed. This shows how much these things could hurt the lower-level servants.
To put it bluntly, his methods are essentially no different from the way the Holy See corrupts the extravagant nobility.
Who cares, as long as it works!
...
Just as Richard was pondering, Kevin suddenly raised his hand, a hint of confusion on his lean face.
"You just said that in addition to important military intelligence, we should also pay attention to interesting intelligence. Does 'interesting' mean figuring out the preferences of those noble gentlemen? What kind of wine do they like? What kind of pets do they keep? Or..." He made a "you know what I mean" expression.
Richard smiled.
Following conventional thinking, Kevin's idea is sound; knowing the preferences of certain nobles will allow him to interact with them more effectively in the future.
but...
"I don't have the time to figure out what they like to do. By interesting information, I mean things that make me happy, even interesting things that happen in the countryside."
At this point, he became interested, leaned forward slightly, and laughed:
"Of course, gossip about romantic affairs within aristocratic circles, such as a noblewoman having an affair with a knight and causing her husband to draw his sword in a duel, is also acceptable."
Without the internet and a variety of entertainment, life would be far too monotonous, filled with dealing with territorial affairs and contemplating development strategies.
So this intelligence network could also produce a simple entertainment gossip weekly, passing the time with interesting stories from all over the world, which could be considered as finding joy in hardship.
These words eased the previously solemn atmosphere in the hall considerably, and Kevin and the others couldn't help but grin, their tense expressions relaxing.
They had assumed the "interesting information" the lord spoke of was some kind of secret mission, but it turned out to be nothing more than mundane gossip.
...
"alright.
Richard suppressed his smile and regained his lordly composure. "I will have Im transfer a portion of the previously allocated legion logistics funds to you."
"Take this money and hire people you trust. Let them handle the public appearances if necessary. You must keep yourselves hidden."
"Remember, it still comes down to your own safety. If you really can't escape, then you should silence them."
"Kevin, you will be the head of the intelligence group and be in charge of intelligence in the capital. The other four will be stationed in Frostfolk and various territories, and will send back intelligence at least once a week."
"Yes, sir!"
...
Once everyone left, the hall fell silent, with only the faint chirping of birds and barking of dogs coming from outside the window.
Richard picked up the parchment briefing from the table and leaned back lazily on the bench.
This was sent by Lucy, and it contained the latest developments of the Holy See, which was one of the reasons why he planned to build an intelligence network.
First, there's Charles. That guy should have returned to the headquarters of the Holy See, but instead of being rewarded, he was met with a public verdict from the Holy See headquarters.
The Vatican declared that Charles had betrayed the faith of Light, had lost all divine power, stripped him of his position as High Priest, and ordered the Inquisition of Light to designate him as a heretic and issue a nationwide warrant for his arrest.
Richard found it utterly absurd.
While it's true that priests lose their divine power after losing their faith, who was that old charcoal man? He spread light and medicine alone in a barren land, and his piety was beyond question.
As a result, he did his best to save a large number of priests, but lost his faith after returning home.
Gee!
...
The second message.
The Holy See publicly announced that the northern border of the Star Empire had been invaded by followers of the Styx God, who had defiled the light.
The atrocities committed by cultists include the ambush on the Northern Army Group in the Cape region that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of priests and a high priest.
The Vatican also hypocritically expressed its gratitude to Wolves and Frost for purging cultists within its borders and avenging the death of the priest of light.
Although it was the second time Richard had seen the briefing, he still found it both funny and absurd.
They were clearly tricked by the Empire, but they insisted that it was done by cultists. This operation is so shameless that it's refreshingly unconventional!
...
Influenced by the Blue Star, Richard certainly doesn't have a good impression of religion at heart, but he doesn't condemn everyone in one fell swoop.
Back on Earth, he had encountered true ascetic monks who lived with extremely pure faith and lived in abject poverty.
They firmly believe that the suffering in the world is limited, and that if they endure more, all other beings will endure less.
Ironically, some temples even charge an entrance fee...
The Holy See of Light on the Star Continent is even worse, capable of driving a devout high priest of the Saintly Glory level to the point of losing his faith; one can only imagine the filth within.
This further proves that there is no such thing as a Goddess of Light in this world, at least Richard definitely doesn't believe it.
The third message.
The briefing clearly states that the headquarters of the Holy See of Light has secretly withdrawn from the Star Capital.
By the time others realized it, the magnificent church that had stood in the heart of the capital for hundreds of years was already deserted, leaving only an empty building...
This news is quite interesting.
The imperial family has always been wary of the Holy See and has been sending spies to monitor the headquarters of the Holy See for many years.
But now the main force of the Papacy has quietly withdrawn right under the nose of the royal family, which shows that its hidden strength and plans are far deeper than anyone expected.
However, Li realized that all their fussing was simply a way for them to accumulate strength somewhere and prepare for a major attack, ultimately leading to war with the three great empires.
The royal family has not yet made a statement on this matter.
...
Who cares...
Richard casually tossed the briefing back onto the table, got up, and left the lord's manor.
As long as there's no fighting this year...