Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 339 Does noble blood equate to nobility?

"The Papacy?" The prince was taken aback. "Don't they... never interfere in secular affairs?"

Of the four major churches, the Candlelight Church has the best relationship with the local lord.

These people seemed to have no interest in worldly affairs and did not interfere at all, regardless of whether the lord was wise or tyrannical.

Their believers were taxed by their lords, and they didn't care; their believers were slaughtered, and the Vatican didn't care either.

As long as the army doesn't storm the church, even if they commit blasphemous acts at the church entrance, the Candlelight Fathers will remain indifferent.

The members of the Candlelight Church wouldn't rebel, they sell holy water in the church, and they can help resolve supernatural anomalies in the territory. What lord would dislike such an existence?

“In your heart, the Church just quietly does its own thing, right?” Isabella said softly. “But there is one situation that would allow the Vatican to intervene in secular affairs.”

She slowly raised her eyes, her gaze falling on the decorative shelf on the wall, where an exquisite gun was displayed.

Bolt-action rifle, a gift from Castells to Bloodharbor.

"Any technological improvement or advancement will be directly targeted and eliminated by the Vatican, without trial or explanation. This is a taboo of the Church."

“The church does not ignore the secular world; rather, it confines the secular world to its own boundaries. They are like farmers who raise livestock, letting the livestock fight within the fence. As long as you do not try to step out, they will not pay any attention.”

“We are just livestock raised by the church.”

Isabella's tone turned colder.

“Did you know that there was a young man in Galahad’s factory who single-handedly improved the entire steam engine, increasing transmission efficiency by more than 30%, without triggering cognitive interference?”

"Given time, he may very well become the next great sage, Bruno."

“I had people observe him for a long time, and even emptied the nearby factories to prevent cognitive interference from happening, but later the church found out about it.”

"That Jules from the Joan family killed all the knights stationed there and entered the factory, killing him right there in the factory."

"At that time, I looked at his corpse and secretly vowed that I would definitely free the empire from the prison of the Papacy."

“I have signed countless investiture orders, sending border counts to the four borders of the empire, where there is no Papacy, but there is still hope.”

"But it's too late. The empire is built on the foundation of the Papacy and the nobility. Without either one, it will completely tilt towards the other."

"I've killed far too many nobles."

"The Vatican is already preparing to get rid of me."

"But who am I! They can kill me!?"

"Those worms in the gutter thought they had the victory in their grasp after infiltrating the palace, but little did they know they had given me an opportunity, a chance to start over. This time, I will tear everything down and start afresh!"

Isabella looked up at the sky and suddenly smiled.

"So I came to Bloodharbor, where there is no Papacy, and now there are no nobles either."

The prince was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

He had thought his forbearance and assassination were a successful plan, but now he realized that he was just a small pawn on the chessboard.

All his actions were manipulated; whether it was revenge or assassination, it was all part of someone else's plan.

The silent confrontation took place underwater; what appeared to be just the tip of the iceberg on the surface was perceived by him as the whole picture. After a long silence, he finally spoke in a low voice: "So that's how it is... So that's how it is. But you didn't have to be so ruthless. Simply expelling those nobles from the territory would have been enough."

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Isabella's face flashed with anger, but she quickly calmed down. "Do you know that the food in my warehouse is enough to feed the people of Bloodharbor, even the poorest of the poor, so they won't starve to death."

"But you haven't opened the granaries to distribute grain." The prince was about to accuse him, but his tone softened halfway through. "You must have some unspeakable reason, right?"

"Ha, you're smart. Do you know the most efficient way to put the grain down?"

"what?"

Isabella pulled her legs off the table, stood up, and walked to the window.

She pointed to the scorched earth and ruins outside the window: "That's it!"

".What's the meaning?"

"No matter how I distribute the grain, most of it will end up in the pockets of the nobles. The cultists massacred the upper city, but only a hundred or two people died. If I open the granaries and distribute the grain, more than a thousand or two will starve to death!"

Her face was filled with hostility and rage: "These vampires, parasites, filthy maggots, shit-eating horse mackerel, they'll devour every Leo, regardless of the death of others. Their stupidity deserves only one end—"

"die!"

She angrily spat outside before sitting back down in her chair.

The prince seemed to be intimidated by her aura, and it took him a long time to speak.

"But they are all nobles; how can nobles be compared to commoners?"

Isabella raised her head and pointed her thumb at herself: "I am the Empress of the Empire. Everyone is my subject, regardless of rank. They think they are nobles? To me, they are no different from Tommy who has three heads."

"No, they're not even as good as Tommy. Tommy only eats one portion of grain, while those nobles only know how to make grain expensive."

"Who gave them the right to trample on my subjects?"

The prince was completely bewildered. Nobles and commoners were no different? This was the first time he had ever heard such a thing, yet it was said by the most esteemed empress of the empire.

He was willing to treat commoners kindly, but that was only out of his innate kindness; in his heart, nobles were ultimately superior to commoners.

But if we say excellent
The scorched earth outside the window is still there. Are the nobles distributing food really less fair than a group of cultists?
The prince had so much to say, but he couldn't utter a single word. He had always upheld his beliefs in justice and righteousness, but at this moment he suddenly realized that his so-called justice was even more shallow than that of the tyrant before him.

"Is there anything else you want to ask, little prince?" Isabella's tone became languid again.

"Also, I want to know why you didn't kill me. Just now you asked Yu'an what value he had, but I can't think of any value I have."

"Of course you are valuable; you are almost the most valuable person in the empire."

"Huh?" The prince was taken aback, somewhat confused. "Is it because I assassinated you to complete my revenge?"

"of course not."

"That"

"It's because you know who I am. I was born to stand in the center of the stage, and of course, I need an audience. Your greatest value is sitting in the audience and witnessing me go from one victory to another."

Isabella said arrogantly, "Remember to applaud and cheer for me."

(End of this chapter)