The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

"Your Majesty, this is all the information that the old empire has unearthed."

After receiving the intelligence from his subordinate, Alberto stroked his chin and began to consider it carefully.

This is another intelligence line independent of Cassius, and it's a secret line controlled by the Anjou royal family that Alberto hasn't used for a long time.

It must be admitted that Cassius's remnants of the old empire were indeed very useful, and Alberto always regarded Cassius as a friend. However, while Alberto was Cassius's friend, he was also the King of Anjou.

Alberto did not doubt Cassius's loyalty, but even if Cassius was loyal, Alberto could not abandon what Cassius was promoting.

The latest research findings and enormous profits have masked the current contradictions in Anjou's development, but just because they are not visible does not mean that these contradictions have disappeared, just like the contradictions that Alberto is now seeing through the intelligence network.

Clearly, the intelligence provided by the Anjou royal family's undercover agents was highly targeted at Cassius, with extensive accusations that Cassius and those high-ranking nobles were colluding with the Church of the God of War.

Alberto set this intelligence aside.

Cassius did have his own agenda, but he was generally loyal, as evidenced by his research findings.

Alberto had studied Cassius’s so-called old imperial technology in detail, which seemed to involve human consciousness and the soul.

The researchers below had explained to Alberto that this technology used biological means to connect the souls of these warriors through the ocean of consciousness. Although they could not yet connect deep into the ocean of consciousness, they had already reached the level that was common in the old empire.

Although Alberto was not familiar with the specific technical details, he felt that there might be problems with simply connecting it to the ocean of human consciousness. Wouldn't it be better to create a separate alternative to the ocean of consciousness?

The fact that the old empire used this technology for so long without any problems suggests that it is feasible and harmless. However, the surgical procedure and the aftermath are extremely agonizing, mainly due to the mental anguish. Indeed, some people went insane because they couldn't bear the mental pressure, but they were only a minority.

Now Cassius has even established a good relationship with the Church of War. As long as it can improve the warriors' combat power, there are plenty of believers in the Church of War who are willing to sacrifice themselves.

Clearly, Cassius got along very well with the group of fanatics.

With the help of the Church of the God of War, Anjou's genetic warrior force has begun to take shape. Coupled with the old empire's professional education system, the first batch of specialized professionals has graduated under rapid education, and there will be a continuous stream of professionals afterward. Although these specialized professionals are still not as good as real professionals, they can quickly become powerful warriors after undergoing modification surgery.

Moreover, while the Avars were continuously sending wealth, they were also trying to cooperate deeply with Anjou. They also seemed very interested in the technology of the old empire. However, Alberto was very wary of these guests from another continent. Although Anjou was doing business with these guests and engaging in some cooperation, Alberto always kept his nobles under his control and would not allow the Avars to set foot in the truly core secrets.

What truly worries Alberto is the Church of War. After acquiring the genetic surgery method, the Church of War's willingness to fight is incredibly high. Although Alberto knows that the Avars and demons are stirring things up behind the scenes, the rapidly developing Anjou really needs a war to divert attention from its internal conflicts.

Anjou now commands high-level professionals, gene warriors, Avars, and dragons who are observing the situation from the shadows but still claim they will help. Alberto seems poised to unleash a storm against Capet at any moment, just like during the First Continental War.

Moreover, Alberto understood that even if he tried to avoid the war by various means, the governor of the neighboring country would eventually initiate the war. That governor disliked neither the demons nor the Avars.

But Alberto was still hesitant, because he keenly sensed something was wrong with the technology of the old empire.

Aside from occasionally inserting their own biases and going against Cassius, the data provided by the Anjou royal family's intelligence network was all accurate.

Among the members of the Church of War who have undergone genetic surgery, one in ten may become insane.

Cassius and the other high-ranking professionals claimed that this was because everyone's constitution was different and they might not be able to withstand gene surgery. Even during the old empire, gene surgery could fail, let alone now.

No one cared about those madmen; even the Church of the God of War despised them because they couldn't bear the gift of power.

But Alberto's intuition as a king told him that something was wrong.

This is one of the reasons why Alberto reactivated this long-dormant royal secret agent.

Putting aside the subjectively aggressive intelligence gathered by the undercover agents, Alberto listed out all the data they had collected.

Although some people who have undergone gene surgery may not be able to withstand the mental torment and become insane, the probability of insanity is the highest among the followers of the Church of the God of War.

Moreover, the symptoms of failed gene surgery in ordinary soldiers who do not believe in the God of War are not madness, or rather, they are not quite the same as madness. They are both mental problems. Ordinary soldiers are prone to becoming dull and occasionally talking nonsense, so they are easily categorized as "madness".

The madness of the followers of the Church of the God of War is more like a twisted mental breakdown after seeing something, and the deeper the faith and the higher the level of divine magic, the greater the probability of going mad.

However, those followers of the Church of the God of War with high levels of divine magic generally do not undergo gene surgery, so these data are not very obvious. Even the data in Alberto's hands can only show that there is this trend.

Alberto sighed deeply. Perhaps all of this was just his unfounded worry. After all, from Cassius to the Avars, and then to the nobles and the church, everyone wanted a war. They needed more land and more wealth. This situation where the privileged classes united to do something always gave Alberto the feeling that the situation was beyond his control.

"Bring the generals here for a meeting."

In the end, Alberto still gave the order.

When the Church of War learned that His Majesty the King intended to summon all the generals, a regional priest wore a twisted smile.

Finally, the war is about to begin.

The original doctrine of the Church of the God of War was actually to stop war with war and to protect the weak through battle. Like other churches, it did not have any special universal doctrines.

But at some point, the "survival of the fittest" cult rose within the Church of the God of War. Although the Pope at the time purged it once in the name of heresy, those heretics who believed in the survival of the fittest and that only the strong deserved everything quietly gained a foothold within the Church of the God of War.

After all, the God of War is the deity who bestows blessings, divine pronouncements, and even divine arts most directly among all gods, possessing pure power.

Therefore, heretical doctrines that believe in the survival of the fittest can easily begin to spread within the Church of the God of War.

Of course, the mainstream ideology within the church is still to stop war with war, and to use strength to protect the weak, which is somewhat similar to the doctrine of chivalry. However, recently, while praying to the God of War, this regional priest suddenly received an oracle from the God of War, which was completely different from the previous oracles issued by the God of War.

"War...more war, only war can bring our Lord down!"