Warhammer Divine Throne-Chapter 655 - 289, Jialan Grand Assembly (Part 1)

The winds of Celestial Vault Castle howl, the massive city walls covered in snow, tall towers rising high.

Inside the castle halls, figures of Jialan Witches and female apprentices abound, adorned in fancy dresses and elaborate jewelry, moving through the corridors.

This morning, a grand assembly just commenced, and the female spellcasters voted to increase the deployment of witches to Nord Kingdom, Imperial Oster Territory, Hawk Territory, Brittania Glamorgan Earl's Domain, and Kislev Kingdom.

The infiltration of secular noble forces by the Jialan Council has been going on for a long time. In the Empire's prosperous south, it's the domain of the Imperial Royal Wizard Academy, where nobles prefer to hire wizards from the academy.

But things are different in the Empire's north.

In the northern part of the Empire, the Southern Sect's influence is much weaker. People prefer to chant the names of White Wolf War God Yurik and God of Nature Tal in battle, unlike the south where the name of Charlemagne is beloved. Similarly, the northern lords are more distrustful of Brunswick's royal wizards. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The opposition between the Northern and Southern Sects began during the Three Emperors Era. The Empire began fracturing from then on, with three emperors on its territory. Back then, the legitimate emperor was Emperor Talabein, but his poor military prowess left him without prestige. Thus, the Wolrich Prince-Elector of White Wolf City, encouraged by the White Wolf Church Pope "Great Yurik," proclaimed himself emperor, calling himself the "Wolf Emperor," and declared the Southern Sect heretical.

The Southern Sect was furious, choosing to support the Rick Territory's Prince-Elector Sigismund as emperor, dubbing him "Emperor Rick," and declared the Northern Sect heretical.

The Empire officially entered the "Three Emperors Era," an endless civil war engulfing the entire imperial territory, until the rise of vampires from the von Castain Clan in Hilvanian forced the three fractured emperors to choose an alliance to face the vampire threat.

Then, two hundred years passed, and the Chaos Army marched south. The Emperor Rick was killed in battle, Imperial Capital fell, and a rural noble from Nuer called upon all imperial people to unite. His stirring speeches and formidable might, coupled with devout belief, united the remaining imperial forces in territories held by the Southern Sect.

Savior Ludwig consolidated the strength of the Empire's Southern Sect before seeking support from White Wolf City in the north. However, the Wolf Emperor refused to ally with Ludwig, and the White Wolf Church Pope declared Ludwig a heretic.

Seeing this, Ludwig demanded entry into the White Wolf Divine Hall, seeking direct trial by the White Wolf Sacred Fire.

Pope "Great Yurik" could not refuse Ludwig's request, and everyone watched as Ludwig stepped into the sacred fire, laughing, expecting him to be consumed by the White Wolf Sacred Fire.

However, a miracle occurred. The White Wolf Sacred Fire avoided Ludwig. The rural noble from Nuer walked through the fire, emerging with the blessing of White Wolf Yurik himself.

The White Wolf Pope had to acknowledge Ludwig's authority, announcing him as one blessed by Yurik. The Wolf Emperor surreptitiously removed his crown, adopting the title of Prince-Elector and agreed to ally with Ludwig. The White Wolf Knight Order and the Empire's northern forces thereafter obeyed Ludwig's commands.

There's no doubt that the Jialan Council has significant influence in the Empire's north. Speaker Margarita and Savior Ludwig are lovers, and their sway is notably strong in Nord Kingdom and Kislev, where even Kislev's queen (self-proclaimed Tsar) Caroline is one of the Jialan Council's female elders. Hawk Territory Prince-Elector Edbrand Ruedenhoff and King of Nod Harald Frank also heed the words of the female courtiers from the Jialan Council.

And now, a brand new star among witches is rising. This witch, named Veronica Bernadotte, just turned thirty this year but achieved what many witches cannot in their lifetime. She recently announced her advancement to Legendary High-Tier, and possesses her own luxurious Wizard Tower.

It is clear that without the help of the Lake Fairy Chosen Champion, Count Glamorgan Lane Macado, Veronica would not have reached this point.

At least Teresa Trovik believes so.

The thirty-two-year-old female sorcerer also attended the Jialan Grand Assembly today. These gatherings always prefer a mid-winter opening because the freezing environment of Celestial Vault Castle, with its extreme altitude, can effectively suppress the volatile magical elements within the female spellcasters, allowing them to talk calmly.

Today Teresa wore a black down coat, paired with her favored wide-legged pants and knee-high boots. Her long black hair, glowing slightly, casually flung over her shoulder down to her waist, her crocodile-skin belt inlaid with rubies, and a pearl necklace, a New Year gift from Laine, adorned her chest.

A cold and beautiful face carrying a hint of distress, she looked at the little note in her hand, holding a quill with her white lace-gloved hand, somewhat undecided.

Should she choose to vote for Veronica, supporting her entrance into the Jialan Elder Council?

Personally, Teresa feels a strong aversion towards Veronica. If it weren't for her, she might have already resolved things with Laine. Since their first encounter, Veronica has repeatedly given Teresa a hard time, often deliberately stirring up trouble.