CHAPTER 563: CHAPTER 528 THE GREAT PURGE

With Duke Collins’ cooperation, the subsequent handling of this matter naturally wouldn’t cause any waves.

However, the impact of this affair does not end there.

Regardless of the situation, the Collins family is one of the three major duke families. Even an illegitimate child is a significant figure beyond the reach of ordinary nobles.

After all, both the Duke himself and his legitimate heir are not individuals that ordinary nobles can easily contact, and there are many times when affairs inconvenient for the Duke to handle require someone else to manage.

In such instances, an illegitimate child without inheritance rights serves as the Duke’s spokesperson.

This is why even a dishonorable illegitimate child can obtain a noble title; oftentimes an illegitimate child needs a legitimate identity to appear in noble social circles.

Yet, the sudden handling of such a somewhat critical illegitimate child undoubtedly creates a significant impact within the noble community.

For the major nobles, it’s naturally important to quickly scrutinize their own family members and ensure none of them have committed similar errors.

Although the return of the Ancient Gods seems inevitable, aligning with the Evil God Sect for early investment might seem viable, but only if one survives until the Divine’s arrival and triumph over the Empire and Church.

Moreover, this assumes the Evil God Sect could indeed overcome the Empire and the Church.

If these nobles are unable to see the hope of victory for the Evil God Sect, why would they risk their livelihoods and lives for it?

Nobles may display various ostentations and vanities in other aspects, but when facing issues concerning the life and death of their family interests, they become remarkably pragmatic.

Only the scrutiny revealed numerous issues.

The original vassals and nobles of the Northern Territory were scarcely affected; only a small number among them were involved with the Evil God Sect, infiltrating some settlements.

For the Northern Territory, this isn’t a significant problem; sending a working group from the oversight department to perform cleansing resolves the issue.

However, the diverse issues arising within the nobles themselves make it difficult for everyone to maintain their composure.

As a long-standing issue, the Evil God Sect used to be rulers of the old world, naturally maintaining deep contacts and interactions with nobles.

Yet, with the Ancient Gods’ silence, the previous rulers were dethroned, severing ties between the nobles and them.

But this does not mean that the connection between nobles and the Evil God Sect was completely broken.

Many imperial nobles migrating to the Northern Territory retained connections with the Evil God Sect, some very tightly.

Some only occasionally attended gatherings related to the Evil God Sect, gatherings that often merely adopted its banner or were mimicry by some idle nobles.

Attending such gatherings naturally causes no harm, even the Church wouldn’t make a fuss about it, at most requiring participants to confess or make penance.

However, some relationships are far from simple, their connections with the Evil God Sect are much deeper and more intimate.

Some noble lineages can be traced back to the era when the Evil God Sect was still known as the Divine Church, hiding Ancient God blessings in their bloodlines, with some even considered "Divine Scions."

These families have extraordinarily close relations with the Evil God Sect, many could be regarded as members.

There are also instances of reckless children akin to the situation encountered by Duke Collins.

Facing such unsettling circumstances within the nobility, Perfikot could only order the oversight department to collaborate with the Church for purging.

Though she is personally reluctant to initiate such large-scale cleansing, confronting the nobles associated with the Evil God Sect, Perfikot simply could not utter words of forgiveness.

After all, those who merely fell for the Evil God Sect’s deceptions and succumbed temporarily could still be saved, but those whose bodies flowed with Ancient God blessings or were plainly Divine Scions had no hope of salvation.

They are often ideal vessels or sacrifices upon the Evil God’s arrival, at the very least are easily influenced and swayed due to various inherent reasons.

Even the most upright and noble individuals find it difficult to resist deep-seated temptations and allurements from the blood by the Evil God.

This is unrelated to the firmness of one’s beliefs or faith, as these bloodline allurements and temptations directly cause physiological distortion.

Just like Duke Collins’ illegitimate child, originally a dashing and handsome young man with the Duke’s protection and a bit of personal effort, he could be considered promising with a bright future.

But such a once-aspiring young man, after encountering the beliefs of the Evil God Sect, spiraled uncontrollably into degradation.

His body transformed into the octopus-legged monstrosity that Perfikot had previously witnessed.

It’s irreversible twisted corruption; physiological distortion incited psychological downfall, and his soul has unreachably been tainted.

This was only the variation from acquired contact with the beliefs of the Evil God Sect after receiving the so-called Evil God’s blessings.

Those naturally born with the Evil God’s blessing in their blood, or are directly Divine Scions, require no contact with the beliefs of the Evil God Sect; with the Evil God’s revival, they will be physiologically distorted.

Hence, the Church has historically performed extensive purging on those with Evil God’s blessings or lineage, but some slipped through the net.

Presently, the Empire has to replicate the Church’s actions, eliminating problem parts within the noble population.

Unquestionably, this sparked a violent storm in the Northern Territory; many believe Perfikot is quelling dissidents.

But these rumors have no impact on Perfikot, for she knows precisely what she’s doing; both the Royal Family and the noble community itself support her actions.

Thus, the newly established oversight department in the Northern Territory dispatched vast elite forces to commence a thorough purge among the nobles; momentarily, the Northern Territory’s prisons were overcrowded, with numerous nobles and their relatives, and associates incarcerated.

Those with minor issues could be released post-investigation, and those problematic had no imprisonment awaiting them; their choices were execution by beheading or hanging.

No pardons, no reductions, no exceptions, and no clemency beyond law.

With the Queen’s approval and support from the Noble Council, Perfikot mercilessly launched a slaughter.

Yet merely purging the nobles doesn’t equate to resolving the issue, as the Evil God Sect’s infiltration among the nobles runs so deep; imagining the situation within the civilian community is inevitable.