The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

To be honest, this was the first time Greya had ever performed in front of so many people.

After all, even the opera house in the capital has ticket and seating restrictions, but this temporary open-air stage does not.

Despite the large number of people, the scene was relatively orderly, as Greya saw soldiers in uniform maintaining order.

Unlike the hunched-over soldiers of other territories who rely solely on their armor and weapons to intimidate others, the soldiers here stand straight, heads held high, and chests puffed out. They are striking simply by standing among the crowd, not to mention their tall, robust, and imposing physiques.

Moreover, maintaining order is not achieved through intimidation; the residents here clearly have great respect for the soldiers, and no one would be foolish enough to provoke them.

To be honest, when Greya first saw these soldiers, she even suspected that the governor here, like the trend-conscious nobles in the capital, had started keeping male concubines.

However, seeing the mushy couple, Greya and her husband, in the first row, I knew that was probably impossible.

Before the opera even started, Lena was already sleepy. With drowsy eyes, she hugged Lind's arm and leaned on his shoulder, ready to fall asleep.

Linde beckoned for a servant to bring a cloak to cover himself and Lena, then rested his head on Lena's head in preparation for watching the performance.

This contrasts sharply with Tia, who sits elegantly to the side.

The two paid no attention to etiquette, acting more like newlyweds on their honeymoon. But recalling the rumors about the governor, perhaps true nobility doesn't follow etiquette, but rather defines it.

Most people in this territory were the same, unaware of any opera etiquette. When Greya appeared with her magical megaphone, the entire audience erupted in cheers and applause, creating a great commotion. Greya truly felt the enthusiasm of the crowd, a feeling completely different from performing in a theater.

The first opera performance ended quickly. There were no conspiracies or hints; everyone was simply enjoying the story. Of course, those standing in the back rows probably didn't know what was going on, but at times like this, the atmosphere was perfect.

After all, this is one of the few forms of entertainment available in the territory. In the past, let alone listening to opera, even going out for some exercise in winter was unthinkable.

Greya was touching up her makeup in the makeshift backstage area. Thanks to the soldiers' protection, no one dared to rush backstage.

Normally at this time, nobles would come to the backstage to request an audience or send flowers through various channels, but after Greya finished touching up her makeup, she knew that no one would come backstage this time. Unable to contain herself, Greya greeted the person in charge and then slipped out of the backstage rest area.

After asking the soldiers around, they found Lind and Lena gesturing to each other in a corner of the nearby park.

"If we use the current original sand magic container, it probably won't be able to move this thing."

Lena, holding a twig, and Lind squatted down on the sand to draw without any manners.

"Moreover, it's still too heavy, and the engine's power is insufficient, so it probably can't handle long-distance transport."

Linde nodded, "The current efficiency of converting magic into kinetic energy is still too low. We need to continue optimizing the algorithm. However, we can use magic obelisks in various locations for replenishment. That way, we might be able to connect the entire territory."

Looking at the simplified alien train on the ground, Linde felt that he was too greedy. He had just learned to walk and was already preparing to sprint. After all, the application of magic engines in his territory was still in the stage of "great strength makes bricks fly". However, Lena was overjoyed by Linde's idea and worked through the night to come up with several solutions.

The final result is feasible, but it needs to be recharged at the local obelisk in each location. It may have to wait until the Magic Engine with the next generation of algorithms is released before it can be truly passable and used by the public.

It wasn't until Greya was stopped by the guards that Lind noticed the big star was out for a walk during her break.

"Is there a problem?"

Linde's attitude remained as indifferent as before; Greya held less appeal for Linde than the simplified train he and Rena had drawn together on the ground.

Please, that's the first train in another world!

“Your Excellency, I would like to discuss the sores with you.”

The guard glanced at Lind, who nodded slightly, and then Greya was let in.

"I've heard there are more and more patients with sores in the capital, is that true?"

The three of them found a quiet corner and started chatting.

“That’s right, and most of them are children and young people, so Your Excellency, if you have any methods or effective medicines for treating sores, I would like to sell some to you.”

There's really no magic cure; it's just holy water with some herbs added to make the original appearance unrecognizable. The treatment process is just like the current aesthetic style of gray-collar workers: heavy blows and excessive dosage.

It's fine as long as it's within Lind's control, but if Greya takes it back to the capital, it will probably be exposed as holy water very quickly.

After thinking for a moment, Linde refused, saying, "I only protect my own people."

Before Greya could say anything more, Lind said directly, "There's still some time before the next performance, come with me."

Soon, Lind led Greya to a church, which was modeled after the Basilica of Our Lady of Salvation, but was currently only a miniature version.

"Your Majesty the Governor."

Flora came out to greet her and gave a humble bow.

"I already said there's no need for such formalities."

"This is necessary etiquette."

"Ok."

Linde sighed and said, "Call everyone over."

Greya was a little confused about what Lind was trying to do when she saw masked nuns slowly gathering in the hall, alongside many ordinary people whose faces were wrapped in bandages or who also wore masks.

When Linde made these people remove their masks, Greya finally understood. These people had familiar scars on their faces or other parts of their bodies. Although they had all healed, it was not hard to imagine the kind of torment these people had gone through, judging from the extent of the scars.

"This is?"

Greya looked at the young nuns and the bowed commoners with a mixture of shock and heartache. Only then did she remember hearing this name somewhere before.

The Scarlet Saintess of the North.

Although Flora had been thoroughly criticized in the capital and no one cared about the whereabouts of this former quasi-saintess, she was still a well-known figure. Greya could vaguely superimpose Flora's current scarred face with the portraits that had appeared in the newspapers.

Linde casually recounted what had happened at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation, then said nonchalantly, "Think back, didn't the sores only start appearing after the demons entered the capital?"

In an instant, several details in Greya's mind seemed to come together.

"vomit!"

Listening to Flora's description of her symptoms at the time, and recalling that she had once sponsored the demons, Greya couldn't help but gag.

Greya's performance was not good in the following shows, although the audience below remained very enthusiastic.

Sometimes people are like that; once they've made up their minds about something, many details will unconsciously match up. Greya is now even completely certain that the demons spread the sores in the capital, and that they even used demon children as carriers to try and infect her.

Fortunately, the spread of this sore was unstable, and Greya still feels lingering fear whenever she thinks about it.

The next day, Linde returned to the mansion, intending to have lunch and discuss the current applications of trains in mining with Lena, only to find Greya at his dining table, engaged in a heated discussion with Tia.

"Hasn't the Nightingale Opera House already left?"

Lind frowned, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

"Didn't you request that two teachers capable of teaching opera be left behind?"

"I don't recall your name being one of these two teachers."

"That's right, but the evil governor coveted Nightingale's sweet voice and used that as a reason to detain Miss Nightingale."

Greya gracefully raised her knife and fork and looked at Lind.

At least in the short term, Greya has no intention of returning to the capital.