The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

On the stage of gray-collar workers, Keith is performing with all his might.

Although he put in a lot of effort, Keith actually had a very relaxed performance. It was just a natural performance with a little bit of exaggeration.

Keith, who already loved opera, quickly took on the role of the moneylender.

Meanwhile, another veteran actor, playing an old white man, clung to Keith's leg, pleading and begging Keith to extend the deadline, promising to repay the interest-laden debt.

But Keith forcibly pressed the old actor's hand down and made him put his fingerprint on the contract of servitude for the old white-haired daughter. The youngest daughter, played by Greya, thus became Keith's slave.

That's right, this play is adapted from The White-Haired Girl. Lin De changed some details to make the play more in line with the times.

The moneylender who caused the plague was very similar to the demons in the capital, while the exploitation of the people had some of the characteristics of nobles. Most of the people in the audience had encountered similar moneylenders.

The youngest daughter, played by Greya, and her father, Old White Head, are a microcosm of countless people.

As the story progressed into the latter half, Greya, with her gray hair and covered in sores, could only hide in a cave, while Keith was indulging in revelry. Even with soldiers helping to maintain order, a strong roar still erupted from the audience.

"Hit him! Hit him!"

"Avenge Old Bai!"

"Public trial! Hurry up and have a public trial!"

Keith, who was still performing on stage, was startled by the roars from the audience, but he still maintained his basic professionalism as an actor and even performed with more enthusiasm.

His lewd gaze and obscene smile enraged the audience, who wanted nothing more than to tear Keith apart on the spot.

Fortunately, the human wall formed by the soldiers blocked the angry crowd.

Although the tragedy was more unforgettable, Lind still preferred a happy ending, so he didn't change the ending much. In the end, the youngest daughter's childhood sweetheart joined the resistance, defeated the moneylender, the moneylender was put on trial, and the youngest daughter got a perfect ending.

After the performance, Keith quickly removed his makeup backstage. If he had just done a simple makeup like the other actors, he probably wouldn't have made it out of the backstage area before being blocked off the road.

"Miss Greya, it's such an honor. I've always admired your operas!"

Although they had performed together several times, this was the first time Keith had mustered the courage to speak to Greya.

"Thank you. You are also very talented. As long as you are willing to work hard, you will catch up with the professionals very soon."

Greya nodded, which was an acknowledgment of Keith's decision. This was not just a polite remark; Keith was indeed more suited to be an opera singer than a city garrison general.

The two exchanged a few words, and Greya even gave Keith some pointers on his singing style and pronunciation.

Keith, having struck up a conversation with his idol, put on a hat and scarf and left the backstage area with the staff, completely satisfied.

There's no way around it; the show is just too popular. If the actors playing the villains don't find a chance to leave alone, they might get rotten eggs thrown at them by irrational viewers.

Keith, mingling among the staff, looked at the crowd gathered around the theater and remarked that these gray-collar workers didn't seem to be at war at all.

In other territories, when war breaks out, you can hardly see any men. But in the Grey and White Territories, not only are there still huge crowds, but the governor even has the leisure to compose an opera.

Just then, the staff member who was seeing Keith out suddenly said, "By the way, the next performance will still be this show, but the venue won't be Gray Collar anymore."

"Oh, is that going to Stonegear County? Or somewhere else?"

Keith was a little excited. Was this considered a tour? And he was even performing an opera with the legendary Greya.

"No, it's in Black Iron City. Things have completely stabilized there."

The staff did not know Keith's true identity, so they told him very frankly.

"what?"

"What's wrong? Is it inconvenient to go because you know someone there? It's okay, trust my makeup skills. See, no one recognizes you now."

After saying that, the staff member gave Keith a thumbs up.

"No, there's nothing inconvenient about it. It's just that I came from Black Iron City, and I'm feeling a bit sentimental."

"Oh, I see. Then we'll need your help with the performance. We're not very familiar with Black Iron City."

The staff member left with a smile, but Keith couldn't smile. It wasn't that he was worried about being recognized by the nobles who were still in Black Iron City, but rather that Keith seemed to understand what the governor wanted to do.

This so-called "cultural troupe" is now almost entirely non-profit, with tickets completely free, and most of the audience will definitely be ordinary people.

What would happen to ordinary people after watching this play? And what would the nobles think after watching it?

Keith shuddered. No wonder this "cultural troupe" was an organization affiliated with the military.

The Sunday prayer days are very rich for gray-collar workers nowadays. After the performance by the cultural troupe, there is immediately a ceremony attended by the Governor and his wife.

Hearing that it was the inaugural ceremony of the Magic Train, Keith ate something quickly and then went to the ceremony site.

The governor's wife affectionately held the governor's arm, and the governor was also very casual. There was no sense of solemnity between the two of them. If it were in the past, some nobles might have secretly criticized them as wild monkeys from the frontier who had no manners. But now, they would basically only be praised for being approachable.

These nobles used to disdain them, but now they analyze them frame by frame.

No one dared to call Lena a disgrace to the nobility anymore. Instead, they praised her for being free-spirited and unconventional, like a gentle breeze or a babbling brook. Even squatting at the door with Linde, gnawing on a duck leg, was praised as grand and unrestrained, a true noblewoman.

When the nobles of Black Iron City heard about it, they all began to imitate the couple squatting at their gate eating roast duck.

Keith was the same way. Keith, who used to be so strict about even the socks worn by the girls at every ball, no longer paid so much attention to etiquette and rules.

This trend eventually intensified, threatening to lead to the collapse of social order and morality, forcing Linde to issue a proclamation to prevent these nobles from going too far.

Keith, who was carefully observing the governor's every move, did not notice the huge thing behind the governor that was covered by a curtain.

New gadgets for gray-collar workers are constantly emerging, and Keith's initial shock has gradually turned into numbness.

It wasn't until Lind's "just a few words" really was just a few words that Keith noticed the huge curtain and the railway tracks extending beneath it.

Keith wasn't a truly ignorant nobleman; he recognized the railroad tracks, which were usually found in mining areas, used by people or horses to pull mine carts.

Of course, it's usually people, since people are the cheapest.

I heard that this so-called train was designed by the governor's wife; it must be some kind of particularly labor-saving mining cart.

After all, the Governor's wife had designed many such mechanical devices since the beginning of the waterwheel, and the pulley system on the dock was basically designed by the Governor's wife.

Thinking of the various mechanical devices used by gray-collar workers, Keith lamented that the gap between the western North and other places was really widening. Sometimes Keith really wondered if this was another world.

Of course, it was just a suspicion. Even the awe-inspiring obelisk in Gray Collar could be interpreted by Keith as a special mage tower. But when the curtain was lifted, this monster, which was beyond Keith's comprehension, truly convinced him that Gray Collar was indeed a completely different world from other places.