The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Lena was very busy because this was the first time the tank had been used in actual combat, and all the data had been sent to her. Lena also needed to make improvements based on the problems that had arisen with the tank.

However, Linde was quite relaxed about it. To be honest, he was already very satisfied with the results in the first actual combat. As for not being able to cross those wide trenches, it was not a problem with Lena's design, nor was it a problem that could be solved now. The original purpose of tanks was not to rush in and fight the enemy hand-to-hand, or to chase and kill the enemy.

However, Lena still devoted herself entirely to her work, and under these circumstances, the noblewomen of the capital could not get an appointment with her at all.

These nobles abandoned their plan to use Lena as a starting point and instead began to curry favor with her, but the single-minded Lena failed to realize their overtures.

Fortunately, Lena finally realized that it wouldn't be good if she, now the Prime Minister's wife, didn't know any of the nobles in the capital. Lena's social circle in the capital was already very narrow. Although many people knew Lena, few were willing to befriend her. Now it was time to get to know them properly.

The main reason is that more and more nobles are bowing to Lena these days, but Lena doesn't recognize any of them, which is really embarrassing. Moreover, she finally returned to the capital, and Linde has become the highest-ranking official in Lena's imagination, so Lena wants to show off a little.

So, at Lena's suggestion, Lind finally met with these nobles at the ball.

If it weren't for Lena's suggestion, Linde actually didn't like participating in these aristocratic social activities. Unlike the aristocrats of this era who liked to discuss everything at balls, Linde always adhered to a business-like approach, explaining things in the submitted documents and reports. This was also the model that gray and white-collar workers had always followed.

These nobles were clearly aware of this as well. At the ball, they didn't feel relaxed at all; instead, they felt more like they were at work. Their original plan to subtly probe Linde's attitude didn't happen at all. By the time the nobles came to their senses, not only had they failed to find out anything, but they were also assigned a bunch of thankless tasks.

Linde's place was like a large-scale job interview. These nobles came up to Linde and chatted about their family backgrounds and their abilities. Linde then assigned jobs based on the nobles' behavior and conversation. Every now and then, he would pull out a file on each noble from the shadows. Linde's meaning was clear: this was a kind of assessment. If you did well, you would be hired; if you didn't, you should find another way out as soon as possible.

Well, at least you have a job, right? It's better than being completely stripped of power and becoming a mere figurehead. And it's not like we haven't gotten any attitude at all. Linde's meaning is very clear: if you want to get close to him, you can do something practical and produce some results first.

There's no other way but to obediently go and roll it up.

On Lena's side, the ladies were much more relaxed. Lena, on the other hand, had an attitude of "not returning home in luxury, as if wearing fine clothes at night," and immediately exuded an aura of "come and praise me."

After a frantic series of tests, hints, and scheming, the noblewomen concluded that Lena hadn't improved at all since she left the capital. All her emotions were written on her face; she had no political acumen whatsoever, not even a shrewd mind.

Lena didn't understand a single hint from the ladies.

Given the obvious skill gap, Lena quickly became ecstatic from the praise, especially as acquaintances from her time in the capital kept trying to get close to her.

In the past, these ladies would have secretly mocked Lena's foolishness, but now, they only dare to say that Lena has a kind of innocent beauty.

Just when these noblewomen thought they could easily control Lena, their arduous journey of self-cultivation was about to begin.

As the ball progressed into its second half, Lena began to yawn wearily, which would have been utterly impolite for a lady of high birth, but clearly, in this setting, Lena was the epitome of etiquette.

As soon as Lena showed a hint of fatigue, Lind looked at her as if he had a telepathic connection.

The ball was only able to be held because of Lena; she simply wanted to show off a little in front of the nobles in the capital. If Lena showed signs of fatigue, the ball would probably end early.

Seeing Linde's reaction, the nobles immediately became anxious.

Even though Linde acted like a cold machine at the ball, only discussing the people's livelihood and work matters of the capital with these nobles, the opportunity to become familiar with Linde was extremely precious to these nobles, so they absolutely could not let Lena feel bored, absolutely not.

Especially those nobles who were initially not qualified to show their faces in front of Linde and didn't even have a job, were now frantically giving their wives meaningful glances, their eyes almost twitching. Although Linde had arranged some thankless tasks that the real nobles would basically look down on, for these lower-ranking nobles, this was a very important opportunity. After all, anyone could see that the governor didn't really like nobles, and they probably wouldn't have another chance like this for a long time.

Lena once longed to integrate into the circle of noblewomen in the capital, so these noblewomen initially thought it would be very easy to pique her interest. However, they soon discovered that Lena, who had once diligently studied aristocratic etiquette and the topics of conversation among noblewomen, was no longer interested in these topics. In fact, listening to them only made her more and more tired, and she even felt somewhat overwhelmed by them.

Seeing that Lena remained unmoved even after several topics were changed and some top-secret gossip was revealed, the ladies became increasingly anxious. Fortunately, they were skilled enough to quickly change their tactics and began to guess Lena's preferences.

Since Lena from her time in the capital was no longer a reference point, a noblewoman quickly thought of Lena watching the military parade and tentatively asked her about the steel monster, namely the tank.

I originally thought this topic would be rather private, and that Lena wouldn't say anything even if she was really interested, but to my surprise, Lena's eyes lit up immediately, and she grabbed the noblewoman's hand and started chatting.

This included some of the problems the tank is currently facing, such as its lack of maneuverability and its inability to traverse terrain. Of course, Lena was tactful and didn't discuss the specific parameters of the tank. But when the conversation got interesting, Lena pulled out a piece of draft paper from somewhere and started scribbling and drawing in front of these ladies.

Even those who had received basic education, and many of these ladies had even had some exposure to higher education and miscellaneous knowledge, couldn't keep up with Lena's train of thought at all. They could only say that although they didn't understand, she was still incredibly impressive.

Lena felt as if she had returned to her old-fashioned working-class days, where any noblewoman could strike up a conversation with her, especially since the noblewomen in the capital were more educated, which gave Lena a strange feeling.

"Let's stop here for today."

Lena held up her sketchbook, which she had filled with drawings, and looked at the tired ladies, saying, "We can talk about the rest at the next tea party."

When they heard there would be another tea party, the tired ladies' eyes finally lit up, but when they heard that it would be about discussing this incomprehensible mechanical principle again, they took a small step back in fear.

"Um... Madam Governor, this is not usually discussed at tea parties."

A noblewoman, thinking about having to stare at this pile of blueprints at future tea parties, mustered up the courage to remind Lena.

"Really? But that's what we talk about at our tea parties in the North, isn't it?"

"..."

Originally a bestseller in the North but ignored in the capital, the book "Introduction to Mechanical Principles That Even Goose Can Understand" sold out overnight in the capital.