The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Chapter 100 Greya

When the carriage bearing the Nightingale's mark entered the North, Greya's last remaining doubts about Chancellor Cordick's description of the North were dispelled.

Looking out the car window, it was even more desolate than the North described by Cordick.

Because the resistance's activities have become increasingly intense recently, many nobles have taken the initiative to send troops to protect Greya.

Of course, these nobles weren't really worried that the resistance would attack the Nightingale Opera House, since the resistance's discipline was probably much better than that of these nobles' armies.

What these nobles were truly afraid of was the thoughtless military commanders in their own territories robbing the Nightingale Opera House's caravan, since those commanders would rob anyone they saw.

The Nightingale Opera House's motorcade moved very slowly because Greya would stop the caravan to help anyone she saw begging on the road.

Although the stewards of the Nightingale Opera House had been complaining about this, there was nothing they could do. Greya's influence was too great, and she was practically the mother of the Nightingale Opera House, so even though there were occasional complaints from the entire convoy, no one objected.

“The child hasn’t eaten for two days. The last time he ate was with tree bark that his father had snatched from someone else.”

This is a specialty of the North. It is usually used to add a little fiber from this tree to porridge to add a touch of sweetness. Almost no one uses this tree as a staple food, after all, it is just a kind of tree bark with a sweet taste.

But now, the already scarce sweetgum trees in winter are almost nowhere to be seen.

Greya felt a pang of heartache upon hearing this. She took out a fluffy loaf of bread handed to her by a servant and gave it to the child in her arms. The child immediately began to devour it.

The woman swallowed hard as she looked at the bread in the child's hand. Greya immediately waved her hand and said, "Let's eat here today. Prepare some food for this lady as well."

"Thank you, miss, thank you, miss!"

The woman was about to kneel down and kowtow, though she wanted to kiss Greya's shoes, she was clearly not qualified.

After eating her fill, the woman finally regained some strength and began chatting with Greya.

“They could have survived, after all, the child’s father is a craftsman and the family has some savings. Maybe they could have saved up some money to send the child to a church school.”

"But aren't church schools free?"

Greya found it strange. Along the way, this North did indeed resemble the North described by Cordick, but it also seemed somewhat different.

"It used to be free, but since the Grand Duke died, things have become increasingly difficult, and the church school has started requiring gifts for the pastors in order to get in."

Hearing this, Greya was stunned for a moment, but she still patiently held the woman's withered and dark hand and continued to listen to the woman's story.

“We used to have a little money, but then Lord Doug came along.”

A servant beside him corrected, "It is the Governor."

"Oh, Your Excellency, Governor."

The woman continued, somewhat awkwardly pronouncing the unfamiliar word, "Governor Doug has issued new money, and everyone must use this new money to buy and sell. If you are caught using the old money, all the old money will be confiscated."

"It was fine at first, because this money seemed to be able to buy more things, and every day soldiers would say that this money was made by the royal alchemist at the governor's request, and that it would never be over-issued, and that no one else could imitate it. In short, everything was good. Our family didn't know anything about it, so we took it and exchanged it all."

"Then all the money was gone. Our family had only exchanged a few thousand dollars, but later a loaf of bread cost over ten thousand dollars. My husband had to spend his wages as soon as he got them, otherwise the money would be worthless. Later, no one asked my husband to work anymore because everyone was broke. My husband had no choice but to sell himself to the master to beg for food."

After saying this, the dark-skinned, thin woman couldn't help but burst into tears.

Can I see the new money?

After Greya finished speaking, the child handed her a piece of tissue with snot stuck to it. The servant tried to stop her, but Greya took it anyway.

This is indeed a banknote, with Doug's portrait printed on it. It's probably because Doug gave up the North Wind Bears' sigil, so he could only use his own portrait, or maybe he's just being vain.

With just a gentle pull, Greya knew the banknote was of poor quality, not much better than the one she used in the toilet.

The nobles along the way didn't mention these things at all, because they were still using the old silver leaf coins for transactions and didn't need these new coins.

Looking at the mother and child in front of her, Greya wanted to take out some silver leaf coins to help them, but thinking that these silver leaf coins could not be used for trade now and might be taken away by the soldiers, Greya could only ask the servant to leave some food, and then she left the low cave where the mother and child lived in the wind and snow.

There's no need to worry about food and supplies; once they reach the next territory, the local lords and nobles will immediately and obsequiously replenish Greya's supplies. This is why Greya can provide relief as she travels.

Several days later than originally expected, Greya finally arrived at the valley, which was originally the territory of Doug's nephew, Sean, but has now become Doug's main city.

No one knows whether it's because this place is the richest or because the resistance here is the fiercest, requiring Doug to personally suppress it.

"Your arrival has captivated even the snow and winds of the North."

Doug, dressed in his most splendid clothes, went out of town to greet her, but what Greya saw first was not Doug's clothes that shimmered like a mirror, but rather the somewhat desolate streets in the distance.

Despite the prejudice against the North, the Valley was a rich and prosperous area for most nobles. Even in winter, the streets were bustling with merchants and lights. It was hard to imagine that this desolate and barren place, which resembled a dead city, was the richest city in the North.

Greya nodded hesitantly, ignoring Doug's subsequent flattery.

Upon entering the city, the desolation was palpable. It wasn't until they reached the inner city that Greya felt that familiar sensation, that decadent and extravagant atmosphere.

This feeling was even stronger than when Greya was in the capital.

In the evening, Doug introduced Greya in the most formal way.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Tonight, we are honored to witness the glory of this city, the artist who has captivated countless hearts. Every note she plays is like starlight falling from the sky, and every melody is like a gentle breeze caressing the soul.

She is a stage sprite, using her unparalleled talent to propel the art of opera to new heights. Her performances are not merely displays of technique, but also emotional resonance and a sublimation of the soul. Every appearance of hers is a spiritual cleansing.

The nobles all stood up and applauded.

Doug transformed a section of the castle into an opera house-like layout. Feeling the familiar atmosphere, Greya immediately made her appearance with various light and magic effects, captivating the nobles in the audience with a stunning rendition.

Greya's main purpose in coming to the North was to perform a charity show and raise funds, and the nobles in the audience generously donated.

But Greya knew that these nobles didn't care where the money went, and even considered it a reward for themselves. As for any fundraising, if these nobles were truly kind-hearted, they wouldn't have made the people in their territory eat tree bark.

Greya's condition did not improve afterward, and the opera ended quickly. However, no nobles seemed to care, as Greya's operas were rather popular, which made many nobles not particularly fond of her.

Moreover, the most important significance of Greya's arrival for these nobles was that it provided them with another opportunity for socializing; the opera was merely a diversion during the ball.

Although Doug was showing off to Greya, even going so far as to talk about everything from poetry to the father of opera, Greya's attention was entirely focused on the nobleman next door who was boasting about how much money he had made with Doug coins. She only gave Doug a perfunctory response.

I've seen plenty of these kinds of people in the capital. They all have only two goals: to get into my bed or to get me into theirs. And Doug is the most impatient of them all.

The director of the Nightingale Opera House stepped forward to take over the conversation between Greya and Doug. Greya was now the lifeblood of the Nightingale Opera House; she was an artist, not a prostitute, and no amount of money could change that.

The people of the North are suffering so much, Greya lamented inwardly, and was deeply worried about her upcoming trip to the Gray Collar.

Even the Doug Territory, which sought refuge in the capital and embraced freedom, was in such a miserable state, so how much better off could the Grey and White Collars, whose territory was known as the Devil Viscount's Territory, be?

Worse still, while on Doug's territory, nobles would help with supplies out of consideration for his reputation, but how much would he get once he reached the western North? Would his reputation still be of any use then?