Jefferson has recently been feeling a bit irritated.
Joining forces to attack the Lars Family, as a member of the Champagne Nobility, Jefferson naturally accepted the invitation. Furthermore, as a neighbor to Graywhite Territory, he was arranged to take up a significant position.
To be honest, Jefferson was somewhat reluctant, because the most direct benefit of the development of Graywhite Territory would be to Fasen Town.
If things continued to develop so steadily, it was only a matter of time before Jefferson surpassed Wisk to become the spokesperson for the Champagne Nobility.
If Graywhite Territory were to be destroyed, the best outcome would be that the benefits would be divided among everyone, and the worst outcome would be that they would be monopolized by the Ains family.
At that time, let alone being a fellow member of the Champagne Nobility, Jefferson would probably only be able to run errands for Wisk. No wonder that guy was not very interested in the business of Graywhite Territory before and only sent his least favorite youngest son over.
However, there was now a good opportunity for Jefferson to achieve merit. Every time he routinely collected taxes from merchant ships heading to Graywhite Territory, he unexpectedly discovered Ruby and the old butler Sebas hiding in the cabin.
Although they had disguised themselves, the two looked like a typical grandfather and granddaughter from an ordinary family. Still, Ruby’s acting skills were somewhat lacking, and Jefferson recognized them, as he had encountered them on a previous outing.
It was evident that the two were trying to reach the Graywhite Territory where Lena was. According to the alliance and Jefferson’s current position, they should immediately detain the two to claim credit.
Just at that moment, however, Jefferson hesitated. As a well-known fence-sitter, Jefferson was most reluctant to do anything risky. Although everyone believed that Graywhite Territory could be easily eliminated, who could know what kind of power Lars could muster at the last minute?
To avoid a dead fish and a broken net, Jefferson acted as if he hadn’t seen anything and casually walked out of the cabin, allowing them to pass.
He couldn’t even secure a share of the spoils, so what was the point of risking his life?
Jefferson’s attitude toward the merchant ships was similar. Although he didn’t know what was being transported, as long as they paid taxes, he would let them go. After all, making money was making money, no matter who it was for.
As a subordinate of Graywhite Territory, Jefferson was not nervous at all. Only someone out of their minds would genuinely engage in combat with the coalition; he believed Lind was a wise person. Even if he did not surrender, he would probably end up allying with the Elves.
Inside the cabin, the old butler breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he had magical artifacts sufficient for escape, he did not want to cause chaos at that moment.
On the way, the old butler grew increasingly desperate as he observed the situation. The nobles in the northwest of the Northern Border were openly united, planning to share the last piece of cake among themselves.
In fact, these nobles in the northwest of the Northern Border even rejected assistance from other regions, claiming they wanted to rely on their own strength to eliminate the evil Lars Family, while in reality, they were afraid that outside forces would come in and take away the cake.
Currently, the old butler only wanted to smoothly get Ruby to Graywhite Territory, and then escape with the two young ladies into the Giant God Mountain Range to seek the protection of the Elves.
However, when the merchant ship arrived at Graywhite Territory, the old butler noticed something was off. The riverside was lined with neat buildings, and a huge waterwheel turned slowly. A nun wearing a beaked mask inspected every person’s health on the merchant ship to prevent diseases from entering the territory.
Although he knew that Miss Lena would intentionally belittle Graywhite Territory in her letter to seek more aid, comparing it to the streets around the Royal Capital, the old butler never dreamed that the real Graywhite Territory would look like this.
“Grandpa, have we arrived?”
To disguise themselves, Ruby had no choice but to call the butler “Grandpa,” but it didn’t matter since she originally addressed him that way.
“I’m not sure.”
When they reached the port of Graywhite Territory, the old butler still found it hard to believe that this was Graywhite Territory.
The crew beside them was also unfazed, treating the newcomers as typical country bumpkins from another area.
“Name, age.”
The cold voice of the nun responsible for registration snapped the old butler back to reality.
Only then did the old butler notice that everything in the territory seemed to be under strict control. This feeling was very familiar to him; it was the atmosphere present only when a territory was in a state of war.
The old butler did not answer the nun’s question directly but pulled out a token engraved with the Northern Wind Bear.
…
“Ruby!”
“Sister!”
Lena and Ruby embraced and wept. This was the first time Lena cried out loud after learning about Duke Lars’s death from the merchants.
“Sister, I’m scared. I’m afraid if I fall asleep, I’ll be taken away again.”
“It’s okay. I will protect you.”
While crying and wiping her tears, Lena took on the responsibility of an older sister, although her louder sobs than Ruby’s gave her words little persuasive power.
Seeing Lena finally let out her long-suppressed emotions brought Lind some relief. The plot in this world indeed turned upside down. Lind never imagined that Lena’s uncles would really dare to kill Duke Lars.
The shock Lind felt upon hearing this news was comparable to when he learned of Isha’s rebellion.
Graywhite Territory also entered a state of readiness afterward.
Although it wasn’t explicitly stated, it was an acknowledged fact that Graywhite Territory had dealt a blow to the last forces of the Lars Family in the northwest of the Northern Border.
Of course, strictly speaking, there were still many who could represent the Lars Family more than Graywhite Territory, such as the still-unbroken Winter Fortress, Lena’s two missing brothers, and numerous resistance organizations.
But discussing those things now was useless; they only wanted to eliminate the last viable forces of the old Lars Family. As for who that viable force was, it didn’t matter.
Even Lind, who hadn’t married Lena yet, was inexplicably labeled as part of the Lars lineage, after all, he hadn’t promptly severed ties with Lena.
Lind could only lament: oh no, I’ve become legitimate.
“Mr. Lind Ror, thank you very much for all that you’ve done for the young lady. However, now I must take her to the Elves. Of course, if you wish, you are welcome to come along.”
The old butler remained very respectful, given that Lind hadn’t immediately sold Lena and had even allowed the territory to enter a state of readiness, which exceeded the old butler’s expectations.
“Mr. Sebas, are you implying that I should escape?”
Lind was not a coward; otherwise, he wouldn’t have allowed the territory to enter a state of readiness. But he wasn’t the type to rebel against the whole world for a woman either. His relationship with Lena was somewhat similar to what Lena’s people claimed. They were all just a bunch of brothers. At least that’s how Lind saw it for now.
Doesn’t it sound more normal to fight the entire world for the sake of a brother? Indeed, Lind just felt that surrender was not an option, and that was all. In the eyes of outsiders, Graywhite Territory was entirely the domain of the Lars Family—it was impossible to surrender. Even if they did surrender, the other side would just replace them with enemy uniforms and continue to bomb.
“Sometimes, avoidance does not equate to failure. We need to gather strength and connect with other righteous members of the Lars family. There will always be a day for counterattack.”
This was the most prudent course of action. Lena’s uncles were clearly usurpers, currently suppressing rebellions in their occupied territories. In the old butler Sebas’s view, relying solely on Graywhite Territory could not hold out; trying to blockade Graywhite was very easy.
The most correct course of action now was to escape to the Elves and seek their protection.
However, if they simply ran away, wouldn’t all the weapons they once crafted be in vain?
Moreover, Graywhite Territory had already developed into a few thousand people, and it wasn’t something that could be easily taken away.
Even if they only took the core team, there was no guarantee that technology wouldn’t leak; it could become even harder to fight later.
Of course, Lind could also follow through with a French military salute, but would any time traveler really be that cowardly?
Just as Lind was pondering, another guest arrived at Graywhite Territory, and they had truly come to persuade him to surrender.
