The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Chapter 93 Farewell

When the old clock on the territory rang again, everyone knew that a new batch of residents had arrived in Gray Collar.

In order to expand the gray-collar population to a level that could catch up with other major towns in the western North, Lind chose the simple and brutal method of kidnapping people, since there were quite a few homeless people outside the territory.

Moreover, these people were originally from Lars, or rather, citizens of the North, and were able to quickly integrate into the territory.

As usual, Isa arrived at the entrance to the territory and directed the church staff to begin taking care of the new residents.

Perhaps because the church staff were more approachable than the soldiers, or perhaps because these people had already received care along the way, the civilians who arrived here were generally very orderly, and in winter, no one had the energy to make a scene.

Many people wrapped themselves tightly in their tattered clothes and leaned against the fire waiting to register.

Although such a crude screening process would certainly allow spies to infiltrate, Lind's point was that we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater; population was more important than anything else.

Isa agreed with this; saving as many people as possible was the best they could do, and they couldn't ignore the civilians just because there might be spies mixed in with the crowd.

Moreover, with Lucanus overseeing things, it's practically guaranteed that ordinary spies can't sneak in.

As she watched batches of people register to enter the gray-collar and white-collar jobs, Isa chatted with the waiting people as usual.

The information includes, but is not limited to, income levels in places outside the western North, daily food rations, family size, prices, and so on. From this miscellaneous information, Isa can piece together what the outside world has become.

The situation outside might be even worse than when Isa first arrived in Gray Collar. To pay off his debts, Doug Lars even leased some territories to the demons. The demons had complete autonomy and law enforcement power in the leased territories. Northern laws did not even apply in these leased areas; demon laws had to be used instead.

It was not illegal for the demons to kill Northerners within the concession; in fact, there were even places where Northerners and dogs were not allowed to enter.

Ironically, some people in the North were desperately trying to get into these concessions to find work.

Why? Because the demons are truly restoring production order. As long as you become a slave of the demons, you can even use their power to exploit your own kind.

When the summary of Isha's situation appeared on Linde's desk the next day, Linde's face turned red, and he tugged at his collar, as if for a moment he felt that the heating array in the study was turned up too high.

Lena slammed the door and stormed out, and several maids couldn't stop her. It was Lind who called Lena back, as she was about to go and beat up her uncle.

I was almost driven crazy by the dog's unusual behavior.

"Send troops! We must send troops!"

In a fit of anger, Lena smashed Linde's desk in two. Linde calmly called for someone to repair the desk since it was still usable, while wiping the sweat from his forehead and saying, "It wouldn't stand up even if you hit it, it's too far away from us."

Linde pulled out a map of the North from the damaged desk. The demons were very cunning in choosing their rental locations, all of them being as far away from the western part of the North as possible, some even reaching the eastern border of the Kingdom of Cape.

"Can we just start a war?"

As soon as Lena spoke, she stomped her feet in anger. The current strategy was the result of discussions between Lindelena, the Grand Elder, and some important military officials.

Although they have established a foothold in the western part of the North, the North is simply too vast. While the entire western region is certainly more than capable of being defended, an offensive operation would require a very long supply line.

No one understood the meaning of strategic depth better than Linde, a time traveler. As long as the enemy wasn't an idiot, there would be enough time to reorganize and regroup the army. But in war, you obviously can't pin your hopes on the fact that the enemy is full of idiots.

Moreover, according to the Grand Elder's prediction, there is a high probability that the capital and the Kingdom of Anjou will fight next year. Once the war starts, it will be the best time for Linde to reclaim the northern territory. If war is declared now, not only will he have to face the demons and Doug Lars, but the capital may also not stand idly by.

That's why Linde issued winter production tasks, allowing people to focus on farming and development during this long winter.

Of course, war is always dynamic. Even the recapture of Linde's western North has not truly ended. Linde's territory is still slowly expanding, but because there is little resistance and it has not reached the borders of Doug Lars's territory, it has not caused much of a stir.

Both sides are consolidating their domestic affairs, if Doug Lars really does have domestic affairs to consider.

Linde thought about it and realized that there was a way. If production capacity was fully utilized, there would definitely be a surplus of weapons and equipment. With some economic measures, although it might not be able to directly destroy Doug Lars, it could at least remind the demons that the Northern Territory was not under their control.

The stronger the capabilities demonstrated by gray-collar workers, the better things might be for other people in the North.

Just as Linde was about to finalize the strategy and summon Lila and Lucanus to carry it out, Isa suddenly said, "Your Excellency, I've come not only to report, but also to say goodbye."

"Saying goodbye? Where are you going?"

Linde was somewhat puzzled. Isa was practically a religious leader in the territory, and only Isa could connect the radical church and the ordinary church and get them to cooperate.

The church also generally preferred to follow Isa's arrangements.

"This is the reform plan for the Goddess Cult that I have compiled."

Isa didn't explain anything, and handed the plan to Lind. Lind quickly browsed through it page by page, only to find that Isa had combined the current situation in the North with the liberation theology that he and Isa had discussed before.

Page after page are the results of Isa’s continuous visits and investigations.

From the overall principles of the church to the daily lives of pastors and nuns, and the ways believers pray, everything is explained and simplified.

It not only admonished the church to be down-to-earth, but also affirmed that the church is a service industry, serving the believers of the goddess, rather than the so-called only way to communicate with God. As long as one can obey the goddess's divine instructions, everyone is qualified to pray.

Moreover, Isa's quotations were entirely logical and even had the air of establishing her own school of thought. Linde suspected that even if the central Vatican sent a pope to debate with her, he would be defeated by Isa, who had now grasped the truth of practice.

To be honest, the proposal that Isa handed over made Lind break out in a cold sweat. If Lind were as inhuman as Doug Lars, Isa could have easily started a people's war with this revised liberation theology proposal.

But whether it was a blessing or a curse, Isha was born in a feudal era and grew up entirely in a feudal environment in her early years.

Perhaps it was Lind's efforts that gave Isa hope, or perhaps she knew what would happen if the church's power got out of control. In the end, Isa still referred to some of Flora's plans in this reform proposal, and ultimately placed divine authority under Lind's power.

“Your Excellency, do you remember what you said to me when I first arrived at Gray Collar? I think it’s time to put it into practice.”

Lena was completely confused, but Lind understood. Isa was going to go back to her old job as a white-collar worker, but this time it was different. Lind could support Isa as her backer.

“I understand. This time you have real holy water, and I believe you can save more people. I will allocate some weapons from the laboratory for you. Be careful and don’t push yourself. Remember, this will always be your home, and we welcome you back anytime.”

Isa nodded and bowed to Lind as a clergyman. At this moment, Lena understood that Isa was going to Doug Lars' territory to continue rescuing people.

"I'll send two White Knights to you. I'll have them protect you the way they protected me. You're not allowed to refuse!"

Before Isha could even speak, Lena quickly ran out to call for backup.

"It's impossible to do everything yourself, and since you can't use divine magic right now, it's better to bring guards with you."

Seeing that Linde also said so, Isa had no choice but to nod.

Unexpectedly, the female protagonist still ended up on this path. The fragment of the dragon-slaying technique that Linde gave to Isha could be considered to have been used. Fortunately, the target was not Linde himself.

As Isa was preparing to leave, Lind instructed her, "If you find any reliable resistance fighters, remember to contact me. I will tell Doug Lars that the snowfield may not be a barren wasteland; there might be unexpected surprises beneath the snow."

"What surprise?" Isa asked, puzzled.

"Who says weapons can't grow under the snow?"

Lind shrugged.