I'm not a lord

Chapter 245 The Former Dynasty Princess Seeking a Job
Three full cups of ale left the young knight slightly tipsy, and his story came to an abrupt end.

The discussion inside the hotel, however, was even more heated.

The vast majority of people are discussing the same topic: Where will the North's future lead?

The men gathered inside the hotel, drinking and discussing either women or politics.

The tall, brown-robed priest took a sip of ale and said in a rough accent, "Since Maurice deserted, we can only pin our hopes on the Duke of the Swamp. Although he is a mass murderer, at least he is a man from the North."

Another middle-aged priest in a grey robe immediately chimed in, "Even if the Duke of the Swamp is a scoundrel, he's still better than the people of the South."

The merchant wearing a black beret immediately cursed, "Bullshit! It would be better if Lothair died in Amber Harbor. What else could he do besides slaughtering the Northerners? He had the strongest army in the entire North, yet he couldn't even defeat an army that had only been on a ship for a little over ten days. He clearly stormed into Amber Harbor but then slunk out in disgrace. He has no shame at all!"

Due to the changing situation, the views of the various social classes in the Crown Territory on the Duke of the Swamp were quite contradictory.

The merchants were outraged by Lothair's ruthless massacre of Coron.

The priests, however, hoped that this nobleman would be able to raise the banner of the North at a crucial moment.

The impact of the massacre will eventually fade with time.

Anyway, the dead can't speak, and the dead won't have any opinions.

Besides, everyone has done similar things; the Duke of the Swamp was just making the 'mistake' that nobles all make.

Whenever there is unrest in the Crown Territory, the local nobles immediately transform into horse and river bandits, robbing passing merchants and travelers.

It can only be said that most nobles in this era were villains, exploiting serfs domestically and committing all sorts of evil deeds abroad. Executing them all might be a miscarriage of justice, but executing every other one would definitely lead to a mistake.

However, the power of the nobles is indispensable in order to maintain relative peace in the kingdom.

Only iron and blood can quell the turmoil, and among the three classes, the nobles are the only 'fighters'.

It was with this attitude in mind that the middle-aged priest in the grey robe retorted, "Then tell me, who besides Lothair can save the North? You can't expect us to submit to those damned Southerners, can you?"

From his perspective, the Duke of the Valley was weak, and the Duke of the Grassland was only slightly stronger, and they were too far from Amber Harbor.

Only the Duke of the Swamp has the power and skill to bring peace to the North as a Northerner.

Although his previous rebellious identity was not honorable, and he had committed many evil deeds such as looting and massacring cities.

But now that the bastard son Maurice has fled to the South, the Urenis dynasty exists in name only, and the so-called crime of treason naturally no longer exists.

As for his other infamy, once the Duke of the Marsh was crowned king, many priests took the initiative to defend him.

Before the black-hatted merchant could speak, another priest interjected, "Indeed, although the Duke of the Swamp lost a battle at Amber Harbor, he is still the strongest noble in the North. Didn't that knight say that the Duke is currently in Thoth City? It seems that the Duke's losses are not great, and he should launch another offensive against Amber Harbor soon."

If this priest's account is true, the Duke of the Swamp will launch three attacks on Amber Harbor within six months, which would be quite an anomaly in the history of warfare.

The black-hatted merchant sneered, "Hmph, I think that's hard to say. Did Lothair's army spring from the ground? This is war, cruel and bloody, unlike you priests."

He was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly realized that he was on the priest's territory.

While the priests' territory was relatively safe, it was not safe for everyone.

Don't assume that priests these days are all just cultured people who only know how to chant scriptures and pray.

Can cultural figures alone maintain peace and tranquility in a region?
Many priests or monks were originally nobles or mercenaries who returned to their hometowns to devote themselves to religious work simply because they were getting old.

Who knows what swords and hammers might be hidden under their loose robes? Pulling them out could give you a fright.

The black-hatted merchant's companion also realized this, so he quickly came to his rescue, saying, "The Duke of the Swamp has a high probability of winning, but other nobles may not necessarily have no chance either."

The brown-robed priest, who was about to erupt, withdrew his hand from inside his robe and asked with slight impatience:
"Then tell me, who else can save the North? It can't be the Duke of the Meadows or the Duke of the Vale, can it? The former is in a remote area and is a complete bandit, while the latter is a joke. He can't even handle a few rebellious earls in his territory. How can he compete for the crown?"

Just then, a young male voice suddenly came from a corner on the first floor of the inn: "What about Earl White River? I think he might be able to save the North."

The next moment, everyone's attention was drawn to this corner, and the source of the voice was a rather young male guest.

The man wore a brown cloak, a dagger at his waist, and leather boots; he looked like a typical long-distance traveler.

The brown-robed priest glanced at him and then looked away, picking up his wine glass and saying disdainfully, "The Earl of White River? Heh, he's not even a nobleman."

The middle-aged priest in the grey robe nodded immediately: "Indeed, everyone says he was a bandit who took advantage of the Duke of the Marsh's eastern expedition to launch a surprise attack and seize the White River region. He obtained the title of Earl by currying favor with the Duke of the Vale and King Maurice. Expecting such a person to save the North is hopeless. I think the North might as well perish."

To the priests of the Crown Territory, Earl Lynn of the White River was far more terrifying than any flood or wild beast.

This was, of course, because Lynn confiscated most of the property of the Three Rivers Church, stripped the local church of its superior status in the city, and even directly executed the local religious leader, Bishop Rotterge.

Although Rotegi had a bad reputation in the city of Three Rivers, he was known for his tyranny, greed, and corruption.

But in the eyes of these out-of-town clergymen, Rothge was a typical example of an excellent clergyman.

This person was born into a merchant family and was intelligent and studious from a young age, studying all the way from a monastery school to graduating with a doctorate.

He climbed to the position of bishop through personal efforts, used various means to expand the church's influence in the local area, and amassed a large amount of land, people and wealth for the church.

This is practically the ideal self that most priests dream of being.

But Lynn subjected this 'excellent' bishop to the cruel punishment of beheading.

With Rotterge's head falling to the ground, Lynn had clearly become the public enemy of the Northern clergy.

The moment Lynn was mentioned, the priests and monks in the inn immediately became united in their hatred and began chattering and discussing among themselves.

"If the Duke of the Swamp hadn't been so busy vying for the crown, he would have wiped out this bandit leader long ago. How could he have been so arrogant until now?"

"Don't worry, he won't be arrogant for long. What does a bandit know about governing a territory? He won't even bestow a title upon a nobleman in his territory. He's worse than the stingiest miser. I think by the end of this year at the latest, there will be a large-scale riot in his territory."

"He also took the initiative to accept the barbarians. There are archers from the barbarians in the army, and there are even many barbarian women in the palace. I feel sorry for the people in his territory. They have to live on the same land as the lowly barbarians."

"It is a tragedy for the entire North that such a person can become an earl."

"I think he'll be murdered in his bed by the women of the Wilderness sooner or later. We've been mortal enemies with the Wilderness for so many years, how dare he?"

“But I heard from passing merchants that Lynn has recently been attacking Turbulent County? Apparently, the attack is going quite smoothly, and he has captured many castles.” “How can that be the same? It’s been said that the Duke of Marshland is currently on a campaign abroad, and he’s just taking advantage of that opportunity.”

"That's true. His good luck can't last forever. What he gains by luck will eventually be lost by luck as well."

Listening to the priests' disparaging remarks about Lynn, the young traveler in the corner simply smiled and did not refute them.

He laughed at the priests for being completely ignorant.

The Earl of White River had to curry favor with the King and the Duke of the Valley to obtain a noble title.
That's a huge mistake. Given the previous situation in the North, it was clearly the Duke and the King who needed to curry favor with Lynn!
These are chaotic times; how much use are titles and claims?
As for the claim that actively accepting barbarians would lead to territorial instability, that's even more laughable.

The barbarians seem to be the original owners of this northern region, right?
The current inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom are the ones who have come from here!
The reason Count Shirakawa accepted the wasteland people must be because he valued their population resources.

This is what a true king or even emperor should do: not to excessively exclude other groups because of differences in human race, but to embrace other groups as the ocean embraces thousands of rivers.

The young traveler was also smiling at his bright future.

His real name was Gray, and he was a low-ranking judicial officer in the Crown Territory. He had graduated from the monastery school in his hometown and had only been working in a municipality for less than two years.

In recent months, Gray has been hearing news about the Earl of White River frequently in court and in city taverns.

First, it was said that a certain bandit leader had captured six baronies and rose to prominence like a shooting star.

Not long after, Count Shirakawa captured Mikawa Castle and killed Count Black Shirt on the battlefield, cutting off the Duke of Swamp's territory in half.

Then, Earl of White River recruited a large number of barbarian archers and sent a large army to invade Turbulent County.

Gray organized the news he heard and was surprised to find that the Earl of White River had accomplished so many great things in just half a year.

He then gained a deeper understanding of the count himself and the various policies and systems in his territory.

The more he learned about Earl Baihe and Baihe Territory, the more he longed for this new territory.

After careful consideration, Gray resolutely abandoned his lucrative job in the city and embarked on a journey to White River Territory alone, vowing to serve Earl White River.

On his journey, he heard many unfair comments about Earl Shirakawa, just like today.

At first, he tried to argue back, but most of the hotels and inns along the way were run by churches or monasteries, so he was often met with disdain and driven away.

But the more this was the case, the happier he became.

What does this mean?
This shows that there are few cultured people willing to join the Earl of Shirakawa!

The clergy comprised more than half of the intellectual class in the North.

Since they all despise Earl Shirakawa, then there will be fewer people vying for Gray's position.
Moreover, the fewer people are willing to serve Earl Shirakawa, the higher the position and treatment he can obtain.
These are all good things, so go ahead and slander me all you want. I, Gray, am now heading to White River Territory to pursue my bright future!

I heard that Earl Baihe has abolished the baronies and knighthoods and intends to implement direct and complete rule over the entire territory. Under such circumstances, there will inevitably be an extreme shortage of legal talent!

In fact, there are quite a few smart people who share similar ideas with Gray.

Over the past six months, Lynn and White River Territory have demonstrated remarkable strength and potential, and the policies they have implemented have attracted the interest of many intellectuals.

Following the Duke of the Marsh's two defeats at Amber Harbor, some began to place their hopes for saving the North on the rising Earl of White River.

The North is indeed vast, but its power structure is quite small. There are only a handful of nobles who can sit at the table, and intellectuals have only a few factions to choose from.

For them, the knowledge they have spent more than ten years learning must eventually be converted into cash. Since they are going to sell themselves anyway, why not sell to a buyer who is more pleasing to the eye?

Just as Gray was engrossed in drinking and eating, a middle-aged man who looked like a knight sat down opposite him with two glasses of ale.

Under Gray's puzzled gaze, the middle-aged knight pushed an overflowing wine glass in front of him and asked with a smile, "Friend, do you know a lot about White River Territory and Earl White River?"

"I know a little bit, so what?"

Gray didn't reach for the drink, but instead cautiously observed the newcomer from head to toe. He could tell that the knight's accent was somewhat unnatural, and he didn't seem to be a local from the royal territory.

The middle-aged knight still wore a friendly smile: "Don't be nervous. I am a guard on a merchant ship. I have been traveling with my employer to various places for many years. I have just heard a lot of rumors about Earl Baihe recently, and I am quite interested in them."

He then turned to the counter and said, "Boss, bring me two plates of the restaurant's signature dishes."

Under the knight's barrage of words and food, young Gray quickly succumbed to his gentle advances and soon revealed everything he knew.

That evening, the middle-aged knight returned to another inn in Buffalo Town and knocked on the door of a room on the second floor.

He opened the door, tiptoed into the room, and carefully closed the door behind him.
Inside, former Princess Chloris was having dinner with her mother, Katharina, delivered by the hotel staff.

On this trip, they escaped from Amber Harbor by sea.

However, since the Jinghe River is at its peak water volume for the year, merchant ships can only travel twenty or thirty kilometers upstream in a day.

Therefore, the news spread much faster on land than it did on land. Before they even reached White River Territory, news of the fall of Amber Harbor had already caught up with them from behind.

Chloris and her mother are both women, and their identities are quite sensitive, making it inconvenient for them to go out.

The task of gathering intelligence was naturally handed over to the guards below.

The three guards accompanying her were all elderly men who had come from the Southern Territory with Katarina. Their families had remained in the Southern Territory and were extremely loyal to the mother and daughter.

“Miss, I met an interesting young man at the Pious Warhorse Inn today. He greatly admires Earl Baihe and seems to be heading to Baihe Territory to find work.”

Listening to the guard's report, Chloris, dressed in inconspicuous black clothes, sighed softly.

Wasn't she also going to Baiheling to find a 'job'?

She wasn't very confident that she could persuade Lynn to accept her and her daughter with more favorable terms.

Rumors have it that Lynn has rejected the marriage proposal to the Duke of the Valley and has no interest in the generous dowry offered by the Duke.

If he could even refuse the eldest daughter of a childless duke, just what kind of noble wife does Lynn want to marry?

Chloris looked down at her increasingly mature and voluptuous body; all she could sell herself for now was herself.

(End of this chapter)