Heading North

To travel from the Imperial Capital of Demacia to Silvermine City, the general direction is due north.

Because the entire terrain of Demacia is high in the north and south (Dragon Ridge Mountains to the north, Shimmering Silver Mountains to the south) and low in the middle (Demacian Great Plains), Lux and her party, after a short downhill stretch, finally began to ascend a gently rising road.

Lux lived in Silvermine City when she was young—or, to be more precise, she was born there.

However, almost as soon as she could remember, Lux moved with her parents to the Imperial Capital of Demacia.

Therefore, she didn't actually know much about her birthplace.

Furthermore, this was her first time leaving the Imperial Capital of Demacia alone, so Lux was filled with curiosity about everything she saw and heard along the way.

For Karya, the biggest impact of this curiosity was... Lux's frequency of zoning out during lessons increased significantly.

Especially after Kuren returned to his carriage, Lux's mind became restless, completely unable to focus on studying.

She had agreed that Karya would help her with accounting knowledge points, freeing up time for tutoring, but because of Lux's lack of focus, Karya's tutoring progress was pitifully slow.

However, the rage and criticism Lux had anticipated never came. Seeing her lack of interest, Karya simply became a tour guide, and the magic lessons transformed into a lecture.

Natural history knowledge was also knowledge, and Karya generously offered that Lux could ask anything she wanted.

Lux didn't hesitate, and simply extended her hand, pointing to the sky.

"Karya, Karya, what are those in the sky?"

"Those flying by just now are Snow Geese that normally inhabit the northern regions; they should be migrating south for the winter now," Karya quickly judged. "They prefer to live in high-altitude areas, so they stay in the Dragon Ridge Mountains during the summer and return to the Shimmering Silver Mountains before winter to build nests and lay eggs."

"The Gate of Sorrows is in the Shimmering Silver Mountains, right?" Lux thought for a moment. "Dad is there!"

"That's right, the Snow Geese you see now might appear above your father's head in five or six days."

"Is five or six days enough? They fly so fast!"

"Although Snow Geese aren't fast in a sprint, they can fly very high and are very resilient. Without such capabilities, how could they safely live in areas where Dragonbirds are active!"

"I see... Hey, did you see that one that just darted past!"

"That's a Deer; I saw its antlers."

"You can identify it just by seeing its antlers?"

"Yes, because Deer antlers are extremely rare six-pronged forks, and they grow a layer of white fluff in the winter.

"You know this?"

"Of course."

"Then tell me, what are those bushes by the roadside?"

"A type of Rose Hip. The carriage is moving too fast to see clearly, but they have a distinct characteristic: when each cluster of Rose Hips blooms, the flowers are all at the same height, and the resulting fruits are also at a uniform height. When viewed from the carriage, in summer it's a colorful line of flowers, and in winter, it's a black line of fruit."

"Does no one eat the fruit?"

"It's poisonous and inedible—not just humans, even dogs won't eat it."

"..."

"..."

From the flocks of birds flying in the sky to the beasts darting through the roadside bushes, there seemed to be nothing Karya didn't know.

Even with Lux's astonishing curiosity as a young girl, her "why" questions didn't cause Karya any trouble.

When the party completed their first day's journey and stopped to rest in Edsa Town, Lux had unknowingly learned about many animals and plants—even if she couldn't remember them all, this endless knowledge dispelled the boredom of the journey and put her in a very good mood.

More importantly, although Ogesha saw Lux as a "frail young girl," Lux was actually quite sturdy, so the bumps of the long journey had a very limited effect on her.

Seeing Lux arrive at the inn full of energy and vitality, the guards responsible for her protection all breathed a collective sigh of relief—their young lady was not only easy to talk to but also in excellent physical condition.

As long as she maintained this state, everyone would have a much easier time during this trip.

Even without direct experience, among the guards of the nobility, there were many legends about "princess disease." Thank goodness, the young princess of the Crown Guard family didn't have this affliction.

In the entire party, only Kuren maintained an extremely serious demeanor.

Kuren's seriousness wasn't due to a naturally unlively disposition, but because the burden on his shoulders this time was too heavy.

On the surface, this trip to Silvermine City was training for Lux to begin handling family affairs, but in reality, Lux was merely a guise—or rather, a title.

Kuren was the one truly responsible for auditing the accounts!

And the accounts in Silvermine City were a complete mess!

Three years ago, an unprecedented cold snap caused widespread snowfall and frost in the northern regions. The natural disaster led to severe production reductions in large areas, including Silvermine City.

However, three years later, Silvermine City reported frost every year, with decreased production and requests for tax exemptions.

This was quite outrageous, wasn't it?

Even Irondale, which was further north, only experienced frost for two years. How could Silvermine City have it for three consecutive years, every year?

In the second year, Ogesha, who had been responsible for family affairs, had already sent envoys to investigate in Silvermine City and inquire about the clan members staying there to oversee the territory's affairs. The response they received was, "We have indeed encountered severe frost and require tax exemption."

With everyone saying the same thing, Ogesha should have acknowledged this and demonstrated her generosity as a noble by granting tax exemptions.

However, it just so happened that three years ago, the Noxians invaded Ionia.

At the time, because the situation was unclear, all of Demacia was preparing for war. Although other regions reported to the King requesting tax exemptions, Peter stated that a single year of frost wouldn't be a major issue and they could manage.

"War might break out, and it's precisely when we'll need money. Let's just forget about it."

Thus, lords in other regions were exempted from the taxes they owed to the national treasury that year, but the Crown Guard family in Silvermine City did not receive this exemption.

Originally, Peter was wholeheartedly devoted to the country, and the issue of one year's land tax wouldn't have been a problem.

But what was worse was that for the next two years, Silvermine City claimed to be suffering from frost and was unable to collect taxes.

While Ogesha could grit her teeth and consider the land tax deficit for one year as support for the country, three consecutive years of not collecting land tax, even with Silvermine City's substantial industrial and commercial taxes, was becoming unbearable for the mistress of the Crown Guard family.

Under these circumstances, she simply dispatched Lux to audit the accounts and provide disaster relief.

Fortunately, the Noxians were fighting fiercely in Ionia, so Demacia was safe from war for the time being. By the time Lux returned from disaster relief, the land tax issue in Silvermine City should have been resolved for three years, and the previously overpaid amount would be reimbursed.

This was Ogesha's stated logic, a grand display for the Demacian Noble Council to silence their criticisms.

As for the actual situation in Silvermine City...

It was likely that only when Kuren arrived in Silvermine City would the truth be truly uncovered.

Moreover, according to Ogesha's speculation, the frost was probably fake.

Even though Peter was the patriarch of the Crown Guard family and Silvermine City was their fiefdom, the Crown Guard family's focus had shifted to the Imperial Capital. Their control over Silvermine City was actually quite limited.

While Peter's branch of the main family was deeply trusted by the King and held high positions, they were not numerous, and their primary connections were in the military, lacking sufficient management personnel.

Therefore, the actual management of Silvermine City fell more to the collateral branches of the Crown Guard family. Compared to the main family, there were many collateral family members remaining in Silvermine City, but in terms of quality, calling them mere figureheads would be a compliment!

Ogesha knew perfectly well what kind of scum they were!

Those scoundrels could brazenly use the excuse of a frost disaster to outright embezzle the land taxes and bribe any envoys sent to investigate.

They were certainly capable of such acts, where a son sells his father's land without a second thought, and family members betray their own kin.

After all, when Peter returned to the Imperial Capital, he had a very unpleasant falling out with these people because he refused to recommend them.

Peter had offended quite a few "good relatives" that time.

Incidentally, even in Demacia, nobles like Peter who were willing to endure hardship for the country were few and far between!

Why were the Lightshield and Crown Guard families, along with Buweier, the closest?

It was precisely because these two noble families were the most reliable!

The remaining nobles...

Were mostly just vermin.

Originally, Ogesha, who knew the situation in Silvermine City well, could have acted much earlier.

However, on one hand, Silvermine City had indeed suffered a disaster three years ago, and on the other hand, the family's losses had led to power vacuums and instability. Peter had also been constantly busy, and she hadn't been able to free herself up.

Furthermore, Ogesha still cared somewhat about maintaining the dignity of the nobility, so she had given the collateral family members some leeway.

She had thought these scoundrels would have had enough after three years of plunder, but when the autumn grain statistics arrived this year, Silvermine City still reported "territory frostbitten, requesting exemption"!

Good heavens, three full years!

These "good relatives" in Silvermine City still dared to report frost, they couldn't even be bothered to come up with a new excuse!

These audacious fellows had truly gotten out of hand!

This time, Ogesha decided not to bother with their sense of propriety.

Frost, was it?

Tax exemption, was it?

Fine, then I'll send disaster relief and audit the accounts!

You have no dignity.

I will bestow dignity upon you!

The steward Kuren was the one responsible for bringing them this "dignity"—tasked with such a mission, he couldn't afford to be anything but serious.

In addition, Kuren was also responsible for evaluating and testing Lux.

When they left the Demacian Imperial Capital, Ogesha had given Kuren considerable discretionary power; he could choose to tell Lux everything or keep her completely in the dark.

As long as Lux's safety was guaranteed, there would be no problem.

If Kuren believed Lux was not suited to handle such matters, Ogesha would personally guide her for a period!

Under these circumstances, even Kuren, who was seasoned and experienced, had to remain constantly serious and prepared for battle.