The Alexei Troupe's performance was truly spectacular; after so many years of refinement, everything about the troupe had reached the pinnacle of excellence.
Whether it was the scenery or the acting, it was in no way inferior even when compared to the works in the Imperial Capital.
Among the plays they performed, many evoked a sense of familiarity in both commoners and nobles.
The source of this familiarity was simple: those plays depicted immigrants or nobles coming to Northeast Rus from distant lands to escape poverty, and then they would clear land and build manors on these undeveloped territories.
Some nobles acquired fertile and rich lands here, restored their family's prestige, and further elevated their family's wealth.
And some commoners lived prosperous lives here, with some even becoming nobles.
Everything seemed so wonderful, so perfectly aligned with the audience's needs and desires for the future, and most importantly, they could all relate to it.
After all, no matter what, Moscow was a burgeoning city, and in such a city, opportunities were always available if one was willing to work hard.
Moreover, even if you just worked diligently here, you would find that your quality of life had improved somewhat compared to the old days.
These storylines were produced at Rostislav's request, typical conquest/pioneer dramas, precisely the type of drama Rostislav needed.
The actors in the troupe were all excellent; they performed a variety of roles, and they all appeared so lifelike.
Especially Viona Pence, this Gael woman from Britain, who was exceptional in her singing, acting, and even her figure and appearance.
The roles she played made everyone feel good; whether it was an innocent maiden, a seductive widow, or a refined nun, she handled them with ease, attracting many people to watch.
When she appeared, cheers and whistles would erupt, and Viona showed no stage fright in the face of it all.
Of course, compared to her beautiful singing, what they cared more about was her pretty face and ample bosom, as these things always attracted men.
However, no one dared to make a move on Viona, not even the nobles, otherwise she would have long become the mistress of some powerful figure and retired from the stage.
This was all due to the influence of her brother, Domnal Pence, who was undoubtedly a member of Moscow's power center.
This Captain of the Guard's son-in-law was a top dignitary in this city; daring to provoke his sister was courting death, and this man could even kill your entire family without facing much punishment, because he was the acknowledged next Captain of the Druzhina.
However, although the actress's singing was beautiful, Adam, sitting next to Rostislav, had no intention of appreciating it; he simply wasn't in the mood.
He just watched the Moscow Prince beside him, who was engrossed in the play, and silently pondered.
After what had just transpired, Adam couldn't help but begin to ponder what kind of person Rostislav truly was.
One thing was beyond doubt: in all his years of life, the most successful and talented person Adam had ever met was Rostislav.
Over these five years, he had also learned about the Prince's experiences; this ruler of Moscow had lost his father very early, and thus had thrown himself into battle at a young age, facing the javelins of forest dwellers, fending off the arrows of Nomads, and even swaying to dodge spears.
Facing these increasingly perilous situations, Rostislav had endured steadfastly.
He was as stubborn and tough as a tree stump, and he had achieved one military feat after another on the battlefield, making his name resonate throughout the land.
However, his reputation and military achievements did not bring him much reward; he was still enfeoffed to the extremely wild lands of Northeast Rus.
Northeast Rus, Adam still remembered his childhood teacher describing it as a land of barbarians, densely covered with forests, and full of savage tribes and villages.
A few towns inhabited by Christians were scattered across this land, serving as trade transit points for Bulgar to the west, and these towns were also isolated beacons of civilization.
Of course, their level of civilization certainly couldn't compare to Bulgar.
As for the Rus' people, in his teacher's description, they were barbarians among barbarians; they had invaded Bulgar many times, bringing slaughter and threat to their civilized nation.
After the collapse of the Khazar Khaganate, the order of the steppe fell into chaos, and many forces, led by Bulgar, were striving to restore order to the steppe, allowing everything to return to the tranquility and order that existed before the destruction of the Khaganate.
But the Rus' were the destroyers of this order, not to mention that it was they who destroyed the Khazar Khaganate and besieged Bulgar, and now Rus' pirates were continuously pouring down the Volga River towards the Caspian Sea, disrupting the originally stable trade routes along the way.
From ancient times to the present, countless people had died at the hands of these barbarians, and Northeast Rus was precisely the land from which those barbarians launched their expeditions into their civilized nations.
Therefore, young Adam's hostility towards the Rus' and Christians was very strong at the time, but as he later came into contact with Christian, his feelings towards Christians finally changed.
But regarding the Rus', his impression remained that it was a land full of barbarians, and the Rus' people were indeed barbarians.
If it hadn't been for the excessive pressure from the rebels led by Akad, Adam wouldn't even have chosen to flee to Northeast Rus.
Under the pursuit of the usurper, he could only choose to flee to Rus'.
And upon arriving in this land, Adam found that Northeast Rus was much more populated than he had imagined; roads were scattered through the forests, and villages could be seen frequently all around.
Although there were some traces of war on the roads, these traces were fading thanks to the efforts of the residents, and the people here were clearly filled with hope for the future, hence their diligence.
And upon entering Moscow, Adam couldn't help but be captivated by the city's atmosphere—it was a vibrant feeling unique to a nascent city, a feeling Adam had never experienced before.
Moreover, everything in Moscow was new; Adam had some knowledge of architecture, for example, those houses, although they looked covered in dirt, Adam's experience told him that the history of these houses was no more than five years.
Bulgar was a city with a long history, which meant that everything here had already formed rules and systems, and everyone had to adhere to these rules and systems.
And stable rules and systems, in another sense, meant that it was a stagnant place.
But Moscow was different; nothing here had yet been finalized, everything was still full of challenges, the streets were full of people seeking opportunities, and also full of working people, and the city was becoming more prosperous through their work.
It was precisely because of this that many immigrants were attracted to Moscow, as everyone hoped their lives would be better than before.
Adam felt that his teacher's teachings severely contradicted the actual situation; at that time, he thought his teacher spoke those words because he despised the Rus' people, as Northeast Rus was so prosperous, how could it be a land of barbarians?
But the subsequent knowledge shocked him; he learned that all of this was Rostislav's doing, that this Moscow Prince had crossed the dense forests, brought immigrants to this place, and opened up a new area suitable for human habitation in Northeast Rus.
Just like Moscow, it was a wilderness back then, with bears running around everywhere, and now it had become a prosperous city.
Adam was astonished by this; he hadn't expected anyone could achieve such a feat, transforming a wilderness into a prosperous land, a capability he found hard to imagine.
Even Aleff was filled with even more emotion about this; he could say he had met this Prince not long after Rostislav settled in Northeast Rus—though it wasn't a good meeting, as he had gone to set a trap for Rostislav at the time, but failed.
This gave him a profound understanding of Rostislav, and Akad's subsequent military failures further reinforced this impression, making Aleff increasingly certain that Rostislav was by no means simple.
He also told Adam this, telling his young master to be cautious, cautious, and even more cautious when facing this Prince.