Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 112 Hot Spring
After eating and drinking their fill, the two walked up the wide stone steps to the depths of the first floor of the castle.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door, a wave of hot, white steam rushed out.

“Where is this…” Yorn stopped in his tracks, staring intently at the scene before him.

It was a rugged but fully equipped hot spring pool.

The building is surrounded by rammed earth and stone bricks, with no fancy decorations, only the most practical structure.

The pool water was heated by natural geothermal energy, and fine steam billowed and filled the entire hall, with the faint sound of gurgling water audible.

The air was filled with a faint smell of minerals and a warm, humid atmosphere.

Outside the castle, the cold wind was still howling, but inside it felt like another world.

But in a place like the North, you can actually soak in hot springs?!
It's even more enviable than owning a gold mine!

“Boss…” Yorn said, taking off his coat, his voice tinged with envy, “Your territory actually has such a wonderful place?”

Louis stood to the side, smiling lazily.

"Just lucky, just lucky." He said casually, but his face was full of undisguised smugness.

Yorn had already stepped into the hot spring, almost groaning out in bliss: "Ah! This is what life is all about..."

The warm spring water seeped into every inch of frozen muscle, evaporating the chill little by little, and even warming the bones.

Although it can't compare to the luxurious bathhouses in the capital city with their carved beams, painted rafters, and fragrant aromas.

But the raw, untamed aroma of the hot spring has a unique charm.

"Ha... If only I could soak in the pool every day, that would be the life of a nobleman..." Yorn leaned against the edge of the pool, half-closing his eyes, so comfortable that he almost started snoring.

Louis glanced at Jon and suddenly said, "How about... we stay here this winter?"

"The people of Chichao have plenty to eat and wear, and they even have hot springs. Life there is much better than yours."

Jon was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

He gazed at the misty stone hall, then at the neatly stacked firewood outside the pool, and at the steaming aroma wafting from the kitchen in the distance.

It would be a lie to say that you are not moved.

But he quickly gritted his teeth and suppressed that tempting thought.

"No."

He shook his head, but his eyes held a newfound certainty.

“I still have my own territory to protect. Even if the place is dilapidated and the houses are broken, it is still my territory. I have to get through the winter on my own. Besides, there are so many people waiting for me to protect them.”

Louis looked at him with some surprise. It seemed that after half a year of training, Yorn had grown into a more reliable lord.

After saying that, Yorn wiped his face, and as if afraid that the atmosphere would become too awkward, he quickly coughed and changed the subject: "Boss, are you now the new master of Snowpeak County?"

Louis shrugged, lazily soaking in the water: "I suppose so, thanks to the Governor's trust."

Jon advised, "If you ask me, it's best to solidify your position now, ideally with a ceremony. Although there's a tax exemption period after the war, the governor's power..."

"Surely we can still utilize some resources? If those old Northern nobles really get involved, it'll be a real problem."

Louis sighed. "Of course I've thought about it. But with winter approaching and the aftermath of the war, there aren't many territories in the North that are functioning properly."

To put it bluntly, there aren't many nobles left. It's highly unlikely that a formal succession ceremony could be arranged at this critical juncture.

“Yeah, that’s true…” Yorn muttered somewhat dejectedly. Speaking of the nobles of Snowpeak County, Louis suddenly remembered the twelve Northern nobles who had been killed by the Snowsworn not long ago.

Although their deaths had little to do with him, Louis still wrote a letter to report the matter to the Duke of Edmund.

The Duke simply gave a brief instruction, without asking for details or blaming him, just reassuring him that someone would fill the vacancies next spring.

They didn't care at all, just like counting livestock.

Louis's lips curled into a slight, cold smile.

It seems that Duke Edmund doesn't care about these scoundrels at all.

Since that's the case, there's no need to hold myself back anymore when it comes to doing things.

While Louis was lost in thought, Jon had already changed the subject.

“Hey, boss, I have a secret to tell you.” He whispered, as if afraid of being overheard. “My dad recently sent a message saying that the Empire is preparing to accelerate the Northern Expedition.”

Louis opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow: "Expansion and Reclamation Order?"

“Yes.” Yorn nodded. “The emperor plans to send another batch of noble sons up, and this time, the scope is wider and the number is larger. I heard that the selection criteria are also much stricter than before.”

He paused, then lowered his voice and continued, "Those who can come this time are not just any ordinary people. They must be direct descendants of the family."

Furthermore, the required rank must be elite knight, with at least one battle experience record, and capable of leading a knightly force of at least one hundred men.

Yorn rolled his eyes: "In other words, the emperor is determined not to let those nobles in the south send up useless people to fool people anymore."

Louis pondered what this message meant: "Is the Emperor trying to weaken the power of the Southern nobles? Otherwise, why would he have been so frantically sending Southern noble sons to the North all these years?"

“Who knows?” Yorn shrugged. “Anyway, I think there’s something fishy going on, otherwise His Majesty the Emperor wouldn’t have suddenly become so anxious all these years.”

The two chatted quietly for a while, but because they had so little information, they couldn't come to any conclusions despite their speculations.

The only certainty is that next spring a large number of new pioneering nobles will arrive in the North from the South.

However, Louis wasn't worried at all.

There are policies and measures to counter.

Even if the emperor was determined to speed things up and sent batch after batch of so-called "pioneer nobles," who knew what kind of people they were?
Forget about "direct bloodlines" and "elite knights." How many people can truly withstand the harsh winters, wars, and poverty of the North?

No matter how carefully they were selected, the sons of the southern nobles, accustomed to living off their wives, were extremely rare and could endure the hardships of the North.

And even if they are truly a group of the elite of the elite, so what?

Louis wasn't entirely afraid of them, after all, he had already established a foothold in the North.

Red Tide Territory is also one of the few self-sufficient expansion territories in the North that does not rely on any family.

His army had been tested by blood and fire; it was capable of fighting and defending the homeland.

He is now the governor of Xuefeng County.

Even if those newcomers are truly capable, they still have to obediently bow and pay their respects in front of him.

I wonder if any of Calvin's other brothers will be sent to this godforsaken place.

Louis's lips curled slightly, revealing a faint smile.

(End of this chapter)