Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 114 Shocking Intelligence

The cold wind outside the window carried the biting chill unique to the North.

When Louis woke up, the room was warm and cozy.

Because the geothermal pipes hidden under the floor are slowly releasing warmth, the entire bedroom maintains a just-right temperature.

Therefore, he was able to sleep soundly through the night without being bothered by the cold, even with only a thin wool blanket.

Louis slowly sat up and casually tidied his slightly disheveled hair.

The first thing he did upon waking up was the same as always: he subconsciously raised his hand, and a semi-transparent light screen quietly unfolded before his eyes.

[Daily intelligence update complete]

[1: Today, an adult giant glacial serpent was discovered in the northern Iwagakure of the Red Tide Territory, having entered hibernation.]

[2: Emperor Ernst August of the Iron Empire has officially agreed to the Governor of the North's recommendation and approved the promotion of Louis Calvin to Viscount.]

[3: Archmage Jürgen Locken unexpectedly fell unconscious not far north of the Crimson Tide Territory; his current condition is unknown.]

Louis glanced at the first piece of intelligence and immediately perked up.

In the North, the Ice Vein Serpent is one of the most valuable magical beasts!

Although its gallbladder cannot directly enhance battle qi, it can cleanse impurities in the bloodline, increase talent, and accelerate cultivation progress.

For someone like me with average talent, this kind of improvement is more important than anything else.

Not to mention the nourishing snake meat, the cold-resistant scales, and the precious snake teeth...

It can be said that the entire Ice Vein Serpent is a treasure trove!
However, under normal circumstances, hunting a fully grown Ice Vein Serpent is not an easy task.

An adult Ice Vein Serpent, when coiled up, has a body diameter as large as a house, resembling a giant monster in the icy plains.

Moreover, this kind of magical beast bloodline contains a strong icy element, and a single breath of snake's breath can instantly freeze an opponent.

Not to mention, their scales are as tough as cold iron, capable of withstanding most weapon attacks.

Even with the current strength of the Crimson Tide Territory, taking him down would require paying an extremely heavy price.

However, now, deep winter is approaching, and the Ice Vein Serpent has entered hibernation.

With extremely low alertness and slow reaction time, it's the perfect opportunity to strike!

Louis clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming with barely suppressed excitement.

If we miss this opportunity, who knows how many more years we'll have to wait?

Must win!

Louis then spotted a second piece of intelligence, which excited him even more.

He has confirmed his promotion to viscount!

Louis felt a sense of relief, and even the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.

Although I knew long ago that I had a great chance.

In the North, personnel appointments and titles below the rank of earl are almost always just formalities, provided the governor, Duke Edmund, has the support.

That's correct in theory.

But what made Louis uneasy was the emperor's attitude.

After all, he still carries the title of "direct descendant of the Calvin family".

As the son of the emperor's current target, the fact that he holds a position as a prefect in the northern border region is likely to cause resentment in this autocratic emperor.

Even if Duke Edmund strongly recommends it, all previous efforts may be in vain.

"Thankfully, it seems nothing unexpected happened." Louis breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart.

The third piece of intelligence that followed left Louis speechless with shock.

Jürgen Loken, the Archmage, is in a coma in the northern part of the Red Tide Territory.

"Holy crap! Archmage Jürgen...?"

This name existed almost exclusively in fairy tales and history books for him.

Mages are an extremely rare profession in this world. Even as a nobleman, he had only seen them a few times within his family, shrouded in mystery.

It is said that a thousand years ago, monks were still active in the world and there were many of them.

However, for unknown reasons, a large-scale witch hunt broke out later.

Since then, the monk has almost completely disappeared from the public eye.

There are rumors that they have collectively hidden deep in the mountains and forests, while others are certain that they have been extinct.

Of course, there have been occasional appearances of sorcerers throughout this thousand-year history, but they are extremely rare.

And now, a comatose archmage has appeared in the Crimson Tide Territory.

This is shocking enough.

But what stirred Louis's heart even more was that name—

Jürgen Löcken.

He had seen this name before while studying imperial historical materials, and he was very familiar with it.

That was a legendary mage who followed the first emperor of the Iron-Blooded Empire in his conquests, and it has been exactly four hundred years since then.

"It's probably just someone with the same name..." Louis murmured to himself, trying to reassure himself.

But if it were the person in the history books, it would be a storm that could change the entire North and even the entire Empire.

Regardless of the truth, now that this matter has occurred on the land of the Red Tide Territory, he cannot sit idly by.

"Since we're already entangled in karma, we might as well face it proactively."

Louis murmured softly and gently closed the semi-transparent intelligence panel.

"Lambert, assemble the knights and hunter squads, and prepare to depart for the final hunt of the year."

Louis didn't offer much explanation.

Lambert and the knights, however, were used to it.

Every now and then, the lord would suddenly feel like going hunting, and each time he did, he would always manage to find a few magical beasts as prey.

So the main force quickly assembled and set off in a grand procession.

Sunlight streamed through gaps in the gray clouds as warhorses galloped through the snow.

Along the way, they hunted a lot of wild game—wild deer, snow foxes, and even a few low-level magical beasts like wild boars.

The atmosphere was great; the knights hunted and speculated about the day's results, their laughter echoing in the wind.

Because they knew that, according to the lord's custom, most of the monster meat hunted would be distributed among everyone.

But Louis's real goal was clearly not the flesh of these low-level magical beasts.

His gaze remained fixed ahead, piercing through the swirling snowflakes, fixed on the direction of the northern rocky valley.

My true goal lies hidden there.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats interrupted the march of the group.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

A hunter came running back from the front of the group, panting heavily, his face flushed and steam rising from his forehead.

He practically tumbled and crawled to Louis, one hand on his knee, panting heavily.

He spoke very quickly: "Cough, cough... My lord! A huge snake has been spotted at the edge of the valley ahead!!"

"A giant snake?" The knights were slightly taken aback and looked at each other.

Louis sat bolt upright on his horse, thinking, "We've finally arrived," and asked directly, "How big?"

The hunter, still catching his breath, stammered and gestured a circle: "Coiled up... bigger than... bigger than a house... We didn't dare go near it, so we ran back quickly!"

"Take me there." He flicked his cloak and walked ahead.

The knights immediately followed.

(End of this chapter)