Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 131 Evil Spirits Are Stirring Up

The translucent screen rippled like water, and then three pieces of information quickly appeared:
[Daily intelligence update complete]

[1: Today, large-scale growth of *Ivy frostbite* was discovered in the northern Iwagani Ridge of the Red Tide Territory, marking the best harvesting window for the next week.]

[2: Emperor Ernst August of the Iron Empire has officially issued a new order for the northern frontier expansion.]

[3: The evil nurtured by the Snowsworn is stirring, and a crisis will sweep across the North this winter, no less severe than the Great Rebellion of two years ago.]

"Frost Leaf Vine?!"

Louis, who was lying on the bed, sat up abruptly, causing Sif, who was still in the blankets, to grunt and turn over.

He didn't care about anything else; his eyes were already gleaming with excitement.

Frost-leaf vine, that's no ordinary herb.

It is a rare plant with the properties of "soothing the emotions of magical beasts" and "stabilizing the agitation of low-level magical beasts". Once it is collected properly and the medicine is successfully prepared, it can become a treasure that beast tamers dream of!
“This thing is a divine artifact…” Louis murmured, his mind racing with the problem of taming magical beasts.

Monsters are not simply savage beasts that rely on muscle to rampage, but rather supernatural creatures that maintain their physique, perception, and various abilities through trace amounts of magic power within their bodies.

That's why they are so difficult to tame.

Magical energy is extremely unstable within a monster's body, often causing disturbances to its central nervous system, leading to mania, anxiety, and even a state similar to "collective madness," severely reducing taming efficiency.

Some magical beasts may experience a "magical stress self-destruction" when subjected to stimuli such as imprisonment, starvation, or drastic changes, resulting in their immediate death.

Moreover, if one of the same species loses control of its emotions, it can trigger a collective rampage due to the magical resonance, known as the "rage tide effect".

"Therefore, high magical power means low controllability..."

This has almost become a dead end in the field of monster taming, which is why Louis doesn't intend to raise some monsters he encounters, but instead kills and eats them.

Plants like the frost-leaf vine offer a glimmer of hope to break this deadlock.

As for the turtle-scented incense concocted by Hilko, it at most only made the fireback turtle 'unwilling to move', how could it be considered tamed?
It was just taking advantage of the fireback turtle's mating season.

The dire wolf we tamed earlier, while strong, didn't actually have a high magic content; it was just a powerful physique that made it an excellent mount.

However, in the future, if we can stabilize highly magical beasts and tame them for controlled breeding, then...

Whether used as food, alchemical items, or directly as combat power, that's when it truly takes off.

"If we had Frostleaf Vine... those magical beasts that we only dare to kill and eat but never raise, we could try to purify and stabilize them... and even make them our Crimson Tide Territory's exclusive war beasts."

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile.

However, rare things like the Frostleaf Vine...

It often attracts a large number of monsters to grow around it, making harvesting somewhat troublesome.

Although the intelligence did not mention such dangers, Louis never took such matters lightly.

After memorizing this piece of information, Louis turned to the second:
Emperor Ernst August of the Iron Empire has officially issued a new order for the northern frontier expansion.

"Oh, this thing is finally down?" he muttered to himself.

Louis wasn't particularly surprised by this information.

Even before winter arrived, Jon had given him a heads-up.

After all, Jon's father was a favorite of the emperor, so it wasn't surprising that he could hear some inside information in advance.

"But even if it is implemented, I doubt many young noblemen from the south will be able to survive this ordeal."

Louis rested his chin on his hand in thought. The North was not a place that the sheltered aristocracy of the South could easily intrude upon.

Here lies harsh winter, barren land, war, and the local tyrants who have already taken root. No matter how strict the selection criteria for the pioneering order are, most of those who actually come will likely be arrogant and spoiled brats, and the southern nobles are unlikely to send their true elites here.

They might be better off than other nobles of their generation, but most would still struggle to adapt to the new environment.

"After all, there aren't many pioneering lords as outstanding as me," Louis boasted.

He smiled, and instead felt that this might be an opportunity.

If a few of these pioneers can manage to survive, then Louis would be willing to see if cooperation is possible.

If that doesn't work, um...

Allowing them to spend some gold coins in Snow Peak County and incidentally "contribute" some resources or territory left behind by the losers is also a form of benefit.

He focused his attention on the third piece of intelligence:

The evil spirits nurtured by the Snowsworn are stirring, and a crisis will sweep across the North this winter, no less severe than the Great Rebellion of two years ago.

Louis's pupils contracted slightly upon hearing this intelligence report, and his heart tightened involuntarily.

The phrase "the great rebellion two years ago" is by no means a trivial term for anyone familiar with that period of history.

That year, the Snow Oathbrood suddenly allied with the northern barbarians and traitors hiding in the northern territories, stirring up a turmoil that shook the entire empire.

Several cities fell overnight, defenses collapsed, and the imperial army was forced into a series of defeats.

The entire northern region lost almost a third of its land. Several once-prosperous earls were reduced to scorched earth, with refugees fleeing and corpses littering the fields.

It wasn't until the Duke fought a bloody battle for three months, holding out until the main imperial forces arrived and forcibly cut off the barbarians' supply lines, that the disaster was finally contained.

But the northern border never recovered and was plagued by frequent wars.

What if this crisis is "no less severe than that one"?
"...This is no longer a small-scale operation."

Louis narrowed his eyes, the relaxed smile on his lips quietly disappearing, and his gaze gradually darkening.

He leaned against the headboard, staring at the semi-transparent intelligence interface, his thoughts churning.

"The evil spirits nurtured by the Vowers"...

What kind of disaster was it? What were they sacrificing?
He often saw in intelligence reports that knights and nobles were frequently captured by the Snowsworn and sacrificed.

Unfortunately, he still doesn't understand what the Snow Oathkeepers are sacrificing, and even when he catches a lone Snow Oathkeeper, they refuse to answer.

The intelligence system wrote such a serious but vague statement, and it was the first time they had ever provided such far-reaching prophetic intelligence. This was what made him most uneasy.

"This winter...that is, about a year from now."

He muttered to himself, sighed softly, stretched, and sat up against the headboard, wrapped in the blanket.

There's still some time; at least we can make some preparations in advance.

The worst-case scenario... is to pack up the people and the grain, seal off the earthen building, and run away.

He wasn't some kind of patron who would defend his cities to the death. In a place like the North, nobles who weren't afraid of war would only become a laughingstock on the scorched earth.

"Ugh, this is such a hassle."

With these thoughts in mind, Louis casually waved the Daily Intelligence System away, and the interface vanished like mist.

He glanced at Sif, who was still fast asleep beside him, reached out and patted her bottom, his tone amused: "Lazybones, wake up."

(End of this chapter)