Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 138 Emily's Adventures
When Emily first stepped into the Crimson Tide Territory, she didn't actually have high expectations.

After all, she had read the previous information about Red Tide Territory before she came, and it was just one of the remote corners of the Northern Territory.

She had grown up seeing the harshness and desolation of the North with her father.

Even if there is a lord, what difference will it make?
Even when she first arrived at the border, all she saw was a vast, desolate wasteland, washed pale and lifeless by the wind and snow, with hardly a trace of human habitation.

She was almost certain that this place was probably much like the other territories: desolate, lifeless, with at most a few dilapidated wooden houses stuck in the snow.

But as the carriage went deeper into the interior, her thoughts began to waver.

The scene before her eyes began to change. Emily looked out the car window and, expecting only a desolate and boundless northern landscape, unexpectedly caught a glimpse of something unusual.

The residential area of ​​the Red Tide Territory came into view.

From a distance, it no longer appeared to be the makeshift camp she had envisioned, but rather carried a strange sense of order.

The outline of the entire settlement is clear, with streets laid out in a grid pattern, orderly in both directions.

The semi-subterranean houses undulate across the gray northern landscape.

Although the details are not clearly visible, it exudes an undeniable sense of neatness.

To her even greater surprise, the outline of a market could be vaguely seen in the center of the town.

The market's sunshades and densely packed stalls are connected like decorative embellishments.

Wisps of white smoke occasionally rose from above the rows of workshops.

Even from a distance, she could almost feel the faint yet persistent commotion and vitality.

Emily held her breath slightly.

She had seen too many towns in the North, and was used to their chaos, decay, and gloom.

But from a distance, it looks like...

A flower that quietly blooms on a desolate land.

As the carriage drew closer, the outline of Chichao Territory became increasingly clear.

The streets are no longer distant lines, but a real scene unfolding before your eyes.

Emily discovered that the awe she felt from afar was just the beginning.

When those blurry outlines suddenly become incredibly clear, it's almost unbelievable.

The streets paved with gravel were wide and flat, and the wheels made a solid sound when they rolled over them, without a trace of mud or looseness.

Simple wooden road signs stand on both sides of the road, with clean and neat edges, without any sense of messiness.

Looking further in, rows of semi-subterranean houses stretched out along the low slope, with thick stone walls and roofs covered with thick thatch for warmth.

While it may not be considered beautiful, it gives people a sense of exceptional solidity and durability.

Even the houses on the outermost edge were neat and well-maintained, without a trace of dilapidation.

"My God..." Nora whispered through the car window, "Is this really a village in the North?!"

Emily didn't reply; she just stared intently out the window.

Those houses and those streets are not a whitewash to pass inspections, nor a temporary, concentrated rectification, but a stability that comes from the very roots.

Her gaze fell on the people on the street, and a strange feeling welled up in her heart.

Several children, their faces flushed, were chasing a clucking domestic fowl on a street corner, their laughter so clear it was almost unsettling.

An elderly woman with a full head of white hair was carrying a heavy basket by the roadside, chatting and laughing as she exchanged items with her neighbor.

The men and women walking on the street all had a genuine sense of ease on their faces.

It wasn't the blank, numb feeling she'd seen elsewhere in the North, nor was it a forced smile forced out for survival.

It was a genuine, reassured expression.

“They don’t look like they’ve just survived the winter,” Nora murmured, her voice betraying her surprise.

Emily nodded slightly.

Indeed, she knew all too well what the other northern territories were like.

Winter has just ended, and residents should be pale, thin, and listless at this time, with many even having difficulty standing.

But the people here...

Both her complexion and demeanor exuded an unbelievable sense of fulfillment.

Her gaze swept across the market not far away, where several vendors were hawking their wares.

There were even cured meat jerky and some loose fabrics; the goods were much more plentiful than she had imagined.

Further inside is the workshop area, where the blacksmith's furnace crackles, the sound of hammering is crisp and rhythmic, the sound of sawing wood echoes, and the air is filled with the smell of sawdust and iron.

This all... feels so unreal.

Emily's long-suppressed thought finally surfaced.

This is not a miracle, but rather a kind of almost insane governance.

But neither of them is something an ordinary person could do. "Is this really the North?" Nora asked again, her eyes full of complicated emotions.

Emily took a deep breath, looked away, and said softly, "Yes, this is the North, the Red Tide Territory."

She could sense her wariness and suspicion towards Louis.

At this moment, a gap was forcibly torn open, and another, deeper emotion—curiosity and trepidation—was rapidly spreading.

She desperately wanted to know what it was about this man that allowed him to create such a miracle in this deadly place.

The carriage slowly came to a stop. Several guards standing at the street corner had already noticed them and warily stepped forward to block their way.

"Who goes there?" the lead guard asked in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping over the carriage and the people accompanying it.

Nora quickly leaned out of the car, a perfectly timed smile on her face.

Raising his hands to indicate harmlessness, he said, "Don't misunderstand, we are a merchant guild from out of town, hoping to find some business to do here. We came here specifically to pay a visit... I wonder if we have the opportunity to meet your lord?"

The guard narrowed his eyes slightly, stared at Nora for a moment, seemingly judging whether it was true or false, then nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

"Wait there." After saying that, he turned and walked quickly toward the town, obviously to report.

Emily sat up slightly in the carriage, looking through the curtain at the guard's back: "Not bad discipline."

Nora looked away and chuckled softly, "They're not making things difficult at all; they seem to follow the rules quite well."

While waiting, Emily didn't rest; she continued to carefully observe the surrounding scenery through the car window.

Busy figures can be seen everywhere on the streets.
Someone was waving a broom, slowly sweeping away the remaining snow on the street corner.

Someone was setting up tables and chairs, polishing the wooden tables until they shone, and arranging them neatly in the open space.

A group of young adults were working together to build a simple wooden stage, discussing something as they went, their faces beaming with undisguised excitement.

Red and gold ribbons fluttered in the wind on the streets and alleys, and bright flags were hung high.

The red flag with a gold sun on a red background of the Red Tide Territory gleamed in the sunlight, while the black and red crescent moon flag of the Calvin family was also prominently displayed, adding a touch of solemnity.

The whole town seemed to be immersed in a warm and festive atmosphere, as if even the air was filled with a subtle joy.

Nora stared wide-eyed, completely absorbed, and couldn't help but murmur in amazement, "This is really interesting... Is they having some kind of celebration? It feels even more lively than the festivals we have in Frostspear City."

Emily nodded, a few questions swirling in her mind, before finally asking, "Excuse me, what are you preparing?"

A middle-aged villager who was carrying decorations heard Emily's question and put down what he was carrying with a smile.

He wiped his sweat and replied with undisguised pride, "Ah, we're preparing for the Spring Festival tomorrow!"
To celebrate the first anniversary of the Red Tide Territory's founding, and with Lord Louis becoming a viscount, we'll have to have a proper celebration!

"Viscount?" Emily was stunned, a look of disbelief flashing in her eyes. "He... he's already a viscount?"

The villager smiled and nodded: "Yes, at this time last year, there was nothing here, just a piece of wasteland."

"It was Lord Louis who saved us! We were struggling to survive back then; he pulled us out of the mire, and now we have these good days."

A young woman standing nearby chimed in with a smile, "Yes, Lord Louis is so kind to us."

Not only did they provide us with shelter and food, but they also taught us how to support ourselves. After a year, we've almost forgotten the days of living in constant fear!

"Look at that flag." The middle-aged villager pointed to the red flag with a golden sun fluttering in the wind, his eyes filled with heartfelt reverence.
"To us, Lord Louis is like the sun, illuminating the path for us unfortunate people."

"The Lord's kindness is never enough!"

They spoke with genuine smiles on their faces and their eyes sparkling.

It was a feeling of gratitude and respect that welled up from the bottom of my heart.

Emily watched quietly, her heart unable to find peace for a long time.

He was only a pioneering baron last year... and became a viscount in less than a year?

This speed is simply outrageous.

Moreover, she originally thought that this northern wasteland would not be much different from other places, just a bitterly cold land with a different name.

But now, the streets, the vibrancy, and the smiles in the residents' eyes have completely overturned her perception.

What surprised her most was Louis's prestige here.

That feeling was almost one of worship.

She had only seen it in the lands of her father, Lord Edmund, the Governor of the North.

But now, these ordinary people speak of Louis with an even more sincere and fervent expression than those subjects who worship the Duke.

"Lord Louis is like the sun..."

Those words still echoed in her ears, stirring up a complex and indescribable emotion within her.

This is no longer a simple matter of whether the governance is good or not, or whether people can have enough to eat... it has completely won over the hearts of the people.

Emily took a small breath, her eyes full of curiosity: "Louis Calvin, what kind of person are you...?"

"He's only been in the North for a year, and he's already achieved this level of skill."

(End of this chapter)