Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 194 Fire Scale Viper

Even though she was mentally prepared, Emily still couldn't help but frown when she actually stepped into the geothermal core area of ​​Red Tide Territory.

A layer of scorching fire mist seemed to float in the air, and waves of steam came, baking the rocks until they were hot. Even breathing felt like inhaling the airflow from the depths of a furnace.

She instinctively tightened the light cloak draped over her shoulders, even though the cloak offered little protection from the heat; it was more of a psychological comfort.

"Are your feet still hot?" Louis, who was in front of her, turned around and looked at her boots.

Emily nodded, then shook her head, a gentle smile playing on her lips: "It's alright. It's a bit hot, but I'm not afraid with you here."

Louis chuckled softly and walked back to her side. "I originally intended to come alone; it's just too hot in a place like this."

“I know.” Emily reached out and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead, “but I also want to know what you’ve been doing.”

From the day she first met Louis, Emily knew in her heart that this man's path was destined not to remain in the greenhouse or at banquets.

Emily wanted to walk beside him rather than stay where she was and wait.

The ground was as hot as an iron plate, and every step felt like dancing on flames.

Although as an elite knight she could withstand most of the high temperatures with her battle aura, sweat still seeped out, flowing from her neck into her collar and wetting the fabric close to her body.

“So,” Emily turned to look at Louis, who was walking ahead, and asked while wiping her sweat, “what kind of snake are we here to catch?”

Louis didn't turn around, but his tone was as relaxed as if he were taking a walk in the mountains: "Firescale Viper."

Emily responded with a soft "hmm" and didn't ask any further questions.

Of course she knew what it was.

She was neither a trainee knight newly enlisted in the army, nor one of those young ladies sitting in the courtyard reciting poetry.

She grew up in the North and had a general understanding of these dangerous magical beasts that lurked in the crevices of scorching rocks.

Firescale Viper is a reptilian magical beast that lives in extremely hot environments. It is commonly found in areas with frequent volcanic activity, around geothermal faults, and in rock crevices near sulfur pits.

It is about three meters long, with scales as hard as iron, and its body is deep red or orange-gold. It can withstand continuous high temperatures of over 90 degrees Celsius.

They are gregarious, highly aggressive, and their teeth contain highly toxic heat. If injected into a wound, they can cause a severe burning reaction or even loss of nerve control.

Scales, liver, gallbladder, and venom glands are all high-value alchemical materials.

Due to its stable heat output characteristics, it is highly favored by various military supply alchemists.

However, due to the difficulty of catching them and the harsh environment, fire-scaled vipers have long been on the list of high-priced resources.

Therefore, Louis's purpose for this trip was not merely to "catch a few snakes".

Instead, it prepares for the Red Tide Territory's subsequent combat readiness research, magic explosion technology, and even the training system for special troops.

“The surface temperature in this area has exceeded ninety degrees Celsius,” Louis said while observing the terrain. “Sulfur gas, rock-cracked steam… these are exactly the kind of living environment that fire-scaled vipers love most.”

“Yes, I can smell it.” Emily nodded, her nostrils filled with a faint smell of sulfur, and a certain damp, sweet scent.

The surrounding rocks had turned red, as if they had been repeatedly scorched.

White smoke rose from the gaps from time to time, swirling and billowing in the air with the airflow.

Occasionally, faded snake skins appear on the ground, their fine scales shimmering slightly in the light.

“They usually live in groups and like to forage at dawn and dusk,” Louis said in a low voice. “We need to find its nest before it goes back to it.”

"So how many do you plan to catch?" Emily asked.

“If we’re lucky, we can find a nest, and we’ll try to capture them alive,” Louis said calmly. “We’ll use some for experiments, and the rest for domestication.”

Taming Firescale Vipers?
Emily didn't ask, but a hint of interest appeared in her eyes.

The scorching ground was trembling slightly.

“Found it.” Louis lightly touched the barely perceptible, winding mark with his fingertip. “The trail of a Fire Scale Viper, and it’s fresh.”

Emily looked in the direction he pointed, and not far away, behind a rock covered in cracks, a faint crimson scale-like shadow flashed by, like some kind of lurking, fiery ghost.

“Their nest should be near that meltwater trench up ahead,” Louis said calmly, standing up and dusting off his trousers.

He waved his hand, and the knights who were already waiting quickly split into three groups.

The lead-in team is responsible for attracting the target to appear, the observation team records the behavioral reactions and releases fog, and the protection team stands guard with shields in case of emergencies.

A knight standing beside Louis deftly retrieved a silver-white portable distillation apparatus.

The device looked like a crystal jar securely protected by a metal frame.

The pale blue liquid was carefully poured from another knight's hand into the core slot of the jar.

"Activate," the knight whispered, pressing the mechanism on the side of the device with his thumb.

A soft hissing sound was heard.

The next second, wisps of light blue mist rose from the top of the device, carrying a scent of grass and mint that seemed particularly cool in the hot air.

A tranquil atmosphere, like that before the first snowfall, slowly enveloped the nearby heat.

The other knights also activated their respective atomizers, and in an instant, the entire rocky ground seemed to have been quietly dragged from purgatory into snow.

The fire-scaled viper, which was wriggling in the crevices of the rocks, seemed to sense something. Its movements slowed down, and it stopped being restless. Instead, it cautiously raised its head, gently waving its nose, and sniffing the peculiar scent that filled the air.

Emily frowned slightly, staring at the device that was gently spraying mist. She twitched her nose and smelled a faint scent of grass and mint.

"What kind of medicine is this? I don't think I've ever seen it before," she couldn't help but ask.

“Frostleaf Vine Guide Agent,” Louis replied casually, still intently observing the few red figures slowly wriggling in the crevice of the rock ahead.

“Frostleaf Vine?” Emily repeated softly. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“Normal.” Louis’s lips curled up slightly, a hint of pretentiousness appearing in his eyes.

"A rare, low-temperature vine found in the northern wilderness, it often grows epiphytically on high-altitude, cold rock walls. When mature, it secretes a sticky, blue sap that is cold and pungent. I had a batch collected for experiments, and only after refining it was this induction agent made."

Emily tilted her head to look at the slowly spreading white mist, a hint of seriousness creeping into her expression: "You mean... this thing can control the Firescale Viper?"

“To be precise, it’s about ‘suppressing the explosive rage reaction in all magical beasts’ instincts.’” Louis’s tone became more serious.

"When threatened, Firescale Vipers will go into a self-destructive frenzy, making them difficult to capture, let alone even get close to. But this potion can suppress that state by releasing a cold mist that penetrates their nervous system."

He paused, as if observing a restless snake, "like now, it's hesitating, sniffing, instead of just pouncing and exploding."

Emily nodded, her pupils reflecting the shadow of the fire-scaled viper, which seemed to be swimming in the mist.

He's clearly not an alchemist, yet he can design things like this; it's like he's some kind of wild genius...

She silently watched his profile as he focused on his work, a feeling she had never experienced before welling up inside her.

“I originally thought you were just the type who knew how to fight,” she said softly, a smile playing on her lips, “but it turns out you’ve even researched how to catch and raise monsters so thoroughly.”

“Even magic bombs and fire oil need raw materials.” Louis shrugged, his tone calm. “The world is getting more and more chaotic. If we don’t prepare our own power ‘without human soldiers’ sooner or later, we’ll suffer the consequences.”

The mist gradually spread, wrapping around the edges of every hot rock like silk threads.

A light blue mist drifted through the air like a veil, as if the entire geothermal canyon was draped in a dreamy, frost-woven veil.

“The fog is stable.” Louis looked up at the refraction of light in the sky, confirming the humidity and wind direction. “We can begin contact.”

A lean, masked knight slowly stepped out.

He was wearing a custom-made brown-silver protective suit; that was Adrian, who was in charge of this luring mission.

A knight from the Calvin family, specializing in hunting.

He slowly approached the rock crevice where the Firescale Viper was located.

The crimson serpent covered in scales was coiled on the warm stone. It no longer held its neck high as before, but moved slowly, its tongue flicking less frequently.

Suddenly, a thin tongue of fire shot out from its mouth, hot but short, not forming a complete stream of flame. "It's nothing, just a warning flame," Adrian reported in a low voice. "It's not a predatory spit; its mood remains low-grade anger."

Louis said softly, "Then we'll increase the dosage by another ten percent. We need to create a 'frost leaf micro-veil' in this area."

As the second round of distillation was activated, an even denser blue mist was slowly released, merging with the humid air of the canyon itself, like a light veil that gently enveloped the Firescale Viper.

It began to slow its movements, its head touching the ground, its eyes half-closed, clearly entering a period of calm.

"Let's begin making contact."

Adrian approached steadily. He put on a pair of specially made frost-covered gloves and gently reached out to touch the side of the Firescale Viper's neck—one of the most sensitive parts of its body.

The snake trembled slightly, but did not dodge.

He took a small strip of meat from his waist and slowly handed it to the snake's head.

The fire-scaled viper paused briefly, flicked its tongue lightly against the piece of meat, and emitted a low hiss.

Adrian's eyes lit up: "It's a neutral signal; it doesn't see me as a threat."

“Very good, the inducement team begin operations,” Louis whispered.

The team immediately took action, with the lead group guiding it to the prepared taming area.

The protection teams are in position, ensuring the perimeter is secure;

The observation group continued to analyze the changes in respiratory rate and muscle tone of the fire-scaled viper.

Throughout the process, the fire-scaled viper did not show any fierce hostility. Even when the gentle straps were put on, it only wiggled slightly before being obediently guided and slowly swimming into the training area.

As the cold iron net closed and the straps locked in place, the entire canyon suddenly fell into silence.

"Capture successful."

The knights breathed a sigh of relief, some even cheering quietly, but all remained restrained.

With the first fire-scaled viper successfully guided to the taming area, the pace of the operation quickly accelerated.

“Follow the same procedure,” Louis ordered in a deep voice, his sharp gaze sweeping across the geothermal valley. “Today, clear this active area as much as possible.”

The knights quickly divided into groups, and the distillation devices, like lanterns releasing blue mist, were laid out along both sides of the canyon.

As the cold fog rose again and the air humidity gradually increased, a thin and even "frost leaf curtain" quietly formed, as if covering the entire scorching rock plain with a layer of transparent ice gauze.

The fire-scaled vipers gradually fell silent.

Their movements in the mist became slow and languid, and they even began to huddle along the edges of rock crevices, as if enjoying the long-lost coolness.

Adrian approached again, his movements steady and skillful. He gently touched the side of the neck of a slightly larger female snake with his frosted gloves and fed it a strip of meat.

The Firescale Viper let out a long, low hiss, a gentle sound devoid of hostility.

“Neutral signal, not viewing humans as predators.” He gestured to Louis.

The entire team acted in perfect unison, and then several fire-scaled vipers were one by one fitted with gentle straps and slowly and steadily guided out of the valley.

Three hours later, all seventy-odd fire-scaled vipers were captured, almost wiping out the entire snake population in the area.

The most striking of them all was the giant creature curled up at the edge of a lava fissure.

A nine-meter-long Firescale Viper King, its entire body crimson and its scales reflecting a metallic sheen.

Although it remained wary under the influence of the drug, it did not become aggressive and was eventually successfully lured to the training area.

The breeding environment has also been prepared.

This is a natural lava cave located next to the geothermal heart of the Red Tide Territory's fiery zone. The cave is winding and twisting, yet it is filled with the red glow of natural lava.

Inside, multiple improved distillation devices are installed to slowly release diluted frost-leaf vine extract, keeping the entire domestication area in a "semi-sedated" state.

The fog was thin and even, gently covering the ground and the paths where the snakes moved.

Occasionally, a few restless fire-scaled vipers would attempt to spit out flames, but what they exhaled was only heat waves, not flames, which would vanish into the mist in the blink of an eye.

“Instinct suppression is good.” Adrian nodded after observing the group. “As long as the dosage is maintained, it should ensure stability during the acclimatization phase.”

Louis stood with his hands behind his back, watching the snakes move quietly, his mind churning with thoughts.

These fire-scaled vipers will serve as raw materials for his primary fighting tools against the brood mound, and this is just the first step; everything is just beginning.

So when they had captured half of it, Louis sent for Hillco.

He stood at the edge of the scorching mist, turned his head and whispered to Adrian, "Choose a few older individuals with low reproductive rates. The bigger the better, and they need to have a high fat content."

Adrian nodded in agreement and quickly selected three old snakes, each over four meters long, from the tamed fire-scaled viper swarm.

They skillfully secured the snake's body with cold iron chains, and then the team of knights dragged it into the dissection tent at the back.

Hilko, dressed in a white robe with several layers of fireproof leather folded at the cuffs, walked in with steady steps, carrying a toolbox in his hand.

He didn't say much, but with a gentle wave, the toolbox unfolded, revealing a complete set of silver dissection instruments and refining equipment.

With Adrian's assistance, he precisely cut open the scales on the Fire Scale Viper's abdomen and gently separated the light red soft fat beneath.

The fat is viscous, with a faint, pale sheen, and emits a strange, burnt mineral aroma.

“It has a thick texture and contains slightly volatile minerals,” Hilko said in a low voice, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes. “As expected, the Firescale Viper’s fat contains natural combustion-supporting crystal salts.”

He quickly began processing the experimental samples, using an alchemical process of "cold pressing + silver-carbon adsorption" to filter impurities in the fat in layers and stabilize the activity of its components.

As the device operates, it eventually produces a dark red, semi-solid grease that remains stable at room temperature.

When he carefully lit a small sample of the experiment, the flame leaped up instantly, burned quietly, and left no black smoke.

"It's a success," he murmured to himself. "This is a high-quality fuel..."

Louis was delighted to see the experiment succeed: "Let's call it Fire Scale Ointment."

In the alchemical experiment area inside the lava cave, firelight reflected off the damp rock walls.

Next came the experimental phase. Hilko stood before a cold iron platform, draped in a heavy protective alchemical robe, holding a freshly refined crimson ointment in his hands.

He smeared a small amount of it on a cold iron plate, lit it with an ordinary fire source, and the flame immediately shot up, burning brightly and steadily. It did not go out completely for nine minutes, leaving no scorch marks or residue on the bottom of the plate.

“This thing is really good,” he murmured. “It can burn in wetlands and is smokeless when lit… If I hadn’t made it myself, I would have thought it was a product of the Emerald Alchemy Institute.”

Then he added a few drops of refined magic marrow to a small amount of fire scale ointment, stepped back a few paces, and lit it.

"Oh!"

In an instant, the flames shot up nearly two meters, and a wave of heat swept over, causing a slight burning pain on people's faces.

Hilko raised an eyebrow: "The explosive temperature is at least 600 degrees Celsius, making it a good material for manufacturing magic explosive bombs. Hmm... it's stable and has a high temperature."

He wrote down the data one by one, then looked at Louis, who was observing from the side.

Curious, he asked, "So, what do you plan to do with this fire scale ointment? Primarily for combat, or for everyday use?"

Louis's gaze was calm, but his tone carried a hint of expectation: "Prioritize the development of combat-use magic explosive bombs and explosive oils, preferably with easy portability, stable ignition delay, and the ability to cause a wide-range explosion."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Of course, if you have any other ideas, you can tell me anytime."

Upon hearing this, Hilko chuckled and said, "I have a few ideas, but I need a few days. After all, I don't fully understand this thing yet."

Louis nodded and said calmly, "A few days is enough for you, but be careful not to blow up the lab."

The two demonic madmen exchanged a smile, and in the firelight, a dangerous idea was gradually taking shape.

Just as Louis was about to continue watching the experiment with the Hilcor Magic Bomb, a knight strode over and said, "My lord, several people claiming to be 'magicians among mages' have come to request an audience."

Louis nodded slightly and said calmly, "Take them to the conference hall and wait for me. I'll be there shortly."

(End of this chapter)