Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 301 Mary Arrives in Red Tide City

The morning mist had not yet dissipated as the convoy slowly climbed the last hill.

In that instant, my vision suddenly opened up.

The sight before her made Mary hold her breath.

A city stands quietly between the morning mist and the snowfield.

The unfinished gray-white city wall meanders like a giant beast, with a thin layer of frost covering the unpolished stones, reflecting a cold light.

The cold iron beams are embedded in the stone layers, hard and sharp, like steel armor covering the city.

Several arrow towers have already stood, piercing straight through the fog, and the remaining embers on the iron frames of the braziers hanging on the top of the towers are still emitting faint wisps of smoke.

What's even more captivating is the fluttering crimson flag, creating a striking contrast against the vast snowfield.

Like a lighthouse in the snow, it illuminates the direction and hope ahead.

The children were the first to get restless, leaning halfway out to look and shouting, "It's so big! It's so tall! Mom, look!"

“It’s even more orderly than Frostspear City… at least it looks that way.” A woman accompanying them hugged her youngest son tightly, her voice trembling.

"Don't be fooled by appearances. Who knows what it's like inside the city gates?" The elderly man squinted, his tone wary, but the light in his eyes betrayed his inner shock.

Mary listened to the sounds around her and looked at the city shrouded in morning mist, her heart warming slightly.

The city walls and gates of this city look comparable to those of the old Frostspear City, and even more modern and robust.

But she still couldn't completely let go of her worries.

There is both anticipation and worry.

After all, no matter how glorious the city outside the gates may be, it doesn't mean that life inside the city will be good. If it were half as good as Frostspear City, that would be enough.

As the convoy slowly descended the slope, the details of the city gate became increasingly clear.

The tall, heavy wooden city gate was studded with countless cold iron nails, which gleamed with cold light as the morning sun fell.

The gray stone bricks on both sides of the city gate form a gently sloping ramp, which facilitates the entry and exit of transport carts and the deployment of soldiers.

The knights guarding the front lined up in neat rows, their armor uniform and spotless, each with the sun emblem of the Crimson Tide engraved on their breastplates.

"Move to the left in formation, prepare for entry inspection."

The lead knight held the reins, his expression calm, but he subconsciously lowered his voice, seemingly not wanting to disturb the order of the place.

The air was filled with a cool, moist atmosphere and an indescribable sense of oppression, making one unable to help but hold their breath.

Mary leaned slightly out of the car window and looked out, noticing that their convoy had been directed to a special lane on the left.

On the other side, further to the right, lies a completely different scene.

A densely packed group of ragged refugees huddled together.

They huddled in the wind, their faces haggard, their eyes filled with longing.

Some of the refugees were still clutching coarse cloth bags, containing the last of their belongings that they had brought from the ruins.

Contrary to Mary's expectations of chaos, there was no shouting or shoving; order was maintained perfectly.

Under a few simple wooden sheds, several clerks were registering each person's name, place of origin, and family information.

"Next, how many people are in your family? Those with children, go over there first." The official's voice was calm, yet carried a hint of authority.

On the other side, soldiers were distributing hot porridge and bread.

One steaming earthenware pot after another was brought out, and women and children were given priority to receive them, carefully holding the bowls as if they were holding a long-lost hope.

"Did you see that? They were given bread and porridge, and quite a lot of it!"

"Who in the North would do something like this? How much food would that cost..."

Someone in the convoy sighed softly.

Those who had registered were taken by soldiers to a temporary resettlement area inside the city gate.

There were rows of neat wooden houses built there. Although they were simple, they could at least provide shelter from the wind and rain.

The refugees' faces flushed with the warmth of the porridge, and their hunched shoulders finally relaxed.

An indescribable emotion welled up inside me, as if something hard was slowly being melted away.

Mary held the sleeping Ini in her arms, her gaze shifting back and forth between the refugees and the wooden shelters on the other side of the city gate.

Those people were ragged and emaciated, clearly refugees who had fled from further north in the North.

However, the expected chaos did not occur; there was no looting, no crying, and no infighting.

Instead, there is an almost unbelievable sense of order.

Mary stared blankly at all of this, her mind flashing back to the scene of famine raging outside Frostspear City that she had occasionally seen.

There, refugees tore each other apart over half a moldy piece of bread, and the bodies of the dead were almost never cleaned up.

Here, the same displaced people can sit quietly and drink porridge, while the children giggle when they receive bread.

When the mother, whose eyes were red from the cold, took the cotton blanket from the soldier, a long-lost look of relaxation appeared on her face.

An indescribable shock gripped Mary's heart.

The accompanying knight noticed their expressions and explained with a smile, "This is the refugee reception policy of the Red Tide Territory, established by the lord. First, register their identities, then allocate food and accommodation to prevent chaos and disease."

"Is it free?" someone couldn't help but interject.

"Yes, it's completely free." The young official's tone was filled with undisguised pride. "As long as these people are willing to stay, they will all become part of the Red Tide in the future. This is a rule set by the lord."

Red Tide Territory's containment system is unprecedented in the North and even the world.

Even the most vulnerable refugees—the elderly, the infirm, and the disabled—can find a bowl of hot porridge, a piece of bread, and temporary shelter here.

More importantly, it can restore order to a chaotic land.

Of course, these are not simply acts of charity.

In Louis's plan, all refugees would be fully recorded, including their names, places of origin, relatives, and physical conditions, and would be registered and managed in categories.

Women and children were given priority in being assigned to sheltered wooden huts and provided with a uniform supply of food, while the young and strong were directly assigned to the construction team.

They would build city walls, pave roads, and construct domes...

If someone already possesses a skill, such as a blacksmith, carpenter, pharmacist, or leatherworker, they will be given priority to be placed in workshops or the supply system, where they can exchange their skills for food and shelter to achieve self-sufficiency.

This "labor-for-life" system not only avoided security risks but also allowed the Red Tide Territory to quickly absorb a large number of urgently needed personnel.

Thus, in the post-disaster ruins of the North, the Red Tide Territory created order in a different way.

For these refugees who had fled all the way here, this order was almost an incredible blessing.

War and famine can push human nature to its limits.

For half a moldy, hard biscuit, brothers would draw their knives, and mothers would leave their last bite for their children while they themselves starved to death. Of course, children without mothers couldn't hold out for long either. They saw far too many of these things on their escape route; they witnessed the coldest rejections and endured the most brutal expulsions.

Therefore, during their escape, they intermittently heard a rumor: "There is a city in the southeast that is recruiting people."

At the time, almost no one could believe it was true that such a paradise existed in the North.

Still clinging to a faint, almost extinguished hope, they stumbled along, step by step, following the vague rumors.

All I ask for is a bowl of hot porridge, a bite of bread, and a way to survive.

It wasn't until they actually arrived at the city gate of Red Tide Territory, until they saw the steaming porridge in the earthenware pots brought by the soldiers, that the official under the wooden shed looked up and gently asked their names, and the children were wrapped in clean cotton blankets.

For the first time, they realized that they were not people abandoned by this land.

An elderly man broke down in tears on the spot, kneeling on the snow and kowtowing repeatedly until his voice became hoarse.

A young father, his eyes red, covered his face tightly, not daring to let the tears fall.

Many more children held steaming hot clay pots in their hands, their little faces red from the cold, but their lips trembled with smiles.

They chuckled as they drank their hot porridge, as if they had survived a disaster or were waking from a dream.

For them, Red Tide Territory is more than just a city.

In this desolate wasteland where even the wind and snow carry despair,

It looks more like a cluster of blazing fire.

It tore through the darkness in the deep winter night, illuminating a path for them to survive.

…………

Mary and her family were family members of the Knights of the Broken Blade, so they didn't need to register like the other refugees.

Compared to the scene in front of the refugee shacks, the reception in front of us felt like another world altogether.

A squad of Crimson Tide Knights stood in formation, the rhythmic sound of hooves and the soft clanging of armor filling the air.

At the very front, an elderly man dressed in a dark robe slowly stepped forward.

He was dressed neatly, his silver hair was combed in a neat hand, and although there were traces of time between his brows, it could not hide his composure and dignity.

He was none other than Bradley.

The butler, once overlooked by few in the Calvin family, is now the true second-in-command in the internal affairs of the Red Tide Territory.

Although he still insists on calling himself "Lord Louis's butler".

Bradley bowed slightly, his gentle yet clear voice reaching everyone's ears: "You have all come from afar and must be tired. Lord Louis has ordered me to personally greet you all, so please rest assured that everything has been prepared."

At that moment, the unease and tension in many people's hearts were somewhat soothed by the old man's calm words.

"These are the officials who will be in charge of receiving you. They will lead you into the city and arrange your accommodations." Bradley smiled slightly and pointed behind him.

Several young Red Tide officials stepped forward and saluted the convoy: "I will be in charge of leading you family members from now on. I will accompany you all the way and introduce you to Red Tide City."

The convoy slowly passed through the heavy city gate and entered the main road of the Crimson Tide Territory.

A gust of air, mixed with the smell of frost and damp lime, wafted towards us.

The young reception officer rode at the front, raised his hand and waved, signaling the convoy to slowly follow.

His tone revealed an undisguised pride: "This is the main road of the Red Tide, paved with thick stone bricks. In winter, warm water is circulated through pre-buried heating channels to melt snow, prevent slipping, and avoid freezing and collapse. It was designed by the lord himself."

Mary stared blankly at the straight, wide road, almost forgetting to blink.

On both sides of the road, pine and cypress trees stand in neat rows, with frost still clinging to their branches and leaves, the white and green intermingling like natural guardians.

The wind blows, carrying the scent of pine resin with the crisp air, bringing an indescribable sense of peace.

“These pine and cypress trees not only protect against wind and snow,” the young official continued, “but also serve as green belts that complement the drainage system. In winter, snow and rainwater flow into snowmelt pools through channels on both sides, preventing the streets from flooding.”

Mary glanced over instinctively and saw that the drainage ditches along the roadside were all the same width and as clean as if they had just been wiped clean. Melting snow trickled into a thin pipe and eventually disappeared into the underground canal below the city.

"This is in the North? How is that possible?"

She could hardly believe that the scene before her was real.

There weren't many pedestrians on the street, but everything was orderly.

The vendors called out in hushed tones, and a group of children chased and played under the eaves, only to be quickly stopped by their teacher: "Go back to the line!"

The children grumbled as they lined up and were led toward the school.

“That’s one of the schools in the city,” the young official explained, following the gaze. “Students start at age six, and the best of them can become deacons, accountants, or other officials in the future.”

Mary lowered her head and looked at Inie in her arms, a surge of emotion welling up inside her.

His original plan for Inie's life was to become a knight's wife, just like himself. This was the best future he could imagine for a girl in the North.

But in the Red Tide, her daughter's future might be completely different from her own, and having more choices is always a good thing.

The carriage moved slowly along the main road, with the crisp sound of horses' hooves coming from ahead.

Before long, a squad of knights from the Crimson Tide Territory turned out from the side street.

They were clad in light silver armor, draped in red cloaks, their spears gleaming, and their horses' manes neatly trimmed.

This scene surprised Mary somewhat.

She was the wife of the squad leader of the Broken Edge Knights and often saw knights, so she shouldn't have been surprised.

What stunned her was not the knight's imposing presence, but the reactions of the people on the roadside.

An elderly woman on the street gently tugged at her grandson's hand and whispered, "Make way, the Red Tide Knights are coming."

His tone was gentle, even showing a hint of respect.

The little boy obediently stepped aside, but his eyes shone brightly as he stared at the knight, and he couldn't help but whisper, "When I grow up, I want to be a knight too!"

When the vendors saw the knight, they smiled and nodded in greeting, and the knight would raise his hand in return.

A ragged refugee was carrying a clay pot out of the soup kitchen. Upon seeing the patrol team, he hurriedly retreated.

But one of the young knights leaned down slightly, reached out to steady him, and whispered, "Slow down, don't fall."

The young official noticed Mary's gaze, smiled, and explained in a low voice:
"This is Lord Louis's decree. The Red Tide Knights are not meant to suppress the people, but to protect their homes and safety. If the people are afraid when they see the knights coming, that is his failure, the failure of the Knights."

Mary's heart skipped a beat.

In Frostspear City, knights represent power and violence; they are cold-blooded enforcers of order.

Here, however, the knight is more like a guardian, a shield protecting people's hearts.

A strange feeling suddenly arose in her heart; she realized that there could be another kind of relationship between knights and common people.

She also understood why there was a sense of security in the air of the Red Tide Territory that she had never felt before.

(End of this chapter)