Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 43 The Second Letter from the North

The candlelight flickered, illuminating the letter spread out on the desk. The handwriting was neat and tidy, just like the cautious and prudent old butler, Bradley.

Duke Calvin's gaze fell on the beginning of the letter; he had only a slight expectation for this son.

But as the text unfolded more deeply, the Duke's previously nonchalant expression gradually faded, and his brows slowly furrowed.

"A performance far exceeding that of other pioneering territories?"

Agricultural breakthrough: Crops ripening earlier?
Is the housing problem being solved more efficiently than in established territories?

Not only was the Magic Mine successfully mined, but a scientific mining plan was also developed.
Even the management of slaves has been optimized to the point that no one can find fault with it?

The part about grain production supporting the addition of 1500 slaves, in particular, made him thoughtful.

He sat up straighter and glanced at Bradley's signature.

If the letter hadn't been written by Bradley, the family's most loyal butler, he would have suspected that the writer had been bribed.

But his gaze didn't leave the letter; he continued reading.

The Duke of Calvin soon discovered that Louis's leadership was not only reflected in his policies, but also in his personal charisma.

He did not rely on his family's prestige, but on his own abilities, which won the hearts and minds of the people in the entire territory to follow him willingly.

This was especially true when the Duke of Calvin read about the almost fanatical respect that the inhabitants of the Red Tide Territory held for Louis.

"Fanatical? Is it that exaggerated?"

Even the Duke himself had to admit this; in his memory, there were very few lords in the entire Ironblood Empire who could achieve this.

He originally just wanted Louis to go to the North to fend for himself, and to squeeze out the last bit of value from him.

I never expected this kid to actually make a name for himself.
As expected, his "many children, many blessings" plan was correct, Duke Calvin thought smugly.

It's like a lottery; the more you draw, the more likely you are to win.

He continued reading, and when he came to the section on the magic marrow mine, Duke Calvin's gaze paused slightly, a hint of interest appearing in his eyes.

The sales rights to the Magic Marrow ore were transferred to the family in exchange for support, while the processing technology was retained.

"This kid has some serious ambitions."

Of course he knew what this meant.

Louis didn't want to be too constrained by his family; he was trying to maintain his independence.

The Duke sneered, "You've got some nerve."

However, he was not disgusted.

On the contrary, he even found it somewhat interesting.

The Red Tide Territory is located in the northern border and appears barren and desolate, but if managed properly, it can become a powerful local force.

Louis's willingness to hand over the sales rights to the family shows that he understands he still needs the Calvin family's protection.

But his refusal to relinquish the processing rights indicates that he is preparing for the future.

Once the time is right, the Red Tide Territory's magic marrow economy can be completely separated from the family, and may even have an independent voice in the future market.

A pioneering lord born into nobility would often choose to completely submit to his family, but Louis did not do so.

Of course, these alone were not enough to make the Duke look at him in a completely different light.

Louis had not yet truly established himself in the North, and the profits from the Magic Mine had not yet been fully realized.

Given the ever-changing situation in the North, his future remains uncertain.

But Louis did give him a pleasant surprise this time.

He was mainly interested in Louis's potential; as for the resources of the Red Tide Territory, he didn't care about them.

Perhaps it's time to reconsider the value of this son. The Duke held the letter, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, his gaze sweeping over the words.

Bradley's high praise exceeded his expectations, even giving him a ridiculous sense of disbelief.

But regardless, the facts are already before us.

Louis, a child he had never taken seriously, has shown a greater ability than expected in the barren lands of the North.

Most importantly, the North is ultimately too far from the Southeast provinces.

Although the Red Tide Territory has great potential, it is too far from the family's core, making it unrealistic to offer full support.

The Red Tide Territory before us is like a seed that has not yet sprouted; it has potential, but it is also full of uncertainties.

Excessive support could make Louis impatient for quick results and he might not be able to adapt to the harsh environment of the North at all.

Moreover, given Louis's interest in the Magic Marrow Mine, he doesn't seem to want his family to interfere too much in his territory.

The Duke sat at his desk, his gaze once again falling on Bradley's letter.

"To maintain the family's influence without over-interfering..." He tapped the table lightly and murmured.

He received financial support, but not much, so he decided to continue allocating 1000 to 1500 gold coins.

This amount of money is enough to keep the Red Tide Territory stable, but what about expansion?
Louis had to find his own way to make money and figure out how to support more people in the territory.

You need to learn to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, instead of relying on family support to get by.

Only by making him short of money and forcing him to use his brain can we see his true abilities.

Military support was also needed, so the Duke decided to allocate him two more knight squads.

Ostensibly, it was to protect the magic marrow mine, but in reality, it was to leave him a trump card to prevent him from being crushed as soon as he got started.

This small force can't hold up much of the situation in the North, but at least it can prevent Red Tide Territory from being overthrown by a random bandit.

If Louis is truly capable, the knights under his command are enough for him to stabilize the situation, and even develop his own power based on them.

But if he can't even protect his territory with this little family support...

Then there's nothing more to say; it's not worth continuing to invest.

As for talent support, Louis's ability to manage agriculture, handle infrastructure, and even plan mining operations demonstrates his considerable management talent.

The Duke will only send a few alchemy apprentices to help him master the basic techniques of magic marrow extraction; the rest he will have to figure out himself.

He has to win people over, use his limited resources to secure cooperation, and learn how to navigate the quagmire of reality instead of waiting for his family to feed him.

As for political support, he would not give Louis any formal political support, but he would not restrict his negotiations with the forces in the North either.

He can decide for himself who he wants to ally with and how he wants to establish himself in the local area.

But the premise is that you don't cause trouble for your family.

It's like putting a chess piece on the battlefield and seeing whether it can charge into battle or be used as a stepping stone for others.

If he can't even withstand this much pressure, then it means Louis was never capable to begin with, and it's only natural that he died in the North.

He wouldn't waste resources on a useless child.

Anyway, he has plenty of children, so what does it matter if one or two die?
The family bloodline has never been lacking; what it lacks are capable and ambitious people.

But since Louis was able to do this, it's no wonder Bradley gave him such high praise.

That proves he has some ability, and also carries a bit of arrogance.

Very well, then let's show him what we're really capable of.

(End of this chapter)