Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 441 Intelligence Three Years Later
A very faint light shone from the constant temperature barrier on the windowsill.

The wind and snow were kept out, and even sound couldn't get in. The heavy curtains were drawn, and the indoor temperature remained at a level that made one reluctant to get out of bed.

Louis woke up with a slight tingling sensation, simply from his arm being pressed down for too long.

He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling.

Sif was practically pressed against him from the left, one leg across his waist, breathing evenly, her sleeping posture completely unguarded.

Her body temperature was high, with a wild and direct heat.

Emily was very close on the right, but maintained just the right distance.

Her hand rested on his chest, her body curled up naturally, and her breathing was soft and gentle.

The two men clung to Louis like octopuses.

Louis didn't move; he just kept staring at the ceiling, a helpless smile playing on his lips.

Since the birth of his eldest daughter six years ago, he has not had any other children. It seems that the two wives reached a consensus at some point that he was unaware of.

Then the competition began, with the clear goal of having a third child.

Louis sighed inwardly.

Even for a peak knight, this level of sustained combat would be difficult to endure.

He carefully withdrew his arm, and Sif frowned, then instinctively moved closer again. Emily stirred slightly but did not wake up.

It took Louis a few minutes to finally sit up in bed.

While washing up, he stood in front of the mirror and glanced up at himself.

The person in the mirror is no longer the same as I remember.

The lines are sharper, the gaze is more steady, and the sharp ambition of youth has been smoothed out by time and responsibility, leaving only a patient and enduring tenacity.

Three years have passed since the annexation of the Limestone Province.

In the past three years, the territory of the Red Tide has stopped expanding outwards, but has gradually thickened inwards.

The port has expanded more than tenfold. New docks stretch along the coastline in sections.

The storage area was completely rebuilt, with separate zones for grain, minerals, timber, and finished products. The foundation was raised, and ventilation and moisture control were addressed simultaneously.

The main roads in the North have been repaved, so merchants no longer have to risk their lives traveling during the winter. Travel time can be calculated down to the day, and delivery dates can be written into contracts.

Five railways were built in total, three of which extended directly into the limestone province, connecting the mining areas, quarries, and ports.

The route that originally took half a month to travel was compressed into a few days, and the flow of goods changed accordingly, with many places being included in the stable supply for the first time.

The changes are not limited to things; people are also gradually adapting to this rhythm.

Officials are each stuck in their designated positions. This isn't due to personal prestige, but rather because the system makes it clear to them that overstepping their boundaries will only lead to more trouble.

The system began to operate on its own.

There may be occasional friction, arguments, or even mistakes, but these are all kept within a correctable range and will not spiral out of control.

Louis no longer needs to focus on specific things; he is now more like a symbol.

No longer a commander issuing orders every day, but standing at the top of the system, only putting pen to paper at crucial moments.

Life changed accordingly; I was no longer woken up by urgent reports in the morning, and I rarely lost sleep over an account at night.

He devoted more time to cultivation and is now a peak initial-level knight.

The higher the knight's rank, the closer their body gets to its limit. Every breakthrough is like grinding bones with a dull knife, relying not on bursts of energy, but on years of accumulation.

He could feel his power increasing, but it was no longer increasing rapidly; every inch of improvement required twice the time.

The rest of his time is taken up by his children, and then by fulfilling his duties as a husband.

Finally, he sat back down at his desk and signed off on the most important decisions.

Louis dried his face, skillfully turned on the system, and a pale blue screen unfolded on his retina.

[Daily intelligence update complete]

[1: The Emerald Federation is assembling mercenaries, while the Empire's Karen is mobilizing its legions. Friction between the two sides is escalating on the southwestern border, increasing the probability of a full-scale war.]

Louis glanced at it but didn't look away immediately.

Most outsiders bet on the Empire, since the Empire has more knights and more territory.

But Louis, with his omniscient perspective, didn't see it that way. He believed the empire's problems lay not in the outside, but in the inside.

Carlene and the Duke of Raymond were nominally ruler and subject, but in reality, they were wary of each other.

Military power, supplies, and the command chain—every link is testing each other, and they could turn on each other at any moment.

Louis could even imagine the scene: the same grain carts, bearing the prince's seal one moment, were seized by the duke's inspectors the next.

The same legion, receiving its appointment during the day, would have people go to request secret orders at night.

Once such a system is deployed to the battlefield, the first thing it will deplete is not the enemy, but its own patience and trust.

In contrast, the Emerald Federation is greedy but united.

As long as the profits are clear, they will lay out mercenaries, bonds, and supply lines one by one.

Nobody talks to them about honor; they only talk to you about accounts.

Of course, the longer this war drags on, the more beneficial it will be for the red tide.

Over the past two years, he has sold off his obsolete old-fashioned weapons and armor to Karen at high prices.

Those longswords, battle axes, and plate armor had long been classified as second-rate in the Red Tide's military equipment inventory, but in the eyes of the military officers in the capital, they were still readily available to fill out the ranks.

He instructed the workshop to resharpen the sword blades, straighten the loose handguards, reinforce the rivets on the armor plates, readjust the belts and buckles, and then seal them in sets according to legion numbers, along with maintenance and replacement schedules.

Buyers are more willing to pay when they do, because what they fear is not the price, but the lack of time.

During the same period, he sold ore and intermediate materials to the Federation. He didn't ship them out in whole ships, but rather in sections, batches, and at different ports.

Each contract was written with the meticulous precision of a papal decree.

The Federal Chamber of Commerce is very receptive to this approach and is even willing to give priority berths to Red Tide's cargo.

Both sides are aware that the red tide is taking advantage of both ends, and both sides tacitly agree to it.

As long as Red Tide's roads are open, its warehouses are full, and its ships can leave port on time, no matter how tough the Empire and the Federation are, they will still send gold coins into his account at night.

He doesn't need to choose one of their flags; he can simply stand by and watch.

"Let's fight," Louis thought to himself. "The day the fighting officially begins will be the day the Red Tide moves south."

[2: The power of the Holy Empire in the Southeast is steadily increasing, and the Calvin family is expanding its influence and influence in the region.]

Louis's gaze stopped.

The Holy Eastern Empire, under the rule of the Fifth Prince Lampard, has expanded its national power too rapidly in the past three years.

Taxes were not significantly increased, yet the army continued to expand; the nobility was not purged, yet they were more obedient than ever before.

The people's beliefs are also steadily changing.

In that region, papal decrees were more effective than royal edicts.

And at the heart of all this is Eduardo Calvin.

His third brother is now the Pope.

Therefore, the Calvin family is no longer just a symbolic noble leader; they now almost directly cover the power structure of the eastern countries.

The coat of arms of the Calvin family frequently appears in castles, monasteries, and ports, like a silently unfolding net.

Lampard's expansion of the military, Eduardo's power, and the Calvin family's rise to prominence in the East were all understandable to Louis.

That's the expansionist form a normal regime should exhibit after gaining additional resources and religious backing. The Red Tide has seen all of these things, and it can handle them all.

The Holy Eastern Empire itself was not the part that truly troubled him.

The Golden Feather Flower Papacy overseas has been silent for three years, and spies from all factions have been unable to bring back any useful intelligence.

Louis has a daily intelligence system, and regarding the intelligence about those Golden Feather Flower Papal States, one word keeps appearing: spread.

With the golden thorn feather crown implanted in Eduardo, it seems the final piece of the puzzle has been completed.

They have been spreading steadily over the past three years, assimilating the island's inhabitants slowly and quietly, but thoroughly.

According to last month's intelligence, it has already exceeded one-quarter.

Louis leaned back in his chair and tapped the armrest lightly with his fingers.

This is no longer just a problem for the Papacy; it's a more patient and dangerous entity than the Mother Nest.

A chill ran through Louis.

If left unchecked, it will eventually turn the entire island into a petri dish.

And it certainly won't be content with just the island; it needs a bigger stage.

The Holy Eastern Empire was merely the most convenient stepping stone for it to set foot on the continent.

A complete and mature administrative system, military, ports, and a populace that is accustomed to obedience.

He had already concluded that Red Tide's shipbuilding technology tree needed to be accelerated and brought forward.

Once the Emerald Federation goes to war with Karen, I will immediately head south to annex the entire Holy Eastern Empire, and then use it as a springboard to sail out to sea and eliminate this bizarre creature.
[3: Prince Balk of the Black Lagoon, the leader of the Seven Great Pirates, has been completely controlled by the Vision Coral in the Broken Isles, and has entered a state of deep assimilation.]

Upon seeing this intelligence report, Louis's pupils constricted slightly.

He did not treat this as a typical piracy problem.

Mind control, biological mutation—these characteristics are all too familiar.

The Mother Nest, the Scorching Vine Garden, the Ancient Dragon's Remains, and the Golden Thorn Feather Crown from the previous information... just in different forms.

A longing was gently stirring in my mind, and my primal heart was responding.

But Louis quickly suppressed the impulse and began to consider the connection between this intelligence and himself.

It sits right at the intersection of the North and the Graystone Province.

Once signs of alienation at sea spiral out of control appear, the first wave of impact will fall here.

This is not speculation, but a result of geographical determination.

If left unchecked, this phenomenon will eventually be brought to the brink of a red tide. Once it fully develops, the cost of responding will be even greater.

Therefore, this matter cannot wait and must be dealt with.

Of course, the Black Lagoon is also a perfect target.

The leader of the Seven Great Pirates, with a notorious reputation and a real threat, died at sea, and no one would ask why they should at least be wiped out.

In this way, the sea routes can be taken over naturally, and the ports along the coast will begin to actively gravitate towards the red tide.

As for the deeper things, the Illusory Coral, the Assimilation Source, and the will behind them were also immediately destroyed.

Louis closed the intelligence interface and stood up.

The pale blue light curtain closed and went out, like a thin layer of ice shattering deep within consciousness.

He didn't get up immediately, but instead sat down cross-legged, straightening his back and gradually slowing his breathing.

This is something I do every day: practicing martial arts and magic.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking inward.

The body responds first, blood flows through the meridians, yet without a single sound.

Muscles, bones, and internal organs are each in their most stable positions.

That is the result of long-term tempering with various resources and repeated washing with the original heart; the power no longer overflows, but is firmly locked inside the body.

Last month, he reached the peak of the initial stage of knighthood. To move forward, each step will require a very long time to hone.

The body is already close to the limits of the mortal realm, and any slight improvement will be magnified into a multiplied burden.

Louis could clearly sense this, so he wasn't in a hurry.

After cultivating battle qi, the spiritual world slowly unfolds.

The pathways of the primordial meditation technique operate spontaneously within the mind, without verbal recitation or deliberate guidance.

Mental energy rises and falls like the tides, covering every corner.

That wasn't the focus that mages usually have; it was an entire sea.

Now, when he casts a spell, he doesn't need to calculate or rely on external objects; with just a thought, the structure will naturally take shape.

His dual cultivation of martial arts and magic, along with the Primal Heart and those three strange powers, enabled him to become a super strong person at a young age.

He made a judgment in his mind: "There are not many people in this world who can kill me."

This conclusion was drawn after a long period of quantifying strength.

After the meditation ended, he slowly opened his eyes.

As soon as his vision cleared, he realized something was wrong.

The blankets on the left side shifted slightly.

Sif had woken up sometime earlier and was propping her chin up as she looked at him, her eyes bright and clear, showing a hint of sleepiness mixed with enthusiasm.

A subtle change in breathing could be heard from the right.

Emily opened her eyes as well. She didn't get up immediately, but simply turned her head slightly, her eyelashes fluttering gently in the morning light, as if silently confirming whether his cultivation was going smoothly.

Louis was silent for a moment.

The clarity brought on by cultivation had not yet completely dissipated, but fatigue belatedly surged up.

That wasn't physical weakness, but rather a feeling of exhaustion after sustained high workload.

He let out a soft sigh and spoke first, his tone very gentle: "There's something important to do this afternoon."

That's the truth. The southern sea route, the shipbuilding plan, and that line he's already keeping an eye on are not suitable to be dealt with when things are going poorly.

Sif blinked, didn't reply, just smiled and moved forward a little.

Emily slowly sat up, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and said calmly, "There's still time."

Louis glanced out the window.

It was still early, and the wind and snow were kept out by the temperature-controlled barrier, making the room quiet and secluded.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but in the end he just sighed inwardly.

The reason has already been used, and it was obviously not adopted.

A warm sensation came from my left side.

Sif had already pressed herself against him, her arms naturally encircling his shoulders and back, her palms still warm from the morning air, unreasonable yet perfectly natural.

Almost simultaneously, the bed on the other side sank slightly.

Emily didn't rush to speak, but simply placed her hand on his wrist, her fingertips gently tapping his pulse, as if silently expressing her stance.

Two completely different sensations fell at the same time.

Louis closed his eyes briefly: "Come on."

(End of this chapter)