Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 55 A Meeting of Rotten Fish and Shrimp
The banquet hall was dimly lit, and several flags with gold trim hung on the walls, attempting to create a sense of aristocratic solemnity.

However, the wooden beams on the ceiling were exposed, the carpet on the floor was obviously faded, and although the tables and chairs had carved decorations, their rough craftsmanship was still hard to hide.

The main dish is a whole roasted wild boar, accompanied by several simple plates of vegetables and common game garnishes.

It's clear that the owner of this banquet hall has tried his best to reflect the extravagance of nobility, but in the resource-scarce North, it's still somewhat beyond his means.

Zachary Diaz sat in the main seat in the center of the banquet hall, swirling a glass of wine that had been brought from the south.

Six or seven pioneering nobles, their faces beaming with flattering smiles, surrounded him.

"Lord Diaz, this gathering was truly meaningful!"

A nobleman raised his wine glass, his tone fervent: "These northern barbarians are bullying us too much. We nobles from the south must stick together. It is truly a blessing for all of us that you have stepped forward to take charge!"

“That’s right, Lord Diaz. As long as we pioneering nobles unite, even the northern barbarians may not be able to suppress us.”

The other person nodded in agreement, a hint of ingratiation in their eyes.

Zachary raised his glass and swirled it gently: "Unity is certainly a good thing. After all, they set the rules. If you don't want to be exploited, you have to fight for it yourself."

The nobleman beside him nodded repeatedly and chimed in, "Your Excellency is right! Rather than waiting for them to hand out scraps, we should take the initiative ourselves."

Zachary, holding his glass, thoroughly enjoyed the flattery.

Most of the pioneering lords from the south of Xuefeng County have already arrived.

This achievement is enough to prove his appeal.

These people fought their own battles, without any foundation or background, making them easy targets for bullying by the local northern nobles. Therefore, they desperately needed a powerful patron.

His identity as a member of the Diaz family was the best choice for them.

If he could get these nobles to submit to him, he could form a real force and gain some influence in the area.

Those who refused to obey used their own schemes to offer "advice" to Earl Firth, urging them to charge into battle.

On the battlefield, there are always some sacrifices needed.

At this moment, a nobleman tentatively asked, "Lord Diaz, do you think we should join forces in this campaign to wipe out the Snowsworn?"

Zachary narrowed his eyes: "Of course we need to unite, so that there's a clear order to who goes first and who goes last."

The banquet hall fell silent for a moment.

The nobles present exchanged glances, a knowing look flashing in their eyes, but no one called it out on the spot.

Nobody wants to be the first to rush in, but they'd be happy if someone went to their death.

The person most likely to be pushed to the front is Louis Calvin.

The fact that Louis, also one of the eight great families of the empire, was not present at such a banquet speaks volumes.

Zachary was very wary of Louis's identity as the Duke of Calvin's son.

But he didn't care much about Louis himself; in his eyes, Louis was just a good-for-nothing of noble birth but with no skills.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten ahead of the others in contacting Earl Firth and gathering so many pioneering nobles.

He even wondered if the uninvited guy might have already died in some wasteland.
Just then, a commotion suddenly came from outside the banquet hall.

"boom--"

The door was pushed open, and a cold wind rushed in.

Louis strode in, followed by Jon.

The nobles present were stunned, especially Zachary, but they quickly regained their composure and put on elegant smiles.

Louis glanced around and felt much more at ease.

Ha, a bunch of rotten fish and shrimp holding a big meeting.

A smirk played on his lips: "What, you're not welcoming me?"

Zachary stood up, feigning a warm welcome: "Your Excellency Calvin, welcome, welcome." Louis strolled leisurely toward the banquet table: "I heard from Jon that there's a banquet being held here, so I came to take a look after dinner."

His gaze fell on the roasted wild boar on the table, and he said indifferently, "This is the main course?"

Yorn, however, showed no courtesy whatsoever. He casually picked up a piece of meat, took a bite, and frowned: "Hmm... the taste is so-so, not as good as what we give to the slaves."

The air fell silent for a few seconds.

Some people had subtle expressions, while others lowered their heads and pretended to drink.

Zachary frowned almost imperceptibly, then smiled and raised his glass: "His Excellency Calvin's presence truly enhances this banquet."

“Not really.” Louis casually pulled out a chair and sat down. “I’m just curious why I didn’t receive an invitation to this kind of event?”

Zachary remained outwardly calm: "It must have been my servant's oversight."

Louis chuckled lightly: "Whatever, I've shamelessly come myself anyway."

Zachary, unwilling to delve deeper into the conversation, immediately changed the subject: "Lord Calvin, since you're here, why don't we head to Snow Eagle City together?"
We, the pioneering nobles from the south, must unite, or those old nobles in the north will sooner or later devour us completely.

Louis smiled knowingly. "Oh? Sounds like you want to be the leader of this alliance?"

Zachary's smile froze for a moment, then he laughed and said, "Of course not. I just think that only by working together can we avoid being suppressed by those old nobles."

Louis raised his eyes and scanned the nobles present, his gaze sweeping over each face before finally settling on Zachary: "Yes, we do need to work together. But who gets to lead the charge, who brings up the rear, and who has the final say?"

He pointed to the roasted wild boar on the banquet table: "For example, with this pig, there are rules about who cuts first and who eats later."

The nobles exchanged glances, their expressions becoming subtle.

Zachary's smile faded slightly: "Mr. Calvin, what do you mean by this?"

"What do you mean?" Louis gently set down his glass, his tone casual. "Nothing else. I just feel that your opinion doesn't count."

The banquet hall fell silent for a moment.

Some nobles looked hesitant, while others frowned, as if they had thought of something.

Zachary's eyes darkened slightly: "Exterminating the Snowsworn is a dangerous thing. It's always a good thing for us to stick together so we won't be wiped out."

“Of course.” Louis’s lips curled up slightly. “However, we are from the eight great families of the empire, of noble status, and should logically be leading the charge into battle.”

He paused, his voice tinged with regret: "Or are you just trying to get others to fight on the front lines, and then you'll come back for the spoils after the battle is over?"

The air became even more stagnant.

The expressions of the nobles gradually changed, and they all secretly looked at Zachary.

Zachary gripped his glass tighter, his gaze turning colder, but his smile remained: "Lord Calvin misunderstands. We pioneering nobles should unite against external threats, not fight amongst ourselves."

“Indeed, we shouldn’t fight amongst ourselves.” Louis chuckled and shook his head. “But your methods are rather unsettling.”

He stood up and casually straightened his coat: "The wine was good, the food was so-so, and the people..."

He paused for a moment, seemingly thinking seriously, and finally smiled faintly: "It's nothing special."

After saying that, he turned around and swayed as he walked out of the banquet hall.

The walk took only ten minutes or so, just as he had said, that he was there for an after-dinner stroll.

Yorn shrugged, grabbed the last piece of meat, and mumbled, "Waste is shameful." Then he followed him out.

The door was pushed open, letting in a blast of cold wind, then it was closed again.

Silence fell over the banquet hall.

Zachary's face turned ashen, and he nearly crushed the wine glass in his hand.

The nobles in the banquet hall all glanced at him discreetly, their expressions complex.

Perhaps Diaz isn't as reliable as they think.
(End of this chapter)