Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 45 Weil
Will's story begins two years ago, on the day barbarians attacked his village.

He was only ten years old then, a child who knew nothing, when he lost all his relatives and friends, and his former home was reduced to ruins.

Only the mother, exhausted, led Wel into the forest.

Without food or water, they could only survive by scavenging fruit.

However, the misfortune did not end there.

Soon after, they were captured by a group of passing slave traders.

The mother tried to help Wel escape, but he was eventually taken to the slave market.

All Wel remembers is being displayed to those cold-blooded buyers like a commodity.

They were dressed in rough cloth, their stomachs were growling with hunger, and even their most basic dignity had been stripped away.

The mother held Wel tightly, silently enduring all of this.

Until fate intervened, Lord Louis the Great appeared at the slave market and bought hundreds of slaves, including himself.

Louis took them to Red Tide Territory and gave them a warm home.

For the first time, Will ate his fill, wore warm clothes, and felt a long-lost sense of security.

My mother started working at a smoked fish shop in Chichao Territory.

Every morning, she gets busy washing, marinating, and smoking the fish, never slacking off in any of the steps.

Although it was hard work, she survived by her own hands and finally gained some dignity and stability.

And her efforts were not in vain.

After hearing about her performance, Louis decided to revoke the slave status of her mother and Weil, granting them free citizenship.

That day, the mother, who never shed a tear, hugged Weil and cried bitterly.

From then on, Will also had a goal in life—to become someone who could repay Lord Louis's kindness.

Will stood in the crowd, his eyes fixed on the blood-dripping stone.

The opportunity has arrived; Lord Louis is selecting knights.

If I am chosen, I will serve the great lord and repay him for everything he has given to my mother and me.

Only by standing beside Lord Louis can one change their destiny.

Finally, he was called.

“Will,” the teacher called softly.

Will's heart nearly leaped out of his chest; he strode heavily toward the platform.

The great lord stood before him, somewhat blindingly so.

As per the rules, he gently pricked his finger with the dagger and dripped the blood onto the blood-dripping stone.

"I must succeed, I must succeed..." he kept repeating to himself, almost unable to breathe.

At the very moment the blood came into contact with the bloodstone, some subtle reaction seemed to occur.

The stone's surface gleamed slightly, with flashes of red light.

Will's eyes widened, almost unable to believe what he was seeing.

"It's a success, it's a success." He couldn't help but murmur to himself, tears of excitement welling up in his eyes. He subconsciously knelt down, his knees touching the ground.

"I...I really succeeded...Great Lord, I pledge my allegiance to you!"

Louis gently helped him up: "There's no need to get so worked up."

Will's voice trembled slightly: "Thank you... thank you, sir! I will do my best to protect Crimson Tide Territory!" Louis had long known that Will possessed the potential to become a top-tier knight.

Even when Wel was still a slave, the daily intelligence system had already alerted him.

Will is a knight candidate with extraordinary talent. If he can become a top knight, he will be the top combat force of the Red Tide Territory in the future.

The test lasted all morning, with more than two hundred children participating. Ultimately, eight were selected as having the talent to become knights.

“Eight knights…” Louis murmured softly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

While this result may not be substantial, it is a considerable achievement for a newly established territory.

In fact, training knights requires a lot of resources. Although resources are scarce in the Crimson Tide Territory, it can still afford it with the support of the family.

The minor noble families in the south, who have accumulated wealth over several generations, probably only have a few dozen apprentice knights, a dozen or so regular knights, plus a few elite knights.

Compared to these minor nobles, Louis's military strength, backed by his family, is now no less than theirs.

The only problem is that Red Tide Territory is located in the north, a land that is not only desolate but also dangerous.

Barbarians, bandits, and even other lords in the surrounding area are all potential threats.

For example, according to the daily intelligence system, the Snowsworn have been frequently harassing the Northern Provinces recently, and they seem to have gone berserk. Fortunately, they are relatively far away.

In order to survive in such an environment, Louis must be more careful and rely on his own troops and resources to gradually gain a foothold here.

Louis stood on a high point on the training field, looking down at the eight children.

These children will not only be the future knights of the Red Tide Territory, but also his closest force, his future Royal Guard.

Louis entrusted these eight exceptionally talented children to Barnes, a formal knight.

Barnes possesses extensive combat experience and teaching abilities, making him the best candidate to train these future knights.

Their first lesson was practicing breathing techniques.

"Breathing techniques are the foundation of a knight's training, determining how far you can go."

Barn demonstrated how to use Breath Flow, a technique originating from the Calvin family.

Although it is not as powerful as the Tidal Breathing Technique, which can only be practiced by the core members of the family, it is powerful enough to be considered a first-class breathing technique.

"There are seven energy nodes in the human body. By practicing breathing techniques to activate them, the energy in the air can be converted into battle energy, which enters the body and activates the blood vessels."

As Barnes explained, he demonstrated the breathing technique: take a deep breath, let your chest rise and fall slightly, and then exhale slowly.

“Every deep breath you take is an absorption of energy from the atmosphere. This energy will eventually be transformed into your fighting spirit.”

The children earnestly imitated Barnes' movements, trying to feel the changes within their bodies.

At first, the children didn't feel anything, but as time went on, some of them finally noticed subtle changes in their bodies.

Will was the first to feel it, and he whispered, "I...I feel energy entering my body!"

Barnes nodded in satisfaction: "Very good, this is the first step."

In the following training sessions, Barnes required the children to continue practicing and deepen their understanding of breathing techniques.

He emphasized: "Breathing techniques are not only a means to increase your fighting spirit, but also a process to hone your spirit and will."

By the end of the training, the children could all feel the changes in the airflow in their bodies and had initially grasped the core of the breath-flow breathing technique.

Barnes expressed his satisfaction with their performance: "You've taken the first step towards becoming Cavaliers."

This is just the beginning. Only by constantly refining these children can we cultivate truly loyal and capable knights for the Red Tide Territory.

(End of this chapter)