Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 468 The Emerald Federation's Trump Card

Two months after the end of the Holy City War, Crystal Rock City, the capital of the Emerald Federation, was still brightly lit.

The city is like a piece of ore that has been cut open, showing distinct layers from top to bottom.

The lower you go, the more murky the colors become; the higher you go, the calmer the light becomes.

The top-floor conference room is suspended above the city, like a crystal embedded in the clouds.

The enormous floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the entire Crystal Rock City, yet only allow those inside to look down.

Yellowish-green toxic fog swirled between streets and factories, like a miasma that would never dissipate.

Millions of miners and lowly artisans writhed within it, their lungs long since corroded by crystal dust and metal shavings, and the blood they coughed up was considered part of their work.

Scalding hot pipes ran through the block, and people crawled, fell, and were dragged away among them.

Some people voluntarily signed organ transfer contracts in exchange for a piece of low-quality bread.

The hissing of leaking steam, the roar of pistons, and the wails of the dying were compressed into a low, continuous noise that surged up from the depths of the city.

However, it was completely cut off before reaching the top floor.

The meeting room was completely silent, with an expensive soundproof barrier isolating all noise.

The air has also been filtered through several layers of alchemical processes, carrying a refreshing scent of mint and gold dust, and there is no resistance when breathing it.

Clement, the chairman and speaker of the Glory Guild, stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

His deep purple velvet suit clung to his figure, and the primal magic stone at the tip of his cane reflected a cold light.

Mrs. Isabella, the president of the Silver Disk Guild, sat on the other side of the long table.

The black veil concealed her delicate face, but could not hide her unnatural paleness. Her hands were covered with gemstone rings, each one enough to buy a border kingdom.

The other directors were already seated around the round table.

Someone used a pure gold knife to cut a steak that was still bloody, the movements as elegant as if they were dissecting a work of art;
Some people put the purified magic stone powder into their mouths, closing their eyes to savor the brief but expensive pleasure. They chatted and laughed, like a group of diners about to have a feast.

In the center of the conference table, a sophisticated mechanical sand table slowly operates.

The red pieces represent the empire, their ranks are orderly, and their advance is stable.

The blue flag symbolizes the Emerald Federation, which is suffering repeated defeats.

The intelligence officer stood aside, reporting in a flat tone.

"The Board of Directors notes that the decoy plan has achieved its objectives. The Third Mercenary Regiment, consisting of 5,123 men, has been completely wiped out in Sunset Canyon. They held out until the very last moment, successfully creating the illusion of a breached defense."

Clement adjusted his monocle slightly: "What about the compensation clause?"

"It has been mitigated through the force majeure and accident insurance clauses."

“Very good.” Clement nodded. “Their deaths were very cost-effective. They not only tied down the Imperial Army, but also took the opportunity to eliminate several mercenary leaders who had been in arrears with interest payments for a long time.”

Isabella chuckled softly, her voice gentle yet hollow: "Remember to collect the corpses. The alchemy workshop is short of organic fertilizer lately. Assets cannot be wasted."

The red tin soldiers on the sand table continued to advance.

The intelligence officer turned to the next page: "The twenty knight legions under the command of the Second Prince Karen have penetrated deep into the heart of the territory and are currently positioned directly in front of the feeding area."

A subtle change occurred in the meeting room, and the eyes of several directors unconsciously lit up.

Isabella closed the ledger and leaned forward slightly: "What perfect ingredients! Ordinary minerals are too rough in texture, and He has been complaining about it for a long time."

Only iron tempered by the flames of war, imbued with murderous intent, and the blood of heroes brimming with anger, resentment, and the will to survive, are worthy of being the main course.

She raised her eyes, her smile dignified: "That's also why we don't use forbidden spells. If it's blown to pieces, it won't be fresh anymore."

Clement turned around, his back to the billowing poisonous fog outside the window, facing the floor beneath his feet.

He placed his palms on his chest, a standard gesture of respect, his voice solemn and deep, as if reciting sacred texts:
"Poor Karen, he thought he was conquering a country, but he didn't know it was a blind pilgrimage."

He was a diligent worker ant, who traveled thousands of miles to bring His sharpest fangs and most precious possessions to His table, bit by bit.

For the property of the Federation, for our eternal life, and for the sake of the great, greedy Lord, to have a full meal, this is a necessary sacrifice.

The red wine was picked up.

Seven crystal glasses were tilted slightly in the center of the long table, and the golden alchemical liquid flowed under the refraction of the chandelier, like tamed sunlight.

"Respect greed."

The clinking of the cups produced a crisp and pleasant sound.

Deep within the city, behind countless pipes and layers of rock, a colossal and hungry entity let out a barely audible swallowing sound.

The music is ringing.

Soothing and elegant classical music flowed through the conference room, masking the slight, insignificant noise that had just occurred.

The knife and fork fell, cutting into the veal steak. The meat was tender, and juices seeped out, tinged with blood.

The conversation naturally turned to the future.

They began to discuss how to redistribute the Empire's mining areas and shipping routes after Karen's death, which noble estates would be suitable for acquisition, and which populations could be allocated as new labor quotas.

At that moment, without any warning.

"Om-!"

On the south wall, the entire row of crystal screens simultaneously emitted a piercing low-frequency hum.

The music was instantly suppressed.

The directors froze in mid-air.

The previously stable, flowing green curve disappeared completely within a second.

Instead, a chilling crimson hue prevailed.

That red wasn't a single outbreak, but rather spread like a plague.

It began to engulf the Holy Eastern Empire's tectonic plate from the southeastern seas.

Subsequently, at a speed visible to the naked eye, it dyed all trade nodes, mining area markers, and shipping lane coordinates in the southeast red.

The conference room door then slid open.

The federal chief intelligence officer almost fell in.

He had lost a shoe, his hair was disheveled, and his usually impeccably dressed uniform was completely soaked with sweat. He stood at the door, catching his breath.

"Fellow directors, the East... has collapsed... Louis Calvin has completed the total occupation of the Holy Eastern Empire and the Golden Feather Flower Papacy!"

It was deathly silent; the air seemed to have been sucked out.

Mrs. Isabella stood up abruptly, slamming her hands on the table: "How could it be so fast..."

Her voice had lost its usual composure: "It's only been a few months since he went south. We originally expected that his war with the Eastern Empire would drag on for at least two to three years, but now..."

Her gaze swept over the area that had been completely stained red, and her throat tightened: "He not only won, but he also took over that divine island."

Vulcan, the director of the Arms and Metallurgy Guild, leaned forward abruptly, his mechanical prosthetic eye, embedded in its socket, rapidly expanding and contracting.
"Impossible. I know the theocracy's fleet very well. It's a defense system that even the Federation Navy avoids, and there's also the fortifications on that island..."

He looked up, his prosthetic eye flashing a dangerous red light. "You're saying he leveled the entire island in three days? Even if we concentrated all our magic-explosive cannons to bombard it, it would still take a year!"

He suddenly realized a fact: the city defenses that the Federation was so proud of might be nothing more than fragile objects in the eyes of the other side.

The Black Ridge Guild's Gorgon Director suddenly stopped chewing, glanced down at the meat on his plate, and turned pale.

The next second, he bent over abruptly and vomited all the expensive food he had just eaten onto the carpet.

“And he annexed the Eastern Empire…” His voice was filled with barely concealed fear. “There are tens of millions of people there. How did he manage to assimilate them? Once he’s finished assimil them, he’ll definitely move westward.”

The calmest person in the room was actually Clement, the chairman of the Azure Radiance Guild. He closed his eyes and quickly reconstructed the map of the East in his mind.

The country, which was originally broken and chaotic and could be dismantled by capital, has disappeared, replaced by a whole expanse of glaring crimson.

"Gentlemen," he finally spoke, his tone chilling, "we made a fatal mistake. We always thought he was something that could be valued."

"But now it seems... once he's digested the east, his next target will inevitably be us."

In the center of the mechanical sand table, the red arrow representing Kalen was completely covered by a deeper shadow.

The shadow rose from the eastern sea, like a gaping maw, devouring everything on the map.

Mrs. Isabella slumped back into her chair, her voice trembling: "Then what do we do? Give him money? Make him honorary speaker?"

Director Vulcan slammed his fist on the table: "Haven't you realized yet? He wants it all!"

Speaker Clement looked up, and his alchemical prosthetic eye shone in the shadows, emitting a cold light.

“Since we can’t trade it, then we can only destroy it.” He paused for a moment, “Let our god awaken immediately.”

Regardless of whether Karen's twenty legions are enough, let's get this defensive line up first.

This is their last trump card, and their only option.

…………

The Imperial Army's offensive encountered its first significant setback as it approached the core area of ​​the Emerald Federation.

On the main road, the Federation seemed to have changed its tactics overnight.

All the heavy artillery that could still operate were piled up on that only passageway, layer upon layer, like a high wall cast from steel and fire.

The cannons fired day and night, their firepower overlapping and covering everything; any tentative advance would immediately result in large numbers of casualties.

This isn't defense; it's a slaughterhouse where you're forced to bite your way through.

At the military conference, the map was repeatedly unfolded and closed, but the atmosphere grew more somber with each meeting.

Duke Raymond spoke first, his tone cautious and even somewhat weary, as if he were genuinely worried about the safety of the Imperial Army.

“Your Highness, the frontal defenses are too dense,” he said. “Our supply lines have been stretched to their limit. If we continue our assault, we will only waste our elite troops.”

"Perhaps...we should temporarily retreat, reorganize our forces, and wait for reinforcements and a new batch of supplies to arrive before making further plans."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kalein's face darkened.

Retreat? The word itself seems to negate all his victories over the past few months.

"Retreat?" Kalein repeated coldly, his gaze sharp as a knife. "Louis is annexing the Empire in the south. If I retreat now, I'll be handing myself over to him!"

He slammed his hand on the table: "We must attack."

Silence fell over the meeting room.

Just as the dispute reached a stalemate, the knights outside brought in an unexpected victory: a captured high-ranking federal deserter.

The man was covered in dust, his spirits were scattered, and he seemed to have been completely drained. Among his belongings, a yellowed old blueprint was found.

That's the "Map of Abandoned Tunnels in the Federal Mining Area".

The moment the blueprints were unfolded, Kalen's eyes lit up.

That was a route marked "Old Crystal Vein Mine Road", which was dug a hundred years ago. It had long been abandoned due to its complex terrain, residual toxic gas, and depleted mineral veins.

The drawings show that it bypasses the main fortress complex, like a needle hidden underground, pointing directly to the heart of Crystal Rock City.

"No garrison?" Karen immediately ordered, "Send royal scouts to verify immediately."

The scout's report came very quickly: "Your Highness, it is true."

The mine tunnels were rugged, but unobstructed. There were no military posts along the way, and most of the warning signs were outdated, leaving only a few rusty signs.

Everything went so smoothly it was almost absurd.

Raymond stood beside the map, his brow furrowed, continuing to play the role of a cautious old minister.

“Your Highness, this road is too dangerous,” he said. “Once we are discovered, the narrow terrain will make it impossible to deploy, and if our retreat is cut off, the entire army will be wiped out.”

Kalein, however, revealed a confident expression: "It is precisely because of the danger that the enemy would not expect me to come here."

He looked at Raymond, his tone undisguisedly sharp: "Duke, you're getting old. This is a blitzkrieg, not your kind of drawn-out noble war."

The final deployment was quickly finalized.

Karen personally led 10,000 of his most elite knights in a surprise attack on Crystal Rock City via the mine tunnels.

Raymond, along with his main force and logistical support troops, continued to launch a massive feint attack on the front lines to draw the Federation's full attention.

The moment the order was given, Raymond lowered his eyes, his heart filled with coldness.

In the dead of night, ten thousand cavalrymen began their operation, like a silent black current, quietly slipping into the deep mine tunnel.

On both sides are steep black rock walls, and a pungent smell permeates the air.

The march went exceptionally smoothly, with no patrolling monsters, no landslides, and no traps. It was so smooth that it made people uneasy, yet it also made Kalen more convinced that this was a gift from fate.

When the faint light of Crystal Rock City finally emerged from the night on the distant horizon, he even smiled.

In the darkest hour before dawn, the vanguard burst out of the narrow mine tunnel.

Suddenly, everything became clear.

It was a vast basin plain, low-lying, like a natural bowl.

Crystal Rock City was located on the edge of the basin, its lights still on, seemingly completely undefended.

Almost simultaneously, deafening artillery fire erupted from the distant front lines.

Raymond has begun a feint attack.

Kalein felt a surge of adrenaline.

“Do you see that?” He drew his longsword and pointed it at the city ahead. “That is our reward.”

"Charge! Crush them! Let the Federation's gold pave the way for the Empire's revival!"

The bugle sounded.

Ten thousand knights, filled with a thirst for victory, poured down from the heights.

Like a runaway black mudslide, it surged into the prepared plate without hesitation.

(End of this chapter)