Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 54 Zachary Diaz
The air was filled with the aroma of roasted meat, carrying the unique fat scent of monsters, making one's mouth water.

"Mmm, it's so delicious..."

While munching on the roasted meat, Yorn mumbled a complaint that was hard to understand: "I haven't had any fresh monster meat in ages!"

He took a bite, his face full of satisfaction, but then he remembered what had happened to him, and his mood instantly plummeted.

Louis ate his meat while observing Jon's current appearance.

Indeed, unlike his high spirits when he first arrived in the North, Jon now looked quite weathered and had lost a lot of weight.

“This wretched place in the North is no place for humans to live!” Yorn complained to Louis while eating. “With that frozen soil in my territory, it’s impossible to grow any crops!”

And the people are lazy and afraid of hardship. Give them land, and they don't know how to cultivate it; give them hunting bows, and they don't know how to use them. They just wait for me to hand out relief food all day! They all think I'm the number one philanthropist in the North!

Louis comforted her, saying, "Just get through the initial period and plan things out gradually, and things will get better."

“If it weren’t for my father sending me money every month and transporting grain from the south, I would have starved to death long ago!” Jon grabbed his hair with a face full of grief and indignation.

How can a territory be sustained by transporting grain and money?
Louis remained silent for a moment, and began to have a new understanding of the Harvey family's wealth.

Jon sighed deeply and looked up at the sky: "I should have known better than to come. You said my father pleaded with the emperor to let me go back."

Louis's lips twitched, somewhat speechless.

The North doesn't come and go as you please.

According to the laws of the Northern Expedition, if a settler leaves his territory for too long without cause, he may be beheaded.

"Alright, stop playing the victim." He patted Yorn on the shoulder. "Even if you want to leave, it will be at least another twenty years."

Jon, looking utterly dejected, shook off the grease from the roasted meat and changed the subject of his complaint:
"And I had barely sown the seeds, and before I could even catch my breath, Duke Edmund gave me an order to bring my troops here!"

“Tsk, that’s really bad luck,” Louis chimed in.

"Now we don't even know if there will be a harvest this fall!" Yorn said, his face filled with anguish.

He angrily shoved the meat skewers into the fire: "Shouldn't this be something those old nobles from the North do? Why are we, the newly arrived pioneer nobles, getting involved?"
"And they're the Snowsworn! I've heard about them, they're a bunch of lunatics!"

"You said it yourself, newly arrived pioneer nobles," Louis shrugged. "No background, no foundation, aren't they just the best cannon fodder?"

Jon's smile froze instantly, as if he had suddenly realized something.

After a moment, he shook his head, not wanting to dwell on this heavy topic any longer, and changed his tone, saying, "By the way, there's something else, boss."

He mumbled through his grilled meat, "You know Zachary Diaz, right?"

“A member of the Diaz family? I remember his territory is nearby,” Louis replied.

“Yes, he sent out invitations, wanting to gather all the pioneering nobles from the south of Snow Peak County for a departure banquet.” Yorn waved the meat skewers in his hand: “Did you receive an invitation?”

Louis paused for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

Yorn paused, his expression somewhat strange: "Huh? That can't be, you are..."

"Don't even think about it, the reason is simple." Louis chuckled and casually flipped the meat on the stove. "Zakri wants to be the leader of these pioneer lords, so he's just ostracizing me."

Yorn blinked, giving him a look that said, "Are you overthinking this?"

“Diaz, like Calvin, is one of the eight great families of the Empire.” Louis smiled enigmatically. “If I were to go, would he still be able to hold onto his position as ‘boss’?”

Yorn suddenly realized and nodded vigorously: "That's right, after all, you are also one of the eight great families. If you were here, he wouldn't be able to keep up his airs."

He paused, then muttered, "This guy is so petty..."

"No, he's quite cunning. He just knows his own limitations." "So, how do you plan to deal with him?"

"When does the banquet start? Where is it?" Louis asked casually.

“In two days, his territory will be there, not far ahead,” Yorn mumbled, still chewing on meat.

Louis stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "Take me to see this."

Yorn was taken aback, then his eyes lit up: "Ha! Boss, are you going to cause trouble?"

Louis smiled and said, "We still have some time, so let's go take a look."

Yorn immediately wiped his mouth, slapped his thigh, and said, "Alright! I'll lead the way!"

…………

The next day, Jon led the way, with Louis accompanied by his knights. It took them half a day to finally reach their destination.

However, the scene that came into view was unexpectedly desolate.

Looking around, the land is barren, with only a few patches of barely cultivated land to be seen, where crops of mediocre growth sway in the cold wind.

Scattered houses sit on the land, mostly built of wood, with simple structures, and some even have leaky roofs.

The people, dressed in tattered clothes, looked numb and went about their work with their heads down.

They glanced at the knights, their eyes devoid of emotion—neither fear nor expectation—as if they had become numb to their own lives.

Louis frowned.

If such a place were located in the Red Tide Territory, it could be demolished and rebuilt.

But Jon crossed his arms and nodded: "This guy did pretty well, just a little worse than me."

Louis paused for a moment, wondering if he had misheard.

He looked back at the faces of the people, then at the dilapidated houses and the endless barren land.

Is this what you call good?

Just as he was about to speak, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

This kind of territory is the norm for northern expansionist lords.

There were no sufficient resources, no sound planning, and no stable supply of materials.

In such a cold and harsh environment, it would be considered a success if the people could not starve, a few houses could be built, and farming could be managed.

And what about yourself?

The prosperity and stability of Red Tide Territory are unlike those of a newly established territory; in fact, it is better than many of the old families in the North.

This is because he is a time traveler, and he has the advantage of a daily intelligence system.

With this cheat, he can know where there are resources, where there are monsters, how to avoid danger, and how to make the most of the available resources.

No one else could possibly do that.

Louis said to Yorn, "Once we wipe out the Snowsworn, you can come and see Red Tide Territory. It's much better than here."

Jon nodded without hesitation: "Of course, you're my boss!"

(End of this chapter)