Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 56 Not Enough

Louis strolled leisurely out of the banquet hall, a cold wind blowing in his face, carrying away the smell of alcohol and the greasiness of the roasted meat.

He let out a soft breath, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The banquet was even more boring than I had expected.

Zachary Diaz is indeed nothing special.

He thought he could control these pioneering nobles, and that with a few nice words and a little favor, he could make them willingly fight for him.

But what's the truth? The way those nobles look at each other has already started to change.

At first, they did indeed fawn over and fawn over Zach, like a bunch of obedient lapdogs.

But with his own words, the seeds of doubt had already been sown.

Was Zachary really saying it for everyone's sake, or was it just for his own?

Once this kind of question comes to mind, it's hard to ignore it.

"Haha, boss, you were so cool just now!"

Yorn quickly caught up, his face beaming with excitement. "You didn't see Zachary's face, it was practically glowing green! I bet he'd bite you to death right now!"

“Oh?” Louis raised an eyebrow. “Too bad he doesn’t have the guts.”

“Of course!” Yorn nodded repeatedly, smiling gloatingly. “After all, you are the young master of one of the eight great families of the empire. Even if he were the same, it wouldn’t matter much.”

As he spoke, he mimicked Zachary's gesture of holding a wine glass, raising his chin in a pretentious manner: "Oh, Mr. Calvin, unity is very important!"

Then she immediately changed to a disgusted expression, waved her hand, and said, "Pah, what are you pretending for? It's disgusting!"

Louis couldn't help but laugh out loud.

This guy is quite good at exaggerating.

Thinking of Zachary's ashen face earlier, Louis felt a little happier.

However, we shouldn't be too complacent.

This is just the beginning.

If Zachary is smart, he will try to repair his image.

He even turned the banquet controversy around to discredit himself and further consolidate his position.

But if he's foolish, he'll be eager to take revenge on himself.

"Hey boss, do you think he might send someone to cause you trouble?" Yorn leaned over and asked in a low voice. "The more I think about it, the more I feel like he might be planning something big."

Louis mounted his horse and chuckled softly, "That would be for the best."

"Huh?" Yorn looked completely bewildered.

Louis did not rush to answer, but instead looked around the banquet hall and saw the knights and soldiers of the various nobles stationed there.

The knights' armor, though not particularly ornate, was at least well-maintained, and their cloaks were embroidered with their family crests, clearly indicating a sense of honor.

However, their mounts were not in good condition; many of their warhorses appeared to be poorly fed.

As for the ordinary soldiers, they were in even worse shape; their armor was tattered and their weapons were rusty.

Not to mention their mental state; some soldiers huddled in corners to keep warm, while others leaned listlessly against the wall with unfocused eyes.

Those on guard duty could barely stand, and those on patrol were listless and weak, as if they could be blown over by a gust of wind at any moment.

Could such an army possibly fight against the Snowsworn?
Louis shook his head and couldn't help but laugh: "Yorn, what kind of fighting power do you think this kind of army can have?"

Yorn followed his gaze and looked around, then immediately burst into laughter: "Haha, boss, now that you mention it, it's true!"

Although his own knights and soldiers were in basically the same condition.

But he had just met with Louis's troops the day before.

The Red Tide Knights' armor was gleaming and clean, their weapons were sharp as new, and each of their warhorses was strong and healthy.

Even ordinary soldiers can obey orders and quickly change formations.

They were completely different from these soldiers and knights.

Louis smiled faintly as he listened to Yorn's flattery. He knew very well that Zachary Diaz was able to win over these southern nobles not because of his strength.

Rather, it was their shared predicament: being abandoned by their families.

These pioneering lords were mostly marginalized members of the major families who were not valued.

They were sent to the North not to make a name for themselves.

Rather, it refers to those families who were abandoned in the north in order to comply with the emperor's decree to expand into the north.

Louis knew this so clearly because he himself was one of them.

Of course, I am different from them now.

When others are thrown into the North, they truly become outcasts.

Through hard work, knowledge from his previous life, and the daily intelligence system, he embarked on a path to heaven.

After seeing the results of his efforts, his father, Duke Calvin, also increased his investment in the Red Tide Territory.

His territory was just as barren as this place, and his soldiers were just as disorganized.

After nearly half a year of training, reorganization and planning, the Red Tide Territory's army has begun to take shape.

The Red Tide Territory's forces are no longer ordinary pioneering troops, but a fighting force in the North.

After laughing, Jon leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Boss, I don't mean he sent soldiers to attack you, but that he went to Earl Firth, the county magistrate, to report you."

Louis scoffed: "Snitching? Let him do it, I already have a plan."

He tugged on the reins, his tone relaxed: "Let's go. Gather your knights, and I'll take you to earn some military merit."

"Military merits?" Yorn was taken aback, then realized what he meant. "Wait... wait! What are you trying to do?"

Louis didn't answer, but instead spurred his horse forward.

"Hey, boss, you better explain yourself! Hey! Wait for me!"

Jon quickly tightened the reins and chased after them.

And so the two men, with the knights, headed straight for their camp.

…………

Hiro sat at the long table in the tent, his fingers unconsciously tapping the edge of the wooden table.

His gaze fell on the intelligence report in front of him, which clearly stated: "Duke Edmund has assembled the lords of the North and is preparing to launch an expedition to wipe out the Snowsworn."

Hiro stared at the words over and over, a near-hysterical glint in his eyes.

"finally come……"

His voice was hoarse, as if it were being forced out from deep in his throat.

Then he slowly stretched out his hand, looking at his slightly trembling fingertips.

These hands were the ones that buried my mother.

Countless painful memories flooded his mind, yet he smiled.

He laughed in a low voice, then laughed louder and louder until he was almost manic.

"It's time! It's time for blood to be repaid!"

However, a sudden gust of cold wind lifted a corner of the tent, and the chill penetrated to the bone.

Hiro's laughter stopped abruptly, and his body stiffened slightly.

A gentle male voice sounded in her ear, with a hint of reassurance: "Don't worry, Hiro."

He turned back sharply.

Inside the tent, the flickering candlelight illuminated a slender and graceful hand gently resting on his shoulder.

My fingertips were icy cold, as if they carried no warmth at all.

The eerie male voice slowly rang out again: "The ritual to awaken the Ancient God of the Cold Abyss is not enough."

(End of this chapter)