The translucent screen rippled like a water surface, followed by the rapid emergence of three pieces of intelligence:

[Daily Intelligence Update Completed]

[1: A large-scale growth of Frost Leaf Vines has been discovered in the North Ridge of Rock Valley in the northern part of the Red Tide Territory. The best harvesting window lasts a week.]

[2: Emperor Ernst August of the Ironblood Empire has officially issued a new Northern Territory Pioneer Order.]

[3: The malevolent spirits raised by the Snow Swearer are restlessly stirring, threatening to sweep across the entire Northern Territory this winter, no less than the great rebellion two years ago.]

"Frost Leaf Vine?!"

Louis sat up straight in bed, causing Sif beside him to grunt and turn over in her sleep.

He couldn't care less, as excitement had already flashed in his eyes.

Frost Leaf Vine, that's no ordinary herb.

It's a rare plant with the properties of "soothing magical creatures' moods" and "stabilizing the agitation of low-tier magical beasts." When harvested properly and successfully concocted, it could become the dream weapon for beast tamers!

"This thing is practically a divine artifact..." Louis muttered, as the issues of taming magical beasts flashed rapidly in his mind.

Magical beasts are not merely brute creatures relying on muscles; they are supernatural beings sustaining their physique, perception, and various abilities with trace amounts of magic power within them.

That's why they are so difficult to tame.

The magic running within magical beasts is extremely unstable, often disturbing their mental centers, causing agitation, anxiety, or even something akin to "collective insanity," severely reducing taming efficiency.

If a magical beast encounters imprisonment, starvation, or drastic changes, it may undergo "magic stress explosion," blowing itself up on the spot.

If one among them loses control, it can trigger a group rampage due to magic resonance, known as the "Rage Tide Effect."

"So high magic means low controllability..."

This has almost become a deadlock in the field of magical beast taming, which is why Louis didn't plan to breed some creatures but rather killed them for meat.

And plants like Frost Leaf Vine are a glimmer of hope breaking this deadlock.

As for the Turtle Charm Fragrance concocted by Hillco, at most, it just makes the Fire-backed Turtle 'not want to move,' it can't be considered taming, can it?

It merely took advantage of the Fire-backed Turtle's mating season to hit a home run.

And as for the Ice Wolf subdued earlier, although strong, its magic content isn't high, relying instead on its formidable physique as an excellent mount.

But in the future, if high-magic creatures could be stabilized and tamed into controllable breeds.

Whether for use as food, alchemical items, or direct combat power, that would truly be a breakthrough.

"If I have the Frost Leaf Vine... those magical beasts we only dare kill for meat and never dare to breed could potentially be purified and stabilized... perhaps even becoming exclusive war beasts of our Red Tide Territory."

Thinking of this, he couldn't suppress a smile from forming on his lips.

But rare things like Frost Leaf Vine...

tend to attract a horde of magical beasts growing nearby, making harvesting somewhat troublesome.

Although the intelligence doesn't mention such dangers, Louis never takes these matters lightly.

Memorizing this piece of intelligence, Louis moved on to the second one:

Emperor Ernst August of the Ironblood Empire has officially issued a new Northern Territory Pioneer Order.

"Oh, this matter has finally been set out?" he murmured under his breath.

Louis wasn't too surprised by this information.

Before winter, Yorn had hinted at it a bit.

Since Yorn's father is the Emperor's favored one, it's not surprising for him to hear some inside information early.

"However, even if it's truly implemented, I doubt many young Southern nobility would withstand this challenge."

Louis leaned on his chin, pondering that the Northern Territory isn't a place where the sheltered Southern nobles could easily enter.

Here, there's winter, barrenness, chaos, and entrenched local powers.

No matter how harsh the selection criteria of the Pioneer Order, those who come are mostly pampered and fragile, unable to send their true elites here.

They might be slightly better than the nobility of his batch, but they most likely won't adapt well.

"Not many Pioneer Lords as outstanding as myself," Louis bragged a little.

He smiled, feeling it might actually be an opportunity.

If this batch of pioneers has a few who manage to scrape by, Louis wouldn't mind seeing if cooperation is possible.

If not, well...

Having them spend some gold coins in Snow Peak County and "contribute" some of the leftover resources or land from failures isn't a bad gain.

He set his eyes on the third piece of intelligence:

The malevolent spirits raised by the Snow Swearer are restlessly stirring, threatening to sweep across the entire Northern Territory this winter, no less than the great rebellion two years ago.

Luis's pupils slightly contracted, his heart tightening slightly.

"The great rebellion two years ago"—to anyone who knows that part of history, it's not merely a light phrase.

That year, the Snow Swearer suddenly united with the Northern Barbarian Race, along with traitors hidden within the Northern Territory, stirring unrest that shocked the entire Empire.

Several cities fell in one night, the defense lines collapsed, and the Imperial Army was forced to retreat progressively.

The entire Northern Territory lost nearly one-third of its land, and counties that were relatively rich became scorched earth, with refugees flooding and corpses scattered everywhere.

Until the Duke fought fiercely for three months, holding on until the imperial forces arrived, forcibly cutting off the Barbarian Race supply line, barely halting the disaster.

But from then on, the Northern Territory has remained weakened, plagued by frequent wars.

If this crisis is "no less than that"?

"...This isn't a small ordeal."

Louis narrowed his eyes, the light smile on his lips quietly retracting, his gaze gradually becoming heavy.

He leaned against the headboard, gazing at the translucent intelligence interface, his thoughts churning.

"The malevolent spirits raised by the Snow Swearer"...

What kind of disaster could it be? What exactly are they sacrificing?

He often saw intelligence about knights and nobility being captured and sacrificed by the Snow Swearer.

Yet he's never figured out what exactly is being sacrificed, and even when capturing a lone member of the Snow Swearer, they refuse to answer.

The Intelligence System writes such a grave report, yet it is so vague—and it's their first distant prophetic intelligence—that's what unsettles him the most.

"This winter... which means there's about a year left."

He murmured softly, sighed lightly, then stretched his body, leaning against the headboard with the blanket draped over him.

There's still some time, at least enough to make some preparations.

In the worst scenario... I'll just gather my people, bring the grains, seal up the earth tower, and run.

He's not one to die guarding a city. In a place like the Northern Territory, a noble unafraid of the war flames reaching their doorstep only becomes a joke on scorched earth.

"Ah, what a bother."

Thinking these things, Louis casually waved away the daily intelligence system, the interface dispersing like mist.

He turned his head to glance at Sif, still sleeping soundly beside him, reached out and patted her buttocks with a tone laced with amusement, "Lazybones, time to get up."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.