Free Web NovelOutside the window, the cold wind carried the unique bone-chilling iciness of the Northern Territory.
When Louis woke up, the room was warm as spring.
The underfloor heating pipes slowly emitted warmth, keeping the entire bedroom at a perfect temperature.
Therefore, he only needed a thin wool blanket to sleep soundly through the night, undisturbed by the cold.
Louis slowly sat up, casually tidying his slightly messy hair.
The first thing he did upon waking was, as usual, instinctively raise his hand, and a translucent light screen quietly unfolded before his eyes.
【Daily Intelligence Update Complete】
【1: Today, an adult Ice Vein Giant Serpent was found in a state of hibernation in the Rock Valley north of Red Tide Territory.】
【2: Emperor Ernst August of the Iron-Blood Empire has officially agreed to the Governor of the Northern Territory’s suggestion and approved Louis Calvin’s promotion to Viscount.】
【3: Grand Mage Jürgen Loken unexpectedly fell unconscious not far north of Red Tide Territory; his current condition is unknown.】
Louis’s eyes scanned the first piece of intelligence, and he immediately became alert.
In the Northern Territory, the Ice Vein Giant Serpent was one of the most valuable magical beasts!
Although its gallbladder could not directly enhance battle qi, it could purify impurities in the bloodline, increase talent, and accelerate cultivation progress.
For someone with mediocre talent like him, this kind of improvement was more important than anything else.
Not to mention its nourishing snake meat, cold-resistant scales, and precious snake fangs—it could be said that the entire Ice Vein Giant Serpent was a treasure from head to tail!
However, under normal circumstances, hunting an adult Ice Vein Giant Serpent was not easy.
An adult Ice Vein Giant Serpent, when coiled, had a body diameter like a sizable house, resembling a giant monster in the ice plains.
Moreover, this magical beast's bloodline contained a strong ice-cold element; a single breath of its snake breath could instantly freeze an opponent.
Not to mention, their scales were as tough as cold iron, capable of withstanding most weapon attacks.
To take it down, even with Red Tide Territory’s current combat power, a very heavy price would have to be paid. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
However, now, as deep winter approached, the Ice Vein Giant Serpent had entered hibernation.
Its alertness was extremely low, and its reactions were sluggish—it was the best time to strike!
Louis clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming with barely suppressed excitement.
If he missed this opportunity, he didn't know how many more years he would have to wait.
He had to take it down!
Next, Louis scanned the second piece of intelligence, which made him even more excited.
His promotion to Viscount was confirmed!
Louis felt a wave of relief, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
Although he had long known he had a great chance.
In the Northern Territory, for personnel appointments and ennoblements below Earl, as long as they received the support of Governor Edmund, promotion was almost just a formality.
Theoretically, this was correct.
But what concerned Louis was the Emperor's own attitude.
After all, he still carried the title of “direct bloodline of the Calvin Family.”
As the son of someone currently targeted by the Emperor, getting a county governorship in the Northern Territory might not sit well with the autocratic Emperor.
Even if Governor Edmund strongly recommended him, all efforts could be in vain.
“Good, it seems no accidents occurred,” Louis exhaled softly.
At this moment, he felt the heavy stone that had been weighing on his heart finally fall to the ground.
The next piece of intelligence, the third one, left Louis almost speechless with shock.
Jürgen Loken, Archmage, unconscious north of Red Tide Territory.
“What the hell! Archmage?”
This term, for him, existed almost only in fairy tales and historical records.
Mages were an extremely rare profession in this world.
As a noble, he had only heard of them, never truly seen one.
It was rumored that a thousand years ago, mages were active in the world and numerous.
But later, for unknown reasons, a massive witch hunt broke out.
Since then, mages had almost completely disappeared from public view.
There were rumors that they collectively hid deep in the mountains, while others were convinced they had been exterminated.
Of course, throughout these thousand years of history, mages occasionally appeared, but they were extremely rare.
And now, an unconscious Archmage had appeared in Red Tide Territory—
This was already shocking enough.
But what made Louis’s heart surge even more was that name—Jürgen Loken.
He had seen this name when studying imperial historical records and was very familiar with it.
That was the legendary mage who followed the Iron-Blood Empire’s first Emperor in his conquests, exactly four hundred years ago.
“It’s probably just a namesake—” Louis whispered, reassuring himself.
But if it was the person from the history books, that would be a storm capable of changing the entire Northern Territory, or even the entire Empire.
Regardless of the truth, since this incident had occurred on the land of Red Tide Territory, he could not stand idly by.
“Since fate has intertwined, it’s better to face it proactively.”
Louis murmured softly, gently closing the translucent intelligence panel.
“Lambert. Assemble the knight squad and hunter squad, prepare to depart. This year’s last hunt.”
Louis did not explain much.
Lambert and the knights, however, were used to it.
The lord would go hunting on a whim every so often, and each time, the lord would always find several magical beast prey.
So, the large contingent quickly assembled and then set off in a grand procession.
Sunlight spilled through the gaps in the grey-white clouds, as warhorses trod through the snow,
Along the way, they hunted many wild game—wild deer, snow foxes, and even a few low-level magical beasts like wasteland boars.
The atmosphere was good; the knights hunted while speculating on the day's spoils, their laughter echoing in the wind.
They knew that, according to the lord's custom, most of the hunted magical beast meat would be distributed among them.
But Louis’s true target was clearly not the meat of these low-level magical beasts.
His gaze was always fixed forward, piercing through the swirling snow, looking directly towards the Northern Rock Valley.
His true target was hidden there.
Suddenly, a rapid hoofbeat ahead interrupted the team’s marching rhythm.
“Move! Move quickly!”
A hunter ran back from the front of the team, panting, his face flushed, steam rising from his forehead.
He practically stumbled and crawled to Louis, one hand on his knee, gasping out white breaths.
He spoke very quickly: “Cough, cough—Lord! Up, up ahead at the edge of the Rock Valley—we found a giant snake!!”
“A giant snake?” The knights paused slightly, glancing at each other.
Louis straightened abruptly on his horse, thinking, 'Finally,' and asked directly, “How big?”
The hunter hadn’t caught his breath yet, stammering and making a circular gesture: “Coiled up—it’s, it’s much bigger than a house... We didn’t dare get close, so we hurried back!”
“Take me there.” With a flick of his cape, he was already leading the way.
The knights immediately followed suit.
