Free Web NovelIt was another ordinary morning.
Outside the window, a cold wind carried mist, but inside the room, it was warm and cozy, like a relaxing sedative.
Louis woke up very early, not because he was disturbed by the cold, but out of habit.
Ever since he transmigrated to this world, every day for him was like a climber treading on a rope; he couldn't relax, nor could he stop.
He turned over and glanced at the sleeping girl beside him.
Her silver hair was spread out, her brows and eyes soft. Sif, who was originally as cold as a wolf, now slept like an unguarded little fox, her brows slightly furrowed, as if entangled by a nightmare.
He quietly pulled the blanket closer and carefully covered her, tucking the corner of the blanket around her shoulder.
“Hmm—” Sif hummed softly, her body shrinking, but she didn't wake up.
Louis chuckled softly and sat up quietly.
In seven days, it would be the County Governor's Meeting he personally established.
A collective meeting to establish power, and an inevitable feast of power struggles.
In the past few days, the system seemed to have sensed the approaching game, and the daily intelligence pushed was all related to the Snowpeak Nobles.
However, most of it was just household trivia and insignificant secrets.
Whose steward ran off with the chef, whose wine was stolen, who drank two extra glasses at a banquet—
While it could be considered “insider information,” for Louis, it was far from reaching the threshold of “strategic value.”
“Can you give me some real stuff today, you useless system?”
So he sat by the bed and gently waved his hand: “Come on!”
As always, the translucent light screen quietly unfolded before his eyes, with ice-blue glowing text scrolling from top to bottom:
【Daily Intelligence Update Complete】
【1: Joseph has a secret agreement with Silver Plate Guild, one of the Emerald Federation's seven major merchant guilds, selling information about the Calrad family in exchange for long-term material support.】
【2: The first batch of supplies transported by Silver Plate Guild to Joseph's territory will pass through the northern canyon of Red Tide Territory late tonight.】
【3: Baron Grant is currently facing bankruptcy and is seeking help from new forces.】
【4: Edward was once provoked by Joseph, who said he “didn’t have the guts to fight for power,” causing him to fall into inner turmoil and anxiety.】
“Holy crap, System Dad!” Louis almost jumped up in excitement as he read the intelligence.
Even Sif beside him slightly turned over, her eyelashes fluttering.
“—” “What happened?” Her voice was low and muffled, her eyes still closed.
“Nothing, go back to sleep.” Louis lowered his voice. Sif turned over and fell back into a deep sleep.
Louis’s eyes had already returned to calm. He slowly looked up at the still-flashing light screen.
Joseph has a secret agreement with Silver Plate Guild, one of the Emerald Federation's seven major merchant guilds, selling information about the Calrad family in exchange for long-term material support.
His breath hitched slightly as he stared at the line of text, reading it twice, then a third time.
“Is he insane?” he murmured, his voice filled with uncontrollable shock.
Louis originally thought Joseph was just an ambitious young noble,
skilled at forming alliances, probing, and instigating, ambitious for power, but not audacious enough to be reckless.
But now, it seemed he might have underestimated his courage and overestimated his sanity.
He actually dared to collude with the Emerald Federation?!
And Silver Plate Guild!
This wasn't ordinary border smuggling, nor was it gray market trading. This was signing a secret treaty with one of the Federation's seven major merchant guilds!
Silver Plate Guild was one of the true power cores of the Emerald Federation, a giant force capable of influencing wars and manipulating politics!
And the Calrad family...
Their territory was located in the southwest, closest to the Federation, serving as a barrier and strategic buffer between the Empire and the Federation.
Selling their information to Silver Plate Guild was tantamount to personally opening the Empire's gates!
“This is no longer collusion; it's treason,” he said in a low voice, but his eyes gleamed with an increasingly bright light.
Even in the corrupt circle of great nobles, such a thing could instantly make someone a target of public condemnation.
This was his method?
Selling information about border nobles in exchange for long-term material support from the Federation?
Indeed clever. If it remained sufficiently concealed, it could indeed yield a large amount of resources from nothing.
Fortune favors the bold. He was simply audacious.
But what was even more exciting was the next piece of intelligence.
The first batch of supplies transported by Silver Plate Guild to Joseph's territory will pass through the northern canyon of Red Tide Territory late tonight.
“Hahahahaha.” His laughter was low, but it couldn't hide his joy. “Thanks, this time you've sent me a divine thunderbolt from the sky!”
He had originally worried that Joseph was as cunning as a snake, and he would have to treat every step as carefully as defusing a bomb.
But this combination of intelligence was like the enemy tying the knot on the rope themselves and saying, “Come on.”
The key was not suspicion, but solid proof, with even the transport route and time provided!
“Caught red-handed, a heaven-sent opportunity!”
“I don't even need to act!” Louis's eyes sparkled with excitement. “As long as I send people to stake out the northern canyon tonight, once the convoy arrives, we'll directly inspect the goods, arrest the people, and file a case. Joseph's political life and his life will be directly declared over.”
“As for how big a storm this case can stir up—that's not /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ something I need to worry about.”
He was only responsible for the detonation.
The remaining fire would be left for the governors, the tribunals, and the Emperor to worry about.
Louis suppressed his elation and continued to scan the third piece of intelligence.
【3: Baron Grant is currently facing bankruptcy and is seeking help from new forces. The title was inherited by an married daughter, who lacks governing ability and is weak and powerless, potentially becoming an unstable factor.】
“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow.
Sure enough, this Baroness finally couldn't hold on.
A daughter returning from another place to inherit the territory, with no governing experience whatsoever?
In the turbulent North, this was tantamount to building a paper bridge in a snowstorm.
“Weak, helpless, and just in need of help—” Louis gently stroked his chin, a slight curve on his lips.
This kind of noble was most suitable for “gentle takeover.”
No need for troops, no need for threats. Just a little food support, a batch of Red Tide civil officials, and a letter of appointment for “cooperative governance,” and she would willingly hand over control, perhaps even with gratitude.
He muttered to himself, a calm calculation flashing in his eyes: “It seems this remnant territory of the old nobility will soon become an extension of Red Tide.”
And the last piece of intelligence seemed much “lighter” than the first three.
【4: Edward was once provoked by Joseph, who said he “didn’t have the guts to fight for power,” causing him to fall into inner turmoil and anxiety.】
Louis merely smiled faintly after reading this entry.
“Tsk, still the same, indeed.” He leaned back in his chair, his gaze deepening.
Although this message had no conclusive developments, it was enough to confirm two judgments.
Firstly, Joseph was indeed already planning, his defection and recruitment undisguised.
Secondly, Edward—was more like a chess piece being used than an enemy.
“Weak, arrogant, indecisive, and easily provoked—Bradley was absolutely right,” Louis murmured. “He even needs someone else to push him to decide whether he should act.”
Such a person, if successfully recruited, might be useful.
But if left unchecked, waiting to be controlled by others, that would be bad.
“It seems it’s time for Edward to make a choice,” He closed the intelligence panel, a glint in his eyes. “Whether to become an ally or a discarded piece, that’s up to him.”
Gently dismissing the intelligence panel, Louis let out a long breath, his mind already rapidly formulating several contingency plans.
But first, cultivation. Both battle qi and magic were progressing quite quickly now.
It took about four hours to complete his daily routine cultivation, but it was only nine o'clock now.
After changing his clothes, Louis first turned into the spacious office on the east side of the outer courtyard.
Bradley was at the table, checking several lists. The old butler was, as always, impeccably dressed and focused.
Seeing Louis enter, he reported to him: “Twenty-one swift birds have been sent out. Only three nobles' confirmations have not yet returned, but according to the schedule, there should be no surprises.”
“And the banquet venue arrangements?” Louis walked to his side, his gaze sweeping over the blueprints and checklists on the table.
“Your requirements have been noted and arranged,” Bradley paused, pushing a piece of paper over. “This is the seating draft. You can review it.”
Louis glanced at it, his eyes narrowing slightly: “Joseph’s seat is too close to mine. It can be moved further away.”
“Understood.” Although Bradley didn't understand why, he still agreed.
“Good. Continue at this pace.” Louis nodded slightly and turned to leave. “I’m going to the knight camp.
We'll confirm the ingredients and etiquette details this afternoon.”
Then Louis went directly to the knight camp and found Lambert, who was training.
“I need you to assemble thirty Red Tide Iron Riders and depart immediately.”
“Target?” Lambert was startled, stopping his movements.
“The northern canyon.” Louis's tone was light. “A merchant convoy will pass through there, and we need to give them a warm welcome.”
Lambert listened to the meaning in Louis's words, feeling a bit shocked, and tentatively asked, “Should we—wear masks?”
Louis shot him a sideways glance: “What are you talking about? This is a righteous strike!”
The North was bitterly cold. In the evening, Silver Plate Guild's convoy slowly made its way through the canyon path.
Iron wheels crunched over the ice-covered stone road, emitting a low creaking sound.
The convoy looked ordinary, but it was by no means a common merchant caravan.
Behind more than ten heavy carriages, cloth banners bearing the Northland Merchant Guild's emblem hung low, concealing a large number of supply crates.
The heavy crates contained refined gold coins, high-grade flour, cured meat, and a large quantity of medicinal materials forbidden for private transport by the Empire.
At the very front of the convoy, a middle-aged man in a silver-grey long robe had his hair neatly tied back.
He was the commander of this operation, Karlan, a high-ranking officer of Silver Plate Guild.
Karlan, thirty-seven years old this year, was one of the high-ranking officers under Silver Plate Guild, long active in the gray areas of the Emerald Federation and the Empire's border.
He was responsible for this important mission.
And in the closed carriages at the rear of the convoy, curled up in cages, were not slaves in the usual sense.
Although they wore uniform coarse cloth clothing, they were neat and clean, sitting upright, with almost no clamor or commotion, which instead gave one a strange sense of quiet.
These people had been trained.
Silver Plate Guild was known for its “efficiency first,” especially in slave cultivation, where it had long formed a complete set of brutal and efficient processes.
From verbal commands to reflex actions, from task adaptation to psychological obedience, this batch of slaves had been “trained” before departure to be highly efficient tools. Craftsmen knew how to complete customized tasks within a limited time, healers knew how to cooperate with medicines without asking an extra word, and administrative slaves could skillfully execute fief affairs but would never proactively show ambition.
Their eyes were calm and hollow, without struggle, without pleading, and even without resentment towards their servitude.
They had been “molded” to near perfection.
Obedient, capable, skilled, and no trouble.
These people were Karlan's “knocking stones” for this trip.
“They're all clever and useful people.” Karlan lifted the curtain of one of the cages, looking at the numb craftsmen, physicians, etc.
“Once this group reaches Joseph, he'll be able to prop up his broken situation within a year.”
Karlan, thirty-seven years old this year, was one of the high-ranking officers under Silver Plate Guild, long active in the gray areas of the Emerald Federation and the Empire's border.
He was not like those guild councilors accustomed to infighting, nor did he bother with the glib talk of commercial hustlers.
Karlan was a pragmatist, an executive who “would get the result, even if it meant getting his hands dirty.”
He came from humble beginnings but climbed to his current position through a series of “flawless” missions.
In every operation, he personally laid out the lines and personally reeled in the net, never entrusting it to others. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
“The first-hand information obtained from Joseph is indeed valuable,” Karlan murmured, flipping through a cloth-bound notebook in his hand.
It was densely filled with records of the material needs of the southwestern Imperial nobles, troop sizes, and vulnerable points in their defenses.
This information was just a “tentative gift before the transaction.”
“The Guild Headquarters is very satisfied. As long as we can stabilize this channel, Silver Plate Guild will have the opportunity to become the first Federation Guild to successfully infiltrate the Empire's southwest,” Karlan closed the notebook, his expression growing more solemn.
Moreover, if Joseph could be made into a “template,” then by controlling this single point in the future, he could use him to influence surrounding families and destabilize the internal power structure of the Empire.
“This carriage full of people and this carriage full of supplies are not mere goods; they are a stepping stone, a pledge of allegiance, the first nail the Federation drives into the heartland of the Empire.
If the nail is driven in, then the hammer and the pickaxe will follow.”
Therefore, this was not a simple smuggling mission; it was a strategic infiltration with the potential to be written into Federation history.
To avoid complications, he even abandoned the main official road and chose an extremely hidden path.
The convoy only moved at dusk each day, avoiding being spotted by knight patrols.
“Just a few more days of patience,” he said in a low voice.
“Once the material handover is complete, trust is established, and the contact point is opened, then it will be the starting point for devouring the entire southwestern Empire.”
However, he did not know that his “dusk operation” this time was about to meet the night predators.
