Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence

When Louis woke up, although the sky was just getting light, it was already late for him.

He opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the beam at the edge of the dome.

The beam was clad in polished dark wood trim, with narrow copper strips embedded at the joints to secure the structure and also serve a decorative purpose. The corners still bore the embossed patterns from the old nobility era.

This used to be the main residence of the Count of Black Iron, an old castle that had been completely taken over.

Of course, compared to Red Tide Castle, a wonder of the Northern Territory, it was naturally a thousand times inferior, but it sufficed.

Louis used this place as a temporary office and residence.

He didn’t choose Gray Rock Castle because the smell of blood there had seeped into the stone crevices, something that couldn’t be removed with a few cleanings.

Louis didn’t think much of it, just turned his body slightly.

The white long hair lay on the side of the pillow, Sif was still asleep.

The strands spread on the pillow, carrying a natural cool luster, her long eyelashes closed, casting a faint shadow under her eyes.

Louis raised his hand and tucked the corner of the quilt over her shoulder, his movements very gentle. Sif’s brows moved slightly but she didn’t wake up.

Emily and the old butler Bradley stayed in Red Tide City to oversee the Northern Territory, which was already running with the Red Tide system, and it was fine without him.

While Sif came to Gray Rock Province to help him handle affairs, as well as deal with personal matters.

Louis sat up, casually took the robe off the back of a chair and draped it over himself, stood by the window, letting his fingertips pause for a moment on the old wood grain of the window frame.

The morning in Gray Rock always carried a bit of coldness, as if seeping through the stone cracks.

This is Black Iron Land, the core city of Gray Rock Province, where iron ores and coal veins nourished it robustly, and now the city gates, granaries, workshops, and barracks are all adorned with new banners.

Louis let out a soft breath, suppressing his distracting thoughts: “Let’s see what today’s luck brings.”

He extended his right hand and waved it in the air.

A translucent interface emerged before him, like thin ice spreading out, the text jumping rapidly, finally freezing in place.

[Daily Intelligence Update Complete]

[1: Kaelin detains the commander of the Thirty-third Legion, Adrian Kress, and plans to publicly dispose of him within three days at Black Iron Land to signify the cleansing of his military power and sever old command chains.]

Louis finished reading the first entry with no change in his expression.

Kaelin indeed took action.

Detaining the commander of the Seventh Legion, and publicly disposing of him, was not simply a cleansing.

At this time, Duke Remont probably hasn’t returned to the Imperial Capital yet, and this timing tells everything.

This means Kaelin has given up on any dealings with Duke Remont and intends to dispose of as many people as possible, quickly.

This person is just the first piece of the bone; afterwards, be it observing legions, hesitant nobility, or those still loyal to Remont, all will be forced to make a choice.

Either side with Kaelin or be named in the next public disposal until Duke Remont returns to the Imperial Capital.

This cut will inevitably lead to loss of control in the short term, with internal suspicion, private collusion, or even preemptive rebellion surfacing.

Gray Rock Province will only get more chaotic next, which is good for Louis.

It exposed Kaelin’s distrust in the military heart and the fact that the Old Empire’s system can no longer be maintained by rules, only by blood pressure.

When Duke Remont returns to the Imperial Capital, it will definitely be undercurrents surging, maybe even bloody and violent.

Louis even felt a bit pleased, because dogs were already starting to bite each other.

He didn’t need to intervene, just stand by and watch them tear each other to shreds.

What Red Tide needs to do is lay the road, deliver food, and guard the city gates while they quarrel.

Louis thought he might recruit some talents over. He silently noted it down in his mind.

[2: The eastern Red Earth Slope of Gray Rock Province has a surface layer with volcanic ash, and a deep layer with high-activity volcanic ash deposits, characterized by water-hardening materials. It can be experimentally fired with limestone.]

Louis paused his gaze on the second entry.

Red Earth Slope, he recalled that area on the map, the color appears dark, the soil like it’s been baked by fire.

Previously, those nobles only considered it a by-product of fertile land, digging some ash and scattering it on the ground in exchange for some yield.

But the intelligence mentioned another kind of value.

He quickly aligned the materials and uses in his mind.

Limestone is everywhere in Gray Rock Province

If the volcanic ash deposits are truly active, with the right ratio and heat, they could fire a water-resistant binder.

Not a fragile mortar, but something that can harden in moisture.

What this means, he doesn’t need to think much about it.

Docks, embankments, bridge piers, warehouse foundations, military camp walls…

Once Gray Rock Province can produce this material on its own, the entire construction speed will change.

And not just Gray Rock Province, but roads and storage across the Northern Territory; once deployed, the next decade will be effortless.

Louis picked up the intelligence notebook on the table, and pressed the tip of his pen down.

“List Red Earth Slope as a strategic building material point for the province, send craftsmen and alchemy furnace teams for test burning to determine the ratio, send a squad of knights to seal the mining area and transport route, first sample, then batch transport to Black Iron Land workshops.”

In Louis’s eyes, Gray Rock Province was a treasure trove.

On the surface, it was just a piece of land that had been mined and exploited repeatedly by the Old Empire, but as the Daily Intelligence System continuously reported, you’d find that what lay buried here far exceeded what was on the ledgers.

Blind spots left by the old nobility, overlooked geological layers, and unclaimed corner resources—all slowly coming to light.

Since he stationed in the province, he could almost find one or two discoveries daily in the intelligence, some not striking, but practical enough.