Daily Intelligence System

The biting wind hissed, sweeping ice and snow against the dead tree trunks beside the road.

Louis sat in a swaying carriage, its wheels grinding over the frozen earth with dull creaks.

He looked down at the Northern Frontier lord's settlement charter in his hands, stamped with the Royal Seal, and gave a bitter smile.

Three months ago, a dump truck had knocked him straight into another world, sending his soul into the body of Duke Calvin's son, Louis Calvin.

Yet after being reborn into the privileged elite, he had not enjoyed even a single day of the good life before being appointed a pioneer baron and ordered to establish his own territory in the Northern Frontier.

This was hardly good news.

The Northern Frontier was frozen year-round, barren and desolate. With Glacier Giants threatening it from the north, it was no place for anyone to live.

Although the empire nominally controlled the Northern Frontier, many areas remained in the hands of the Snowland Remnants.

In fact, two years earlier, a massive rebellion had nearly torn the Northern Frontier away from the empire entirely. Suppressing it had come at an enormous cost.

That had made the empire realize it could not rely on the Northern Frontier's nobles alone to maintain lasting stability.

Thus, the emperor had ordered the scions of the great noble houses to travel to the Northern Frontier as pioneer lords, granting them land in exchange for their strength to secure the border.

At the same time, he could weaken certain noble houses. Two birds with one stone.

Of course, the great nobles were no fools. How could they fail to see what the emperor was planning? Most simply sent the dregs of their families to satisfy his demands.

Louis was one of them.

As the most useless of Duke Calvin's twelve sons, he had naturally been the first choice for the assignment.

After he received his charter, his family gave him eight hundred gold coins, several wagons of grain, three elite knights, ten Official Knights, and thirty apprentice knights, then urged him to get moving.

One look at that lineup made it clear that Duke Calvin had never intended for his worthless son to establish himself in the Northern Frontier.

As long as he did not die on the way, that was enough. Dying in the Northern Frontier would count as completing his assignment. Participation was what mattered.

No one believed Louis could survive in the Northern Frontier. Even he had little confidence in himself.

How was a fresh graduate, barely more than a corporate workhorse, supposed to survive after being dumped into this freezing hellhole full of dangers?

Louis tugged his cloak tighter, but it still could not keep out the bone-deep chill.

He could not help cursing under his breath. "Fuck, aren't transmigrators all supposed to get some kind of cheat? Why don't I have jack shit?"

The moment he finished speaking, a mechanical female voice sounded in his head.

"Daily Intelligence System loading..."

Louis froze. Before he could react, information about the intelligence system began pouring into his mind.

The Daily Intelligence System.

Every day, it would randomly provide several pieces of intelligence relevant to him, covering resource locations, people's secrets, and even future events...

For a pioneer lord, this cheat was practically the ideal tool.

The Northern Frontier was full of uncertainty, with all kinds of dangers-but plenty of opportunities as well.

In such an environment, the system would provide vital intelligence every day to help him avoid danger and acquire resources.

It would undoubtedly pave a broad, smooth road toward becoming a powerful lord.

More importantly, even if the worst happened, the daily intelligence would warn him so he could flee in advance.

Once he understood all this, Louis could no longer suppress his wild joy and let out a quiet laugh.

At last, a glimmer of dawn had appeared on his bleak path as a lord!

"Daily Intelligence System loading complete!"

As the notification sounded, a translucent screen appeared before Louis, and several lines of text rapidly flashed across it.

[Daily intelligence updated]

[1: While inspecting the stables at noon today, the Ironblood Empire's third prince will be set up, fall into a manure pit, and drown.]

[2: Duke Calvin's tenth daughter has been born.]

[3: A school of Northern Crystal Cod will surface at dawn in the Glacier Rift three kilometers to the west.]

[4: Knight Roy will mix frost scorpion poison into your dinner broth.]

Brimming with excitement, Louis read through the entries from top to bottom.

The first two pieces of intelligence did little to help his current situation. At most, they offered him a little comfort amid his troubles.

For instance, he could laugh at the third prince's rotten luck in the palace power struggle.

And once again marvel at his father's boundless energy and astonishing fertility.

But when his eyes reached the third entry, his gaze stopped cold.

"A school of Northern Crystal Cod will surface at dawn in the Glacier Rift three kilometers to the west."

Northern Crystal Cod! Those were a rare find indeed.

Before leaving for the Northern Frontier, Louis had crammed in plenty of knowledge about the region rather than simply waiting to die. This fish happened to be among the things he had read about.

They lived in frigid waters, and their flesh was delicious.

More importantly, their bones contained a special substance that could purify impurities in a knight's bloodline and increase their strength.

Even a fortune couldn't guarantee getting your hands on these!

This wasn't just about good food. This was a chance to make money, build connections, and strengthen his forces!

The system could not have come at a better time. He had been worrying about how to gain a foothold in the Northern Frontier, and now an opportunity had landed right in his lap.

After steadying himself, Louis kept reading. Then his smile abruptly froze.

"Knight Roy will mix frost scorpion poison into your dinner broth."

Louis swallowed, his gaze instinctively sweeping toward the knights working nearby.

They were setting up camp around a bonfire, some pitching tents while others removed the horses' gear.

The knights assigned to cook were preparing the ingredients, pouring chopped meat and wild vegetables into a large pot as steam slowly rose into the cold night air.

A knight with an honest-looking face crouched beside the pot, stirring the broth.

It was Roy.

A chill spread down Louis's back.

An Official Knight assigned to him by his family was secretly trying to kill him?!

He had assumed that while these Official Knights looked down on him, they would at least obey his orders as their lord. He had never expected one of them to be planning to send him straight to his grave!

Being exiled to the middle of nowhere was miserable enough. Yet before he had even arrived, someone already could not wait to make a move.

Fuck. There was no guarding against everything.

Fortunately, he had the Daily Intelligence System. Otherwise, he might have met his end right here.

A knight's voice came from outside the carriage, mingling with the howling wind. "My lord, dinner is ready."

Louis straightened his clothes, then slowly lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage.

Firelight illuminated the camp, and the steaming meat broth bubbled in the iron pot.

Its rich aroma drifted into his nostrils with the cold wind, stirring his appetite despite himself.

The knights sat around the bonfire, but none had begun eating.

By custom, he, as their lord, had to finish eating before anyone else could start.

Louis swept his gaze over the men before letting it settle back on the iron pot, a faint smile curling his lips.