The biting cold wind howled, whipping ice and snow against the dead tree trunks lining the roadside.
Louis sat inside a rickety carriage, its wheels emitting a dull creak as they ground over the frozen, hardened earth.
He looked down at the Northern Territory Pioneer Certificate in his hand, stamped with the imperial seal, and let out a bitter smile.
Three months ago, he had been struck by a truck and transported to another world, his soul possessing the body of Louis Calvin, the son of Duke Calvin.
However, despite being reincarnated as a high noble, he hadn't enjoyed a single day of luxury. Instead, he was immediately appointed as a Pioneer Baron and ordered to head to the Northern Territory to develop his own fief.
This was by no means a good thing.
The Northern Territory was frozen year-round, barren and desolate. To the north, it faced the constant threat of Glacial Orcs. It was simply no place for humans to live.
Although the Empire nominally controlled the Northern Territory, many regions remained under the sway of the remnants of the Snow Country.
Just two years ago, a large-scale rebellion had nearly caused the Northern Territory to break away from the Empire entirely. It was only suppressed at a massive cost.
As a result, the Empire realized that long-term stability could not be maintained by stationing troops alone.
Thus, the Emperor ordered the scions of the major noble families to head to the Northern Territory as Pioneer Lords, exchanging land for their strength to help stabilize the borders.
At the same time, this move could also weaken the power of certain nobles — truly killing two birds with one stone.
Of course, the major nobles were not fools. They could easily see through the Emperor's calculations. Most simply sent out the least valuable members of their families to appease him.
Louis was one of those leftovers.
As the least promising among Duke Calvin's twelve sons, he naturally became the first choice for this task.
After receiving the Pioneer Certificate, the family gave him eight hundred gold coins, several wagons of grain, three Elite Knights, ten Formal Knights, and thirty Apprentice Knights, then hurriedly sent him on his way.
Looking at this lineup, it was clear that Duke Calvin had no intention of letting his useless son establish any real foothold in the Northern Territory.
As long as Louis didn't die on the road, dying in the Northern Territory would still be considered mission accomplished. The focus was purely on the "participation" aspect.
No one believed Louis could survive in the Northern Territory — and even he didn't have much confidence in himself.
How could a fresh graduate, suddenly thrown into this freezing, peril-filled hellhole, possibly survive?
Louis tugged at his cloak, but it still couldn't block out the bone-chilling cold.
He couldn't help but curse under his breath, "Damn it, don't they say every transmigrator gets a cheat? Why don't I have jack squat!"
Just as he finished speaking, a mechanical female voice echoed in his mind.
"Daily Intelligence System loading…"
Louis was stunned. Before he could react, detailed information about the intelligence system flooded into his brain.
**Daily Intelligence System.**
Every day, it would randomly push several pieces of intelligence related to him — covering resource locations, people's secrets, and even future events. This cheat was the most ideal tool for a Pioneer Lord.
The Northern Territory was a place full of uncertainty, filled with various dangers but also many opportunities.
In such an environment, the Daily Intelligence System would provide crucial information to help him avoid danger and seize resources.
This undoubtedly paved a broad path for him to become a powerful lord.
More importantly, even in the worst-case scenario, the system's alerts would allow him to escape in advance.
After understanding all this, Louis could no longer suppress the wild joy in his heart and let out a soft laugh.
A glimmer of dawn had finally appeared on his bleak journey as a lord!
"Daily Intelligence System loading complete!"
As the prompt sounded, a translucent light screen appeared before Louis's eyes. Several lines of text quickly jumped across it.
[Daily Intelligence update complete]
[1: The Third Prince of the Iron-Blood Empire was framed today at noon while inspecting the stables. He fell into a manure pit and drowned.]
[2: Duke Calvin's tenth daughter has been born; her bloodline carries the 'Burst' talent.]
[3: Three kilometers to the west, a school of Northern Crystal Cod will emerge at dawn in the river ice fissure.]
[4: Knight Roy has mixed Frost Scorpion Poison into your dinner broth.]
Filled with excitement, Louis read through the items one by one from top to bottom.
The first two pieces of intelligence weren't of much immediate help, providing at most a bit of psychological comfort in his hardship.
For instance, he could mock the Third Prince for his terrible luck in the court struggles.
And once again, he marveled at his father's exuberant energy and startling fertility.
But when his gaze landed on the third piece of intelligence, his eyes instantly froze.
"Three kilometers to the west, a school of Northern Crystal Cod will emerge at dawn in the river ice fissure."
Northern Crystal Cod! This was a rare treasure that one could only hope to encounter by chance.
Before setting out for the Northern Territory, Louis had crammed as much knowledge about the North as possible so he wouldn't die ignorantly. It just so happened that this fish had been mentioned.
They lived in extremely cold waters. Not only was their meat delicious...
Most importantly, their bones contained a special substance that could purify impurities in a knight's bloodline and improve their strength.
This stuff was worth a fortune on the market!
This wasn't just about good food — it was an opportunity to gain money, connections, and even combat power.
The system had arrived at the perfect time. He had originally been worrying about how to establish himself in the Northern Territory, and now an opportunity had been delivered right to his door.
Calming his emotions, Louis continued reading. But then his smile suddenly stiffened.
"Knight Roy has mixed Frost Scorpion Poison into your dinner broth."
Louis's Adam's apple bobbed as his gaze subconsciously swept toward the busy knights not far away.
They were setting up camp around a campfire. Some were pitching tents, while others were unloading equipment from the horses.
The few knights responsible for cooking were handling the ingredients, pouring chopped meat and wild vegetables into a large pot. Steam slowly rose into the cold night air.
An honest-looking knight was half-squatting by the pot, stirring the broth.
It was Roy.
A chill ran down Louis's back.
A Formal Knight sent by his family actually wanted to kill him in secret?!
He had thought that although these Formal Knights looked down on him, they would at least follow his orders as their lord. He hadn't expected that someone was already prepared to send him to his grave.
Being exiled to this godforsaken place was miserable enough, but he hadn't even arrived before someone couldn't wait to make a move.
Damn it. It really was impossible to guard against everything.
Fortunately, he had the Daily Intelligence System. Otherwise, he might have just kicked the bucket.
A knight's voice came from outside the carriage, mingled with the howling of the cold wind:
"Lord, dinner is ready."
Louis straightened his collar, then slowly pulled back the curtain and stepped out of the carriage.
The firelight illuminated the camp, and the hot meat broth in the iron pot bubbled away.
A strong aroma mixed with the cold wind drifted into his nostrils, making him feel hungry despite himself.
The knights were sitting around the campfire, but they hadn't started eating yet.
According to custom, he — the lord — had to finish eating first before the others could begin.
Louis's gaze swept over the crowd before finally landing back on the iron pot. A faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.