Louis's eyes flickered slightly, staring at the three pieces of information emerging from the Daily Intelligence System in front of him.
[1: The chief of the Cold Moon Tribe was poisoned and died, and the Cold Moon Tribe has fallen into civil war.]
[2: There is a pack of Ice Wolves at the Cyan Rock Rift, mostly cubs.]
[3: Four days later, Jack will be selling cranberry seeds in Frost Halberd City, mixed among them are over a dozen Frost Blood Redberry seeds.]
Louis raised an eyebrow; the system's intelligence usually contained a lot of irrelevant trivial information.
But today, all three pieces of intelligence were valuable.
Cold Moon Tribe?
Louis recalled the intelligence about this Northern Barbarian Race tribe.
The Cold Moon Tribe has always been one of the strong forces in the Northern Territory, renowned for its Blood Boiling Berserkers and Archers.
They have harassed the Ironblood Empire's Northern Province many times, causing Duke Edmund to detest them bitterly.
Now their chief died by poisoning, the tribe is bound to fall into chaos, and if the turmoil continues, it might even split.
To the entire Northern Territory, this might be a forewarning of an impending storm.
But for Louis at the moment, this issue doesn't concern him directly.
After all, he's just a small fry who is just starting out and doesn't yet have the means to influence the fate of the Barbarians.
The only thing he can do is strengthen his power as quickly as possible to prepare for future changes.
Next up is the second piece of intelligence, about the Ice Wolves at Cyan Rock Rift.
Cubs, that's the key to this information!
Ice Wolves are top predators on the Northern Snowfield, with enormous bodies, incredible speed, and the ability to survive in extremely cold environments.
More importantly, their keen sense of smell makes them the best choice for reconnaissance and combat.
However, adult wolves are extremely difficult to tame and almost impossible for humans to control.
But the cubs are different. If tamed from a young age, the Red Tide Territory will have a unique combat force, the Wolf Riders!
Louis speculated that these cubs' parents were the Ice Wolves they hunted on their way to the Red Tide Territory before.
What a coincidence.
"We'll set off tomorrow," Louis murmured to himself.
The last piece of intelligence made him laugh out loud.
Frost Blood Redberry, an extremely rare mutated berry.
It looks similar to ordinary cranberries, but the fruit is deep red, and its juice is thick and rich in magic power.
Most crucially, it can enhance Bloodline Knights' fighting energy and promote cultivation growth!
If this could be cultivated on a large scale, it would become the most precious specialty of the Red Tide Territory!
But Louis realized a problem; even if he rushed at full speed, he couldn't reach Frost Halberd City in four days.
Being just one day late might let others get ahead of him.
And the value of Frost Blood Redberry is too great; he must ensure they fall into his hands!
Louis couldn't take this risk.
He made a decisive decision and immediately summoned Lambert and two other Elite Knights.
Lambert is his Guardian Knight; if he leads the team this time, Louis can rest assured.
"Lambert," Louis said in a deep voice, his gaze solemn, "You three must hurry to Frost Halberd City and arrive within three days."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "To the east side of the market, there's a merchant named Jack. Four days later, he'll be selling cranberry seeds.
You must arrive two days early, stake out the market, and ensure you buy all his goods first!"
Lambert was slightly startled but immediately nodded firmly in acceptance, "Understood, my lord."
He was quite puzzled why the Lord valued a few berry seeds so much, but he accepted the order without a word.
Because every decision Louis made along the way had ultimately proven to be correct!
Louis suddenly thought that since they were going to Frost Halberd City, they might as well take care of a few other tasks.
He took a piece of parchment from his desk and began writing a letter.
The content was simple: one, to report his safety; two, to ask for gold coins.
Even though he wasn't sure if his cold-blooded father would respond, it couldn't hurt to try.
Even a small amount of funding could expedite the development of the Red Tide Territory.
After finishing, he sealed the letter, stamped it with his seal, and handed it to Lambert.
"Once you get to Frost Halberd City, give this letter to the head of our family business there and have them send it back as quickly as possible."
Lambert took the letter, carefully stored it, and nodded in agreement, "Understood."
"Make sure there are no mistakes," Louis repeatedly urged.
"Understood!"
The three of them mounted their horses and galloped toward Frost Halberd City.
......
The following morning, Louis, accompanied by five elite Hunters and eight Official Knights, sped across the permafrost straight towards Cyan Rock Rift.
"Have you confirmed it?" Louis glanced at Egger, the Hunter leading the team.
Egger respectfully replied, "As per your orders, we sent people to investigate last night. The wolf pack has lost its leader.
Most are cubs and a few elderly female wolves hiding in the depths of the rift. It's a good opportunity."
The goal of Louis and his team was, of course, the Ice Wolf cubs.
The group carefully approached the rift, the snow spotted with wolf paw prints and bloodstains, as if a fierce battle had occurred just last night.
Egger pointed to a certain chaotic part of the snow, "Look, these paw prints are messy, indicating there might have been infighting among the wolves."
"Without a leader, internal conflict among the wolves is natural."
"In a while, we'll split into two teams. One team will create a distraction to draw the adults' attention, while the other team will take the chance to enter the den and bring out the cubs," Louis looked at the Hunters and said slowly, "Let's move."
The Hunters scattered the fresh blood and remnants of prey they had prepared beforehand outside the cave and tied the largest pieces to the back of the Knights' horses.
These were fresh deer meat and animal bones, mixed with a strong bloody scent to trigger the adult Ice Wolves' hunting instinct to the maximum.
The air quickly filled with a strong smell of blood.
Soon enough, deep growls sounded from the cave, with pairs of green glowing eyes opening in the dark.
"They're coming," Egger whispered.
Five huge adult Ice Wolves slowly emerged from the cave, warily scanning their surroundings, growling low in their throats.
Their gaze locked onto the distant prey remains, and their pace quickened towards it.
The knights immediately spurred their horses, using ropes to drag the prey remains, guiding the wolf pack away from the cave.
The leading wolf charged towards the knights, with the other adults following closely.
This was, of course, a meticulously planned trap.
As the adult wolves were lured away from the cubs, the knights abruptly jerked their reins and turned their horses around.
Longswords gleamed with icy coldness, slicing downwards!
Slash!
The lead wolf didn't even have time to react before a sword pierced through its throat.
The remaining adult wolves growled in anger, trying to fight back.
Unfortunately, they were not facing ordinary hunters but Official Knights with fighting energy.
The smell of blood pervaded the air, and the wolf pack fell one after another in a one-sided slaughter.
Within just a few minutes, the knights eliminated all the adult wolves.