Vaerik's gaze flickered slightly as he stared at the three pieces of information that appeared in his Daily Intelligence System.
[1: The chief of the Cold Moon Tribe has died from poisoning, plunging the tribe into civil war.]
[2: There is a pack of dire wolves at Green Rock Gorge, mostly cubs.]
[3: In four days, Jack will be selling cranberry seeds in Frost Halberd City, with about a dozen Frost Blood Crimson Berry seeds mixed among them.]
Vaerik raised an eyebrow. Usually, the system's intelligence was mixed with quite a few trivial, irrelevant details.
But today, all three pieces of information were valuable.
Cold Moon Tribe?
Vaerik recalled intelligence about this Northern barbarian tribe.
The Cold Moon Tribe had long been one of the powerful forces in the Northern Province, famous for their Boiling Blood Berserkers and archers.
They had repeatedly harassed the Northern Province of the Iron Blood Empire, earning the deep hatred of Duke Edmund.
Now that their chief had died from poisoning, the tribe would inevitably fall into chaos, and if the turmoil continued, they might even split apart.
For the entire Northern Province, this might be a harbinger of an impending storm.
But for Vaerik now, this matter was beyond his reach.
After all, he was currently just a small fish getting started, without the capital to influence the fate of the barbarians.
All he could do was develop his strength as quickly as possible, preparing in advance for future changes.
Next was the second piece of intelligence: dire wolves at Green Rock Gorge.
Cubs—that was the key to this intelligence!
Dire wolves were apex predators of the Northern snow plains. Adult dire wolves were massive, incredibly fast, and able to survive in extremely cold regions.
More importantly, their keen sense of smell made them the best choice for reconnaissance and combat.
However, adult wolves were extremely difficult to tame, almost impossible for humans to control.
But cubs were different. If tamed from a young age, the Crimson Tide Domain would have a unique fighting force—wolf riders!
Vaerik guessed that the parents of these cubs were likely the dire wolves they had hunted on their way to the Crimson Tide Domain.
What a coincidence.
"We'll set out tomorrow," Vaerik murmured.
The last piece of intelligence made him genuinely delighted.
Frost Blood Crimson Berries, an extremely rare mutated berry.
Similar in appearance to ordinary cranberries, but with deep red fruits and thick juice rich in magical energy.
Most crucially, they could enhance the battle energy of bloodline knights, promoting their cultivation growth!
If such a thing could be cultivated on a large scale, it would become the most precious specialty of the Crimson Tide Domain!
But Vaerik realized a problem: even if he rushed to Frost Halberd City at full speed, he couldn't make it in four days.
Missing by just one day meant that others might get there first.
The value of the Frost Blood Crimson Berries was too great; he had to ensure they fell into his hands!
Vaerik couldn't take this risk.
He made an immediate decision, summoning Lambert and two other elite knights.
Lambert was his guardian knight; with him leading, Vaerik could be completely at ease.
"Lambert," Vaerik said solemnly, his gaze intense, "you three will travel to Frost Halberd City at the fastest speed, and must arrive within three days."
He paused, then continued: "On the east side of the market, there's a merchant called Jack who will be selling cranberry seeds in four days.
You should arrive two days early, stake out the market, and make sure to buy all his goods as soon as they're available!"
Lambert was momentarily stunned but immediately nodded firmly to accept the mission: "Yes, sir."
He was quite puzzled why the lord would place such importance on a few berry seeds, but without a second thought, he immediately accepted the command.
Because throughout their journey, every one of Vaerik's decisions had ultimately proven correct!
Vaerik suddenly thought that since they were going to Frost Halberd City, they might as well handle a few other matters.
He took a piece of parchment from his desk and wrote a letter.
The content was simple: first to report that he was safe, second to request funds.
Although he wasn't sure if his cold-blooded father would respond, it was worth trying.
Even if only a small amount of funds were sent, it would speed up the development of the Crimson Tide Domain.
After writing, he sealed the letter, stamped it with his seal, and handed it to Lambert.
"When you reach Frost Halberd City, give this letter to the person in charge of our family's trading company and have them send it back as soon as possible."
Lambert took the letter, carefully put it away, and nodded: "Understood."
"Make absolutely sure nothing goes wrong," Vaerik emphasized repeatedly.
"Understood!"
The three mounted their warhorses and galloped away toward Frost Halberd City.
...
The next morning, Vaerik led five elite hunters and eight formal knights, galloping across the frozen earth directly toward Green Rock Gorge.
"Have you confirmed it?" Vaerik glanced at Aiger, the leading hunter.
Aiger respectfully replied: "According to your orders, we sent someone to scout last night. The wolf pack has lost its leader.
Most are cubs and a few elderly female wolves hiding in the rock caves deep in the gorge. It's a good opportunity."
Of course, Vaerik's goal for this trip was the dire wolf cubs.
The group cautiously approached the gorge. The snow was covered with wolf paw prints and blood stains, suggesting intense fighting had occurred the previous night.
Aiger pointed to a disorderly patch of snow: "Look, these paw prints are chaotic, indicating possible infighting within the pack."
"When the leader dies, the pack is masterless, and internal strife is natural."
"We'll split into two teams. One team will create a distraction to attract the attention of the adult wolves, while the other team will seize the opportunity to enter the den and bring out the cubs." Vaerik looked at the hunters and slowly said: "Let's begin."
Several hunters scattered the pre-prepared fresh blood and animal remains outside the cave, tying the largest pieces to the backs of the knights' horses.
These were fresh venison and animal bones, mixed with a strong bloody smell, designed to maximally trigger the hunting instincts of the adult dire wolves.
A strong smell of blood quickly permeated the air.
Soon, low growls came from deep within the cave, and pairs of green glowing eyes opened in the darkness.
"They're coming," Aiger lowered his voice.
Five massive adult dire wolves slowly emerged from the cave, their eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings, throats emitting low snarls.
Their gaze locked onto the animal remains in the distance, and their pace gradually quickened as they moved toward the prey.
The knights immediately spurred their horses, using ropes to drag the animal remains, leading the wolf pack away from the cave.
The lead wolf sprinted toward the knights, with the other adult wolves following closely behind.
This was, of course, a carefully designed trap.
When the adult wolves were far from the cubs, the knights suddenly pulled their reins, turning their horses around.
Long swords flashed with cold light, chopping downward!
Splish!
The lead wolf didn't even have time to react before a sword pierced its throat.
The other adult wolves let out angry howls, trying to counterattack.
Unfortunately, they weren't facing ordinary hunters but formal knights with battle energy.
The smell of blood permeated the air as the wolf pack fell one after another in a one-sided slaughter.
In just a few short minutes, the knights had eliminated all the adult wolves.