The bitter wind howled along the road, flinging ice and snow against the dead trees that lined it.

Louis sat in a jolting carriage as its wheels ground over the frozen earth with a dull creak.

He lowered his gaze to the Northlands Colonization Edict in his hands. The royal seal was stamped plainly across it, and he gave a bitter smile.

Three months ago, a dump truck had sent him to another world. He had woken in the body of Louis Calvin, one of Duke Calvin's many sons.

He had been reborn into the highest ranks of nobility, only to be named a Colonization Baron before he had enjoyed a single comfortable day. He was being sent to the Northlands to carve out a territory of his own.

It was no blessing.

The Northlands were frozen year-round, barren and desolate. Frost Giants threatened from the north. It was no place for ordinary people to live.

The Empire claimed the region, but vast tracts still lay in the hands of the Snow Kingdom's remnants.

Only two years earlier, a great rebellion had nearly torn the Northlands away from the Empire. Suppressing it had cost dearly.

The Empire had learned that the northern nobles alone could not keep the frontier stable forever.

So the Emperor decreed that the children of every great house would go north as Colonization Lords. They would receive territory in exchange for lending their strength to the frontier.

It also weakened the great houses. One measure, two gains.

Naturally, the great houses understood the Emperor's calculation. Most sent only their most disposable relatives to satisfy the decree.

Louis was one of them.

As Duke Calvin's twelfth son—and the least promising of the lot—he had been the obvious choice.

With his colonization papers, the family gave him eight hundred Gold Coins, several carts of provisions, three Elite Knights, ten Formal Knights, and thirty Apprentice Knights. Then they hurried him out the door.

The makeup of that retinue made Duke Calvin's intentions plain. He had no expectation that this useless son would gain a foothold in the Northlands.

So long as Louis did not die on the road, the family had done its part. If he died in the Northlands, so be it.

No one thought Louis would survive there.

He did not have much faith in himself either. He had only just graduated before being thrown into this freezing, dangerous wilderness. How was he supposed to stay alive?

Louis tugged at his cloak, but the cold still pierced through it.

He muttered, "Damn it. Don't transmigrators all get some kind of cheat ability? Why don't I have anything?"

The instant the words left his mouth, a mechanical female voice sounded in his mind.

"Daily Intelligence System loading..."

Louis went still. Before he could react, a stream of information about the system flooded into his mind.

The Daily Intelligence System.

Each day, it would randomly provide several pieces of intelligence related to him: resource locations, personal secrets, and even future events.

For a Colonization Lord, it was the ideal cheat ability.

The Northlands were full of uncertainty. They held every kind of danger, but also countless opportunities.

In such a place, the system's intelligence could help him avoid danger and secure resources. It offered a clear road toward becoming a powerful lord.

More importantly, if things truly went wrong, its warnings would give him a chance to escape first.

Once he understood, Louis could no longer suppress his elation. He laughed softly.

At last, a glimmer of dawn had appeared on his bleak road to lordship.

"Daily Intelligence System loading complete!"

With the announcement, a translucent panel appeared before him. Lines of text flashed across its surface.

**[Daily Intelligence Updated]**

**[1: At noon today, the Third Prince of the Ironblood Empire will be framed while inspecting the royal stables. He will fall into a manure pit and drown.]**

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

**[3: At dawn, a school of Northern Crystal Cod will surface at a glacial river rift nearly two miles west of here.]**

**[4: Knight Roy will mix Frost Scorpion venom into your meat soup this evening.]**

**[...]**

Louis read the entries one by one, his excitement rising.

The first two had little use in his current situation. At most, they offered a measure of amusement.

He could laugh at the Third Prince's disastrous end in a court intrigue and marvel once more at his father's remarkable vigor.

But when he reached the third entry, his attention fixed on it.

*"At dawn, a school of Northern Crystal Cod will surface at a glacial river rift nearly two miles west of here."*

Northern Crystal Cod were a rare prize.

Before leaving for the Northlands, Louis had crammed every scrap of regional knowledge he could find rather than wait helplessly for death. He had read about these fish.

They lived only in the coldest waters, and their flesh was delicious. That was not the important part.

Their bones contained a special substance that could purge impurities from a knight's bloodline and increase their strength. They were worth a fortune on the market.

This was not merely a good meal. It was money, influence, and military strength all at once.

The system had come at exactly the right time. He had been worrying about how to establish himself in the Northlands, and now an opportunity had been delivered to him.

Louis steadied himself and read on. Then his expression stiffened.

*"Knight Roy will mix Frost Scorpion venom into your meat soup this evening."*

His throat tightened as he looked toward the knights working nearby.

They were making camp around a bonfire. Some raised tents while others removed the gear from the horses.

Several knights assigned to cooking were adding chopped meat and wild vegetables to a large iron pot. Steam rose into the cold night.

Beside the pot, an honest-looking knight crouched and stirred the soup.

Roy.

Ice seemed to settle in Louis's gut.

A Formal Knight sent by his own family was plotting to kill him?

Louis had known that these knights looked down on him, but he had assumed they would at least obey their lord. He had not expected one of them to try to send him to his grave before they had even reached the Northlands.

*Damn it. You really cannot guard against everything.*

Without the Daily Intelligence System, he would have died without ever knowing why.

A knight called from outside the carriage, his voice carried by the wind. "My lord, dinner is ready."

Louis adjusted his collar, drew back the curtain, and stepped down from the carriage.

Firelight covered the campsite. In the iron pot, the meat soup bubbled vigorously.

Its rich scent mingled with the cold air and stirred the men's hunger.

The knights sat around the bonfire, but none had touched their bowls. By custom, their lord had to eat first.

Louis swept his gaze across the gathered men before looking back at the pot. The corner of his mouth lifted.

(End of Chapter)