[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-winter-beginning-with-daily-intelligence":3,"chapter-lord-of-winter-beginning-with-daily-intelligence-lord-of-winter-beginning-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-274":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":9,"content":12,"wordcount":13,"created_at":14,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},152772,274,"Chapter 274 - 209: Mage vs. Insect Corpse","lord-of-winter-beginning-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-274","\u003Cp>The wind of the Northern Territory has never been gentle; the moment it brushes past the cheeks, it carries a relentless sharpness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Mage Forest’s insect corpse investigation team has been running across this Icefield for nearly two months already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet it seems like a nearly futile journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Another day with no results.\" Someone squatted on the ground and let out a low sigh after a long pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m starting to wonder... is there only one Nest? Are we going around in circles, doing pointless work?\" The voice sounded exhausted, almost numb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another mage interjected from the side: \"You do have a point, running around like headless flies is not the solution.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one refuted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere in this Mage Corps had already begun to seem... somewhat downcast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grand Mage Flora stood on a higher ground, her expression calm, yet there was a trace of exhaustion that even she had not noticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t think there’s only one Nest.\" Flora’s voice was not loud, but enough for everyone to hear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But indeed, we shouldn’t continue searching blindly like this. Let’s persist for a few more days. If we still find nothing, we’ll return and change our strategy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tone didn’t sound like an order, more like a helpless compromise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the mage who complained finally said nothing more upon hearing this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone knew it wasn’t anyone’s fault, just that luck was too poor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And time, resources, and morale all have their limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>......\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t until two days later that they encountered something \"unusual.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Look over there.\" The scout in the front row used a short magic signal to alert, a trace of uncertain tension in the voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They looked in the direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The snow at the edge of the forest was being crushed under a series of heavy footsteps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a marching army, majestically crossing the shallow valley among the trees, with tattered flags and damaged armor, but the numbers were vast, like a tide of snow surging from the depths of the Icefield, numbering in the hundreds, even nearly a thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were Snow Swearers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those wild and fierce Northern Land avengers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They wore animal skins or ragged cloth, their skin etched with totems, some wielding giant axes, others riding on the backs of wolves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Where are they going?\" someone asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no one could answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire Mage Corps’ procession halted almost simultaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had seen Snow Swearers before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was usually just a few scattered individuals, or at most a patrolling squad of dozens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To see such a force of a thousand people marching across the Northern Icefield was unprecedented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Another war is coming, I suppose...\" Flora’s eyes grew somber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t like war and didn’t want to get involved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mage Forest was neutral and couldn’t intervene in the Empire’s political conflicts with the clans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They only dealt with magic-related crises and disasters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then, Dilin, who had been silent, stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have a hunch,\" he continued, his tone calm yet certain, \"they... are related to the Nest.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was not loud, yet it pierced into everyone’s nerves like an icy blade in the cold wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you sure?\" Flora turned around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m not sure.\" Dilin closed his eyes, \"It’s just my intuition.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group paused, glancing at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dilin’s premonitions were never wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even just a fleeting thought, if he voiced it, it had to be taken seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flora took a deep breath, staring at the silhouette of the Snow Swearers slowly fading into the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since there’s no other clue, in that case... let’s follow them. Maintain the formation, activate Stealth Technique and Barrier Technique, everyone suppress your magic power fluctuations, no exposure allowed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They quietly trailed behind that eerily orderly force of Snow Swearers, traversing the undulating Frozen Tundra, eventually stopping at a secluded place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a closed narrow canyon, a scar left by a heavenly rift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ice and snow piled within, the wind howling between the walls, as if whispering ancient taboos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the bottom of the valley, Snow Swearers were gathering in droves, forming a twisted yet orderly array, seemingly performing some kind of ritual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were prostrating, chanting, roaring; the Priest wearing masks made of animal bones and grey iron, as if welcoming the descent of a \"Divine Being.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mages dared not approach; they watched from a distance within a cave, applying numerous concealment spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This doesn’t look like an ordinary gathering.\" Flora frowned and instructed to record the anomaly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone speculated and debated about what they were doing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But always-silent Dilin slowly stood up and walked to the edge of the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me see.\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dilin extended his right hand, his five fingers caressing the air lightly, the lines of magic rippling like water, slowly spreading from his fingertips, weaving into an invisible spiritual network.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was his proud sensing technique, \"Sensing·Spiritual Resonance Thread.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His consciousness penetrated the barrier, following the currents to probe into the magical vortex at the valley’s bottom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, in the next second—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ugh!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly kneeled on the ground, forehead veins bulging, as if something indescribable pierced through his mental barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dilin!\" a mage exclaimed, rushing over to support him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t touch me... do not touch...\" Dilin’s voice was hoarse, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, teeth clenched tight, his magic power fluctuating violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a full half-minute, only his rapid breathing and the low-frequency hum of magic resonance echoed around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he slowly unclenched his fist, his eyes refocusing, as if just breaking free from some kind of mental purgatory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...It’s the Nest, without a doubt... and a hundred times more powerful than the last carcass we encountered.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with difficulty, his voice low and trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>",960,"2026-05-29T04:24:47.504Z","2026-06-01T04:29:09.187Z",1,"novelbin.me","7a9b5ff4ff27b5d177f1c3d91599e57dde7fb8e0a2119a05c0efadb0d7138dd5","lord-of-winter-beginning-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-275","lord-of-winter-beginning-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-273",766,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-winter-beginning-with-daily-intelligence-cover.jpg"]