[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence":3,"chapter-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-196":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Warlord: Starting with Daily Intelligence",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2338659,4572,"Chapter 196","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-196",196,"\u003Cp>Wood’s emotions were complicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The closer he got to the border, the more hesitant he became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because after entering the southern region, he heard more about the chaos of the Chaos Wasteland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he was a mage, a mage’s nobility existed only within the kingdom, where the Magic Association and royal laws held sway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a place like the Chaos Wasteland, a mage’s ability to protect himself was even worse than that of a titled knight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because titled knights possessed combat talents suited for close combat—even a bronze knight could easily handle seven or eight ordinary people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But mages, unless they were mid- or high-level, had very poor self-preservation capabilities as junior mages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only was their casting speed slow, but the range and power of their spells were also weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If enemies got close, a sudden ambush by four or five ordinary soldiers could easily eliminate a mage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, could this junior mage, Wood, really survive better than an ordinary person in the Chaos Wasteland?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if he got unlucky and ran into a greedy, brainless bandit leader who imprisoned him or sold him as a slave? That would be worse than death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if he didn’t go, he owed a mountain of debt in the capital—fifty thousand gold coins in total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such an astonishing sum meant that even if he worked making magical trinkets to pay it off, he’d never clear it in his lifetime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was simple: first, he was only a junior mage, so the magical trinkets he could make were of low rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, the compound interest was terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He blamed himself for being foolish back then, thinking his inventions would be desperately sought after, and ignoring the absurdly high interest rates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Black bread! Freshly baked black bread! Three copper coins each!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Roasted rabbit meat! Sizzling, greasy roasted rabbit! Thirty copper coins each!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grrrrrrl!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the scent of roasted meat drifted through the air, Wood’s stomach growled like thunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, though he hadn’t lived in luxury, he was still born into the honorable House of the Earl, with some family wealth behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, monster meat was something he ate every few days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beef, venison, and other meats were his daily staples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for rabbit and wild boar meat? That was food for the lower classes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He patted his empty, rumbling stomach and remembered his nearly empty purse—only twenty or thirty copper coins left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do I do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During his escape, he hadn’t cared much about food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now that he’d finally reached the border and felt he’d escaped death, his guard dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hunger he’d suppressed for over two months finally flared up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To hell with it—I’m a mage! I’ll eat my fill first; only then will I have the strength to reach the Chaos Wasteland. Once there, if I run fast enough, maybe I can just slip away!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if I can’t escape… I’ll just threaten them with my identity. These border regions are all minor noble families—they won’t dare offend a mage if they don’t know who I am.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, Wood no longer hesitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he was already fleeing to the Chaos Wasteland; if his trail was found later, it didn’t matter anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Wood bought a roasted rabbit from a stall on the nearby square, disregarding dignity, and sat down at an outdoor table to devour it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After eating two roasted rabbits, his stomach—empty of grease and meat for two months—finally regained some vitality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pack me two more roasted rabbits and five black breads!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, noble guest!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servant didn’t dare delay, quickly wrapping the roasted rabbits and black bread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though this guest looked disheveled, the strange silk ceremonial robe he wore revealed his status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a serf, he dared not say a word—even though the guest hadn’t paid yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, most importantly, this shop belonged to the lord himself; he had no fear of the guest skipping out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Guest, here are your two roasted rabbits and five black breads!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wood nodded, taking the wrapped food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shop was thoughtful—the roasted rabbits were wrapped in clean lotus leaves tied with thin string, and the black bread was packed in linen bags.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That way, he wouldn’t dirty the food while walking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Noble guest, your meal totals one silver coin and thirty-five copper coins.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, the servant smiled brightly and reached for payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wood cleared his throat, pulled out a money pouch as if it were real, and tossed it onto the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s the money—I’ve counted it already; it’s exactly right!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servant froze, staring at the pouch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picked it up and found it heavy with coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the drawstring was tied in a knot—he struggled for a moment and couldn’t untie it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked up. “Guest, your pouch is tied too tightly—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servant’s words cut off abruptly. Wood had already taken three strides and vanished over ten meters away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Guest! Wait! You haven’t taken your pouch! The coins haven’t been counted!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servant still didn’t grasp the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The less he shouted, the better—but the moment he yelled, Wood broke into a full sprint, vanishing toward the edge of town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servant blinked, then finally understood. He abandoned the pouch and drew his small knife for slicing rabbit meat, slashing open the pouch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty or thirty copper coins spilled onto the table—but not a single silver coin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Guest! You didn’t pay enough! Wait!” The servant’s face turned pale as he chased after him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the more he shouted, the faster Wood ran.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And after two months of constant walking, Wood’s physical stamina as a mage had improved greatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servant couldn’t catch up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Wood grow smaller in the distance, and sensing two soldiers approaching from behind, the servant turned back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sergeant! That traveler ordered four roasted rabbits and five black breads—but didn’t pay enough! He’s short by over a silver coin—and he’s fled!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldier’s face darkened. “Quick! Sound the alarm!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They knew this shop belonged to their lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For someone to eat his food without paying? That was asking for death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jjiiii!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The whistle pierced the air. Normally, the sky-patrolling Swift Hawks would hear it and rush to the castle for reinforcements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before the whistle faded, a row of Swift Hawks swept overhead, heading toward the town’s edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the direction of the castle, a cavalry unit galloped toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the distance, it was unmistakably their lord and his knights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Continue patrol. The lord already knows about the man!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldier tried to report, but the lord rode past without turning, leaving only the faint command of Knight Migen echoing in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… this speed is too fast!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And the scale… this is too big!” The soldier and servant stared in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides them, another pair of eyes widened in shock—Wood, the mage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had seen the eleven Swift Hawks locking onto him from above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the thunder of hooves closing in behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d only shortchanged by one silver coin, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did it feel like he’d stolen a gold coin?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And wasn’t this the border?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Weren’t border regions supposed to be filled with poor minor nobles?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Weren’t they supposed to be desperately poor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why were flying monsters circling overhead and warhorses of such noble stature charging behind him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoever says the border only has minor nobles again—I’ll definitely smash them to death!\u003C\u002Fp>",1234,"2026-06-20T22:44:01.160Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","52de38d9ddc5b4c54f4a9188f6562936be513bb8169b4e9ab37028fcf2751401","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-197","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-195",521,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-cover.jpg"]