[{"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-197":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},2338660,4572,"Chapter 197","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-197",197,"\u003Cp>“You… you stay back!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, minutes later, Wood was surrounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several arrows shot down from the air pinned him in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew this wasn’t a miss—they were his final warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only now did he realize the cavalry behind him weren’t riding superior warhorses at all, but a row of first-rank demonic beasts: Flame Horses!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he just uneducated, or had this world gone mad?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even border nobles were this extravagant?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the royal capital, he’d only ever seen Flame Horses under the saddles of ducal and marquis families or royal members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me introduce myself—I’m Gervas Gale, Lord of Stormhold!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir, you ate without paying—that’s banditry, and bandits hang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, you’ve gotten yourself into trouble. Do you know that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas smiled warmly at Wood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His quick reaction was no accident—he’d long ago sent a Magic Swift Hawk to surveil the town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Wood arrived, word reached him instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To his luck, the fellow had skipped payment—perfect justification to keep him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, I… I didn’t refuse to pay, I just paid a little less!” Wood’s scalp prickled—he knew he’d landed in deep trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Paying less still counts as refusal! Here’s your last chance: make up the missing coins, and I’ll let it go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How’s that, sir? Am I not merciful?” Gervas wore an air of humility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wood grimaced, licking his dry lips—if he had the money, would he be in this mess?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord… I… I have no money…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then there’s no choice! I’m merciful, but I can’t let everyone eat free on my land—no matter how rich I am, I can’t feed them all!” Gervas spread his hands. “Lei Meng, seize him. He did pay something, so it’s not robbery—just debt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, death is spared, but punishment isn’t—take him away. In a couple days, sell him to a slave trader to settle the debt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn! Wood mentally shouted damn!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This noble was ruthless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder they called it the border—no argument, and you’re hanged or sold as a slave. No civility at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d only owed one silver coin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Gervas, I… I’m a mage! If you provoke me, you’ll regret it!” Wood finally refused to submit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would fight back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moment he spoke, the knight ahead blazed with intense light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before his eyes blurred, a longsword rested against his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bai… Bai Yin Knight? This… this damned rumor about border nobles being poor…” Wood mentally cursed the fools who spread lies about border lords a hundred times over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas stepped forward with a smile. “Sir, what did you just say? I didn’t catch it. Something about magic?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I… Lord Gervas, I’m a mage! Please, spare me this once! I’ll repay you double—no, triple!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? M… mage? You’re a mage?” Gervas stepped back in surprise, re-examining Wood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wood’s despair instantly sparked hope—he nodded frantically. “Yes, my lord! I truly am a junior mage! Please, spare me! When I have money, I’ll repay you—double, triple!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’re truly a noble mage, I Gervas must show respect!” Gervas nodded, acknowledging him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, how could a mage so noble be so destitute? How could he not afford a single silver coin?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think he’s a fraud—a repeat offender. Just kill him,” Lei Meng growled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wood’s fleeting hope vanished into despair. “My lord, I swear by heaven—I’m a real junior mage!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Wood, I’d like to believe you, but your man makes sense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, even if you are a mage, a destitute one—could you be a kingdom-wanted criminal?” Gervas looked shrewd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wood nearly wept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He truly regretted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be reduced to this over a few roasted rabbits—he’d rather starve entering the Chaos Wastes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even chewing bark and roots would be better than this!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only was his pride crushed, but he faced the gallows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this desperate state, he had no choice but to explain why he’d fallen so low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Gervas, if you let your men release me, I’ll prove I’m a mage!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And I’m no fugitive. My poverty has a reason…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Wood recounted why he was destitute, why he’d come to the border.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To avoid being killed as a fraud or imprisoned as a criminal, he revealed everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you fled to the border, planning to enter the Chaos Wastes, because you owed fifty thousand gold coins in usury?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Lord Gervas. You don’t know—the interest compounds. Even if I crafted magic trinkets my whole life, I couldn’t repay it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m only a junior mage. If I were a senior mage, I might clear it in two or three years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, so Mr. Wood is also a man of hardship. My apologies—I misunderstood you!” Gervas stepped forward, removing Lei Meng’s sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wood’s spirit eased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The months of debt, the hardship of flight—all the bitterness surged up. His eyes reddened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Gervas, you’re a good man. I’m deeply ashamed for what I did on your land!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please, spare me this once. I swear, when I have money, I’ll repay you tenfold—no, a hundredfold!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas shook his head, patting Wood’s shoulder. “Mr. Wood, had you told me your story sooner, I’d have fed you roasted demonic meat for free—let alone a few rabbits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I built my fortune from nothing. I know the struggle of starting out—I deeply sympathize with your plight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come with me to the castle. I’ll host you properly, and you can rest for a few days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me tell you—the Chaos Wastes are deadly! Demonic beasts roam everywhere, and goblins, kobolds—they’re everywhere—and they eat humans!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Especially transcendent beings like knight-holders or mages—they’re like meat to them, prime delicacies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They don’t kill you right away. They slice off pieces, one by one, and eat slowly. Sometimes they feast for ten days, even half a month, and you’re still alive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why? Because fresh meat tastes better…”\u003C\u002Fp>",962,"2026-06-20T22:44:01.160Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e7c349ef6d2a0577b98aa36efe4e9a244f657681d5d14a4f384ddcf8c635efc2","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-198","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-196",521,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-cover.jpg"]