[{"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-202":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},2338665,4572,"Chapter 202: The Most Unusual Noble!","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-202",202,"\u003Cp>Filled with resentment toward Gervas, Phinil’s patience was wearing thin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cut straight to the point: “Gervas, I heard you once saved Catherine’s life!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now it’s been confirmed that Catherine carries the blood of our Hernade family, and the Hernade family never owes anyone a debt—so here are five hundred gold coins, as your reward!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, from now on, your relationship with Catherine ends here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh.” Gervas answered with icy indifference, facing Phinil’s haughty demeanor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phinil took this as greed, his eyes brimming with contempt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What, you want more? Five hundred is already generous—but fine, I’ll personally add fifty more!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Gervas, upon hearing the increase, remained expressionless and said calmly: “Lord Phinil, you need not increase the sum, for Catherine has already given me her thanks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So keep these five hundred gold coins for yourselves!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You refuse them?” Phinil was stunned and incredulous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five hundred and fifty gold coins were a substantial fortune for a minor noble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this country bumpkin noble dared to refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could he be plotting something bigger?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phinil could not believe any noble in this world did not crave gold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sneered inwardly; the faint pretense of warmth vanished from his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke without expression: “Gervas, understand this: whether you accept this token of gratitude or not, the Hernade family’s position remains the same—we wish this matter to end here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I give you one final chance: take the five hundred gold coins. Also, I hear you signed a contract with Catherine for a crystal mine?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I now represent the Hernade family in terminating that contract. We won’t leave you empty-handed—I’ll give you an additional hundred gold coins as compensation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How about it? Six hundred and fifty gold coins—enough to match five or six years’ output from your border lands!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He laughed brightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phinil assumed Gervas was delighted by the compensation and motioned for his attendant to hand over the six hundred and fifty gold coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then suddenly, Gervas spoke: “My lord, wait a moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What now?” Phinil frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, I’d like to ask—is this your Hernade family’s decision, or Catherine’s own?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What difference does it make?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There is a difference. If it’s Catherine’s wish, I have no objection—just follow the contract’s breach compensation. But if it’s the Hernade family’s decision, then I’m sorry, my lord—please leave now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is between Catherine and me. You have no right to interfere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phinil’s face darkened instantly. “You dare defy the Hernade family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a scion of a great house, Phinil would never lie to a minor noble like Gervas and claim it was Catherine’s wish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even lying to such nobles would be seen as an insult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas’s words clearly showed contempt for the Hernade family; Phinil’s fury had ignited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I, a mere viscount, would never dare ignore a great house like the Hernades—but… I, Gervas, am not your vassal!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So no one needs to teach me how to act. If you truly believe this is defiance, then I have nothing more to say.” Gervas remained calm, showing no fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He met Phinil’s gaze steadily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere turned heavy. Phinil’s two knight guardians slowly reached for their sword hilts, unleashing the unmistakable aura of Silver Knights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The knights below the slope lowered their lances, turning their horses’ heads toward the castle gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas’s side reacted in kind: Lei Meng, Mi Gen, and others fixed their eyes on Phinil’s party, hands resting on their swords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Archers on the ramparts had drawn their bows fully, crossbows set along the battlements, arrowheads pointed downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wood stood atop the wall; he used his mental force to lock onto the strongest Silver Knight beside Phinil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Silver Knight, sensing the lock, glanced at Wood, then whispered something into Phinil’s ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phinil’s eyes flickered for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine! Very fine! Hahaha, Viscount Gervas, your courage is truly admirable! But… do you know how foolish a noble is who refuses to know his place?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Also, you must know Lord Vilarde of the Eagle City Council? When I arrived in Eagle City, I merely informed him that Catherine carries our Hernade blood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He immediately gifted Catherine all properties in Eagle City and Iron Wolf City worth five thousand gold coins—as apology!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He also ensured every trading house that conspired with his dead heir to harass Catherine were shut down!” As Phinil spoke, his gaze never left Gervas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas clearly recognized the threat—but there was no room for compromise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others might think bowing to such a duke family was only natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gervas, reborn into this life—if he lacked even this much pride, he might as well die now and be reborn again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said coolly: “Then Catherine should be delighted. As her friend, I’m genuinely happy for her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phinil was speechless. “Fine! Viscount Gervas, I hope you never regret this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Phinil turned and left without looking back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when he reached the slope’s base did he ask: “Are you certain there’s a mage inside that castle?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, my lord. The sensation of being locked by a mage’s mental force is unmistakable—that young man on the wall is a mage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph. He got lucky. I’d planned to teach him a lesson… but no one who offends the Hernade family lives in peace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When we return to Eagle City, tell Lord Vilarde: this Gervas has no connection to our Hernade family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, my lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phinil led his cavalry away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gervas, you shouldn’t have angered him. The Hernade family is one of the kingdom’s most powerful ducal houses!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Wood, if a man must bow and scrape to every powerful person he meets, wouldn’t life be unbearably suffocating? Would it even be worth risking everything to build and strive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t the whole point of striving—to grow stronger, so we can stand tall before them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wood fell silent, his gaze toward Gervas filled with respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, since discovering his strong magical talent, Wood had never looked at anyone with true regard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, mages were noble by nature—and he, more gifted than most, was surely nobler still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So in his inventions, he ignored all advice—even from his own family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was one reason he’d smashed his head against every wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, he still held few in true esteem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until he met Gervas—the young noble, barely older than himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Broad-minded, virtuous, and now possessing a spine so unyielding even a ducal family could not bend it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This, even he, a mage, could not match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Viscount Gervas, you are the most extraordinary noble I have ever met!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1089,"2026-06-20T22:44:02.338Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b60be7270d766b2d2d143219eb662a37e5baaa2140e0c383120e4373af1e540a","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-203","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-201",521,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-cover.jpg"]