[{"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-207":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},2338670,4572,"Chapter 207","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-207",207,"\u003Cp>“Master! That black shadow I saw that day flashed by right here, but when I looked closer, there was nothing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, I saw the black shadow at this fork too—it seemed to dart into that abandoned mine tunnel!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, I lost the ore right here—I was digging just a meter away, but when I turned around, several kilograms were gone…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the mine tunnel, all the miners who had noticed anomalies that day were gathered before Gervas, describing what they had seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through consistent testimonies,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas could confirm that the black shadow frequently appeared in the mining area, stealing ore while the slave miners worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After each theft, the shadow vanished into the nearby abandoned mine tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That tunnel had been dug earlier by the Pat family, and was several times deeper than this new mine shaft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was abandoned because they dug in the wrong direction and never struck the main iron vein.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, could there really be a ghost?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mine tunnel was already narrow and oppressive; with the slave miners all insisting they’d seen the eerie black shadow, Migen stared at the dark, abandoned tunnel and felt a chill crawl up his spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, people are the same—what you can see and touch isn’t frightening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s the mysterious, the unknown, that inspires fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Meng directly countered, “Migen, even if there really is a ghost, do you think a ghost eats ore?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, the Pat family has mined this iron mountain for decades without incident—there’s no way it’s some ghost or spirit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas hadn’t expected it—the knight captain was truly a knight captain: not only powerful in combat, but also capable of rational analysis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He himself knew perfectly well what it was—the Gold-Eating Rodent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now its habitat had been nearly confirmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas wasted no time: “Let’s go deeper into this tunnel—I want to see what dares to disrupt my mine!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if it really is a ghost, I’ll deal with it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Migen and the others immediately cast looks of awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Meng was a Silver Knight—he could afford to be bold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But their master, a nobleman and only a Bronze Knight, had such courage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder he was their master!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Gervas took the lead, torch in hand, marching into the abandoned tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Migen and the others worried for Gervas’s safety and begged to walk ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas refused outright; only after persistent pleading did he allow Lei Meng to walk beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come on—this was the perfect chance to establish himself as a mighty lord! How could he miss it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who’s there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Gervas’s party advanced ten minutes into the tunnel, a sound suddenly echoed from the darkness ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the clatter of pebbles being kicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Gervas and Lei Meng’s senses had been enhanced, the distance was too great to make out what it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, I only saw a black shadow flicker past!” Lei Meng’s expression turned grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, if he’d seen the shadow, then the slave miners hadn’t lied—something truly was in this tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“M-Master, perhaps you should fall back—we’ll go ahead with Knight Captain Lei Meng to investigate…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Migen’s voice trembled; who knew what might emerge from this pitch-black tunnel?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am a titled knight—and didn’t I just say, whatever it is, I’ll drag it out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas rejected firmly, then pressed forward under the admiring gazes of Migen and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, they reached the tunnel’s end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ahead lay a wider cavern, roughly forty to fifty square meters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, it had been deliberately expanded during earlier surveys to check for nearby ore veins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the cavern’s entrance, the black shadow flashed past again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We saw it, Master! We saw it too!” Migen and the others cried out, drawing their swords at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t panic—block the tunnel entrance. Let Lei Meng and I see what dares to disrupt this mine!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas drew his sword with theatrical flair, then entered the cavern, torch in one hand, sword in the other, back-to-back with Lei Meng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the torchlight illuminated the space, the black shadow had nowhere to hide—it darted frantically through the cavern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was small, no taller than one and a half meters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, this… this is the Gold-Eating Rodent!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Meng suddenly cried out—now, so close and bathed in flame, he finally made out the shadow’s shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? The Gold-Eating Rodent?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, Gervas had already clearly seen the creature’s form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Round and plump, covered in fur, it resembled a bear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its body was black and white, strikingly similar to a panda from his past life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But pandas in his past life were called Iron-Eaters—they didn’t eat metal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the Gold-Eating Rodent fed exclusively on metal ore—how could they look so alike?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, it must be—it’s said the Gold-Eating Rodent has black-and-white fur and a bear-like build!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“More importantly, it loves to eat ore…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ha! What a blessing from the God of Glory! Migen, you all block the exits—I’m claiming this Gold-Eating Rodent!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gold-Eating Rodent had weak combat power; though its claws and fangs could split ore, it was too timid to fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the aura of Gervas and Lei Meng flare around it, it immediately cowered in the corner, wailing pitifully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas and Lei Meng seized the moment, lunging forward to pin its limbs and head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even rabbits bite when cornered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gold-Eating Rodent had sharp claws and teeth; though timid, a single bite during its struggle would be no joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, with both Gervas and Lei Meng applying full strength, failure was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gold-Eating Rodent was soon bound tightly and dragged out of the mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the mine, the creature’s full form was visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What he’d thought was three-tenths like a panda now looked eight-tenths like one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from faint gold streaks in its fur, it was nearly identical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas couldn’t help exclaiming, “Damn!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his past life, he’d have been arrested for smuggling a national treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, so it’s this little thing? It nearly scared me to death—and now it’s so cute!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Migen and the other knights, seeing the Gold-Eating Rodent’s true form, kept murmuring in amazement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, Knight Captain Lei Meng—you called it the Gold-Eating Rodent. Is it valuable?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Meng glanced at Gervas, saw him nod, then replied: “Yes, extremely valuable. One such Gold-Eating Rodent is worth at least seven or eight hundred gold coins.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gah! Seven or eight hundred gold coins? That’s more than this mine is worth!” Migen and the others gaped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Correct. And its white fur is already faintly tinged with gold—meaning it’s beginning its transformation into a second-rank Gold-Eating Rodent!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At that stage, its value will exceed one thousand gold coins—the higher its rank, the more it eats!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And its function is to consume metal ore, then excrete…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Meng then explained the true use of the Gold-Eating Rodent to the knights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Migen and the others stared in disbelief: “No wonder it’s so expensive—it’s even better than a blacksmith!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When it comes to smelting metal, no blacksmith can match it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Steel is a common metal, yet it’s the toughest material short of alloying with mithril!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1185,"2026-06-20T22:44:02.338Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","35dd99551704af2ca26d035f1e8398f447c97515cf43a82e647abe6bbb6e9984","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-208","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-206",521,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-cover.jpg"]