[{"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-341":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},2338804,4572,"Chapter 341: The Master","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-341",341,"\u003Cp>“No, have you ever heard of a noble lady named Gervas?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the young men sought a plausible explanation for Catherine’s transformation, another youth raised a doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And everyone knew this name could never belong to a noble lady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, several of the young men’s hearts sank to their lowest point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gervas? Stormhold? Why does that sound familiar! Cousin Doyle, have you heard of him?” Scarlett seemed to recall something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With her reminder, Doyle finally remembered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Him! That minor noble who partnered with Catherine—Uncle Phinir mentioned him when he returned. The fellow trying to cling to our family…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Him?” Scarlett instantly recalled as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Scarlett, Doyle—who exactly is it?” the young men asked anxiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doyle and Scarlett exchanged a glance, then chose not to hide the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gentlemen, you know the telescope, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course we do—it’s all the rage in the capital, and you said earlier this was Catherine’s business, wasn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason these men adored Catherine so much\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>wasn’t just her beauty—it was also her family’s business and that single-tube telescope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially the single-tube telescope, which had become a sensation among the nobility in the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It brought not only financial gain but also prestige.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, marrying Catherine meant securing both wealth and status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gentlemen, the single-tube telescope is indeed Catherine’s business, but you know she only owns half the shares.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The other half belongs to this minor noble named Gervas!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After we confirmed Catherine’s bloodline as part of the Hernade family, my uncle Phinir went to negotiate with this minor noble, offering to buy back his half-share.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We also asked him to stay away from Catherine!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But this minor noble, I suspect, wanted to use Catherine to climb into our Hernade family, so he refused.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And as you’ve just seen, Cousin Catherine’s nature is kind—so she’s been misled by this fellow…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doyle gave the group a detailed explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he skillfully omitted certain details—like whether the single-tube telescope was invented by the Violet family or by Gervas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the young men didn’t care about those details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They only heard that the minor noble shamelessly kept pursuing Catherine, trying to use her to climb into their noble family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This perfectly matched their usual perception of minor nobles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So that’s how it is! This damn pretty boy is so brazen!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah! Trying to use Catherine to cling to a great family—what a shameless bastard!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gentlemen, let’s go see him!” Doyle, seeing their outrage, led the noble youths out of the dining hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gervas!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forgive the sudden visit, Catherine—have I disturbed you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, but why did you come all of a sudden?” Catherine smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of the Hernade family, Gervas decided to say something flirtatious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, he would never have been so forward—he knew Catherine’s nature well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold goddess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hated nothing more than smooth-talking aristocratic playboys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he felt he needed to be more proactive now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, their relationship could move to the next level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though with his current abilities, he had no shortage of women.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Catherine was truly exceptional, especially her character.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was nothing like those frivolous noble ladies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So if possible, he wouldn’t let her slip through his fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Catherine paused, then her cheeks flushed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, she would have asked Gervas when he’d learned those playboy tricks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But remembering the disgusting men in the dining hall, even his flirtatious words now seemed more tolerable than theirs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you want to come, then come,” Catherine feigned annoyance, but her reply said it all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas smiled faintly—he now understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he pretended to be modest, adding: “Actually, I was just joking. Today I went to Ironwolf City on business, and when I saw the hour was late, I decided to visit you, Catherine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Catherine’s breath caught; she clenched her teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’d have been better off not explaining!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, a sound came from behind Catherine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She suddenly remembered, “Gervas, come inside the castle! But tonight, there are a few guests—members of the Hernade family and… their allies. I hope you don’t mind!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? I don’t mind at all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, Gervas entered the castle gates at Catherine’s invitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that exact moment, Scarlett and Doyle and the others stepped out of the inner castle gate into the front courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant they met, Gervas felt a wave of hostile glares.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether from the young men or from Scarlett and Doyle, every gaze toward Gervas carried hostility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gervas paid it no mind—he already knew everything from his intelligence reports.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Catherine could introduce anyone, he took on the air of a host: “Catherine, these are your distant cousins and their friends, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you treated them properly? They’ve traveled far—if you neglect them, it would be impolite.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Catherine froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others froze too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of status would allow someone to speak like that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not necessarily husband and wife—surely only someone extremely close?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing their expressions, Catherine suddenly understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She realized what Gervas intended to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She gritted her teeth and flashed a brilliant smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gervas, don’t worry—I know proper hospitality!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, Cousin Scarlett, Cousin Doyle, everyone—this is Gervas, my… well, good friend!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Catherine’s reply, Scarlett and the others finally showed a change in expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Catherine and Gervas’s exchange was enough to spark wild speculation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man from another family, how Catherine treated her guests—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet Catherine, the hostess, showed no displeasure; she even tacitly accepted it. Their relationship was obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Catherine, you just said you were dining? Send the guests back!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Also, I’ve been traveling all day—I’m hungry!” Gervas added the final blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, Gervas!” Catherine nodded gently, then swiftly instructed the servants: “Bring new tableware immediately. Tell the kitchen to keep cooking—Gervas has arrived!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, my lord!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servant hurried toward the kitchen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Catherine then led the pale-faced group back into the dining hall.\u003C\u002Fp>",974,"2026-06-20T22:44:02.338Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9ef3d46ce95d30a96cadf6aac843f53d8cb9f17d23123389797d8e16fa8eb48e","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-342","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-340",521,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-cover.jpg"]