[{"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-342":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},2338805,4572,"Chapter 342: Return of the Soldier King?","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-342",342,"\u003Cp>“Gervas, try this roasted beast meat—I knew you liked it, so I had my servants prepare it specially a few days ago!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course! Since it’s specially prepared by Catherine, I absolutely must taste it! Hmm, excellent! The beast meat is perfectly roasted!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m glad you like it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After returning to the dining hall, Gervas and Catherine’s performance became remarkably synchronized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This back-and-forth exchange naturally made Scarlett, Doyle, and several noble youths’ expressions grow even darker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Catherine, cousin, I’m not saying this to criticize you, but now that you’ve become a blood heir of the Hernand family and hold the rank of count yourself, you must be extremely careful—not to be deceived by those with ulterior motives!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Some minor nobles love to flatter just to climb the social ladder!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right, Catherine, Doyle speaks truly—I’ve seen countless minor nobles try to flatter me before!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But they had neither gold nor talent—how could I possibly be fooled by their empty words?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Moreover, as heirs of great families, we should choose partners from families of equal standing—that’s the only way to ensure our future happiness!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn! Gervas silently exclaimed Damn!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isn’t this the exact plot from Qianshi ’s “Return of the Soldier King”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve already been reincarnated!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now I’m actually experiencing it firsthand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cousin Scarlett, Cousin Doyle, I don’t understand what you’re talking about!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But Catherine hates nothing more than hearing others speak ill of her friends—especially Gervas!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If such things happen, I won’t hesitate to throw them out of the castle!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Catherine, you…” Scarlett’s face changed, barely holding back a harsh retort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Catherine was disregarding the Hernand family’s honor for the sake of an outsider—this was utterly intolerable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Doyle still had enough composure to hold Scarlett back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Catherine, we mean no harm—we’re only warning you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, Catherine, Maurice and the others heard you were hosting a visit, so they’ve brought gifts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Doyle gave Maurice and the others a meaningful glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maurice and the others immediately understood his intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had indeed prepared gifts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gifts meant to be presented only if they won Catherine’s favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, they all wanted Catherine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the situation had shifted slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The original gifts were for internal competition among the five.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, they needed to unite against a common foe—outdo this pretty boy with their offerings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right, Miss Catherine, our unannounced visit was impolite, so we’ve brought gifts to express our apologies—please allow us to present them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The men quickly ordered their personal servants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Catherine could guess what they intended to do—she was about to refuse outright, but Gervas suddenly smiled and shook his head to stop her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though puzzled, Catherine calmed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the noble youths’ personal servants returned, each carrying a gift box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ladies and gentlemen, let me, Dant, go first!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the noble youths stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others had no objections, so he took the box and opened it himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two pigeon-egg-sized magic pearls, glowing faintly blue, came into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Catherine, let me introduce these—these are the famed Magic Condensation Pearls.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone knows the sea is full of dangers; even gathering ordinary seafood is difficult, let alone magical items from the ocean!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These Condensation Pearls, due to their unique properties, are even more valuable than ordinary magical items.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They can condense pure water at any time and place—so as long as you carry one, you’ll never worry about running out of water.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though the southern lands aren’t dry, they’re immensely convenient during travel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Each pigeon-egg-sized pearl costs roughly seven or eight gold coins—but they’re almost never for sale.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whenever one appears, western drought-stricken duchies’ caravans snap them up at premium prices.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These two were given to me by a deputy commander of the Western Legion when he visited my father in the east!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now I offer them as a gift to Miss Catherine—please accept them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dant placed the box containing the two pearls before Catherine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, as he spoke, his gaze swept over Gervas, laced with mockery and provocation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, this poor minor noble Gervas had no business competing with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas felt the “Return of the Soldier King” experience growing ever more real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This feeling… was incredibly satisfying!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more these bastards flaunt themselves now, the harder their faces will sting when they’re humiliated later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, I didn’t watch hundreds of “CEO Falls in Love with the Security Guard” dramas in my Qianshi  for nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Catherine glanced at Gervas and saw his expression calm, even giving her a slight nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She signaled her personal maid, who accepted the gift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, she murmured, “Thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The youth named Dant blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was a gift worth over ten gold coins really worth just these two bland words?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, even a duke’s daughter would be delighted by such a beautiful, valuable gift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, the neighboring baron’s son showed no reaction at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now it’s my turn!” At that moment, a youth named Liam stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He waved to his servant behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servant carried a large box, covered with festive red silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his command, the servant pulled away the red silk, revealing the wooden box beneath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a small beast cage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the cage lay a tiny red object.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the cage’s window was too small to see its full form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Liam didn’t make them wait long—he stepped forward and lifted the lid himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, before them, appeared a small, fiery-red rabbit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a Rank-One beast, the Firedown Rabbit!” Scarlett immediately recognized it, her eyes gleaming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right—it’s a Rank-One beast, the Firedown Rabbit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though the Firedown Rabbit has no offensive power and is small in size, with little culinary value compared to other beasts, its greatest advantage is that it emits heat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Its body temperature is far higher than ordinary animals, constantly radiating warmth—imagine holding such a fiery-red rabbit during the bitter winter; how comforting that would be!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Catherine, this is the gift I’ve prepared for you—I hope you like it!”\u003C\u002Fp>",998,"2026-06-20T22:44:02.338Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","23d1429d001b11d678f67c96a3e72572f4349118b238323f777f35f49f0b200f","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-343","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-341",521,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-cover.jpg"]