[{"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-499":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},2338962,4572,"Chapter 499: The Stonecrack Family","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-499",499,"\u003Cp>“Gervas Gail, do you swear fealty to King Henryk the Seventh, the Great Lion-Eagle Monarch?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I do!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excellent, Lord Gervas Gail. From this moment, you are no longer a viscount, but a glorious and sacred count!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Congratulations, Count Gervas!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking, the Royal Grand Steward summoned several attendants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The attendants carried trays.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon them rested the golden emblem of a count, the count’s sword, and a silk banner embroidered with the count’s crest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The King stepped forward, took up the emblem, and fastened it himself upon Gervas’s left chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the King picked up the count’s sword and handed it to Gervas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas received it with both hands and fastened it at his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the King handed Gervas the lion-eagle banner embroidered in gold thread, symbolizing his countship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the count’s investiture was formally complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank Your Majesty for this gift!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas bowed deeply again to the Lion-Eagle King in gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Count Gervas, I hope you continue to strive. Now, you may withdraw.” The Lion-Eagle King nodded in satisfaction and dismissed Gervas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the envious glances of the nobles, Gervas returned to his original position with head held high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Gervas’s new rank, more noble ladies and ladies-in-waiting began sending him covert glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had the reward ceremony not still been ongoing, several noble ladies might have approached him directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gervas! Congratulations! Now you’re a count—a true high noble!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly! Who would’ve thought we’d one day be friends with a count?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gervas, you better promise us—you won’t ignore us now that you’re a count!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had Gervas taken his place than Mil and Ian and the others rushed over, excited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You lot, am I the kind of man who’d abandon his friends? And don’t just congratulate me—your own investitures are coming soon!” Gervas replied with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gervas, our rewards probably won’t be this big… our contributions were decent, but not outstanding…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Gervas say they’d be granted titles, Mil and the others still felt uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry—I’m certain the King won’t be stingy!” Gervas assured them confidently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rewards continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But none matched Gervas’s in magnitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the northern campaign had merely outmaneuvered the beastmen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This victory banquet was, frankly, somewhat forced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet as the King’s first major triumph since recovering his health, he would make it grand no matter what.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The King first rewarded the great noble houses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hernade Duke House and the Austin Marquis House each received one barrier lordship nomination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other noble houses received baron titles or several non-hereditary knightships.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the great nobles, the lesser nobles were next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, unquestionably, Mil and the others had rendered the greatest service.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Baron Mil, Baron Ian… for your valor in the northern campaign, having slain numerous beastmen heads…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The King bestows upon you the title of viscount…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Royal Grand Steward proclaimed the royal decree, Mil and the others flushed with excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Gervas had said it, they’d still harbored doubts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, hearing the actual reward, they were stunned to find he’d been right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had truly been granted titles—becoming honored viscounts of the kingdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank Your Majesty…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They quickly bowed in fervent thanks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, they ascended the dais to receive their investitures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, their ceremony lacked Gervas’s grandeur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout, the Lion-Eagle King remained seated upon his throne, never rising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the medals and swords had to be taken and fastened by Mil and the others themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even so, Mil and the others were overjoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, this was normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Often, the investiture of barons or viscounts required only a commission scroll, delivered by a royal envoy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Personal investiture by the King was a rare honor reserved for great nobles alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For lesser nobles like them, being invested before the King’s own eyes was already a rare distinction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How’s that? I told you so, didn’t I?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they returned to their seats, their smiles still wouldn’t fade. Gervas couldn’t resist teasing them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gervas! You were right! And we owe you thanks—if not for you, we’d never have earned this reward!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly, Gervas! Thank you! Without you, we’d never have received this viscountship. And our greatest fortune? Meeting you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Mil and the others grew unusually serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each bowed solemnly to Gervas in gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All knew their own worth—this title came solely because of Gervas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough! You lot—I’m your comrade, your ally!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you really want to thank me, send me plenty of fine food and wine when we return to our lands!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gervas, not just food and wine—even beauties are no problem!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Right! Gervas, as soon as we get back, we’ll send you food, wine, and beauties to your castle…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good heavens! Gervas mentally exclaimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Gervas joked with Mil and the others, the lesser nobles’ rewards concluded swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the banquet did not immediately move to the dance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grand Steward produced another royal decree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellencies, the rewards thus far were for nobles who earned merit in the northern campaign.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now, His Majesty has one final award—for a noble who has served the kingdom faithfully for years: the Stonecrack Duke!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Stonecrack Duke already holds the rank of grand duke, so no higher title can be granted. Thus, His Majesty bestows upon his family a countship, with lands in the southern region.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gasps erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Another countship?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes! And a countlordship at that—how lavish!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gervas Viscount earned his countship through first merit—what did Stonecrack do?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even Hernade Duke only received one viscount nomination—yet Stonecrack got a countship? The disparity is outrageous!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shh! Didn’t you hear? The Grand Steward said this is for Stonecrack’s decades of service—not just for this battle!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s what they say—but didn’t Hernade Duke serve the kingdom faithfully all these years too?”\u003C\u002Fp>",946,"2026-06-20T22:44:02.688Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","76ae2f4d8dc102ccf259d3036c7a605e3f6e5ffda8d10cb72360e1ed0b268b66","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-500","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-498",521,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-cover.jpg"]