[{"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-514":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},2338977,4572,"Chapter 514","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-514",514,"\u003Cp>After inspecting the Willard estate, Gervas decided to maintain the status quo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the servants in the manor had fled, the serfs at the outlying farm had not run away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, they were of low status and had no money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, as serfs, they were property, not free people; even if the entire Willard family were purged, they would not be targeted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, these serfs knew only how to farm and raise livestock; to restore the estate’s operations, someone needed to manage it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eagle City was at least five days’ ride from Storm Domain; Gervas could not manage it personally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old John certainly could not come either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ronil! Willard has been executed by the kingdom—do you harbor thoughts of revenge?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Also, you know Willard had a grudge against me before—do you wish to avenge him as well?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ronil collapsed to his knees in terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Gervas, I dare not! Though I truly felt… sorrow over Lord Willard’s death!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But Lord Willard consorted with beastmen—I know no crime is more despicable than this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I am only worried the kingdom might hang me too; I never once thought of avenging Lord Willard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for seeking revenge against Lord Gervas—I wouldn’t dare even if I had a hundred lives!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas carefully observed Ronil’s expression and found no sign of deceit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded in satisfaction: “Ronil, I have two options for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First, I will reward you with five gold coins—leave immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second, stay on as steward of the manor and oversee all of Willard’s holdings in Eagle City.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I will raise your salary by thirty percent from what Willard paid you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Ronil had been Willard’s steward, as he himself admitted, Willard had been convicted by the kingdom—for treason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he still clung to loyalty to Willard and sought revenge, the kingdom would not spare him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Gervas judged Ronil still usable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least for now, during this transitional period.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, Gervas would send a group of serfs to manage the manor and shops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With everyone else being his own people, Ronil would be powerless to stir trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Ronil works diligently from now on, Gervas would not mind keeping him on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if he harbors other schemes, Gervas would not be merciful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, with his intelligence network, he had no fear of Ronil turning traitor—he trusted the system to issue warnings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing Gervas’s words, Ronil trembled violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… this…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Are you unwilling?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ronil immediately exclaimed: “No… no, Lord Gervas, I accept! I accept!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was no wonder Ronil was so excited; as he said, he truly feared the kingdom would come for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the kingdom ignored a mere pawn like him, after the estate transfer, nobles in the city would surely eye him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Willard’s steward, he owned over a hundred gold coins’ worth of property in the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To a great noble like Gervas, this meant nothing—but to minor nobles and officials, it was a feast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If lucky, he might flee with a portion of his wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If unlucky, they might cut him down to the root.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So if Gervas would take him in, even a salary cut would be acceptable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a count’s protection, no one in Eagle City would dare touch him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough! Since you accept, then rise!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes! Thank you, Lord Gervas, for your mercy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm? Still not changing your address?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Lord Gervas!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time turned to the next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had Gervas opened his eyes than he heard good news from Dingding’s daily intelligence report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The royal grant decree had finally arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the content of the decree made Gervas ponder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gervas, are you up? Good news—the grant decree has come!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Gervas could think further, Mil’s voice rang from outside the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas and his party had checked into the manor the previous night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Mil’s shouts down the corridor were clearly audible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really? Mil, I’m coming!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Gervas feigned surprise and prepared to rise and wash up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten minutes later, Gervas stepped out of his room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mil and the others, who had been pacing anxiously at the staircase, perked up instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gervas, you’re finally ready! Hurry, I can’t wait to see where our grant lands are!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes! I wonder if His Majesty will be generous and grant us more territory!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Gervas recalled the intelligence report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One item specifically concerned their grant lands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, they were overestimating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Land was precious to the king, especially as expansion grew increasingly difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the king had granted only the bare minimum land to match their viscount rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for terrain, it was neither good nor bad—mostly forested hills, with only a small portion of flat ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So they could expect no advantage whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Gervas would not tell them now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine! Let’s go see it then! Everyone, let’s move out!” Gervas wasted no time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Gervas and Mil hurried to the Civil Affairs Office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without needing to ask, the mere presence of the count’s carriage drew a clerk forward cautiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the clerk understood their purpose, he promptly led Gervas and the others into a spacious hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This hall, normally used to receive high nobles, was not only vast but lavishly decorated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Respected Lord Count, and esteemed Lord Viscounts, please wait here a moment—I shall notify Cabinet Minister immediately!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After ushering them in, the clerk bowed and hurried away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After roughly four or five minutes, noise came from the doorway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Gervas and the others assumed it was the Cabinet Minister, they soon realized it was not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Carteri Stonecrack—the man Gervas had met once in the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Him! That fellow who got his title only because of his family!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mil and the others whispered among themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They accepted Gervas’s title with full respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Carteri Stonecrack’s countship? Mil and the others all considered it unjust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, they had risked their lives just to earn a promotion from baron to viscount.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Carteri had leapt straight to a kingdom-count title.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he was a son of the Stonecrack family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Carteri entered the hall, Mil and the others fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? Isn’t that Lord Gervas? What a coincidence!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carteri strode in, chin raised, glancing around—when he spotted Gervas, his eyes flickered with amusement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carter entered the hall, chin raised, sweeping his gaze across the room; when he saw Gervas, a flicker of amusement lit his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>",1063,"2026-06-20T22:44:02.688Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","49503585272a5f45620851a19bc855f4ed0d6ccbd8d587c5f901256c818bbce0","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-515","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-513",521,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-cover.jpg"]