[{"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-9":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},2338472,4572,"Chapter 9: Strike Caroline!","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-9",9,"\u003Cp>“What? A flying horse appeared at our resting spot?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas’s eyes instantly lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he didn’t understand what the unicorn was doing, since heaven had given him another chance, he clearly wouldn’t let it slip away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Gervas and the others returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they reached the resting spot, everyone saw an unbelievable sight—the unicorn was circling Caroline repeatedly, observing her closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caroline was too terrified to move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it true that unicorns favor pure, beautiful virgins—or is it because Caroline’s lucky bloodline?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless of which, this was a rare opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Act now—you two throw first!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Gervas ordered the four to sneak toward the unicorn again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps because Caroline’s allure was too great, the unicorn’s vigilance was extremely low; by the time Lei Meng and the others formed a semicircle among the trees to surround it, the unicorn remained unaware.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a rare opportunity couldn’t be wasted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two knight retainers, seeing Gervas nod, threw their ropes first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Meng and Mi Gen followed swiftly and precisely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, no mishaps occurred—all four ropes struck the unicorn’s neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The belatedly aware unicorn let out a long neigh and began struggling again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the group, experienced now, had already tied the ropes to nearby tree trunks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Lei Meng rushed forward and used his battle aura to pin the unicorn firmly in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Confirming the unicorn was restrained, Gervas stepped forward immediately, sliced open his fingertip, and dripped blood onto the unicorn’s slightly bulging horn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unicorn’s struggles instantly halted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Divine beings differ from ordinary creatures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary creatures require a contract scroll to form a master-servant bond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But divine beings, like dragons, if willing to submit, can form the bond themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, at this moment Gervas could only establish spiritual communication by dripping blood onto the horn, breaking the barrier of language.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, a strange spiritual fluctuation reached Gervas’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fluctuation was mystical; though it carried no words, its meaning was clear enough for Gervas to infer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was essentially: “Human, let me go! You two-legged bastards, why are you binding me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas responded immediately: “Stop struggling. I give you two choices: either submit to me and become my companion, or I’ll kill you and eat you as magical beast meat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unicorn shuddered, terrified, staring at Gervas as if he were a demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the creature cowed, Gervas silently thought this might work—the unicorn was still too young. “You seem fond of that woman. Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I sense purity, and also the aura of fortune. I feel being near her might bring good luck!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn! Gervas exclaimed inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good fortune did exist—but it belonged to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unicorn, do you want to stay by her side forever? If so, submit to me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And unicorns live for centuries, while humans rarely reach a hundred years. You’re still young. Submit to me, and you can grow safely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In a hundred years, when I die, our contract dissolves—and you’ll be fully grown, strong enough to protect yourself, free to go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas guided him gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unicorn was intelligent enough; under this mix of threat and promise, it made its choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Human, I agree to the contract!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, Gervas felt a surge of spiritual force violently pulling his consciousness away, leaving a mark within the unicorn’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the mark was complete, Gervas sensed a new, indescribable connection in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is the power of the contract?” Though he could no longer speak with the unicorn, the two now understood each other intuitively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could now sense its current emotions and thoughts with near-perfect clarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ha! Good. Since you’re now my mount, I’ll name you—henceforth, you are Zhuīyuè.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The subordinates paid no mind to Gervas’s actions, still treating Zhuīyuè as an ordinary flying horse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Lei Meng nearby noticed Gervas’s blood-dripping and the slight bulge on the horn, sensing something odd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since Gervas didn’t clarify, Lei Meng said nothing further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, though only three li from Stormhold, the group decided to eat lunch there before continuing—they’d expended considerable energy just now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Thomas hesitated for a long while before quietly informing Gervas of Caroline’s earlier words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t out of malice, but out of loyalty to his family, and concern that Caroline might do something foolish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Marie Lady had already handed Caroline’s indenture contract to Gervas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she fled, Gervas could kill her without bearing any responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing this, Gervas pondered for a moment, realizing this matter demanded serious attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t lusting after Caroline’s beauty, but he had just witnessed her fortune-bringing power—he couldn’t afford to lose her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Caroline, like many native maids, was obsessed with marrying into nobility and becoming a noble lady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So to keep her obedient, he needed to discipline her first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After breaking her spirit, he could later consider how to win her loyalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Gervas dismissed the others, leaving only Caroline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caroline sensed something was wrong; her face turned deathly pale, and she tried to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But how could she escape Gervas?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t come near me! What do you want?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas ignored her entirely, grabbing her by the arm and yanking her up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caroline instantly fell into despair, squeezing her eyes shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unexpectedly, the sensation of violation never came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She opened her eyes instinctively—only to find Gervas staring at her with icy eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she wondered what was happening, Gervas spoke coldly: “Speaking behind your master’s back—you’ve committed the gravest sin of a servant!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the castle, I could have flogged you to death. But I, Gervas, am merciful—today, I’ll only give you a minor punishment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Caroline’s shock, Gervas flipped her over and tossed her onto the carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slap! Slap! Slap!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each palm struck Caroline’s plump buttocks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The burning pain made her furious and enraged, but a cold voice silenced her:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Be still. If you struggle again, I’ll sell you to some country landowner with no teeth left—I’m sure he’d pay a fine price for a pretty slave like you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caroline trembled, imagining being sold to some toothless country squire—and she shuddered uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Caroline stopped crying and struggling, enduring over a dozen slaps from Gervas, though tears streamed down her face endlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>",1028,"2026-06-20T22:44:01.160Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","72070b3ab9431eee6d0ea250c062e10a73a72e56dc958d0f5614c80301102759","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-10","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-8",521,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-cover.jpg"]