A semi-transparent light screen floated before Louis's eyes, with a few lines of text quickly jumping on the panel.

[Daily Intelligence Update Complete]

[1: The remnants of the old Northern Territory nobility secretly gather under the call of Viscount Fos, attempting to unite against the new Prefect Louis. Each noble has their own hidden agenda.]

[2: Under the coercion of the Snow Swearers, Baron Vira led thirty-five old subordinates in a raid on Fors Manor, capturing twelve attending nobles alive.]

[3: Forced by the Snow Swearers, Baron Vira leads thirty-five Snow Swearers southward, planning to attack Red Tide Territory today, intending to capture Prefect Louis alive.]

[4: An epidemic "White Sleep Fever" has appeared in the Northern Cold Fir Territory. If not promptly addressed, it will quickly spread throughout Snow Peak County, with unimaginable consequences.]

This time, the intelligence updates from the Daily Intelligence System were all heavyweights.

Louis, originally leaning against the headboard, sat up straight upon seeing the first item.

The old Northern Territory nobility group joined forces to resist him.

"They're trying to isolate me..." he murmured softly.

Originally, Louis thought that since Duke Edmund appointed him as Prefect, he should take responsibility.

And now, as Snow Peak County is in ruins and needs rebuilding, the lords should communicate and support each other through the tough times.

But these people... actually colluding secretly, attempting to overtly comply while covertly disobeying, to sideline him?

"Truly, the human heart is malicious."

He quickly thought of a countermeasure, but couldn't help but laugh upon seeing the second piece of intelligence.

Baron Vira raided Fors Manor, and twelve nobles were captured alive for sacrifice.

"So they've all been caged by the Snow Swearers, saving me a lot of trouble," Louis laughed softly.

Thank the Snow Swearers, thank Baron Vira.

However, before he could finish laughing, his face darkened upon seeing the third item.

Vira led the way, with a new target on Red Tide Territory, intending to capture him.

"Damn traitor," Louis cursed, completely forgetting that just a moment ago he was thanking this turncoat.

Thirty-five Snow Swearers isn't much.

But in the current Snow Peak County, where the Snow Swearers' regular corps has withdrawn, only some stragglers linger, those able to move freely in Snow Peak County are undoubtedly the elite troops of the Snow Swearers.

Without the Daily Intelligence System, he might have really been caught by them as a "sacrifice" without any preparation.

Eating the Empire's grain and still wanting to toss Imperial Nobility into the pot of the Ancient God?

The thing he hated most was these traitors.

Baron Vira already had a death path laid out!

"Too bad, I have the Daily Intelligence System," Louis said in a low voice, but with a hint of coldness: "So now the identities of hunter and prey have to swap."

With the intelligence system, he quickly thought of a countermeasure.

Then Louis looked at the fourth item, and this time all the laughter was gone.

A plague, "White Sleep Fever," has appeared in the Northern Cold Fir Territory.

Louis stared at this intelligence, his brow slowly furrowing.

White Sleep Fever is a highly contagious, high-mortality epidemic.

The Northern Territory experiences an outbreak every dozen years. Once it appears, death and chaos follow.

Because of its strong sleep-inducing and lethal cold reactions, it's popularly called: "Snow Spirit Curse."

Early on, it's just drowsiness, confusion, like a minor illness from long-term fatigue.

But three days later, the body temperature will plummet, and the patient will open their eyes, murmuring to themselves.

They will recount scenes from dreams, speaking of vague and strange "future fragments."

On the fifth day, they start to sleep deeply, with a weak heartbeat, and tear ducts secrete ice-water-like liquid.

The sixth day brings a sudden high fever, as if a raging fire burns inside.

By the seventh day, they're most likely dead.

If uncontrolled, this disease could induce panic and collapse order throughout Snow Peak County, even the Northern Territory.

Louis closed his eyes, his mind rapidly analyzing: this is not a curse, it's a disease.

More specifically, it should be a cold-activated magical fungal disease.

"The spores likely invade through the moist cold wind, entering through the skin or nasal cavity, ultimately colonizing the brain, affecting the nervous system.

Drowsiness, hallucinations, hypothermia... also align with magical fungal infection symptoms."

Surprisingly, the solution is quite simple.

As long as the patient is exposed to an environment of more than fifty degrees Celsius for half an hour, the fungi can be effectively killed, preventing further deterioration.

The patient will naturally wake up, escaping danger.

It sounds almost like a joke.

But the problem lies in this "simple" approach needing timing.

If the opportunity is missed, and the fungi root into the brain, with the patient asleep too long, not even high heat can save them.

Most troublesome is the speed of transmission and onset are too fast.

Many lords find out the issue only after their domains are already filled with those fallen.

Moreover, creating a sauna-like environment in the Northern Territory's harsh weather is daunting.

In a place where soon even water must be acquired by ice crushing, how could an entire room be raised to fifty degrees, sustained for half an hour? Impossible!

Louis quickly thought of a way: steam.

Sauna, steam room, geothermal steaming are all feasible methods.

And Red Tide Territory happens to have hot spring resources.

But in the next second, he shook his head: "No."

Red Tide Territory is the core area of his domain, a granary, a fortress, the starting point for everything in the future.

He wouldn't allow even the slightest virus to be brought in.

Additionally, it takes at least four days round trip from Cold Fir Territory to Red Tide, which is too late.

"People can't be brought in, only the heat can be sent over."

His mind quickly ran through the latest intelligence, thinking of countermeasures.

Suddenly, he remembered an old piece of intelligence.

The geothermal core of Red Tide Territory is home to a group of Fire-backed Turtles.

A glint appeared in his eyes.

The Fire-backed Turtle is a geothermal creature, inhabiting the crevices of hot springs and magma.

The energy blocks on their backs can store massive amounts of heat.

Once the temperature reaches a limit, it erupts as steam.

Instant high temperature and humidity, like a natural sauna room.

"White Sleep Fever... just so happens to fear this."

The Fire-backed Turtle is practically a tailor-made nemesis for the epidemic.

High temperature, steam, humid air, and magical heat energy.

Build a small house, place a turtle, and treatment, purification, quarantine, can all be covered.

His original plan was to tame them.

Take things slowly, build trust, and let the geothermal turtles become the winter guardians of Red Tide Territory.

But now... there's no time for "slowly."

"Sorry, turtle," Louis said apologetically, "for the entire Cold Fir Territory, I'll have to kill a few for now."

He knew what this meant.

The turtle shells are one-time use; once removed, the heat can likely only be retained for one or two days before it's gone forever.

Fire-backed Turtles are scarce; hunting one means one less.

But now he couldn't concern himself with that.

Turtles could be bred over time, but the dead can't be brought back.

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