A row of simple large pots were set up on burning firewood, and the air was filled with the faint aroma of wheat porridge.
The slaves lined up in a long queue, holding rough wooden bowls, waiting for the porridge to be distributed.
Their eyes were full of gratitude, as they had been struggling with hunger in the past days.
Even a bit of leftovers would be fought over, so having hot porridge to drink now was a great blessing.
Lord Louis’s kindness is never-ending!
Standing behind the stove, George muttered worriedly while ladling porridge with a large wooden spoon:
"Lord, if you keep cooking , I’m afraid the food will run out... if one day the gap is too big, we might..."
His words were interrupted by Louis with a casual wave of his hand.
"When you’re hungry, you need to eat. Just cook as told, why so much useless talk?"
George opened his mouth but ended up sighing, resigned to continue ladling porridge.
This new master of his was great in every way, except that he was too generous, hardly caring about food at all.
"Hmph, at this rate, in less than half a year, I might end up back in the slave market..." George felt a pang of sadness.
If that’s the case, he’d better steal two more bowls of porridge now, lest he should go hungry someday unexpectedly.
But Louis was completely unconcerned about this.
He wasn’t worried about running out of food; the resources of Red Tide Territory were so abundant that one couldn’t possibly starve.
This was the confidence his golden finger brought him.
Just in time, today’s daily intelligence was updated:
[1: Baron Hayes of Expansion died of freezing due to excessive drinking on his way to the territory.]
[2: The Governor of the North’s youngest daughter, Emily Edmund, broke through to a Junior Elite Knight.]
[3: A pack of 70 hungry Ice Wolves, following the scent of food, are lurking in the gorge ahead, ready to attack the convoy.]
The first two pieces of information were inconsequential to Louis, at most feeling a bit of regret for Baron Hayes’s death.
The third piece, however, made his expression serious!
Even with his current military strength, there was nothing to fear from 70 Ice Wolves, but any carelessness leading to a surprise attack by these vicious beasts would result in unacceptable losses.
He immediately summoned Knight Captain Lambert and ordered solemnly:
"Let the knights form groups of five to scout around the gorge for any anomalies."
Lambert nodded unhesitatingly and took the command.
The knights quickly formed groups and galloped towards the gorge.
The cold wind howled, and an eerie chill permeated the gorge.
The knight team moved slowly along the snow, where the air was filled with an unpleasant, fishy odor.
It was like the smell of rotting flesh mixed with the scent of wild animals, making people instinctively frown.
Lambert dismounted, crouched in the snow, and used his hand to brush away the thin snow, revealing the chaotic paw prints below.
The deep impressions indicated the wolves were extremely hungry, lacking the patience to cover their tracks.
He lifted his head, his expression grave: "There’s something up."
They quickly returned to Louis’s side, reporting their findings in detail.
After listening, Louis showed no signs of panic: "Very well, since they’ve come to us, let them see who the real prey is."
He immediately ordered traps to be set up in the gorge to lure the wolf pack into them.
The hungry Ice Wolves lurked in the snow, their ghostly green eyes fixed on the distant convoy.
Their fur was thick and rough, the color a blend of gray-white and dark blue, making it easy for them to blend into the icy wasteland.
Hunger made their bodies appear even more emaciated, yet the terrifying explosive power hidden beneath their bones was still evident.
An enticing aroma wafted through the wind, the scent of their long-desired prey!
"Awo!" The leading Wolf King let out a low growl.
Dozens of black shadows instantly sprang from the snow, stealthily and silently advancing toward the convoy like ghosts.
Closer and closer... closer and closer...
The dull sound of an explosion shattered the night, as a giant wooden stake mechanism suddenly sprang up, spearing through several leading wolves, dyeing the snow red with blood instantly!
The wolf pack, shocked by the sudden trap, scattered in panic.
The soldiers ambushed in the periphery quickly drew their bows and rained arrows down like a storm!
The sound of arrows tearing through the air ripped the atmosphere, and the Ice Wolves, unable to dodge, cried out miserably as several were pierced through the throat, collapsing in the snow, their blood swiftly reddening the white snow.
Lambert’s longsword cut a silver arc through the air.
The knights launched a simultaneous assault, their raging fighting energy igniting the battlefield in an instant!
A knight suddenly leapt up, the war spear in his hand glowing with red light, violently impaling an oncoming Ice Wolf.
The explosive energy nailed the wolf’s carcass to the snow, blasting open a massive crack!
Another knight wielded a heavy sword, the blade entangled with crimson fighting energy flames.
He leaped high, slashing down, the flames cleaving the night as he cleaved a giant wolf attempting an ambush in half!
Warm blood bloomed on the snow like crimson flowers.
The wolf pack’s wild nature could no longer suppress the fear in their hearts, scattering in flight.
The knights adjusted their formation, encircling the wolf pack.
They wielded their fighting energy, every slash taking a wolf’s life.
Amidst the sounds of blades slicing through flesh, the wolf pack was completely slaughtered, leaving only deathly howls behind.
Finally, only the Wolf King remained standing alone on the bloodstained snowfield, its thick fur soaked with blood.
Its ghostly green eyes fixed fiercely on Lambert, showing a final ferocity.
The Wolf King roared angrily, its massive body lunged at Lambert, its claws slicing through the air with a chilling force, enough to tear through steel!
But Lambert merely sidestepped, the light blade condensed from fighting energy instantly covered his longsword, red light surging!
With a low growl, the sword light fell like thunder.
Directly separating the Wolf King’s head from its body, hot blood sprayed as the wolf’s corpse collapsed heavily to the ground!
The battle ended even faster than expected, with the Knight Order virtually unscathed.
The ground was littered with the corpses of Ice Wolves, the bloodied snow a testament to the battle’s brutality.
Lambert didn’t even catch his breath, turning to look at Louis approaching on horseback from afar.
"My lord, the wolf pack is annihilated."
The knights soon tallied the results—a complete annihilation of seventy Ice Wolves!
The spoils were also quite substantial.
Seventy thick wolf pelts, sharp wolf teeth, and most importantly, mounds of wolf meat!
Louis looked at the spoils and nodded in satisfaction: "Well done, skin the wolves and distribute the meat among the brothers as an extra meal."
The soldiers burst into cheers; in the cold Northern Territory, a hot meal of meat was a dream come true!
Moreover, wolf meat was not inedible; when properly prepared, it could taste no worse than ordinary game!
"The lord is truly generous..."
At that moment, the new recruits looked at Louis with eyes that shifted from mere obedience to genuine admiration. This text is hosted at novel✶fire.net