Lord of the Frozen Winter: Starting with Daily Intelligence Reports

Teams of slaves, bound by chains and ropes, stepped onto the land of the Red Tide Territory under the guidance of slave traders.
Their eyes were filled with unease, speculating about the fate that awaited them.
However, as they entered the territory, they froze.
Clean houses, neat roads, and the smell of cooking smoke wafting through the air…
This was completely different from the slave camps they had imagined.
There were no filthy, muddy tents, nor any foul-smelling rotten food.
Even the soldiers guarding them did not show the usual contempt and disdain, only calmly maintaining order.
They couldn't help but feel even more apprehensive, because the more different it was, the more unsettling it became.
But this was only a preliminary impression; what truly shocked them were the words of the Lord in the square the next day…
In the early morning, the Red Tide Territory's square was bustling with people.
Fifteen hundred newly arrived slaves were neatly gathered there.
Louis's voice echoed across the square: “Welcome to the Red Tide Territory.”
These words startled many. They had been sold here, yet they were being “welcomed”?
Louis continued, “You can treat this place as it was before, but I hope this place can become a new beginning for you.”
The slaves exchanged glances, their eyes still wary.
“I will not make you work for nothing. The Red Tide Territory will provide stable food, housing, and work. Your labor will not be wasted, and everyone’s sweat will be meaningful.”
“More importantly,” he paused for a moment, then slowly uttered a sentence:
“Here, as long as you work hard enough, you can break free from slavery.”
Boom—!
The slaves’ hearts jolted, and the square erupted in an uproar!
“…What?!”
“What did he just say?”
“How is that possible…!?”
Freedom?

They still had a chance to gain freedom?
Would there truly be a master in this world willing to give up slaves?
They had been bought, sold, and driven, long accustomed to the shackles of chains, and no longer dared to hope for a change in their fate.
This was a promise too beautiful, even absurd.
The whispers in the square grew louder and louder; some were excited, some were at a loss…
But most sneered, their eyes filled with suspicion, having heard too many lies.
Louis saw all of this, but he believed that time would prove everything.
…………
A few days passed, and the slaves gradually adapted to their new environment.
The morning sun shone on the streets of the Red Tide Territory, bringing a rare warmth to the Northern Realm.
A young slave, holding a bowl of steaming wheat porridge, stood outside a wooden house, slightly dazed.
This was his breakfast, a generous portion, more than his entire day's rations in the past.
Not far away, other slaves also emerged from their houses one after another, gathering in twos and threes, huddling around fire pits for warmth.
“The beds here are even more comfortable than the straw mats I used to sleep on,” an old slave whispered.
“Indeed,” another echoed, his expression complex.
Here, there was no endless whipping and insults, ample food was provided every day, and the living quarters were like heaven compared to their previous slave camps.
What shocked them the most was that they personally saw free citizens.
“Hey, are you a slave?” a young slave timidly asked a craftsman who was repairing the road.
The man stopped his stone hammer, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and smiled: “I used to be.”
The young slave’s eyes widened: “But… but you are now…”
The craftsman grinned: “Because I worked diligently, the Lord granted me the status of a free citizen.”
“Really?” His voice trembled.
“Of course.” The craftsman patted his shoulder, “As long as you do well, the Lord will not treat anyone unfairly.”
Such examples became more and more common.
They saw free citizens in the fields, in the blacksmith shop…
Those who were once slaves now lived with dignity, wearing decent clothes and holding their heads high.
The slaves’ doubts were shaken at this moment.
They began to believe that perhaps… freedom was not an empty promise.
As time passed, the slaves’ fear gradually faded, replaced by adaptation to the Red Tide Territory and a longing for the future.
“As long as we work hard, we can do it too!”
This idea quietly spread among the slave community, igniting a spark of hope little by little.
They no longer merely passively obeyed but began to truly invest themselves in their work.
They began to genuinely appreciate the person who gave them this opportunity, the young Lord.
Whenever he inspected the mining areas or workshops, the slaves would unconsciously stop their work.
They watched him leave, their eyes no longer filled only with awe, but with a certain indescribable trust and respect.
Of course, the influx of a large population brought not only labor but also unavoidable challenges.
The food issue was not a major concern; previous reserves and family support ensured ample grain supply, but housing became a thorny problem.
The Red Tide Territory originally had a small population, and housing construction was based on demand.
Now, with the sudden addition of fifteen hundred slaves, the previously somewhat spacious living quarters instantly became tight.
But by squeezing in a bit, they could still manage to live there.
The slaves were arranged into the existing semi-subterranean longhouses, temporarily sharing living spaces with the original residents.
In other places, this situation would likely cause dissatisfaction or even conflict, but the situation in the Red Tide Territory was surprisingly stable.
Because everyone believed that the Lord had promised to accelerate the construction of new houses.
Not only that, but the craftsmen had already begun laying foundations in the outer areas, and new housing was being built, progressing faster than anyone expected.
But Louis said, “Bear with it a little longer; the houses will be plentiful soon.”
So, even though the living conditions were a bit crowded, there was very little grumbling among the slaves in private.
Housing shortage was only an immediate problem; what truly worried Louis was the issue of sanitation.
One afternoon, Louis took time to inspect the newly built residential area.
The houses here had only recently been built; the wooden beams still carried the fresh scent of sawdust, and the ground was a newly laid dirt road.
From a distance, rows of houses were orderly, one of the Red Tide Territory's greatest achievements recently.
But as Louis walked deeper along the path, he noticed something was off.
On both sides of the path, various piles of garbage could occasionally be seen, and the air was filled with a musty smell.
Especially that yellowish-brown puddle at the street corner, glistening under the sun, made Louis’s Adam’s apple involuntarily bob.
Such an environment might not cause trouble in the short term.
But as the population grows, issues of drinking water, sewage, and environmental hygiene will sooner or later become hidden dangers.
If left unchecked, once diseases spread, the Red Tide Territory would not have enough doctors to cope.