Louis' heart stirred.

He had been thinking about how to guide the conversation to "territory rewards," but was relieved when Duke Edmund brought it up himself, saving him the trouble.

He said no more, simply took out a rolled-up map from his bag, and spread it out before Edmund: "Actually, I've already prepared some drafts."

The old Duke raised an eyebrow, then burst into laughter at the sight of the map: "So you had plans all along, young man."

He picked up a pen and marked a few spots on the map: "These places are well-chosen... especially this southeastern valley, the soil is good, suitable for grain farming."

"But this area..." he pointed at the circled mining belt on the map and frowned, "the mining difficulty is too high, and there aren't many minerals. In recent years, even a few families of the nobility have thrown people in there but didn't even retrieve their bones."

Louis silently retorted in his heart: You don't have the Daily Intelligence System, how would you know what treasures lie beneath?

Yet he maintained a faint smile on his face: "I have some of my own ideas, I'll take it slowly."

"I trust your abilities." Edmund nodded, then suddenly smiled, "Consider these pieces of land yours, and in addition... on top of this, I'll grant you three times more."

Louis was taken aback: "Three times?"

Edmund found his reaction amusing: "Do you think the Northern Territory is what it used to be? Those little brats from the South can't accomplish anything. I'd rather give the land to you than to them.

These places are neglected, with too many dead nobles leaving no heirs. Now, what the Northern Territory lacks the least is unclaimed land, just take it."

He paused, his tone becoming solemn as he looked at Louis seriously: "But remember, don't let me down.

I am willing to give you these things not just because you are my son-in-law, but also because I believe you can support the future of this wasteland and find a path for the Northern Territory.

For now, be as low-key as you can. The Emperor is treating the whole Northern Territory as a chessboard, dividing it. For us to survive, it's not about stubborn resistance, but rather securing our position first."

Louis nodded, putting away the map, his eyes calm.

......

The early spring snow was still astonishingly thick, as if winter were reluctant to depart.

Heavy gray clouds pressed against the sky, blocking the sunlight, and large expanses of ice and snow covered the roadsides, piling into dirty white snow walls.

The hooves clattered dully on the permafrost, as several heavy supply carts got stuck in the snow, only to be pushed out, inch by inch, by the soldiers' shoulders.

In the distance, the royal procession advanced slowly, the banners flapping in the cold wind, the golden royal emblem particularly striking.

Astha August sat in the main carriage, gently lifting the curtain to look at the slowly advancing procession outside.

Even if he was the most overlooked prince, at this moment, he was the face of the Empire.

Six thousand knights marched in unison like an iron stream;

The entourage comprised over twenty thousand people, including engineers, physicians, alchemists, craftsmen, civil servants...

And then there were the supply carts piled so high they almost crushed the carriages, loaded with food, building materials, spare alchemy furnaces, and cold-resistant equipment...

He even saw the Silver Dragon Knight Order, imperial elite troops, and a symbol of the Royal Family, alongside the Dragon Blood Legion.

As well as his personally nurtured Imperial Guard; they were not yet seasoned, but their loyalty made up for it.

He leaned back into the seat, exhaling a long white breath.

"Looks like... Father isn't simply sending me to my death," Astha murmured softly, a hint of relief in his tone.

He had thought this journey to the Northern Territory was a convenient exile.

After all, after decades in the court, he was used to being treated like an invisible person.

He never flaunted, competed for favor, or took sides, nor did he have the capability; he was the type of prince whose full name the Imperial Nobility didn't bother to learn.

But the current grandeur was too solemn.

He knew this wasn't about valuing him, Astha, but rather about valuing the royal face.

Even the most inconspicuous prince was not allowed by His Majesty to set foot in the Northern Territory with an undignified demeanor.

Nonetheless—even if it was just for face, he could accomplish something.

Astha gently pressed his hand on the already unfolded map of the Northern Territory inside the carriage.

"If this is a hopeless game... let's see if I can find a way out with these broken pieces."

A barely perceptible curve lifted the corner of his mouth, his gaze sharp as a fresh blossom in the snow, full of youthful vigor.

However, as the carriage rumbled forward, the sound of iron hooves on snow became heavy and slow.

The snow was no longer pristine white, stained with large patches of desiccated black-brown and decayed gray-purple.

Astha lifted a corner of the curtain, and the cold wind immediately rushed into the carriage, making his eyelashes tremble.

He looked down at the road in the distance... no, it wasn't a "road" at all but a path paved with blood and corpses.

Among the broken ruins, some villages still retained the breath of life.

The elderly curled up inside houses, gazing blankly; children clutched food wrapped in coarse cloth with fingers red from the cold.

Their eyes as they looked at the convoy were neither excited nor joyful, but a blend of instinctive awe and deep-seated numbness.

Further north, the bodies began to appear.

Piles of corpses lay buried under the snow, with limbs or frozen shoes exposed by the winds.

Some had been gnawed by beasts, incomplete, while others maintained combat postures, long frozen into sculptures.

One could even see some strange gray-white spores, growing wildly along the broken battle armor, evidently remnants of Nest contamination.

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