On the snow-covered land, a team of more than forty knights slowly approached Frost Halberd City.
In the center of the team, a black carriage moved steadily forward, with a crimson moon-patterned flag hanging from its roof.
Such a large procession naturally attracted the attention of the soldiers at the city gate, who stared vigilantly at the newcomers.
As they approached the gate, a tall young man slowly stepped down from the carriage.
He raised his hand to remove his hood, revealing a handsome face: "I am Vaerik Tudor, the pioneering baron appointed by the empire, here to meet Duke Edmund."
Several soldiers exchanged glances, surprise appearing in their eyes.
The Tudor family was one of the eight great families of the Iron Blood Empire, and had some reputation even in the North.
Although they didn't know what position this young man held in the Tudor family, he was not someone ordinary soldiers could treat disrespectfully.
A soldier turned and entered the city to report.
Shortly after, a middle-aged official hurried out to greet them: "Lord Vaerik, Duke Edmund has been informed of your arrival, please follow me into the city."
So, led by the official, Vaerik and his group passed through the heavy city gates and entered Frost Halberd City.
Though the streets within the city were wide, they were full of potholes, with snow and muddy water mixed together, leaving a trail of muddy footprints when walked upon.
Most buildings were constructed of stone and wood, rough and broken, and collapsed ruins could even be seen in the wind and snow.
There were few pedestrians on the streets, roughly divided into two categories.
One category was Northern soldiers wearing fur coats, their faces filled with fatigue, their eyes carrying the indifference that comes from years of battlefield experience.
The other category was civilians wrapped in coarse cloth clothing, their expressions numb, only concerned with hurrying on their way.
Vaerik's gaze swept over these scenes, but his heart remained undisturbed.
Given the North's poor resources and frequent warfare, maintaining the current order was already quite remarkable.
"Duke Edmund is inside." The official led Vaerik and his group to the governor's office.
The interior did not have many luxurious decorations, only a heavy desk, several old bookshelves, and a deep blue military flag hanging on the wall.
Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man with a hideous scar on his face, extending from the corner of his left eye all the way to his jaw, making his already stern face appear even more fierce.
His presence was like an immovable fortress, exuding a suffocating pressure.
This man was the ruler of Frost Halberd City, the actual controller of the Northern Province—Duke Edmund.
"Mid-rank formal knight..." he scrutinized Vaerik, his gaze carrying disdain, "The Tudor family's boy?"
Vaerik's expression remained unchanged as he nodded slightly: "Yes."
"At least you look good." Edmund's lips curled up slightly, his tone carrying contempt and mockery, "Compared to your illustrious elder brother, you indeed look more like a noble."
Vaerik wasn't surprised by this disdainful attitude.
After all, this was a world where the strong preyed on the weak, and strength was the most powerful credential.
Being looked down upon by a famous peak knight with his weak strength was normal.
So he didn't bother wasting time on small talk and took out the pioneering certificate bearing the royal seal, saying, "I'm here to register my pioneering territory."
Edmund took the certificate, casually flipped through it to confirm Vaerik's identity as a pioneering lord, then pulled out a map from a stack of documents on the desk and spread it out.
"Except for the areas marked with red circles, you can choose any other place."
Vaerik looked down—it was a detailed map of the Northern Province.
The Northern Province was vast and boundless, about half the size of Russia in his previous life.
However, there were only about a dozen red circles on the map, designated as areas that could not be chosen.
There were still many places to choose from, which excited Vaerik.
For this pioneering plan, the empire had issued a complete set of "Northern Pioneering Decrees."
One of the explicitly stated regulations was: All newly appointed pioneering lords must go to the governor's office to register and choose their initial pioneering land, with those arriving first having priority in selection.
It seemed he was one of the first pioneering lords to arrive.
And the other noble sons sent by their families were probably delaying, not wanting to come to the North, putting it off as long as possible, not taking this matter seriously at all.
For him, this was incredibly good news.
Vaerik stared at this complex map, lost in thought.
For the past few days, he had been organizing various intelligence provided by the system, all for this moment.
The various information brought by the Daily Intelligence System quickly intertwined in his mind, as he continuously filtered and compared, looking for the most suitable territory for development.
In fact, he already had several ideal targets in mind.
So this selection did not take much time.
He extended his hand, circled a location on the map, and looked up at Edmund: "This one."
Edmund looked down at the location Vaerik had pointed to, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Located in the southeastern part of the North, at the junction of the Green Rock Gorge and the Gray Moss Frozen Plain, seventy-five kilometers from Frost Howl Bay.
This kid actually picked a good spot at a glance?
This area had one of the rare slightly higher temperatures in the North, allowing the cultivation of some cold-resistant crops in seasons other than the harsh winter.
This alone made it much better than most places in the North.
There was also a small stream nearby, ensuring adequate water supply and the ability to fish for survival.
More importantly, there were some cold iron ore veins which, although extremely difficult to mine, still had great development potential if suitable methods could be found.
In the North, a land of perpetual ice and scarce resources, this undoubtedly counted as one of the few "rich" lands.
The Duke raised his head and re-examined the young man before him.
He had thought he was just an ordinary prodigal noble, but he didn't expect him to know how to select a territory location. It seemed he wasn't as simple as he appeared.
Duke Edmund stared at Vaerik with interest and offered a rare compliment: "A good choice."
When Vaerik heard Edmund's praise, he did not show any pride: "Thank you for your praise, Duke, but I'm just trying to make the most appropriate judgment."
Edmund appreciated Vaerik even more and patted his shoulder: "If every pioneering lord had your discernment, the North would have hope."
He casually picked up a steel seal and heavily stamped Vaerik's pioneering lord registration document, officially confirming Vaerik's baronial sovereignty over this territory.
Vaerik took the document, his fingertips brushing over the steel seal embedded with the Frost Halberd emblem.
His surface was calm, but inside he was setting off fireworks.
This piece of land chosen according to the Daily Intelligence System couldn't be ordinary territory.
If Edmund knew its true value, he would never let it fall into someone else's hands so easily, but would firmly grasp it himself.