Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence - Chapter 633 - 370: Polar Bear Knight (Part 2)

Chapter 633: Chapter 370: Polar Bear Knight (Part 2)

The melody from the cabaret was light and melodious, but it abruptly stopped when the patrol trumpet sounded, replaced by the soft sound of a street artist’s instrument.

This is the night of Red Tide City. Its prosperity differs from the decadence of the Imperial Capital; it is a kind of ordered freedom.

Whether worker or noble, all can enjoy the night under the same lamp.

Even the poorest vagrant can drink a cup of inexpensive yet warming wine under the light.

A carriage slowly passed through the square. Merian leaned against the cushion, watching the lights flicker above the crowd.

Eventually, the carriage stopped in front of the theater. An attendant lifted the door, and the cold wind, along with snow, rushed in, causing Merian to shrink back instinctively.

Then he straightened his posture and gave a slight smile, like a gentleman who had learned to handle scrutiny.

Merian was guided to the top-floor banquet hall, a place reserved for the most honorable people of Red Tide City.

Music, the aroma of wine, conversation, and gentle laughter interwove into a soft background.

Several Red Tide nobles, research officials, and Knight Order leaders sat around a long table, with their glasses reflecting the light and snow shadows.

A young female singer lightly sang “Northern Territory Dawn” on stage; her voice was as clear as water flowing down a glacier.

At this moment, Merian was the focal point, and he was gradually getting accustomed to such occasions.

Though occasionally still reserved, he was beginning to understand how to respond to jokes, when to raise a glass, and even initiate small talk.

Some jested about the new upheavals in the Northern Territory Council, while others praised how the Red Tide workshops could operate during the snow season.

Merian merely smiled, occasionally chiming in, recounting interesting stories he had heard in the laboratory a few days ago.

For example, Hillco’s apprentice accidentally blew a metal pot into the ceiling during an experiment.

“That child is now reassigned to chimney repairs,” he said casually, eliciting laughter.

During the feast, a noble raised their glass in flattery: “If it weren’t for Lord Louis’s perceptive talent in recruiting Lord Merian, the Northern Territory might be missing half a miracle.”

Merian returned the toast with a smile, his tone calm yet sincere: “Red Tide has given me everything: space for research, freedom, and a warm room. Thanks to Lord Louis.”

The others nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

Then the topic shifted; some spoke of the opulence of the Imperial Capital, while others marveled at how the Northern Territory could now have such a city, as if in a dream.

Merian looked at the light reflected in the wine, a soft warmth rising in his heart.

Yes, he was no longer the prisoner curled up in the shadows.

Though not yet completely at ease, he had learned to enjoy, enjoy the respect, enjoy his place in Red Tide City.

The banquet lasted until late into the night.

Merian did not drink much, politely exchanging words with a few officials before departing early.

When he stood at the theater entrance, the snow had intensified, and the lights pierced through the curtain of snow, illuminating the clock tower at the street’s end.

Returning to the alchemy building, the fireplace was still burning.

Merian looked at the desk piled with notes and sample bottles; the recent experiments were difficult.

The Frost Giant project that Louis assigned him was too complex, mainly because the giants’ sanity was highly unstable, and every adjustment of the potion ended in failure, nearly causing disasters during several outbreaks.

But Louis did not blame him; he merely said, “Research other directions first.”

At that moment, Merian felt a complex gratitude.

In the Jade Federation, failure to complete a task would have likely resulted in punishment.

Grateful, he decided to proactively shift his research focus: from the high-risk giant control to more controllable large magical creature domestication techniques, planning to use the developed technology to further the giant experiments.

Thus, Merian began new experiments in the magical beast enclosure outside the city.

The experimental site was near the North Shore Frozen Tundra, surrounded by iron cages and thick wooden walls.

Merian’s chosen target was a ferocious snowfield white bear, a top predator in the Northern Territory.

With fur that resists cold, highly dense bones, and capable of tearing metal doors barehanded, no one had ever successfully domesticated it before.

The first few days of the experiments ended in failure almost daily.

The bears frenzied, destroyed cages, and injured apprentices.

An overdose of potion only exacerbated its aggression; the sonic induction device shattered glass but didn’t calm it.

During those days, the entire experimental area was permeated with the smell of blood.

But Merian did not stop; he repeatedly adjusted formulas, reduced induction frequencies, and filled the experiment notes with dense annotations.

In the cold wind, his hands were reddened by the cold, yet his gaze remained focused.

At night, he often sat by the furnace, contemplating the boundary between control and instinct.

Until one accidental moment… that day, while formulating a new potion, Merian mistakenly poured the remnants of a small bottle of “Frost Heart Solution” into the catalyst.

It was a potion previously used in the giant experiments, typically highly dangerous in dosage.

But that time, after the potion was injected into the white bear, its roar didn’t last long.

It first panted softly, then quietly lay down, emitting low whimpers.

The scene fell into a dead silence.

Merian held his breath, watching those violent eyes gradually dim. It wasn’t death, but a form of submission.

“Record the reaction time… thirty-seven seconds,” he noted quietly.

That night, Merian did not return to the city. The snow fell all night, and the lights in the experimental zone shone on the calm body of the white bear.

Weeks later, the experiment finally succeeded.

The white bear, under domestication instructions, could execute simple battle commands—charge, halt, and guard.

Learning the news, Louis decided to watch personally.

In the morning, the snow mist rolled over the military testing ground.

Nearly a hundred knights gathered outside the demonstration field, their breath turning into white vapor in the air.

In the center stood the massive silhouette of the white bear, its thick silver-hued fur and shoulder height imposing over the crowd, draped in Red Tide Standard light armor, the Red Tide Emblem engraved on its chest, merging metal and fur to make it even more knightly.

Its exhale swirled into white smoke, its eyes gleaming with a pale blue light.

Merian stood by, slightly nervous, while Weir couldn’t contain his excitement.

Louis noticed Weir’s eager expression, chuckling lightly: “Wanna give it a try? Then go ahead and see if it listens.”

“Yes, my lord!” Weir laughed, jumping directly onto its back.

The beast growled lowly but did not resist, its limbs steady on the ground.

“Charge!” Weir commanded.

The white bear leapt forward, its chain-like muscles rippling under its fur, shattering the snowfield and kicking up a wave of white.

It crashed instantly into a three-layer thick iron shield ahead, splintering the shield wall, scattering wood and metal fragments.

In the snowy mist, the beast roared, and Weir raised the Red Tide flag high, its fabric flapping loudly in the wind and snow.

After circling, Weir ordered, “Stop!”

The white bear’s stride gradually slowed, coming to rest steadily before the shattered shield wall, steam rising from the armor plates on its chest.

A wave of astonishment burst from the audience.

Louis smiled, his two young guards, Cody and Gray, beside him, watching wide-eyed.

“Want to give it a shot too?” Louis asked lightly.

The two exchanged glances, immediately responding, “At your command!”

They clumsily climbed onto the beast’s back, which merely shook its fur, as if tolerating a child’s play.

During the following trial rides, it remained steady throughout.

In the wind and snow, laughter and horn sounds intertwined, creating a lively scene.

Even after dismounting, Weir was still unsatisfied, saluting with a smile: “Sitting on its back is like sitting on a moving fortress.”

Merian looked up at Louis, his voice tinged with undeniable excitement: “With continued training, it could perform more complex action commands, turning, evading, coordinating attacks, even switching rhythms between orders. But it requires time and repeated guidance.”

Louis nodded, his gaze fixed on the massive white bear, clearly contemplating further possibilities.

A new type of troop had been added to the Northern Territory’s military formation.

The white bear, cold-resistant, incredibly powerful, and suited for snowfield charges, could serve as both assault vanguard and heavy haulers…

“Approve the expansion of the research, establish the Red Tide Beast Corps, and form the first White Bear Knight Order,” Louis ordered, his tone calm but unable to hide his excitement.

He then instructed Bradley to allocate funds and rewarded Merian with a box of gold coins and rare materials.

When Merian accepted the reward, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. A year ago, he didn’t understand the use of gold coins, but now he knew how to make them bring joy.