Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence Chapter 663 - 384: Results of the Red Tide System

Red Tide City, Grand Council Hall.

Morning sunlight pours through the gap in the dome, bathing the vast hall upheld by Cold Iron pillars in a brilliant glow.

Red Tide banners drape along the walls one by one, their edges softly fluttering, rising and falling like breaths in rhythm.

Never like before, this hall now pulses as the core of the whole Northern Territory.

Louis occupies the main seat in silence; though his daughter arrived just days prior, by the third dawn he positions himself resolutely before the long table.

His eyes rest upon the enormous Northern Territory map mounted behind, the most recent survey edition.

Across the map, Red Tide's crimson expands from the Southeast akin to spreading ink, almost dyeing the full Northern Territory in its hue.

Previously fragmented lands now find themselves firmly gripped within this expansive red domain.

Tiered seating throughout the hall stands packed to capacity.

These figures transcend simple Red Tide bureaucrats—they form the true foundation sustaining the Northern Territory today.

Department leaders, assistants, overseers: each possesses the strength to govern regions autonomously.

Merely years back, many served as serfs, workshop novices, or slaves trafficked to the Northern Territory.

Today, they don the profound scarlet robes of Red Tide, shoulder pins etched with emblems from Red Tide's diverse divisions.

Louis personally selected every one, crafting the fresh hierarchy of authority across the Northern Territory.

They gather not for trivial debates, but to verify fulfillment of the Red Tide system's inaugural annual targets.

Aiming to forge the Northern Territory into Red Tide's solid rear base, not a patchwork of loosely bound legacy domains.

Silence grips the hall so deeply that a secretary's page-turn echoes sharply, and with all assembled, the session commences formally.

Bradley rises initially, his movements firm as he announces: "Red Tide system, first-year integration report, submitted to the Lord this day."

He parts the hefty tome and announces gently: "First matter: centralized authority operations."

"The Red Tide system runs at full capacity, with all seven departments finishing the initial joint operations phase. Local areas hold no law-making rights; orders flow solely from the central hub. Resident local officers submit quarterly updates, completing three cycles this year, none missed.

The Red Tide central issued three hundred twenty-seven decrees altogether, each carried out promptly without delay or unsanctioned changes."

As his words conclude, attendees across the hall adjust their seats in unison.

Officials from former noble realms stay especially hushed, having seen the swift purge of entrenched local customs and traditions over the year.

Bradley shuts the volume: "Administratively, Red Tide now reigns as the sole central power throughout the Northern Territory."

Though his voice lacks stress, all present grasp it as irrefutable reality, no mere aspiration.

"Roughly one hundred sixty territories of varying sizes dot the Northern Territory," Bradley raps the tome's edge, as a secretary jots the figure instantly.

"This year, fifty-four have seamlessly joined the Red Tide framework—about a third."

Hearing 'fifty-four' draws quiet gasps from officials of recent incorporations.

Merely sitting here marks their domains' total absorption into Red Tide; confronting the vast scope still stirs their cores.

Bradley lifts his gaze to the head seat: "New integrations fall into three types."

He lists them sequentially: "Eighteen territories volunteered for entry, chiefly post-disaster woodlands; stripped bare by winter calamities, they lack food and workforce. Survival this winter demands Red Tide's aid.

Plus, twenty-one territories shifted to supervised merger via last year's relief campaigns."

Relief coordinators among the officials keep straight faces, knowing 'supervision' equates to Red Tide seizing those lands' vital lifelines.

"Fifteen territories merged organically over the year through trade route ties."

Desland breathes out softly nearby; his half-year labors bore this fruit.

Bradley turns the page, appending: "Moreover, most territories declaring Red Tide Collaboration Circle involvement at last year’s Northern Territory reconstruction summit have evolved from alliance to full immersion this past year."

Several secretaries hastily note 'reconstruction summit.'

That gathering forged the premier accord post-Northern Territory turmoil, heralding Red Tide's ascent.

Bradley seals the tome, tone firm but weightier: "Evaluation shows the Northern Territory's framework remains rigid, yet solely two dozen legacy noble clans can still spurn the Red Tide system."

The remark sparks faint chuckles around; as policy architects, those gathered know the fate awaiting non-compliant nobles.

Bradley wraps up: "For most territories... Lord, their dependence on Red Tide this year eclipses reliance on the Imperial Capital by far."

Louis responds, voice deep and dominating the space: "Well done, everyone."

His neutral tone nonetheless affirms the weighty report with final authority.

Tension lingers as Bradley reveals the subsequent ledger by the map, eyes on the Lord's reaction.

Louis nods faintly—not acclaim, but approval.

This motion straightens the postures of the seven department chiefs.

He gestures onward: "Proceed."

Bradley shifts to the map near Louis, indicating a spot beyond the crimson expanse, voice unwavering: "Next, directives for planning fully integrated Red Tide territories."