Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence Chapter 665 - 384: Achievements of the Red Tide System (Part 3)

Though her voice remained soft as always, it held an icy bite that sharpened every listener's focus without mercy.

"First item, case filing status." She flipped open the ledger, prompting the clerks to seize their pens instantly. "A total of seventy-one cases were filed by the Inspection Department this year."

A soft gasp rippled through the tiered seats; that figure signaled a case exposed nearly every four days.

Erin pressed on: "The cases verified and executed for punishment are as follows..."

She listed them one after another: "Embezzlement of disaster relief grain, thirty-one cases; withholding of spring planting seeds, twenty-two cases; unauthorized tax setups, covertly collecting reconstruction fees, twelve cases; harboring Evil God worship, six cases, including five altars."

The words "Evil God worship" hung in the air, plunging the entire hall into a deeper chill that pierced straight to the bone.

Most attendees had survived the insect disaster—a nightmare too raw to mention casually.

Erin snapped shut the ledger's front section and continued: "Second item, punishment methods. Immediate dismissal of sixty-three people; public shackling for nineteen individuals; legal execution of nineteen people."

She paused briefly, then unveiled the final page: "Among them, the most egregious case involves a Red Tide official responsible for aid supplies.

Having accepted a bribe from the local Lord, he embezzled grain distribution for two whole months, forcing disaster victims to sell their children for food, and was promptly executed by the Inspection Department."

"Third item, ledger implementation status. This year marks the first time in the Northern Territory that ledger formatting has been unified, open, and transparent."

Erin leafed through the pages and forged ahead with her report: "Fifty-four territories fully integrated into the Red Tide system, execution in place. Thirty semi-cooperative territories executed only half, with massive data inconsistencies.

Territories refusing to cooperate have decreased from sixteen to eight, but all eight have no ledgers or have directly falsified them."

A subtle unrest stirred in the tiered seats. Obviously, these eight territories loomed as the toughest barbs embedded in the Red Tide system.

Erin raised her eyes toward Louis: "The Inspection Department suggests that starting from spring, we implement comprehensive ledger control over the eight non-cooperating territories and replace their leaders and town officials.

As for the eight non-cooperating Lords, freeze their personal lord dividends, revoke Red Tide-granted warehouse rights and mining rights, and prohibit them from leaving the country until ledger integration is complete.

Additionally, we suggest halting all disaster relief and spring planting aid, listing them on the Red Tide blacklist, and no longer allowing them to enjoy priority rights for grain, trade routes, and mining within the Red Tide system.

For the thirty semi-cooperative territories, the Inspection Department suggests halving their dividends and suspending their priority trade routes and priority warehouse rights until ledger execution meets standards."

She halted once more, then added: "All these punishments are within the scope permitted by the contract."

As those words landed, the hall's atmosphere plunged yet another notch colder.

The gathered officials all grasped the harsh impact this would deliver straight to the Lords' cores.

Louis absorbed it all without a moment's delay: "Granted."

All those present knew this command sealed the eight territories' fate with no escape, while the thirty semi-cooperative ones lost any wiggle room.

As the heavy air from the punishment verdict still simmered, Education Director Lanna rose from the tiered seats.

Gripping the education booklet etched with quill pen designs, she strode to the long table, saluted crisply, and lifted her chin.

"Lord, the Education Department’s cultural integration and infrastructure achievements for this year are presented as follows."

Her tone lacked Erin’s frost or Bradley’s rock-steady poise, yet it rang with the crisp gentleness hallmarks of true educators.

But in this instant, no one viewed her as a mere warm-hearted tutor.

After all, Louis had decreed that Red Tide’s deepest roots must embed in the children, rendering this department’s burden as heavy as any granary or mine.

"First item, establishment of town schools." She parted the first page, and quills clattered down in near unison beside the clerks.

"This year, a total of seventeen town schools were established. Distributed across the Desolate Mist Plain, new mining zones, Snowfield Northern line, and Harbor Southern line."

She paused: "School curricula are unified into four categories, literacy lessons using Red Tide simplified characters, arithmetic lessons, tailored vocational training, and the early simplified edition of ’Red Tide Story.’"

Hearing "Red Tide Story," a subtle eyebrow lift flickered across the crowd.

Lanna clarified: "Also, a formal edition of ’The Great Lord Louis,’ currently narrated as a fable to illustrate the early deeds of Red Tide, helping children understand order and mutual assistance."

She added: "Feedback from multiple local schools shows that children are accepting far faster than expected.

Most Northern Territory children in the past were not even fluent in speaking, but now the first batch of students can use Red Tide simplified characters to write the village’s grain ledger."

A faint murmur swept the tiered seats, laced with uncontainable shock and solace.

Lanna flipped to the next page: "Second item, standardization of relief ceremonies.

The porridge-serving days have all adopted Red Tide Sun patterns. Each porridge-serving site must recite one sentence, ’Red Tide and you all endure the cold winter together.’"

She lifted her gaze to the assembly: "The people have already started to associate the Red Tide flag with survival. This is the most crucial first step in cultural integration."

Lanna turned the page once more: "Third item, planning for the coming year. The Education Department plans to, in the next year, increase territory under Red Tide system control and establish a touring teacher system, teaching literacy and basic arithmetic to territories not yet integrated.

If the outcome is ideal, within two years, the literacy rate of children over nine years old in Northern Territory can be raised to thirty percent, and over sixty percent in areas within the Red Tide system."

She closed the booklet at last, offering a slight bow: "Above is the completion of the Education Department’s report."

Craftsmen Director Mike stood from his position, his voice rough-hewn like a master artisan’s: "Lord, the Craftsmen Department’s major achievements for this year, have exceeded the original plan.

First, forty-two bridges were newly built in the Northern Territory; old roads were repaired, totaling two hundred and thirty miles.