- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 107
Chapter 107: Rising Fame and the Breakthrough to Great Knight
Four months had passed, and the chaos in the Northern Province had led to the downfall of more than a hundred lords. Many of these nobles had fled, gathering in Loren City, either homeless or waiting for a new opportunity. As a result, the city had grown increasingly lively, but the influx of people also caused a sharp rise in the price of goods.
Basic necessities, especially food, saw a steep increase in price, reaching almost absurd levels. Housing prices also skyrocketed. For instance, the property Thor had purchased earlier had now tripled in value. But Thor wasn’t interested in selling—he had no need for a few extra gold coins.
As Thor and his group made their way through the streets of Loren City, they attracted considerable attention.
First, their numbers were impressive—over a hundred people, including more than 50 wagons. Even in a bustling city like Loren, few pioneering lords could boast such a large entourage. But more than that, Thor’s group included a great knight, over 20 full knights, and more than 50 squires.
“Who’s that lord?” someone in the crowd asked.
“Mark, that symbol looks like the Dresserosa family’s!” another answered.
“Yeah, definitely the Dresserosa family crest.”
“My goodness, this group looks almost as strong as a baronial family.”
“Well, you might not know this, but a few months ago, this lord was officially granted the title of baron,” a passerby explained.
“A baron? Wait, could this be the Lord of Eagle’s Ridge?”
“Exactly,” the passerby confirmed.
“Have you heard? This Lord of Eagle’s Ridge has been quite the rising star lately!”
“Rising star?”
“Yes, don’t you know about the cleansing missions? This lord teamed up with five other barons to form something called the **Maine Alliance**. Together, they accepted the kingdom’s mission to clear out the goblins, and over the last four months, they’ve wiped out countless goblin tribes. See all those wagons? They’re likely filled with spoils from their efforts.”
“An alliance of barons? That’s unheard of!” someone exclaimed.
“I know, right? It’s almost unbelievable, but it’s true. I’ve seen their alliance with my own eyes.”
“Wow, just look at all those wagons. That must be a fortune!”
“I’ve heard the orc tribes are incredibly wealthy, and on top of that, you get merit points for clearing them out. I wonder how many merit points the Lord of Eagle’s Ridge has earned.”
Voices murmured in awe as Thor’s procession moved through the city, some filled with jealousy, others with admiration. For many in the crowd, seeing Thor’s success was a stark contrast to their own losses. While their lands had fallen and they had been forced to flee, Thor had only gained.
Thor, however, paid little attention to the envious stares. These defeated lords had already been weeded out by the harsh reality of the Northern Province’s chaos. As a strong leader, he didn’t need to concern himself with the opinions of the weak.
As for his reputation, Thor’s name—along with the Maine Alliance—had spread far and wide over the past four months. Not just in the Northern Province, but also in the Eastern Province, Thor Dresserosa and his alliance had earned considerable renown.
The idea of a landholder’s alliance was rare, if not unheard of, and Thor’s role in saving several noble lords from destruction during the cleansing missions had only added to his growing fame. Whether out of gratitude or amazement, many of those he had helped were actively spreading the word about the Maine Alliance and Eagle’s Ridge.
If before, when Thor entered Loren City, people recognized him because of his family name, now they knew him as the Lord of Eagle’s Ridge and the founder of the Maine Alliance.
As Thor’s thoughts wandered, a hesitant voice called out, “Lord Thor! Lord Thor!”
He instinctively stopped and turned his gaze toward the source of the voice.
It was a small group of around 20 or 30 knights. When Thor saw a familiar face among them, he paused for a moment, then smiled.
“Baron April Nyan!” Thor greeted with a friendly tone.
“Lord Thor, it really is you!” Baron Nyon responded, his voice filled with delight as he rode forward to meet him. “What an honor to run into you here in Loren City!”
“You’re too kind, Baron Nyon,” Thor replied with a nod.
“Lord Thor, after the attack on my territory, I never had the chance to properly thank you. How about we go grab a drink together?” Nyon suggested warmly.
“Sounds good to me!” Thor hesitated briefly, then nodded, giving Raine a quick instruction before following Baron Nyon to a nearby tavern.
Nyon’s territory was closest to the northern frontier, so Thor saw this as an opportunity to gather some information about the situation in the region since he had left.
—
In the tavern, the two lords sat down and began to chat. Baron Nyon updated Thor on the situation in the north since Thor’s departure, and as Thor had suspected, things were not looking good.
Even Baron Nyon’s territory had been attacked twice in the past ten days by orc tribes. Luckily, Nyon had bought plenty of weapons and equipment from Rachos, which had allowed him to hold off the attacks. But even though he had survived, the cost was heavy.
Nyon explained that his trip to Loren City had two purposes: first, to see if he could hire some knights from the Habsburg Trading Company, and second, to scout out any potential opportunities to secure the future of his territory.
Even Nyon, who had managed to hold off the orcs, was starting to doubt whether he could continue defending his lands.
“Hiring knights from the Habsburg Trading Company is likely to be very difficult and expensive right now,” Thor commented with a sigh after hearing Nyon’s plan.
“Yes, I’ve already looked into it,” Nyon replied with a bitter smile. “The cost of hiring a great knight has doubled, and there’s a long waiting list.”
While Nyon could scrape together enough money to pay the higher fees, the real problem was that even with the extra funds, it was nearly impossible to secure a knight’s services. Lords were lining up from the Autumn Leaf Territory all the way to Loren City to hire knights, and Nyon simply didn’t have the influence to cut ahead in line.
“Lord Thor, forgive me for being bold, but is there any chance you could…” Nyon hesitated, glancing at Thor.
Nyon’s main reason for stopping Thor in the first place was to see if he could request Thor’s assistance in defending his territory.
“Baron Nyon, I’m afraid that would be difficult,” Thor replied, shaking his head before Nyon could even finish. “As you know, the unrest isn’t limited to the northern frontier—it’s spread across the entire Northern Province. Eagle’s Ridge doesn’t have enough forces to spare.”
Thor had no intention of sending his forces to assist Nyon. Even if they were closer, lending his troops in such a chaotic time was out of the question.
“Of course, I was being presumptuous,” Nyon said, his face falling in disappointment. He nodded, acknowledging Thor’s refusal.
The tavern fell into a brief, awkward silence. Neither of them spoke for a while.
After a bit more small talk, Baron Nyon bid farewell and left. Thor watched him go, his brow furrowing slightly in thought.
Even from this short conversation, Thor could sense how dire the situation in the north had become. Nyon’s forces weren’t weak—his territory had two great knights and several hundred knights, including over 30 full knights. Yet even he was struggling to hold his ground.
The situation in the Northern Province was likely even worse than Thor had imagined, with more territories falling than he had initially thought.
With these troubling thoughts weighing on his mind, Thor slowly made his way back to his camp.
Raine had already returned.
“My lord, I’ve made contact with the Habsburg Trading Company. They’re offering 3,200 gold coins for the batch of goods we brought,” Raine reported respectfully as soon as he saw Thor.
“3,200 gold coins?” Thor asked, his surprise evident. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, my lord, 3,200 gold coins,” Raine confirmed with a nod.
Thor couldn’t hide his shock. The goods they had brought were indeed worth about 3,000 gold coins in value, but with the Habsburg Trading Company’s typical monopoly on trade, getting even 30% of that value in payment would’ve been generous. Thor had expected to sell the goods for around 1,000 gold coins, maybe a bit more—but 3,000 coins had seemed impossible.
Yet here they were, with an offer of 3,200 gold coins from the Habsburg Trading Company.
Thor furrowed his brows in confusion for a moment, unsure of why the company was offering such a high price. However, he quickly shrugged it off. This was clearly a stroke of good fortune for him.
With this deal, Thor stood to gain at least 1,500 gold coins—a nice bonus. And 1,500 gold coins could buy a lot of things.
“Raine, go ahead and close the deal,” Thor instructed. “Also, tomorrow, I want you to go with Mark to purchase 2,000 strong male slaves and 500 female slaves. While you’re at it, see if you can find any masons or blacksmiths available for hire in the city.”
“Yes, my lord,” Raine answered, nodding before stepping away to carry out Thor’s orders.
As the sky darkened, Thor set aside his thoughts and focused on his training.
—
The night passed, and soon the morning sun poured through the windows, signaling the start of a new day.
Thor opened his eyes, but the moment he did, he felt something stirring within him. A surge of life force rushed through his body, and a cold aura began spreading around him.
Frost had formed on the floor without him noticing, and cold mist swirled in the air. A chilling energy radiated from his body.
“What is this?” Thor murmured, momentarily stunned by the powerful life force pulsing within him. But then, a look of joy lit up his face.
Without hesitation, he immediately began using the knight’s breathing technique to guide the energy.
“Boom!”
An intense aura erupted from Thor, and the cold energy surged even stronger. The frost rapidly expanded, coating the entire room and spreading outward. The temperature in the surrounding area dropped sharply, and the frost crept out of the room into the hallway.
—
Outside, Raine was preparing to head to the slave market with Mark to complete the trade and slave purchases. However, at that moment, he felt the sudden drop in temperature, and his eyes widened in realization. A wide grin spread across his face.
“Wait a moment! The lord… he’s breaking through!” Raine exclaimed excitedly. Without wasting another second, he rushed toward Thor’s room, his heart racing with joy.
The nearby knights looked puzzled at Raine’s sudden excitement, but it didn’t take long for them to catch on.
“What? What did he say?” one knight asked in confusion.
“Raine said the lord is breaking through!” another knight answered, equally astonished.
“Is it true? The lord is really breaking through to a Great Knight?” someone else asked, barely able to believe it.
“Quick, let’s go check!” another knight urged.
A ripple of excitement spread through the group as the knights began gathering near Thor’s room. When they arrived, they were met with a bone-chilling cold, making them shiver involuntarily. But their discomfort was quickly replaced by excitement as they realized what was happening.
At the front of the group, Raine was practically buzzing with energy, pacing back and forth as he eagerly awaited news. His eyes remained fixed on Thor’s room.
—
Inside, Thor was completely immersed in his breakthrough. Cold energy enveloped his entire body, with the life force within him transforming rapidly. His heart, now crystalline and ice-blue, pulsed with icy power, while his life force permeated every fiber of his being.
Over the past two weeks, Thor had pushed himself to the peak of full knight status. Now, he was just a step away from becoming a Great Knight. And with his unique ice attribute, he knew his power as a Great Knight would far surpass that of most others.
His body continued to absorb the icy life force, and the temperature around him dropped even further. A layer of frost now covered everything in the room, and the cold radiated outward, affecting the whole area.
Thor was on the verge of crossing the threshold. With one final push, he knew he would break through to become a true Great Knight.
And once he did, thanks to his ice-based abilities, he would be far more powerful than any ordinary Great Knight.
(End of Chapter)