- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 153
With the acquisition of three territories, Thor had effectively become the undisputed ruler of the Maine River Valley, controlling over 70% of its land. The resources and opportunities for development under his domain had reached unprecedented levels.
By absorbing Baron Gratton’s and Baron Valmi’s lands, Thor now controlled the valley’s most strategic regions, including several mines and expansive farmland.
His territory’s total area now rivaled half of the Dresrosa family lands, though achieving comparable development and governance would require significant time and effort. Still, this scale made his domain one of the largest in the Frostmoon Province.
—–
After three days spent inspecting Baron Gratton’s and Baron Sachi’s territories, Thor turned his attention to Baron Valmi’s lands, where the handover was nearing completion.
To his surprise, Baron Valmi’s territory was not only vast but also densely populated, boasting 13,000 residents—the largest population in the valley apart from Thor’s Eagle Territory and Baron Pape’s lands.
Its farmland, too, exceeded Gratton’s in size and yield potential.
Thor paid 2,500 gold coins for the acquisition, and with visible reluctance, Baron Valmi departed, casting regretful glances back at his lands as he left.
Thor quickly deployed his personnel to consolidate control over all three territories, formally integrating them under his domain.
—-
With the additional lands, Thor now faced a pressing issue: maintaining order and security.
These territories required a strong garrison, but the original barons had taken their knights with them, leaving only local militia and untrained farmers behind.
The Eagle Territory itself had limited forces:
–Grand Knights: 5 (including Thor and Rayne).
–Official Knights: Around 60.
–Trainee Knights: Over 100.
To maintain stability in three newly acquired territories, Thor would need to deploy three Grand Knights, along with a significant portion of his remaining knights and trainees.
This strain was evident.
Thor couldn’t afford to pull Marshal Thor, as he was preparing for a breakthrough to Earth Knight status. That left Steve and Pelos to manage two territories. However, there was still one territory left unaccounted for, and the overall numbers of knights were inadequate.
—–
Thor pondered the situation, his fingers rhythmically tapping the desk.
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
“Come in,” he said, looking up.
Mark entered, bowing respectfully.
“My lord.”
“Mark,” Thor began, “how long have you been at the peak of Official Knight rank? And how soon can you break through to Grand Knight?”
Mark paused, then replied, “It’s been three months, my lord. As for breaking through… I’d estimate another two years.”
“Too slow,” Thor said, shaking his head. “Mark, if I were to advance you 1,000 merit points, how soon could you achieve a breakthrough?”
Mark’s eyes widened, his breathing quickening.
“My lord, are you serious?” he stammered, barely able to contain his excitement.
Thor’s expression remained calm. “Tell me.”
“With 1,000 merit points… no more than seven days,” Mark declared, his voice trembling with determination.
—-
“Good,” Thor said. “Relay this to Anna. She’ll prepare the necessary resources. But remember—you have seven days to achieve the breakthrough.”
“Yes, my lord!” Mark said, his voice filled with gratitude and resolve. “I won’t let you down.”
With Thor’s approval, Mark left, his heart racing with excitement.
The merit points Thor promised could be exchanged for a Divine Wood Fruit, a rare resource capable of significantly boosting a knight’s chances of advancing. For Mark, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—at 33 years old, achieving Grand Knight status opened the door to potentially reaching Earth Knight someday.
Thor watched him go, his thoughts momentarily lightened.
—-
The Divine Wood Fruit Thor was offering was no small investment. Harvested from millennium-old sacred trees, these fruits contained immense vitality, serving as core ingredients for mid- and high-grade life potions.
Though invaluable, they were rare—many thousand-year-old trees didn’t produce them, and locating one required thorough exploration.
Fortunately, Thor’s daily intelligence network ensured he was aware of all Divine Wood Fruit within a thousand-mile radius. At any given time, his scouts had multiple targets marked for collection.
The real concern, however, was the broader political landscape.
Even if Mark’s promotion stabilized the new territories, the wider implications of the looming conflict remained unclear.
—-
It had been over half a month since most major lords in the region began mobilizing. Yet the Northern Province remained eerily quiet.
No announcements.
No directives from the kingdom.
If Thor’s assumptions about the kingdom’s preparedness were wrong, he risked losing everything.
—-
Thor’s fingers drummed rhythmically against the table, his furrowed brow deepening as he sank further into thought.
Time passed slowly, and before long, night had fully fallen, the stars shimmering through the window.
Thor’s gaze wandered to the celestial display, his mind adrift, until—
—-
“Would you like to open it?”
The familiar mechanical voice broke the silence, jolting Thor’s focus back into sharp clarity.
“Open,” he replied automatically, his voice steady yet tinged with curiosity.
“Ding. Opening now.”
—-
[Daily Intelligence Report Updated]
[1]: Delly will awaken his life seed at noon today, officially becoming a trainee knight. At 27, he is full of vigor and has vowed to become the lord’s most loyal knight.
[2]: In the stables of Eagle Territory, a unicorn has birthed three foals, one of which appears unusual.
[3]: Fish being farmed in Falcon Town’s river seem disturbed by an unknown presence, resulting in reduced spawning.
[4]: Ten days from now, the Campbell family will fully evacuate the western region. Among their convoy is an abducted elven girl.
[5]: …
[8]: Three months from now, in Autumn Leaf territory, the Bloodthirsty Werewolves will initiate a grand Godly Awakening. However, intervention by forces from the Tulip Kingdom and neighboring nations will cause the Awakening to fail midway, preventing full divine descent. A God Ruin will manifest at the site.
[9]: Following the failure of the Awakening, the Bloodthirsty Werewolf leader’s fragmented essence will infiltrate the Northern Province, attempting to escape via the Maine River toward the Northern Glaciers.
—-
Thor began reading lazily, his expectations low. The daily intelligence reports rarely delivered anything earth-shattering anymore, as much of his territory had already been explored and secured.
But as his eyes scanned further down the page, they froze.
The eighth entry hit him like a thunderbolt.
Thor’s pupils constricted, his eyes widening as his breath hitched.
—-
God Ruin.
The term burned in his mind.
The intelligence report’s mention of the Godly Awakening’s failure didn’t surprise him—he had long speculated that the kingdom would intervene at the last moment. It reassured him, calming the tension that had been building over the past weeks.
But what followed was completely unexpected: the creation of a God Ruin.
God Ruins—sites where deities had fallen—were legendary treasures. Each one held untold opportunities and secrets.
The Behemoth Tribe’s dominance over the beastman clans? It stemmed from their control over the Titan God’s Ruin. This legacy had elevated them to become the undisputed rulers of the beastfolk.
Legends whispered that those who dared to explore a God Ruin could potentially ascend beyond the Sacred Domain—reaching realms of power unimaginable to most.
Thor’s pulse quickened.
—-
Thor had always been confident in his potential to become a Sky Knight, and he even entertained the possibility of one day reaching the Sacred Domain.
But now, for the first time, he saw a glimmer of something more—a chance to go beyond the Sacred Domain, to step into a realm of power that had always seemed unattainable.
The sheer enormity of the opportunity made his heart race.
“Beyond the Sacred Domain…” he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible.
Even imagining such heights sent shivers down his spine.
—-
As Thor analyzed the intelligence further, he began to piece together the kingdom’s likely strategy.
“Ah, so that’s it…”
The Tulip Kingdom wasn’t ignoring the looming threat of the Awakening. Instead, it was deliberately allowing it to begin.
Why? To create the conditions necessary for a God Ruin to form.
It was a high-stakes gamble, but one that could yield unimaginable rewards. By letting the Awakening progress to a critical point before intervening, the kingdom could secure a treasure of immense value.
Thor couldn’t help but marvel at the audacity and precision of such a plan.
“This kingdom… it’s run by masterminds,” he murmured, shaking his head in both awe and disbelief.
—-
Allowing a Godly Awakening to proceed wasn’t just bold—it required absolute confidence in their ability to control the outcome.
After all, a full divine descent would wreak catastrophic havoc on the entire Northern Province.
The only way the kingdom could justify such a risk was if it possessed the strength to neutralize even the worst-case scenario.
Thor’s thoughts turned to the kingdom’s strongest defenders.
“Sky Knights alone wouldn’t be enough,” he realized.
If the kingdom was willing to gamble on such a dangerous strategy, it meant they had forces that surpassed even the mightiest Sky Knights.
“Sacred Domain warriors… or perhaps even something beyond that,” Thor speculated, his voice filled with equal parts reverence and unease.
—–
Despite his excitement, Thor knew better than to act recklessly. The potential rewards were immense, but so were the risks.
The God Ruin was a beacon of opportunity, but it was also a magnet for danger.
“Three months…” he mused. “I have time to prepare.”
He decided to tread cautiously. Rushing headlong into a partially active Awakening was a fool’s errand.
“I need to see how things unfold,” he concluded.
Even with the assurance that the Awakening would fail, the stakes were too high to act on impulse. The ruins of a deity’s fall could hold wonders, but they could also spell doom for the unprepared.
—–
Thor leaned back in his chair, his mind racing with possibilities.
He would prepare meticulously, ensuring that when the time came, he could seize the opportunity without jeopardizing his life.
“I’ll have Rachos keep an eye on Autumn Leaf territory,” he decided.
For now, patience was key.
Thor’s lips curled into a determined smile. This was no ordinary chance—it was a turning point, a crossroads that could redefine his destiny.
—-
He would not let this moment slip through his grasp.