- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 100
Chapter 100: The Maine Alliance Sets Out
“Everyone, Lord Thor is right; this is our opportunity. Therefore, I have decided to follow Lord Thor and head north to participate in the extermination,” Joz Anubi announced, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group.
His words instantly drew the attention of all those present, their gazes converging upon him.
“Joz, you…?” Saatchi looked at Joz Anubi in shock, wanting to say more but holding back.
The three barons, meanwhile, furrowed their brows slightly but remained silent.
“Saatchi, honorable barons, this is our chance. The brutality of the kingdom’s war is beyond what most imagine. Baron Pape, being a member of the Lawrence family, you should understand better than I do. Given the current strength of our territories, if we cannot rapidly improve over the next two years, the losses we’ll face may be beyond what we can bear,” Joz Anubi continued.
“This endeavor is dangerous, but not overwhelmingly so. The Kingdom’s Dragon Knights and Marquis Lehmann’s Falcon Knights are our support, keeping the truly powerful orc tribes at bay. We only need to face the first and second-tier orc tribes. One of our territories alone may struggle, but together, the six of us can surely manage.”
Joz’s gaze fell upon Pape Lawrence as he spoke, and his words caused the others to glance at Pape Lawrence as well.
“Phew!”
“I am also willing to participate. Joz is right; the scale of the kingdom’s war is beyond imagination, and we must seize this opportunity,” Pape Lawrence said, nodding in agreement after taking a deep look at Joz Anubi.
Just as Joz Anubi had pointed out, Pape knew well the scope of the kingdom’s war and its brutality.
While there was some risk involved now, it paled in comparison to what lay ahead.
“Well, if both of you are in, then count me in as well!” Baron Glaton took a deep breath and nodded as well.
Only Saatchi and Baron Walmi were left.
All eyes turned to them.
“I’ll join too!” Saatchi hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.
“It seems I have no choice!” Baron Walmi said with a wry smile.
With four out of five agreeing, his refusal would essentially isolate him. Besides, he wasn’t a fool; Joz Anubi and Pape Lawrence’s words had made the dangers of the kingdom’s war abundantly clear.
“Since everyone has made their decision,” Pape Lawrence said, nodding, “we should inform Lord Thor.”
There were no objections to this.
However, just as they were about to take action, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in!” Pape Lawrence frowned slightly but still gave permission to enter.
He knew that under these circumstances, his servant wouldn’t interrupt without good reason.
Clearly, it had to be something important.
*Creak!*
The wooden door opened.
A servant entered.
“Master, Lord Thor of Eagle Territory has sent a letter,” the servant announced respectfully.
“Lord Thor?” Pape Lawrence was momentarily taken aback, and the others were also intrigued.
Curious but saying nothing, Pape Lawrence glanced around and, without hesitation, opened the letter.
The others leaned in with curiosity.
But within moments, Pape Lawrence looked up in disbelief.
“This…?”
The words slipped out, a tremor of shock evident in his voice.
“What happened?” Baron Glaton couldn’t help but ask, and the others’ eyes also turned toward Pape Lawrence.
“Take a look yourselves. Your territories should have received one too,” Pape said after a moment of hesitation, handing the letter to Baron Walmi.
Walmi took it first.
His reaction was almost identical.
And as the letter was passed among the other lords, none of them could maintain their composure.
“Gulp. Baron Pape, are you saying that what Lord Thor wrote is true?” Baron Glaton asked, his mouth dry.
“Could it be that he really has a third-tier mage?” Baron Walmi was even more direct.
“I don’t know,” Pape Lawrence shook his head, his expression somewhat dazed. “Logically speaking, the Dresrosa family shouldn’t possess the strength of a third-tier mage.”
As a fellow count’s family, Pape Lawrence couldn’t help but question his own family’s strength. Or perhaps, he was simply too underestimated.
How could there be such a difference?
“Let’s just go and see for ourselves. Once we’re there, we’ll know,” Joz Anubi’s eyes flickered as he spoke resolutely.
“Exactly, we’ll find out when we get there! If it’s true, we might actually have a real opportunity,” Baron Glaton added, eyes shining.
Before long, the five set out.
Their destination: Eagle Territory.
A day later.
They arrived at Eagle Territory.
Upon arrival, their pupils couldn’t help but contract, their faces filled with shock.
For in their line of sight, there were goblins all over Eagle Territory.
Some of the goblins were even hauling heavy objects.
This scene.
Their earlier speculation seemed to be coming to life.
“Do you think Lord Thor might have hired a third-tier mage from the Harbus Trading Company?” Saatchi muttered to himself.
“Impossible. Hiring a third-tier mage, even for a brief period, costs over a thousand gold coins. With that amount of money, he could easily buy a large number of slaves; there’s simply no need,” Joz Anubi shook his head, speaking softly.
His words brought an uncomfortable silence over the group.
If he didn’t hire one, then there was only one possibility: Eagle Territory itself possessed one.
Which was even more shocking than hiring one.
A third-tier mage.
A third-tier mage, something that even the Lawrence family, a count’s household, did not possess.
Not only that, but in the entire Tulip Kingdom, not every marquis family owned a third-tier mage; more than half did not.
For Thor, a member of the Dresrosa family, to possess one—was simply unbelievable.
Carrying a mix of emotions, they made their way along.
Soon, they reached Eagle Castle.
By then, Thor was already aware of their arrival.
Within the castle.
Perros personally came out to greet them.
Inside the great hall.
The five lords saw Thor once more.
Thor still wore his gentle smile, as if nothing had changed.
“So, what have you all decided?”
“Are you willing to join?” Thor asked as they entered.
“Lord Thor, forgive my directness, but I must ask: Can you really provide a large number of goblins, and are you able to control them?” Baron Walmi inquired, fixing his eyes on Thor.
As soon as he spoke, the hall fell silent, and everyone’s attention was riveted on Thor.
“Of course!”
“You all must have seen it already. Eagle Territory holds a large number of goblins, but that’s not all. There are even more in the mines and dam areas, and I can certainly provide them. As for control, that’s even simpler.”
“You all should know as well; there’s no need for me to elaborate,” Thor replied with a smile, waving his hand as a parchment scroll appeared.
Seeing the parchment, everyone present couldn’t help but tense up, their hearts shaking once again.
“Since we are allies, let’s discuss prices. How about ten gold coins for a thousand goblins? And if they’re first-tier goblins, how about thirty gold coins for a thousand?” Thor said thoughtfully after a moment’s consideration.
This was a price he had settled on after careful deliberation.
Goblins were naturally inferior to human slaves and couldn’t be priced higher than human slaves in the Northern Province.
Originally, Thor had considered setting the price at one gold coin per goblin, which would translate to ten copper coins each.
However, he abandoned that idea, knowing that this business wouldn’t expand in the short term.
With limited sales, undercutting wasn’t a good strategy.
So, he chose to match the price of slaves from the Frost Moon Province.
Even so, it was still an attractive offer.
“Ten gold coins for a thousand?”
Hearing his words, all five pairs of eyes lit up.
A thousand goblins for ten gold coins meant that the price for a single goblin was not even a silver coin.
Even a first-tier goblin would only cost three silver coins each.
Considering the slave prices in Loren City, even these pioneering lords who had spent years in the Northern Province couldn’t help but have their eyes light up.
While they weren’t as valuable as human slaves, goblin slaves did have their own unique advantages over human ones.
They were stronger, and there was no hesitation in using them up.
There was no need to worry about their future welfare, either.
“Yes, ten gold coins for a thousand, but the minimum purchase is three thousand!” Thor said with a smile. “If you’re interested, you can submit a purchase request to Perros.”
“Understood!”
“Lord Thor, we’ve already made our decision upon coming here: we agree to join the extermination,” Pape Lawrence said with a nod, after a brief moment of consideration.
“Oh? You’ve all made up your minds?” Thor asked with a hint of surprise, his gaze shifting to the others.
“Yes, Lord Thor, I’ve made up my mind as well,” Baron Walmi replied.
The other lords quickly nodded in agreement as well.
Seeing the resolve in their expressions and hearing their words, Thor couldn’t help but be surprised.
To be honest, Thor had been prepared for some of them to refuse.
After all, facing the orc tribes posed significant risks, and unlike him, the others didn’t have a daily intelligence system to inform them of the situation. They didn’t know that he possessed such an advantage, so focusing on building up their own territories might have seemed like a safer choice compared to going on a risky campaign.
But surprisingly, none of the five lords backed down.
Still, regardless of his surprise, Thor was visibly pleased.
The unanimous decision to join was the best possible outcome.
Not only would it maximize the strength of the Maine Alliance, but it would also ensure that no internal strife would occur within the alliance.
Now that the Maine Valley was, for all intents and purposes, unified, Thor didn’t want to see it fractured again.
“Thank you, everyone,” Thor said with a smile. “With all of you joining, our task will be much easier!”
And so, the six of them began to discuss the details of the extermination mission and the union of their six territories.
With the previous experience to guide them, the lords naturally made Eagle Territory, led by Thor, the center of their alliance.
On the morning of the third day.
The forces from the other five territories began to converge upon Eagle Territory.
Unlike before, the forces mobilized this time were somewhat weaker.
Baron Pape Lawrence brought five full knights, over twenty squire knights, and more than a hundred reserve knights. Baron Walmi brought three full knights, over ten squire knights, and a hundred reserve knights. Baron Glaton brought two full knights, over ten squire knights, and more than a hundred reserve knights.
Saatchi brought one full knight, five squire knights, and over fifty reserve knights. The surprising one was Joz Anubi, who came with three full knights, over twenty squire knights, and more than a hundred reserve knights, surpassing both Baron Glaton and Baron Walmi, second only to Baron Pape.
This time, Thor led his force personally, with Raine accompanying him. They deployed one grand knight, twenty full knights, over a hundred squire knights, and three hundred reserve knights.
The combined force of the six factions amounted to over a thousand troops.
Although it wasn’t as large as when they faced the minotaurs before, this force was still formidable.
Especially considering the leaders among them: six grand knights in total, which was more than many weaker viscount lords could muster.
Not to mention, they had nearly forty full knights and hundreds of squire knights.
Such a force was unmatched in the northern and eastern parts of the Northern Province—only the heirs of the great nobles in the west could potentially gather a force of similar strength.
Five days later.
The Maine Alliance was fully assembled.
And then, they set off in full force.
Their target: the lower reaches of the Maine River, in the northern region of the Northern Province.
(End of this chapter)