- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 105
Chapter 105: Turmoil in the Northern Province, End of the Cleansing Campaign
Over the past three months, the Maine Alliance had gained significant rewards, and smiles rarely left anyone’s faces. However, alongside the smiles, a trace of concern began to appear in everyone’s expressions.
As the lords of the Northern Province—Baron Pape, Baron Valmy, Baron Graton, and the two newly appointed barons—were well aware, something was clearly off about the situation in the Northern Province.
In the past, orc attacks usually lasted one or two months, three months at most. But now, the orc attacks had persisted for a full four months, with no signs of slowing down. In fact, the situation was growing even more intense.
At this rate, if things continued, the outbreak of a full-scale war seemed inevitable.
And if a full-scale war broke out, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Under the night sky, dotted with stars, the familiar system notification chimed once more.
“Daily intelligence updated.”
– **1:** “One hundred miles west of your location, a group of Frenzied Spider Beasts will appear. Their venom is potent enough to incapacitate an entire herd of hog beasts, and even second-tier magical beasts are vulnerable.”
– **2:** “In the western part of the Autumn Leaf Territory, Lord Raymond has discovered a small copper mine within his land and has successfully defeated the green goblins, claiming the mine…”
– **3:** “In three days, a group of second-tier kobolds will attack a frontier territory in the north.”
– **4:** “In the northern region of Eagle Ridge, a cold wave from the Northern Glacier will spread, causing temperatures to drop drastically.”
– **5:** …
– **8:** “Three hundred miles away, a group of tiger-headed orcs are assaulting a frontier territory. In five hours, that territory will fall to their attack.”
– **9:** “Five hundred miles west…”
As Thor reviewed the intelligence reports, a serious expression settled on his face.
Compared to a few months ago, the number of orcs had noticeably increased, and they had grown stronger. Initially, most of the orc tribes they encountered were just first-tier, with second-tier tribes being less common. But in the past few days, there were hardly any first-tier tribes in the reports anymore—most were second-tier or higher.
Moreover, frontier territories in the north were falling at an alarming rate.
“It’s time to leave,” Thor muttered to himself, making up his mind.
After three months of cleansing the area, they had reaped enough rewards. Continuing further would still bring more gains, but the risks were starting to rise.
Even though they had daily intelligence reports, it was best not to push their luck.
—
**The next day**
The sun shone down, and Thor called together the five lords of the Maine Alliance.
Inside the camp, the five gathered.
The previous day, they had once again cleared out a second-tier kobold tribe, and while the haul was considerable, there were fewer smiles than usual.
The increasingly unstable situation had made everyone uneasy, dampening the excitement of their recent gains.
“Everyone, it’s time to call it quits,” Thor said in a serious tone, looking around at the group.
“You’re right, we need to leave. Over 50 frontier territories in the north have already fallen, and just last month, three baronial territories were wiped out. War seems inevitable,” Baron Pape said, taking a deep breath and nodding in agreement.
The others exchanged glances and nodded as well. No one objected.
Even though the rewards from the cleansing campaign were still increasing, the chaotic state of affairs made it clear that continuing further would be unwise.
“It’s settled, then!” Thor said. “We’ll prepare to head back in three days.”
Seeing the others agree, Thor breathed a sigh of relief. Wealth could tempt people, and he was genuinely worried that some of them might want to keep pushing their luck. Thankfully, none of them were that reckless.
This was the best outcome.
Soon after, the Maine Alliance began to quickly pack up and prepare. Three days later, they started their journey back toward the Maine Valley.
At the same time, as the Maine Alliance withdrew from the northern regions, the area fell into even greater chaos.
Orcs continued to swarm in large numbers, and even the defensive lines in the northern region were starting to falter.
The kingdom had sent reinforcements, but the number of orc tribes only increased as time passed.
While no fifth-tier orc tribes had appeared yet, there were now numerous fourth-tier tribes. The Dragon Knights had already encountered more than five fourth-tier orc tribes, and the Eagle Knights had faced two.
Even though fourth-tier orcs were generally weaker than Sky Knights, the sheer number of them was overwhelming.
Human Sky Knights often found themselves facing two or even three fourth-tier orcs at once. And that didn’t even account for the vast numbers of orcs below the fourth tier.
The orcs had always outnumbered humans. Even if their individual strength was slightly lower, their numbers made up for any difference.
If it weren’t for the long, fortified walls that the Tulip Kingdom had built along the northern borders, the defenses would have already been breached by now.
—
“Duke Kalenina, how much longer until the kingdom’s second wave of reinforcements arrives?!” Marquis Raymond’s face was pale, and his breath was labored. A massive wound stretched across his chest, almost cutting him in half.
It was a wound inflicted by a fourth-tier orc.
As a peak Earth Knight, even he was struggling to handle a regular fourth-tier orc, let alone a Sky Knight-level threat.
At this point, the only hope was for the second wave of reinforcements from the kingdom.
The kingdom usually deployed its forces in four stages when dealing with orc attacks. The first stage involved the stationed Dragon and Eagle Knights. The second stage brought in the kingdom’s direct forces, including at least one duke’s forces.
The third stage involved the mobilization of the three great dukes and most of the royal court’s strength. The fourth and final stage was full kingdom mobilization.
Currently, the first wave of reinforcements from the second stage had already arrived, but the situation was still far from stable, and they had already requested the second wave.
“One month!” Duke Kalenina replied. “We need one more month! Marquis Raymond, you know that the kingdom is preparing for war, and most of our forces are tied up with that. It’s going to take time.”
Duke Kalenina’s brow furrowed deeply, his own energy fluctuating. At this point, he was holding back three fourth-tier orcs on his own, and the pressure was immense.
If not for the holy relic he carried, he might not have been able to hold on this long. Even the holy relic was beginning to lose its luster.
“A month? Duke, we…” Marquis Raymond’s face twisted in bitterness, but he left the sentence unfinished.
Duke Kalenina remained silent.
At the current pace, if the orc tribes continued to grow in number, it wasn’t a matter of one month. They might not even last half that time.
Silence fell over them—heavy and oppressive.
No one spoke.
Suddenly, orcs once again took to the skies in front of them. The knights of the Tulip Kingdom, stationed at the fortress, immediately rushed forward to meet them.
The battle flared up again.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
Magic crystal cannons fired, unleashing terrifying energy. Large swaths of orcs were engulfed by lightning, many of them being obliterated instantly.
Crimson blood soaked the ground, gradually forming streams that silently flowed into the earth.
But no one had time to notice.
The humans fought desperately to hold the line, while the orcs attacked with a crazed ferocity.
Time slowly dragged on.
……
Ten days passed quickly.
Things didn’t turn out as bad as expected. The orc tribes didn’t bring in any new reinforcements, which allowed the Dragon Knights and Eagle Knights stationed in the region to breathe a sigh of relief. Though losses continued to mount daily, at least they had managed to hold the line.
In just over two weeks, the kingdom’s second wave of reinforcements would arrive. Without the involvement of any fifth-tier orcs, this unrest could likely be brought under control.
Of course, none of this directly affected the Maine Alliance. These high-level threats were far beyond their reach or involvement.
After ten days, the group returned to the Maine Valley.
Compared to when they had left, the Maine Valley had changed very little. Being close to the Northern Glacier, the area had only faced two minor orc raids over the past four months, both involving first-tier orcs. These minor skirmishes hadn’t caused any serious damage.
As a result, the Maine Valley was still thriving. In fact, thanks to the large-scale projects initiated by the six lords, the valley was bustling with activity. It was a stark contrast to the northern region, which was in complete turmoil.
Seeing the peaceful environment, the five lords couldn’t help but smile. Shortly after, they split up and returned to their respective territories.
Thor, too, led his men back to Eagle’s Ridge.
Upon his return, Thor noticed how much his land had changed during his absence. The farmland around Eagle’s Ridge had been fully cultivated, and the fields were now covered in golden crops, signaling a bountiful harvest ahead.
Beyond that, following Thor’s instructions, a tall stone wall had been built around the territory. Made from blue stone, the wall stood three to four meters high, giving Eagle’s Ridge the appearance of a small fortified town.
This progress was thanks to the labor provided by goblins; without them, this project would have taken much longer and required far more manpower.
The purpose of all this construction, of course, was to prepare for the possible chaos ahead, including the potential threat of orc wars. Although it was unlikely that the Northern Province would fall entirely—both the Tulip Kingdom and neighboring kingdoms wouldn’t allow that—the unrest was likely to escalate, and Thor had to be ready.
While castles were naturally defensive structures, adding a wall provided extra security. In fact, not only Eagle’s Ridge, but even the small town he had recently built in the northern region had received the same treatment.
Thor had even ordered the digging of moats around both locations.
With these three layers of protection, he felt somewhat more at ease.
—
**Inside the castle**
“My lord, the construction plans you laid out are now about 80% complete. The only remaining tasks are the moats for the northern town and Eagle’s Ridge, which should take about another month to finish,” Pelos reported respectfully to Thor, summarizing the progress made over the past few months.
“In addition, there are some materials you brought back that we haven’t been able to sell yet. Rachos suggests you might want to try selling them in Loren City.”
Thor listened intently as Pelos updated him on the state of Eagle’s Ridge. In his four-month absence, Pelos had managed everything with remarkable efficiency, keeping the territory running smoothly. His abilities now seemed on par with that of seasoned administrators, and Thor couldn’t help but feel satisfied.
“Good job, Pelos. You’ve done well this time,” Thor said, nodding in approval. Then he turned to his servant. “Anna, fetch the second item in the third row of my storage cabinet.”
“Yes, my lord,” Anna responded, quickly leaving the room and returning shortly with a small wooden box.
When Pelos saw the box open, his breathing became noticeably heavier.
Inside was a **Divine Wood Fruit**.
“This is for you, as a reward for your hard work. Focus on your training; strength is what truly matters,” Thor said.
“Thank you, my lord!” Pelos replied, clearly thrilled as he bowed deeply.
“You’re dismissed,” Thor said, waving him off.
Pelos left the room, brimming with excitement.
Afterward, Thor turned to Anna. “Anna, you should also focus on your training in the coming days. Things are likely to get unstable soon.”
“Yes, master!” Anna replied, smiling sweetly and nodding obediently.
After giving his instructions, Thor fell into deep thought. It was clear that the Northern Province would remain unstable for some time, and he needed to carefully plan for the future of his territory.
But figuring out how to handle the coming challenges was no simple matter. His own strength was still far too lacking.
Without even one Earth Knight under his command, it was unlikely he could make much of a difference in the chaos to come.
“Lord Neil should be back soon,” Thor muttered to himself. “I hope he arrives quickly.”
Thor could only place his hopes on Neil Morton, who was a Sky Knight. If Neil returned in time, Thor’s territory might have a chance to survive the coming unrest. Without him, though, the current strength of the territory wouldn’t be enough, and Thor would likely have no choice but to abandon it if large-scale chaos broke out in the Northern Province.
The gap in strength was simply too great.
—
(End of Chapter)