FLDI Chapter 110

Chapter 110: Tonno – “That’s My Brother?!”

The journey back to the Eagle’s Peak went smoothly, with no crises along the way.

Seven days later, Thor and his men returned to the Eagle’s Peak.

After being away for over two weeks, the northern town’s construction was finally complete. Now, Thor had two towns under his control, and the population of Eagle’s Peak had officially surpassed ten thousand.

In the entire Northern Province, even in terms of population alone, the Eagle’s Peak was now among the top. Most lords struggled to gather even five thousand people, let alone ten thousand.

Typically, only the heirs of major noble families or those who had developed their territories in the Northern Province for at least a decade or more could maintain such a large population.

Before now, only Baron Pape’s territory in the entire Maine Valley had more than ten thousand people. Even Baron Valmi and Baron Glaton didn’t have such large populations in their lands.

With such a large population, the pace of construction naturally sped up.

Especially with the goblins, who were constantly used as the lowest-level labor force, the development of Eagle’s Peak was progressing visibly every day. Thor even considered establishing a third town, though he held off due to the current turmoil in the Northern Province.

While he had abandoned plans for a third town, Thor focused on improving the two he already had.

The first town was named Eagle Town, and the second, Falcon Town.

In terms of population distribution, Eagle Town housed around eight thousand people, while Falcon Town had just over two thousand. Of course, this was only temporary. As the development continued, Falcon Town’s population was expected to grow.

In addition to the population, the roles of the two towns were distinct.

Eagle Town’s main task was to cultivate farmland, while Falcon Town’s focus was on fisheries and farming.

Looking ahead, the fishing industry would likely become Falcon Town’s most important trade. Though they had started cultivating some farmland, both the number of slaves working there and the scale of the farming couldn’t compare to Eagle Town.

This division was part of Thor’s plan. Unlike Eagle Town, which was nestled in the fertile lowlands of the Maine Valley, Falcon Town, situated upstream, lacked the rich soil needed for successful farming. While the river provided plenty of water, the land wasn’t as fertile. Even if they cultivated crops, the yield would be lower than in Eagle Town.

Fishing, however, was a far better choice.

The reservoir Thor had built was large enough to support a massive fish farming operation. These fish would not only provide food for the townspeople but also serve as a valuable source of protein.

Once the fishing operation reached full scale, it could feed the entire population and provide surplus fish to trade with other noble lords. If they managed to catch any *Spiny Butterfly Fish*, Thor could even experiment with farming them.

With Allen’s help, this wasn’t an impossible task.

*Spiny Butterfly Fish* had the potential to enhance a knight’s talent, making them incredibly valuable. If Thor could successfully farm these fish, they would not only improve the talent pool of knights in Eagle’s Peak but could also become a cornerstone industry, alongside his weapons trading.

Thor was hopeful about this possibility.

Of course, these were just ideas for now. He understood that catching *Spiny Butterfly Fish* wasn’t easy, and even with Allen’s skills, farming them would be no simple task.

Still, if they didn’t try, they would never know. Even without the rare fish, ordinary fish farming would be enough to fuel Falcon Town’s growth.

As night fell, Thor remained deeply involved in the construction and development of his territory. Aside from keeping an eye on the ongoing unrest in the Northern Province, he didn’t concern himself with much else.

The other five lords of the Maine Alliance were behaving similarly. Satch and Joss Anube had been officially granted baron titles, and Baron Pape, Baron Valmi, and Baron Glaton had all reaped significant rewards from their campaigns. They, too, were now focused on expanding their territories and absorbing the wealth they had gained.

There was a lot to absorb—riches, resources, and land left vacant by fleeing lords in the Maine Valley.

This process would take time, and everyone was busy.

While the Maine Valley remained peaceful, the rest of the region was in turmoil. More and more orc tribes poured into the Northern Province, plunging the area into deeper chaos. Everywhere, orc tribes were launching attacks, and frontier lords were falling one after another.

Even the western territories, once relatively stable, were starting to feel the pressure.

Although the western region had many powerful lords, some of whom had even initiated their own campaigns to clear out orc tribes, the sheer number of orcs was overwhelming. Some of the orc tribes had even reached the third tier in strength, and their presence made it difficult for the western frontier lords to hold their ground.

Even in the west, lords were starting to flee, and some territories were being overrun.

The western province, with its forests of red maple trees, was home to a wide river called the Danube, named for the valuable *Nau* stone found within its waters. The Danube River was rich with natural resources, unlike the more barren Maine River. In addition to *Nau*, the Danube was home to rare fish and valuable magical plants along its banks.

Only powerful nobles had the privilege of claiming land along the Danube.

In the less fertile upper reaches of the river, there was a barony ruled by a lord named Tonno Dresserosa. Tonno, the second son of Earl Engel Dresserosa, was Thor’s older brother.

Earl Engel Dresserosa had three sons who had chosen to become frontier lords: the second son, the third son, and the seventh son—Thor.

All three had set their sights on the western region for their development.

However, over the years, only Tonno had managed to hold onto his land. One of the brothers had abandoned his territory and become a wandering knight, while the other had perished during a massive magical beast attack.

Tonno had survived thanks to his father’s support. With Earl Engel’s resources, Tonno had weathered the early storms and earned a baron title five years ago after achieving enough military merit during an orc invasion.

After becoming a baron, Earl Engel provided even more support, allowing Tonno to finally secure his foothold in the west.

However, this was only a foothold.

Compared to the truly powerful lords of the west, Tonno’s strength still fell short. He wasn’t in danger of losing his land, but he could only claim territory in the less fertile upper reaches of the Danube.

In recent years, while Tonno’s barony had remained stable, its growth had stagnated. His territory’s production could barely sustain one more Great Knight, let alone expand further.

To grow his influence, Tonno would need to expand his territory and secure more resources. But expansion in the west was no easy task. Most of the land was already claimed, and any attempts to grow would inevitably lead to conflict with neighboring lords. And these weren’t weak lords—many of them were formidable, with strength rivaling or even surpassing that of some viscounts.

Tonno didn’t have many opportunities.

Until recently.

Over the past few months, as orc attacks increased, the western region had fallen into turmoil. Some lords were fleeing, and others were losing their territories entirely. For the first time in a long while, Tonno saw an opportunity.

Just twenty to thirty miles west of his own land lay a neighboring territory once held by a knight from the Assad family. The Assad lord had always been at odds with Tonno, and their proximity had only fueled the conflict between them.

Despite his enmity, Tonno had never managed to gain the upper hand. The Assad knight was backed by three Great Knights and a company of several hundred men. Tonno had suffered more than a few defeats in their skirmishes.

But ten days ago, the Assad territory was attacked by a tribe of third-tier goat-headed orcs, sparking a fierce battle…

The heir of the Assad family ultimately escaped with only one Great Knight, leaving the entire territory in ruins.

At first, this news filled Tonno with dread.

He feared that the goat-headed orcs would soon turn their attention to his land. However, after several days passed without any signs of an attack, his worries began to ease. Then, a surprising piece of information reached him—the leader of the goat-headed orcs, a third-tier orc, had been slain by the Assad heir using a secret treasure.

This revelation brightened his mood considerably.

The Assad territory wasn’t just valuable—it contained a large iron mine, a small copper mine, and a quarry for *Nau* stones. Even a small amount of mining from these resources could bring in over two thousand gold coins annually.

On top of that, with the third-tier orc leader gone, the remaining orc tribe was suddenly a much more enticing target.

Tonno’s excitement to seize this opportunity grew, but soon after, he had to reconsider.

Though the third-tier leader was dead, the orc tribe still included over ten second-tier orcs, three of which were at the peak of the second tier. On top of that, there were thousands of regular goat-headed orcs. Given the current strength of his forces, he couldn’t handle such a large group.

After thinking it over, Tonno decided to team up with someone.

The first person who came to mind was his close friend, Babrous.

Tonno trusted Babrous deeply. The two had been through life-and-death situations together during the early days of the frontier wars.

However, even with their combined strength, it still didn’t seem like enough. They began to consider whether to bring in more allies.

But this raised a new problem.

Who could they trust? Most frontier lords were unreliable. If they brought in someone too powerful, there was a risk of being left with nothing. On the other hand, if they invited someone too weak, it wouldn’t help at all.

And how could they ensure the others would keep their word?

In the castle, the two friends met again to discuss their options.

“What about Renaldo from the north?” Babrous suggested with a furrowed brow.

“No, he’s too weak. He wouldn’t make a difference. Plus, his ties to *that person* are unclear. If *that person* gets wind of this, we’ll lose that iron mine for sure,” Tonno replied, shaking his head.

“How about Kelmach?” Babrous offered after a moment of thought.

“Kelmach doesn’t have the best reputation,” Tonno shook his head again.

Babrous sighed. “Maybe we should just wait it out. Those damn goat-headed orcs might leave on their own eventually.”

“That’s not going to work,” Tonno said, his expression showing frustration. “The longer we wait, the more likely the Assad family will send reinforcements. By then, it’ll be too late for us.”

“If we’re really out of options, maybe we should…” Tonno started but then quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought.

Then, as if struck by inspiration, Babrous’ eyes suddenly lit up. “Wait, I just thought of someone!”

“Who?” Tonno asked, surprised by his friend’s sudden excitement.

“Your brother, Thor Dresserosa! Who could be more trustworthy than your own blood?” Babrous said with a grin.

“Thor? My brother?” Tonno was taken aback for a moment. His eyes brightened at the idea, but then he hesitated. “He was just made a baron, wasn’t he? While he might be strong, he’s stationed in the east. I’m not sure he’d come all the way to the west.”

Tonno had learned about his younger brother’s accomplishments months ago when Babrous had returned with the news. The information left him in shock.

Their father had once written to him, informing him that their ninth brother, Thor, had gone to the Northern Province to become a frontier lord. At the time, Tonno hadn’t thought much of it.

He figured he might lend a hand if possible, but if not, so be it.

Tonno had been away from the family for so long that he barely remembered his younger brother.

But then, out of nowhere, less than a year later, Babrous returned with the incredible news that Thor had been granted the title of baron.

Tonno had been stunned and found it hard to believe.

His little brother, in just one year, had earned the rank of baron?

It seemed unbelievable.

(End of Chapter)

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