- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 112
**Chapter 112: Discussion, the Assault on the Goatmen Tribe**
“What is this?” Evelyn’s expression held a trace of surprise when she saw what her son was holding.
“Mother, Uncle gave these to us!” Kevin spoke hesitantly. “Aren’t they too valuable?”
At twelve, Kevin was already quite sensible. He knew these items were worth thousands of gold coins, so he understood their significance.
“Well then,” Evelyn nodded, “you can keep them for now.”
Kevin nodded and left, while Evelyn, after a moment’s thought, decided to bring the items forward.
At the head of the table, Tono and Thor were deep in conversation. The initial unfamiliarity between them had gradually turned into familiarity as they talked, and Tono found himself increasingly amazed. He was astonished by the support their father had given Thor and equally stunned by Thor’s current strength.
Tor, at only nineteen, had already become a great knight. Tono, on the other hand, hadn’t reached that level until he was thirty.
“Brother, your talent might even surpass that of our father!” Tono said, a hint of admiration in his voice.
“Oh, I just got lucky,” Thor replied with a modest smile. Truly, he owed his progress to the daily intelligence updates and Anna’s shared pact. Without those, he might still only be an apprentice knight.
“That’s more than luck,” Tono remarked, a bit wistfully.
As they spoke, Evelyn approached them. Noticing her presence, Tono looked puzzled, while Thor seemed to understand.
“Uncle, the gifts you gave are truly too valuable!” Evelyn said, offering a slight bow as she apologized.
Tono looked at her in confusion.
“Uncle gave Kevin a mid-level life potion, and both Dia and Leah each received a Sacred Fruit,” Evelyn explained to Tono.
“What?” Tono stood up, his eyes widening in shock.
“You’re too generous!” he exclaimed.
“It’s just a small gift to meet the children,” Thor replied with a gentle smile.
“Thor, my brother, this is indeed too much! I can’t accept this,” Tono protested.
“No, no!” Thor countered. “Surely the bond between brothers is worth more than this, isn’t it?”
“Thor,” Tono hesitated, then offered a rueful smile, “you know that’s not what I meant.”
“Of course,” Thor replied. “Brother, if you feel uncomfortable about it, perhaps you could grant me a favor.”
“What do you need?” Tono asked, surprised but willing.
“That land contains a large iron mine and a small copper mine. Selling armor and weapons is far more profitable than selling raw ores. A few months ago, I gained access to a group of goblins. If you’re willing, you could let me forge the iron and mithril into armor and weapons. We’d get higher-quality items and could sell them for far more gold,” Thor suggested with a smile.
“You’ve obtained goblins?” Tono asked in astonishment.
In the northern provinces, goblins were rare and highly valuable to any lord. Tono was surprised that his brother had acquired a group of them.
Tor nodded, and Tono’s eyes lit up with excitement. Being in the northern provinces, Tono knew well the price difference between raw ores and forged armor. Goblin-crafted items were worth ten times more.
“If we manage to capture that land, there should be no issue with that plan,” Tono replied, still excited. “Even Babrus will agree. Besides, this isn’t really a favor.”
“Well then, how about including the annual yield of ‘Naur’ for me as well?” Thor added with a smile.
Tono and Evelyn exchanged a glance. They weren’t concerned about losing out but rather felt they were gaining much more than they were giving.
“Alright, Tor. If we succeed, I’ll give you the Naur yield for the next three years!” Tono said earnestly. “Don’t refuse, or I won’t accept the gift.”
“Thank you!” Thor nodded, realizing that refusing might make Tono seriously reconsider accepting the gifts.
“I’m the one who owes you!” Tono shook his head, knowing that even with the Naur yield for three years, it was still far less than the value of Thor’s gift. He was determined to find a way to repay him in the future, especially with the orc threat growing and the western region increasingly affected.
“Don’t mention it, brother!” Thor replied with a soft smile, raising his glass.
Evelyn quietly withdrew, and the two brothers continued their discussion late into the night. As the banquet ended, Thor retired to rest within the castle.
The next day, Babrus, another lord and Tono’s close friend, arrived at the castle. The three of them then began their serious discussions.
It didn’t take long for Tono and Babrus to be astounded by Thor’s show of strength.
“Thor, you didn’t bring your entire territory’s forces, did you? That would be dangerous,” Tono said anxiously. He hadn’t expected Thor to bring two great knights, along with over twenty full knights, fifty apprentices, and three hundred reserves. His immediate thought was that Thor had mobilized all his forces.
After all, Tono knew that Thor’s territory only had two great knights. Pulling out all his forces like that wouldn’t be wise.
If anything went wrong, his brother’s territory could face severe problems.
Even Tono began to feel anxious.
“Indeed, Lord Thor, you should consider sending some forces back; otherwise, this could become a real issue,” Babrus added. “The Northern Province is anything but stable right now.”
“Brother, Lord Babrus, you misunderstand!” Thor replied with a smile. “I haven’t pulled all my forces, only a portion. Besides, Eagle Territory has now formed an alliance with the Maine Valley, which is sufficient to handle most problems.”
“Still have forces left?” Tono and Babrus exchanged astonished looks. The strength Thor had brought was already comparable to Tono’s own, yet he still had reserves back home.
For Thor to reach this level of development in just a year was remarkable.
“Maine Alliance, Thor, frontier lords aren’t the most trustworthy lot,” Tono said cautiously after his initial surprise.
“Rest assured, Brother. I’ve made arrangements; nothing will go wrong,” Thor replied, shaking his head knowingly. He understood Tono’s concerns well. The frontier lords of the Northern Province were notoriously difficult to unite, as trust was scarce. Unlike the inner territories, the frontier was a rough-and-tumble place with little regard for rules.
However, this wasn’t the case for the Maine Valley. The alliance was forged through trials and contracts among the three barons, providing a strong bond. As for the other two newly appointed barons, Thor was even less worried. The numbers were four to two; there was little chance of anything going awry.
“As long as you understand,” Tono nodded, choosing to drop the subject. He trusted that his brother, who had achieved so much in such a short time, knew what he was doing.
The conversation shifted as they delved into plans to reclaim the Goatmen-occupied territory. With Tor’s addition of three great knights and over twenty full knights, they now had the strength needed to attempt the assault. Tono himself had three great knights, more than fifty full knights, and over a hundred apprentice knights. Babrus contributed two great knights, seven full knights, and more than thirty apprentices.
Combined, the three lords commanded a force of eight great knights, seventy full knights, and over a hundred apprentices. While they might still be slightly underpowered compared to the Goatmen tribe, their chances of success were good.
Given their collective strength, there was no need to seek out further allies. More men would only increase the risks.
In the castle, the three spent an entire day strategizing. By dawn the next day, their plans were set, and they began their preparations. They resolved to first defeat the Goatmen; capturing or exterminating every last one was unlikely and unnecessary. An all-out extermination could provoke retaliation from other orc tribes, but that was a future problem. For now, eliminating this one Goatmen tribe would suffice.
The following day, Tono and Babrus swiftly assembled their troops. Unlike Thor, Tono nearly emptied his domain, and Babrus did much the same. The Goatmen weren’t far from their lands; with a quick strike, they could return promptly.
Outside the castle, their forces gathered—a thousand strong, with eight great knights in their ranks. Such a force was formidable, even by western standards, enough to dominate most territories. Against the Goatmen, however, it was only just enough.
As a tier-three orc tribe, even without their tier-three leader, the Goatmen still had over a dozen tier-two warriors, three of whom were at the peak of tier two. These creatures posed a significant threat, strong enough to challenge even experienced great knights.
The army set out in grand procession, reaching the Goatmen territory by midday.
“Thor, are you certain about this?” Tono asked again as they neared the outskirts, concerned because Thor had insisted on taking down a peak tier-two Goatman on his own.
“Yes, Brother. Just focus on the other tier-two beasts,” Thor assured him with a smile. Handling a single peak-tier-two Goatman was within his capabilities.
“Alright, just don’t push yourself too hard,” Tono replied, clenching his jaw and nodding. Then he turned to Babrus with a resolute expression. “Babrus, let’s tackle the remaining two peak tier-two Goatmen together. Let’s aim to finish them in fifteen minutes.”
“Absolutely,” Babrus agreed, grinning. The three of them promptly began to direct their troops into position.
Moments later, the knights formed up into battle lines.
“Charge!” The three leaders drew their swords, shouting in unison as their thousand-strong force surged forward.
The ground rumbled under the thunder of hooves as they advanced. Within the Goatmen’s camp, the creatures, who were feasting on corpses and provisions, scrambled in confusion. In just twenty days, their numbers had swelled to over a thousand. Though their leader was gone, the Goatmen were filled with fervor and excitement.
“Titan’s blessing!” chanted the three leading Goatmen.
But their prayers were interrupted by the thundering sound. As they saw the knights charging, their camp was soon in a frenzy.
“Humans! Humans!”
“Food!”
“So much food!”
The Goatmen’s cries turned from chaos to excitement as they realized what was happening. Drool and adrenaline surged; they were intoxicated by the prospect of more delicious humans, whose taste had left them craving for more.
And now, as if by some twist of fate, their next meal had come charging straight to their doorstep.
(End of Chapter)