- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 133
The Dressrosa family’s rules were established long before Count Engel’s generation, going back to his grandfather. By the time of Engel’s father, these rules had been refined even further.
Over three generations, many had ventured to become frontier lords, but the results weren’t exactly promising.
As Ruby noted, fewer than one in ten managed to become nobles. In Count Engel’s generation, only four ventured out as frontier lords, with two managing to secure baron titles.
However, Thor was an exception, and Torno’s case was a stroke of luck—the other two represented the norm. When Count Engel’s younger heirs came of age, this success rate would inevitably decline.
Both Ruby and Morris understood this well, which is why Morris had chosen the role of a family guardian knight instead of pursuing the path of a frontier knight.
Yet Thor’s recent achievements had left them in awe, stirring something in Morris and Ruby alike.
“Brother Morris, Brother Ruby, the auction has started!”
Sensing their introspective moods, Thor shifted the topic, guiding their attention to the auction.
The Assad family’s auction featured an array of impressive items, from mid-level life potions to silver armor. Even three sets of golden armor and various rare magical plants were on offer, captivating Thor, Ruby, and Morris.
Thor and Ruby, being relatively well-off, didn’t hesitate. Thor’s father had provided the funds for his recent purchase of Violet Gold Grass, leaving his own wealth untouched. Ruby, a prominent knight in the Pat family, was also financially secure.
Ultimately, Ruby purchased a set of golden armor, while Thor acquired a Thunder Stone—a prime material for constructing magic crystal cannons. Its price in Pat City was considerably lower than in Loren City, costing him just under 2,000 gold coins.
Transport was a slight inconvenience, but Thor wasn’t concerned. Since Rachios could deliver Wildfire Oil to the Northern Province, he could certainly manage a Thunder Stone.
Morris eyed a knight’s spear but, unwilling to accept Thor’s offer to buy it for him, ultimately chose to forgo the purchase.
After a satisfactory auction, they exited as night fell.
“Let’s go for a drink!” Ruby suggested with a smile. “You’re leaving tomorrow, after all!”
Thor and Morris exchanged glances and agreed, especially since Thor had one last favor to ask Ruby. Finding the wandering knight with the advanced breathing technique on his own was nearly impossible in a city as vast as Pat. Asking Ruby, who knew the place inside out, was far simpler.
After agreeing, they soon returned to Ruby’s residence.
During dinner, Thor voiced his request.
“A wandering knight selling relic items?” Ruby asked, intrigued.
“Exactly. Could you help me locate him?” Thor replied with a nod.
“Of course. I’ll alert the knights to keep an eye out. We should have results soon,” Ruby promised without questioning Thor’s motive, assuming he was simply interested in relics, as most knights were.
Summoning a knight, Ruby instructed him to begin the search.
With the request made, Thor and Ruby resumed their lively conversation, though Ruby’s thoughts occasionally drifted back to a nagging question: Should he send his son to become a frontier knight?
Unlike Count Engel, he held no title, meaning his son could not inherit one. While his son could inherit Ruby’s position in the Pat family, given his Pat lineage, it still lacked the status of true nobility.
The Pat Marquis had promised Ruby a chance to earn a title through the upcoming kingdom war, but until that promise became reality, it meant little. Even if it were fulfilled, the opportunity was no guarantee of success. Plenty of earth knights had perished in past kingdom wars; Ruby wasn’t so naive as to assume he’d be an exception.
On the other hand, the frontier knight path offered opportunity, albeit with equally high risk, leaving Ruby conflicted.
“Thor, how much wealth and strength does one need to rise from frontier knight to noble?”
Exhaling slowly, Ruby steadied himself before posing the question. Morris, also listening intently, considered whether his own children might one day pursue the path of a frontier knight.
Reflecting on the question, Thor replied carefully.
“The kingdom extends the blessings of the Goddess of Life to the Northern Province, giving all frontier knights a chance to earn noble status. To be granted the title of baron, one must establish a town in the Northern Province with a population of at least 5,000.”
“With 500 slaves costing around 50 gold coins, 5,000 people would require about 500 gold. Including setup costs and other expenses, a total investment of roughly 5,000 gold coins would be needed. In terms of strength, having one grand knight and a dozen official knights should be sufficient for basic security.”
“However…” Thor trailed off, leaving them hanging.
“What is it?” Ruby and Morris pressed him to continue, sensing a deeper implication.
While Morris found Thor’s estimates somewhat daunting, Ruby considered them manageable. He could supply a grand knight, a few dozen official knights, and the required 5,000 gold. Yet, he wondered if this investment would actually yield a barony.
“It’s just that… to be honest, securing noble status this way is incredibly difficult. The kingdom only evaluates frontier lords every ten years. Within that decade, frontier settlements must withstand numerous orc invasions and territorial disputes between lords. It’s highly uncertain whether one could achieve baron status by the end,” Thor explained.
Ruby and Morris shared a silent look of dismay. They hadn’t realized just how steep the odds were.
“Brother Ruby, Brother Morris,” Thor added gently, “the best path to nobility remains through military merit. Earning 100 points of merit allows anyone to be enshrined as nobility. During orc invasions, if one seizes the right opportunities, they can secure a title.”
Understanding the implications, Ruby sighed deeply. The chance to become nobility in the frontier was appealing but fraught with challenges and risks.
Thor and his companions settled in for the night.
The next morning, both Thor and Morris were practicing their knight’s breathing technique.
A layer of frost gradually spread across the area, forcing Morris to step back.
“Thor, your unique life force is truly terrifying!” Morris remarked, impressed as he watched Thor finish his practice.
Thor smiled and was about to respond when Ruby approached them.
“Brother Ruby!” Thor and Morris greeted him eagerly.
“Thor, I’ve found the person you’re looking for. He’s at the Druubi Market in the west, apparently selling relics, though he only arrived today,” Ruby explained with a curious look at Thor.
“Thank you, Brother Ruby!” Thor’s face lit up with excitement as he expressed his gratitude.
“No need to thank me—it was a small task,” Ruby replied with a smile.
“Then I’ll head over there now,” Thor said, preparing to leave.
“Go ahead. I have some matters to attend to today, so I won’t be able to join you,” Ruby replied with a nod.
Thor acknowledged him and set off with Morris and Anna toward the Druubi Market.
The market was a considerable distance from Ruby’s home, and they walked for nearly an hour to reach it. Initially, Thor thought he might need to search carefully, but as soon as they arrived, he realized that wouldn’t be necessary.
Near the entrance stood a conspicuous figure—a scruffy, disheveled middle-aged man wearing a battered knight’s armor, surrounded by a pile of rusty scraps. Each time someone passed, he would hurry over and try to catch their attention.
When Thor and his group approached, he was greeted with the same enthusiasm.
“Noble sirs, here we have the rarest items from the Southern Ruins! Among them, there might even be a secret to becoming a sky knight,” the man said eagerly.
“The Southern Ruins! You’ve heard of them, haven’t you? Those are the very ruins where the Callenina family birthed a sky knight!”
The scruffy man’s voice was filled with excitement, but Thor couldn’t help but look at him with an amused expression. It wasn’t the mention of the Callenina family—everyone knew they had once produced a sky knight from a southern relic, though that had been five or six centuries ago. Those ruins had long since been picked clean of anything valuable. The real reason for Thor’s bemusement was the man’s claim about the secret to becoming a sky knight.
“How much?” Thor asked.
The question caught Andrew off guard, making him hesitate for a moment.
“Oh! Gold coins, noble sirs! For these precious relics, a mere 500—no, make that just 1,000 gold coins. That’s all you need to unlock the secrets of the Callenina family’s path to becoming dukes! It’s a bargain, truly!” he said, his eyes practically gleaming as he spoke.
In his enthusiasm, Andrew almost convinced himself of the value of his wares. After all, he had indeed picked up this pile of junk from a ruin. Only because he was certain it was worthless scrap was he now trying to pass it off as priceless.
But just as he finished speaking, Thor turned and began to walk away.
“Wait, wait!” Andrew shouted after him, alarmed. “Eight hundred… no, five hundred—just five hundred gold coins!”
Thor kept walking, unfazed by the man’s desperate bargaining.
“I’m only interested in relics,” Thor replied calmly without turning around, “but at most, I’ll pay one gold coin. If that’s not enough, then I’m leaving.”
“One coin? Noble sir, that’s impossible! Look at these treasures from ancient ruins! Ten coins—no less than ten,” Andrew protested, though his confidence faltered as he saw Thor resuming his departure.
“One coin—no more,” Thor said, his tone firm.
Realizing Thor was serious about leaving, Andrew panicked.
“All right, one coin! Just one!” he shouted hastily.
He had been shouting himself hoarse since morning, and no one had shown any interest in his goods. A single coin might not be much, but it would keep him comfortable for half a year.
“Anna, give him one gold coin,” Thor instructed, turning back toward Andrew.
Anna nodded, handing over the single gold coin as Thor gathered up the pile of supposed relics.