- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 137
Earl Engel understood very well that over ninety percent of his recent breakthrough was thanks to his son. As he’d mentioned before, without the life fruit and the purple gold grass Thor had procured, even with the means to create a high-grade life potion, he wouldn’t have been able to utilize it.
Not to mention the Silver Moon Breathing Technique.
As for his own accumulation, it was practically negligible compared to these decisive resources that facilitated the breakthrough.
After all, across the entire Tulip Kingdom, there were easily eighty if not a hundred Earth Knights at the peak of their level, like himself. But almost all of them remained stuck, unable to advance beyond this peak.
Without high-grade life potions or advanced knight breathing techniques, trying to break through was nothing short of a dream.
Looking at Thor, Earl Engel’s emotions wavered momentarily.
However, as the head of the Dresrosa family, he quickly regained his composure, calming himself before turning his gaze back to Thor.
After a brief pause, he spoke again.
“Thor, the reason I had you wait while I made my breakthrough was to ask if there’s anything you need.”
“Now, there are certain things I may finally be able to acquire for you.”
Earl Engel’s expression was serious as he spoke, his tone considerate.
Hearing his father’s words, Thor fell into deep thought.
The earl’s offer was clear, and Thor understood its significance. So, he began to consider his response.
Seeing Thor’s deliberation, Earl Engel waited patiently without interrupting.
After a moment, Thor lifted his head, meeting his father’s gaze.
“Father, I wonder if it would be possible to acquire some alchemists capable of making life potions. Even those who can only create low-grade life potions would be helpful.”
“In addition, I may need a few administrators.”
Thor voiced his thoughts after careful consideration.
Alchemists, known to bridge the gap with mages, had the skills to mix low-grade potions but weren’t true mages. Every mage was a capable alchemist, but not every alchemist was a mage.
Thor’s territory already had life grass seeds and even began cultivation. With the two “Nau” locations in the western northern lands, he had gathered all the main ingredients for low-grade life potions. And with Anna around, he could start potion mixing.
However, after some thought, Thor decided to delegate. With Anna’s potential, having her spend time on low-grade potions was a waste. Her time would be far better spent advancing her meditation training.
So, upon his return, Thor’s primary goal was to see if his father could arrange for alchemists.
Compared to mages, alchemists were easier to come by. Even if their success rates in mixing low-grade life potions were low, it didn’t matter. Thor had plenty of raw materials and no costs to worry about.
“Alchemists?” Engel nodded thoughtfully. “That shouldn’t be a problem. Is there anything else you need? Perhaps some alchemists and high-level mages? If necessary, I could even try to bring in a third-tier mage.”
Thor was taken aback, surprise flickering across his face. “Father, you could bring a third-tier mage?”
Third-tier mages were ranked above even ordinary Earth Knights.
“Not guaranteed, but I can try.”
Earl Engel shook his head gently.
“Well…” Thor hesitated briefly. “No, Father, it’s not necessary to go through so much trouble. Just a few alchemists would suffice, preferably younger ones with potential for growth.”
Thor declined with a slight shake of his head. A third-tier mage would come at a high cost, and he wasn’t lacking in such expertise. In many ways, Anna was already on par with ordinary third-tier mages and could soon break into that level herself.
He didn’t need to invite a high-ranking guest.
“No matter, I’ll give it a try and see what I can do,” Engel said with a faint smile. “As for alchemists, I should be able to gather them quickly. However, using alchemists to create life potions might mean a lower success rate.”
“That’s fine, Father; I can accept that.”
“Very well, then.” Engel nodded approvingly. “Give it a few days. I’ll make arrangements, and we should have them within three days.”
He looked at Thor intently before nodding again. “As for administrators, I’ve prepared a team of ten for you. They should be more than sufficient for your future needs. Additionally, I intend to send Marshal to accompany you to the northern province—how does that sound?”
“Marshal?” Thor was briefly taken aback. “Father, I’m not sure that’s necessary. Uncle Marshal is your most trusted aide. If I take him away, it might be inconvenient for you.”
Thor was about to refuse when Earl Engel interjected.
“Don’t decline just yet. You may not know this, but Marshal is on the verge of breaking through to Earth Knight. Going to the northern province will allow him to assist you in various matters.”
Earl Engel’s tone was calm, yet his words left Thor wide-eyed.
“Father, are you serious?” Thor asked, clearly stunned.
They were supposed to have only two Earth Knights in the family, and now another was about to emerge.
Even though Marshal hadn’t broken through yet, this news alone was enough to astonish him.
“It’s true,” Engel confirmed. “Most likely, it will happen within the next few months.”
Thor fell silent in disbelief, struggling to process the revelation.
Understanding his son’s confusion, Engel chuckled softly.
“You’re probably wondering, aren’t you?”
“Father, just how many Earth Knights does the Dresrosa family truly have?” Thor asked after a moment, his curiosity too strong to contain.
He couldn’t help but wonder. His cousin Rubi Dresrosa was an Earth Knight, and Uncle Marshal was about to become one as well. And what about the rest of the family?
Three hundred years of family legacy—it had to be more than this.
“Not many. Five.”
Seeing the look of surprise on Thor’s face, Engel laughed and clarified.
“Five—only five?”
Thor’s eyes widened, his disbelief apparent.
It wasn’t that he thought it was too many.
Rather, it was far fewer than he’d expected.
Honestly, after all he’d seen, he would have believed if his family had a dozen Earth Knights.
After all, without counting others, his father, Michael, Rubi’s father, and Rubi himself already made four.
And these were only the ones he knew of; he couldn’t believe the family didn’t have others behind the scenes.
“It’s true. Only five.”
“Right now, we technically only have four,” Earl Engel said with a smile. “Since I’ve ascended to Sky Knight, the others include your Uncle Michael, Uncle Chesire, your second uncle, and his son, Rubi.”
This explanation from Earl Engel brought a look of confusion to Thor’s face. The count seemed correct, but something still felt off.
After a brief pause, Thor thought of a possibility.
As Engel’s smile widened, Thor spoke up with a hint of curiosity in his voice.
“Father, didn’t you once say that our Dresrosa family has pursued expansion efforts since the time of your grandfather? Over all these years, hasn’t a single Earth Knight emerged from these endeavors?”
“To my understanding, the Dresrosa name is quite prominent among the frontier knights, and that seems like a recognition far beyond what an ordinary family from the Frostmoon Province could achieve.”
Thor furrowed his brow, realizing what seemed amiss.
When he arrived in Loren City in the northern province, the Dresrosa family name opened many doors for him. At first, he assumed it was simply due to his status as a count’s son. But he later discovered that there were plenty of noble heirs among the frontier knights, even some from marquis families, making his own background not particularly unique.
It wasn’t until later that Thor began to sense that the reputation of the Dresrosa family name itself held weight among the frontier knights.
And to earn respect among frontier knights, there was little doubt about what that implied.
Yet now, that assumption seemed misaligned with what he’d just been told.
Fortunately, his confusion didn’t last long, as Earl Engel began to clarify with a chuckle.
“Hahaha!”
“Thor, those family members who became frontier knights aren’t included in the count. If Marshal follows you to the northern province and manages to break through, he won’t be considered one of the family’s official Earth Knights, either.”
This explanation made Thor’s eyes widen in astonishment.
“Not counted?”
“Of course not,” Engel replied with a smile. “If we included them, we’d have twelve Earth Knights.”
With that, he raised his hand, and a curtain was pulled back behind him, revealing a large map of the Tulip Kingdom.
On the map were red circles, with the largest circle marking Dresrosa Castle. Other circles dotted the Frostmoon Province, with two in particular standing out, along with seven in the Southmoon Province, two in the capital, and twelve in the northern province.
The circles varied in size, some nearly half the size of Dresrosa Castle, others barely as big as a grain of rice.
Thor’s gaze landed on a familiar location—the Maine Valley, which was also marked with a red circle, roughly the size of a soybean.
As Thor processed this, Earl Engel’s calm voice began to explain.
“For the past two hundred years, our family has continuously expanded. Currently, we have fifty-seven territories in total, including two earldoms, seven viscount territories, seventeen baronies—including yours—and thirty-one frontier territories.”
The map’s unveiling, coupled with Earl Engel’s words, left Thor utterly speechless.
He had always known his family was powerful, but he’d never imagined their influence ran this deep.
Twelve Earth Knights! That was potentially more than even the Assad family.
Though they couldn’t compare in raw power—after all, the Assad family reportedly had three peak Earth Knights—the Dresrosa family’s strength alone would have been enough to form their own powerful commercial house like the Assad Company or perhaps even an Eagle Company.
Even so, the sheer magnitude was astonishing.
The Dresrosa family now likely surpassed over ninety percent of the kingdom’s earldom families.
Some marquis families might not even measure up to this.
Thor couldn’t help but wonder if the Dresrosa family, in its prime, could rival the Pat family of the Marquis.
“Hahaha, what do you think—are you surprised?”
Earl Engel chuckled at his son’s expression, clearly pleased with the impact.
After all, Thor had been unusually composed these past few days, to the point where it had almost frustrated Engel.
Now, finally, there was something that managed to shake him up a bit.
“Indeed, Father,” Thor admitted, taking a deep breath and nodding with a wry sigh.
This revelation had genuinely left him in awe.
Even with some prior expectations, the family’s hidden strength hit him harder than he’d anticipated.
It was as though he’d thought his family was worth a million, only for his father to reveal they had not only twelve million, but several more accounts brimming with hundreds of thousands each.
A billionaire family—no, wealthier than even a billionaire family.
The impact was no small matter.
Watching Thor shake his head in wonder, Engel’s smile only deepened.
(End of Chapter)