- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 142
For a noble, their territory is everything. Once lost, a noble not only loses their source of authority but also their future. The kingdom would rarely grant another territory, and acquiring a new one would be nearly impossible.
For pioneer lords aiming to advance to nobility, securing a title requires not only merit but also land. One hundred points of merit could earn a baronial title from the kingdom—but only if you possess territory. If you lose it, even a thousand points of merit wouldn’t elevate you to a landed noble status; at best, you’d become a court noble.
This was an outcome most lords would not accept. Therefore, they would never give up on their territories unless absolutely necessary.
However, this optimism might be misplaced.
With the approaching Divine Revelation, even if the kingdom managed to contain it, and even if they crushed it in its infancy, nobles stationed on the frontlines could still face considerable risks.
But for Thor, this was a distant concern.
After gaining an overview of the situation, he resumed his journey back to Eagle’s Reach the following morning.
Seven days passed smoothly.
Finally, after nearly four months away, Thor once again arrived in Eagle’s Reach.
His territory had changed considerably in his absence. Most noticeably, it had nearly doubled in size.
More farmland had been cleared, with new shoots sprouting from the wheat fields. Canals built by the goblins now crisscrossed the fields, and those working in the fields moved with smiles on their faces.
Thor’s arrival quickly attracted attention, and soon, people recognized him.
“Milord!”
“Milord!”
“My lord!”
The cries rang out from all around him as slaves, freemen, and knights alike bowed respectfully. Behind Thor, the newcomers from Frostmoon Province watched in astonishment. Even though they had heard stories of Eagle’s Reach, the reality far surpassed their expectations.
This place was nothing like the barren frontier they had imagined. The development and prosperity here rivaled that of Frostmoon Province, and Thor’s authority over the people was evidently beyond measure.
“So, this is Eagle’s Reach?” Entos, one of the alchemists, murmured in awe.
“Our lord is truly impressive,” Christine added, her admiration clear.
Their gazes toward Thor were filled with newfound respect and amazement.
It wasn’t just them; even the knights and clerks sent by Earl Engel shared similar reactions, and even Marshall appeared visibly impressed.
As they marveled at their surroundings, a group approached from the distance—the welcoming party led by Raine and Steve.
As they drew closer, Raine and Steve quickened their steps.
“Milord!” they greeted him with utmost respect.
“Well done,” Thor said, nodding in approval. “You’ve both handled things well during my absence.”
Thor was genuinely pleased with these two. Steve had managed the territory effectively, addressing various issues and maintaining stability, while Raine had continued to excel in trade.
Thor’s words of praise set the newcomers abuzz.
Both Raine and Steve carried the powerful aura of Grand Knights, something that made the others glance over at Peros with surprise. The knowledge that Thor had not just one but three Grand Knights under his command—and counting Thor himself, a total of four—sent waves of excitement through them.
This level of strength was almost unheard of for a pioneer territory, and they felt a renewed sense of security about their future.
Marshall, on the other hand, was once again left astounded.
He remembered Raine well; he was just someone Thor had brought back from a small town over a year ago. And now, in under two years, he, too, had reached the rank of Grand Knight. Marshall, on the other hand, had taken over ten—perhaps even fifteen—years to reach the same level.
While Thor was busy speaking to Raine and Steve, Marshall and the others exchanged silent looks of amazement.
Raine and Steve, for their part, remained focused on Thor.
“We don’t deserve such praise, milord,” Raine said, visibly relieved at Thor’s approval, as did Steve.
“Let’s head inside,” Thor said, waving off their modesty. “Steve, I’d like a full report on the territory’s progress since I’ve been gone.”
“It’s already prepared, milord,” Steve replied. “You may review it anytime.”
Steve then led the group into the heart of the town.
Compared to the past, Eagle’s Reach now truly felt like a town, bustling with residents. Over the past four months, after receiving Thor’s approval, Steve had returned to Loren City and purchased an additional three thousand slaves. The town’s population now approached nearly ten thousand people, and with the frequent clearing of surrounding lands, more freemen had arrived, adding to the town’s vitality.
Even after four months away, Thor’s presence still excited the people, who greeted him warmly, bowing and cheering as he passed.
Thor acknowledged them with nods and continued to the castle.
Inside the castle, a banquet had already begun, and after a hearty feast, the guests and new arrivals settled comfortably into their surroundings. By now, Eagle’s Reach needed no extra assurances to inspire confidence—its development was reassurance enough.
Later in the study, Steve and Raine gathered with Thor as he sat down at his desk to review Steve’s detailed reports.
The room was silent as Steve and Raine waited patiently, a hint of tension in the air.
Finally, after about half an hour, Thor finished reading through the documents, placing them down and furrowing his brow slightly.
It wasn’t due to any issues with the territory’s progress. On the contrary, everything he saw, both around him and in the documents, was highly satisfactory.
By now, Eagle’s Reach had expanded to two small towns, with a third under construction. The population had reached around fifteen thousand, with over a thousand of them being freemen.
The forces here had also grown impressively.
Before he had left, Eagle’s Reach had forty-three formal knights and 132 apprentice knights. But in the mere four months he’d been away, thanks to an influx of resources, the number of formal knights had risen from forty-three to forty-five, adding two more. The number of apprentice knights had grown even more dramatically, with an increase from 132 to 151, an addition of nineteen in total.
This was an astonishing rate of growth.
With the additional knights provided by Earl Engel, Thor’s forces had grown substantially—he now commanded 65 full-fledged knights and over 200 apprentices. His power had increased significantly, enough that he could now claim a segment of the Danube region in the west.
With Marshall’s assistance, he might even be able to secure a more lucrative area along the Danube with abundant Naudite deposits.
Alongside this military growth, Eagle’s Reach had also significantly boosted its food production. Despite the rising population and the thousands of goblins under his command, they were now able to meet the territory’s needs comfortably. Once the newly cultivated fields were ready for harvest, they would have a considerable surplus.
Add to that the annual trade profits: within just four months, he had earned over 5,000 gold coins—an impressive sum even without fully tapping into the market for silver-plated armor. If he were to expand that trade, the revenue could easily double.
All of this indicated that Eagle’s Reach had successfully moved past the initial challenges of pioneering and was now entering a phase of genuine growth and prosperity.
Yet, Thor’s expression darkened when he reviewed the situation of the Eagle Trade Guild.
Yes, the guild had indeed stimulated substantial growth and generated considerable revenue. Thor’s 50% stake had already brought him 5,000 gold coins, meaning the guild itself had generated 10,000 coins over the past four months—a sum on par with the yearly income of many earl’s territories.
The guild’s growth was certainly impressive. Projecting forward, annual earnings could easily reach 30,000 gold coins—a staggering figure.
But within these numbers, Thor detected a troubling pattern: growth had flatlined about a month ago, and this month, profits even showed a slight decline. Theoretically, this shouldn’t have happened.
With the trade methods Thor had implemented, the guild’s income should have continued snowballing until it reached a saturation point. And he was certain this saturation point was far beyond 30,000 gold coins. The Marquis of Layman alone reaped well over a hundred thousand gold annually from Loren City alone. Even accounting for the remote northern region, the idea of capping at 30,000 seemed inconceivable.
It was clear there was a problem.
“Raine, what’s going on with the Eagle Trade Guild?” Thor asked, setting down the report and looking directly at Raine.
With Rachios absent, Raine had been the guild’s main point of contact. Thor trusted he would know what was happening.
“Milord, the situation is… complicated,” Raine replied hesitantly, clearly struggling with how to begin.
“What’s the matter?” Thor asked, his expression growing serious as he took in Raine’s uncertainty.
“Milord, it’s difficult to explain,” Steve interjected, his expression equally somber.
“Oh?” Thor turned to Steve, intrigued.
“Milord, initially, the guild’s activities proceeded smoothly. In just a few months, Master Rachios had managed to establish trade with over forty pioneer lords in the western region. By last month, we’d expanded to sixty-seven lords. However, this rapid growth attracted attention from powerful nobles in the west, and since last month, they’ve begun interfering, obstructing, and even attacking our operations.”
“That’s right, milord,” Raine added. “Just last week, they ambushed one of our caravans. While there were no casualties, we suffered significant material losses. More concerning, they’ve started setting up toll checkpoints along major routes, charging exorbitant fees to restrict our access. It’s made expansion much harder.”
As Thor listened to Steve and Raine’s explanations, the pieces started falling into place.
It was clear that the success of the Eagle Trade Guild had disrupted the interests of powerful nobles in the west. For these nobles, the western region—and indeed much of the northern province—was essentially their private domain.
While the Marquis of Layman held overarching authority, his control was largely limited to slave trading, with few restrictions otherwise. Given this, the wealth generated in these regions naturally fell into the hands of these powerful noble lords, who had the resources and influence to dominate local trade.
However, the Eagle Trade Guild’s expansion had disrupted this unspoken agreement, threatening the status quo. The nobles who considered the local populace their own private “harvest” were understandably enraged at the intrusion.
Thor suspected the only reason the guild hadn’t been outright destroyed was due to the looming influence of the Dresrosa family. As a well-known family of pioneering knights, the Dresrosa influence in the northern province extended beyond just Thor and Tonio; they held significant sway in multiple areas.
This cumulative strength likely deterred their adversaries from using more forceful tactics. But harassment, obstruction, and economic interference were all fair game.
Particularly troubling was the implementation of checkpoints—a tactic Thor had seen in action in Frostmoon Province. In Frostmoon, even a well-regulated province had suffered from such measures. Here in the northern province, where restrictions were looser, the effect was likely to be even worse.
And unlike Frostmoon, these nobles didn’t need to worry about exhausting local resources. Their only target was the Eagle Trade Guild, and they had nothing to lose by pushing the boundaries as far as possible.