- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 159
The morning sunlight spilled into the room.
Thor opened his eyes, and Anna approached to assist him with washing up.
Soon, a gentle knock echoed at the door.
“Lord Thor!”
A polite, respectful voice came from outside.
Thor gestured, and Anna moved to open the door.
“Lord Thor, breakfast has been prepared. The lord invites you to join him!”
The butler’s tone carried courteous deference.
“Thank you,” Thor replied, nodding as he followed the butler to the dining hall.
Moments later, Thor once again encountered Stein Campbell.
Today, Stein was dressed casually, his golden hair tied back simply. Seeing Thor enter, he greeted him with a broad smile.
“Thor, my friend, I hope you slept well last night?”
Stein’s voice was warm and inviting.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” Thor replied with a smile, taking his seat at the table with Anna.
Servants quickly brought out the food.
It was a beautifully prepared slab of porcine beast meat, its rich aroma wafting enticingly to Thor’s nose.
“This is truly delicious!” Thor remarked, savoring the dish. “Thank you so much!”
Lifting his glass, he signaled a toast to Stein.
“Hahaha!” Stein chuckled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, my friend.”
The two shared lighthearted conversation as they ate, maintaining a congenial atmosphere.
With the meal concluded, Thor and Stein moved to a study to commence formal negotiations.
“My friend, you must know, my territory is rich in resources,” Stein began confidently. “It boasts the largest iron mine, a major copper mine, and three Nau production sites. The annual income from Nau alone exceeds 5,000 gold coins, not to mention the value of the iron and copper mines. Combined with the output of the land, the annual revenue easily surpasses 10,000 gold coins.”
“For all of this, my friend, I ask only 20,000 gold coins. What do you think?” Stein smiled as he made his pitch.
“No, no, my friend!” Thor shook his head with a light laugh. “Gold coins don’t work that way. Acquiring this land wouldn’t bring us much benefit, especially with the uncertainty of whether we’ll even last a year. Paying a full year’s revenue for something so risky—don’t you think that’s unreasonable?”
Thor smiled faintly, his tone calm. “Besides, even if we wanted to, do you think we could produce 20,000 gold coins?”
Thor chuckled bitterly after his question.
“Hahaha, my friend, perhaps you’re right; that might be excessive,” Stein said with a laugh, pausing to consider. “How about this: 10,000 gold coins? And we can even arrange a loan for you—you don’t have to pay immediately.”
“My friend, that’s still too high,” Thor countered. “How about basing it on one month’s revenue? The large iron mine generates about 500 gold coins a month, the copper mine around 400, and the three Nau production sites another 300–400. Altogether, that’s 1,200 gold coins. What do you think?”
Thor’s tone remained calm, but firm.
To suggest taking a loan for 10,000 gold coins—what a joke. He wasn’t here to gamble, and such risks were entirely unnecessary.
“Lord Thor, my friend, this lacks sincerity!” Stein exclaimed, feigning disbelief. “1,200 gold coins? My god, that’s impossible!”
“No, it’s entirely possible,” Thor replied with a light sigh. “The Divine Revelation is imminent. Only if we survive it can there be a future. The risk is enormous. Why would we spend 10,000 gold coins to take on such danger? The vast Northern Province, with its undeveloped northern and eastern regions, surely has untapped resource points. With 10,000 gold coins, we could achieve so much more.”
Thor’s voice was steady, his reasoning irrefutable.
For hours, the two haggled in the study.
Stein, seeing Thor as an easy mark, wanted to squeeze as much as possible from the deal.
Thor, on the other hand, had no intention of being fleeced.
This back-and-forth stretched on for two days.
Thor remained patient, knowing that Stein, not he, was the one under pressure.
By the second day, Stein began to show signs of frustration. His initial enthusiasm waned, and his attitude turned increasingly curt.
Thor wasn’t bothered. His focus was solely on securing the best deal. Whether Stein was polite or not was irrelevant—this was business, not friendship.
On the third day, Stein finally lost his temper.
“Lord Thor, this price is absurd!” Stein roared. “3,000 gold coins to take all this? That’s impossible!”
“Lord Stein,” Thor replied coolly, rising from his seat. “It seems we no longer have anything to discuss. This is my absolute limit. If this doesn’t work for you, I must apologize.”
“Thank you for your hospitality,” Thor added, turning to leave.
“Thor, no—my friend! 5,000 gold coins, just 5,000! And we can still arrange a loan,” Stein called after him, forcing a strained smile.
“No, Lord Stein,” Thor replied with a sigh, shaking his head. “3,000 gold coins is my final offer. Frankly, its true value is closer to 2,500, isn’t it?”
“If you can’t agree, then I’m sorry to trouble you,” Thor said, continuing toward the door.
“Wait!” Stein called out, his voice bitter.
“Thor, my friend… You’ve misunderstood. 3,000 gold coins—it is,” Stein finally conceded, his expression twisting as though he had swallowed something foul.
But he had no choice. The situation forced his hand.
“Hahaha, a simple misunderstanding, my friend!” Stein forced a laugh, extending his hand.
Thor smiled and nodded in agreement.
The two finalized the deal, and with the price set, the remaining formalities proceeded smoothly.
Thor arranged for Rachos to handle the transfer of assets once he departed.
As Thor and his party rode away, Stein stood at the castle gates, his expression dark.
“Dressrosa’s offspring!” Stein muttered, his voice cold. “You better hope the Divine Revelation claims you. Otherwise, reclaiming my land won’t come cheap.”
His eyes gleamed with malice.
“Lazio!” Stein barked.
A knight entered the room. “Yes, my lord?”
“Send word: speed up the preparations. In ten days, we leave,” Stein ordered.
“Yes, my lord,” the knight replied, bowing before exiting the room.
The knight responded respectfully.
Thor, of course, didn’t witness this exchange.
Still, even without seeing it, he could easily imagine what the powerful lords were thinking.
On one hand, they were dumping resources they couldn’t take with them, minimizing their losses. On the other hand, if the Divine Revelation ended and they returned, they could simply reclaim what they had sold. After all, the Dressrosa family was merely a count’s household—how could they possibly resist?
No matter how they calculated, it seemed like a win for them.
But they clearly underestimated how much the Dressrosa family had changed.
When they returned, everything would be different. Abandoning their assets and hoping to reclaim them later? Pure wishful thinking.
Thor’s lips curled into a smile as he rode back. Satisfaction was etched across his face.
This trip had been an unparalleled success.
For just 3,000 gold coins, he had acquired most of a powerful lord’s resources—a scenario unimaginable in the past but now easily achieved.
As for any resentment or anger Stein Campbell might harbor?
Thor chuckled to himself. Let Stein worry about surviving the Northern Province first.
His connection with the Nature Spirit allowed Thor to sense Stein’s murderous intent quite clearly. What was initially a consideration of how to extract the elven girl now seemed unnecessary.
In fact, Thor saw an opportunity to profit even more.
In the chaos of the Northern Province, with the Divine Revelation looming, deaths among pioneering lords—and even powerful nobles—were common. Recently, several counts had fallen on the northern front.
Another Campbell scion meeting the same fate wouldn’t raise eyebrows.
Of course, Thor needed to carefully plan how to act.
—-
Five Days Later
Thor returned to Tono’s territory, where Rachos was already waiting.
Inside the room, Rachos greeted him respectfully.
“My lord!”
Thor didn’t respond immediately, lost in thought for a moment.
Finally, he spoke.
“Rachos, 23 miles west of Tono’s territory is a patch of bramble vines. Go there and extract the sap from the vines. Soak it into a batch of gold coins, seal them properly, and deliver them to Stein Campbell.”
Rachos blinked in confusion, momentarily stunned by the peculiar order.
“Yes, my lord!” he quickly responded, masking his doubts.
He had never refused Thor’s commands before, and this time would be no different.
“Ensure the seal is flawless,” Thor added, tapping the table. “Do not open it until it’s handed over to Baron Campbell. Pelos will accompany you this time. Your only task is to deliver the gold coins to Campbell.”
Thor’s tone was calm, but his instructions carried unmistakable weight.
“Yes, my lord!” Rachos nodded again, though he couldn’t suppress the faint unease stirring within him.
He wasn’t foolish. By now, the implications of Thor’s plan were clear, but he held his tongue, forcing himself to remain composed.
“Go now.”
Thor dismissed him with a wave.
“Understood.” Rachos bowed, his heart pounding as he left the room.
After leaving, Rachos quickly sought out Pelos, and the two set off on their mission.
Watching from the window, Thor followed their departure with a steady gaze.
Over nearly two years, Rachos’s loyalty and performance had proven him to be trustworthy. It was for this reason Thor had entrusted him with this task.
—-
Inside the Room
“Master!”
As Rachos departed, Anna entered the room.
“Anna, can you communicate with that elf?” Thor asked, glancing at her.
“Yes, I can summon other elves through the elven magic array. As long as they’re within a thousand miles, I should be able to reach them,” Anna replied eagerly. “Should I call now?”
Anna’s voice trembled with excitement. Thor had previously told her to hold off on making contact, and she had obediently complied. Hearing his question now filled her with anticipation.
“Not yet,” Thor said with a smile. “Wait a few more days. The time will come.”
Thor’s calm demeanor didn’t surprise Anna. Before their journey, he had studied extensively about the continent, including its inhabitants and their unique traits.
Elves, Thor knew, were vastly different from humans.
Forest elves were born from the Tree of Life, while nature elves were formed by elemental energy.
Each forest elf was both an individual and part of a larger collective. Their connection to one another was profound, enabling extraordinary abilities—communication being one of them.
It was precisely this knowledge that gave Thor the confidence to proceed with his plan.
The young elven girl was no ordinary being. Through her contract with Anna, Thor had sensed the dense magical energy within her—likely third tier, if not stronger.
If she remained by Stein Campbell’s side, any attempt to act against him would be fraught with complications.
To eliminate those risks, separating her from Stein was essential.
Once she was removed from the equation, everything else would fall into place.
With a satisfied smile, Thor leaned back, confident that his plan was progressing perfectly.
(End of Chapter)