- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 166
In the study, the three individuals were breathing heavily, their gazes inevitably drawn to Thor.
That was thirty merit points—a staggering number, nearly four hundred points in a year.
In other words, in just one year, they could get seven family heirs into the Eagle Knight Templars. Moreover, it would provide better conditions and resources for their heirs’ future training.
Such an outcome was enough to excite anyone just by thinking about it.
Of course, even though they were filled with excitement, the three of them still forced themselves to calm down, waiting for Thor’s next words.
“General Affairs Officer. You will handle all the affairs of the Eagle Territory. For less important matters, you have the authority to make decisions on your own. The position will rotate every three years.”
“As for how to elect the officer, you three are currently in charge of the management of three territories. Therefore, your performance in managing these three territories will determine who will take the position. You will have one month to demonstrate your abilities. After a month, whoever manages the territory better and gains more acceptance from the Eagle Territory will become the first General Affairs Officer.”
Seeing the excited expressions on the three of them, Thor’s voice rang out again.
And this time, the breaths of the three men became even heavier.
Three years—three full years.
With nearly 360 merit points a year, three years would mean over a thousand points.
This was an enormous gain.
Not to mention the value of being a General Affairs Officer.
That couldn’t even be measured in a thousand points.
The Eagle Territory was bound to prosper in the future, and becoming its General Affairs Officer would elevate their status along with it.
“Yes, my lord!”
“We will not disappoint you!”
The three of them respectfully spoke, their faces flushed with even greater excitement.
“Go.”
“I hope you don’t disappoint me.”
Thor waved them off, and the three of them forced themselves to calm their excitement as they slowly withdrew.
Watching them leave, Thor turned his attention back to the desk.
After a brief pause, he moved the stack of papers aside, took a blank sheet, and picked up a quill. He began to ponder.
Now that a decision had been made, it was time to refine the details.
The General Affairs Officer was expected to be the most important position in the Eagle Territory for a long time.
Thor had to think about the powers and responsibilities of this role. He also needed to make some plans.
This was undoubtedly going to be a heavy task.
Fortunately, with the political foundation of his previous life, Thor didn’t find it too difficult to refine the role. The only issue was that it would take time to sift through everything.
Time passed slowly.
Over the next few days, Thor continued handling administrative affairs while also working on the blueprint for the General Affairs Officer role.
Soon, twenty days had passed.
During this time, Joseph, Monk, and Raymond were fully focused on managing the three new territories.
Their efforts yielded impressive results.
The three territories were no longer unfamiliar to them. In particular, the territory Joseph managed had already transformed. In just twenty days, it was nearly indistinguishable from Eagle Town or Fierce Eagle Town.
Figures could be seen everywhere—whether serfs or free citizens—all sporting smiles.
Even Raymond’s and Monk’s territories had changed greatly.
It could be expected that it wouldn’t be long before these two territories truly became part of the Eagle Territory.
But clearly, they were a little behind.
Unless something unexpected happened, Joseph would likely win this round.
Thor was satisfied. He hadn’t misjudged them—each of the three had top-tier abilities in handling affairs.
Even if Raymond and Monk didn’t win the position this time, they would have a chance in the next round.
Their understanding of his system and ability to improve upon it was impressive.
Thor, with his knowledge from another world, had experience, memories, and knowledge—but there were still gaps. Many things were still vague concepts to him.
This included the merit system and territorial management, both of which were still crude and had plenty of flaws.
These issues wouldn’t be a problem in the early stages of development, but if allowed to continue unchecked, the consequences could be dire.
Thor had long been worried about this.
But now, this was the best outcome.
The three of them had the ability to improve these areas.
Once one of them became General Affairs Officer, they would undoubtedly refine the territory further. Even if they couldn’t completely solve the problems, at least they would be able to manage most of them.
Thor was naturally satisfied.
In the study.
Knock, knock!
Thor gently tapped his fingers on the desk. Before him lay a pile of documents, which he had compiled over the past twenty days—detailing the responsibilities and duties of the General Affairs Officer.
According to his design, the General Affairs Officer would have decision-making authority over all affairs in the Eagle Territory, except for the Knight Templars and the merit system. The officer would be responsible for the territory’s development and planning.
The General Affairs Officer would rotate every three years, and re-election was possible, but the term could not exceed three consecutive terms, meaning a maximum of nine years. After nine years, a new officer would be selected from among the current officers. The officer with the most additional merit points, excluding basic merit, would become the new General Affairs Officer.
Once elected, the General Affairs Officer would receive a basic merit of thirty points per month. After three years in office, the officer would be evaluated. If the territory’s development was successful, they would receive merit rewards; if it was underperforming, merit points would be deducted.
It was a system somewhat akin to a prime minister or president, though with far less power.
For instance, the General Affairs Officer would have no control over the Knight Templars or the merit system.
Without these two areas, all explanations and final decisions still lay with Thor.
This was, of course, the inevitable outcome.
After all, this was a feudal era, and Thor couldn’t realistically establish a system based on modern civilization—that would be both unrealistic and self-defeating.
Even so, the position of General Affairs Officer was still highly attractive.
If this document were to be released, all the other officers in the Eagle Territory would be left stunned.
Because becoming an officer meant a significant leap for one’s entire family.
If one could serve three consecutive terms as General Affairs Officer, their family could quickly rise to a level previously unimaginable.
“It still needs some refining.”
“I’ll wait until after this term to release it.”
Thor murmured, pausing his finger on the desk.
He then returned the documents to the drawer.
At this point, the document was still just a draft.
It needed more refinement before being officially released.
Just as Thor placed the documents back in the drawer, there was a knock at the door.
“Come in!”
Thor spoke, turning his gaze toward the door.
“My lord!”
Kristini entered respectfully.
“How are things progressing?”
Thor asked, looking at the young woman.
“My lord, the low-grade Life Potions are now being produced at a rate of one per day. In another month, we should be able to increase production to two per day.”
Kristini answered, giving a report to Thor.
“One per day? Not bad.”
Thor nodded in satisfaction. He was pleased with the progress—just one month ago, production was at one bottle every two days. Now, it was up to one per day. At the price of the Northern Province, that meant an output of two to three hundred gold coins per day.
Just from the Life Potions alone, his monthly income was over six thousand gold coins.
This amount far exceeded that of most lords in the Northern Province.
But when Kristini spoke again, Thor was a bit puzzled.
“My lord…”
Hearing Thor’s satisfied response, Kristini let out a sigh of relief. However, after a brief moment, her expression turned somewhat awkward.
“What’s wrong?”
Thor raised an eyebrow, surprised by Kristini’s shift in demeanor.
“Well… my lord, the letter I sent to my friend, she doesn’t intend to come to the Northern Province. She asked me to thank you for your kind offer.”
Kristini spoke, looking embarrassed.
“Hahaha, don’t worry about it!”
“It’s fine, Kristini. There’s no need to be upset. Everyone has their own choices.”
Thor chuckled, then quickly understood what had happened.
A month ago, Kristini had mentioned a friend who was a powerful apothecary. She had written a letter inviting her friend to the Northern Province.
Now it seemed that the invitation had been declined.
Thor didn’t mind, of course.
An apothecary wasn’t something he lacked at the moment.
With Kristini and two other apothecaries already working for him, and even an elven girl—who, being a natural magician, was also a natural apothecary—Thor wasn’t in need of another apothecary.
In fact, Life Potions had originated from the natural forests.
Ivyra, a peak third-tier mage, may not have been strong in combat, but her skills in potion-making were unquestionable.
Thor didn’t need to worry about finding more apothecaries.
If they didn’t want to come, it was their loss, not his.
Thor’s conditions for apothecaries were unparalleled.
He offered a steady supply of materials for practice and even magical training.
No noble could offer their apothecaries the same opportunities.
“Thank you, my lord!”
Kristini breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly thanked him.
“No need to thank me. It’s nothing.”
“By the way, how’s your meditation going?”
Thor waved it off and asked with a thoughtful tone.
“It’s going well. I’ve already sensed the spiritual sea.”
Kristini smiled, her excitement evident. She hadn’t expected her mage talent to be so good. In less than two months, she had already sensed the spiritual sea.
At her current rate of progress, she would soon open her spiritual sea and become a qualified mage.
“Good!”
“Keep up the good work!”
Thor nodded, then instructed, “For the Life Potions, have them put in a bit more effort. The success rate is still too low.”
“Yes, my lord!”
Kristini bowed respectfully and quickly withdrew.
After hearing about the progress with the potions, Thor turned his attention back to his other duties.
The next ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
In the end, nothing unexpected occurred. Joseph became the first General Affairs Officer of the Eagle Territory.
The territory he had governed, the Baron Valmi’s estate, had been completely transformed in less than two months. It no longer resembled its former self and was indistinguishable from Eagle Town or Fierce Eagle Town.
The estate’s arable land, which had once covered over three thousand hectares, was expanded to five thousand.
The population of the Valmi estate had exceeded thirteen thousand, with nearly 90% of them being slaves. But after two months of strict management according to Thor’s merit system, the number of free citizens had grown to over two thousand, with their standard of living also significantly improving.
By comparison, Raymond’s estate and Monk’s were still far behind.
In the heart of Eagle Town, Thor handed the emblem representing the General Affairs Officer’s role to Joseph, officially announcing him as the first General Affairs Officer.
At the same time, he briefly explained the officer’s duties and responsibilities.
When this news was made public, all the other officers were thrilled.
Their breaths grew heavy with excitement.
“Three years!”
One officer murmured to himself, clearly already looking forward to the next election in three years.
Soon, the others were thinking the same thing, all of them filled with anticipation.
This was precisely what Thor had hoped for.
On the one hand, it gave the officers more hope, and on the other, it placed pressure on the new General Affairs Officer.
With enough hope and pressure, these officers would be motivated to do better.
In Thor’s plan, his territory wasn’t going to be like the other nobles’—where they self-destructed—but rather, he intended to develop it to its utmost potential.
(End of Chapter)