FLDI Chapter 169

Under normal circumstances, once someone became a pioneering knight, Thor would not ask his family for assistance. However, this was no ordinary situation. The profits at stake were so immense that relying solely on himself and the Eagle Chamber of Commerce would be little more than a pipe dream.

As he had stated, the Drelrosa family could indeed protect such a vast fortune—but only if he could hold onto it.

In this situation, Thor had no choice but to seek help.

He had already written a letter a few days ago.

He had requested his father’s support for two or even three Earth Knights.

With those knights, and alongside Marshal’s breakthrough, Thor would have at least three Earth Knights under his command. Even if faced with the counterattack of powerful noble families, he would have a fighting chance.

As for involving the Eagle Chamber of Commerce—

That was about building a collective effort.

The Eagle Chamber of Commerce was his, but it also belonged to these pioneering lords.

It wasn’t just about his efforts. These others had to work hard as well.

Thor wasn’t foolish enough to charge into battle alone.

As for his proposal, the others present had no objections.

Especially since Thor had considered the threat of the Divine Awakening. If they delayed their actions until after it had passed, then the plan would be much more feasible.

In fact, with this excuse, the support from their families would likely increase, as it would indicate that they had bet on the right outcome.

Soon, everyone reached a unanimous decision.

All of them agreed.

After handling this matter, Thor was ready to depart.

However, just before he left, another major development occurred.

Thor had to delay his journey again.

Because at that moment, after several months of work, the construction of the Kuwaiti Canal had been completed.

A massive new canal had been opened, running through the Eagle Territory. It stretched over twenty miles, and was over ten meters wide and three meters deep, connecting Eagle Town and Falcon Town.

With the river mouth upriver cleared, the waters from the Maine River would now flow down this newly carved channel, eventually converging into the Maine River downstream.

Early in the morning, Thor was brought by Kuwaiti to the canal entrance.

At this moment, a massive crowd had gathered.

Many slaves were smiling, and even Kuwaiti couldn’t hide the excitement on his face.

Months of hard work had darkened his skin, but it had also made him appear more energetic.

“My lord, please take the final step!” Kuwaiti exclaimed, his voice full of excitement, bowing respectfully.

“Alright,” Thor nodded slightly, without a second thought.

He then walked toward the magical crystal cannon at the front.

The Thunderstone that had been brought back from Pat City had been transformed into three magical crystal cannons. This was one of them.

Due to better materials, these three cannons were far more powerful than the previous ones.

One cannon’s power was nearly equivalent to two or more of the earlier versions.

With no hesitation, Thor inserted a second-tier magic core into the cannon.

As soon as the magic core was inserted, the magical array on the cannon lit up with a faint blue glow.

“Boom!”

In the next instant, a blinding beam of light shot up into the sky, racing toward the far-off canal entrance.

“Boom!”

The thunderous explosion rang out, followed by crackling lightning flashing across the canal entrance.

With the overwhelming force, the relatively thin dirt wall around the entrance collapsed instantly.

As the soil broke apart, a massive surge of water poured down the newly carved canal.

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

The river roared, its force unstoppable.

The massive wave surged forward with tremendous momentum, leaving only the sound of thunder in everyone’s ears.

From above, one could see the water flowing like a dragon, rapidly spreading along the newly carved canal.

The speed increased as large amounts of soil were swept away.

Gradually, the entire canal began to take shape.

“Not bad!”

Thor said, feeling pleased as the rumbling sounds slowly diminished. He patted Kuwaiti’s shoulder with a satisfied smile.

Although Kuwaiti had previously claimed the canal could be completed in two months, Thor had not expected it to be finished so quickly—and with such excellent results.

He had just looked over the terrain maps.

This canal, which stretched over twenty-seven miles, would turn the land along its path into fertile soil. It would also help to mitigate the risk of flooding in the Maine River.

While the effects would only be felt upriver and not downstream, it was already more than enough.

After all, Thor didn’t need to worry about the downstream areas.

“Let’s go,” Thor said, smiling. “Now, it’s time to plan for the future. I want to hear your plans going forward.”

“Yes, my lord!” Kuwaiti responded, equally excited.

The two of them returned to Eagle Territory.

Back at the castle, Thor had the maids prepare the updated map of Eagle Territory.

This new map was far clearer than the previous one. Moreover, a new line ran from north to south—this was the newly opened Eagle River.

“My lord, the canal construction cost the lives of 1,423 goblin slaves, with another 23 sustaining light injuries, and three suffering serious injuries,” Kuwaiti reported respectfully, detailing the casualties and the current status of the canal. “The total length of the canal is 27 miles.”

“Record the names of the 23 injured slaves, and award them five merit points each. The three seriously injured should be given twenty merit points,” Thor nodded, considering the matter carefully. “This is part of the cost of territory development, and I will ensure they are rewarded accordingly.”

When it came to the effort and sacrifices made for the territory’s growth, Thor always took care to reward those who contributed.

For instance, in this case, even though the slaves’ merit points for working on the canal weren’t very high, they would still earn them.

According to Thor’s merit point system, free citizens could only earn merit points by helping the lord build or expand the territory, while serfs only received a fixed merit point each year unless a war or unexpected event occurred.

The canal construction qualified as such an event, and the workers received one merit point per month, with a maximum of three points for three months of labor.

Three merit points was a significant amount for a slave—usually the equivalent of three years of effort.

Although this was still far from being enough for the slaves to gain their freedom, it was a start.

As for those seriously injured, the additional 20 merit points would help them gain enough points to eventually escape slavery.

This was Thor’s way of offering opportunities.

Because of these chances, everyone in Eagle Territory—whether free or enslaved—was filled with hope, unlike the deathly stagnation found in other territories.

Other pioneering lords might give serfs opportunities, but even if they became free citizens, little would change.

But for Thor, becoming a free citizen opened the door to joining the fledgling Eagle Knights, giving the individual and their family a chance to rise in status.

This was crucial.

Even slaves could see the allure of these opportunities, and for free citizens, the potential benefits were even greater.

And for knights, more merit points would allow them to cultivate faster—just another attractive prospect in Thor’s system.

This was the core of Thor’s entire system.

Of course, this applied to humans. When it came to goblin slaves, Thor didn’t concern himself much.

These goblins were expendable.

With Anna’s help, there was no need to worry about conserving resources.

A simple slave contract solved most problems.

“Yes, my lord!”

“I will handle it immediately,” Kuwaiti said respectfully, not paying much attention to the goblin slaves.

“Alright,” Thor said with a smile. “Now, tell me your plans for the future.”

Thor nodded in satisfaction, then spoke again.

The canal’s construction was not the key; the real challenge lay in the subsequent development of the farmland across the entire Eagle Territory.

As Kuwaiti had described earlier, there was potential to reclaim an additional two thousand acres of farmland.

At this moment, Thor was deeply focused on the matter.

After all, food was the foundation of any territory, and for a lord seeking to develop, it was even more crucial.

“My lord, please look!”

“The Eagle River runs through the entire territory from north to south, with a length spanning twenty-seven miles. The territory can rely on this to extend irrigation channels throughout the northern and eastern regions.”

“Currently, I have a preliminary plan to develop this area. I believe that just this region alone can easily reach two thousand acres. And if further expansion is needed, we can continue eastward. The entire area is flat and open farmland, with no natural obstacles. The reason it wasn’t developed before was due to a lack of sufficient water sources. Now, with the Eagle River flowing through, we can easily channel water to these regions.”

“The only problem is the dry season. During that time, these areas might be affected by a water shortage, but the impact will be minimal. Since you’ve already built a dam on the upper Maine River, we can simply divert the water down during the dry season to meet the irrigation needs. Additionally, we can construct water reservoirs in these areas. During the flood season, we can divert more water, and during the dry season, these reservoirs can be used as backup.”

As Thor listened to Kuwaiti’s words, he could feel his excitement building. Kuwaiti quickly organized his thoughts and began pointing to the map, explaining the details of the plan.

It was clear that Kuwaiti had thought ahead, already preparing for the expansion of farmland once the Eagle River was opened. His plans were well-formed, and his ideas were clear and well-articulated.

Even Thor, listening carefully, couldn’t help but feel a spark of excitement.

Kuwaiti’s plan was highly refined, even multi-layered. With the successful opening of the Eagle River, if his plan continued as laid out, it seemed entirely possible to develop much of the Eagle Territory.

At that point, not just two thousand acres, but perhaps even ten thousand acres could be within reach.

Thinking of ten thousand acres, Thor’s breath quickened.

Ten thousand acres—almost one million mu (Chinese acres). Even at the current yield rate of three hundred pounds per mu, that would be three hundred million pounds of food.

In addition, the current Eagle Territory already had close to ten thousand acres of farmland, which would bring the total food production to six hundred million pounds.

Such a yield was enough to make anyone’s scalp tingle.

At least, at this moment, no other noble lord in the Northern Provinces could match such a scale of food production.

Even Thor couldn’t help but catch his breath.

Especially since he hadn’t forgotten that he now had an elven girl—Aivira, a forest elf—who had the ability to greatly increase crop yields.

If they worked together, the food production wouldn’t just be six hundred million pounds. It could reach a billion, or even twenty billion pounds.

Just thinking about that result was enough to stir anyone’s excitement.

“My lord, that’s my plan so far.”

“For the first phase, it should take about a year, but to fully complete it will likely take about three years.”

Thor felt a surge of excitement, and Kuwaiti’s voice gradually faded as he finished speaking. Afterward, Kuwaiti looked at Thor with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.

His plan was vast, and the time and manpower required were substantial. He needed Thor’s support to proceed.

“Three years, you say!”

“That’s acceptable.”

“Those workers will remain under your command, and I’ll also have Joseph send you an additional three thousand goblin slaves.”

Thor collected his thoughts, pondered for a moment, and then nodded in agreement.

For most other lords, dedicating three years to such a large-scale project might be hard to accept.

After all, while food is a stable commodity, the immediate returns aren’t as fast as from a mine, or from hunting magical beasts. With that kind of time, some might rather seek out a mine or hunt magical creatures for quicker gains.

But for Thor, it was different.

He was preparing to put down roots here, so he was deeply invested. He was even willing to pay a higher price for success.

“Thank you, my lord.”

“I will complete all the construction within three years!”

Hearing Thor’s firm response, Kuwaiti, who had been tense up until now, couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. His face lit up with excitement as he spoke.

“Do your best!”

Thor smiled and nodded.

(End of Chapter)

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