- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 171
Ten days later.
Carter, accompanied by several apprentice knights, arrived at the Eagle Territory. When they reached the territory, Carter was immediately struck by the sight before him. The vast fields of wheat stretched endlessly, and in the distance, a massive city under construction gradually came into view.
Figures were bustling about, working with great energy.
This was far from the remote little town Carter had imagined.
In fact, it gave him the impression that it was even more prosperous than the Dresrosa Castle.
“Thor, this is amazing!”
Carter murmured, his eyes sparkling.
His entire face flushed with excitement.
Over the course of his journey, Carter had seen many territories in the Northern Province, but none of them had the vibrancy and prosperity of his brother’s land. This made him even more in awe and proud.
In the study.
Thor was in the middle of preparations when he soon received the news of Carter’s arrival.
“Carter?”
Thor paused, looking surprised.
“Yes, one of the knights identified himself as Carter Dresrosa.”
The maid spoke respectfully.
“Alright, I understand.”
“Bring him in.”
Thor nodded.
“Yes, my lord!”
The maid responded and quickly left the room.
As he watched the maid leave, Thor couldn’t help but furrow his brow in mild surprise.
But the surprise was brief, and he quickly returned to focusing on the matters at hand.
Half an hour later, there was a light knock on the door again.
“Come in.”
Thor called out, and the door opened to reveal the maid leading Carter into the room.
“Brother Thor!”
Carter greeted, slightly nervous.
“It really is you, Carter! What brings you here?”
Thor’s face broke into a smile as he looked at the familiar young man, his voice warm and welcoming.
“Brother Thor, I’ve become an apprentice knight now, and I wanted to come and help you!”
Carter spoke with a mix of excitement and determination.
At that moment, seeing his brother again after so long—especially after Thor had praised him and given him a chance—it was as if a deep impression of Thor had been imprinted in his mind.
So, after becoming an apprentice knight, Carter couldn’t wait to come here and offer his help.
“Hahaha, well done, Carter! I knew I didn’t misjudge you!”
Thor gave a hearty laugh, feeling a surge of pride as he patted Carter’s shoulder.
“By the way, Carter, your father asked me to tell you that the kingdom has likely started moving in the past few days.”
“He said you should prepare and pay attention to any activity in the northern region.”
“Do you know what he meant?”
Carter’s face lit up even more from Thor’s praise, but then he seemed to recall something and spoke up quickly.
Before he left for the Northern Province, Count Engel had specifically asked him to deliver these words to Thor.
“Movement?”
“The kingdom?”
Thor’s brow furrowed in confusion for a moment, before realization dawned on him. His expression shifted, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
“Did your father say anything else?”
Thor asked, his curiosity piqued as he looked at Carter.
“No, Father didn’t mention anything else. He only asked me to pass on these words to you.”
Carter shook his head, slightly confused.
“Alright.”
Thor nodded thoughtfully.
“You’ve had a long journey, Carter. You should rest for now. I’ll have a feast prepared for you.”
Thor gave Carter a look as if he was pondering something, before giving a nod.
“Yes, my lord!”
Carter responded, before stepping back and leaving the room.
As Carter departed, Thor was left to think deeply.
Since his father knew, it seemed the kingdom’s plans to take action were no longer a secret.
After all, his father was still just a count.
Thor wasn’t sure if this development was good or bad, but given that things had progressed this far, he couldn’t afford to delay the Divine Awakening. That opportunity was too important to miss.
However, his original plan to bring Steve, Pelos, and Raine along had now expanded to include one more person.
— Carter.
Thor believed that his father likely had similar thoughts.
Furthermore, since Carter had traveled all this way to help him, Thor wasn’t going to leave his younger brother out.
Compared to others, Carter, as his brother, was undoubtedly more reliable—almost as dependable as Raine, his protector knight.
Thor tapped his fingers lightly, deep in thought for a moment, before standing up.
Meanwhile, in the castle.
Preparations for the feast had already been completed.
Thor entered the banquet hall with Carter, where they were warmly greeted.
Throughout the feast, Carter’s smile never faded, and Thor’s smile matched his.
The seeds sown that day had finally borne fruit, and Thor was reaping his first harvest.
Although Carter’s talent was only average, his perseverance and hard work meant his future achievements were limitless. For Thor, this was like gaining an additional source of strength.
The following day.
As the morning sunlight streamed in, Thor slowly rose from bed. After being attended to by the maids, he washed up and made his way to the training ground, ready for another day of training.
But to his surprise, he found Carter already there, practicing.
Thor raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised, but the expression quickly softened into a faint smile.
Carter’s diligence and perseverance hadn’t faltered, even after arriving at the Eagle Territory. Becoming an apprentice knight hadn’t changed his attitude at all.
This was a relief to Thor.
He had worried that Carter might not be able to maintain his drive and dedication.
Carter’s core strengths lay in his hard work and perseverance. Without those qualities, his value would diminish greatly.
Fortunately, none of that had happened.
Thor didn’t disturb Carter but went to a nearby area to continue his own training.
Two hours later, Thor finally stopped, but even then, Carter’s figure was still visible in the distance, continuing his practice.
Thor glanced over at him but didn’t call him to stop. With enough life potions at hand, any damage from overexertion could be quickly healed, so there was no need to worry too much.
He returned to his study.
Inside the study, Steve, Pelos, and Raine had already returned to the territory.
The three gathered around.
“Have all the matters been dealt with?”
Thor asked, his gaze sweeping over them.
“My lord, everything is finished.”
“There shouldn’t be any major issues within the next month.”
Raine spoke respectfully.
“My lord, everything else has also been taken care of.”
Pelos nodded in agreement.
“Good.”
“Prepare yourselves. We leave soon.”
Thor nodded with satisfaction and then instructed them.
“Yes, my lord!”
The three responded and quickly left the room.
Outside the castle, Thor, Steve, Pelos, Raine, Carter, and more than twenty formal knights had gathered.
Everyone was filled with excitement.
Thor had given them a simple reason for their journey: to participate in the northern defense line and earn enough merit to be titled a baron.
Now, the distance between him and his title as a baron was only a few hundred merit points away.
The Eagle Territory was stable, and the Eagle Chamber of Commerce was now running smoothly. It was the perfect time to take action.
None of the gathered group had any doubts about this.
As for the dangers of heading to the northern defense line, they didn’t even consider them.
Living in the Northern Province, danger was a constant, and without taking risks, how could they expect to gain anything?
Even Carter, normally so reserved, showed a spark of excitement.
“Let’s go!”
Thor tugged on the reins, looking ahead, and the group set off toward the North.
Behind him, Steve, Pelos, Raine, Carter, and more than twenty formal knights followed.
Initially, Thor had planned to bring just four people, but heading into battle with only four would be too obvious. After some thought, he decided to add twenty formal knights to the group.
This was also an opportunity for these knights to prove themselves.
The group moved forward, heading toward the Northern Province with great momentum.
Meanwhile, in Loren City.
At this very moment, a number of knights and nobles appeared, causing a stir throughout the city.
“Oh my god, that’s a member of the Karyenina family!”
“And there’s more! That’s a member of the Lepore family from the Southern Moon Province!”
“My goddess, are all three of the Duke families here?”
“Someone, please tell me what’s happening! The Duke families never get involved in expansion efforts!”
“Wait a minute, it’s not just the Duke families— I also saw members of the Campbell family and the Spencer family. Those are some of the kingdom’s highest-ranking Marquess families!”
“Heh, Marquess? You think that’s impressive? Let me tell you what I saw yesterday.”
“What?”
“You don’t know, do you? I saw the royal insignia.”
“Hiss, are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure! There was a group of riders wearing the Tulip emblem! Only the royal family of the Tulip Kingdom can wear that symbol. Who else could it be?”
“Hiss, oh my god!”
Loren City was in an uproar. Figures were whispering, exchanging stunned looks and talking excitedly.
The normally calm city was now a hive of activity, with knights, lords, and nobles all taken aback by the sudden appearance of so many powerful figures.
Nobles who had once seemed unreachable were now walking the streets of Loren City. Not only were there heirs of the Marquess families they had only dared to look up to, but members of the three Duke families had arrived as well. There were even rumors that members of the royal family were in town.
This left everyone shocked, confused, and unable to process what was happening.
Once the initial confusion passed, the city’s population was filled with nervous excitement.
No one was foolish enough not to realize that something significant was taking place. The presence of so many top-tier nobles could only mean one thing— something major was afoot.
Most people had no idea what was going on, and no one would step forward to explain.
All they could do was watch in stunned silence as the powerful figures walked through the city.
Among them, many of the nobles who had earlier evacuated had returned.
Their faces weren’t exactly happy. These were the same people who had fled earlier only to be harshly scolded by their fathers upon their return. They had been forced to retreat in shame and had now come back—this time, not just alone, but with their brothers and sisters in tow.
This time, it seemed the North was on the verge of something that would drive every knight under the Earthly Knight rank wild with excitement.
As Seji Spencer thought about the information his father had shared, his face darkened further.
He recalled that his family’s resources, worth tens of thousands of gold coins, had been sold off for just a few thousand gold coins to the Dresrosa family.
“Damn it, Dresrosa… they must have gotten the news earlier,” Seji muttered, unable to contain his frustration.
If he didn’t have to head to the North, he would have rushed back and confronted them immediately.
He wasn’t the only one feeling like this— many of the other lords who had evacuated shared similar thoughts.
The Campbells, however, were a different story. Some of the noble faces among them gleamed with excitement.
With the sudden misfortune of Stein Campbell, it seemed that the land that had once belonged to him could now be theirs. If the Divine Awakening event concluded successfully, they would have a chance to claim that land for themselves.
Just thinking about it filled them with glee.
At that moment, the mood among the top noble heirs was polarized, some filled with anger and regret, while others saw an opportunity that could change everything.
But none of this had anything to do with Thor.
He wasn’t aware of the nobles flooding into Loren City, and even if he was, it wouldn’t have concerned him.
The kingdom had clearly prepared for this, and such developments weren’t surprising. If anything, it would have been odd if things hadn’t unfolded this way.
After all, it was unlikely the kingdom would be playing second fiddle to anyone else.
As night began to fall, the journey from Eagle Territory to the northern defense line would take about seven to eight days.
Thor and his group didn’t rush the journey. They traveled at a steady pace, and along the way, they received daily updates via the intelligence system. Thor’s gains were considerable.
The entire Northern Province was a vast treasure trove.
Even though the western, eastern, and relatively barren northern regions had already been partially developed, there was still no shortage of valuable resources to be found.
If one batch of intelligence didn’t yield results, the second or third would almost certainly bring new information.
Some of the findings made even Thor’s eyes widen with excitement.
End of Chapter