- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 177
“That Marquis Lehmann is really going too far, making us come to a place like this!”
A girl’s voice, full of dissatisfaction, sounded out, her tone irritable.
“Enough, Aisha, this isn’t the time for tantrums.”
The woman beside her spoke sternly, her brows furrowing. Then, she turned to the man next to them, Joz Anubi, and hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
“Joz, you should be somewhat familiar with this place, right? I heard that the defense point we’re heading to is controlled by the Dresrosa family. Do you know them?”
“Dresrosa Family!“
Joz Anubi gave a small smile and nodded reassuringly.
“I’m somewhat familiar with them. Don’t worry, elder sister.”
“Good. Then, you’ll be the one to communicate with Count Brian. We’ll probably be staying here for a while.”
The woman nodded, a serious expression on her face.
“Understood!”
Joz Anubi gave a respectful nod. Inside, his emotions were in turmoil.
He had originally been focused on expanding his territory and the Eagle Chamber of Commerce, but just over ten days ago, he had unexpectedly received a message from his elder sister, asking him to come to the Autumn Leaf Territory.
In confusion, he had rushed over immediately.
What he hadn’t expected was to encounter both his elder sister and his younger sister upon arrival.
It had left him momentarily stunned.
To think that his elder sister, the heir of the Anubi family, had personally come all the way to the Tulip Kingdom.
And then, things had become even more unbelievable.
The Autumn Leaf Territory was likely about to see the arrival of a Divine Ruin.
Divine Ruin… Just hearing the news made Joz Anubi feel an excitement he couldn’t suppress.
He had come to the Tulip Kingdom seeking opportunities, and now it seemed that the opportunity had arrived.
As thoughts of the Divine Ruin swirled in his mind, Joz Anubi began discussing the current situation in the Tulip Kingdom with his elder sister, as well as information about the Dresrosa family.
“Tch, just a mere Count family.”
Aisha couldn’t help but sneer, her tone filled with disdain.
“Joz, I heard you’ve even become one of their subordinates. How pathetic is that?”
Hearing his younger sister’s words, Joz Anubi furrowed his brow.
Before he could respond, however, his elder sister interjected.
“Shut up, Aisha. If you keep speaking like that, go back where you came from.”
The woman’s voice had a sharp edge to it.
“Alder sister!”
Aisha pouted in protest but quickly silenced herself, lowering her head in frustration.
Yet, her displeasure was still evident as she muttered under her breath.
However, as soon as she met her elder sister’s stern gaze, she immediately fell silent.
“Elder sister, that Dresrosa heir seems quite different.”
Joz Anubi glanced at his younger sister but said nothing. He wasn’t particularly fond of her, but he deeply respected his elder sister. After a brief pause, Joz Anubi began recounting everything that had happened in the Northern Province so far.
He told her about Thor’s arrival, his swift defeat of two barons, the formation of the Maine Alliance, and the crushing of the Minotaur tribe. He also mentioned the establishment of the Eagle Chamber of Commerce with the help of the divine awakening.
“Oh, in that case, it does seem impressive. He’s always managing to seize every opportunity.”
The woman nodded thoughtfully, then paused as if contemplating something.
“Joz, after this matter is over, take me to meet that Dresrosa heir.”
The woman spoke with a slight smile, her tone firm.
“Elder sister, Lord Thor has also arrived in the Northern Province. Perhaps we could meet him as well!!”
Joz Anubi smiled and added.
“Oh, he’s here too?”
The woman raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.
“Elder sister, he didn’t come here because of the Divine Ruin. He’s been here for quite some time already. I think he’s just trying to gather the merits necessary to be promoted to a viscount.”
Joz explained with a chuckle.
“I see!”
“That’s quite some luck, isn’t it?”
The woman nodded, her expression a mix of admiration and intrigue.
“It seems like his luck has always been on his side. Perhaps the Goddess of Life is looking after him.”
“We’re almost there!”
“Elder sister, the defense point is just ahead.”
As they spoke, the silhouette of the city wall came into view in the distance, and Joz Anubi smiled as he pointed it out.
“What a small place!”
Aisha couldn’t help but comment, her voice tinged with disdain.
Before she could finish speaking, however, she was immediately silenced by a sharp look from her elder sister.
Joz Anubi spoke quickly, trying to ease the tension. “Let’s go, Aisha. We should make our greetings first.”
The woman nodded and urged them forward, and they quickened their pace.
As they drew nearer, Joz Anubi’s expression changed slightly, his eyes widening in surprise.
“What’s going on there?”
He asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
“What’s wrong?”
The woman looked at him, perplexed.
“Elder sister, the Dresrosa heir is here. We don’t even have to wait for the next time.”
Joz Anubi spoke with a strange tone, his gaze fixed ahead.
“Oh, he’s here?”
The woman’s eyes widened, her face breaking into a smile.
“Yes!”
Joz Anubi nodded.
“It seems like our luck is indeed quite good!”
The woman laughed lightly, then signaled for everyone to pick up the pace.
—-
On the other side, Thor’s surprised expression was quickly noticed by Brian.
“What’s wrong?”
Brian asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
“Brother Brian, it’s nothing. I think it’s just an acquaintance.”
Thor smiled as he responded.
“An acquaintance?”
Brian raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“Yes. One of them is a member of my Eagle Chamber of Commerce.”
Thor’s smile grew wider. “Looks like things won’t be so troublesome after all.”
With that, he gestured for Brian to follow him toward the approaching group.
The two of them quickly closed the distance.
“Lord Thor!”
“Lord Joz!”
As they approached, both Joz Anubi and Thor greeted each other with smiles.
“You also came to the Autumn Leaf Territory?”
“Who are these two?”
Thor feigned surprise, his gaze shifting to the two women accompanying Joz Anubi.
One of them was an elegant and imposing figure clad in golden armor, her long hair tied up, her delicate features and breathtaking beauty radiating power. Her aura clearly indicated she had reached the level of an Earth Knight. The other appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, also wearing simple golden armor, her hair flowing freely, her beauty undeniable. When Thor looked closer, he could see that the two women bore a strong resemblance to Joz Anubi.
The identities of the two women were almost self-evident.
“Lord Thor, allow me to introduce you. This is my elder sister, Isabelle Anubi.”
“And this is my younger sister, Aisha Anubi.”
“Elder sister, this is the Eagle of Dresrosa, Lord Thor Dresrosa.”
Joz Anubi smiled as he introduced Thor first, then turned to introduce Thor to his sisters.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Miss Isabelle, Miss Aisha.”
Thor smiled, offering a slight knightly bow.
“It’s an honor to meet you as well, Lord Thor.”
Isabelle and Aisha both responded with courtesy, even Aisha, who was known for her fiery temperament.
When it came to noble etiquette, no one dared slack off.
“I almost forgot to introduce him. This is my older brother Brian, the one in charge of this area.”
After the formal greetings, Thor introduced Brian to everyone.
The moment the introductions were completed, the group was led towards the city walls.
The arrival of three top noble heirs caused some nervousness among the knight squads stationed at the fortifications.
However, Isabelle’s gracious demeanor quickly eased their tension. Even Brian seemed less on edge.
It seemed that the situation wasn’t as dire as they had initially imagined.
Thor continued to converse casually with the group.
At this point, he began to understand why Joz Anubi seemed unusual despite not being well-known in the Tulip Kingdom.
Not only was his power far superior to that of an average noble lord, but he had also known about the Divine Ruin event long before others had.
It all started to make sense: Anubi wasn’t even a family from the Tulip Kingdom but from the Purple Blossom Kingdom.
At first, Thor was surprised, but he quickly dismissed it. Noble bloodlines were recognized across kingdoms, and it wasn’t rare for heirs of one kingdom to take part in knightly ventures in another.
In fact, many members of the Dresrosa family had traveled to other kingdoms in similar capacities.
What truly caught Thor off guard, however, was that Isabelle was the heir of the Anubi family.
Unlike the Tulip Kingdom, the Purple Blossom Kingdom granted succession rights to women more often than not, a fact that gave Thor a brief pause but didn’t weigh too heavily on him.
As they spoke, Isabelle appeared very easygoing, and through their conversation, Thor learned more about the three major northern kingdoms.
The Tulip Kingdom lay in the far east, with the Purple Blossom Kingdom to its west and the Blazing Kingdom further west. Together, these three kingdoms formed a defensive line against the orc invasions.
The Purple Blossom Kingdom took the leading role, with the Blazing and Tulip kingdoms in more supportive roles.
This wasn’t mere boasting from Isabelle; it was simply the truth. The Purple Blossom Kingdom directly faced the orc tribes, including the Bimon Behemoth Tribe, which was closer to them than to the other kingdoms.
In fact, the Empire had stationed troops in the Purple Blossom Kingdom to prevent orcs from breaking through humanity’s defenses. The Blazing and Tulip kingdoms didn’t enjoy this same privilege.
The more Thor learned, the more he began to question the oddities of the continent’s political system.
Kingdoms collaborated, and the empire stood at the top, yet every hundred years, wars between kingdoms erupted. It was a bizarre and unsettling cycle.
But Thor held his questions back for now. Some things could be clarified later with his father; there was no need to ask too many questions of outsiders.
After the casual discussion, Joz Anubi, Isabelle, and Aisha settled in the fort.
However, unlike their peaceful integration, things at other defensive points were not as harmonious.
The sudden arrival of the high-ranking noble heirs didn’t sit well with the existing knight squads, and conflict was inevitable.
Fortunately, the threat of the orcs and the Divine Ruin kept the situation from escalating too quickly.
Still, peace was far from guaranteed.
As night fell, another day came to a close, but their luck had run out this time.
Suddenly, the sharp sound of a horn echoed through the fort.
Torches lit up along the battlements.
“It’s a third-tier orc tribe, over ten thousand strong.”
“Probably two third-tier orc tribes!”
Brian’s voice rang out, and Thor quickly memorized the flag signals, committing the information to memory.
As the news spread, Joz Anubi, Isabelle, and Aisha also gathered quickly.
“What’s the situation?” Isabelle asked, her tone serious.
“It’s confirmed. It’s a third-tier orc tribe, numbering over ten thousand. It’s most likely two separate tribes.”
Thor replied, explaining the situation.
“Two tribes?”
Hearing this, Joz Anubi and Isabelle both relaxed a little, while Aisha’s eyes lit up in excitement.
“Everyone, we should charge together and focus on breaking through the second-tier orcs first. That way, we can minimize our losses.”
Brian spoke in a low voice, his tone cautious.
A ten-thousand-strong orc tribe wasn’t a small threat.
If it were a single third-tier orc tribe, it could be catastrophic. The appearance of two—or even three—third-tier orc tribes was not out of the question.
More importantly, even a third-tier tribe could have terrifying numbers of second-tier orcs—easily twenty or thirty or more.
If they didn’t deal with the threat quickly, the fort’s defenses would be severely strained, and casualties could be massive.
Aisha instinctively opened her mouth to speak, but Isabelle stopped her with a firm gesture.
“We understand.”
“Lord Brian, your orders. We will follow your lead.”
Isabelle spoke seriously, her voice resolute.
“Thank you.”
Brian responded with surprise. He hadn’t expected such prompt obedience from these noble heirs, but he nodded in acknowledgment.
At least, in this situation, their willingness to follow orders was the best outcome—perhaps it would help minimize their losses.
(End of Chapter)