FLDI Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Role of the Daily Information, Acquiring the Life Fruit

For Thor, the most pressing matter right now was undoubtedly forming his Seed of Life and becoming an apprentice knight. Given his current pace, it would take at least a year, but in just three days, he would come of age. If he couldn’t become an apprentice knight by then, he would be exiled.

Three days simply weren’t enough.

Unless he could obtain a high-grade Life Elixir filled with vast amounts of life force, his chances were practically nonexistent.

But high-grade Life Elixirs, which contain abundant life force, were incredibly rare. Even his father, Engel Dressrosa, would find it difficult to obtain a single vial. Otherwise, his father wouldn’t be stuck at the peak of Earth Knight for so long.

As for Thor, the chances were even slimmer.

However, now there was a glimmer of hope.

The Life Fruit—an advanced magical plant—was a key ingredient in high-grade Life Elixirs. Even consuming it on its own would provide the power of half a vial of high-grade elixir, more than enough to help him form his Seed of Life.

Just like the intelligence said, Raine had used it to form his Seed of Life.

Thinking of this, Thor could no longer hold back his excitement.

He quickly stood up and hurried to his room.

“Master Thor!”

“Master Thor!”

On his way, both male and female servants greeted him with deep respect.

Amidst the voices, Thor swiftly returned to his room.

With the help of his servants, he quickly took off his armor, washed up, and changed into his noble attire.

Without wasting any time, he left Dressrosa Castle.

Three knights followed him.

Though they were just apprentice knights, these three were the last of the privileges Thor would enjoy. If, in three days, he couldn’t form his Seed of Life, not only would the knights leave him, but even his servants would be gone, at best leaving him with a few coins—though not many.

But right now, Thor wasn’t concerned about any of that.

Riding a white horse, he headed quickly toward his destination.

As the Count, Engel Dressrosa ruled not only Dressrosa Castle but also ten towns of various sizes in the surrounding area. Together, they covered a territory roughly the size of a small county from Thor’s previous life. Lucerne was one of these towns, and it lay only thirty to forty kilometers from the castle.

On horseback, it took Thor just about an hour to reach Lucerne.

When he arrived, the town’s steward was startled and hurried over to greet him.

“Master Thor!” the steward said nervously.

“It’s nothing to do with you. I’m just here for a stroll,” Thor waved him off, sending the steward away.

“Y-yes, of course!” The steward quickly nodded and backed away, not daring to linger.

Thor dismounted and began searching.

At first, he was worried about how to find Miguel’s Fruit Shop. Although the town wasn’t large, it wasn’t small either, and finding one specific shop could be tricky.

But his worries didn’t last long.

After a short walk, Thor discovered that there was only one Fruit shop in the entire town.

Clearly, this was the place.

Thor stepped into the shop.

The moment he entered, the shopkeeper, Miguel, became visibly nervous.

“Master, what can I get for you?” Miguel asked in a trembling voice.

Thor didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he focused on sensing the surroundings.

Seeing that Thor didn’t answer, Miguel didn’t dare to disturb him and quietly followed behind.

The aura of the Life Fruit was subtle, but with his knightly training, Thor quickly picked up on a faint abnormality.

Soon, he located the source of the unusual energy among a pile of pear-like fruits.

A flash of joy crossed his face as he walked over to the pile.

“Pack these for me. I’ll take them,” Thor ordered, gesturing to Miguel.

“Yes, sir!” Miguel responded, though with a slightly bitter expression, but he quickly got to work wrapping up the fruits.

“Give him a silver coin,” Thor said as he took the package, signaling one of the knights behind him.

“Yes, master!” The knight hesitated for a moment but then handed over a silver coin.

“Master, this…” Miguel was surprised, instinctively reaching for the coin but then hesitated.

“Take it!” Thor said calmly. “The Dressrosa family doesn’t steal from commoners.”

Suppressing his excitement, Thor spoke with an air of indifference before turning to leave with his three knights.

“Thank you, Master!” Miguel shouted in gratitude, though Thor and his knights had already disappeared from sight.

Having obtained what he wanted, Thor left the town and quickly returned to Dressrosa Castle.

Half an hour after Thor’s departure, a raggedly dressed boy entered Miguel’s shop.

“Get out! I don’t have anything for you!” Miguel said impatiently.

“Sir, can I get a sour fruit?” The boy asked timidly, fishing out a small iron coin from his dirty pocket after fumbling for a long time.

“You actually have money!” Miguel was surprised, but after a moment’s thought, he handed the boy one of the leftover sour fruits Thor hadn’t bought.

“Here, take this.”

“Thank you!” The boy expressed his gratitude and hurriedly left.

At that moment, the course of history had shifted.

The boy who was originally supposed to stumble upon the Life Fruit and change his fate had returned to square one.

Meanwhile, another destiny that seemed set in stone had now encountered a twist.

Back at Dressrosa Castle, Thor rushed back to his room.

After dismissing all the servants, his gaze settled on the Life Fruit.

The other sour fruits were carelessly tossed aside.

Looking at the plain-looking fruit in his hand, Thor felt his heart racing, excitement bubbling up within him.

A Life Fruit.

This was a Life Fruit!

Even his father, Engel Dressrosa, would likely be tempted by it.

With this fruit, Thor was almost guaranteed to be able to exchange it for a vial of high-grade Life Elixir. Such a treasure could make even an Earth Knight’s heart race, let alone anyone else.

In the outside world, people would kill each other for it.

If he handed this over, his father would no doubt allow him to stay in Dressrosa Castle—even if he were just a freeloader.

When the stakes were high enough, sometimes even strict rules could be bent.

At least, that’s what Thor believed.

(End of Chapter)

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