- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 204
The three great kingdoms—Tulip Kingdom, Violet Gold Kingdom, and Blazing Kingdom—were all on the move, rapidly expanding their northern frontiers. More territories were being incorporated into their domains.
Among these three kingdoms, a large number of noble heirs were also in motion.
Tulip Kingdom
A significant number of knight orders were heading toward the Northern Provinces.
Some directly aimed for the current Northern Border, while others arrived at the Northern Provinces.
In just one month, Loren City had become far livelier than usual, with many noble heirs gathering there. Among them were numerous powerful ones.
Loren City was even busier than before, making it a bustling hub of activity.
As a result, the prices of various goods in Loren City had skyrocketed, and it was expected that the cost of living would rise even further in the coming days.
For the people of Loren City, this was yet another spectacle.
Many were excitedly discussing the changes.
And among them, the powerful noble heirs who had arrived at the Northern Provinces were equally thrilled.
Even though they had already heard much about the situation in the Northern Provinces, it wasn’t until they arrived that they realized the massive opportunities here—opportunities that even they had not anticipated.
The core of the Northern Provinces, particularly the western regions, was controlled by the Dresserosa family, which held over seventy or eighty percent of the region’s wealth.
And what exactly was the Dresserosa family?
Simply a Count’s family.
To possess such vast resources was unimaginable.
After the shock wore off, the noble heirs became excited, for to them, this vast wealth seemed to be almost made for them.
Even if they only claimed a small portion of these resources, it would be enough to rapidly develop their own lands. If they could secure a larger share, they might even rise to the rank of a Count with little trouble.
It wasn’t long before many began to form plans.
A Few Days Later
One by one, the powerful noble heirs, accompanied by their Expansion Knight Orders, began heading toward the western region. By now, they had secured their own territories to develop.
However, their targets were not the wild and undeveloped regions, but the resource points controlled by the Eagle Trade Association.
—
Eagle Territory
When these powerful noble heirs arrived at Loren City, Thor had already received the news.
—
In the Study
His expression darkened as he lightly tapped his fingers on the desk.
After a moment, a gentle knock came at the door.
Thor stopped and called, “Enter.”
The door opened, and Michael, Chesire, and Marshall walked in.
Half a month had passed, and Marshall’s fluctuating aura had finally stabilized, though Michael and Chesire hadn’t changed much. After all, one was at the peak of the Land Knight rank, and the other was at the later stages—breaking through was no easy feat.
“Master!”
“Master!”
The three greeted him as they approached.
“The news from Loren City is in,” Michael said. “Currently, the powerful heirs who have arrived in Loren City include Spencer, Campbell, and Water, among seven top Marquess families, with three more families expected to arrive within the next month.”
“Additionally, several powerful Count families, including the Asad and Emorsen families, have also sent their heirs to Loren City.”
“They have all chosen locations within the western resource points of the Eagle Trade Association.”
Thor waved his hand in response to their salutes and, with a serious look, spoke, “I expected a large number of noble heirs would come, but this first batch is still overwhelming.”
Seven heirs from powerful Marquess families, along with numerous powerful Count heirs like those from the Asad family—these Count heirs weren’t any weaker than those from Marquess families.
Such a force combined was certainly not small.
Thor could feel the weight of the situation. Even with his current knowledge of their strength, he was now more concerned than ever.
Of the powerful Marquess heirs who had arrived, each one led a knight order that included at least one Land Knight. That meant there were seven Land Knights among these Marquess heirs alone.
Moreover, other Marquess heirs also commanded knights with Land Knights among them.
The number of Land Knights was unlikely to be less than ten.
At the moment, Thor himself only commanded seven Land Knights, including Michael, Chesire, Marshall, Rian, Rajos, and Jozar, along with his own. Though they were strong, including a peak Land Knight and a late-stage Land Knight, the total force was still not on par with the number of Land Knights now amassing.
The scope controlled by the Eagle Trade Association was simply too vast.
Once these noble heirs began to cooperate and target him, as Michael had said, Thor would soon be bogged down in a fight for survival.
Even the strongest forces could be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
And even if he avoided being completely overwhelmed, if he showed any sign of weakness, the other lords in the Northern Provinces, including the noble heirs who had recently become Expansion Knights, would not hesitate to take advantage of him.
At that point, unless he was willing to use Nielmoton, resolving the situation would be nearly impossible.
In the study, as Thor spoke, the expressions of Michael, Chesire, and Marshall grew grave.
Though they had expected a large number of knights to arrive, hearing the actual scale of these forces still shocked them.
This strength was almost on par with a small-scale Orc war.
And yet, this was just the advance party of the Expansion Knight Orders.
It was expected that in the coming months, even more knight orders would enter the Northern Borders.
Even if only one-tenth of them chose to settle in the Northern Provinces, the number of Expansion Knights in the region would escalate to a new level.
The three of them couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease.
“Master Thor, this is probably just the beginning,” Michael said slowly. “In the next six months, the number of Expansion Knight Orders in the Northern Provinces may multiply several times. The entire northern frontier will see even more knight orders.”
“The existence of the Danube River is bound to tempt many.”
“Master Thor, I’d like to know how much assistance Mr. Niel will provide you?”
Michael’s expression was heavy. As one of the key ingredients in the Low-Level Life Potions, the “Nao” from the Danube River was extremely valuable. For powerful Count and Marquess heirs, controlling it could provide a continuous supply of Low-Level Life Potions, which was crucial to their future development.
Right now, Thor’s Eagle Trade Association controlled around seventy to eighty percent of this production. Such benefits would undoubtedly stir the hearts of noble heirs.
As mentioned earlier, even if the Dresserosa family were just a Count family, they might not be able to retain control for long in the face of such overwhelming competition.
Thus, Michael asked the most critical question—how much help could Nielmoton provide Thor?
Knowing this would allow Michael to make the proper preparations.
“Uncle Michael, I’ve saved Mr. Niel once, but this time, I don’t intend to rely on his power.”
Thor looked at Michael, fully understanding his meaning, but he shook his head and spoke with a serious tone.
“Master Thor, you…?”
Michael was stunned, first by the fact that Thor had saved Nielmoton, and second by the revelation that Thor wasn’t planning to use Nielmoton’s power.
It wasn’t just Michael who was shocked; both Chesire and Marshall were equally taken aback.
Seeing their surprise, Thor stood up, exhaling slowly. He knew that at this moment, he needed to give his companions confidence and help them understand the situation better.
As the three of them stood confused, Thor slowly began to speak.
“Uncle Michael, Chesire, there may be some things you don’t fully understand.”
His voice was soft, but the content of his words caused the three to pause, their expressions faltering for a moment.
“Master Thor, what do you mean?”
Chesire instinctively asked, his face filled with confusion.
As he spoke, the others’ gazes turned toward Thor, their attention focused on him.
Michael’s expression grew even more solemn.
“Master Thor, while your strength might be great, even if you’re at the mid-stage of a Land Knight, you likely won’t be able to handle the current situation.”
“Only someone at the peak of the Land Knight rank could possibly manage this.”
Michael’s tone carried a hint of a sigh.
A single peak Land Knight would find it difficult to resolve the issue. But with two, Michael thought, it would be manageable. Even if they had to give up some benefits, it wouldn’t be too much.
“We’ll find out when we try it ourselves,”
Thor said with a smile, shaking his head as he took a step toward the door.
The three were still a little puzzled but followed Thor without hesitation.
Soon, they left the castle and arrived at the training grounds below.
“Uncle Michael, could you please guide me?”
Thor smiled as he spoke to Michael once they arrived at the training field.
“Master Thor, are you serious?”
Hearing Thor’s words, Michael was slightly taken aback and instinctively glanced at him.
By this point, the three had clearly understood what was going on. They were all surprised.
However, even with their surprise, none of them had anticipated that Thor was asking Michael to spar with him.
After all, Michael was a peak Land Knight.
“Of course, I’m serious.”
Thor answered with a grin.
“Uncle Michael, don’t hold back. Otherwise, things may not end well for me.”
Michael was taken aback by Thor’s words, but the young man didn’t seem to care much. His tone carried a hint of a playful smile, and his eyes were locked on Michael.
“Master Thor, you must understand that there’s a vast difference between the peak of the Land Knight rank and the mid-stage of the Land Knight rank. You’ve only just broken through…”
As Michael looked at Thor, he couldn’t help but continue speaking, though his words trailed off before he could finish.
Even though Michael didn’t finish his sentence, the implication was clear.
“Uncle Michael, are you saying I’m not strong enough?”
Thor laughed lightly. At that moment, a tremendous surge of life force erupted from his body. Layers of ice spread across the ground beneath his feet, and a chilling aura quickly spread throughout the training field.
The temperature around them dropped sharply.
Even Michael, who had initially been hesitant, couldn’t help but shift his expression slightly.
“W-What is this?”
His pupils contracted as shock appeared on his face.
No matter how highly he had regarded Thor’s strength, what was happening now—Thor’s life force, combined with the terrifyingly cold aura emanating from it—was enough to make Michael shiver. He could feel every hair on his body standing on end.
Chesire and Marshall, who had been standing nearby, instinctively stepped back, unable to suppress their unease.
“What terrifying life force.”
“How could this be?”
“What is this?”
Both of them spoke in unison, their faces filled with astonishment.
“Master Thor, it seems I was wrong!”
Feeling the icy chill that seemed capable of freezing his very blood, Michael couldn’t help but speak out. His right hand involuntarily tightened around his knight’s sword.
He hadn’t even considered the possibility that Thor’s life force would be so powerful.
More importantly, the freezing cold aura created by this otherworldly life force was having a clear effect on him, even though he was a peak Land Knight.
It felt as though his very blood and life force were being frozen.
“Be careful!”
Thor’s voice rang out calmly, his expression now serious.
The next moment—
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, Thor vanished from his original spot, his figure disappearing like a wisp of snow in the wind.
In that instant, it was as if he had become the ruler of a world of ice and snow, with an overwhelming cold aura spreading out in all directions. The terrifying power within him locked onto Michael as its target.
Michael’s body stiffened for a moment, but his instincts as a warrior kicked in, and he reacted.
He raised his greatsword just in time.
Boom!
A clash of life forces echoed through the air, and in an instant, Michael’s own life force was nearly shattered. The intense cold quickly spread across his body, causing the chill to creep up his arm, threatening to freeze it solid.
But Michael didn’t have time to focus on that. He felt as though he had been struck by a massive boulder, his body sent flying through the air.
(End of Chapter)