- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 21
Chapter 21: Territory Development II
At dawn, when the morning sunlight poured in, the cleared land began to gather with groups of serfs. Compared to when they were first purchased, a touch of color had returned to their faces. After several days of continuous food supply, their bodies had noticeably become more robust, though it was only their bodies.
Most of them still bore the same numb expressions, with eyes void of any light.
From the moment they became serfs, they had lost everything—hope was no longer something they could even consider.
They could see no future ahead.
They followed instructions in a mechanical manner, with today being no exception.
As they gathered, Thor appeared before all the serfs.
Even so, there wasn’t much of a change in their expressions.
Yet, amid their numbness, Thor waved his hand.
In the next moment, a few knights brought forth a brazier.
At the same time, a knight approached the group with a wooden box.
Opening the box, rolls of parchment—slave contracts—were revealed.
At the sight of these contracts, a slight ripple finally appeared on the faces of the serfs.
For these were their slave contracts.
Seeing them, the crowd of 500 serfs even began to stir.
Thor paid them no mind and waved his hand once more.
In the next instant, a knight swiftly stepped forward, presenting a few of the parchment scrolls.
“Sabina, Burns, Linus, Somoret, Serad, Sebefia.”
Thor’s deep voice echoed.
As he read each name, the crowd of slaves below grew increasingly restless, especially those whose names were called.
“Step forward, those whose names I called!”
Steve’s voice rang out.
In the next moment, amidst their confusion, the serfs stepped forward one by one.
“Master!”
“Master!”
As soon as they appeared, they prostrated themselves on the ground, their numb expressions filled with anxiety.
“Don’t be nervous.”
“For your outstanding performance in recent days, I have decided that from today onwards, you will no longer be serfs, but free citizens under the blessing of the Goddess of Life!”
“May the Goddess of Life be with you!”
Thor smiled as he addressed the flustered crowd, his voice rising loud enough for all to hear.
Hearing this, everyone’s eyes widened, their faces filled with disbelief.
Especially the trembling slaves whose names had been called—they wondered if they were imagining things.
“M-Master, what did you say?”
One of the slaves stammered, his gaze fixed on Thor standing on the platform.
“It’s true!”
“In the presence of the Goddess of Life, from today onward, you are liberated!”
Thor solemnly proclaimed, throwing the slave contracts in his hand into the brazier before him.
“Whoosh!”
The flames surged, engulfing the contracts in an instant.
As the flames roared, a red glow spread from the bodies of those who had just stepped forward. In the next moment, the invisible shackles that had bound them fell away, and they suddenly felt lighter.
But in that moment, none of them could focus on such feelings. Their eyes, filled with disbelief, were fixed on the distant figure—the one standing before the blazing fire.
Their minds struggled to comprehend what had just happened.
Moments later, the entire crowd broke into an uproar.
“My god, what is he doing?”
“Oh, Goddess, this, this!”
“The contracts, their slave contracts have been burned!”
“We, we!”
Voices erupted from the crowd.
The previously numb serfs were now filled with shock, amazement, and disbelief. Those who had just been freed from their slave contracts were experiencing the greatest emotional turmoil.
The moment they became slaves, their lives had been destroyed—no future, no hope.
For the rest of their lives, they were bound to serve their masters, their contracts preventing them from even escaping.
But now, what had they just witnessed? No, what had they just experienced?
The contracts had been burned by the young pioneering knight before them.
This meant that from this moment on, they were no longer slaves—they were free people.
The faces of these individuals instantly flushed with excitement, joy, and uncontrollable happiness.
Suddenly, one of them reacted, prostrating themselves on the ground and speaking reverently to Thor.
“Thank you, my lord!”
“May the Goddess of Life be with you!”
“Your radiance shines like the sun!”
With these words, the other serfs quickly followed suit.
One by one, their eyes now glimmered with hope, gratitude, and fervor.
“Thank you, my lord!”
“May the Goddess of Life be with you!”
“Thank you, my lord!”
“May the Goddess of Life be with you!”
The voices echoed. The few who had stepped forward looked fervent, while even the remaining 400-plus serfs no longer bore their numb expressions.
Their faces showed anticipation, along with hope and excitement.
Watching this scene, Thor couldn’t help but smile.
This was exactly what he needed.
Freeing the serfs.
In this world, probably 99% of nobles would never do such a thing.
After all, serfs could be exploited endlessly.
Once freed and made into free citizens, they would no longer be so easily exploited.
But Thor, as a time-traveler, understood that the productivity unleashed by freeing serfs was incomparable to what came before.
For the initial stages of his development, what he needed was precisely this kind of productivity.
The 500 serfs were worth no more than 50 gold coins—a sum he could easily bear.
At this moment, he wasn’t freeing all of them at once, only giving them a bit of motivation.
And judging by the current results, it was quite effective.
As the fervent cries filled the air, Thor raised his hand.
Immediately, the crowd fell silent.
“May the Goddess of Life be with you as well. From today, you are citizens of Eagle Ridge!”
“Here, you will have your own land. Over the next six months, I will provide you with food, seeds, and tools, teaching you how to cultivate. You will only need to pay a portion of your crops as tax to the territory, and the rest will be yours, my people.”
“As for the others, you too will be allocated land, though it will still belong to your master—me, for now. But I promise you this: if your performance in this year’s harvest is exceptional, each one of you will have the chance to become free citizens of Eagle Ridge, owning land of your own.”
“I look forward to the day when you all become my subjects.”
Thor spoke and then waved his hand.
A few knights quickly stepped forward.
They handed out wooden plaques, each marked with a number corresponding to a piece of land.
Except for the few who had been freed, the land still didn’t belong to the others.
It was part of Thor’s wealth.
However, Thor also painted an enticing picture for the remaining serfs.
And the effect was obvious.
Over 400 serfs now showed only excitement, anticipation, and joy.
As for those who had received land, there was nothing more to be said.
Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that their lord would not only free them from slavery but also grant them land, seeds, tools, and food.
It was something they couldn’t even dream of.
Yet now, it had become reality.