- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 25
Chapter 25: Returning to Lorren City
Thor had considered many ways to acquire the iron mine. The simplest approach was to return to the Dresrosa family and ask his father for help. A large iron mine was incredibly valuable, enough to tempt even an earl. His father would certainly be eager to secure the mining rights.
However, that thought only lasted a moment before Thor dismissed it.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to rely on his father, but there were many reasons why he chose not to.
First, as a pioneering knight, Thor was not supposed to return to the family before becoming a baron, and the family wouldn’t provide additional support during this time. While his father, Count Engel Dresrosa, might support him because of the iron mine, doing so would undoubtedly lower his father’s opinion of him.
Second, it wasn’t as though Thor couldn’t claim the iron mine himself. The only real challenge was dealing with the thousands of goblins. If he had to turn to his father for help with a problem like that, how could he handle future issues in developing the territory?
Running back to the family at the first sign of trouble would not make him a worthy ruler.
Count Engel Dresrosa had already given him a lot of support. This time, Thor wanted to solve the problem using his own abilities.
However, finding a solution wasn’t easy.
As previously mentioned, the real challenge was how to wipe out most, if not all, of the thousands of goblins.
Timid goblins were known for their cowardice. Although Thor’s 400 knights could certainly crush the large goblin tribe, it was nearly impossible to prevent most of the goblins from escaping. If enough goblins fled, news of the iron mine would spread. Given its proximity to Lorren City, the mine could attract not only more goblins but possibly lower-tier beastfolk as well, which would be enough to cause Thor endless headaches.
The key was to eliminate most of the goblins and prevent a large-scale escape, minimizing the risk of the iron mine being discovered. Only then could Thor have enough time to develop the mine in peace.
But finding a way to accomplish this was tricky.
Thor pondered the problem for a long time without coming up with a good solution.
Then, as he watched the fanatical serfs, an idea inevitably took shape.
Yes, the serfs.
Timid goblins were the lowest tier of beastfolk, and even within their own tribes, they were seen as weak and often preyed upon by other goblins. In fact, even an ordinary adult human wielding a weapon could handle two or three of them at once.
Since the goblins were so numerous, why not mobilize enough serfs to deal with them?
Thousands of goblins could be matched by thousands of serfs. Combined with the 400 knights, this force would be more than enough to wipe out the goblins.
In fact, it might not even require that many—perhaps just 5,000 serfs, or even 3,000, could be enough to exterminate the goblins completely.
The cost of 3,000 serfs would only be around 300 gold coins.
This was an expense Thor could easily afford.
Even though he had already spent a significant amount on supplies and territory development, he still had thousands of gold coins remaining, more than enough to make the purchase.
With this plan in mind, Thor wasted no time.
He summoned Steve once again and even called for Raine.
“My lord!”
“My lord!”
Both men quickly greeted Thor with respectful expressions.
“Raine, prepare a few of the full knights and bring all of the apprentice knights. I plan to make a trip to Lorren City to purchase some supplies. You will come with me.”
“Steve, I’m leaving the territory’s construction in your hands while I’m away.”
Thor quickly issued his orders.
“Yes, my lord!”
“Yes, my lord!”
Both Steve and Raine nodded without hesitation.
“Oh, Steve, one more thing. Go find Alice and have her bring you something from the second cabinet in my room. I expect you to be a great knight by the time I return.”
As the two men were about to leave, Thor added one final instruction.
“Yes, my lord! Thank you, my lord! I won’t let you down!” Steve responded quickly, barely able to contain his excitement.
Although he didn’t know exactly what Thor was giving him, Steve understood that it must be something extremely valuable—something that could even help him break through.
Indeed, this was the case.
Over time, Thor had collected many useful items through his daily intelligence system. Like his father, he had carefully stored them away.
The item in the second cabinet was a divine fruit, which Thor had obtained ten days earlier.
With this divine fruit, Steve had a high chance of breaking through to the rank of great knight before Thor returned.
If Steve could become a great knight, it would significantly increase their chances of success.
As for Alice, she had already become a competent “maid.” Thor had no intention of exposing her true identity and instead allowed her to continue playing the role.
After all, over the past month, the half-elf girl’s progress had greatly pleased him. He was confident that it wouldn’t be long before she was completely won over.
He wasn’t in a hurry.
As his thoughts drifted, Steve and Raine left the room.
Half an hour later, the team was ready.
With Raine and over a hundred knights at his side, Thor set off once again, heading for Lorren City.
This time, Thor didn’t just plan to purchase serfs; he also needed to stock up on supplies.
A month of development had depleted many resources, and they needed to be replenished.
Their march from the Maine Valley to Lorren City was swift.
Unlike the journey there, which had taken about ten days due to the slow pace of transporting 500 serfs and a large quantity of supplies, the return trip was much faster.
By the fifth day, they could already see the outline of Lorren City.
Without the burden of slow-moving supplies, they made excellent time. In fact, had they pushed even harder, they could have reached the city in just three days.
But there was no need to rush.
On the sixth day, they entered Lorren City.
Compared to a month ago, Lorren City seemed even more bustling, though Thor wasn’t sure if this was due to an increase in the number of pioneering knights or something else.
In any case, it didn’t concern Thor too much.
The only noticeable difference was that Thor’s arrival drew far more attention than before.
At dusk, numerous eyes turned in his direction.
“My God, isn’t that the Dresrosa family crest?”
“Yes, I recognize it—that eagle symbol.”
“No wonder it’s a count’s family. Their pioneering knight corps has so many knights following them.”
Murmurs of awe filled the air as people whispered to one another, marveling at Thor’s presence.
Of course, there were also cold and hostile stares mixed in.
(End of Chapter)