FLDI Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Mobilizing the Serfs, The First Pioneering War Begins

After purchasing the serfs, Thor spent 540 gold coins and then went on to buy a large quantity of supplies, particularly food. 

With the addition of 3,000 people, his population had now increased from nearly 1,000 to almost 4,000. Naturally, the consumption of resources would skyrocket.

In fact, food consumption was the biggest concern.

Each person consumed between 0.4 to 0.5 pounds of food daily. For 3,000 people, that meant 1,200 pounds of food per day, amounting to 36,000 pounds per month.

In the Northern Province, food prices had more than tripled.

While a pound of buckwheat in the Frostmoon Province cost around three copper coins, in the Northern Province, the price could exceed ten copper coins, sometimes even reaching twelve copper coins per pound.

And that was just for buckwheat.

Wheat was even more expensive.

In the Frostmoon Province, wheat was typically priced at ten copper coins per pound, while in the Northern Province, it could cost fifty copper coins.

For 3,000 people, even if they only ate buckwheat, the monthly cost would be at least 360,000 copper coins, or 3,600 silver coins, equivalent to 36 gold coins per month. If it were wheat, the cost would soar to over 180 gold coins per month. And that was just for one month.

Over a year, the expense could easily exceed a thousand gold coins.

To be honest, even a viscount’s family might struggle to sustain such a burden.

Even for a pioneering scion of an earl’s family, it was a difficult challenge to reach such numbers in a short time.

Not every family had the financial backing of Count Engel Dresrosa, who generously provided tens of thousands of gold coins in support.

Such an amount was a significant financial strain even for an earl’s family.

Under these conditions, many pioneering lords couldn’t support themselves long enough to meet the kingdom’s evaluation criteria.

However, Thor had enough resources to manage for now.

His father, Count Engel Dresrosa, had given him more than ten thousand gold coins, enough to support him for more than a year, even two.

And with the iron mine, any future economic concerns would be alleviated.

By evening, Raine  and the knights returned with the wildfire oil, and the 3,000 robust slaves purchased from the Habs Trading Company also arrived.

The following day, the group set off in full force, heading back to Eagle Ridge.

This time, the scale was far larger compared to their initial journey to Eagle Ridge.

Along the way, they didn’t encounter any beasts, and since the path had already been cleared once before, the daily intelligence system didn’t provide any new discoveries.

After ten days, they smoothly returned to Eagle Ridge.

The arrival of over 3,000 people instantly brought a lively atmosphere to the territory.

For the original 500 serfs, the sudden increase in numbers created tension. Competition that had been limited to 500 people was now among 3,500, a sevenfold increase, making them understandably nervous.

Thor, however, paid no attention to the competition among the serfs.

After settling back in camp, he quickly summoned Steve.

When Steve appeared, Thor couldn’t help but smile.

The life force radiating from Steve’s body was now much stronger, clearly indicating he had taken a crucial step forward.

“Steve, you’ve broken through?” Thor asked with a grin.

“Yes, my lord!” Steve responded with gratitude and excitement.

Becoming a great knight was something Steve had thought would take him several more years. If he was unlucky, it might have even taken ten years. But after following Thor, he had reached this milestone in just a few months.

It felt like a dream.

“Well done! I’m proud of you,” Thor praised, nodding in satisfaction. 

“It seems you haven’t disappointed me. Take the next few days to stabilize yourself. In three days, we begin our mission,” Thor said, his tone serious. “And make sure to send someone to gather more detailed information about the goblin tribe. I need precise intel.”

“Yes, my lord!” Steve quickly responded and withdrew.

With Steve’s breakthrough confirmed, Thor’s last bit of worry vanished.

Now, it was time to prepare for action.

Time passed quickly.

Three days later, Steve had fully stabilized his status as a great knight. Meanwhile, they had gathered more accurate information about the large tribe of timid goblins.

The goblin tribe was estimated to have around 5,000 to 6,000 goblins.

While the number was still significant, it was slightly lower than their initial estimate of 7,000 or 8,000.

They had also thoroughly scouted the surrounding terrain.

In the war room, both Steve and Raine  stood at attention.

“Let’s begin the operation,” Thor said, his gaze shifting to Steve. “Are all the weapons ready?”

“Yes, my lord, everything is prepared,” Steve confirmed with a respectful nod.

“Good. Then let’s head out!” Thor replied, feeling a surge of excitement.

This would be his first battle in his newly developed territory. If they could secure the iron mine, it would propel the development of the entire territory to a new level, a crucial victory.

“Yes, my lord!”  

“Yes, my lord!”  

Steve and Raine , equally excited, responded eagerly before leaving to prepare.

Soon after, 3,000 serfs were gathered together at Eagle Ridge.

In the past three days, the news of Eagle Ridge had spread. Even the newly arrived serfs were filled with excitement and anticipation.

They had heard that they could earn their freedom, even if the chance was slim. The mere possibility gave them hope.

The serfs had worked harder than ever during these three days.

When the lord summoned them, not a single person dared to slack off.

As they assembled, each serf was filled with hope, curiosity, and a bit of nervousness.

Just a month ago, some of their fellow serfs had been granted freedom during such a gathering. Perhaps this time would bring the same opportunity.

Even though it was still a month away from Thor’s promised date, the serfs couldn’t help but dream.

In their anticipation, they looked toward their lord, Thor, as he approached from a distance.

“My lord!”  

“My lord!”  

“Master!”  

“Master!”

The voices of knights and serfs alike rang out as they respectfully greeted Thor.

Every eye was filled with hope and anticipation as they watched him ascend the platform.

…..

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