- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 38
Chapter 38: Niel Morton’s Shock
Of course, having a plan was one thing, but executing it step by step was another.
Niel Morton, being such a powerful figure, wouldn’t be easy to retain. Winning him over wasn’t something that could be done in a day. More importantly, Thor needed to understand this man further to ensure he posed no threat.
After giving instructions to the maids, Thor left. As the lord of a frontier territory, he had many duties and couldn’t stay with Niel Morton the entire time. He wasn’t worried that this man might pose any threat to his domain.
For someone as strong as a Grand Knight or even a Sky Knight, his small territory held nothing worth coveting. As for the issue of revealing his unique ability, there was even less to worry about. Thor’s advantage lay in his “Daily Information System,” which was essentially just a source of intelligence.
No one would know how he acquired it or if it was just a special innate ability. In this world, people with unique talents were not uncommon, so Thor had no concerns.
Once Thor departed, Niel Morton, after resting for a while, began to explore Eagle Ridge.
As he wandered, he started to grasp the general situation of the territory. It was clearly a new noble domain, likely established within the last year. Judging by its size, it probably belonged to a baron at best, and considering Thor wore no noble insignia, he might even be just a frontier knight.
In the empire, there were also frontier knights, and Niel Morton understood the struggles they faced. They were brave individuals, carving out lands from the wilderness, but they were also impoverished. While this was not the empire but a distant kingdom, he doubted this aspect differed much.
This left him curious. How did such a young baron possess the kind of wealth required to supply him with the life energy necessary for his recovery?
After all, even in this kingdom, or back in the empire, few barons had the financial means to purchase several vials of mid-level life potions. Such an expense would exceed a thousand gold coins in the empire and even more in this kingdom—perhaps several thousand gold. The yearly income of a lord’s domain wouldn’t come close to this amount.
As this puzzling question lingered, Niel Morton became even more intrigued by his host.
Continuing his stroll, something else quickly caught his attention. People were busy around the estate—cleaning canals, building houses—and at first, Niel Morton thought they were just laboring slaves.
But then, with a sudden jolt, he realized something unusual. His spiritual senses detected faint life energy emanating from some of these workers.
“These people have life energy?”
For a moment, Niel Morton thought his senses must be mistaken, but soon he confirmed it. Indeed, some of these individuals were radiating life energy, and several even had the strength of full-fledged knights.
He was astonished.
When had knights started doing the work of slaves?
Even in the empire, no one would witness such a scene. But here it was, unfolding before him, and the expressions on these knights’ faces showed no sign of discontent. Instead, their faces were flush with enthusiasm and hope. They didn’t seem to be laboring under oppression.
“This…”
The words slipped out of his mouth, his face full of shock.
He kept walking.
The more he saw, the more astonished he became. Though the territory was small, even smaller than some baronial lands in the empire, there were things here he had never seen before—things he had never even heard of.
It felt like he was witnessing an entirely new world.
He saw freemen laughing and chatting happily, with none of the lowliness or caution typical of those in other domains. He saw fields where freemen spread manure, and everywhere around the estate, he noticed small buildings described as places built by the lord for people to relieve themselves.
Even in the capital of the empire, he had never seen such conveniences.
Yet here, in this newly developed domain, he found them.
It was as though he was witnessing the birth of a new dawn, with a rising sun over this land.
The expressions on the faces of the slaves, the freemen, and the knights alike were unlike anything he had seen elsewhere. Even in the empire’s capital, such genuine smiles were rare.
“Look!”
“Sir Raine has returned!”
“Let’s go!”
“Let’s go see him!”
“Yeah, Sir Raine always brings back a good haul. This time, he went to clear out the green goblins—I wonder if he caught any game.”
“Hahaha, I bet he did! We’ll have a feast tonight!”
While Niel Morton was still processing his thoughts, a commotion broke out among the people. His ears perked up as their excited voices reached him.
“Sir Raine?”
Curious, Niel Morton hesitated for a moment before following the crowd to the outskirts of Eagle Ridge.
Before long, he saw a young knight leading a group of about thirty riders back into the estate. Several captured beasts were tied to the horses.
Upon entering the territory, the game was quickly distributed among the people. Each knight wore a smile, far from the haughty demeanor Niel Morton had seen in other noble knights.
These knights, though noble, were not arrogant. They were approachable and friendly.
If not for their armor, Niel Morton would have doubted they were knights at all.
“Eagle Ridge…”
Niel Morton murmured to himself as he quietly observed the scene.
As the food was distributed and the crowd dispersed, Raine glanced at Niel Morton, smiled, and then rode off with his knights.
Niel Morton watched them leave before resuming his quiet exploration of the domain.
Thor, of course, was aware of Niel Morton’s meandering around the estate. But it didn’t concern him. There was nothing secret about his territory, and Thor’s main focus was how to convince Niel Morton to stay.
He didn’t need to make him a guardian knight right away, but getting him to remain would be a significant victory.
(End of Chapter)