- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 40
Chapter 40: Surprises Keep Coming
“Sir Thor, are you serious?”
Hearing Thor’s words, the previously conflicted expression on Niel Morton’s face immediately shifted to one of pleasant surprise.
“By the Life Goddess, of course it’s true.”
Thor smiled and nodded.
“May the Life Goddess bless you!”
Niel Morton spoke, his face filled with excitement.
“May the Life Goddess bless you!”
Thor responded with the same courtesy, then saw Niel Morton off.
Once Niel Morton left the room, Thor could no longer suppress his grin. Even Thor hadn’t expected things to turn out this easily.
While it seemed like he agreed that if Raine wanted to leave with Niel Morton, he would allow him to go, Thor knew Raine too well. With the deep bond between them and his understanding of Raine’s loyalty, there was no way Raine would choose to leave.
As long as Raine stayed, Niel Morton, who had taken on the role of teaching Raine, would also remain. This, in effect, meant that Thor had indirectly managed to keep Niel Morton.
Although it wasn’t as straightforward as simply making him stay, this was more than enough for Thor. After all, as long as Niel Morton remained for the time being, many future opportunities would present themselves.
This realization kept a smile on Thor’s face throughout the day.
But it seemed that the day wasn’t done with pleasant surprises yet.
As evening approached, yet another surprise awaited him.
“Lord Thor!”
“The supplies from the iron mine have arrived. Would you like to inspect them?”
A knight entered, speaking with respect.
“They’ve arrived?”
“Let’s go take a look!”
Thor’s smile grew wider as he eagerly stood up. Following the knight’s lead, Thor made his way to the storage area.
There, crates upon crates were being unloaded by apprentice knights.
As Thor arrived, a knight rushed over to greet him.
“My Lord!”
The knight bowed in respect and greeted Thor.
“How much has arrived?”
Thor’s gaze moved over the heavy wooden crates, curiosity piqued as he addressed the knight.
After almost two months, he was eager to know just how much the large iron mine had produced. This was, after all, the foundation of his future economy.
“My Lord, in this shipment, we have crafted one hundred sets of black iron armor, one set of silver armor, and two hundred farming tools. Knight-Captain Steve mentioned that starting next month, production should increase to about two hundred sets of black iron armor, and more silver armor as well.”
The knight respectfully delivered the report.
Hearing these numbers, Thor’s eyes lit up.
He hadn’t expected such a large haul from the first batch alone.
One hundred sets of black iron armor—each worth about twenty to thirty silver coins—meant two to three thousand silver coins in total. And the silver armor? That alone was worth three hundred gold coins, not to mention the various farming tools.
With production set to increase in the coming months, his income could soon reach three to four hundred gold coins per month, possibly even more.
Even without any other sources of income, the iron mine alone could bring in over three thousand gold coins annually.
No wonder even earls would be tempted by such wealth. While earls generally had high incomes—some could bring in tens of thousands of gold coins annually, while even the less prosperous ones still made over ten thousand—this was their total revenue. Having a single mine consistently bring in three or four thousand gold coins a year was no small sum.
Of course, without the goblins, achieving such numbers would be nearly impossible. Even with mithril in the mine, selling raw materials didn’t offer much profit. It was thanks to the goblins that Thor was able to achieve all of this. Earls in the inland provinces didn’t have easy access to goblins like Thor did. Only by being in the northern provinces, with a stroke of luck, had Thor managed to acquire these goblins.
Grinning, Thor ordered the materials to be safely stored and then left the storage area.
It seemed that the good fortune from the past few days wasn’t about to stop.
Starting with Niel Morton’s arrival that morning, then the arrival of the materials from the iron mine, another piece of great news awaited Thor the very next day.
“Thor Dresrosa, my dear friend, it’s been two months now. I apologize for not visiting sooner, but as you know, I’ve been terribly busy. I had to gather a great deal of supplies and fulfill the agreements between us. But fortunately, the Life Goddess has blessed my efforts, and everything has gone smoothly. So, I’ve decided to visit you at the beginning of next month. Your friend—Lachos Assad.”
This letter, sent from Loren City, was from none other than Lachos Assad, the man with whom Thor had established a partnership.
Thor hadn’t expected Lachos to visit so soon. He had high hopes for this visit, as Lachos played a crucial role in his plans for the development of his territory.
After acquiring the large iron mine, Lachos, a merchant, became even more important than ever.
Thor could sell his goods to the Habbs Trading Company in Loren City, but the value of the materials would be drastically reduced. Black iron armor crafted by goblins might sell for ten silver coins at best, but selling to other nobles could fetch thirty silver coins or more. This was just for black iron armor. The price difference for silver armor would be even greater.
Silver armor wouldn’t fetch much from the Habbs Trading Company, but other lords, desperate for silver armor, would be willing to pay a premium for it.
This was all potential gold.
More importantly, with the large iron mine continually producing black iron and silver armor, Thor would need to sell the surplus to generate income to further develop his territory.
Lachos Assad was the perfect trading partner.
First, Lachos, though not well-regarded in his family, still had access to valuable trade resources.
Second, because he wasn’t highly esteemed, his power wasn’t overwhelming, meaning he wouldn’t pose much of a threat.
Third, precisely because Lachos was undervalued, the deals Thor offered him would be more valuable. What others might refuse, Lachos would eagerly accept.
After all, Lachos had already shown a willingness to take risks, even smuggling highly regulated items like wildfire.
Thor wasn’t merely selling dreams—he truly had the means to make things happen.
(End of Chapter)