- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 54
Chapter 54: Preparations Continue (Part 2)
Silver armor, such a rare and valuable commodity. With three sets of silver armor in his possession, Pape Lawrence was confident that he could finally seize that minotaur territory. Although the battle would still be costly, gaining control over the iron mine held by the minotaurs would undoubtedly be worth it.
His investigations revealed that it was a medium-sized iron mine, and while it didn’t produce any Mithril, even ordinary iron ore would be worth thousands of gold coins.
During the banquet, Pape Lawrence and Racios Assad engaged in conversation.
Seeing that Racios had become a bit tipsy, Pape Lawrence, with a curious and seemingly casual tone, asked, “My friend, forgive me for asking, but how did you manage to bypass the blockade of the Habs Trading Company to transport black iron and silver armor into the Northern Province? It seems nearly impossible.”
Pape Lawrence’s curiosity was evident as he marveled at the situation.
“Baron Lawrence,” Racios slurred slightly, “this wasn’t smuggled from elsewhere. I wouldn’t dare go against the decrees of Marquis Raymond. I obtained these from a friend who controls a group of goblins and a large iron mine. So, it wasn’t that difficult, really.”
“A friend? A large iron mine? Goblins?” Pape Lawrence’s eyebrows twitched, his heart racing as he tried to process the information.
“My friend, may I ask who this friend of yours is? I’ve never heard of a baron like that around here.”
Pape Lawrence pressed further, trying to contain the excitement and suspicion bubbling up inside him.
However, he quickly realized that Racios had fallen asleep on the table, his drunken snores filling the room.
“Racios? Racios Assad?” Pape Lawrence called out softly a few more times, but there was no response.
Frowning slightly, Pape Lawrence instructed his servants to carry Racios to a room to rest.
“Father!” As Racios was taken away, Pape’s eldest son, Lawrence Lawrence, quickly approached him.
“What have you found out about the matters I asked you to investigate?” Pape Lawrence asked, his tone curious as he addressed his son.
“I’ve gathered the information, Father,” Lawrence responded respectfully. “The first territory Racios visited was Eagle Ridge, owned by Thor Dresrosa. When he first sold the black iron armor, he left from the Grell territory, near Eagle Ridge. The source of the armor could be from the Emerson family, the Dresrosa family, or perhaps the territories of Orvado or Clow.”
Ever since Pape Lawrence received his first shipment of black iron armor, he had tasked his son with investigating the origins of the armor.
“Emerson, Dresrosa…” Pape frowned. Neither of those families were easy to deal with.
“And what of the goblin tribe near our territory? Have we discovered what happened after the fire a few weeks ago?”
“Father, we’ve found out that Eagle Ridge has taken over that area. It appears they were attacking the cowardly goblins at that time,” Lawrence reported, bowing his head slightly.
“Eagle Ridge took over the goblin land?” Pape Lawrence’s mind began to race. “Wait a minute—you said Racios’s first stop was Thor Dresrosa’s Eagle Ridge, and the black iron armor was first sold after leaving Eagle Ridge?”
“Yes, Father,” Lawrence confirmed, though slightly confused by his father’s reaction.
Upon hearing his son’s confirmation, Pape Lawrence quickly walked over to a map hanging on the wall. His eyes fell on the newly marked locations, two red dots standing out prominently.
“Cowardly goblin territory… goblins, black iron armor, silver armor…” Pape muttered to himself, piecing the puzzle together. “Friend?!”
“Lawrence, I have an important task for you. Take a few knights and head to the former goblin territory. I need to know what’s going on in Eagle Ridge,” Pape ordered, his voice low but determined.
“Father, do you suspect that the black iron and silver armor are being produced in Eagle Ridge?” Lawrence asked, his voice filled with disbelief. “But Thor Dresrosa only recently became a pioneering knight.”
“Nothing is impossible, Lawrence,” Pape replied. “The Dresrosa family isn’t weak; they’re stronger than us, in fact. It’s possible that this young Thor has received significant support from the Dresrosa Earl. And don’t forget, goblins often capture and use goblins to forge weapons. That area used to be home to a large goblin tribe, just a few dozen miles from Eagle Ridge. What other reason could there be for Thor to go through the trouble of conquering such a place? It’s not like the goblins were valuable slaves like fox-people. They wouldn’t even fetch much in the market.”
Pape Lawrence’s voice grew more excited. “I can’t think of any other reason Thor Dresrosa would go to the trouble of attacking that goblin territory unless it had something to do with the iron mine and the goblins.”
Pape’s thoughts raced as the pieces fell into place. A large iron mine, and possibly a group of skilled goblins—if he could seize that wealth, he might gain enough resources to secure his future before the next kingdom war. With the right amount of wealth, he could even aim for a viscount title.
The mere thought of such prospects made him feel exhilarated.
As for Thor Dresrosa, Pape wasn’t overly concerned. To him, Thor was just a newly established pioneering lord.
Even if Thor was a scion of the Dresrosa family and had some backing from the Dresrosa Earl, the support for a pioneering knight was always limited.
Pape, on the other hand, had been developing his territory for over twenty years, and he had held his baron title for more than fifteen years. His position in the Northern Province rivaled that of many inland viscounts.
If he couldn’t handle a new pioneering lord like Thor, it would be a joke.
As for offending the Dresrosa family? In the Northern Province, if the opportunity was valuable enough, even Marquis Raymond wouldn’t care too much—let alone the Dresrosa family.
“I understand, Father. I’ll take care of it immediately!” Lawrence responded swiftly before retreating to carry out the task.
As his son left, Pape Lawrence gazed out at the moonlit sky, his eyes filled with hope and ambition.
“By the Life Goddess… is this your blessing to me?” he murmured, his expression a mixture of longing and excitement for the future.
(End of Chapter)