- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 59
Chapter 59: New Intelligence
Night was gradually falling, and another day was coming to an end.
As expected, the daily intelligence report arrived once more.
[Daily Intelligence Updated]
1: Five hundred miles north of your territory, a herd of pig-like beasts will pass through, and it seems their leader is about to break through to the third tier.
2: In the western part of your territory, within Baron Welles’ domain, a serf has accidentally discovered that grafting fern roots with Fire Spirit trees increases the yield of the Fire Spirit trees.
3: Due to your intention to demand compensation from Baron Pape Lawrence’s territory, in fifteen days, Pape Lawrence’s second son, Ope Lawrence, feeling the compensation price is too high and eager to inherit the territory directly, will decide to “falsely accuse” the Eagle Territory of controlling a large iron mine. He plans to unite other pioneering lords and nobles to launch an attack on your territory in hopes that neither his father nor his older brother will be able to return to the domain.
4: A group of mole-like creatures is about to pass by the right side of the large iron mine you control. They’ve brought back a Life Fruit that has started to lose its vitality from a distant land.
5: A group of Earth Dragons will pass through the upper reaches of the Maine River Valley, west of Eagle Territory.
6: …
As these lines of text appeared before him, Thor’s pupils suddenly contracted. His eyes quickly locked onto the third piece of intelligence.
Thor hadn’t expected this. He had just been considering his options, and now the daily intelligence had presented him with a clear answer.
It seemed there was no real choice to be made.
This world, like his previous one, was also home to fools beyond his imagination.
Demanding compensation was something Thor had planned to do no matter which option he chose. After all, capturing a baron gave him the perfect opportunity to extract substantial reparations—more beneficial than outright destroying a baron’s territory.
In the Northern Province, it was true that strength determined everything. Even if he destroyed Lawrence’s domain, no one would hold him accountable.
But the problem was that by wiping out the Lawrence family, Thor might not gain as much as he would through compensation. Keeping them alive would allow for continued reparations, possibly on an ongoing basis.
Moreover, taking such drastic action might damage his reputation, which wouldn’t bode well for his future ambitions.
Under normal circumstances, the Lawrence territory would gladly offer compensation. After all, compared to the death of a lord and his elite knights, paying some gold was the easier choice. Even if the price was steep, most would still prefer to pay, as powerful figures were the most important asset for any lord.
But this was only in normal circumstances.
In his previous life, there were foolish rulers like Hu II, and it seemed this world had its own version. Someone who didn’t care about his father and brother, nor about the powerful people involved.
Even Thor was left speechless, unsure of how to describe such stupidity.
It was sheer folly, beyond saving.
“It seems I’ll need to go all in on my next move,” Thor sighed after a moment of silence.
The first option was no longer viable, so he began contemplating the second option more seriously. Since he had no real choice, his decision came swiftly.
As for the surrounding lords and nobles, Thor wasn’t overly concerned. The strongest force in the Maine River Valley was the Lawrence domain. Even though other territories had nobles and powerful pioneering lords, their strength was relatively ordinary. Thor could handle them, especially if he brought over the remaining two magical crystal cannons.
With five magical crystal cannons in total, unless a massive orc tribe attacked, there wouldn’t be much to worry about.
His thoughts swirled as the night passed.
By morning, sunlight bathed the land.
Thor first tracked down the mole-like creatures and retrieved the Life Fruit, which had started to lose its vitality.
Afterward, he summoned Steve.
“My lord!” Steve said respectfully.
“You will send men to transport the two magical crystal cannons from Eagle Territory here. Also, send a message to the Lawrence domain informing them of their defeat. Demand compensation as follows: three thousand gold coins for Baron Pape Lawrence, one thousand for Lawrence, five hundred gold coins for each knight, one hundred gold coins for each apprentice knight, plus three thousand serfs and two thousand gold coins in war reparations.”
Thor spoke calmly, though the content of his words made Steve’s brows twitch.
The two magical crystal cannons were one thing, but the compensation demands… that was essentially asking for their lives.
The amounts were utterly outrageous. The total would be over ten thousand gold coins—an amount the Lawrence territory couldn’t possibly pay.
“My lord, this price… the Lawrence family might…” Steve hesitated, his voice trailing off, though the meaning was clear.
“Just do as I say!” Thor said with a slight smile, waving off Steve’s concerns.
“Yes, my lord!” Steve bowed and withdrew, still full of doubts.
As Steve left, a smile crept onto Thor’s face.
His compensation demands were indeed intended to provoke refusal.
Since the daily intelligence had already informed him that the Lawrence domain had no intention of paying, there was no harm in raising the stakes even higher.
On one hand, this would further incite them to unite with other lords.
On the other hand, if he managed to deal with those other lords, his spoils would be even greater.
This was Thor’s plan and preparation.
“I’ll need to make a trip,” Thor muttered to himself, collecting his thoughts.
Transporting the two magical crystal cannons and deploying forces to the mines would leave Eagle Territory vulnerable. Thor wasn’t sure how many allies that fool might gather.
To be safe, he needed to consult with Neil Morton to ensure everything went smoothly.
Though he had initially been confident, especially with two magical crystal cannons, the situation had changed.
Once his thoughts were clear, Thor quickly gathered his men and returned to Eagle Territory.
A day later, he arrived back at Eagle Territory.
At the same time, Steve’s letter demanding compensation reached the Lawrence domain.
When news of Baron Pape Lawrence’s defeat and capture reached the Lawrence estate, the entire domain erupted in chaos.
Panic and fear spread uncontrollably.
The air was thick with unease.
As Pape Lawrence’s wife, Renee Black, was understandably the most frantic of all.
(End of Chapter)