- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 74
**Chapter 74: A Month Passes, The Crisis Approaches**
A vast amount of gold was spent, with every coin going towards procurement. Time slipped by under Thor’s careful planning, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
During this time, the entire Maine River Valley remained unusually calm, with no signs of unrest.
Thor’s dominance over the three major nobles meant that even the other frontier lords in the Maine River Valley dared not harbor any thoughts of rebellion against Eagle Ridge.
The three noble houses also remained passive, bound by the contracts they had signed. In this world, the law of the Goddess of Life governed all, and any contract sealed under her divine law could not be broken without facing severe consequences.
While the Maine River Valley remained peaceful, the same could not be said for other places.
In the northwest of the valley, chaos was spreading.
A large fire consumed the entire territory, while cries of anguish and battle echoed through the air.
This was clearly a noble’s domain.
However, the prosperous land had now been reduced to burning ruins, with people fleeing in terror.
Just an hour ago, the territory had been attacked by a minotaur tribe. Baron Roschar, the lord of the land, had been killed in battle, and the rest of the territory was swiftly overrun.
The citizens were slaughtered by the minotaurs in droves.
The women, however, were captured.
If nothing changed, these women would soon become breeding tools for the minotaurs.
Unlike monsters, beastmen—whether minotaurs or elves—were not reproductively isolated from humans. Due to their unique nature, beastmen often captured human women for reproduction.
They even used dark rituals to drain the women’s life force, continuously breeding new members of their tribe.
This particular minotaur tribe, having lost a war, was forced to flee.
Although they escaped, their numbers were greatly diminished, and they urgently needed to replenish their ranks.
This baron’s land was an ideal target.
Their attack was shockingly successful.
“Titan bless us!” roared the leader of the minotaurs, his face twisted with excitement as the flames illuminated the night sky.
From inside various houses came the sounds of women’s screams and agony.
As the night descended, no trace of life remained in the territory.
A large bonfire crackled in the center of the town, with roasted human corpses hanging over it, their bodies charred and dripping with fat. The minotaurs licked their lips as they devoured the grisly feast.
Small minotaurs emerged from the ruined houses, leaving behind the dead women, whose suffering had finally ended.
That night was a brutal celebration for the minotaurs.
The next day, news of the massacre swept across the entire Northern Province like a wildfire.
Every noble in the northwest region was thrown into a state of panic.
Some lords began fleeing their territories overnight, while others sent urgent pleas for help to the Falcon Knights or dispatched messengers directly to them.
But it was all in vain.
The letters sent for help vanished without a trace.
The envoys never even made it to the Falcon Knights.
This shocking result left the entire northwest in total disarray.
More and more people began abandoning their lands.
Even territories that had taken years to develop, costing a fortune in gold, were left behind in the chaos.
After all, if the territory was lost, gold could be earned back. But if they lost their lives, then everything would be gone.
The panic soon spread beyond the northwest, rippling through neighboring regions.
While trading along the newly established routes, Rachos Assad quickly caught wind of the news.
When he heard it, even Rachos couldn’t help but be shocked.
It wasn’t just the news of the minotaurs that startled him, but the fact that Thor had warned him to keep an eye on this situation a month ago, as if he had known in advance. This realization filled Rachos with a sense of awe.
Amidst his shock, he wasted no time in gathering more information.
Once he had learned enough, he dropped everything and hurried back to Eagle Ridge to report to Thor.
Half a month later, Rachos Assad returned to Eagle Ridge and relayed the details to Thor.
“Only a second-tier minotaur tribe?” Thor asked in surprise, looking at Rachos Assad.
Within beastmen tribes, there were strict classifications, or more accurately, humans had assigned them these ranks. A beastman tribe equivalent to a high knight was considered second-tier, while those on par with an earth knight were classified as third-tier.
That this minotaur tribe was only second-tier caught Thor off guard.
Unlike goblins, minotaurs could grow to the fourth tier, so encountering a second-tier minotaur tribe was rare.
Moreover, a second-tier tribe shouldn’t pose such a massive threat to the Maine River Valley or Eagle Ridge.
With the strength Thor had accumulated, a third-tier beastman tribe would indeed be a challenge, but he was confident that he could handle a second-tier tribe. Theoretically, this should not be a serious crisis.
“Yes, it’s only second-tier, but it seems to be the remnant of a defeated third-tier tribe. It’s stronger than an ordinary second-tier tribe, with reports of at least seven or eight second-tier minotaurs, including two at the peak of the second tier,” Rachos explained, his tone still cautious.
“I see.” Thor nodded, understanding the situation better. Since the tribe had once been third-tier, its remnants posed a significant threat to the Maine River Valley and Eagle Ridge.
“Rachos, my friend, please continue keeping an eye on things,” Thor said, exhaling deeply as he gave Rachos a solemn look.
“Of course! I’ll keep watching closely,” Rachos replied, without hesitation.
At this point, Rachos and Thor’s fates were intertwined, and Rachos had no desire to see Eagle Ridge fall to ruin.
After Rachos left, Thor resumed his preparations.
The situation was dangerous, but it wasn’t beyond hope.
As Thor had anticipated, it wasn’t an impossible threat to handle.
As long as he could rally the forces of the Maine River Valley—particularly the strength of the three noble houses—along with his five magic crystal cannons, he stood a good chance of repelling the minotaur assault.
Although there were seven or eight second-tier minotaurs, including one at the peak of the second tier, Thor’s forces alone boasted four high knights across the four territories. Adding in Rehn, who was nearing the strength of a high knight, that made five in total.
Their high-level combat power would be nearly equal to that of the minotaurs.
The magic crystal cannons, although limited by their second-tier mana cores, would still have a significant impact.
**(End of Chapter)**