- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 75
**Chapter 75: Family Reinforcements Arrive**
The information Rachos Assad brought back provided some relief to Thor. The situation wasn’t as dire as he had initially feared, so the idea of abandoning the territory was completely discarded. All his focus shifted towards fortifying the defenses of Eagle Ridge.
Time continued to slip by.
Another month passed, and the threat of the minotaur attack, as described in the intelligence reports, drew ever closer.
Rachos delivered more updates during this time.
In less than a month, two baronial territories and seven frontier lord domains had been wiped out. The minotaur tribe had grown in strength, expanding from its original seven to eight hundred members to over three thousand, and still growing.
A large swath of the northwest region’s noble lords began fleeing.
Even the territories near the Maine River Valley were affected, as many nobles started abandoning their lands.
Though the Maine River Valley was still at a distance, the anxiety among its inhabitants grew, but no drastic actions were taken yet.
Inside the castle, Thor studied the map in front of him, his face growing grim.
Compared to the other lords and nobles of the Maine River Valley, he wasn’t as optimistic.
The continuous intelligence updates had made it clear to him that the next target of the minotaurs would be the Maine River Valley. Even though there was still some distance between them, it wouldn’t be long before the minotaurs arrived.
Given the tribe’s rapid growth, their numbers would likely reach five thousand by the time they arrived—perhaps even six or seven thousand.
Although these minotaurs were formed using dark magic and weren’t as powerful as they could be, they weren’t goblins either. Ordinary people wouldn’t stand a chance against them; even trainee knights or squires would be needed to put up any kind of defense.
Five thousand minotaurs were a terrifying force.
“Alice, fetch Rehn for me,” Thor ordered, turning away from the map.
“Yes, Master,” Anna promptly responded from the door and left quickly.
A moment later, Rehn entered the room.
“Master,” Rehn said respectfully.
“Send my orders to the mines. Tell Steve to halt production immediately. Within ten days, the magic crystal cannons must be transported to Eagle Ridge, and all personnel are to evacuate,” Thor commanded swiftly.
The large iron mine was indeed important.
Currently, it brought in a steady income of four to five hundred gold coins per month.
But in this situation, if Eagle Ridge’s security wasn’t ensured, no amount of gold would matter. It was better to evacuate the mines and concentrate all efforts on addressing the looming crisis.
After all, there wasn’t anyone bold enough to seize the mines at this time.
“Yes!” Rehn was shocked by the order but did not question it and quickly complied.
The next day, Rehn arrived at the mines and delivered Thor’s message to Steve.
Upon hearing the news, Steve was also taken aback.
“Are you sure this is what the lord said?” Steve asked Rehn, still somewhat incredulous.
“I’m sure. The lord told me personally,” Rehn replied, his expression equally serious.
“Understood. I’ll take care of it immediately,” Steve responded, wasting no time.
Though he had many questions of his own, Steve chose to follow orders without hesitation.
Soon, the entire mining operation was shut down.
Five days later, all activities at the mine had ceased.
A large group of slaves and knights were gathered, and even the goblins were rounded up.
Under Steve’s leadership, they all began their return to Eagle Ridge.
Two days later, they arrived at the fortress.
With their return, Thor felt somewhat more at ease.
He immediately reorganized his defenses, especially focusing on the five magic crystal cannons.
At the same time, Steve and his knight company were rearmed and prepared for battle.
As Thor continued his preparations, the third month came to an end.
According to the intelligence reports, the minotaurs would arrive in the Maine River Valley within the next ten days.
Just as Thor was about to contact the other lords for support, an unexpected surprise arrived.
Indeed, it was a most pleasant surprise.
Outside Eagle Ridge, a large group was making its way towards the fortress.
This group was the reinforcements sent by Count Engel Dresrosa to his son, Thor Dresrosa.
The force included not only five skilled civil administrators but also one hundred craftsmen, ten fully-fledged knights, and over a hundred squires.
Additionally, there was one high knight among them.
Pelosi, the high knight, was the leader of this group.
He wasn’t familiar with Lord Thor.
Unlike Michael, as a member of the Eagle Knights, Pelosi rarely interacted with the children of Count Engel Dresrosa.
In his memory, he had only met Lord Thor once or twice.
He was somewhat reluctant about this assignment.
Being sent to a distant frontier felt like a form of exile.
After all, Pelosi was a high knight, and at just over thirty years old, he had a promising future within the Dresrosa family.
The resources and training opportunities available to him at the family estate were beyond comparison.
Now, he had been ordered to join Lord Thor on a frontier expedition, a task he expected to be fraught with difficulty.
Still, despite his reservations, he didn’t dare voice any complaints in front of Count Engel.
Pelosi wasn’t exactly hopeful for his future anymore.
“I just hope that Lord Thor doesn’t have any of those troublesome habits,” Pelosi sighed, resigning himself to the situation as he ordered the group to quicken their pace.
They had left Loren City seven days ago.
If they pushed harder, they would likely reach Eagle Ridge by nightfall.
Time passed slowly.
By evening, they had finally neared their destination.
“We’ve arrived!”
“It’s just ahead!” Pelosi breathed a sigh of relief, checking his map.
After nearly two months of traveling, they were almost there.
As he relaxed, the group passed through a thicket, and the scene before them unfolded.
First, a towering fortress came into view, followed by fields of golden wheat.
“Damn it!”
“Did we take a wrong turn?” Pelosi muttered under his breath, momentarily confused.
The sight of this prosperous territory made it hard for him to believe this was Lord Thor Dresrosa’s Eagle Ridge. After all, Thor had only been a frontier lord for less than a year—how could his land have developed so rapidly?
The only logical explanation was that they had taken a wrong turn.
**(End of Chapter)**