FLDI Chapter 93

Chapter 93: Reporting, and the Unexpected Appearance of Marquis Lehmann

At this moment, the entire Northern Province was in chaos. Various lines of defense were being breached, and numerous orc tribes were flooding into the region, plunging the Northern Province into disarray. Pioneer territories were collapsing one after another, and many pioneer lords were fleeing.

There was no other choice.

Compared to the second-tier orc tribes, most human pioneer lords, except for a few powerful ones, were no match at all.

As the pioneer lords were either destroyed or fled, more and more followed in their footsteps.

For territories that had been developed over time, some consideration was necessary. But for newly established pioneer lords, there was hardly any hesitation.

This naturally led to even greater chaos.

Especially since the Eagle Knights hadn’t chosen to intervene, things worsened.

Of course, Thor and the others were unaware of all this at the time.

The Maine River Valley, situated near the Northern Glaciers and close to the orc tribes, was somewhat isolated from the mainstream pioneering knight territories.

The information from the northern region was somewhat accessible, but the further west one went, the more difficult it was to stay informed.

After dealing with the minotaurs and forming their alliance, Thor and the others began preparing to report their battle results.

The Northern Province, being the frontline in the war against the orcs, offered numerous opportunities to earn military merit.

Not only would they earn over a hundred points of merit for slaying the eleven second-tier minotaurs, but they would also earn additional merit for defeating and scattering the orc tribe.

These results needed to be reported to Marquis Lehmann.

Marquis Lehmann would verify the reports, and upon confirmation, they would be granted their military merit.

Thor and the other five pioneer lords were all deeply invested in this.

Soon after the alliance concluded, a battle report and the heads of the eleven second-tier minotaurs were sent by Raine to Loren City.

Loren City.

Within the grand and lavish marquis manor, a middle-aged man with a slightly furrowed brow paced back and forth.

This man was the lord of the manor and the undisputed ruler of the Northern Province—one of the kingdom’s highest-ranking nobles, Marquis Lehmann.

Having risen through the ranks of military service, the now seventy-year-old Marquis Lehmann wasn’t entirely satisfied with his territory. Compared to ruling the vast Northern Province, he much preferred the Frostmoon or Southmoon Provinces.

After decades of war, Lehmann was all too familiar with the terrifying strength of the orc tribes, a force that even the Tulip Kingdom alone could not handle, let alone a newly established marquis like himself.

Once an orc war erupted, the entire Northern Province would be hit hard, and the losses to his territory would be unimaginable.

But the kingdom’s lands had long been divided, and there was no longer any territory available for him—certainly not a marquisate. Even finding an earldom would be difficult, and no province would want him, a marquis, stepping in to take a share of the spoils. With no other options available, he had no choice but to reluctantly accept his role, hoping the orc war wouldn’t come too soon.

But no one expected the situation to deteriorate so rapidly this year.

A large number of orcs had stormed the entire northern front.

Even the kingdom’s Earth Dragon Knights had been hit.

As for his own Eagle Knights, in less than three months, they had suffered significant losses.

“My lord, should we request reinforcements from the kingdom?”

The captain of the Eagle Knights, clearly anxious, approached Marquis Lehmann with the question.

“We likely won’t need to. The Earth Dragon Knights have probably already called for aid.”

“What’s the current situation?”

“Can we confirm whether the orc tribes are preparing for war?”

Marquis Lehmann paused his pacing and turned to his captain, his tone hesitant.

“We cannot confirm that yet.”

“But it doesn’t seem like war. The Behemoth Tribe hasn’t made any moves, and so far, only the minotaurs, werewolves, and a few second- and third-tier orc tribes have been active.”

“But there are too many of them. We’ve discovered several third-tier orc tribes on the eastern, western, and southern fronts, which has stretched the Eagle Knights too thin to deal with the second-tier orcs.”

The captain of the Eagle Knights shook his head slightly and replied in a low voice.

Hearing this, Marquis Lehmann breathed a sigh of relief.

If it had truly been an orc war, he would be in serious trouble.

At least for now, there were still ways to cope.

Even so, Marquis Lehmann felt a headache coming on. The orc tribes had breached the Northern Province, destroying many territories and forcing many lords to flee. This was not good news for him.

Over the years, fewer and fewer were willing to become pioneer lords in the Northern Province, especially among the heirs of great noble families. After all, the casualty rate in the Northern Province was too high, and the return on investment too low.

The ones willing to become pioneer lords were mostly wandering knights, who were worth only a few gold coins—nothing compared to the heirs of great nobles or lords who had already established their territories.

And with this latest incursion, it was likely that even fewer nobles would want to venture into the Northern Province to pioneer.

This meant a significant loss of income for him, which only added to his frustration.

But he knew that now wasn’t the time to dwell on such matters.

First, he had to ensure the Eagle Knights were safe; then he could focus on other concerns.

“I understand.”

“For now, don’t worry about those.”

“Have the knights withdraw to Autumn Leaf Territory and hold off the orcs. Also, request 300 magic crystal cannons, 1,000 second-tier magic cores, and 20 third-tier magic cores from Loren City to be sent to Autumn Leaf Territory.”

Marquis Lehmann gritted his teeth and made the decision.

“Yes!”

The captain of the Eagle Knights was taken aback but quickly showed a hint of joy as he nodded in response.

With these resources, the losses to the knights would be minimized.

“These orcs must be mad, attacking human lands without the Behemoth Tribe leading them.”

Marquis Lehmann couldn’t help but curse under his breath.

Just as the two were talking, a figure approached from the distance.

“Marquis!”

The figure spoke respectfully as he arrived.

“What is it?”

Marquis Lehmann’s brow twitched as he looked at the newcomer.

It was the steward from Loren City. Since the marquis rarely involved himself in day-to-day affairs, the steward seldom came to him directly.

“Marquis, it’s a report from the Maine River Valley. It requires your personal approval.”

The steward respectfully replied.

“The Maine River Valley?”

“Didn’t I already tell them to hold the line as best as they can?”

Marquis Lehmann frowned, his tone somewhat impatient.

“Marquis, this isn’t a request for aid.”

“It’s a battle report.”

“They… they seem to have defeated a second-tier minotaur tribe. They need you to verify the results.”

The steward quickly explained, realizing that Lehmann had misunderstood.

“What?”

“You said they defeated a second-tier minotaur tribe?”

Marquis Lehmann was momentarily stunned, then quickly turned to look at the steward.

“Yes!”

“They’ve also sent the heads of eleven second-tier minotaurs.”

The steward confirmed with a nod.

“It seems these pioneer lords aren’t so bad after all!”

“Let me see!”

Marquis Lehmann smiled after a brief moment of surprise and gestured for the steward to hand over the battle report.

The steward quickly complied.

Marquis Lehmann took the report and began to read.

Soon enough, the smile on his face deepened.

The situation was better than he had expected.

The pioneer lords of the Maine River Valley had actually united to resist the orc tribes.

Not only that, but they had also successfully defeated a tribe of over 4,000 minotaurs, killing all the minotaurs in the process.

If this report was true, it would undoubtedly provide a much-needed morale boost to the currently chaotic Northern Province.

“Hahaha!”

“Not bad, not bad!”

“Franz, take the kingdom’s inspector and head to the Maine River Valley. Verify the report.”

“And prepare for the baronial conferment ceremony—it looks like the Northern Province will see the rise of a new baron.”

Marquis Lehmann chuckled softly.

After months of frustration, his mood had finally lightened.

If this battle report was accurate, it might just bring some stability to the Northern Province.

More importantly, it had been over three years since a new baron had been granted title in the Northern Province.

The kingdom’s requirement was that any pioneer lord who could develop a small town with a population of at least 5,000 in the Northern Province would be eligible for the title of baron, becoming a new noble.

For this reason, countless knights had flocked to the Northern Province over the past twenty years.

But the results had been far from ideal.

Despite the vastness of the Northern Province, only 56 barons had been conferred over the last twenty years.

In comparison, the Frostmoon Province likely had no fewer than 300 viscounts and possibly over 1,000 barons, whereas the Northern Province had produced only 56 in the past twenty years. Of those, only 36 barons remained; the fate of the other 20 was all too obvious.

Particularly over the past three years, as unrest grew in the Northern Province, not a single new baron had been granted title.

This is also why fewer and fewer great nobles have been willing to go to the Northern Province to become pioneer lords.

If, under such circumstances, a new baron were to be created, it would undoubtedly reignite the enthusiasm of those nobles for pioneering.

For the kingdom, this was undoubtedly a good thing, and for Marquis Lehmann, it was as well.

“Yes!”  

The steward from Loren City nodded and promptly agreed.  

Loren City quickly sprang into action.

A day later, Franz, along with the kingdom’s inspector and a large entourage, set off in grand fashion toward the Maine River Valley.

Maine River Valley.

Thor and the others soon received the news.

Immediately, the entire Eagle Ridge was abuzz with excitement.

Everyone’s expressions were filled with joy.

Especially the knights.

When they first followed Thor to the Northern Province to become pioneering knights, they were filled with anxiety, nervousness, and uncertainty. But as Thor led them from one victory to another, their strength and rewards grew steadily. The initial confusion and anxiety gradually turned into anticipation, into dreams of the future.

However, no matter how much they dreamed or looked forward to it, without Thor’s baronial conferment, their hopes would remain just that—hopes and dreams.

Only when Thor was officially titled as a baron and began to rise would their real rewards come.

After all, this represented their chance of becoming nobles too.

And that was the dream of every knight.

Eagle Ridge was in full celebration.

Every person was filled with hope.

Even the common folk were caught up in the excitement.

Inside the castle.

Thor received the news, and he couldn’t suppress a surge of excitement within him.

It had been nearly a year since he arrived in the Northern Province.

During that year, even with the help of his “golden finger,” the hardships and struggles he endured were known only to him.

At this moment, the time to reap his rewards had finally arrived.

As long as the kingdom’s inspector approved his achievements, he would be conferred the title of baron.

He would then truly hold the status of a noble, not just a temporary noble title.

In this world, the gap between nobles and non-nobles was as vast as the heavens and the earth.

Even the difference between temporary nobles and true nobles was a great chasm.

The rights and privileges they enjoyed were entirely different.

For example, in the past, if he had wanted to conquer another noble’s territory, he would have had to pay a certain amount to the kingdom for land acquisition rights. Just like now, while those lands were technically under his control, they weren’t officially his.

If he wasn’t a baron, he would still need to pay gold to claim them. But if he became a baron, he could skip that step and directly go to Loren City to declare ownership of those lands.

There were countless other differences as well.

For instance, a temporary noble’s status was only recognized in the Northern Province, whereas a true noble’s status was acknowledged across the entire human continent.

While this world was governed by a kingdom system, in reality, it functioned more like a noble republic.

Nobles were the true rulers of this world.

Whether one could become a noble was the most important status one could achieve.

(End of chapter)

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