NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 45: Returning to Loren City
Chapter 45: Returning to Loren City
Three months ago, the steward of the Habsburg Chamber of Commerce had informed Thor that there would be an auction in Loren City three months later, featuring an extremely precious life elixir. Thor was very interested in this, as auctions always presented opportunities for unexpected gains, especially for someone with Thor's daily information updates.
This point was confirmed once again when the daily information was updated. Both the boy named "Allen" and the Thunderstone excited him.
So, over the next two days, Thor began actively preparing for the auction.
Two days later.
He personally set off with Ryan, Niel Morton, five official knights, and thirty apprentice knights.
Due to the division of resources between the mines and the merchant guild, his number of apprentice knights had decreased. However, thanks to his substantial expenditures, the reserve trainee knights had seen ten more people condense life seeds and break through to become apprentice knights in the past few months. His number of apprentice knights had risen from just over a hundred to more than 120, making it easy to deploy thirty.
Apart from personnel, Thor also took some supplies to Loren City, such as black iron armor and silver armor.
Even though he still had quite a bit of gold, it was uncertain whether it would be enough to purchase the Thunderstone, the boy named "Allen," and a large amount of living supplies. He needed to be fully prepared.
As for Niel Morton, he had voluntarily requested to accompany them. Thor certainly wouldn't refuse the protection of a super bodyguard.
Over the past few months, if he had been uncertain before, he was now sure that Niel Morton was indeed a Sky Knight.
In the entire Northland Province, there was nothing safer than having a Sky Knight by your side. Even if the orcs launched a massive invasion, they would still be secure.
Sky Knights were truly top-tier warriors, standing at the pinnacle of the kingdom. The Tulip Kingdom officially had only five Sky Knights. Even if there were hidden ones, the total number of Sky Knights wouldn't exceed ten. Each one was incredibly important and a cornerstone of the kingdom's strength.
Having Niel Morton by his side was more reassuring than anything else.
The journey from Eagle Ridge to Loren City went without any danger.
To ensure the smooth running of the auction, Loren City had already dispatched many knights to clean up the surroundings. Even if some dark elements hadn't been completely eradicated, they had to lay low.
Thor and his party didn't face any burdens. Even the supplies they carried didn't slow them down. In just four days, they arrived at Loren City.
Looking at the city ahead, Niel Morton couldn't help but shake his head.
"The lord here is really unqualified, letting the most important city in the province fall into such a state," he remarked.
The experience at Eagle Ridge had led him to believe the entire Tulip Kingdom was similar, but now he realized it was just Eagle Ridge.
Thor smiled but didn't respond to Niel Morton's comment.
Joking aside, he wasn't in a position to evaluate Marquis Raymond.
They slowly rode towards the city.
Compared to his previous visits, Loren City was now bustling with activity.
The city gate was crowded with people, including various merchants and pioneering lords like him with large retinues. There were also nobles adorned with medals.
Not far away, Thor noticed a large group of knights, numbering in the hundreds. The high-flying banner indicated their identity.
"Dalton!" he murmured, puzzled. He didn't recall this family's title.
However, he didn't dwell on it for long and quickly dismissed it.
The Northland Province was a wild area, full of opportunities.
Not only were there various magical beasts, orcs, and resources, but also ruins from ancient civilizations.
Unlike other provinces where ruins had been almost completely excavated, the Northland Province had many unexplored sites.
Anyone could rise to prominence here.
In fact, out of the fifty-six barons in the kingdom, more than half had risen from being wandering knights rather than from established noble families.
This "Dalton" was likely one of them, which wasn't too surprising.
"So many people!" Ryan exclaimed, looking around with wide eyes.
"Haha, Ryan, the city of Canaan in the Empire has even more people, and there are beautiful elves there too!" Niel Morton joked.
"Teacher!" Ryan looked at his teacher in exasperation.
"Haha, I'm just saying!" Niel Morton replied, somewhat embarrassed.
"Let's go. Our lodging is arranged. We should settle in first. The auction starts tomorrow afternoon," Thor said with a smile, leading the group to the nobles' passage.
In this world, social classes were very strict.
Commoners and nobles didn't use the same paths.
Nobles had their exclusive, wider, and checkpoint-free passage.
Thor and his entourage followed Dalton's group into Loren City.
After they entered, the area outside the city remained crowded.
But that was no longer Thor's concern.
Inside the city, Thor felt the bustling atmosphere even more. Compared to his previous visits, the population of Loren City had clearly increased tenfold. The streets were full of people.
Even the usually impassive residents seemed to have more smiles. Many freemen were selling goods on the streets.
Knights patrolled the city, their numbers much higher than before.
Thor even saw several nobles wearing medals, some with the distinctive marks of the Northland Province.
This indicated they were not just nobles but also titled nobles of the Northland Province.
These two identities were quite different.
A noble medal only indicated one's noble origin, but this status wasn't permanent. If someone left their family, their noble status would be revoked after three years unless they earned a title.
For example, Thor had three years to earn the title of baron; otherwise, the Dresrosa name would be stripped, and he would no longer be a noble. Only by earning a title could he regain the Dresrosa name.