Fantasy Lord: Starting with Daily Information

Chapter 76: Turmoil in the Maine River Valley

Thor never expected that his simple request for a few administrators would be met with such a generous gift from his father. Not only did he receive the five administrators he asked for, each of them was among the most capable in his father’s service.

More importantly, the reinforcements included over a hundred craftsmen of various trades and even a grand knight.

The former needed no elaboration. Eagle's Ridge was currently in dire need of skilled craftsmen to assist with its development. As for the latter, the importance of a grand knight could not be overstated, especially with the impending threat of the Minotaurs. Having a grand knight on their side gave Thor greater confidence in handling the situation.

While Thor was shocked by this unexpected reinforcement, Peros, the leader of the group, was even more astonished.

At first, when he saw the scale of Eagle's Ridge, Peros thought he had arrived at the wrong place. It wasn’t until Thor personally came out to greet him and led them into Eagle's Ridge that Peros finally accepted the reality, his mouth agape with disbelief.

This was indeed the territory of Lord Thor.

But how could this be?

In less than a year, how could Lord Thor's territory have developed to such an extent?

As a leader within the Eagle Knights, Peros was well aware of the situation in the Northern Province.

Even within the Dresrosa family, many had ventured to the Northern Province as pioneer knights, but from what Peros knew, it had taken most of them nearly two years to establish a firm foothold. One knight still hadn’t fully settled after three years.

Even if Lord Thor had received substantial support from the Count, this progress was simply too rapid—so rapid that it seemed almost unreal.

“Lord Thor!”

Peros opened his mouth to speak but found himself at a loss for words halfway through.

"Peros, you should address him as 'My Lord.'"

Steve frowned, correcting him with a note of disapproval.

"My Lord! Oh heavens, forgive my rudeness. I was simply too shocked."

"You must understand, I thought for a moment that those damned brokers had led us astray."

Peros quickly apologized, bowing respectfully to Thor.

"It's nothing."

"Steve, take Peros to get settled in and familiarize him with Eagle's Ridge. Also, temporarily hand over command of the apprentice knights to him."

Thor smiled and nodded, not taking offense.

After a brief moment of thought, he gave his orders.

Peros had just arrived, so it wasn’t possible to grant him too much authority immediately, but as a grand knight, his abilities shouldn’t be wasted.

The apprentice knights were the perfect responsibility for him at the moment.

"Yes, my lord!"

Steve quickly responded.

"My Lord, I shall take my leave!"

Peros was delighted and hastily expressed his gratitude.

He hadn't expected that Thor would assign him command of the apprentice knights right upon his arrival.

Now that he had seen Eagle's Ridge for himself, Peros no longer underestimated it in the slightest.

After issuing these orders and settling Peros in, Thor turned his attention to organizing the various craftsmen.

Eagle's Ridge was in dire need of nearly everything at this point, and the arrival of these craftsmen would fill many critical gaps.

Even more importantly, with these craftsmen in place and food supplies now secured, Eagle's Ridge was on the verge of becoming self-sufficient to a certain degree.

This was incredibly important in the Northern Province and also exceedingly difficult to achieve.

Throughout the Northern Province, countless pioneer lords and noble lords struggled, yet few could claim self-sufficiency.

If Thor could achieve this, the benefits would be immense.

The most obvious benefit was financial. 

Currently, a significant amount of resources had to be purchased in Loren City, resulting in considerable expenses each time.

Not to mention the potential to sell surplus goods, which would bring in a steady stream of gold coins.

Thor placed great importance on these considerations.

As Thor busied himself with these tasks, the time described in the information for the Minotaurs' attack on the Maine River Valley grew closer and closer.

Finally, news of the Minotaurs reached the Maine River Valley.

No, it would be more accurate to say that the Minotaurs had already breached the defense line and entered the Northern Province. Any pioneer lord with access to information had long known this.

But until now, most of the pioneer lords in the Maine River Valley hadn’t paid much attention.

After all, the Minotaur tribe was far from the Maine River Valley, and the valley itself was in a different direction from the defensive line. With the Northern Glaciers to the north, it was rare for Orc tribes to reach the Maine River Valley.

This time, however, was different.

Three days ago, the Sunset Territory, just a hundred miles from the Maine River Valley, was attacked by a Minotaur tribe.

Three pioneer lords' territories were destroyed.

This news hit the Maine River Valley like a bomb, throwing everyone into a panic.

“Damn it, how could this happen?”

“Aren’t those damned Orcs supposed to avoid the Maine River Valley?”

“My God!”

“What do we do? Do we have to flee as well?”

“This territory took us years to build with our blood, sweat, and tears.”

One after another, the pioneer lords were panicking, hesitating, and uncertain.

Even the three noble lords couldn’t remain calm.

Baron Valmy and Baron Graton were particularly distressed, as they were closest to the site of the Minotaur attack. If the Minotaur tribe advanced in their direction, they would be the first to suffer.

So, as soon as the news reached them, the two barons immediately convened a meeting.

“Damn it, is the Goddess of Life playing a joke on me?”

“Can someone explain how those filthy Minotaurs ended up in the Maine River Valley? Weren’t they supposed to head south?”

“Are we really going to abandon our territories?”

In Graton Castle, Baron Valmy spoke in disbelief.

This news was almost impossible for him to accept.

For over a decade—an entire decade—he had invested so much in this land.

And now, it seemed he might have to abandon it all. How could he be willing to do that?

“Those damned Minotaurs might not even reach here.”

Baron Graton, too, frowned, and after a moment’s thought, he spoke with hesitation.

Even as the words left his mouth, he found it hard to believe them himself.

“No, no!”

“That seems unlikely. The Sunset Territory and its surroundings are near us; there’s no way those damned Orcs are heading for the Northern Glaciers.”

“Only Titans can survive there.”

Baron Valmy shook his head with a bitter smile.

His words left Baron Graton in silent contemplation.