vstars Chapter 534 - 312: Ongoing Arrangements, Count’s Territory Expansion (Part 2)
Chapter 534 - 312: Ongoing Arrangements, Count’s Territory Expansion (Part 2)
Thor waved his hand.
Steve, only then did Pelos choose to bid farewell.
Watching the two depart.
Thor seemed to think of something.
His gaze turned to Rajos Assad.
"By the way, Rajos, you should go to the castle afterward to collect three Intermediate Life Potions. Raise your strength as soon as possible; this level of power is not enough at all!"
With these words, Thor gave an arrangement.
"Yes!"
"Thank you, sir!"
Rajos Assad couldn’t help but be pleased; he didn’t expect to receive a share of such a thing.
Though Intermediate Life Potions weren’t a big issue for him currently, Thor remembering him was something that made him extremely happy.
"No need to thank me!"
"Much remains to be done with your help."
Thor waved his hand.
Later, after Thor, Rajos Assad, and Joseph further discussed some matters, the two chose to leave.
The entire Eagle Ridge.
Upon Thor’s return, the originally restless territory instantly settled down completely.
In the evening, a grand bonfire feast was held at Eagle Ridge.
Large crowds gathered.
Numerous Free People, and Peasant Slaves, along with Knights, were passionately singing and dancing.
Until night gradually deepened.
Stars adorned the sky, and the feast gradually came to an end.
In the dead of night, stars began to sprinkle across the sky.
As time approached dawn, the familiar mechanical voice rang again.
"Daily intelligence updated!"
"Open it?"
The voice was as consistent as ever.
Thor hesitated not in the least.
"Open!"
With his voice, ripples began to spread outward as new lines of text appeared.
[Daily intelligence updated]
[1: A pond located one hundred miles west of your territory will soon contain a group of Tilapia reaching maturity; their meat is extremely delicious.]
[2: Three hundred miles north, a creek will be crossed by a group of Earth Boiling Fish in three hours, whose bodies contain potent poison, unaffordable even for Great Knights.]
[3: Cold air from the Northern Territory will sweep Abyss Canyon in three hours; four hours later offers the only chance to enter Abyss Canyon. You must exit within an hour; otherwise, you’ll be lost forever.]
[4: Kingdom turmoil is imminent; numerous nobles are dying, plunging the Kingdom’s power into an unprecedented era of decline, with some forces becoming restless.]
[5: In nine days, Light Spencer will launch an attack on a resource point of the Assad Family in the western Northern Province...]
[6: Thirty miles west, a group of Pig Beasts will pass by in two hours!]
[7: In ten days...]
...
[9: In fifteen days, immense chaos will appear in Xiyue Province, seemingly as a Demon Beast attacks a small town, leaving over thirty thousand people dead.]
[10: In twenty days, Nanyue Province likewise experiences upheaval, with a small town obliterated by an unknown force.]
As lines of text appeared, the information seemed considerably simpler compared to before, as though it had returned to its previous state upon returning to the territory.
However, when he saw the subsequent entries in the daily intelligence, his eyebrows couldn’t help but lift.
"Kingdom turmoil!"
Thor murmured to himself, then shook his head involuntarily.
To be honest, he had anticipated this turmoil since learning about the heavy losses in the Kingdom War.
A forty percent loss of nobility might not seem much, but it depends on the total number, especially since this forty percent is the aggregate, not representative of high-level nobles. In fact, the loss rate of high-level nobles is far beyond forty percent, possibly exceeding sixty percent.
Three top-level Marquises saw one family entirely wiped out, and seven mighty Marquises suffered losses greater than half.
As for the losses between Marquis and Count, the ratio was even more significant.
A Kingdom governs the entire region, with the core being numerous Counts and Marquises.
An entire Kingdom War had cut down nearly half of the mid to high-level strength.
The degree of Kingdom control inevitably dropped substantially.
This decline invariably led to unavoidable chaos.
Moreover, due to severe losses among many nobles in the Kingdom War, some will undoubtedly have other ideas, which, if acted upon, would further perpetuate the chaos.
This was almost unavoidable.
However, Thor hadn’t expected this chaos to come so swiftly in the daily intelligence.
Thor didn’t even doubt that the mentioned Demon Beast attack wasn’t merely a straightforward incident. Otherwise, the daily intelligence system wouldn’t have said "seemingly," but clearly stated a Demon Beast attack.
Shaking his head.
His thoughts temporarily receded.
Currently, he’s just a Count; his territory planning isn’t completed. He has no mind to worry about these matters.
Nor does he have the ability to worry.
His gaze swept across the daily intelligence once more, filtering out pertinent information, and then went to rest.
After months of traveling, he finally returned to the castle, to rest for a few days.
But evidently, such thoughts were merely a luxury.
Because the next day, Baron Pape and Baron Joz hurried to visit from the east side.
Thor’s rest naturally fell through.
Regarding Baron Pape and Baron Joz’s visit, partly it was to meet Thor; Thor was now a Count, forcing them to respond cautiously. Secondly, after much consideration, they’ve decided to temporarily relocate their territory westward and incorporate the eastern territory into Eagle Ridge.
Thor was somewhat surprised by their decision.
He had just arranged everything, not expecting Joz Anubi and Baron Pape to take action so swiftly.
Inside the study.
"Are you certain?"
"Though I aim to expand my territory, I don’t necessarily need to move in your direction."
With a slight contemplation, Thor still chose to speak.
As the initial Pioneer Nobility following him, Thor showed great leniency.
The areas he previously mapped did not include their territory.
"Lord Count, we are sure!"
"Frankly, compared to the east, the west is indeed more suitable for our development, especially since we want to try our luck in the Northern Territory!"
Baron Pape spoke earnestly.
Joz Anubi also nodded slightly.
"In that case, I won’t stop you!"
"I’ll have Rajos help you select better territory, and have the Eagle Merchant Association assist in your transfer."
Thor tapped the table lightly, then nodded in agreement.
Their move was indeed advantageous to him.
Regarding their joining, he held no expectations; he was just a Count. If incorporated into his territory, they’d lose their lands and merely become nominal nobility, which is hard to accept.
Thor hadn’t thought of attracting real nobility in the short term.
His requirements were solely aimed at Pioneer Knights.
And with their departure, Thor’s territory was entirely established, integrating the entire east nominally under his domain.
In ten days, he would let Marshall proceed to the Royal Capital for registration with troops.