LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 73: The Impending Crisis
Chapter 73: The Impending Crisis
A yield of only 300 pounds per acre was something he couldn't accept, as it would mean locking up a vast amount of his territory's labor force on the land, making the development of his domain a prolonged process.
Thor had no intention of taking hundreds or even thousands of years to develop a family.
Therefore, the yield of the land had to be increased.
As his thoughts churned, Thor quickly came up with an idea.
Regardless of whether Anna could help, he could at least try.
If it succeeded, the benefits would be enormous.
The development of his territory would then truly enter a fast track.
Even if it didn't work, he wouldn't lose anything.
But before he could act, new information forced him to abandon his upcoming plans and ideas.
He didn't even have time to test his thoughts.
The stars dotted the sky.
The night over Eagle Ridge was exceptionally peaceful.
Everything was quiet, and as usual, Thor opened his daily information system.
With his increasing reliance on his golden finger, Thor had grown accustomed to checking the daily information as soon as possible at midnight.
Today was no exception.
[Daily Information Updated]
[1: A group of Boar Beasts will pass 500 miles north of your territory, with their leader seemingly about to break through to Tier 3.]
[2: In the western part of your territory, within the Wells Barony, a serf has accidentally discovered that grafting the roots of bracken onto the Fire Spirit Tree increases the yield of the Fire Spirit Tree.]
[3: Three months from now, due to tribal warfare, a defeated Minotaur tribe will charge into the Maine Valley, greatly impacting the pioneering lords in the area.]
[4: A slight conflict has arisen between the Rosen family and the Delin family on Eagle Ridge.]
[5: A group of Earth Dragons will pass through the upper reaches of the Maine Valley on the west side of Eagle Ridge.]
[6: ...]
As the lines of text appeared, Thor suddenly stood up.
His expression immediately changed.
“Minotaurs, damn it!”
“How could Minotaurs appear in the Maine Valley?”
“And why at this time?”
He couldn't help but blurt out in surprise.
At this moment, Thor couldn't remain calm.
The greatest threat in the Northern Province was undoubtedly the beasts and the orcs, and among them, the orcs posed a much greater threat.
Compared to beasts, orcs had developed enough civilization, and they were extremely powerful.
Except for the relatively easy-to-handle goblins, most orc tribes were difficult for pioneering knights to deal with.
No, not just difficult—impossible to deal with.
Every orc tribe consisted of at least several thousand members, and some numbered in the tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands. Even if they weren't top-tier orcs like Behemoths or Titans, ordinary Minotaurs and Werewolves were beyond the ability of most pioneering lords or even barons to handle.
Moreover, in an orc tribe, every orc was at least as strong as a novice knight. Not to mention that the leaders of these tribes were at least Tier 2, if not Tier 3.
Fortunately, most pioneering lords rarely encountered large-scale orc tribes.
Beyond their territories, the kingdom's most elite legions guarded the borders.
Orcs rarely managed to get past them.
This allowed the pioneering lords to have a space to survive.
But now, in three months, he would have to face an orc tribe.
Even Thor couldn't help but feel a bit scared.
He was strong, but not strong enough to deal with an entire orc tribe. Even if it was a defeated tribe, it was still too much.
Especially since half a month ago, Niel Morton had left on some errand, plunging Eagle Ridge into crisis.
“Damn it!”
“Damn it, is the Flying Eagle Knight just sitting around doing nothing?”
Thor couldn't help but curse, his face showing a trace of anxiety.
After a year of building, the effort and resources he had invested in Eagle Ridge were beyond imagination. He had already established a foundation here. Abandoning it would mean starting over from scratch, and it was uncertain how long it would take to achieve such an advantage again—if it was even possible. In this situation, giving up on Eagle Ridge was clearly not an option.
But the threat of the Minotaurs was very real.
“No, I must find a way!”
“I can't abandon Eagle Ridge!”
Thoughts swirled in his mind as he quickly considered his options.
Since abandoning Eagle Ridge was out of the question, he had to figure out how to respond.
A defeated orc tribe, and only a Minotaur tribe at that—although dangerous, it might not be impossible to deal with.
The best course of action was to notify the Flying Eagle Knight.
As the kingdom’s most elite knight order stationed in the Northern Province, they were responsible for clearing out orc tribes.
However, that was three months from now, and Thor had no idea where the Minotaur tribe currently was, so what could he say?
Moreover, even though the Flying Eagle Knight was obligated to respond, it was still just an obligation. They might not actually take action.
Otherwise, the Northern Province wouldn't lose so many pioneering lords every year.
Besides this, he could also assess the strength of the Minotaur tribe. Currently, his power was not limited to just his own forces; he also had alliances with the Lawrence, Valmy, and Graton territories. He could unite the strength of all three families.
If the Minotaur tribe wasn’t too strong, perhaps they could deal with it together.
At that moment, Thor felt a bit relieved that he hadn't completely wiped out those three lords earlier.
If he had eliminated them, he would have no choice but to abandon Eagle Ridge during this crisis.
At least now there was some hope.
After all, the information mentioned only an impact, not total destruction, which indicated that the Minotaur tribe might not be too powerful.
“I’ll wait and see!”
“Hopefully, more information will come in soon!”
Thor muttered to himself, feeling a bit anxious inside.
As night gradually passed, the morning sun began to shine.
Thor quickly issued orders.
He also sent personnel to inform Rachos Assad, asking him to scout for any signs of Minotaur activity.
Even after all this, Thor still felt uneasy.
Whether it was useful or not, he sent a few knights to the Flying Eagle Knight’s headquarters.
Even though the Flying Eagle Knight was unlikely to take action, it was worth a try.
In a crisis like this, even a one percent chance was worth the effort.
Of course, this was just a precaution. Thor didn’t forget that his main focus should be on himself.
He began to intensify the construction of defensive structures.
At the same time, he started consuming large amounts of resources to enhance the strength of his subordinates.
He even sent personnel to Loren City to begin large-scale procurement. The large amount of gold coins he had just obtained through trade was quickly spent without hesitation.
He wasn't joking—if they made it through this, the gold coins wouldn’t be a problem. But if they didn’t, those coins would be useless.