Chapter 94: Reporting the Battle, the Unexpected Marquis Raymond
Chapter 94: Reporting the Battle, the Unexpected Marquis Raymond
At this moment, the entire Northern Province was in chaos. Knight order defenses were being breached one after another, and large numbers of orc tribes were flooding into the province, throwing everything into turmoil. Frontier territories were collapsing, and many pioneer lords were fleeing.
There was no choice.
Compared to the Tier 2 orc tribes, the human pioneer lords, apart from a few powerful ones, simply couldn’t compete.
As more lords fell or fled, the panic spread, prompting even more lords to escape.
Long-established territories might hesitate, but newly established lords fled without a second thought, only deepening the chaos.
Especially now, under the watchful eyes of many, the Flying Eagle Knights still chose not to intervene, making things worse.
Thor and his companions were unaware of this.
The Maine Valley, near the Northern Glacier and close to the orc tribes, was somewhat isolated from the mainstream pioneer knight territories. Information from the northern region was manageable, but the situation in the farther west was much harder to grasp.
After dealing with the minotaurs and discussing their alliance, they began preparing to report the results of their battle.
The Northern Province, as the frontline against the orcs, allowed for the earning of military merit through battles against the orcs. The eleven Tier 2 minotaurs alone could yield over a hundred merit points, and successfully repelling or defeating an orc tribe would also bring rewards.
These reports needed to be submitted to Marquis Raymond.
Marquis Raymond would verify the battle results and, upon confirmation, award the corresponding merit.
Thor and the other six pioneer lords were all deeply invested in this process.
Soon after forming their alliance, a battle report, along with the heads of the eleven Tier 2 minotaurs, was sent by Ryan to Loren City.
Loren City.
Inside the vast and luxurious marquis manor, a man who appeared to be in his middle years paced back and forth with a frown. He was the master of this manor, the undisputed ruler of the Northern Province, and one of the kingdom's most distinguished nobles—Marquis Raymond.
Having risen through the ranks of military service, the now 70-year-old marquis was not particularly pleased with his domain. Given the vast Northern Province, he would have preferred ruling the Frostmoon or Southmoon Province.
After decades of warfare, he knew well the horrors of the orc tribes. They weren’t something the Tulip Kingdom could handle alone, let alone a newly established marquis.
If war with the orcs broke out, the Northern Province would inevitably suffer greatly, with his lands facing unimaginable losses.
However, the kingdom’s lands had long been fully divided. Throughout the kingdom, there were no more marquis territories left to allocate, not even a count’s territory. No province was willing to let a new marquis like him enter and take a share, leaving him no choice but to reluctantly accept his fate in the Northern Province, hoping war would not come soon.
Yet no one had expected the situation to deteriorate so rapidly this year.
A massive influx of orcs had stormed into the northern regions.
Even the kingdom's Dragon Knights had been attacked.
As for his Flying Eagle Knights, they had suffered heavy losses in just three months.
“Sir, do we need to request reinforcements from the kingdom?” the captain of the Flying Eagle Knights hesitantly asked Marquis Raymond.
“There’s probably no need for that; the Dragon Knights must have already asked for help.”
“What’s the situation?”
“Is it confirmed that the orcs are preparing for war?”
Marquis Raymond paused, looking at his knight captain, and asked with a hint of uncertainty.
“It’s not confirmed yet. However, it’s likely not a war since the Behemoth tribe hasn’t made any moves. The actions have been limited to minotaurs, werewolves, and some other Tier 2 and Tier 3 orc tribes.”
“But there are just too many of them. Orc tribes have been spotted in the east, west, and south, engaging large portions of the Flying Eagle Knights, leaving no capacity to deal with the Tier 2 orc tribes.”
The knight captain hesitated briefly before answering.
Hearing this, Marquis Raymond finally breathed a sigh of relief.
If it were truly a war, his troubles would be monumental this time.
But if not, then there were still ways to handle the situation.
Marquis Raymond was troubled. The orc tribes’ assault on the Northern Province had led to the collapse of many territories and the flight of many lords, which was not good news for him.
The Northern Province had been developed to the point where the willingness to become a pioneer lord was dwindling, especially among the offspring of major nobles. The mortality rate was too high, and the investment too low. Most new pioneer lords were now wandering knights, whose value couldn’t compare to the offspring of great nobles or well-established lords.
And with this latest assault, it would be even harder to attract major noble families to the Northern Province.
This would mean a significant loss of gold income for him—a troubling prospect.
However, he knew that now was not the time to worry about finances.
First, he needed to ensure the survival of the Flying Eagle Knights.
“Understood.”
“Don’t bother with the other matters for now!”