Fantasy Lord: Beginning with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 60: Idiots Are Everywhere
Lawrence Territory.
At this moment, Renee Black, the wife of Baron Pape Lawrence, was truly flustered.
Her husband, Baron Pape Lawrence, had led many elites from the territory to attack Eagle Territory, but they never returned. Initially, she wasn’t too worried; after all, their Lawrence Territory was arguably the strongest existence around the Maine River Valley, and she didn’t believe anything could go wrong.
However, the letter from Eagle Territory the following morning left her completely unsettled.
"Fuck, oh my gosh, this is impossible!"
Renee Black muttered in disbelief.
"Ms. Renee Black, nothing is impossible. Baron Pape Lawrence has already been captured by the master. Please gather the ransom quickly; otherwise, the master cannot guarantee the baron’s safety."
The knight spoke with a faint smile, then turned and left.
But as the knight departed, the letter from Eagle Territory stirred up a huge storm.
The entire Lawrence Territory was agitated.
In the castle.
"This is insane!"
"They’re absolutely insane!"
"Why not just rob?"
"This is impossible!"
In her panic, Renee Black quickly turned her gaze to the letter.
Yet when she saw the contents, her eyes widened, and unavoidable fury spread.
She, she saw the requirements.
To release Pape Lawrence, they demanded three thousand gold coins, one thousand gold coins for Lawrence, five hundred gold coins per Official Knight, and one hundred gold coins per Apprentice Knight. Additionally, they required payment of three thousand peasant slaves and two thousand gold coins in war compensation.
This was simply the Goddess of Life playing a joke on her.
Calculating this, it seemed that selling the entire Lawrence Castle to Eagle Territory might barely suffice.
"Mother!"
"This is indeed impossible!"
"It’s too much; Eagle Territory never intended to release Father."
Beside her, Opper Lawrence also looked at the letter; after reading it, his eyes brightened instantly.
It wasn’t anger.
Rather, he saw an opportunity.
Yes, an opportunity.
As the baron’s second son, he had no inheritance rights, especially since his Knight Talent was far inferior to that of his older brother.
Even though the baroness was his mother and not Lawrence’s, the outcome remained unchanged.
Originally, he had no solution.
But at this moment, he seemed to see hope.
As long as his father and brother didn’t return, the inheritance of the territory would inevitably fall to him.
He was truly moved.
"This, this!"
Renee Black, hearing her son’s words, grew increasingly frantic. She wasn’t of noble descent, just the daughter of a merchant, and only gained her position when Pape Lawrence’s first wife passed away unexpectedly. Faced with this situation, she had no idea what to do.
"Mother, since they are not sincere, why should we pay the ransom? It probably amounts to tens of thousands of gold coins."
Opper Lawrence feigned outrage and spoke.
"But your father."
Renee Black instinctively uttered.
"Father may not even be alive!"
"Besides, Mother, if Father and Brother return, I cannot inherit the territory."
"Perhaps this is our chance."
Opper Lawrence’s eyes sparkled as he slowly spoke.
"You!"
Renee Black was startled, her gaze filled with shock as she looked at her son.
After the shock, Renee Black couldn’t help but feel her heart racing.
As her son said, this did seem like an opportunity.
However, the excitement lasted only a moment before being suppressed.
"No, without your father, a Great Knight, the territory will quickly fall into turmoil. Besides, your father took many knights with him. With the current strength of the territory, it can’t be defended, and may even be annexed by other Lawrence families."
Renee Black did not let excitement cloud her judgment, quickly realizing the problem.
That problem was strength.
They were just merchant offspring, with insufficient forces to hold the territory.
"Mother, you seem to have forgotten that the Habbs Commerce Association can provide protection. It costs only a thousand gold coins to hire a Great Knight for a year. Instead of handing over so many coins to Eagle Territory, it’s better to give them to Habbs Commerce Association, at least then the lord won’t be my brother."
Opper spoke, eyes shining.
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
A thousand gold coins could hire a Great Knight for a year. He only needed to spend three thousand coins to hire for three years. Combined with his own development, with the strength of Lawrence Territory, it could recover to its original power in about three years.
Moreover, he always felt his abilities lagged because his father gave all the resources to his brother. If he could obtain ample resources, maybe he could swiftly break through to Official Knight, or even Great Knight, at which point the whole territory would face no issues.
Just then, a dangerous thought emerged in his mind.
"This!"
Hearing her son’s words, Renee Black’s eyes also brightened.
She was always troubled by the issue of territory inheritance.
If Lawrence inherited the title, their fate was obvious.
The best outcome would be receiving some gold and being cast out.
Having been used to being the baroness, she didn’t want to face such a situation.
This indeed seemed like an opportunity.
"Mother, to avoid accidents, we can claim Eagle Territory controls a large mineral deposit, like Iron Ore. If we spread the word and let them know it was us who spread it."
"Then there wouldn’t be any surprises."
Renee Black was excited, while Opper spoke again.
His words made Renee Black’s scalp tingle as she shot up.
"Opper, you!"
Renee Black looked at her son in disbelief.
"Mother, this is our only chance. Once my brother returns, the territory will never belong to us."
Opper spoke earnestly, his words icily cold.
Renee Black was shaken, then fell silent.
After a moment.
"Alright!"
Renee Black took a deep breath, finally making her decision.
Though she knew that such a decision would mean her husband would never return, for her son, and for the entire Lawrence Territory, she chose to agree.
And with her mother’s approval, Opper sprang into action.
He first needed to visit Loren City to hire Great Knights and some Official Knights from the Habbs Commerce Association.
Only then was it time for action.
