A Month's Time, a Parting Gift

In the study.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Master!"

Charlie's respectful voice rang out.

"Well?"

Count Engel Dreyrosa spoke without looking away from his book.

"Young Master Thor has given the Life Potion to Ryan!"

Butler Charlie answered respectfully.

"Understood!"

"You may leave!"

Count Engel Dreyrosa nodded, and Butler Charlie promptly withdrew.

Thor had not realized that this conversation had not merely been a lesson from his father, but also a test.

The Mid-Grade Life Potion was undoubtedly valuable enough that even as a fledgling of the Dreyrosa Family, he had never come into contact with one. No one could be certain whether he would choose to keep it for himself.

Keeping it would indeed have allowed his knightly cultivation to advance further. Yet compared to improving oneself, what mattered more for a lord was control over resources and the future. If he could not pass even this test, his father would consider reducing his investment in him.

But such a test.

Before Thor, who possessed the Daily Intelligence System, was obviously unnecessary.

For him, there was no need to consider such things at all.

The Daily Intelligence System could bring him far too much.

A bottle of Mid-Grade Life Potion was important, but not that important to him.

Although the Daily Intelligence System had not provided him with any further significant help these past days, that was only because he was within Dreyrosa Castle. Once he stepped out and formally headed to the Northern Province, he believed the Daily Intelligence would offer far more. Naturally, he would not fixate on this one thing.

Time slowly passed.

Over the next ten-odd days, Thor immersed himself completely in preparations.

While waiting for the Daily Intelligence to refresh.

Yet just as before, the Daily Intelligence did not offer him many good things over the following ten days.

It merely revealed several items worth a few or several hundred gold coins.

As for treasures like the Life Fruit, or top talents like Ryan, none appeared again.

In truth, this was perfectly normal.

The town under Dreyrosa Castle's jurisdiction had a population of only several hundred thousand. The appearance of a Life Fruit and a genius like Ryan was already a miracle.

And miracles could not keep happening.

Otherwise, they would not be called miracles.

Thor was not disappointed by this.

Just as he had thought, the Northern Province would be the true stage.

A completely undeveloped world possessed unimaginable resources and opportunities, and all of them might appear in his Daily Intelligence.

The night gradually passed.

And his final day at Dreyrosa Castle arrived.

Early in the morning.

Thor was summoned to the study by his father.

"Take a look. See if there is anything else you need."

"If it can be provided, I will do my best to provide it!"

Count Engel Dreyrosa spoke gently as he looked at his son.

As he spoke, Butler Charlie handed Thor a list.

"Yes!"

Thor felt both nervous and expectant. Naturally, he knew this was support from his father—and from the Dreyrosa Family—for a Pioneer Knight like him.

These things would be crucial to his development for a long time to come, so he naturally took them extremely seriously.

Even with the Daily Intelligence System, the amount of support the family could provide was the foundation for his rapid development.

He focused his gaze.

Lines of text then entered his vision.

Ten thousand gold coins.

Fifty bottles of Low-Grade Life Potion.

Three bottles of Intermediate Life Potion.

Thirty-four knights, one hundred Apprentice Knights, and three hundred Reserve Knights.

One set of Golden Armor, thirty-four sets of Silver Armor, one hundred sets of Bronze Armor, and three hundred sets of Black Iron Armor.

Line after line appeared. When Thor saw them, his breathing could not help growing heavier.

There was no helping it. This was simply too much.

Even by a rough estimate, it was worth more than a hundred thousand gold coins.

The entire Dreyrosa Family territory likely had an annual fiscal income of less than a hundred thousand gold coins. The value before him had already far exceeded a year's income.

Not to mention the value of thirty-four knights, one hundred Apprentice Knights, and three hundred Reserve Knights. Even without a Great Knight, this was nearly one-tenth of the Dreyrosa Family's Knight Order.

He immediately raised his gaze and looked at his father, breathing heavily.

"I said that the fledgling of the Dreyrosa Family was about to spread his wings. As the head of the Dreyrosa Family, and as your father, I should give you a gift!"

"Well? Are you satisfied?"

Count Engel Dreyrosa spoke again in a gentle voice, his expression calm and showing little fluctuation.

Even for him, such a fortune was immensely valuable. Even so, it was what it was.

"Thank you, Father!"

"I am already very satisfied!"

Thor took a deep breath and spoke respectfully.

At this moment, he was truly sincere.

He had expected Count Engel Dreyrosa to give him a substantial parting gift, but he had never imagined it would be so enormous.

Such a fortune was already enough to serve as his initial capital.

"As long as you are satisfied!"

"Come. Go meet your future subordinates. Today, beneath the witness of the Goddess of Life, they will become your most loyal knights!"

Count Engel Dreyrosa said with a smile as he rose to his feet.

"Yes, Father!"

Thor nodded and quickly stepped aside to make room.

Count Engel Dreyrosa strode forward, and the two gradually left the castle for the training grounds outside.

At this moment, thirty-four knights, one hundred Apprentice Knights, and three hundred Reserve Knights were already waiting on the training grounds.

When Count Engel Dreyrosa and Thor arrived, the more than four hundred people all dropped to one knee.

"Go on. That stage belongs to you!"

Count Engel Dreyrosa smiled and gestured to his son beside him.

"Yes, Father!"

Thor nodded, his heart surging with emotion.

He stepped forward.

The moment he did, the young man at the front drew his longsword.

"Take the oath!"

A deep, solemn voice rang out.

The next moment, voices rose throughout the training grounds.

As those voices mingled together.

A golden scroll unfurled above everyone's heads.

The power of the contract began to link together.

Unlike Ryan's Guardian Contract, this was an Oath of Allegiance.

It was established through a Contract Scroll, and its binding force was far weaker than that of the Guardian Contract.

After all, with over a hundred people, it was nearly impossible to make every one of them obey Thor wholeheartedly. Even though Thor had now shown them his kindness, that remained true.

Of course, for now, this was enough.

As the contract was completed, Thor waved his hand and distributed all the armor and weapons his father had given him, including thirty-four of the fifty bottles of Low-Grade Life Potion.