Planning for the Large Iron Mine

Of course, there were existences beyond his current reach, but there were also resource sites he could obtain now. Whether it was the third, fifth, seventh, or eighth entry, all of them were within his grasp.

Even the first and second entries were possibilities he had some chance of securing.

His gaze swept over the second and first entries before finally settling on the first.

Compared to unicorn horses, an iron mine would undoubtedly be far more useful for developing the territory.

The only issue was the Large Goblin Tribe. Such tribes generally numbered in the thousands, sometimes even several thousand. With his current strength, taking down a Large Goblin Tribe would still be somewhat difficult.

But only somewhat difficult.

Compared to its immense value, that difficulty was hardly a problem at all.

Not to mention that iron ore could be turned into currency—it would also be immensely helpful for territorial construction and farmland reclamation. And as he had said before, it could become a major economic pillar for Eagle Ridge moving forward.

That was extremely important.

After all, Eagle Ridge was still spending more than it earned. Relying solely on farming might not be enough to develop the territory.

If a territory wanted a better future, finding its own industry was the most important thing.

This was the best option.

Even if he had to pay a price, it was best to acquire it as soon as possible.

The night gradually deepened.

Thor finally made up his mind.

When the morning sunlight spilled down,

Thor summoned Steve as soon as he rose.

"My lord!"

Steve spoke respectfully.

"Gather some men and investigate the area fifty miles east of my territory. There seems to be a group of Timid Goblins there. I want to know exactly how many Timid Goblins there are."

Thor gave the order.

"Yes!"

Steve was somewhat surprised, but he quickly nodded and accepted.

He had already witnessed the miraculous nature of his lord along the way.

Naturally, he had no objections this time either.

Watching Steve leave,

Thor began to wait.

If he wanted to seize the iron mine, he still needed to make thorough preparations.

And the first step was naturally determining the number of those Timid Goblins.

If there were only a thousand or so Timid Goblins, there was nothing more to say. Four hundred members of the Knight Order charging in together would be enough to handle them. But if there were several thousand, he would need to consider other methods.

"I hope there aren't too many."

Thor murmured, his expression thoughtful.

Meanwhile, Steve quickly led men to investigate the area fifty miles east.

This investigation

lasted nearly three days.

Only three days later did Steve hurry back.

At the same time, he brought shocking news.

The number of goblins in that Timid Goblin tribe to the east was far greater than he had imagined.

Even after only three days of preliminary investigation, Steve could confirm that there were over three or four thousand Timid Goblins. The actual number would only be higher—perhaps five thousand, or even six or seven thousand.

Those numbers

startled even Thor when he heard them.

Goblins were among the weakest beastmen, practically the lowest-ranking creatures among beastman tribes.

And Timid Goblins were the weakest even among goblin tribes.

But that depended on their numbers.

If their numbers reached several thousand, or even six or seven thousand, then even Timid Goblins would possess considerable strength.

With only a little over a hundred Apprentice Knights and fewer than forty Formal Knights, even if he could take them down, the losses would be severe.

More importantly, with four hundred men, trying to keep several thousand Timid Goblins from escaping was basically a dream. If those Timid Goblins could not be completely dealt with, the Large Iron Mine would inevitably suffer attacks from time to time. It might even draw the attention of other goblins, or even other beastmen.

That would be the most fatal problem.

Eagle Ridge currently had no way to deal with other beastmen.

Inside the room, Thor furrowed his brow slightly.

Steve waited quietly at the side without disturbing him.

"Steve, what do you think we can do to deal with those goblins without letting them escape? At the very least, we can't allow them to escape in large numbers."

After frowning in thought for a moment, Thor looked at Steve and asked.

"This—"

Hearing Thor's words, Steve subconsciously began to answer, but stopped halfway through. His brow furrowed as well, and he fell into deep thought.

After a while,

Steve truly could not think of any method.

"Your subordinate does not know, my lord."

Steve spoke and shook his head.

"Fine. Go on, then."

"I'll think it over some more."

Thor waved his hand, signaling for Steve to leave. He had not expected Steve to come up with a solution anyway.

Steve had decent talent, but only talent. In other respects, he was clearly somewhat lacking.

That was perfectly normal.

For the territory's initial development, all that was needed was military strength, so Count Engel Dreyrosa had selected knights with good talent for him.

As for talents in other fields, they would most likely be selected for him only after he became a Baron and returned to the family.

"Yes!"

Steve nodded and slowly withdrew.

A moment after Steve left, Thor also slowly departed the room, still deep in thought, and walked through the territory.

The territory now looked very much like a small town.

There was far more life on the roads as well.

Everyone's faces were full of vitality and hope.

"My lord!"

"My lord!"

"Lord!"

"Lord!"

"Master!"

"Master!"

Voices rang out one after another. As Thor walked through the territory, everyone—knights, settlers, and serfs alike—bowed respectfully to him.

It was completely different from when he had first entered the territory.

Especially the serfs. Their eyes were filled with fervor.

"Have you heard? In three months, the lord will pardon serfs again. I wonder whether I'll be among them!"

"I heard! I really hope I am too. Then I can become a free citizen of Eagle Ridge!"

"Sigh, I don't know whether I have any hope either!"

As the voices mingled around him, a smile appeared on Thor's thoughtful face.

But just as that smile spread, a flash of insight streaked through his mind.

He abruptly stopped where he stood.

Because at that moment, he had thought of a method—a way to ensure nothing went wrong.

Thoughts flickered through his mind as his gaze fell upon the serfs laboring nearby, and his smile inevitably bloomed once more.