Western Fantasy Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 102 Northern Fortress

Connors sighed. "It seems it's time to head to the North."

Hecate was somewhat surprised: "Are energy crystals that important?"

Connors nodded, his expression serious: "It's very important. Magic crystal technology can't function without the support of energy crystals. Right now, more than half of the projects in the forging workshop have been suspended."

Hecate seemed thoughtful. "Wait for me a moment."

She picked up a pen and quickly wrote on the paper. After finishing, she handed the paper to Connors and said, "This man is a friend of mine in the North. We source our energy crystals from him. He's a good person and trustworthy. If you have any problems in the North, you can ask him for help."

Connors took it and looked down at it.

Gideon Faulkner, President of the Plains Chamber of Commerce.

Soon, Connors set off on his flying feather, carrying only Vivian and some necessities in his levitation bracelet.

If the group is too large, it will take a lot of time to travel. The reason for bringing Vivian along is that the North borders the Chaos Lands, which are the territory of the orcs. His intuition tells him that Vivian might be of unexpected use.

Whoosh... The wind whistled past her ears, which were pressed tightly against her head. Braving the gale, she asked with difficulty, "Lord Connors, where are we going?"

Connors patted Feiyu's bottom and said, "Let's go to your hometown."

"My hometown?" Vivian asked, a look of confusion on her face.

She had lived in Lily Town since she could remember, and knew nothing about her past or the orcs' past.

Before meeting Connors, chaos was the norm in her life. She was already struggling to survive, and had no energy left to think about her past.

"Lord Connors, what is 'hometown'?" Vivian asked curiously.

"You've finally hit the nail on the head." Connors swayed slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "You can think of it as hometown."

"Hometown..." Vivian murmured to herself, her dark pupils shining brightly.

Soon, a day had passed.

Feiyu was very fast and arrived at Giant Wall City in the evening.

Lily Town is located at the southernmost tip of the Steel Dragon Kingdom, while the Northern Fortress is located at the northernmost tip. The journey from Lily Town to the Northern Fortress is equivalent to traversing the entire Steel Dragon Kingdom.

The approximate sites are as follows:

Lily Town – Giant Wall City – Royal Capital – North Pine City – Northern Fortress.

After entering the city, Connors and Vivian rested for the night at Lion Keep, and continued their journey north early the next morning.

After passing the Great Wall City, the next stop is the royal capital. As we get closer to the royal capital, the surrounding scenery gradually changes from mountains to plains.

The entire territory of the Steel Dragon Kingdom resembles an oval on the map, with the capital city as the central axis. The south is mostly mountainous and hilly, while the north is mostly plains.

The further north they went, the flatter and more open the road became, which allowed Feiyu to run at full speed without restraint.

It took Connors and Vivian only one day to reach the Northern Fortress.

As soon as you get close, the atmosphere becomes solemn and tense, with a sense of unease pervading the air.

Connors and Vivian dismounted in front of the northern fortress and lined up to enter the city.

"Wow, Lord Connors, this place is so magnificent!" Vivian's eyes sparkled.

Connors looked around at the view and exclaimed, "Yes, it is indeed spectacular."

The walls of the northern fortress are quite tall, resembling a huge mountain. Standing in front of it, one can clearly feel one's own insignificance and the heavy sense of oppression brought by the walls.

On both sides of the fortress, the city walls continue to stretch east and west, seemingly without end.

Connors had heard bits and pieces about the Northern Fortress, but only by coming here and facing it in person could he truly appreciate its grandeur.

soon.

They were in line.

"Entry permit." The soldier's face was expressionless, his voice as hard as steel, exuding an aura of elite ferocity.

Connors glanced at it a few times.

indeed.

The soldiers here are different from those in other places. They don't have the delicate air of the noble soldiers in the interior; instead, they exude a steely and sharp edge.

Connors took out the Lion Keep's credentials from the suspended bracelet and handed them to the soldier.

He obtained this from Sylvia while resting in the Great Wall City; for someone of his status, obtaining a certificate would be very simple.

After the soldier took the voucher, he saw the seal of Lion Fortress on it, glanced at him, and then calmly returned the voucher to him.

"You can enter the city."

Connors made it into the city without incident.

The soldier watched him walk away and then told his colleague, "You stay here and keep watch for me. I'll go and report."

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with that person?" a colleague asked, puzzled.

The soldier shook his head: "No problem, but he's from the South, and a member of House Jon, a young master of House Jon. He's traveled such a long distance to the northern fortress, and he's only accompanied by one orc slave. Don't you find that strange?"

"This... does seem a bit like that." His colleague frowned in thought.

"Alright, we can't interfere in these matters between high-ranking officials. Let them figure it out themselves."

The soldiers hurriedly left.

Connors and Vivian strolled through the streets, holding Fei Yu's hand. They looked around at the environment inside the Northern Fortress, and the information about this place that he had looked up before setting off came to mind.

This city has a very special nature; it is not an administrative district in the conventional sense, but rather a semi-administrative and semi-military unit.

Although there are residences in the city, everything is geared towards military operations. The most common shops here are blacksmith shops and pharmacies.

Walking down the street, you can hear the clanging and banging of blacksmiths all around.

"Lord Connors, the atmosphere here is so comfortable," Vivian said excitedly as she looked around.

Connors was taken aback for a moment, then realized what was happening.

Yes, there's another characteristic here that I've been able to sense ever since I entered the city.

A strong military atmosphere!

Not a single person walking on the street was thin; they were all broad-shouldered and strong, even the women passing by were burly and robust.

And each of them was equipped with a sword.

They found a tavern by the roadside, tied Fei Yu up, and then went to the tavern's front desk.

"Welcome, gentlemen." The tavern owner stepped forward to greet them, glanced at the two men, and said with a smile, "You two look unfamiliar; you don't seem to be locals."

"How did you know?" Vivian asked loudly, tilting her head back and putting her hands on her hips, like a proud old hen.

The tavern owner laughed heartily: "The northern fortress is bitterly cold, and everyone's skin is particularly rough. Judging from your delicate skin, I can tell you're not from the local area."

Connors raised an eyebrow and looked around at the people, finding that it was indeed the case.

"What would you like to drink? We recently got some pretty good stuff, would you like to try some?" the tavern owner asked.

Connors' eyes lit up, and he asked, "What kind of goods?"

The tavern owner grinned and slammed a silver bottle on the table: "Vanessa wine, I've tasted this, and to be honest, I've never had such a delicious wine."

"This isn't... mmm!" Vivian was only halfway through her sentence when Connors covered her mouth, and she looked over innocently.

Connors took a gold coin out of the levitating bracelet and slapped it on the table: "Then let's have a drink to try."

Upon seeing the gold coins, the tavern owner's eyes lit up, and his mouth stretched almost to his ears as he generously said, "Alright!"

Gold coins were considered luxury items and generally circulated only among the upper class, while silver and copper coins were mainly used by ordinary people.

The tavern owner deftly poured Connors a glass, but stopped him just as he was about to pour one for Vivian.

Both of them turned their puzzled gazes toward them.

Connors smiled and said, "Just give her a glass of water."

"Eh~~~!!" Vivian pouted.

Connors tapped her on the head and said in a serious tone, "Have you forgotten the rules of Lily Town? No one under the age of eighteen is allowed to drink alcohol."

Vivian shrank back, gave a weak "Oh," took a sip of wine, and then Connors suddenly asked, "Boss, what do you think of this wine?"

The tavern owner wiped the glasses and thought for a moment: "The taste is excellent, arguably the best wine I've ever had. However, the price is simply too high, and the quantity is very limited; they are all acquired through personal channels."

At this point, the boss sighed and continued wiping the cups.

After listening, Connors fell into deep thought.

Perhaps Vanessa's wine business could be expanded to other provinces? I can ask Hecate when I get back.

"Boss, where is Grand Duchess Ophelia's castle?" Connors asked.

The moment those words were spoken, the entire tavern fell silent, and even the tavern owner's gaze turned strange.

What's going on? I didn't say anything wrong, did I...? Connors felt several scrutinizing gazes on his back and felt frustrated.

"Why are you asking this?" The boss continued wiping the cup without making a sound, but Connors keenly noticed that he slowed down his wiping and his eyes were filled with vigilance.

He said helplessly, "I have something to discuss with Grand Duchess Ophelia, but after entering the city, I haven't been able to find where the ducal castle is located."

The tavern owner relaxed slightly, and the tavern gradually returned to its usual hustle and bustle, though everyone seemed to be more restrained than before, as if they were all listening intently to what was happening.

No, although the Grand Duke of the North is indeed a bit sensitive, it doesn't have to be this sensitive... Connors doesn't understand.

The tavern owner coughed twice and said, "Don't mind me. Most of the people living in the fortress are family members of the soldiers guarding the city. And you probably know the nature of this city. Once Lady Ophelia is gone, it will be dangerous. It's understandable that everyone is worried that you might have ulterior motives towards her."

So that's how it is... Connors breathed a sigh of relief.

The tavern owner continued, "There is no duke's castle inside the fortress. If you want to find Lady Ophelia, you can go to the north gate. The duke's residence is there."

What does that mean? Ophelia lives under the doorway?

Filled with doubt, Connors led Vivian to the North Gate. Once there, he immediately understood what the tavern owner had said.

Above the city gate stood a mansion atop a bunker, where the guards were even more heavily armed. The nearby streets were almost deserted, filled only with patrols. Next to the city gate stood a series of military camps.

Connors and Vivian's sudden appearance here seemed so out of place that all the soldiers' attention was drawn to them.

"Lord Connors, they're all secretly watching us," Vivian said stealthily, standing on tiptoe.

"Yes, I know."

Connors walked straight toward the military camp, but was stopped after only a few steps.

"Halt! This is a military area. Unauthorized personnel are not permitted to enter," the soldier said expressionlessly.

Connors pulled out his credentials and handed them to the soldier: "I'm from the Southern Border, looking for Grand Duchess Ophelia."

After taking the certificate, the soldier glanced at it and noticed the seal of Lion Fortress on it. His expression hardened, and after a moment's hesitation, he chose to report it to his superiors.

"Please wait here."

A few minutes later, a tall figure dressed in fine knight's armor walked over, glanced at Connors and Vivian, and said, "Come with me."

He led Connors to the closed north gate, climbed the stairs next to it, reached the highest room, knocked on the door, and said, "My lord, we have guests from the south."

"Please come in." An elegant female voice came from behind the door.

Upon entering, an elegant and beautiful figure leaned against the sofa, holding a book and flipping through it. A ray of sunlight shone through the window, illuminating her face, while dust motes floated in the air.

The knight who had led the way left, and Connors sat down on the sofa opposite with Vivian.

Ophelia looked up, glanced at Connors, and then turned her gaze to Vivian beside him, her eyes widening.

"White Tiger breed?" she asked with interest.

Connors smiled, patted Vivian's head, and said with doting eyes, "I found Vivian within my territory; it's my good fortune."

He turned to look at Vivian and noticed she kept hiding behind him. Connors asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Vivian glanced at her furtively, met Ophelia's gaze, then quickly looked away, whispering, "Her aura is terrifying."

Connors was puzzled.

Really? I can't feel it.

Ophelia was unsurprised by this and said calmly, "I have been hunting orcs for many years and my body is stained with a lot of orc blood. I guess that's why other orcs have pretty much the same reaction when they see me."

"Tell me, what's your purpose? You've come all this way, there must be something you need to do."

Connors straightened his posture and asked seriously, "Does the Northern Duke know about Energy Crystals?"

A fleeting look of contemplation crossed Ophelia's face: "A magical material that can store magic power, its origin is in the Chaotic Lands. Is this what you came for?"

"Indeed, it's easier to talk to smart people," Connors said. "For some reason, I need a lot of energy crystals, but the Northern Merchant Guilds' production is too limited, so I'd like to ask about the situation in the Chaotic Lands."

"You want to build a mine there?" Ophelia shook her head: "If you have that idea, you should give up. The situation there is very chaotic, and the orcs are very xenophobic, making communication impossible."