Chapter 58: Postwar Review

Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Postwar Review

"Hahaha, good!"

"Steve, you’ve done well this time, your merits have increased by fifty points!"

"Additionally, have someone quickly rescue Baron Pape Lawrence and his son, Lawrence. Don’t let them die on me!"

Listening to Steve’s report, Thor couldn’t help but feel delighted. He didn’t expect to have such a huge gain this time.

Over three thousand people, excluding the hundreds killed directly by the Magic Crystal Cannon and a dozen knights killed during resistance, most of them were captured by him. Among them were not only Baron Pape Lawrence but also his eldest son, Lawrence.

This was truly a major gain.

At first, Thor merely wanted to establish his might.

And at the same time, resolve the potential threat posed by Baron Pape Lawrence.

He never thought about whether he could capture Baron Pape Lawrence.

But now he had caught him alive.

This was not just about establishing his might; there was much more he could do.

After all, Baron Pape Lawrence was a veteran baron of the Northern Province, and his wealth and resources were not insubstantial.

Together with his eldest son, Lawrence, he was captured.

This could easily bring a considerable profit.

It might even fill the current gap in his population shortage situation.

How could he not be excited?

"Yes!"

Steve responded and then quickly left.

He began to swiftly handle post-battle matters.

Although the battle had ended quickly,

there were still many things to handle.

Even to the point of being numerous.

After all, without mentioning anything else, just arranging the two thousand or so captives was already a big issue.

This was something he needed to do.

And as he watched Steve leave,

Thor sank into deep thought.

His eyes flickered, contemplating what his next step should be.

Everything so far undoubtedly proved that his previous choice was correct.

Having defeated Baron Pape Lawrence and captured him, his initial goal had been reached, and his name would not be ignored by any nobility or Pioneer Lord near the Maine River Valley.

If he wished, Rajos’s caravans could already expand throughout the vicinity.

As long as his flag was raised, he believed there would be no problems.

His name would be an existence that any lord around could not ignore.

But that’s under the condition that the Large Iron Ore Deposit isn’t exposed; if it is, it might still stir the agitation of surrounding lords and nobility.

After all, the temptation of a Large Iron Ore Deposit is too great. Even if he defeated Baron Pape Lawrence, he couldn’t completely eliminate the greed of all lords.

In this case, he undoubtedly had two choices.

One was to temporarily conceal it; as long as no one knew, everything would proceed according to his plans.

The second was to directly subjugate all the nobility and Pioneer Lords of the Maine River Valley.

If he could achieve the second point, any problem wouldn’t truly be a problem.

Two paths, two directions.

Two different choices.

Each choice had its benefits and drawbacks.

Thor couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

The first was indeed the most stable, but it might still have unforeseen incidents.

The second was dangerous, yet not without solutions.

On one hand, he had Neil Morton, a top-tier powerhouse, and on the other hand, he had already caught Baron Pape Lawrence. The various Pioneer Lords of the Maine River Valley, though powerful, weren’t much stronger than Baron Pape Lawrence’s forces combined. With the Magic Crystal Cannon, he had some confidence in solving it.

Thoughts flowed continuously.

Thor’s mind raced incessantly.

As he pondered,

elsewhere, Baron Pape Lawrence and his eldest son Lawrence were quickly receiving treatment.

There was no priest in Thor’s territory, of course.

But there were some basic Healing Magic Scrolls, plus some fruits imbued with Life Source Power.

Although their injuries were severe,

they stabilized quickly.

Especially Baron Pape Lawrence, recovering faster as a Great Knight.

About two hours later, his consciousness gradually cleared.

Upon awakening, he immediately understood his situation.

"Defeated!"

A soft whisper broke the silence; feeling the dire situation in his body and his current predicament, his expression was filled with disbelief.

No one envisioned that previously filled with hope, thinking of capturing Thor Dressrosa, he would suddenly become the opponent’s captive.

And not just him, even his eldest son Lawrence was in the same scenario.

How could he accept this outcome?

Until a moment later, he could only slump to the ground in despair.

Because, whether he wanted to accept it or not, he had indeed lost.

He had indeed become a captive.

A bitter smile couldn’t help but appear on his face.

As an old baron, he understood what losing in the Northern Province meant.

This wasn’t the Inner Province, where there’s no order; everything here was based on strength.

He lost; if he wasn’t careful, his entire territory could be utterly destroyed.

Especially since this expedition nearly took away ninety percent of his territory’s strength.

Thor Dressrosa just needed to send someone to attack their territory, no, didn’t even need to send anyone, just needed to deal with them, and his territory would struggle to sustain.

Either become a Pioneer Lord again or wait for destruction.

But to become a Pioneer Lord again, thinking of his useless and arrogant youngest son, he felt no hope at all.

He deeply regretted now.

Regretting his attack on Eagle Territory.

Also regretting that he brought his entire strength, even bringing his eldest son.

Lawrence was more talented than himself; as long as he could remain, even if he was doomed, with his eldest son, his territory wouldn’t face too many issues.

But alas, the Goddess of Life wouldn’t grant him a chance for regret.

Everything had already been decided.

He could only feel bitterness.

Perhaps the only solace was that the descendant of Dressrosa showed some kindness by not choosing to kill them.

Even rescuing them.

Well, he could tentatively call it kindness.

Beyond this, he didn’t know how to describe it.

Dusk gradually drew the curtain.

The night silently arrived.

The battlefield was quickly cleared.

Knights were imprisoned one by one.

A large number of slaves were also directly turned into slaves on this side.

Despite no Slave Contract, Thor had deemed them his property.

No matter which choice, Baron Pape Lawrence would surely have to pay a hefty compensation; these people were just a small part of it.

But even Thor didn’t expect that seemingly two choices were, in reality, only one.