Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 192 The Five-Ring Spell of the Religious Holy Icon and the Powerful Blessing of Prayer

Although the things Ron mentioned sounded very mysterious, they were actually quite common in the empire. They were magic props made by the sea god Mannan, the god of death Mor, and the church of Tal, the god of wilderness.

Magical objects are commonplace in the Mortal Realms, and except for the humblest vendors, nearly every caravan peddles some kind of magical trinket or divine equipment at exorbitant prices.

These items couldn't be called knightly equipment, and they didn't resonate with the knight's bloodline. Yet, they could indeed be used by every warrior. So, figuratively speaking, they could be considered magical props carried by warriors in addition to their official gear.

Powerful knights scoff at these enchanted gadgets, but mercenaries, adventurers, and armed servants are keen to use these magical items to make up for their own lack of strength.

For example, the three items mentioned by Ron all have good combat effects.

The echoing conch was originally a prop used by sailors to communicate across the fleet during turbulent seas. Its deep, powerful sound greatly increased the volume of their voices, inspiring them to bravely fight various sea monsters. Later, armies in the southwestern part of the empire pioneered its use in military command. Almost every officer in a provincial legion carried one of these conch shells on their waists.

[Mask of Morr: This orthodox church artifact, a must-have for any knight, is the closest thing to a knight's armor. Some powerful knights wear this black, demonic mask beneath their helmets. During a charge, it transforms the knight's shout into a death wail, inflicting a terrifying terror on the enemy. Weaker foes fear this oppression and simply turn and flee, let alone attack the knights. However, the price they pay is a tendency to disregard orders from their officers and launch disorderly charges. This isn't because their minds are affected, but rather because their ears are filled with only the echo of the mask, truly unable to hear their superiors' commands.]

[Wild Skull: This item is a Tal Church item, least favored by followers of the Blazing Sun Goddess. However, the knights of the northern empire are particularly fond of it, adorning their heads with lion skulls and fur, bison skulls and horns, and more. This not only makes them appear particularly tall, but also, if the hidden wildness of the beast is shared with their bloodline, it will increase their strength even more brutally, and has a chance to use the Blazing Blood ability at no cost.]

It can be said that if these items are used properly, even powerful elite knights can benefit greatly and their combat power will be greatly improved.

Su Li asked, "How many of these props did we purchase?"

Ron replied, "We don't directly purchase a large number of them. We only have about 30 in stock right now. However, the knights and squires have purchased quite a few on their own, perhaps hundreds. These knights and squires are very willing to invest in order to improve their strength and gain more merit on the battlefield."

Su Li couldn't help but think of the ancient castle in the northern wilderness that was occupied by the zombie monster. There were also a large number of witchcraft props in it, and there might even be knights' equipment such as amulets, rings, etc.

If we can send troops to capture this place on the mysterious day, the strength of the territory's army will probably be greatly improved.

However, to enter here, I am afraid that the main force cannot be dispatched, and a more appropriate choice is to draw out a team of elite knights.

Su Li turned to look at Knight Orstein and asked, "My commander, how many troops have we gathered now?"

Orstein immediately replied, "Thanks to Knight Connor's cooperation and our full efforts, we now have four knightly orders within our territory: the Knights of the Red Night, the Knights of the Corona, the Knights of the Hessen Guard, and the Knights of the Vengeful Sun Demi-Griffin. The elite knights of these four orders have reached 340."

"Another 130 elite knights are distributed throughout the provincial legions, serving as officers or commanding the elite knights and official knights directly under you."

"As of now, you have one God-chosen Knight, seven Champion Knights, 1 Elite Knights, and over 7 official and apprentice knights under your command."

"As for the provincial army, your direct retainer battalion has reached a strength of 700 men, plus two squadrons of fiefdom troops and four squadrons of dwarves."

"We can mobilize approximately 900 knights, 1400 provincial professional soldiers, and 1600 free militiamen for this battle."

The scale is similar to what Su Li expected, that is, 900 elite knights plus 3000 infantry regiments.

He originally estimated that the army size should be more than 3000 or even close to 4000. After the family's knights came to support, the army size directly reached the maximum expectation of 4000.

Moreover, due to the addition of an ecclesiastical order and a secular order, there were more elite knights in the army than formal and apprentice knights.

Otherwise, the ratio of more than 200 elite knights to about 400 ordinary knights is relatively close. After all, his territory has a large number of fantasy opportunities that can allow knights to quickly improve their strength. There should be a large number of knights stuck in the elite stage below the champion level.

As for allowing a large number of elite knights to break through to the championship level, this is almost unimaginable.

Even in the Hessen Territory, it takes only one in a hundred elite knights to break through to become a champion knight.

It is not impossible to organize a group of knights who are all champions, but that requires the consecration of the wisteria tree to infinitely extend the lifespan of the knights, provide them with surging vitality, and then use time and effort to accumulate enough champion knights.

But generally speaking, it’s just one principle: farming! Farming! Farming!

As long as he can survive various crises, allowing him ample time and a peaceful environment for farming, the possibilities for his territory are endless.

He has been in the territory for half a year, and the green dragon invasion is the first life-and-death crisis he has encountered in these six months.

He must get through it first before he is qualified to farm.

So after listening to Marshal Orlstein's report, Su Li decisively stated, "My Lord Commander, I entrust these 900 knights and 3000 infantry regiments, a total of 4000 cavalry, to you. Immediately prepare for defense and head to the border outpost for a decisive battle with Sandarion! Hildreth and I will make some arrangements in the territory and will arrive tomorrow with reinforcements."

Although Su Li had nearly 4000 infantry and cavalry, he estimated that for tomorrow's decisive battle, the troops that could be mobilized would be only more than 3000, and no more than 3500 at most.

After all, there are too many places in the territory that need to be defended. This is not the country on Earth where everyone is united.

The arrival of a large number of adventurers, mercenaries, and caravans has increased the number of free militia groups in the territory, but it has also significantly increased the risk of crime.

These people steal, rob, extort, blackmail, and do all kinds of bad things.

If we didn't send troops to guard the strategic locations, they would probably rush into Bauhinia Manor and Hesse Castle and plunder them. By then, they could have burned the Moon Crown Tree, looted the Light Scale Fish, the Tinder Rabbit, the ranch, the holy land, and all the other treasures.

At least 500 soldiers are needed just to guard these holy places.

Marshal Orstein was also aware of this and immediately replied, "My Lord, I will properly arrange the defenses of the entire territory and then engage in a decisive battle with the Green Dragon."

"Okay, everything is handed over to you."

After Orstein and Priest Ron left, Su Li brought the high-ranking attendant, Chief Steward Hilde, Minister of Industry Sherif, Minister of Agriculture Fandral and Master Engineer Kurgan to the stone wall of the castle which was under construction.

The defense construction here is related to the foundation of the territory's victory or defeat, so it cannot be stopped for a moment.

Looking at the dwarves and ogres busy on the project, Hildur asked, "Lord, can we stop the Green Dragon's followers?"

Su Li frowned and looked at the open plain below the castle, where Knight Commander Freya was reorganizing and training the Demi-Griffin Knights and practicing the Demi-Griffin's charge tactics. The entire castle was busy because no one knew how the Green Dragon Legion would wreak havoc on this land.

"If it were you, how would you command this army of monsters?"

Hildurd thought for a moment and said, "If I were the commander of the Monster Legion, I probably wouldn't separate the three armies and crowd them into a single route. Instead, I would deploy the heavily armored troops, march out of the forest, and advance simultaneously on three fronts. The right flank would attack the farms and villages along the Brienne River, setting up a defensive line on the plains to prevent cavalry from flanking. The left flank would circle southward, seizing patches of dense forest to gain geographical advantage and stabilize the front. The center flank would personally hold back our main force, and then the three fronts would coordinate and wait for an opportunity to strike."

Su Li nodded. This was the tactic the territory was currently most afraid of. If Wyvern King Sandarion had not assembled his army and relied on the monster's scale advantage to crush the Black Forest leader's army, but instead had launched four legions of attack lines and marched simultaneously as soon as they emerged from the forest, the situation would have been very dire.

If the main force of the Hessian Lords was delayed, and their army of two to three thousand people rushed out from the flank, destroyed a large number of farms and manors in the territory, and even captured Bauhinia Castle, then the Hessian Lords' army would be caught in a dilemma.

If we continue to hold on to the border outposts, the rear will be thrown into chaos. If we withdraw our troops hastily to reinforce them, the main enemy forces will pursue and attack us, which will lead to a great defeat!

This is why Su Li ordered Commander Orstein to immediately lead his troops to the border outpost, which is closest to the Blood Pine Forest. The Hessen army must take the initiative to attack and block the monster army in the valley of the Brienne River near the Blood Pine Forest. The monsters must not be allowed to launch an attack.

Then Su Li looked at the Master Engineer Kurgan and asked, "My Minister, how is the progress of the castle project? Can it help us resist the minions and followers of the green dragon?"

Kurgan immediately patted his sturdy chest and replied in a loud voice, "Your Excellency, engineering construction is our dwarven forte. After halting construction on functional buildings, the castle's defenses are almost complete. We're mainly focusing on reinforcement and heightening to deal with the Chosen-level monsters. If we only had green dragon minions in the early stages, our defenses here would be impregnable." Industry Minister Sherif nodded and said, "Your Excellency, rest assured, we will defend Hessenburg. I heard that the territory's army is under pressure. If we're short on manpower, we can mobilize five more teams of Ogre Bull Warriors, each with 5 ogres, to join the battle and defend the castle."

"Ogre bull warrior?" Su Li raised his eyebrows. This was a powerful warrior equivalent to the human-skin wolf in the monster army. A wild ogre bull warrior could easily smash an armored human-skin wolf with a club.

But it is not easy to control these ogre warriors.

Su Li asked, "Will their halfling overseers be willing to take them to the battlefield?"

Halflings themselves are relatively timid, and the combat effectiveness of the Halfling professional troops is a joke in the eyes of the Imperial Provincial Legion, not to mention these supervisors who usually neglect exercise.

Su Li was afraid that before the battle even started, the monsters would charge and these halflings would scatter and flee.

Sharif said, "Of course, we can't use these halfling overseers to lead the troops into battle. As the ogre camp in our territory grows, some powerful ogres have come here to join us. Among them is the Ogre Pursemaster."

"In ogre culture, wealth and rewards are extremely important, making the role of the Purse Master crucial to their society. They fight alongside their comrades, motivating them with the promise of great wealth."

"Of course, these purse strings are also known for their greed and stinginess, typical misers. With their keen survival instincts, they will ensure that only those who persist until the end of the battle receive their rewards."

"They are demanding and sharp-tongued, always shouting and urging other ogres to fight harder for money. Motivated by personal gain, they also enjoy seeing others fall, as it means they can get a larger share of the reward."

"We currently have two Ogre Pursemasters in our territory. They possess the unique Ogre racial trait [Merit for Beheading], which is a key reason why the Ogre Mercenaries are renowned throughout the Empire and the continent! With this trait, an Ogre Pursemaster, simply standing on the battlefield, can use the power of the Great Maw to disrupt their opponent's defenses, simultaneously increasing the battle desire of the surrounding Ogres, allowing them to fiercely hack and slash at their opponents."

Hearing this, Su Li finally became interested. Two ogre moneybag masters, with five teams of ogre bull warriors, would make an excellent assault force. Therefore, ogre mercenaries are very popular among commanders who can feed them.

Still, it's extremely expensive to keep an idle group of ogres satisfied for long, so simply amassing a force of ogre mercenaries is often considered a declaration of war.

Ogre Bull Warriors are the most prominent of the Ogre mercenaries. Like most Ogres, these powerful monstrous infantrymen tend to adopt aspects of local customs that they favor, resulting in significant variations in their appearance and weaponry. Their only unchanging preference is for clubs and stomach shields.

It was indeed a pity to leave such an excellent assault force in the castle for defense. Su Li said, "Let these two ogre purse masters bring the bull warriors with me to the border outpost to fight the wyvern."

After saying this, Su Li looked at Minister of Agriculture Fandral and asked, "It's not easy to supply so many ogres. Is there enough food stored?"

Fandral immediately said confidently, "Lord, rest assured. Our Dawn Church will be able to guarantee the food supply to the front lines. It will also definitely not hinder the development of the territory. I've just visited the new spirit tree, and I will take good care of it."

"As for the Rainbow Falls north of the Green Leaf Hills you mentioned, we will also complete it quickly. We will ensure that we provide sufficient logistical support for the territory, allowing you to conquer and rapidly expand your territory."

The elder druid now has an energy that puts most young people to shame.

This was not only due to spiritual encouragement, but also because he was bathed in a large amount of divine grace and successfully broke through to the champion level!

Under Su Li's guidance, the priests of the Church of Dawn successfully brought these invisible magical rainwater into the religious holy place of Starlight Pool on the Autumnal Equinox.

Then their church organized people to pray here, and the large number of sacrifices of Ji Lun's Wind made the Goddess of Dawn very happy!
This most generous of gods lived up to his reputation and bestowed unparalleled grace.

All the nuns selected by the Dawn Church broke through on the spot and became trainee nuns.

This allowed the number of priests and nuns in the Church of Dawn to exceed 30 in one fell swoop!

You should know that the total population of the Hessen Territory is only about 6000 people, but their Dawn Church has successfully trained 30 priests. It is already the second largest church in the territory in name, and the largest church in fact!
Even the priests of the Blazing Sun Goddess Church didn't have so many. After the family assisted the Hessen Territory, they brought a large number of family-produced religious icons, which enabled the expansion of the Blazing Sun Goddess Monastery in the territory. After all, the characteristic of the Blazing Sun Goddess Church was their statues of the goddess holding a long sword.

The largest Monastery of the Sun Goddess in the north of the territory has been expanded. Although the monastery building has not been expanded because the dwarves are too busy, the statue of the goddess has been replaced with a 6-meter-high marble statue.

When the sun rises and its golden light shines on the holy statue, even the subjects who do not believe in the Sun Goddess can clearly feel the goddess's divine power from the statue that reflects the sunlight and shines brightly.

The territory's religious advisor, Ron, and three powerful paladins preside over the operation of the monastery.

At the same time, the territory built four goddess monasteries in the knights' residence and urban areas, as well as some beautiful holy places.

Even so, there are no more than 10 priests in the Monastery of the Fiery Sun Goddess, and that is with the support of Lord Su Li.

Therefore, the Church of the Goddess of Dawn is definitely the church with the most religious sacrifices in the territory. The reason why they are not conspicuous is entirely because their main preaching sites are staggered with those of the Church of the Goddess of the Blazing Sun and the Church of the Goddess of Life and Mercy. They have little influence in urban areas, and the suburbs and rural areas are where their beliefs are widely spread.

Moreover, these priests of the Church of the Dawn Goddess are not only numerous, but also extremely powerful!
This sacrifice and prayer greatly delighted Rhea. With just one blessing, three regular nuns were promoted to elite nuns, including Su Li's favored Sister Melian Saphir of the Amethyst Vineyard. This caused the grapes in the Amethyst Vineyard to continue to grow rapidly despite the bumper harvest. A plump Amethyst grape was already as big as a plum.

In this prayer, the one who received the most divine grace was undoubtedly the territory's Minister of Agriculture and the chief priest of the Church of the Sun Goddess, Fandral Oak.

He leaped from the elite level to the champion level, becoming the first non-knight profession in the territory to be promoted to the champion level extraordinary sequence.

And Rhea was as generous as ever, granting him two divine arts at once.

One is a relatively common universal divine spell: [Taming of Rhea: Allows Rhea's priests to offer a gentle hand to a wild animal and sing soothing melodies to soothe and tame it. Make a Normal difficulty Soothe Animal check to tame any uncorrupted wild animal of Large or smaller size. If successful, it will become obedient to humans, elves who respect Isha, and similar allies.]

The other divine art is extremely powerful, enough to demonstrate his champion-level strength.

[Sunfall: Allows Rhea's priests to sing of the midsummer and the goddess's glory, summoning a descending sun, bestowing divine protection upon the earth and its inhabitants. Amidst the priest's song, the golden dawn flows like liquid gold across the fields and pastures. For the next month, this land will be blessed with various divine arts of the Church of Rhea, including [Pure Zone], [Nature Identification], [Immunity to Pests], [Animal Healing], [Grain Harvest], and [Natural Order].

Basically, it means that this piece of land will be in the most perfect growth state, and will definitely be free from pests and have a good harvest. There is even a very low probability that ordinary plants will grow extraordinary fruits and ears of wheat, such as grains that can fill you up for a whole day when you eat one grain, leaves that will make you [animal-friendly] when you carry them with you, and vanilla that will increase your charm, etc.

The effect of using this magic once in the hot spring village or in the garden under the consecrated wisteria tree is immeasurable.

This is also the reason why Fandral is so confident.

Due to Rhea's generosity, the priests of their church possess a wide variety of divine arts, which are colorful and complex, and the wealth they can create is far beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

If vanilla pods were not considered spices and not food, they would even try to use Rhea's abundance to directly touch a basket of vanilla pods, causing them to swell and then split in two.

This is indeed beyond the scope of Rhea's wealth, and is not in line with the moderate generosity encouraged by the goddess Rhea.

Su Li thought about taking a few priests from the Rhea Church to the front line, and just have them be responsible for splitting a basket of food into two to reduce the pressure on logistics supplies.

But after seeing their magic with his own eyes, Su Li gave up this idea. One basket of food became two, which was completely a drop in the bucket for such a large army.

Their best role is to assist the territory in farming. The Goddess of Dawn does not want her believers to get something for nothing, and encourages them to obtain sufficient food through hard work.

Su Li felt relatively relieved that the priests of the Church of the Dawn Goddess were taking care of the territory, so he said, "Then I'll leave the territory to you. I will go to the front lines with Lord Rong En this afternoon and strive to defeat the Green Dragon's followers as soon as possible."

　Starting tomorrow, I will update 10,000 words a day. I hope everyone will support me~

　　
　
(End of this chapter)