Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 262 Phyllis's Succession and the Dawn Church's New Holy Land: Mother Earth Pond
Su Li personally held up Archibald's head, his slender fingers gently stroking the face that was once filled with arrogance and ridicule. His eyes were as cold as ice, and he stared at the head for a long time, wishing he could cut it into pieces.

After a long time, he handed the head to the dwarf forge master Boros beside him.

"Make it into a wine vessel." Su Li's voice was calm and indifferent. "I want it to be placed in the hall of Bauhinia Castle forever, reminding every fool who sets foot here - anyone who dares to challenge the majesty of Bauhinia will pay the price."

Boros took the head, his cloudy eyes gleaming with excitement. As a dwarven forgemaster, he had seen countless rare treasures, but the legendary head in his hands was a material of unprecedented quality. He nodded excitedly and left the conference room, holding Archibald's head.

Su Li then turned around and looked at Gotrek: "Where's Phyllis? Why didn't she come back with you?"

Gotrek shrugged slightly, his thick beard trembling slightly with his movements. He said with a hint of resignation, "I asked her if she wanted to come back with me. But she refused."

He paused, a glint of admiration in his eyes. "This girl spoke with a resolute tone, stating that she would never allow such a thing to happen again. She will go to the province of Surander and succeed the position of the elect, thus becoming your strongest supporter."

When Su Li heard this, his brows furrowed slightly. The incident that day might have completely changed the girl's mentality and destiny.

Su Li sighed and said, "Actually, she doesn't need to take such a big risk. The political struggle there is already white-hot. It's like she has voluntarily walked into a dangerous place."

Gotrek muttered in a loud voice, "She's very determined. She said she wants to gain greater power. Only then can she truly protect you. She even said... she would rather die in the struggle for Surander than see you get hurt again because of her incompetence."

Su Li felt a surge of mixed emotions when he heard this. He closed his eyes, as if he could see Phyllis's weak yet determined figure.

"Why is she so determined? She didn't even come back to see me?" There was a hint of melancholy in Su Li's voice.

Gotrek nodded. "Yes, she had no way out. She took Archibald's legendary sword and accepted the allegiance of the Knights of Eternal Light as the heir to the Elector of Surander. If she gave up all this, the twelve Chosen Knights wouldn't follow her to the Hessen Territory. So, she set off for the Surander Province the next morning. I believe she will become an outstanding Elector."

Su Li raised his head and gazed toward the distant horizon. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on his face, casting a golden glow over his features. His eyes held both confusion about the future and relief from the past.

"Maybe... this is the fate that has already been determined." He murmured to himself.

Perhaps this is indeed a blessing rather than a curse for her. Archibald was beheaded by Gotrek, and the Knights of Eternal Light lost their commander. They should naturally be loyal to Phyllis, the heir to the princedom - if she can successfully ascend the throne and become the Elector.

But she herself is the second in line to the throne of the Elector, so it is in the best interests of everyone for these Knights of Eternal Light to support her return to the province of Surander and seize the supreme position.

Su Li murmured and looked into the distance. Phyllis really had no way out.

These Knights of Eternal Light pledged their allegiance to the future Elector of the Surander Province. In other words, even if she was willing to return to the Hessen Territory, these Chosen Knights would not follow her and pledge allegiance to Su Li. If she retreated, she would be nothing more than a lowly peasant woman in the countryside. Furthermore, not only would she be able to gain the allegiance of a large number of Chosen Knights, she would also have a great chance of attaining the supreme position.

Su Li only hopes that Phyllis, the once weak and naive girl, can truly persevere and unleash her full potential, make good use of all kinds of wisdom and strategies, and win the upcoming turbulent political struggle in the Surander Province.

But this girl, her first wife, and her first child were all trapped in the quagmire of the Sulander Province. Even if she temporarily defeated Archibald, it was only the first step in the struggle. When she entered the dangerous and dangerous land of the Sulander Province, they were still surrounded by dangers. Su Li had to grow stronger with all her might to save them!
But no matter what, the current situation is a perfect start that Su Li had never anticipated.

After Archibald was killed, Phyllis was no longer humiliated and controlled by others. Instead, she became the host and accepted the allegiance of the Knights of Eternal Light, entering the province of Surander as the master.

The lack of a controlling figure behind her meant she could easily be won over by the other dukes. As long as she managed to maneuver and balance all parties, she, the second in line to the throne, would have the best chance of reigning as Grand Prince of Surander.

Su Li also got his revenge. Phyllis went to Sulande Province completely out of her own will, not under duress. He didn't need to feel bad now.

Su Li's mood brightened up, and he put aside all his thoughts. He smiled and said to Gotrek, "Your Majesty the Demigod, please stay in our Hessen Territory for a few days and let us show our hospitality."

Gotrek didn't refuse and replied generously, "Hahaha, okay, okay, that's exactly what I was thinking! I heard on the way that your territory has a tavern filled with all kinds of fine wines and troll skull drinking vessels. I've been looking forward to it for a long time on the airship!"

This dwarf envoy really loves drinking, and he is not afraid of making mistakes after getting drunk.

Perhaps it was because of his confidence in his own strength. As a demigod, he was invincible and almost no one could pose a threat to him.

So he didn't even wait for Su Li to set up the banquet, but ran to the Troll Skull Tavern to have a drink first.

It was hard for him to endure for an extra cycle. Otherwise, he would have rushed over to drink troll brew on his first day.

After the demigod butcher left, the green dragon Alyria suddenly spoke up, "You should hurry up and send a group of people to challenge him in a drinking contest. If you win, you'll gain the [Supernatural Constitution] trait. The dwarven gods will bless him, allowing him to continue fighting even after suffering fatal damage."

Su Li turned to look at her and said, "You're talking nonsense. Gotrek once drank hundreds of Kislevite men alone in the Tsar's Palace. How could our territory possibly outdrink him?"

When it came to drinking, the hungry, untamed men of the bitter cold of the north were the most captivated, while the south drank brandy. The dwarves never appreciated this so-called elegance. They preferred beer.

Alyria said calmly, "I didn't expect you to outdrink him, but if you can earn his praise, you'll gain the ability of a treasure hunter. During your hangover, you'll be able to find all sorts of treasures on a sudden. After all, Gotrek is renowned throughout the continent for his legendary adventures."

“Even because of this feature, many people would come to where he was, just to buy him a drink.”

Treasure hunter?

This ability is really very suitable for the land of Hessen. After all, there are countless ruins in this vast foothills. The western part of the Blood Pine Forest, which has just been cleared by humans, is full of evil wizard spires and mysterious ruins.

It's time to send someone to clean up this place.

The wealth this brought might even arrive faster than the gold the dwarves had promised. After all, the gold coins, said to be taller than a mountain, must have come from the treasury of the Dwarf High King. At the speed these iron piers were marching, a round trip would likely take over a year, perhaps even two.

The Thunderfury couldn't hold such a large amount of wealth. This legendary airship wasn't known for its stability, there weren't many of them, and it wasn't suitable for transporting supplies.

If the gold coins were transported by horse-drawn carriage, by the time the dwarves delivered the gold coins, the first round of pioneer territory assessment might have been completed.

So Su Li seriously considered this suggestion and said to Oliver, the president of the Provincial Council: "My Minister, would you consider taking this opportunity to hold a carnival?"

The territory defeated the green dragon and killed a legendary knight, clearing away the long-standing clouds and depression in the territory.

It's time for a big carnival and beer festival!
The demigod Gotrek was a well-known person who loved lively activities, such as beer, bonfire parties, grand celebrations, and competitions.

It's a pity that it's winter now and the harvest ceremony can no longer be held. Otherwise, a large number of nuns from the Church of Dawn would generously take off their robes and sing and dance in holy prayers, which would push the atmosphere in the territory to an even more enthusiastic climax.

Oliver thought for a moment and suggested, "Then we can hold a Hessian Beer Festival. This will take advantage of Gotrek's outstanding reputation and promote the fame of our Troll Skull Tavern."

After calming down for a period of time, Oliver successfully adjusted his mentality.

The wealth promised by the dwarves was indeed abundant, but the problem was that if everything depended on the High King's supply, the speed at which these riches could be converted into the strength of the Hessen Territory would be too slow, and it would take at least one or two years.

Even a top-level fortress, given the current size of the territory, may not be built in a hundred years.

If the dwarves sent a large team of engineers from the capital, it would take them years to travel and transport the materials.

Not to mention whether the dwarves have so much wealth to maintain such a long transportation route.

Even if they sent their wealth here, Hessen Territory couldn't afford to support so many people to build large-scale projects here. Their food consumption alone could bring down the entire territory.

And the most important thing is time! It takes too long for all of this to transform into the strength of the Black Forest Territory. If the Black Forest Territory had so many years to develop, with the opportunities and abilities of the territory, I'm afraid it wouldn't be so important.

Therefore, what the Hessen Territory needs most now is the ability to quickly convert cash into cash.

From this perspective, leaving Gotrek behind will be more beneficial to the development of the territory.

This renowned figure in the Old World, "Lord Gao," attracted a vast number of knights and dwarves, potentially affecting the entire Border Princedom and the Grey Mountain Province. By the end of this year, the territory's combined population, both settled and floating, could exceed 10000!
Holding a grand, lively beer festival for everyone to enjoy is indeed the best way to retain this "Gao Ye". Otherwise, if he wants to deliver the dwarves' supplies as promised, he won't be in such a relaxed mood to stay here and drink.

As we all know, Mr. Gao likes all lively and festive activities.

Su Li thought seriously for a moment and said, "But this is also a test. If the activities are not enjoyable enough and the beer is not flowing freely, Gotrek will return home disappointed and may even leave early. Do we have enough beer?"

The Minister of Agriculture, Fandral, who was sitting next to him, immediately replied confidently, "No problem, my lord. Calculating the time, this winter is almost halfway over. The last harvest of the year is about to arrive, and our grain harvest will surely be abundant, enough to brew a large amount of beer."

Harvesting wheat in a cotton jacket was something that Su Li, a northerner, had rarely seen before.

But in the southern part of the empire, in the hot climate area, wheat can indeed be harvested three times a year.

But in this world, the growth of crops is not only related to the climate and water patterns, but also has a great connection with the divine tides of the gods.

For example, winter wheat planted in early autumn could theoretically be harvested in October, but the harvest was delayed by nearly three months because the divine tide of Tal, the god of summer, had weakened. It took the plants longer to absorb Tal's wildly growing divinity before they could mature.

Fandral and the nuns of the Church of Dawn had mentioned this to Su Li more than once before. The empire has three harvests a year: one in spring, one in summer, and then two in autumn and winter, with the third harvest coming in six months.

That’s why the empire always talks about the difficult winter, which means that food will be scarce in these six months.

The winter god, Ulric, harshly tests all citizens of the Empire. When the icy deity's divine power reaches its peak, snowstorms sweep across the Old World. Even the warmer climate of the south cannot escape this.

From Su Li's perspective, the location of the Imperial Border Prince Territory was more like that of Southern China or Northern Guangdong. Normally, the climate was warm, and a shirt or robe was sufficient. However, winters could also see temperatures approaching freezing, with snowstorms, frost, and sleet all occurring.

To this day, even though Su Li is the lord of the pioneer territory, he has to sigh that the winter in the empire is indeed very harsh and unbearable.

But fortunately, the hard times are finally over. This winter is already halfway over. As long as we hold steady in the days ahead, even if things get a little tougher and our finances a little tighter, it won't be a big problem. Just endure for a little over a month, and it will be the next spring, the rite of passage for all things to come.

After the spring birth ceremony, the goddess of dawn, Rhea, takes over the annual rings. She is a generous and benevolent goddess who, just like her name, brings warmth to the world.

By then, the nuns of the Church of the Goddess of Dawn will be able to obtain more divine grace and use more divine arts.

So after hearing Fandral's good news, Su Li instructed him, "Tell the nuns not to be stingy with their divine arts and to make more use of Rhea's abundance. Our current laurel gems will be supplied to your church first."

Rhea's abundance, this is a divine art that is somewhat difficult to evaluate.

Sisters of Rhea can bring abundance and purge all impurities by singing the goddess's radiance. Stored food and uncooked ingredients slowly expand and split in two, doubling the quantity of anything they touch. Mold, vermin, insects, and other sources of spoilage vanish, rendering stale food fresh again. Each round, one barrel, box, or basket of food can be touched.

It seems that the effect of this magic is very powerful.

In a farm or village, when food is scarce, a nun from the Church of Dawn can use this magic to provide food for a dozen or even dozens of people on the farm every day, preventing them from starving to death.

But in the Hessen Territory, the nuns of the Church of Dawn rarely use this magic.

Because when the size of the territory reaches more than 5000 people, relying solely on the nuns' magic is completely inadequate.

The nuns encouraged hard work and farming, and they used their limited divine power in the fields instead of wasting it on making a basket of food.

By casting spells on farmland and blessing farming, we can increase agricultural output and obtain more food to meet the needs of thousands of people.

They prefer to do things by themselves and have enough food and clothing rather than get something for nothing.

However, this year's annual cycle is nearing its end, and the remaining winter days are unsuitable for continuing farming. More importantly, the laurel gems have been increasing over the past few months, ensuring that the nuns of the Dawn Church have sufficient spiritual energy.

A single sip of this magical spring water, soaked in laurel gemstones, could restore 2-3% of the spiritual energy of the Dawn Church nuns. It was perfect for providing the territory with ample alcohol before the beer festival.

To ensure the enthusiasm of the Dawn Church, Su Li said with a smile: "This time, the supply of wine and beverages will be handed over to you, and all the income will belong to your Dawn Church. For next year's Spring Creation Ceremony, I hope that your church can grow further and have more nuns participate."

Fandral became excited upon hearing this. More church income meant they could build more holy places and train more nuns.

Their church is currently preparing for a very important project, which is to build its own baptismal site, the Holy Pool of Mother Earth.

This holy place is different from the Starlight Pool in the Fallen Star Basin. That Starlight Pool is a universal holy place.

The Ogham stele in the center of the pool is entangled by water plants and has sunk into the center of the pool. Every time a harvest ceremony is held here, prayers and sacrifices will be offered to bless the territory with a good harvest in the next season, and the farmland output will increase by at least 20%.

The Holy Pool of Mother Earth is used by the Church of the Dawn Goddess for baptism and purification. It recruits and selects devout believers for the church, even directly training qualified novice nuns! This is somewhat similar to a human knight squire training camp. However, novice knights require constant training from squires before awakening. Rhea, recognized as the most generous deity in the world, directly selects a group of believers, granting them abilities and allowing them to spread her kindness and generosity, bringing more people harvests and wealth. Therefore, this holy place can directly cultivate a group of novice nuns at the lowest level. To continue to advance, they must rely on their own hard work and practice.

After all, Rhea has always encouraged generosity and opposed excessive indulgence.

The Church of Dawn has already drawn a blueprint of this holy place. The holy pool is oval in shape, symbolizing the perfection of the sun and the inclusiveness of the earth. It also represents the womb of Mother Earth, the source of life and harvest.

The poolside is built with natural stone, and the surface is carved with patterns symbolizing harvest and life, such as wheat ears, grape vines, flowers, etc.

In the center of the pool stands a small island, on which stands a large Ogham stone tablet. The tablet is engraved with the teachings and prayers of the Dawn Goddess, and is surrounded by vibrant water plants and vine sculptures.

The sacred pool is divided into two layers: inner and outer layers:

The outer waters are shallow areas where believers can wash their hands or perform simple rituals.

The inner waters are deep areas, used only during fertility ceremonies, for sacrifices and sacred prayers.

The sacred pool is surrounded by a lush garden where crops symbolizing a good harvest, such as wheat, corn, grapes, and aromatic plants such as lavender and rosemary are grown.

The garden also features small sculptures and fountains, further enhancing the natural and sacred atmosphere.

Just by looking at this complex design, you can tell that this project is extremely expensive, costing at least 1000 gold crowns, and possibly even 1500 gold crowns.

If you buy apprentice nuns, you can buy 50 to 80 of them, and even elite druids can buy at least 5 of them.

However, the Dawn Church has always advocated self-reliance and self-improvement, so they hope to establish a training method that they can control themselves and train a group of nuns for the church.

This will not only give their church a brighter future, but also help the territory attract a large number of people who come here for its reputation.

However, although this plan is good, it is not in line with the interests of territory investment.

The territory naturally hoped to invest directly, quickly purchasing a large number of nuns from slave traders to accelerate production, rather than first expending time and effort to build a holy site and then gradually train nuns. This was a shortfall of nearly 100 nuns! The impact on next year's food production would be incalculable, with fluctuations of at least several percentage points. The clergy of this world, unlike those in the mortal world, were a burden, but they truly could boost production.

Therefore, their Dawn Church could not obtain the territory investment in this area, and could only raise funds on their own and build this holy land on their own.

It’s not that Su Li was stingy with the 1000 gold coins, but now he can no longer act as arbitrarily as before and give funding to any church at random.

With so many churches in the territory, the other churches couldn't complain except for the one supporting the Church of the Blazing Sun Goddess. Giving donations to any other church would likely cause dissatisfaction among the others, so they had to be fair. But if every church was given 1000 gold crowns, Su Li really couldn't come up with that much money.

(End of this chapter)