Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 268: The Fruits of Farming

The problems that the Church of the Goddess of Dawn is facing now are obviously a dilemma unique to the Hessen Territory.

Most people believe that the extensive use of magic and divine arts in this dark and hopeless world will inevitably lead to an even more hopeless ending.

Su Li brought a vast amount of opportunities to the territory, allowing it to flourish with the blessing of a large amount of magic and magical abilities.

However, this vibrant vitality and prosperity, fueled by the convergence of magical forces, inevitably carries significant risks. Just as a magical city is inevitably destroyed by magic, as the high elves have already demonstrated, an excessive concentration of magic and over-reliance on prophets will inevitably lead to the demons of extreme prosperity.

So after listening to Fandral's narration, Su Li suddenly felt that the fruit tea in his hand was no longer fragrant, and he tasted the taste of death and blood.

He immediately placed the teacup on the table and said, "The pillars of the empire have always been steel, faith, and the 19th tax. Our large and loyal civilian population is the core pillar of our territory. Let's talk about the output of ordinary civilians in the territory."

Su Li now sincerely feels that this kind of catalysis cannot continue at this crazy rate.

The development of the territory needs to slow down its crazy momentum, and stabilization is the most important thing.

In fact, the territory already had signs of this. Within the territory's most sacred and vast holy land, Lake Rafflin, distortions were occurring daily, with numerous monsters hiding beneath.

Now, the intelligence system reminds Su Li every one or two days to be on guard against attacks and hunting by the deformed monsters at the bottom of the lake, so as to prevent this sacred place from becoming a source of filth and deformed evil.

While this holy land appears relatively normal at present, if the magical winds continue to be abused without restraint, it won't be long before the monsters multiply and grow stronger, and at nightfall, the lake surface will be covered in an eerie phosphorescent glow. Powerful and terrifying monsters are lurking and growing, and even civilians will occasionally hear their eerie growls from beneath the water.

If the situation worsens, the daily intelligence system will be eroded and affected. From the current reminder every few days, the screen will be flooded with the news of the Raflin Lake distortion crisis every day.

By then, the situation would have really fallen into crisis and would be completely irreversible.

Chaos lurks, corruption gnaws. The fate of this land is at a crossroads.

But fortunately, this is only the first year. If the consequences are foreseen in time and preventive measures and improvements are taken, the situation can still be salvaged.

This is also an important significance of holding this year-end meeting, which not only reports on this year’s achievements, but also summarizes the major problems and crises that exist this year.

Fandral continued his report, "Since the conclusion of the Divine Debate, we in the Church of Dawn have noticed this problem. We have basically stopped all catalysis of the territory, retaining only a few necessary divine spells, such as [Rhea's Mercy], [Natural Order], and [Sunset], which can provide a good environment for plant growth."

"So we basically rely on manpower to cultivate the Amethyst Grapes and the Spiritual Medicine Farm. Currently, the scale of these two is still growing normally. The Amethyst Grapes remain at five acres, mainly cultivated by our nuns through the diligent efforts of cuttings and grafting. The divine arts simply ensure that they have better growing conditions and a higher survival rate."

"The Spiritual Medicine Farm relies entirely on our nuns to guide your slaves in production. We only use the Gireng Wind gathered by the consecrated wisteria tree, without using any divine magic. Using these herbs to consume the Gireng Wind is also a good thing for the farm. Otherwise, if a large amount of Gireng Wind gathers and cannot dissipate, it will inevitably cause stones to turn into skeletons and trees to grow hands and feet."

Su Li nodded slightly. The magical wind in this world is too strong. Ordinary people dare not go out into the wild because there are too many messy distortions. No one knows whether the stones in some corner have been deformed into skeletons, and whether the corpses of dead humans have turned into corpse monsters.

The consecrated wisteria tree, as a spiritual tree, attracted a large amount of converging winds, which indeed brought a lot of benefits. However, if this Ji Lun wind was not handled properly, the trees in the fantasy garden might really grow tentacles, hands and feet, and even human faces, devouring humans who entered.

In a sense, it is a good thing for the territory that the green dragon Ailiriya absorbs the wind of Jiren in the treetops, and she can be regarded as an auspicious beast.

The same is true for herbs. There is a saying that goes, "Where there are poisonous snakes, there is an antidote."

The natural world will achieve a balance with the Wind of Ji Lun. Generally, a large number of tranquilizing flowers will grow under the Tree of Life, which is a manifestation of balance.

Under the consecrated wisteria tree, the Dawn Church deliberately planted a large number of calming flowers.

Su Li had never paid much attention to this aspect before, so he asked, "How many acres of spiritual herbs are planted in our spiritual medicine farm? What is the price of each tranquilizing flower?"

"We've planted a total of 15 mu (approximately 3500 acres) of tranquilizing flowers, with 4000 to 18 plants per acre. The scale of our tranquilizing flowers is also limited by the number of seeds. These flowers are sold to different merchants and factions, with prices fluctuating. Each plant is sold to hospitals, monasteries, and apothecary workshops in our territory for approximately 23 to 25 silver coins. It's sold to caravans and other factions for between 30 and silver coins."

That is, the minimum is 18 silver coins and the maximum is 30 silver coins, and the floating range is quite large.

This is reasonable. After all, this kind of tranquilizing flower is rare. If you want to cultivate it in large quantities, the conditions are still quite harsh. It requires a special terrain where the wind of Ji Lun gathers.

But it’s not really expensive. As long as ordinary people have the courage to walk into the forest and look carefully, they can basically find one within two kilometers.

Fandral had explained that it takes two kilometers of life force to form a single tranquilizing flower. The wildness of the Tal forest is exceptionally rich and vibrant, making tranquilizing flowers relatively easy to find. And if you've already picked one this year, there's a good chance you'll find one again if you search nearby next year.

Even though the agricultural population in Hessen was extremely short, they still maintained a dozen hunting lodges and a hunter force of nearly 50 people. Hunting was secondary for these hunters; entering the forest to collect berries, raspberries, bird eggs, and precious herbs was their true purpose.

The wildness of the Thar makes everything in the forest grow lushly, and it would be a complete waste if it is not collected.

In addition, the pioneer settlements in the forest would periodically send villagers to gather together and return to the town with the militia and adventurers to sell some precious items they had collected in the forest and around the settlements.

This resulted in the prices in the town fluctuating almost every day. If Su Li hadn't looked down on these small profits, he would have hoarded goods, bought low and sold high, and could have made a lot of money.

A tranquilizing flower given by a farmer or hunter is sold for 20 silver coins. He collects them and sells them for 30 silver coins, making a profit of 10 silver coins.

As a lord, he dealt with golden crowns every day, so much so that people around him were almost losing their understanding of the purchasing power of currency.

A single tranquilizing flower costs 20 silver coins! That's equivalent to a month's wages for an armed servant, and two months' worth of labor for farmers and hunters. It's safe to say that anyone lucky enough to encounter a tranquilizing flower in the wilds and forests could bring their family a significant windfall, the equivalent of winning a generous year-end bonus.

Therefore, we can also know how much wealth the consecrated wisteria tree brought to the Hesse Territory.

The Spiritual Medicine Farm was the manor that Su Li began to focus on as soon as he entered the Heisen Territory, and the harvest in this area was quite considerable.

Fandral reported in detail, "The tranquilizing flower is, after all, a spiritual medicine, and the returns are very substantial, reaching over 800 gold crowns per acre. However, we sell relatively few of them, as most of them are used to make potions. This year, the spiritual medicine farm's total revenue is 1780 gold crowns, and that's even including the hundreds of acres of herbaceous sedge and swift grass."

Sure enough, once you come into contact with the extraordinary world, this value becomes extremely considerable.

800 gold crowns are equivalent to the annual income of 800 farmers. 800 farmers is at least equivalent to a large village or even two ordinary villages!
In other words, many kingdom knights within the empire, even if they are nobles, do not earn as much in a year as the income from an acre of spiritual medicine field in Su Li's manor.

Therefore, when they joined the war, they could only bring two or three knights from their families, along with a few dozen temporarily recruited peasants, to answer the call of the barons and earls. This was also why, despite knowing the immense dangers of the Wind of Magic, the nobles of the Empire could still resist manipulating it. Just a small influence from the convergence of the Wind of Gilen could bring thousands of golden crowns.

How could the nobles restrain their greed?

Su Li couldn't help himself, especially since his army, though small, was of extremely high quality! He was going to attack the Barony next year, and the size of his elite knights needed to be further increased. He needed more spiritual medicine fields to support him, otherwise he wouldn't even be able to afford the maintenance costs of his troops.

So he could only focus on profit. He asked, "We invested a large amount of tranquilizing flowers and herbs in potion making. How many potions are left? How much profit did we make?"

Fandral answered in detail, "A large portion of our potion production was consumed by military expenditures. We currently have four Earthblood potions, five Tears of Mercy potions, 4 Hand of Sharya potions, and 5 Purification potions remaining. Our total revenue from potion sales this year is approximately 210 gold crowns."

The Hand of Sharya potion is an entry-level psychic potion produced by churches and hospitals. If classified by equipment level, it's roughly equivalent to a dwarven's fine equipment. However, because it can be made entirely by hand and the ingredients are relatively common, its price is relatively low.

Of course, this is only relative to the territory's military power. For ordinary people, the price is still unaffordable. 50 silver coins for one piece means half of a year's income is gone. But with taxes and basic living expenses, an average family can't save even half of their annual income.

Therefore, this potion is truly a high-end product. A single Tears of Mercy potion can cost as much as 100 gold crowns, making it something that ordinary people would never be able to obtain. Even in the extraordinary world, this potion is extremely rare. A high-ranking nun or priestess can only create one when the divine grace is strong and the divine grace is strong enough to inspire them.

Su Li didn't have high expectations for profits from the pharmaceutical industry; his priority now was to meet the needs of the territory's internal campaigns. As for how much materials they consumed and how many potions they produced last year, it wasn't that Fandral hadn't kept statistics, but rather that there was no need to report them.

Su Li didn't need to listen to these detailed data. Auditing them was the responsibility of the Hesse Provincial Council.

The territory is not ruled by one person. In order to maintain the normal operation of such a large territory and rule, Su Li set up a complete operating system for the Hessen Territory.

The political structure of the Hesse Territory set up by Su Li is still very clear. The lord is the supreme ruler of the Hesse Territory and symbolizes the center of power. He is a hereditary noble of the Bauhinia family and represents the supreme sovereignty and ruling power of the Hesse Territory.

The main functions are to formulate major policies, appoint senior officials, and directly intervene in key affairs when necessary. The authority of the lord is the entire political

Below the lord are high-ranking direct servants, bishops and knights.

High-ranking retainers, currently primarily Su Li's personal army, will theoretically include nobles from subordinate territories, military commanders, and important administrative officials as his territory grows and his rank rises. They manage Su Li's daily affairs, arrange meetings, and manage his schedule, providing unwavering support in military, diplomatic, and major decision-making.

Especially in the future, the support and endorsement of these nobles for Su Li's position will be of great significance to Su Li.

The College of Bishops is an important religious and political force in the Hesse Territory. The bishops are not only the leaders of the church, but also important advisors to Su Li.

They were responsible for managing church affairs, presiding over important ceremonies, and providing moral and spiritual guidance to the entire territory.

In addition, they are involved in local efforts, particularly in rural areas, education, and charity and relief efforts.

The Knights of Hesse were the core military force of the region and a symbol of social status. The knights were not only excellent warriors, but also the ruling class and maintainers of local order.

The Knights were undoubtedly responsible for defending the territory, carrying out military missions, and participating in local governance. Knights usually had their own manors, farms, and even fiefs.

The Provincial Council is the administrative center of the Hesse Territory. It is another core institution parallel to the institutions under Su Li, responsible for the daily government management and execution of the territory.

At the same time, the Provincial Council has the largest territory under its jurisdiction, covering all aspects including government affairs, finance, civil affairs, justice, urban construction, agricultural development, education and culture, external liaison, military logistics, emergency management, Knight Academy, horse management system, city security, etc.

The biggest feature of the Provincial Council is that it operates relatively independently, but it still needs to report to and obtain approval from the lord on major decisions.

The Provincial Council was the legislative body of Hesse, responsible for reviewing and passing laws, supervising the work of the Provincial Council, and proposing amendments when its work was inappropriate or offended the interests of a large number of people.

Its members mainly include feudal knights representing the ruling class of the territory, farmers centered on the Halfling Autonomous Region, mayors, city representatives, church members, and leaders of the dwarf community, etc.

Finally, parallel to all of this was the Military Command, headed by Marshal Orlstein, responsible for coordinating and directing Hesse's military operations. This included formulating military strategy, managing the army, coordinating fortifications, and responding to emergencies.

Basically, with this administrative system, Su Li only needs to stay in the castle and enjoy himself, and the specific matters can be left to the ministers below.

According to the level of talents, in fact, if the talents of a county are reasonably appointed, it is enough to found a country.

With these talents, Su Li could easily build at least an earldom.

He only needed to take charge of the major policies, so he said, "I remember you reported before that the production of the Hand of Sharya was 35 per day. Has it recovered now?"

The Hand of Shalya is the primary potion produced by the Church of the Goddess of Healing and Mercy. At its peak, the church produced 35 potions daily, supported by a vast army of knights and thousands of kilograms of herbs. In a 400-day Imperial calendar year, the output of the Hand of Healing alone reached 7000 gold crowns. Of course, unlike farming, this potion had significant costs; a single Tranquility Flower cost nearly 20 silver coins.

But even if calculated based on the minimum profit, the Hand of Sharya brings more than 3000 gold crowns to the territory every year.

However, the war caused a large amount of herbs to be consumed, and the number of knights and medical staff of the Church of Shalya was greatly reduced. The territory's potion production capacity has not yet fully recovered.

Fandral said frankly, "The Church of the Goddess of Healing and Mercy's output hasn't recovered yet, but we at the Church of the Goddess of Dawn have already started making our own potions. Currently, our territory can produce 40 ordinary potions per day, and approximately 5 to 8 high-level potions per month."

"After the Spring Birth of All Things ceremony next year, the goddess's mercy will descend upon the world, and our output will increase further. We estimate that the monthly potion output will be around 1500 gold crowns."

1500 gold crowns per month is not a small amount.

Su Li did a simple calculation and found that the output of the three farming items, spices, elixirs, and potions, would average 3000 to 3500 gold crowns per month next year.

The reason for the fluctuation is that the output of elixirs and the cost of potions overlap, and a considerable portion of the output cannot be converted into income and will be consumed by the nobles, knights, wars and churches in the territory.

But even if the monthly income is 3000 gold crowns or even 2500 gold crowns, it is enough to pay the salaries of 500 elite knights!
Of course, this is still far from meeting the maintenance costs of 500 elite knights, because to maintain an elite knight group, their salaries are only a part of the military expenditure.

War horses, weapons, armor, food, training and supplies are all huge expenses.

(End of this chapter)