Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 274: Spring brings all things to life Chapter

Chapter 274 Spring Festival
The appearance of the mythical material, the Thread of Destiny, makes this spring festival of all things extra grand and festive.

Su Li walked out of the forest tree house with Ingrid in a happy mood. At this time, celebration ceremonies had already begun in various parts of the territory.

As the goddess of the dawn, Rhea pays special attention to children, so the priests and girls have collected the frost and dew condensed on the ancient oak before dawn in wicker baskets. After being blessed by the priestesses, the dew is sprinkled on the children's foreheads to form wheat-shaped water marks, symbolizing that they "inherit the power of new life."

Seeing the children's energetic and lively appearance, Su Li couldn't help but smile. On this day when spring comes and everything comes to life, the whole world is bright and full of vitality. It really doesn't look like the usual world full of darkness and despair.

While Su Li was having breakfast at the manor, Hildre reported to him, "My Lord, the Minister of Agriculture, Pastor of the Church of Dawn, His Excellency Fandral, requests an audience."

"He's here so early?" Su Li put down the scented venison in his hand and said with a smile, "It seems that the people of the Dawn Church really attach great importance to this festival. I got up so early today because he urged me to. Let him in. Anyway, this morning's schedule is to celebrate the Spring Birth Ceremony with the people of the Dawn Church."

A moment later, the sound of Fandral's hurried footsteps came from outside the door. Today was a festive day, and the archdruid was also dressed in formal attire. A dark green linen robe wrapped around his slightly hunched body, but his wrinkled face did not look old at all. He looked even more energetic than Su Li. He held a straw man woven from bundles of wheat ears in his hand, and his head was full of green. It was not that green grassland had grown on his head, but that he had rarely decorated it with bunches of newly grown thistles and cornflowers.

Seeing that Su Li was still eating breakfast, he bowed slightly and said, "I'm sorry, Lord, to interrupt your enjoyable meal."

Su Li waved his hand and said with a smile, "It's alright. Today is such a festive day, and everything we do is enjoyable. Seeing you, my minister, I find you even more charming than usual. There are so many beautiful nuns in the Dawn Church, and you look so energetic right now. I'm really worried that you won't be able to control yourself, my old friend. Do you need my help to share your worries?"

"Last month, I saw Sister Marian, that girl with a chest big enough to hold a wine cup, putting violets between the pages of your scripture. You are like a dead tree blooming, a dead tree coming back to life."

Fandral laughed out loud at Su Li's joke. He rubbed his red nose and said, "My Lord, Leia, your eyes should be hung in the confessional as pupils."

"But speaking of sharing worries, we do have some matters that require your personal involvement, Lord."

"The Spring Festival of All Things is celebrated differently in the countryside, forest settlements, and alpine pastures, but some things are common. For example, the grand sacrifice presided over by the lord is related to the blood sacrifice of Polevik, the Father of Grain. There is also the spring plowing race overseen by the nobles, which requires the nobles of the territory to whip the oxen and turn the first furrow of the land."

After hearing what Fandral said, Su Li immediately put aside his joking smile and turned to business. Although the Spring Festival was a very festive occasion, the most significant part of the day was the plowing of the fields after the celebration.

After the Goddess of Dawn takes over the annual rings, the land will gradually become soft, and it is time to advance the process of opening up a large amount of arable land in the territory again.

It had been less than half a month since the meeting ended, and Su Li still remembered it clearly. He only had 1900 hectares of good farmland in his hands, and the fertile upper fields under Bjorn Bay were only 1700 hectares.

Logically speaking, if the Border Prince's territory wasn't located in the south, with a mild climate and fertile soil irrigated by the holy water of Levlin, and the land didn't produce three crops a year, with each season bringing a bountiful harvest, he wouldn't even be able to provide enough food for so many people, let alone build a border granary.

With only a few thousand hectares of fertile land, not even as much as a large landowner in the East, he still wants to support an army of 2000 or more than 7000 people? It's just a daydream.

Therefore, Su Li paid special attention to this year's development, because this year was different from last year. When the development was just started last year, there were only more than 100 agricultural tools in total, and many people didn't even have the right tools.

This year, there is a new development. There are more than 3000 pieces of agricultural machinery of various sizes owned by the Halflings alone. Moreover, the number of serfs plus the captives this time has reached nearly !
Su Li has long been ambitious and wants to take advantage of this spring ceremony to advance the farming business in the territory by a big step!

If nothing else, at least the fertile land in Bjorn Bay should be expanded from 1700 hectares to 2500 hectares, right?

Su Li raised his head and gulped down the warm milk on the table. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, stood up from the table, and said to Fandral, "Come on, my minister, let's also attend today's grand ceremony. I remember you said that the blood sacrifice of Polevik, the Father of Grain, would be most effective during the Spring Birth Ceremony, right?"

"That's right, my lord. Polevik's blood sacrifice ability will be restored after Her Majesty Rhea takes over the annual rings again. If the territory holds a grand sacrificial ceremony together, the entire territory will be filled with sacred prayers and the holy light of sacrifice, and patches of golden light will hazily envelop the territory. Rhea will be more likely to pay attention to this pious place and bestow more generous grace."

Su Li had absolutely no doubt about Leia's generosity.

Their entire church, from top to bottom, is based on the creed of generosity, and their actions are absolutely consistent, without any compromise in any direction.

The nuns in the territory have beautiful and graceful bodies, which are really for everyone to see.

Su Li was full of anticipation for the upcoming generous dance.

As he walked, he asked, "How are the materials for the blood sacrifice being prepared?"

Although the Spring Festival fills the whole world with light and vitality, certain rituals and traditions will always remind everyone of the bloodiness and cruelty of this world.

Polevik's blood sacrifice requires the use of the flesh and remains of various creatures.

There are now four Poleviks in the territory, which is a remarkable number. If Su Li did not have the guidance of the intelligence system, even if the size of the Dawn Church tripled, it would not be able to find so many Fathers of Grain.

Their sacrifice will fill the land of Hesse with divine grace.

In this world, the influence of the gods is unparalleled. Whether a territory is considered prosperous and thriving, or a barren and primitive frontier, the primary criterion for evaluating its development is the extent to which the land has been blessed by the gods.

If a vast territory is bathed in divine grace, then it is undoubtedly a prosperous territory, long cultivated by humanity and highly developed, the core of human prosperity. In such a territory, the golden glow of the morning bells of the temple can cover the entire wheat field. When the spring breeze blows through the wheat waves, it is like the goddess walking among the fields. At harvest time, the granaries are filled with golden mountains of wheat, and even the ears of barnyard that the crows peck at are soaked in the honey of a thousand years of civilization.

If a land, like the Hessen Territory, contains less than 10 hectares of blessed fertile fields and over 2000 hectares of farmland, it's easy to tell: it's a desolate frontier beyond the heart of the empire. The pioneers' sickles split the brambles, startling only the howls of night owls and wolves. Those few hectares of fertile soil bathed in divine light, like scattered sparks in the wilderness, struggle to breathe amidst the 2000 hectares of frosted, lean fields. The wheat stalks here bend not in homage to the harvest goddess, but in the whipping of the frontier winds, their backs bent. The peasant women offer not fresh wheat at the altar, but thorny berries stained with animal claws. The mark left by the gods' scepters here is but a faded smear of vermilion on the edge of a parchment map.

The blood sacrifice undoubtedly determines how much land in the territory will be bathed in the grace of Her Majesty Rhea this year.

Fandral immediately replied, "We've been preparing for this kind of sacrifice since the beginning of winter. The results are quite good. The Black Steel Knights of Atonement and the provincial legions of the territory have been fighting in the Blood Pine Forest for an entire winter, and they have sent back a large number of beastmen and forest bandit corpses. We conservatively estimate that this sacrifice can increase the scale of the blood sacrifice to over 1500 mu. If our army can return the remains of the rebels in the Starfall Land before noon today, the scale of our blood sacrifice may reach 20 hectares!"

20 hectares, or 2000 mu, of farmland used for blood sacrifice.

This scale is quite impressive. Assuming an output of 2000 kilograms per mu, these 20 hectares alone can produce 400 million kilograms of grain. This translates to a profit of 1200 gold crowns per year.

However, it only takes 20 households to take care of these farmlands. In other words, 100 farmers can support 20 elite knights for a whole year!

Su Li couldn't help but gasp in amazement. This ratio was truly high. If he had a thousand hectares of land bathed in divine grace, he could support 1000 elite knights just by farming.

Su Li smiled and said, "The effect of this sacrifice is very powerful. I remember that the last time we sacrificed, there were only about 900 acres of blood fields left."

You have to know that the last sacrifice was the accumulation of a large number of monster corpses during the invasion of Ailiriya, which allowed a grain father to increase the scale of the blood sacrifice by 500 acres.

And at the Spring Birth Ceremony, the four Poleviks, with only a much smaller sacrifice, doubled the land bathed in divine grace!

Fandral straightened his hunched body and said proudly, "This day of spring, when all things are born, is the day when Rhea's grace is at its strongest. Our sacrifice will surely receive Her Majesty Rhea's most generous reward. My Lord, let me take you to experience the atmosphere of sacrifice for yourself."

As they were talking, the two of them walked out of the manor. The servants led their mounts. Su Li sat on the back of Death Claw, while Fandral also rode a giant herder deer.

This giant herder is not the giant herder with silver horns. That kind of sacred creature usually stays in the sacred forest and does not come out. It will not come out of the forest until the summer solstice when Tal takes over the annual ring, and then it will bring good luck to the territory.

Fandral tamed this giant herder deer in the forest this winter.

After Ailiriya was conquered by Su Li, it became much easier for humans to enter and exit the Bleeding Pine Forest.

A large amount of wealth was produced from the Blood Pine Forest, and even the hatred many people had for her was dissipated. This giant herder was much faster than a warhorse. When it galloped, its four hooves moved with ease, as if riding on clouds and mist, and it could leap a distance of one or two meters at a time. Following its lead, Su Li quickly arrived at Quesofield Manor, the manor where the grand ceremony was held.

This manor is also Su Li's manor. It was burned down in the invasion of the green dragon. After the war, Sister Dawn built a manor here, located just below Bjorn Bay.

The slaves there were responsible for taking care of the hundreds of hectares of fertile land surrounding the estate.

The main reason why this year's ceremony was chosen to be held in this manor is that not long ago, the hard work of the slaves in this manor enabled them to obtain [Pearl Wheat].

Although there is not much of this pearl wheat, only a little over 3 pounds, it is an important sacrifice to the goddess.

Last winter, Su Li had been holding back and had not offered these sacrifices, waiting to use them in today's grand ceremony.

After offering sacrifices to the Goddess of Dawn, all pregnant women in the territory will receive the blessing of the [Goddess's Fetus], increasing the survival rate of newborns by 99%! This means that the probability of premature death for this batch of newborns has dropped to a few thousandths, comparable to some modern countries. (Of course, this only applies to this one birth; the same pregnant woman's second birth this year will not enjoy this blessing.)
Moreover, among these newborns, there is a 5% chance of giving birth to [Sons of Dawn], who are born with pupils that can sense the wind of Ji Lun and can definitely be cultivated into monks of the Church of the Goddess of Dawn.

If combined with the Holy Pool of Mother Earth that the Church of Dawn is currently building, the number of Ji Lun mages and Dawn nuns in the territory will be very impressive in the future.

When Su Li arrived at the Oghan Stele built in this manor, a large number of the territory's citizens and nuns of the Church of Dawn had already gathered here.

The villagers had piled the last of the winter's hay, moldy old grain, and faded dried flowers in the center of the stone circle.

In the field next to it, several young farmers were driving colorfully decorated plows with vines adorning the plowshares, ready to start plowing the fields as soon as the noble lord gave the order.

After Su Li arrived, the farmers immediately played a cheerful hymn with instruments made of fresh wheat straw.

As the Patriarch of the Church of Dawn, Fandral immediately ordered the sacrificial ceremony to begin after the most honorable master of the territory arrived.

To the cheerful music, 14 nuns in emerald green robes formed two teams and walked to the Ogham Stele on both sides of the crowd and began to sing and dance.

This dance was very formal. The priestesses formed a spiral formation and performed the movements of a magic seed breaking through the soil: bending down to touch the ground, slowly standing up, and stretching their arms like branches and leaves.

Although they don't have much dancing talent and their movements aren't perfect, it's very pleasing to the eye to see a dozen budding girls showing off their graceful curves and slender bodies!
"Goddess of the Morning, Fertile Acre, spread your golden skirt over our furrows."

"Generous Lord of Life, the soil awakens, and we plant hope and seeds."

"In the name of Leia, the seal of our lips becomes a contract - the land gives me abundance, and I give the land reverence!"

As they sang and danced, the ceremony soon reached its climax. As the clear notes gradually became louder, the fourteen nuns stood still, their fingertips simultaneously touching the ramie belts around their waists.

The green nun's robes slid from their shoulders to their ankles, revealing fourteen delicate bodies as white as silk, with their long hair rippling around their waists.

The believers and people surrounding them cheered: "Praise the generous goddess Leia!"

The atmosphere of the sacrifice suddenly became frenzied, and everyone at this moment was devoutly convinced of Rhea's generosity!
Su Li was also in a good mood watching. It must be said that the Church of Dawn was quite something. Their dance perfectly demonstrated the sacredness of religion and the piety of the priestesses.

What Su Li saw on the girls' graceful bodies was not lust, but new buds breaking through the soil in spring - the girls' round shoulders were like berries covered with dew, their slender waists reminded people of wheat stalks in the wind, and the curves that rose and fell with their breathing were more like the rhythm of the earth itself.

Looking at them, Su Li thought of Phyllis. The young man thought of his energetic lover, and the old widower could even see his young wife from more than 20 years ago through the swaying hair of the girls.

With everyone watching, this [symbiotic thing] lasted until almost noon.

When the nuns put on their robes and left the Ogham Monument with slightly rapid breathing, it meant that the noon carnival had ended.

Fandral held a torch and handed it to Su Li, who lit the old grains, straw and dead leaves left in the middle of the Oghan Stele last winter. The blazing flames were like the light of the goddess of dawn.

Then Su Li offered the sacrificial prayer carefully prepared by the territory: "O Most Holy Goddess of the Dawn, your light illuminates the earth shrouded in chaos."

"We pray in the mortal world, please listen to the pulse of the Hessen bloodline—"

"We offer sacrifice to the first crack of the thawed earth and the throbbing of the fetus in the belly of a pregnant animal.
Offering the girl's fingertips stained with the bright red of berries
In exchange for your grace of bowing your golden ears."

"Let the grains bear double fruit in the reflection of the sacred pool.

Make the streams flow with honey and salt beneath the staff of Gillen
Turn the mother's wail into the lark's morning song

Let every inch of black soil give birth to a hand holding a sickle."

"Our plows will be engraved with your holy symbols

The barn beams must be made of oak from the Morning Light Church

A newborn's first cry

It will be a living poem dedicated to you."

Following his prayers, the territory threw all the carefully prepared offerings into the altar.

“Since then

The smoke from the Hesse leader's cooking is a sacrificial smoke
The labor pains of a pregnant woman are the holy bell
The plow's path is a prayer
Until our blood is like roots
Penetrating the rock to your feet"

As he ignited the golden holy flame of the first altar, soon golden holy flames were burning in the stone altars in all directions throughout the territory.

Looking down from the clouds, the Holy Flame, like a spark, swept across the land with the might of a prairie fire. Each new flame imprinted a glowing divine pattern on the mud, dyeing the wheat fields into flowing amber and causing the streams to evaporate into rainbow mist.

When the flames of the last altar pierced the dusk, thousands of golden threads suddenly dropped from the sky and converged into the totem of a crown of thorns three hundred feet in the air.

Fandral was so moved that he burst into tears of joy and said, "My Lord, I have lived for hundreds of years, and this is the first time I have witnessed such a sacred scene! Could it be that our sacrifice has really attracted the attention of the goddess? It must be so, it must be so. The so-called blessing is that mortals seek a glimpse of the gods."

Su Li smiled faintly and did not discourage the fanaticism of this devout believer.

I’m afraid this has nothing to do with the sacrifices of your church.

If it weren't for the effectiveness of my intelligence system and the four-leaf clover I offered that triggered the goddess's vision, a devout believer like you would probably not get a glimpse of the goddess for hundreds of years.

(End of this chapter)

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