Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 281: Preparation Plan for the Competition Ceremony

Ever since the cute and lovely Sylvana stayed in Hessen Town, Su Li finally understood how proactive a woman can be when she wants to conquer a man.

For example, she would come to Zijing Palace every day under the guise of communication, and once she arrived, she would never leave. Sometimes she would sit beside Su Li, holding her lyre and playing gracefully. Other times, she would stand in front of the bookshelf, browsing various poems and books, waiting for Su Li to finish his official business. Usually, at these times, she would leave the maple leaf bookmark she gave to Su Li.

This elegant elf girl definitely has the skills of a green tea girl. She is quietly invading Su Li's life and leaving her scent in every aspect of Su Li's life.

So much so that the ministers of the territory were accustomed to having this deputy head accompany Su Li whenever they came to report to the Bauhinia Palace. She even spent more time with Su Li than the high-ranking attendants and stewards.

At first, the ministers would try to avoid her, but no matter how they hinted, she would gracefully put the book in front of her and turn a deaf ear to them, so the ministers gradually ignored her.

Anyway, there is nothing particularly secretive about the political affairs of the Hesse Territory. The territory follows a fair and upright path without any conspiracy or tricks, and is worthy of the word "open and aboveboard".

When Oliver, the director of the Provincial Council, entered the study to report, he had forgotten about the little girl standing in the corner. He said to Su Li, "My Lord, our Provincial Council has completed the plan for the Harvest Season Competition. Do you need to review it?"

Su Li waved his hand and threw the plan Oliver handed over directly onto the desk. He said, "I won't read the detailed plan. Just give me a brief report."

Oliver immediately and patiently explained, "After research with the bishops, we've decided that this athletic competition shouldn't be held too frequently. Therefore, we plan to hold it with greater vigour, as an annual celebration, in late spring and early summer, on the first rest day after the harvest season."

The rest day is the last day of a cycle. Normally, on this day, the Church of the Goddess of the Fiery Sun will gather believers in the territory and train them into militia.

As a territory that believes in the Goddess of the Fiery Sun, Hessen held this grand celebration, and the main participants were naturally the believers and knights of the Goddess of the Fiery Sun.

The choice of time is very suitable, and it can mobilize as many people as possible to participate.

Oliver continued, "After this period of planning and extensive publicity, we have attracted the attention of a large number of knights and knight orders with generous rewards."

"What are the rewards we have set?" Su Li asked with concern.

"Our rewards are divided into four weight levels. The Bright Star Reward for the Apprentice Knight is given as follows: the champion will receive 10 gold crowns and a refined weapon. The runner-up will receive 5 gold crowns and a set of refined armor. The third place will receive 3 gold crowns and a crimson pearl."

"Official Knight's Rising Sun. The champion will receive 50 gold crowns and a perfect-grade weapon. The runner-up will receive 30 gold crowns and a set of exquisite-grade star iron armor. The third place will receive 10 gold crowns and a dragon blood stone."

"The Elite Knight Competition is our core and focus, and we've named it the Radiance of the Blazing Sun. The champion will receive 100 gold crowns and a Lion's Mane Mushroom, which will directly help this elite knight break through to the Champion level. The runner-up will receive 50 gold crowns and a Light-Scaled Fish. The third place winner will receive 30 gold crowns and a Consecrated Wisteria Pod."

Hearing this, Su Li clapped his hands decisively and said excitedly, "Very good, your Provincial Government has thought this through very thoughtfully. Using the Consecrated Wisteria Pods as a prize for the winner will not only attract knights to our territory, but will also greatly enhance the reputation and value of the Consecrated Wisteria Pods, allowing more people to recognize their effectiveness."

After this grand ceremony, I am afraid that the premium of the consecrated wisteria pods alone will make the territory earn a lot of money and earn back all the expenses of this event as well as rewards and other expenses.

In the past, many people did not understand or recognize the powerful effects of the fruit pods of the Blessed Wisteria tree. After all, it is really difficult to verify that it can add one year to one's lifespan.

But now this extraordinary spiritual fruit is directly used as the third place prize, which is bound to leave a deep impression on everyone and change many people's perceptions of it.

When people mention the consecrated wisteria pods, they'll think of them as extraordinary magical fruits enjoyed only by the victors of the competition. This will be the perfect opportunity to showcase this magical fruit! More princes, nobles, and wealthy merchants will become interested in this miraculous fruit.

Merchants love to go with the flow, especially when this kind of reward is only available to the best knights, they will definitely flock to it.

The value of the fruit pods from the consecrated wisteria trees this year is likely to be 50% or even 100% higher.

This can greatly alleviate the territory's financial crisis.

You know, the territory is still in deficit of several thousand gold crowns every month. The remaining ten thousand or so gold crowns in Su Li's hands will probably be used up in a few months.

Oliver's subsequent arrangements also took this aspect into consideration. He continued, "Our championship knight competition is named Crown of the Blazing Sun. The champion will receive 500 gold crowns and a rare amulet. The runner-up will receive 300 gold crowns and a perfect Vibranium Rune Armor. The third place will receive 100 gold crowns and a half-griffin egg."

"All matches in these four weight classes follow the Empire's tradition of offering a ransom. The defeated opponent can pay the ransom to the winner in exchange for a chance at a rematch, with a maximum of three rematches. The first to win four rounds, or until their opponent surrenders, wins."

"You know, Imperial knights are particularly impulsive. Even in a jousting match, they'll gamble lavishly for victory. In such a highly anticipated duel, they'll spare no expense to secure victory. We can take advantage of this opportunity by having the halflings lend us money, and we can still win handsomely. Even many knights might go bankrupt and be forced to serve us. The Blacksteel Knights of Atonement could expand significantly."

Su Li couldn't help but smile. He didn't expect that his iron-blooded prime minister also had the potential to be a profiteer.

By the time this grand ceremony is over, the territory might just reap tens of thousands of gold crowns! After all, all transactions within the territory are subject to taxation. Even though it's a ransom, at least half must go to the lord. Don't think that after all the hard work and effort to win the battle, only to receive 50% of the ransom is too little. 50% is a reward for the lord's generosity and virtue. Otherwise, a 30%/70% or even a 90%/10% split would be unacceptable.

Su Li immediately asked with concern: "How many people have signed up?"

"The knights are very enthusiastic about signing up. As more and more caravans spread the news, three mercenary groups, six or seven adventurer teams, and brotherhood members have gathered in our territory. Currently, the number of outsiders who have signed up has exceeded 400."

"Before the celebration began, they were exploring the territory, clearing out monster nests, exploring ancient ruins, and searching for the wizard's tower and monster tribe in the Blood Pine Forest."

"We plan to divide them into different villages and eliminate them in groups. In each weight class, only three winners will be selected from each village."

"In addition, all the knightly orders in our territory are also participating in this grand ceremony. Your high-ranking direct servants have 18 places (four heavyweight divisions), the Vengeful Sun Demi-Griffin Knights have 8 places (two heavyweight divisions, no elites below), the Black Forest Guard Knights have 6 places (same as above), and the Flaming Sun Knights, Scarlet Night Knights, Green Field Knights, Fallen Wolf Knights, Black Steel Atonement Knights, Blue Heron Mercenaries, etc. each have 12 places (three heavyweight divisions). Their champion knights can directly participate in the finals on the day of the celebration. This is a special privilege that our territory grants to the knightly orders."

"These knight orders have more places, making it easier for them to qualify for the official Lion Ring Tournament, and can also attract more knights to join these knight orders."

Su Li nodded with satisfaction. This grand ceremony was indeed a good opportunity to expand the territory's strength.

Each knight order will recruit a group of new people as a result, and can also take the opportunity to contact the winners of each village and recruit the best ones.

Su Li continued, "Don't limit your sights to our territory. Promote it more and attract knights from other forces to participate in our feast."

There are a large number of knightly orders and battle groups of all sizes within the empire. Some are officially recognized, while others are temporary groups of people gathered from the public. They travel around to enhance their reputation.

Such ceremonies were their favorite events, and nothing could increase their glory more than winning a large-scale athletic competition.

Su Li even thought that he could let all churches participate in this event and compete to find the strongest knight in the church.

However, the current problem is that the reputation of the Hessen Territory is still relatively weak, and the strongest knights of the church selected by the Hessen Territory may not be universally recognized.

Oliver replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, we have already started promoting this. With nearly two months left, I believe we will attract more knights to participate."

After saying this, Oliver shifted the topic to another crucial issue: "My Lord, while this competition is taking place, another activity is bound to be very popular—the gambling business. We must firmly grasp it. The profits from this aspect may even be as great as the competition itself."

Gambling! This was a world completely different from Su Li's previous life. In the empire, gambling had become a daily routine. It was so prevalent that subjects gambled on everything from trivial matters to matters as big as territory policies and official appointments, even castle secrets and the time it took for the Death Claws to take off.

Many people could skip meals, but they couldn't skip gambling. With just a copper coin, gamblers could participate in any number of gambling activities. It was common for people to gamble for pleasure, from the small to the big, losing everything.

Of course, the gambling atmosphere is strongest at the Lion Ring Arena in Hesse Town.

Su Li had originally spent 10000 gold crowns to build the largest knight arena in the territory, a magnificent and imposing structure. The purchasing power of a single empire gold coin was immense; even if he hired prostitutes to serve him, he could still have sex with them or times, and he could order two or three beautiful, sexy women each time!
This knight arena, which cost 10000 gold crowns to build, is extremely large in scale, full of the characteristics of imperial architecture, and burning the entire territory's desire for blood and glory.

From afar, the Lion Ring Arena looms like a great steel wall in the heart of Hessen Town. Its outer walls rise over thirty meters, constructed from massive stone blocks, each one seemingly hand-polished by Dwarven engineers. The massive structure is imposing and majestic. The reliefs on the outer walls are vivid, depicting twelve stone statues of halberd-wielding knights, looking down upon the world as they interrogate heretics. Their bases are encircled by a group of gargoyles, secured by black iron-wrought steel hinges. The Imperial double-headed eagle emblem is no simple relief, but cast by four hundred Dwarven engineers from melted brass shell casings. Its talons rest upon the shattered remains of the Chaos Octagon.

When you enter the arena, you will be shocked by the stacked auditoriums at first sight. It is like an inverted war fortress, each layer supported by thick stone pillars, full of the heaviness and grandeur of imperial architecture.

In the center is a killing field with a diameter of more than 400 meters, covered by three layers of protection. The outermost layer is a steel fence engraved with runes, the middle is a giant granite protective wall, and the innermost is the magic vines created by the nuns, which tightly bind the entire protection together to ensure that it is airtight and no attack can penetrate.

Twelve steam-powered bell towers encircled the arena's summit, their bronze bells etched with scenes of past Imperial champions executing Greenskin warlords. When the fight reached its climax, the bell towers would spew sulfurous vapor laced with gunpowder, shrouding the entire arena in a golden mist reeking of blood, instantly igniting the spectators' enthusiasm and prompting them to throw countless gold coins and gifts below.

The most eye-catching thing is the "Well of Repentance" under the north stand. It is a vertical shaft that is a hundred feet deep and filled with the fragments of armor of the defeated throughout the ages. In the confessional on the wall of the well sit three heavily armored battle priests of the Sun Goddess, who supervise whether there have been any despicable means or injustice in past battles, and whether there have been any followers of Chaos who have set their sights on this arena.

Last year, this arena earned Su Li 673 gold crowns. At this rate, it will probably only take 4 to 6 years for Su Li to recover his investment costs, and then he will be able to make money without doing anything.

And this is just the revenue of the arena, not including the revenue from gambling.

The gambling projects in this arena were previously completely managed by the halfling family of Balandonborn. Halflings have a talent for business, and their annual gambling income is as high as 2460 gold crowns.

This is much higher than the income of the prostitutes in the territory.

Of course, the relationship between casinos and brothels wasn't one of competition, but rather a delicate and intimate symbiosis. Within these glittering entertainment venues, prostitutes swayed gracefully, becoming the most alluring chips on the gambling table. They flitted between the clinking glasses, titillating the men with their charming gestures. Meanwhile, the wealthy, wealthy, indulged their desires under the dual stimulation of alcohol and money.

Whenever the duel reached a fever pitch, the atmosphere in the VIP room grew increasingly corrupt. The eyes of those nobles, dressed in finery, burned with bloodthirsty desire. They were no longer polite gentlemen, but beasts driven by primal impulses.

The prostitutes knew how to maximize their value at this time. They actively catered to these drunken customers, stroking each other's skin with their gentle fingertips, and increasing men's desire with their submission and beauty.

The most thrilling moment was when the duel reached its climax, when the guests' eyes flashed with greed, their hands began to tremble uncontrollably, and they violently tore at the prostitutes' carefully dressed clothes.

The sound of silk and lace breaking between fingers, mixed with the man's heavy breathing, formed a beautiful chapter that made the nobles and knights obsessed.

Prostitutes have long been accustomed to the rules of this crazy game. They know how to find a delicate balance between danger and pleasure in exchange for more wealth and bargaining chips.

At this moment, money and desire are perfectly intertwined, forming the most fascinating scenery in this arena.

Although within the empire, the knight arena, tavern and brothel are the three essential buildings in every village and town.

But the halfling family of Balandonborn deserves credit for bringing all of this together so perfectly.

The Balantangborn family, who created all of this perfectly, only took 8.7% of the operating profits, which was already very high. This meant that they could harvest 200 gold crowns a year.

You have to know that even if their family runs their own dominion, they may not be able to earn 200 gold crowns.

When their family first came to the territory, the entire family pooled all their wealth and came up with 800 gold crowns.

Because they did a great job, the Provincial Government did not take back the operating rights of the casino and they were still in charge.

This competition festival is undoubtedly their greatest opportunity to make money, and the territory must further support their work.

But Su Li wouldn't be so overbearing as to monopolize everything. The Emperor of the Empire, Malcolm III the Conqueror of the North, who had defeated numerous rebels and foreign allies in the Northern War, once famously said: "Politics is the use of interests to rally a group of people into a single organization. War is the armed conflict between one group and other political groups."

So Su Li pondered for a moment and said, "We will not interfere with the competitions and gambling in the villages. Let the knight families, prominent families, merchants, and landlords in the territory run it on their own."

"However, on the day of the grand ceremony, all gambling activities within the Lion Ring Arena must be exclusively controlled by the Balantangborn family. Any unofficial gambling will be fined ten times the amount of the bet!"

Oliver immediately said respectfully, "Everything is subject to your will, Lord. Do you have any other instructions?"

Su Li waved his hand and said, "I already know the general situation. Let's announce it according to the current plan. If any knights feel it is inappropriate or strongly opposes it, we will make adjustments."

People, don't give yourself too much mental energy, and don't think that everything can be perfect.

This world is essentially a huge makeshift team. As long as it can run a large-scale event smoothly, it is already a huge success, surpassing more than 97-98% of other organizations.

Even for the largest leagues, it is very common to amend the league's rules every once in a while or temporarily.

This is the first time that the territory has held such a large-scale celebration. As long as it can be held smoothly, it will be considered a success.

Even if the charter is published, it is normal for there to be some imperfections or areas that need to be supplemented.

Moreover, fortune and misfortune are interdependent. Perhaps the points that the knights fiercely debated were accepted and modified by the territory, which could greatly enhance the knights' favorability towards the territory.

After Su Li made the arrangements, Oliver stood up and took his leave, preparing to modify the charter and distribute it directly according to the lord's instructions.

After Oliver left, Sylvanas moved the book away from her face, walked behind Su Li, and gracefully stretched out her slender fingers to help him massage Liang Ce's temples. She asked, "My Lord, is the territory's finances very tight? You know I have never been very concerned about gold coins, but I am of noble birth after all, so I always have some savings. I still have 382 gold crowns in my dowry. How about lending them to you first for emergency? Don't worry, I won't ask for exorbitant interest or anything like that."

At this point, she blinked deliberately and said with a smile: "As long as you can treat me to a meal occasionally in the future, that would be fine. I am the one who hates to trouble others the most."

No wonder men can never resist green tea.

Such a gentle and considerate girl, even if you know that she has intentions towards you, how can you bear to keep her away?

Su Li waved his hand and said, "The territory's finances are a bit tight, but we can afford a few hundred gold crowns. I appreciate your kindness. But I have no problem treating you to a meal. I just happen to have a question for you."

Sylvanas immediately smiled and winked at him, saying, "If I can help you, Lord, I will tell you everything I know."

Su Li didn't hold back and asked directly, "You are a ranger and have traveled a lot. Especially since you just came from Maleburg. How long do you think it would take to go to Maleburg and back at the current speed of our territory?"

Sylvana's eyes immediately lit up, and she asked, "My Lord, do you wish to go to Maleburg before the harvest season?"

If they leave this castle, the number of female courtiers around the lord will be even smaller, and her chances of success will be even higher!

As a knight who traveled extensively, she knew only too well how boring and unbearable a long journey could be, especially at night. The darkness in the wilderness was much darker than in towns, and people would feel particularly lonely and isolated at night when they couldn't see their hands in front of them.

That was the best opportunity for her to succeed!

(End of this chapter)