Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 308: Mother Earth's Sacred Pond and Dawn Pastoral Ceremony

Across the Biloten Canyon is the Rose Star Orchard.

This is not just a rural garden mountain area, in fact, it is a very important holy area of ​​the Dawn Church.

The first holy place of the Church of Dawn, Xinghuitan, is here. The blessed stone tablet was sunk into the pool and entangled with the water plants, becoming a holy place that affects the entire territory, increasing the output of all farmland by more than 20%.

The yield of wheat fields in the territory can soar from about 160 kilograms per mu to more than 300 kilograms, thanks to the influence of these religious holy sites and the infusion of the grace of the Goddess of Dawn.

Next to the Starlight Pond is the headquarters of the territory's strongest knight order, the Vengeful Sun Demi-Griffin Knights.

From time to time, a few half-griffins could be seen roaming the apple orchard, helping the territory capture wild boars and wolves. The basins and canyons created by the meteorite truly harboured many ferocious beasts.

Of course, goblin gangs and beastmen also exist. These things are like duckweed, spreading everywhere when the wind blows, and it is impossible to wipe them out.

Even if you clear them out this month, they will pop up again in the wild in three to five months, one after another, and you never know in which shadow or corner they will emerge.

Of course, all this does not affect the beauty of this place. Now in late spring and early summer, the orchards here are in full bloom, with flowers adorning the basin and canyon with clusters of flowers, full of vitality.

Su Li also discovered an unexpected building - the Holy Pool of Mother Earth had been built quietly without his involvement.

This is a holy place of the Dawn Church, similar to a convent, where nuns of the Dawn Church can be trained continuously.

Engineers built an oval sacred pool in the middle of the orchard. The poolside was made of natural stone and the surface was carved with symbols of harvest and life, such as wheat ears, glucose and flowers.

In the center of the pool is a small island. The island is not big, with a circumference of only about 3 miles. On it stands the Ogham stele of the goddess. The nuns and believers of the church hung wreaths made of wheat ears on the stele, and also placed flowers and fruits around the stele.

The sacred pool is surrounded by a lush garden where aromatic plants such as lavender and rosemary are planted.

Around the sacred pool, dozens of farmers, herbalists, midwives, food traders, lovers and hedge wizards gathered around the stone tablets and shrines to pray.

Su Li landed the Deathclaw directly beside the holy pond. After admiring it for a moment, he asked Fandral, "When was this holy place built? I remember your church has been raising funds, and they won't start construction until they have 1000 gold crowns."

Fandral smiled and nodded, saying, "Indeed, everyone in our church, from monks to believers, contributes to this holy land. However, the largest portion of donations comes from the knight families and manor owners in the territory. They are all large landowners in the territory and are eager for a Sister of the Dawn to reside in their villages. Therefore, the largest donation is 60 to 70 gold crowns, and the smallest is 5 to 6 gold crowns."

"Then, shortly after the beginning of spring this year, we finally managed to raise the funds. After discussions within the church, we decided to locate the holy land near Rose Star Dew Garden. This was due to the beautiful scenery, and also to the fact that it would allow the nuns to purify their monastic life without being disturbed by the outside world. Of course, it also saved the cost of stationing troops to defend the area. After all, we all have faith in the military strength of the Demi-Griffin Knights of the Vengeful Sun."

That's indeed good.

Su Li smiled and said, "Originally, I was planning to allocate funds to you through the Bishops' Council once the territory's finances were sufficient. I didn't expect you to be so efficient and have already built it on your own. How many nuns do you have here?"

Talking about this hopeful thing, Fandral's old face was full of excitement. In this dark and desperate world, the teachings of their Church of the Goddess of Dawn are the most hopeful.

"Our territory actually created quite a bit of wealth, but your assets were all used for investment and maintaining the army. This resulted in many classes benefiting from this and gaining a great deal of wealth."

This was natural. Su Li was not a dictator after all. To rule the territory, he would inevitably gather a group of interest groups around him. In the Hesse Territory, the vested interest group gathered around him was undoubtedly composed of several obvious forces: knights, craftsmen, clergy, territorial bureaucrats, and large landowners.

The benefits shared by these factions were ranked in order. From this perspective, the Empire was somewhat similar to a more powerful version of the Longyou Military Group. The difference was that the craftsmen in this world were indeed of extraordinary skill. Whether they were pharmacists, wizards, or church monks, they were all capable of producing vast quantities of extraordinary wealth.

Therefore, these military nobles in the front row do have sufficient interests and wealth to help Su Li maintain the rule of the Hessen Territory.

The church is naturally happy to strengthen its influence in this way.

Fandral continued, "After the construction of the Holy Pool of Mother Earth, we promptly sent nuns to the impoverished countryside and villages to select a group of women with potential and began training them to become nuns of the Church of Dawn."

"Is this going well?"

"It went very smoothly. As you know, the countryside and suburbs are where the Rhea faith is most widespread, and more Dawn Church nuns come from poor families. So, we have successfully selected 96 girls and are currently training them here. We expect to produce 24 novice nuns."

24 nuns, even those at the junior level of novices, can greatly improve the productivity of the territory. They will experience the grace of God in the church, learn doctrine, and gain a lot of knowledge to guide farmers and herdsmen in production.

As the most generous deity, Rhea, the goddess of the dawn, will grant these nuns their first divine art as long as they can cultivate to the formal stage.

Su Li couldn't help but sigh and asked, "Is the elimination rate so high? Nearly 100 girls can only be trained as 24 trainee nuns."

This ratio was quite cruel, considering that the selection of apprentice knights was only one in ten from the Armed Servants' Battalion. Cruelty was not Rhea's style; she was a kind and generous deity.

"Of course," Fandral said solemnly. "We have a complete process for selecting novice nuns. First, we screen for both faith and talent. Candidates must come from impoverished rural or suburban areas, so they can better understand the themes of cherishing hope and striving for self-improvement in the Dawn Doctrine. Then, we prioritize women who are friendly to the spirit of the Girón or possess practical skills such as medicine and midwifery."

"After being selected, they must complete the [Dawn Baptism] before the sacred pool. Soaking in the clean water, they begin to feel the grace of Mother Earth, infused with the energy of the earth veins. Then, by regularly illuminating the lavender and rosemary fields, wheat fields, and orchards surrounding the sacred pool, they can experience the power of nature and life. These two processes will weed out those frivolous and frivolous women who are unsteady in their faith and unwilling to keep their feet on the ground."

"Those girls who pass the first round of screening will then participate in medical delivery and agricultural productivity guidance in impoverished villages, and record at least three 'miraculous rescues', such as the safety of mothers and babies after difficult births, the recovery of harvest-depleted fields, and the rebirth of dead trees."

"Then, they must generate income through various church businesses such as herbal medicine, icons, and crafts, proving their ability to maintain the monastery's financial independence and guiding the villagers in daily rural affairs. Ultimately, they will be selected to serve as a nun in a village or stronghold."

"Of course, before the assignment, we will conduct a final political review. Through the church's Nature's Wrath Order, we will secretly verify whether the candidate's family has any connection with gray industries such as beastman smuggling and black market potion trading. Then, these nuns will sign the 'Dawn Pledge', promising never to join other sects and to prioritize providing assistance and guidance to farmers, herdsmen, and people in need in the Hessian Territory."

Su Li then asked with concern: "When will they be able to complete their training? Is there any way to quickly improve their strength?"

Fandral thought carefully for a moment and replied, "According to the teachings, even with the indoctrination of the Holy Pool of Mother Earth, it will take at least six months for them to become novice nuns. It's estimated that they won't be able to officially become novice nuns and be assigned to various villages and strongholds in the territory until after the summer harvest, when the grass and trees have withered."

"If there are special rituals like Dawn Pastoral, Flower Crown Vow, and Spring Blossom, then there's a chance that the nuns we train will receive more of the Goddess's grace. Upon completion of training, their rank will increase by at least +2, and some may even reach +3 or +4."

Rank +2 means they will have the level of a high-level trainee nun upon completion of training. Rank +3 means they will even have the strength of a junior-level official nun upon completion of training, which will ensure they obtain a Rhea divine art.

Su Li immediately asked, "What are the conditions for holding a basic Dawn Pastoral Ceremony?"

"We need at least 100 Goblin Shaman skulls, 100 flowers, and 100 Supernatural Spike seeds. Her Majesty, the Dawn Goddess Rhea, only likes things with vitality; she has no interest in gold or silver. Of course, the Goblin Shaman skulls are needed as punishment for these evil creatures. After all, they always like to attack villages in the countryside, and these villages have always been the place of worship for the Goddess."

100 Transcendent Spike seeds were relatively easy to obtain, as the territory already had them. Although the price was at least equivalent to 100 gold crowns, it was not unacceptable for breeding nuns in large quantities.

Hunters, gatherers, and workers at farms, outposts, and logging camps can probably find all 100 varieties of flowers.

However, 100 Goblin Shaman Skulls are notoriously difficult to find. Territories don't specifically collect these materials and loot collected after battles. They're likely only found in certain guilds, but the number won't exceed 100. Adventurers and bounty hunters must be dispatched to clear monster camps to find them.

But I'm afraid the consumption will not be low.

Su Li frowned and asked, "The wealth expended in holding such a ceremony could almost buy back 24 nuns. What's the point of doing this?" Fandral immediately said, "Of course it does, and it's extremely meaningful! The successful holding of this ceremony will greatly please the Goddess of Dawn and grant her divine grace to our territory. The entire territory will be bathed in her blessings, with flowers and plants blooming, crops plentiful, and birds and beasts rejoicing. Orchards, wheat fields, fish ponds, pastures, and everything else will flourish, ushering in a bountiful harvest."

"More importantly, the entire Dawn Church will feel the Goddess's grace. With the infusion of grace, the monastery can craft a high-level potion, and the spirits will be able to regain the opportunity to use their abilities."

Oh~ Su Li exclaimed in admiration. If that’s the case, the effect of this ritual is indeed quite powerful.

This means that after the ritual is over, the entire area blessed by the Goddess of Dawn will be slightly enhanced. For example, an acre of land originally produces 300 kilograms of wheat, an apple tree produces 400 kilograms of apples, and a monastery can produce 4 potions a year. After the ritual is performed, the wheat production increases to 330, the apple production increases to 440, and the potion production increases to 5.

Then, in this general strengthening context, the training effect of church nuns was specifically enhanced, and more divine grace was infused into the new nuns to make them stronger.

It has to be said that judging from the effect of this divine grace, Rhea continues to display her generous nature.

Fandral then urged, "My Lord, if you wish to perform this ritual, you must act quickly. The Dawn Pastoral can only be performed during the spring, when the goddess's grace is at its strongest. Once the summer solstice arrives and Tal receives the annual ring from the goddess, you will be able to perform other rituals."

Su Li pondered for a moment and asked, "How do you plan to distribute these nuns trained by the Dawn Church?"

As the Church of Dawn grew, their influence and political status were clearly increasing.

Even Su Li had to make certain political compromises with them.

For example, after these 24 nuns are trained, their status will be somewhat different.

The benefits are of course unquestionable. They are church nuns, and Su Li does not need to bear any training fees, maintenance fees or wages for them.

But the downside is that they are not under Su Li's command. As clergy and armed forces of the church, they only accept orders from the church.

From this perspective, the territories were becoming more and more like territories within the empire. Within the empire, with the prosperity of the economy and the growth of the church, it became difficult for the lords to directly interfere in church affairs.

Even the Grand Patriarch and Grand Master of many territories would disagree with a particular lord. In serious cases, the Grand Master and Patriarch would simply refuse to carry out the lord's orders. (Of course, this behavior would exacerbate the rift, leading to serious political conflict, and possibly leading to the expulsion of the religion and its being declared unwelcome by the territory.)
As the Patriarch of the Church of the Dawn, Fandral naturally aspires to enhance the church's authority. However, he is pragmatic and understands that missionary work in the Hessen Territory requires good relations with the lords. After all, the Church of Rhea is not known for its military prowess, and it prioritizes fostering good relations with the lords who support it.

So he said, "We will recruit 50% of these nuns into your high-ranking attendants, Your Excellency, but their station must be near the suburbs and villages."

Su Li pondered for a moment. This was equivalent to expanding the church's control area in disguise. If they incorporated high-level direct servants and stationed there, they would definitely expand the Dawn Church.

However, Su Li thought about it and did not refuse. The estates under his name were also increasing. In addition to Bjorn Bay, there were also several confiscated and newly built farms. He really needed more Dawn Church nuns to guide him.

Su Li nodded and then asked, "Where are the remaining nuns?"

"We will distribute the remaining nuns to various villages free of charge to provide guidance to the civilians. However, in return, we hope that you will allow our Dawn Church to establish the [Leya Watch Court], giving the nuns the right to collect 5% of the grain output in the name of the goddess. Of course, we are not seeking to seize the grain tax, but to ensure that we have some savings so that we can provide timely relief to the civilians in the event of famine and meet Leya's requirements."

Su Li still remembered the divine spell of Rhea's request. Rhea's priests would sing a subtle harmony, gathering the threads of resentment lingering deep within the earth—demanding reparation from those who had failed to express gratitude to Rhea. Wherever the song emanated, all humanoids offering sacrifices to powerful nature spirits, such as Isha or Tal, who had not shown favor to Rhea or another nature deity or Rhea's church since the last spring equinox would gain a layer of fatigue. If five or more individuals were affected by this spell, the land within the area of ​​Rhea's grace would lose its fertility, leaving no vegetation for the next ten years.

Meeting Leia's requirements is something Su Li has always agreed with.

As for the Rhea Watch Court, Su Li actually agreed with this institution. Although it would weaken the judicial authority of the territory to some extent, it was really a good thing, a bit similar to the charity granary in ancient Central Plains.

These were relief granaries set up at the county and village levels. They advocated "storing grain as a community in preparation for bad years." In good years, every household in the village was required to store a certain amount of soybeans, wheat, and corn. In bad years, all residents who had contributed grain could withdraw their share, preventing them from having to sell their land to survive.

Moreover, this system was indeed not managed by the government, but supervised by gentry and elders. The government only kept records to prevent clerks from interfering and ensure that "food did not leave the village."

In Hesse, the Church of Dawn was undoubtedly the most suitable for implementing this system. Their church paid greater attention to ordinary people and the poor. This system also helped the fragile peasant economy withstand various disasters and unrest, preventing large numbers of the lower classes from being enslaved at the slightest disturbance.

Of course, this tax would also clearly benefit the growth of the Church of the Dawn Goddess, meaning they now had a second important source of church income besides soliciting donations.

Even if they only take out 5% of the 1% grain income as the operation and maintenance expenses of their church, it can bring the church hundreds of gold crowns of income every year.

However, considering that the Church of the Dawn Goddess had little desire to interfere in the city's affairs and was not known for its military prowess, it posed little threat. Su Li considered it for a moment and said, "I'll have Dean Oliver review this ritual. If all goes well, we'll mobilize the entire territory to begin executing this ritual within this period."

Fandral's brows lit up, and he immediately said excitedly, "On behalf of all the believers of the Church of Dawn, I sincerely thank you, Lord, for your generosity and grace."

Su Li nodded, then brought his guards to the sun bee's nest.

The sun bee's hive is completely different from the ordinary hives in Rotten Canyon. Its hive theme is very consistent with the style of the Sun Goddess. It has a twelve-pointed star prism structure, the surface is covered with molten gold beeswax, and it emits a blazing white halo day and night.

The beehive coexists with the Rose Star Dew Fruit Tree and can release a large number of sun bees to drive away goblins. Even powerful sun bees can penetrate orc armor.

Even more amazing is that this hive can dynamically grow with the seasons. When Su Li saw it, he asked the druid in charge of its care in amazement, "Has this hive grown bigger? I remember the last time I saw it, it was less than 1 meter. Now it must be 3 meters, right?"

The one in charge of taking care of this place is not an ordinary nun, but one of the few druids in the Church of Dawn, Lady Eludrin Mossshadow of the Order of the Tree of Life. She is the only female druid in the Church of Dawn.

This is still very rare. All the druids Su Li has seen are old men with big beards, but this druid is a female elder with a face full of wrinkles.

Despite being a woman, she was equally powerful. As a member of the Tree of Life Order, she, like the others, was primarily responsible for cultivating the territory's extraordinary plants. For example, their leader, Sister Isabella (Elite), was primarily responsible for the care of the Consecrated Wisteria Fantasy Garden. Other sisters were responsible for the maintenance of the Extraordinary Spikes and the promotion of extraordinary plants such as spices, herbs, and amethyst grapes.

If Su Li was going to inspect the specialties of the territory today, he would most likely be dealing with their order.

Su Li still remembered their convent. The last time Fandral reported on the scale of the Church of Dawn, he said that their convent had 2 elite nuns, 1 druid, 3 formal nuns and 4 trainee nuns.

But now Su Li saw more than three trainee nuns using divine magic to take care of the grafted fruit trees in the orchard, providing the trees with abundant Ji Lun magic so that the branches could grow stronger.

Obviously, the scale of their order has increased to a certain extent.

This is also in line with Su Li's original instructions. He required the scale of this order to be increased by at least 2 to 3 times.

Ms. Eludrin knew the situation here very well. She said to Su Li, "These sun bees with golden wings are truly amazing. The hives they build change with the seasons. At the beginning of spring, the diameter is estimated to be only about 1 meter. But until autumn, it will continue to expand to about 5 meters. When the grass and trees wither, they will gradually shrink to the core area and hibernate to survive the winter."

Su Li nodded in surprise. He always felt that this extraordinary creature should not be from this world. Maybe it was brought back by the Goddess of the Fiery Sun from the beast world or some insect realm.

He asked, "How are the sunbees producing?"

Eludrin immediately replied, "It's amazing! We've produced some crucial legendary materials. The Provincial Council has already collected them. I heard that Dean Oliver and the Academy have a very grand plan for this, one that could even affect the entire territory!"

(End of this chapter)