Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 309: The Development of the Orchard and the Creation of the Territory's First Treasure

"Dean Oliver has a big plan?" Su Li was really surprised when he heard what Ms. Eludlin said.

He hadn't heard of Dean Oliver reporting any major investment projects. Honestly, the territory's finances weren't very abundant. After paying for military expenses and the production of craftsmen, there wasn't much left of the more than 20,000 gold crowns Su Li brought back from Maleburg.

Now the territory's financial expenditures are avoiding any thrilling big plans. As long as they can be maintained steadily until this harvest season and then make a fortune in the competition conference, this will ensure the financial stability of the territory and gradually reverse the financial profit and loss.

So it’s impossible for Dean Oliver to have any big plans to spend money, so what is his big project?
Eludrin thought carefully, "When you get old, you forget a lot of things. I remember when Dean Oliver inspected this hive a few days ago, he mentioned that he wanted to use the legendary material inside, Fiery Sun Beeswax, to make something."

Fortunately, Su Li was quite patient, and he didn't have anything urgent to do, so he could wait for her to remember. If she really couldn't remember, he could just send someone to ask Oliver.

Once people have more choices, they will become more calm and generous.

With no one urging her, Eludrin pondered for a moment before finally hitting on the key point: "I remember now. Dean Oliver said he felt the intense grace of the Goddess of Justice. After gathering a batch of legendary materials, he'll be able to forge a sacred treasure!"

Verena's sacred treasure?

This god of justice and learning protects bureaucrats and scholars. Su Li has never seen any product of the Church of Verena.

Although the territory traditionally only considered Orstein and Hilde as chosen by the gods when discussing the Chosen, Oliver, the head of the Provincial Council, was also a Chosen, though he was chosen by the God of Bureaucracy, and therefore not as illustrious as the Chosen Knights.

In the new year, the territory has gained so many opportunities for development, and all sects have felt God's grace to a greater or lesser extent. It is only natural that Oliver, Verena's chosen one, feels God's grace as well.

It’s just that the Church of the Goddess of Dawn and the Church of the Goddess of Healing can make potions after feeling the grace of God, and the Church of the Goddess of the Blazing Sun and the God-King Redma can make religious icons, but I don’t know what the Church of Verena can make?
Su Li immediately asked with concern: "What treasure does Dean Oliver want to make?"

Eludrin shook her head. "I don't know about that. The dean simply said he needed the legendary materials here: Holy Flame Honey and Fiery Sun Propolis."

"Did these two materials appear?"

"We have collected nearly half a pound of each."

Su Li then said to the guard beside him, "Then go ask Dean Oliver to come over. We can discuss the specialty of the sun bees."

With the demi-griffin as their mount, the knights were able to quickly return to Bauhinia Palace and bring Oliver over.

Su Li was not in a hurry, and continued to talk to Eludrin about the production here, asking: "How is the output of sun bees?"

Eludrin had been caring for the sun bees since they appeared. She possessed the ability to sense and communicate with them, treating these extraordinary creatures like family. She immediately replied, "The sun bees have been enjoying life since they nested in our territory. There are plenty of flowers for them to gather, and the scenery is beautiful. However, their honey production is low. So far, we've only harvested 20 kilograms of sun honey, which, after cooling and solidifying, has become a palm-sized gold bar."

Twenty kilograms of gold was worth about 20 gold crowns, a considerable fortune for a knight family. However, for a territory as large as Hesse, especially one that maintained a force of thousands of elite infantry and cavalry, it was a drop in the bucket.

Su Li had high hopes for this place. Even before arriving from Roteng Gorge, he'd assumed the honey yield wouldn't be less than 100 kilograms. If he could earn 5000 gold crowns, that would be a lot, equivalent to the entire territory's agricultural income for a season.

Fortunately, there are still a few legendary materials, which can be considered as a little compensation, better than nothing.

Just as he was trying to adjust his mindset and comfort himself, the charming little girl Sylvanas beside him suddenly spoke, her voice full of a charming little girl's charm. "My Lord, I was wondering if the insufficient production of these sun bees could be due to... their emotions being unsatisfied? For example, perhaps they lack the grace of the Sun Goddess. Of course, I'm just asking casually. Please don't be angry with me if I'm wrong."

Just a random guess?
It's strange that Su Li believed it. Her tea art has reached perfection and she never makes mistakes.

After listening to her, Su Li remembered that this tea art girl was not only an elf, but also born with the characteristics of [animal affinity]. She also got an opportunity from a strange animal trainer. She had a book "Song of the Beast Speaker" in her hand. After fully mastering it, she could gain the ability to communicate with animals.

During the time she had returned to the territory, she had successfully tamed a giant herder deer. She now had two mounts, a giant eagle that could shoot from the sky, and a giant herder deer that could scurry through the woods.

Su Li would not be surprised at all if she could communicate with the sun bees.

Several knights of the Fiery Sun Church who were following Su Li looked around and noticed the problem, and they all agreed.

"My Lord, I think Captain Sylvanas is right. The scenery here is truly breathtaking, with blooming flowers, lush orchards, and the Sacred Pool Canyon—a truly idyllic scene. But the problem is, this place is too much in the style of the Dawn Goddess. And the Sun Bee is the pet of the Blazing Sun Goddess."

"That's right. This is a transcendental creature chosen by the Blazing Sun Goddess. It should be able to sense the strong faith of the Blazing Sun Goddess. But here, they may live happily, but it's difficult for them to feel the strong atmosphere of the Blazing Sun Goddess."

Su Li pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps we should build a few monasteries of the Fiery Sun Goddess here? At least where the Vengeful Sun Demi-Griffin Knights are stationed, we can build a larger castle and a more white and magnificent temple to the Goddess. Let the abbot be stationed there and be responsible for explaining the trade to the new knights of the Goddess and training the new recruits."

Sylvanas nodded approvingly and said, "Wow, Lord, you've been very thoughtful. I believe that if we can have a strong atmosphere of faith in the Sun Goddess, these sun bees will be able to absorb more of the Sun Goddess's radiance, thereby producing more honey and more legendary materials."

"Then let Dean Stephen establish a monastery here. I'll have Dean Oliver send a team of dwarven engineers to help him quickly build a magnificent monastery of the Goddess of the Blazing Sun on the mountainside." Su Li had no other choice. Money had to be spent sometimes; only investment could bring returns. A monastery, unless it was extremely large, would only cost one or two thousand gold crowns, but the income it brought in would be thousands of gold crowns every year.

No lord would refuse such investment and returns.

"Besides honey, there should be other specialties here, right? What are their effects?"

Lady Eludrin nodded and said, "Sunbees are extraordinary creatures gifted by the Sun Goddess. Their hives yield extremely valuable materials, including many legendary ones. The most important of these is, of course, honey, which can bring immense wealth to our territory. Besides honey, the legendary material, Holy Flame Honey, is also a must-have. This honeycomb, brewed by Sunbee workers using midday sunlight and extraordinary nectar, flows like liquid gold. When applied to religious icons, it makes them sparkle and radiate, significantly enhancing the blessings bestowed upon them."

"Then there's the legendary material, the Sun Queen Royal Jelly. This is a milky-white gelatinous substance that drips from the glands of the Queen Bee when she lays eggs. A mortal who drinks a sufficient amount can directly gain an extremely powerful light-attributed bloodline. Its extraordinary potency is capable of instantly advancing a Light Knight below the Champion level by one rank, improving their aptitude."

"Finally, there's the legendary material, Fiery Sun Propolis. This material is secreted from the salivary glands of worker bees, mixed with blood pine resin, and solidified through high-temperature melting in the hive. It's an excellent material for weapon casting, wall plating, and fortification construction. I heard from the dwarves that when this material is mixed with black iron, it eliminates the need for vibranium to forge weapons. Simply by constantly hammering it with a dwarven rune hammer, you can forge a gleaming golden, exquisitely crafted weapon, imbued with the [Sunfire Enchantment], which will burn the blade upon contact with blood, simultaneously inflicting immense pain on the affected area."

Using legendary materials to forge a refined weapon is truly a waste of resources. No one in their right mind would do that.

Besides, Su Li took a look at the three materials that Ms. Eludrin took out, and they only weighed a little over one kilogram in total. Even if Su Li was willing to squander them like this, he would not be able to make many weapons.

These materials still need to find their proper uses, otherwise they can only be stored in the vault area as reserves.

In fact, Su Li was happy to see this. Isn't the joy of farming just watching your warehouse piled high? In addition to the food, various precious ores and legendary materials also need to be abundant.

Don’t worry about whether it is useful or not. At least it fills up a whole warehouse, which makes people happy just by looking at it.

"Dean Oliver needs Holy Flame Honey and Fiery Sun Propolis, right?" Su Li could store the remaining Sun Queen Bee Royal Jelly. While the amount was small at the moment, only about the size of a pearl, he could eventually accumulate enough to fill a jar. By then, he could cultivate a light-attributed champion knight for the territory. Even now, he could bring some back for Marshal Orstein and Hilde to try, potentially improving their aptitudes slightly. Of course, the effect on them would likely be minimal.

An increase of 5 points in aptitude is a huge change for an ordinary person with only 1 aptitude. For a God-chosen Knight with a aptitude of 500, it may just be a slight improvement.

Before Eludrin could reply, a cold voice rang out from outside the orchard: "That's right, my Lord. I need to withdraw these two legendary materials, and add them to the three materials I have already collected: blood jade, morning dew crystals, and sea ambergris, to create a powerful territory treasure. I believe this will become one of the ten treasures of our Hessen Territory." Su Li looked at the territory's Iron-Blooded Chancellor, Oliver, who strode towards him with an upright posture, and asked with a smile: "Just like the province of Surander?"

Oliver, the tough and ruthless president of the provincial government, is actually very tall. Coupled with his temperament, he doesn't look like a civil official at all, but rather like a tall knight.

He was also straightforward, explaining straight to the point, "Soon after you returned from Maleburg, I sensed an unprecedented wave of grace from the goddess. The goddess of justice showered the territory with a wave of rich and powerful blessings. In that moment of inspiration, I determined that once we gathered five legendary materials, we would have the opportunity to forge them into a single item using the goddess of justice's grace. The ten great treasures of Surander Province were masterpieces created by engineers under such circumstances."

Su Li asked curiously, "What kind of items can be made with these five legendary materials?"

"It's most likely an incense burner, a perfumer's incense burner!"

Without waiting for Su Li to ask, Oliver explained, "This is a sacred treasure that is extremely beneficial to the territory. Each cycle can gather one of the eight winds of magic, and then add spices and herbs to it to produce corresponding varieties of incense, dew, etc., which will bring huge benefits to our territory and enhance our strength."

"For example, Ji Lun's magic can produce [Heart-Protecting Amber], which is extremely effective during knight charges or suicide squad operations. It will shatter after resisting a fatal attack."

"For example, Heavenly Magic can produce [Rainbow Crystals], which, when activated by the Commander or Knight Commander, can release a collective aura of encouragement."

"For example, metal magic can produce [Oathed Adamantine]. In the hands of engineers and forging masters, it can add a layer of coating to weapons and armor, making them stronger, more durable, more corrosion-resistant, and even immune to a certain degree of enemy magic corrosion."

"And not only that, the ashes from the incense burner can also play a very important role. The [Harvest Embers] produced by Ji Lun's magic can be buried in the ground to increase soil fertility, improve the nutritional value of fruits, and even increase the probability of extraordinary fruits appearing."

"For example, the Amber Wind (Beast School) Ashes [Calming Ash Incense] can dispel anxiety and fear, significantly reducing the desire of beasts and monsters to attack."

After listening to Oliver's introduction, Su Li couldn't help but admire: "Then this perfumer's incense burner is of extraordinary significance. With this treasure, it is equivalent to having eight mages who are at least equivalent to elite level or even champion level."

Whether one can display elite or champion-level strength depends on how many high-end spices and materials are in the territory.

But assuming that there are sufficient materials and a large amount of magical winds are gathered, at least 8 champion-level wizards will join the Hessen Territory.

Think about it, if a large amount of tranquilizing incense was spread in the Griffin Forest, wouldn't the half-griffins be at the mercy of the Knights of the Hessen Lord?
This means that every time a knight goes to tame a demi-griffin, there is a champion-level Amber Master standing behind him. In a few years, Su Li may be able to form a demi-griffin knight group of 500 people.

Whether it was eight champion-level mages or a 8-man Demi-Griffin Knight Order, these were forces that even a duchy would find difficult to equip.

It is no wonder that the Electorate of Surander is famous for its ten treasures.

Su Li decisively said to Oliver: "Don't worry, do it. The territory and I will fully support you. If this treasure is created, it will indeed be of great help to our territory."

Oliver nodded and said, "I've researched the information, and even scholars of the Chosen level struggle to experience such a strong divine grace. It's likely that your assistance to the Province of Surander has earned you a glance from the Goddess of Justice, granting her an even stronger blessing. I will seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a treasure for you."

"And rose water is one of the ingredients used in perfumers' incense burners."

Su Li then turned to look at Fandral and asked, "My minister, how is the care of this orchard going?"

Fandral smiled broadly. He loved all things that were flourishing and full of hope, and he said, "My Lord, we can go and take a look together. While we're inspecting, I'll report to you and the Provincial Council."

Su Li, having the same idea, led Oliver into the orchard. The apple trees were in full bloom, their rose-scented blossoms ablaze with white, giving the orchard the appearance of a magical forest. Every hundred meters or so, a nun from the Church of Dawn could be seen grafting rose-scented branches onto the trees. Then, using the Wind of Girren, they cast divine care on the grafted areas. In just a few minutes, the grafted branches were completely integrated into the trunk. If Su Li hadn't witnessed this process firsthand, seeing the branches for the first time would have been mistaken for having grown from the fruit tree, not realizing they were newly grafted branches.

Fandral introduced to Su Li and Oliver, "Last year, this Rose Star Dew area next to the holy land was still a wild orchard, only about 100 acres. After discussion in our church, we decided to manage this area meticulously. The first thing we did was to accelerate the life of all the Rose Star Dew fruit trees, making their branches more lush and flourishing, making it easier to trim more branches."

"Then we transplanted a patch of wild trees from the Rosaceae family, such as Vitex arborescens and Malus chinensis, into this orchard. These trees share the same rootstock as apple trees, but they are easily found throughout the mountains and plains of the Border Prince's Territory. We then grafted branches of the Rose Fragrance onto them, saving time in cultivation and ensuring they mature quickly."

Su Li asked excitedly, "Is it magic that apple branches can be grown by grafting them onto rootstock?"

Fandral smiled and shook his head, saying, "Not entirely. The Wind of Gilen simply accelerates their maturity, ensuring a higher survival rate. But grafting itself is very common. For example, a farmer with good grafting skills can graft multiple apple branches onto a single tree, making the tree bear a variety of apples."

"This is something that can be done in the mortal world. If you ask farmers and orchard owners, they will clearly tell you that grafting apple trees onto pear trees can increase the yield and quality of apples. Grafting pear trees onto apple trees can increase the size and sweetness of the pears. Grafting peach trees onto apricot trees can improve the flavor and taste of the peaches. Grafting apricot trees onto peach trees can increase the size and color of the apricots."

"Grafting is a very common practice in orchard management. We chose crabapple trees and chaste trees because they grow fast, have well-developed root systems, are able to absorb water and fertilizer, and grow rapidly. When grafted onto apple trees, they have a strong affinity with the trees, their wounds heal quickly, and the graft survival rate is very high. Furthermore, they are not very particular about soil type and are suitable for cultivation in all soil types."

Su Li smiled, feeling that every time he chatted with this great druid elder, he could gain a lot of knowledge about the mysteries of nature.

Therefore, it is impossible to manage a territory with only knights. Without these knowledgeable clergy and scholars, and without experienced fruit farmers, how could ordinary people know so many production secrets.

Su turned his head and looked into the distance, then asked, "How many acres of rose fragrance do we have now?"

"About 500 mu (approximately 300 acres). Of that, at least mu (approximately acres) will bear fruit this year. The production limit is undoubtedly the frequency of our divine spells. The orchard was first grafted by the farmers, and then Sister Dawn used Gilen spells or Rhea's grace on the grafted trees to ensure their survival and rapid growth."

"Thanks to the increase in the number of laurel gems, the nuns of our Dawn Church can use divine spells more than a dozen times a day. A large number of nuns are able to take care of every aspect more meticulously."

Su Li nodded. Laurel gems are an important resource produced by the water fairy Vidag. The gem pool is one of the several high-level resource points in the territory, and can produce 2 laurel gems every month.

After being immersed in the pot, it can restore the user's health and psionic energy up to 10 times in a single battle.

It has been almost a year since the gem pool appeared, at least 8 months, and the number of laurel gems provided is not small.

Therefore, the production of the nuns and druids was strongly guaranteed. Thanks to their efforts, the orchard was obviously thriving and its scale was greatly expanded.

Su Li asked, "How is the yield of this orchard?"

"The yield is expected to be around 6000 catties per mu, and the yield from over 300 mu is estimated to be around 200 million catties."

That's 900 tons. Taking into account the effects of this year's Harvest Breath, the estimated total is around 1000 tons. This number isn't huge, but it's not small either. Even on Earth, it would require a standard cold storage facility to store it all.

If Su Li wanted to sell these goods quickly, he would need at least 10 merchant ships or 4 to 5 merchant caravans.

Su Li couldn't help but sigh and said, "The territory is still short of caravans. If dozens of caravans come one after another, these specialties will have no problem selling. Based on last year's price of 5 copper coins per catty, all this will bring in 1 gold crowns."

(End of this chapter)