Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 331 The Territory is Full of Talented People

The harvest season brought abundant information, and Su Li had a lot to arrange.

Besides preventing the necromancers from encroaching on the mines, the next step is to compete with the dwarves for ownership of the mines.

Logically speaking, Su Li wasn't in the right. Although humans and dwarves hadn't formally demarcated their territories, they had essentially reached a consensus: the low mountains, plateaus, and plains south of the Gray Lady's Pass belonged to humans, while the mountains, valleys, cliffs, and precipices north of the Gray Lady's Pass belonged to the dwarves.

This new giant iron mine is located north of the Grey Lady Pass. Although the mine was indeed discovered by the people of Blackwood, its location is undoubtedly within dwarven territory.

It's like if the dwarves discovered a mine in Blackwood Territory, it would be Su Li's asset no matter what.

Therefore, if Su Li wants to obtain the mining rights and profits from this mine, he can only focus on one area: the Black Forest Territory's garrison will patrol along the Grey Lady Pass. Theoretically, the Black Forest Territory's jurisdiction will extend a certain distance outward from the Grey Lady Pass. This is the function of cities and strongholds; they all have a radiating and influential range.

This has led to the area around Lady Grey Pass being a region jointly managed by three parties, or a no-man's-land.

If Su Li's army were stationed here and discovered a giant iron mine, then logically and emotionally, the dwarves would not be able to definitively claim that the iron mine was within their territory.

Su Li then instructed Hilde, "Send our territory's prospecting teams and high-ranking attendants to the Grey Lady's Pass to work alongside the Grey Rock Clan's prospecting teams. There is a giant iron mine within our sphere of influence, and we must take it down as soon as possible."

Upon hearing about the Grey Lady's Pass, Hilde knew what was going on. She immediately said, "I'll send Garson to handle this. He's smooth and tactful, good at dealing with dwarves, and very capable. In our territory, the stage for his development is actually a bit too small. We need to give him some opportunities to take charge."

Garsen?

Su Li still remembered this person. He was a talented individual who had been mentioned in great detail in the intelligence report. He was a remnant of the Black Forest Territory.

He came from humble beginnings; his father was a village blacksmith and his mother a wool weaver. If someone else had such a background, they would probably have spent their entire life as a shepherd or an apprentice or child laborer in a nobleman's workshop.

In the dark empire, changing one's fate and rising in rank is almost impossible.

This is no less difficult than giving someone a bowl and expecting them to become a marshal commanding thousands of troops. Who would willingly take orders from a shepherd boy?
But this very same boy displayed extraordinary courage and strategy from a young age. At 17, he led a group of village women, elderly people, and teenagers in a raid on the rye field on the north slope of the village, annihilating a Greenskins warband. This ragtag group of untrained villagers killed over 20 fully armed, brute-force orc boys, along with more than 40 goblins, gnomes, and wolf riders. Thus began his extraordinary life.

After he and his mercenary group arrived in Black Forest Territory, they were immediately incorporated into Su Li's army. Su Li also spoke with him personally, first assuming him as a high-ranking personal attendant, and then, after he made meritorious contributions, promoting him to Black Forest Royal Guard Knight or giving him a fiefdom, and eventually bestowing upon him the title of Kingdom Knight.

The allure for him was unparalleled, comparable to being granted a noble title. Rising from commoner to noble was virtually impossible within the empire; such advancement only existed in border princely territories.

Driven by Su Li's promise, he risked his life, leading only 12 armed attendants, each with a short sword in their mouth, as they scrambled over 700 meters up a cliff face to raid the harpy's lair. They killed the harpy sorceress and slaughtered nearly a hundred harpies in the lair, obtaining harpy tail feathers. These were crucial strategic materials for crafting elite-grade armor-piercing arrows. The Black Forest Armory had used them to produce over 300 elite-grade armor-piercing arrows, all of which Su Li had given to the scheming Sylvanas, greatly enhancing the favor of the vice-captain and the entire knightly order.

The Green Leaf Knights successfully ensured that each knight carried three exquisite armor-piercing arrows in their quiver. They could shoot ordinary arrows normally, but when encountering troublesome monsters, they would draw out the exquisite armor-piercing arrows, which could inflict extremely terrible damage on large monsters or heavily armored Chaos Knights.

At the same time, Garsen also obtained a sorcery item, the Eagle Feather Cloak, from the harpy witch, which allowed him to ride the wind and not fall.

In other words, when encountering the eye of a strong wind, one can be lifted up by the gale and pass through the eye of the wind without dying from a fall.

With this tool, he immediately helped Su Li eliminate the stronghold of the Lanod followers in the Wind-Eroded Cave. Vidag's magic pot was the one he retrieved. Also brought back were 2000 gold crowns and more than 100 kinds of metals, witchcraft tools, jewelry, and diamonds.

There were even more than 30 kilograms of vibranium among them, with a total value exceeding 5000 gold crowns.

This directly proved Garsen's loyalty and greatly enriched Su Li's treasury. After all, a horse won't get fat without night grass, and a man won't get rich without unexpected wealth. This raid on the stronghold of the Lanod followers directly made him wealthy. This was income without any cost, equivalent to ten or twenty thousand gold crowns of government revenue.

Besides him, the territory also had another talented but overlooked individual, the Hidden Blade Knight Algernon. As soon as he and his Greatsword of Sin entered the territory, they began their campaigns, charging to the front lines of war and always completing the most difficult and dangerous missions.

From the howling packs of beasts in the forest to the green-skinned warbands in the twisted shadows, from the venomous beasts in the swamp to the monster lairs at the foot of the cliff, he is basically present wherever there is a battle.

He and Garsen were the complete opposites. Garsen focused more on strategy and tactics, was an outstanding general, and worshipped the goddess of the sun.

Algernon was a brave and invincible knight, fearless in every battle, and extremely valiant. He was a white wolf knight. After entering the territory, he also tamed a powerful silver moon frost wolf.

The White Wolf Knights in the territory are already quite large, with a whole battle group of White Wolf Knights of the official rank and above. Su Li has entrusted all 60 of them to Commander Algernon, who is able to lead these White Wolf Knights to exert their formidable combat power with his absolute bravery and skill in battle.

This knightly order worships the powerful Lord of Winter, who can fight alongside wolves, and each of them has a white wolf as a battle pet.

As the Knight Commander of this chapter, Algernon is a typical devout follower of Ulric, always appearing with his loyal white wolf and powerful greatsword. He holds a particular contempt for those in the order who hide their long hair and beards under their helmets. A battle-hardened veteran, Algernon possesses unwavering faith and is immune to the psychological effects of war. When he fights alongside his fellow knights, they are inspired by him and fight as fearlessly as their commander.

With so many religions united, the current situation in the territory bears a striking resemblance to the overall situation of the Empire. The ancient and powerful Yurik, Lord of Winter, Wolves, and War Worship have suffered greatly from the relentless invasions of the northern Chaos Wastes. Its warriors fight on most of the front lines, slaying countless enemies, but many themselves have joined the Mor's forces. To die on the battlefield is Yurik's glory.

The religious leaders are now more concerned about morale and internal distrust. Besides the heavy losses of warriors and the damage to the holy city of Middenheim, the last Chaos invasion forced them to rely on the Church of Redmar for support, drawing criticism from some among the populace. Perhaps his era has passed, and faith in Yurik is beginning to weaken. Rumors are circulating that the worship of the Sun Goddess Violet is gaining traction in the southern provinces, and some warriors are beginning to embrace the religion. Although the current situation is relatively stable, they are secretly starting to worry about the Yurik religion itself.

The Sun Goddess and the Church of Rydmar are relatively tolerant, allowing the coexistence of various cults within the Empire. However, this applies only to ordinary Yurik knights, excluding the sons of Yurik. This is a heretical sect that believes itself to be a direct descendant of Yurik himself and that it is born with the right to rule the entire sect. Their sect rejects any other religions from proselytizing in Yurik's sacred territory—the North.

As for Rydmar, a radical faction within the sect went so far as to consider him a false god, claiming that descriptions of his ascension to godhood were lies or delusions. Therefore, this sect was recognized as a cult by the Empire long ago, and any members discovered were executed without hesitation.

They were always very careful in recruiting members, allowing only men and women residing north of Eureka to join, and subjecting them to rigorous screening to determine the fervor of their faith. Their training and worship services were held in secluded places, such as abandoned noble cellars, warehouses, or farms, or other locations. Further training took place in the shadowy forests and the wilderness of Drakwald, where newcomers had to strangle wild beasts with their bare hands to prove their courage. Those who failed the training, even if they didn't die during this process, were killed by their recruiters, as they needed to cleanse themselves of any stain on their honor.

Since the sect was banned, they have become adept at hiding among the people and even infiltrating high-ranking positions within the Yurik sect, attempting to weaken the orthodox sect from within until they seize power.

Su Li placed Algernon in command of the White Wolf Knights to ensure the army's loyalty and prevent any members of the Yurik's faction from infiltrating it. This also aimed to further avoid a larger conflict between the two churches.

After all, these three gods are gods who govern war, and they must carefully manage conflicts among themselves in order to avoid disrupting the hard-won religious peace that the empire has maintained.

However, the three sects in the territory are currently getting along fairly well, mainly because the territory is growing and the pie is constantly expanding, so they are always able to attract new believers, and therefore no major conflicts have broken out.

In addition to wars over secular territories, the struggle for border princely territories is also a direction that the empire pays close attention to.

Su Li also asked with interest, "How are the believers of the Church of Ridmar doing now? I remember that Garson led the knights to the Grayrock Clan to purify the mine tunnels."

This was one of the key agreements negotiated between Su Li and the Grayrock Clan; more precisely, it was a purification agreement signed between the territories' religious bishopric and the dwarves. Humans assisted the dwarves in purifying the ratmen-contaminated mining areas and were responsible for healing and restoring the poisoned dwarves.

Dwarves are typically rugged and unrefined; you could easily get them to develop heavy industry, mine, and forge weapons.

However, they are not particularly skilled in more refined techniques such as purification and healing. Their nemesis, the elves, especially the wood elves, are exceptionally adept at purifying chaos and crafting potions from herbs. Thanks to the presence of the mythical material, the Scale of Vokartrex, and the extraordinary plant, Stardew Orange, the Black Forest Territory's purification capabilities are roughly comparable to some wood elf clans.

Therefore, the two sides signed an agreement that for every mine tunnel that humans cleaned up, the dwarves would exempt 120 elite dwarves from remittances for 10 years.

Fortunately, a large number of knights from the Church of Redmar are visiting the territory. They are experts in purification and, together with the territory's army, can greatly speed up the purification of the mine before the start of the Arena.

Originally, this agreement was just a casual, impromptu move, but now it has become incredibly significant.

The more mine tunnels they purify, the more bargaining power Su Li will have in the upcoming negotiations. With more mine tunnels to develop, the Grayrock Clan will be less inclined to aggressively fight for a share of the profits from this giant iron mine.

At the same time, the saved remittances will greatly enrich the territory's granaries during this harvest season. After all, their remittances are settled in grain.

The majority of this season's wheat harvest will be paid to the Grayrock Clan dwarves to maintain the Baron experience card that Su Li had worked so hard to obtain—more than 1600 Grayrock Clan dwarf engineers, blacksmiths, and miners serving the Blackwood Territory.

Hilde immediately replied, “Their results are remarkable. Normally, with the purification speed of just a few dozen Ridmar knights in our own territory, it might have taken us several years to purify all the dwarven mines. But with hundreds of Ridmar knights joining the process, we purified the first mine in less than two months.”

After saying that, Hilde changed the subject and said, "However, the whole territory is currently buzzing with talk of the Empire's Holy Great Expedition. These knights have no interest in continuing to fight with a bunch of rats in the mines. Many have already made it clear that they will go to Maleburg after the Radiant Arena to participate in the Empire's Holy Great Expedition."

"That's not a problem!" Su Li waved his hand calmly and said, "Even if they don't go, I will still encourage them to participate in the Great Expedition. Our territory will even send a knightly order to participate. This Great Expedition is a crucial opportunity for our territory to make a name for itself and gain wealth!"

The daily intelligence report reminded Su Li to use the Earth Vein Compass as soon as possible in the next season and adjust the compass needle to Forging Resonance.

This adjustment allows the winds of metal and fire to penetrate deeper into the mines, enhancing the magical tempering of metals, further increasing the metal content in the ore, and greatly improving smelting efficiency, resulting in more robust and superior equipment.

Undoubtedly, after this geological alteration, the territory's ore production, resource production, and equipment forging scale will all see a significant increase in the next cycle.

Upon hearing this, Hilde's face lit up with joy, and she asked, "Has the Imperial Elector Council reached a decision?"

Su Li nodded and said, "The target is Mount Oka in the border princely territory. Don't underestimate Phyllis. Although her real power is not yet stable internally, she is one of the nine secular electors who can influence the direction of the entire empire at the Elector Council!"

In such electoral councils that involve large-scale troop movements and imperial policy, the secular electors have a far greater say than the church-elected ones. After all, this involves the actual deployment of troops.

Without a doubt, the province of Suland will be the mainstay of this great expedition, so if other secular electors do not have a strong desire to win it over, the attitude of one elector can really influence the decision-making of the entire elector council.

Even Hilde's handsome face couldn't help but reveal a hint of shock: "It's truly unbelievable, my lord. At this time last year, we had only just set off from our territory, and after arriving in Blacksend, we barely had a few dozen households. Adding the Linburg Farm and the farmland left by the previous lord, the total amount of land was only a few thousand acres of meager fields. It was practically just a small outpost, with all industries in ruins. And this year, we are already able to influence the national policies and direction of the entire vast empire."

Su Li sighed and said, "Phyllis must have paid a heavy price behind the scenes to secure this condition for us. I wonder what kind of deal she made with the other electors."

Upon hearing this, Hilde immediately perked up and said, "That's precisely why we must develop and grow stronger as quickly as possible, and not let down everything Phyllis has worked so hard to achieve. If the target is indeed Mount Oka, it will indeed be very advantageous to our territory. Just the proximity alone will allow more knights to stay in our territory. Then we can take the opportunity to sell a large amount of equipment and supplies."

Supplies! Supplies! Supplies!

No matter what happens in the world, in the end, basic resources determine everything. Only with money and food can a country grow and develop.

If Su Li had 10 gold crowns and 50 tons of grain, he would have enough confidence to help Phyllis share the burden. Not to mention anything else, at least Phyllis could station a secular knightly order in the Black Forest Territory, and Su Li would support the troops, providing them with food and salaries.

With such a loyal external force to the Elector, her position in the territory will be further consolidated. This will also greatly benefit Su Li's development and expansion.

Therefore, the most important thing is still farming, farming, and farming!

Su Li also stood up from his chair and said, "There's no rush to form a knight order. I will announce it at the Radiant Arena celebration. Even if the Crimson Night Knights are the main force, it's fine. Right now, our priority is to make proper arrangements for this harvest season in our territory. Have Minister of Agriculture Fandall come to me below the Maiden's Ring."

Hilde smiled brightly and said, "Fandar is already waiting for you at the Maiden's Ring."

Su Li's lips curled up slightly. It seemed that the ministers in the territory were well aware of his emphasis on farming and production.

Su Li then immediately mounted Deathclaw and led his guards to quickly arrive above Bjorn Bay.

Here, you can clearly see the throngs of people below. Because the climate here is the mildest and most suitable, the wheat in the territory is the first to ripen.

The priests of villages and farms where crops and grains were not yet ripe came from miles away to participate in the harvest season celebrations of their territories.

This is the most central holy site of the Church of Dawn in the territory. On ordinary days, priests from surrounding villages come here to offer the finest gifts and communicate with the goddess. Even passing natural spirits pay homage to this place.

Today's grand celebration has made this place exceptionally lively. The harvest season is of great importance in the doctrines of the Church of Dawn, so from the air, one can feel the intense divine grace of the Goddess of Dawn enveloping this holy land.

The doctrine proclaimed by the Church—that when the breeze blows, Her Majesty Rhea walks on the land—is made exceptionally clear at this moment.

Su Li patted the back of Death Claw's neck, and the increasingly tacit beast immediately spun around, leaving a graceful curve in the air, before elegantly landing in the very center of the ritual.

Here, the church monks are pushing a 12-meter-tall statue of Réa Mae in preparation for a procession.

Around the wheat statue, Su Li saw for the first time so many natural spirits of the territory. They surrounded the feet of the statue of Leia, amidst beautiful flowers and wheat stalks, preparing to ride in a carriage with the statue for a procession. Among them were 4 Poleviks, 5 Lady Logan, 2 livestock owners, and 1 Sleeping Root.

This is a chest pieced together from tree roots, straw, and soil, within which beats a green heart. He awakens before spring arrives, helping Rhea thaw the frozen earth. Legend says he is a witness to the covenant between Rhea and Yurik, so half of his heart belongs to the harsh winter, and half to the warm spring. Offering him honey and libations will cause a piece of land to bloom with flowers, and then greatly increase the yield of honey and orchards.

This spring, the priests of the territory found it deep in the Rothen Canyon. It had been living around the Starshine Pool in the Black Forest Territory, greatly increasing honey production.

The presence of so many natural spirits and nuns from the Church of Dawn surrounding the statue of Rhea also highlights the Church of Dawn's vibrant vitality.

After Fandral came forward, Su Li instructed him, "My minister, how is the harvest season? I feel that your Church of Dawn has grown considerably. Compared to last year, this year is clearly more vibrant, with a large number of cultivators."

After the Golden Harvest Parade ends, placing this wheat ear icon on the Maiden's Ring will attract an important talent to the territory and the Church of Dawn!

(End of this chapter)