Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 52: Troll Hunting and Harvest

The return of the patrol knights caused such enthusiastic cheers in the territory. In addition to the sense of accomplishment in hunting giants, it was also related to the hatred of the empire's people for river trolls.

If we were to rank the monsters most hated by the people of the Empire, river trolls would definitely be in the top three, perhaps even number one.

There is no doubt that the reason why the people of the Empire hate them the most is that since land transportation can easily be plundered by bandits, beastmen, and greenskin warbands in the forests and valleys, many knights and citizens of the Empire like to fantasize that wide rivers can provide some of the "safest" ways of traveling.

River trolls make a mockery of this idea, suddenly snatching people from their barges in the middle of the night to face a terrible fate.

In the minds of Imperials, trolls are generally large, terrifying, and incredibly stupid, but river trolls are exceptionally intelligent, especially their female counterparts, the Troll Hags. They are vicious, cruel, and unsettlingly intelligent. They rarely emerge from the most treacherous swamps, but whenever the Empire faces hard times, they lead their brethren in attacks. They are larger and more powerful than their male counterparts, and they curse their enemies with horrifying, incoherent troll-like curses. While they may sound baffling to humans, their power is undoubtedly formidable.

Fortunately, among these three trolls, there are none of these rare river troll witches.

Knight Orstein personally led the knights to bring the three huge river trolls to Su Li. Then he raised his chin proudly, his brown beard was very strong, making him look particularly majestic.

"My Lord, these three river trolls intended to attack us, but I led the knights in a fierce battle and killed them all. They all became spoils of war for our territory."

Su Li certainly knew how to gain the favor of such a proud knight, so he smiled and said, "Well done, my Lord Commander. There are three such terrifying monsters. If you hadn't been there, I think we would have suffered the first casualties since the establishment of the territory today."

Looking at the monster's huge body and its back covered with a row of rusty swords, none of the knights and soldiers around had any doubt about Su Li's admiration.

Many trolls have this tradition, inserting the weapons of defeated enemies into their spines, like the fins on the back of a piranha or the spikes on the back of a porcupine. Anyway, they recover from injuries very quickly and will not be affected at all. Instead, it will be like a medal of honor to show their strength and the horrific past of killing countless powerful enemies.

The more swords they carried on their backs, the more powerful they were. Knight Orstein was extremely pleased with these three trophies and the lord's praise. He held his head high with pride, flaunting his magnificent beard. Following the lord to this border princely territory had truly been the right decision. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd felt this excited, joyful, and passionate.

He even felt as if every cell in his body was cheering with joy after the fierce battle, his entire body filled with unprecedented strength. His entire body was like a warship breaking through the wind and waves, bravely moving forward towards a higher level, his chest filled with infinite fighting spirit and surging passion.

Of course, he didn't forget who brought him all this. He knelt on one knee respectfully and said, "My dear Lord, as your most loyal guard, I beg to dedicate all the spoils I have hunted to you. Please accept my sincere gift."

Su Li smiled and helped the sturdy Hessen commander to his feet, saying, "My loyal knight, I accept your gift. This will be one of my most precious collections."

Of course, river trolls, despite their stinky bodies, are incredibly valuable. Troll blood is valuable and widely used, used to cure thirst and create a variety of alchemical concoctions and potions. Su Li couldn't figure out why troll blood quenches thirst, but it simply works. Trolls eat everything: mud, rock, steel, and wood, but their blood is exceptionally pure and valuable. However, an even more valuable ingredient is troll acid—a substance highly sought after by rune masters, blacksmiths, and engineers.

With the troll acid, the territory's dwarf runesmith Boros Dragonhammer has solved an important raw material problem when forging vibranium rune armor.

At the same time, he finally had enough raw materials to make various tools and armor. He pulled more than 20 rusty swords from the backs of the three river trolls, which meant that they had eaten at least more than 20 human soldiers.

These iron tools can be re-melted and forged into tools needed for the development of the territory, and at least thirty or forty agricultural tools can be forged.

The remaining tools were made from melted troll weapons. Troll weapons were a mixed bag. Most of them wielded clubs, though these weren't made of metal, but rather the hardened leg bones of their own kind. A few wielded stone axes, and only a few clever river trolls would tie iron from shipwrecks to giant four or five-meter-long tree trunks to create massive warhammers.

These three river trolls had obviously attacked the barges on the river. Two of them were holding the huge leg bones of their own kind, while the leader was holding the rare two-handed warhammer. The huge metal hammer alone weighed two or three hundred imperial pounds.

With such a large iron ingot, it is definitely more than enough to cast 100 farming tools, and there will even be a lot left over to satisfy Boros Dragonhammer's desire to show off his skills. He has long wanted to create a set of plate armor to prove his superb forging skills. If that doesn't work, a breastplate will also do.

But no matter what, melting these weapons into various tools is like turning swords into plows, and the farming and development of the territory will be greatly improved.

Upon seeing these three massive troll trophies, the territory's keeper, Lawn, was filled with admiration and emotion. "Praise the gods! We've just established our territory and already successfully slain three river trolls! This is a good omen. Lord, your strength gives us special peace of mind. Under your leadership, we will surely achieve great success."

Su Li naturally loved to hear such compliments. At this moment, everyone in the territory was filled with joy over the harvest. Su Li smiled broadly, waved his hand calmly and confidently, and made arrangements: "My Lord Seal Keeper, share the joy of today's harvest with everyone. Arrange for people to collect all the valuable items from these three river trolls, and then hold a bonfire party. Give each serf a fish, so that everyone can eat well, drink warmly, and enjoy the fruits of our territory's growth and development! Boost everyone's morale and speed up the territory's development."

Su Li was completely willing to give up just over a hundred fish, and the incentive effect was very significant.

The serfs around who heard Su Li's arrangement immediately cheered: "Praise your generosity, Lord."

Su Li showed a satisfied smile. With food in his hands, he was naturally confident and could mobilize the enthusiasm of the serfs and servants to the highest level, allowing them to enthusiastically participate in the construction of the territory.

Under this condition, the territory's development speed must be extremely fast.

(End of this chapter)