Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 543 I want both the electoral votes and the legendary knight!
Immediately afterwards, Su Li's gaze fell on the ninth message—[The Key to the Path of the Elector].

This information was even more earth-shattering, directly pointing him to a path to seize the highest power in the empire! He could use the irresistible allure of the life-extending pods of the [Blessed Wisteria Tree], along with accepting the empire's conditions as bargaining chips, to obtain a seat as a "secular elector of the Blazing Sun Church"! And the first holder of this seat would be none other than himself, Su Li!
This means he will leap from a border count subject to vetting and restrictions to a member of the Electoral College, the core power circle of the Empire! Although this is only the first step towards becoming an Elector, its symbolic significance and actual power will undergo a dramatic transformation. He will truly have the right to speak in the Empire's highest council, participate in deciding the future direction of the Empire, and even… influence the selection of the Emperor!
This is the real great power game! Compared to this road to the pinnacle of imperial power, all the previous wealth, weapons, and even the extermination of monsters and the subjugation of tribes seem like the petty squabbles of local lords.

Su Li slowly closed his eyes, digesting the massive information overload. Two paths seemed to clearly extend in his mind: one was to use the [Truth Scroll] to resolve the internal troubles of the Eternal Light, greatly enhancing his immediate combat power and loyalty; the other was to use it as the most powerful political bargaining chip to open the door to electors and secure a longer-term legal status and imperial authority.

Both are extremely tempting, but the [Truth Contract] can only be signed once at present, so he must make a choice.

The tenth piece of information about the Electors' Council's underhanded tactics reminded him that the Empire had never relaxed its vigilance and calculations against him, and that he had to proceed with extreme caution.

"The siege effect..." Su Li murmured to himself, a complex smile curving his lips. When you truly have your hands on the city walls, holding the throat of a giant city, what you see and experience is indeed completely different from watching from the sidelines. It's not just an influx of wealth, but a leap in the level of information, an expansion of the arena for competition.

Now, he needs a top-level internal meeting with key figures such as Hilde, Erstein, and Oliver, as well as potential allies, to discuss this strategic decision that will determine the future of the Hessian territory.

He quietly got up without disturbing Avril and Hilde who were fast asleep beside him, walked to the window, and looked at the still swirling snow outside. His gaze seemed to pierce through the snow curtain and see a more magnificent future.

The game of thrones has entered a completely new phase. And the cards he holds are far more numerous and far more... astonishing than anyone could have imagined.

That evening, in the magnificent strategic council hall of the Forbidden City, the flames in the fireplace dispelled the chill of the winter night, but could not dispel the heavy atmosphere that permeated the air.

The long obsidian conference table was filled with the core figures of the Black Forest Territory. Su Li sat at the head of the table, with high-ranking officials such as Hilde, Orstein, and Oliver on his left, and specially invited guests on his right: Grand Master Adelbert and Vice Grand Master Paulus of the Flame Sun Knights of the Church of the Goddess of the Sun.

At this moment, Su Li sat calmly and composed in the main seat. He had been thinking about how to handle today's intelligence all day.

Although the intelligence indicates that you can only choose one of the two options, [The Opportunity for Redemption of Eternal Light] and [The Key to the Path of the Elector], you can achieve it using [Verena's Scroll of Truth].

But he is not a puppet of the daily intelligence system. By now, Su Li has become the chosen one of the Goddess of the Blazing Sun, and his wisdom and methods are already outstanding.

Therefore, he decided to use his political means to solve both problems at the same time.

The key to solving this problem lies in persuading the Grand Master of the Flame Sun Knights to willingly and proactively vouch for the Knights of Eternal Light, becoming a weight on the goddess's scales!
Of course, this is definitely not an easy task.

Just after Su Li expressed his thoughts, the previously calm Grand Commander Adelbert suddenly jumped up from his chair as if a firecracker had been lit under his butt!

His bright red hair and thick beard seemed to stand on end due to his suddenly soaring blood pressure and anger, like a burning flame.

"Pfft-cough cough cough!"

He was so shocked and angry that he choked on his own saliva and coughed violently. The deputy commander Paulus, who was sitting next to him, quickly handed him a glass of water, but he pushed it away.

Grand Master Adelbert rested his hands on the cold obsidian table, leaning forward. His usually amiable face (by the standards of a legendary powerhouse) was now flushed red, and his lava-like eyes were wide and bulging as he stared intently at Su Li. His voice was high-pitched with excitement, carrying an unbelievable sharpness:
“Count Su Li! What...what did you just say?! You want me, Adelbert, to represent the Knights of the Flaming Sun to give a ‘holy guarantee’ to those...those unlucky bastards of the Eternal Light who are cursed and worship Verena?!

He sat up abruptly, waving his hands dramatically, as if trying to dispel this utterly absurd thought:
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Don't even think about it! Unless the sun rises in the west and the goddess Violet converts to gardening!"

He paced excitedly halfway around the chair, then abruptly turned back, pointing at Su Li with a pained and indignant tone, as if looking at a lost lamb whose mind had been bewitched by chaos:
“My Count! Were you blinded by your sudden appearance of your daughter and… and some overly intense ‘family reunion’ yesterday?! Or has the thick fog in Maleburg not only obscured your vision but also impaired your judgment?!”

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but clearly failed; his voice only grew louder, almost roaring.

"Do you know what this means?! Huh?!"

He counted on his fingers, listing them off one by one, his spittle almost spraying onto the table:
"First! Faith! Do you understand faith?! We, the Knights of the Flame Sun, worship the Goddess of the Sun, Violet! The sacred fire that purifies all the filth of the world! The supreme light that dispels darkness! As for the Eternal Light, they worship the Goddess of Justice, Verena! The law, the scales, and her thick book of law that could crush an ogre! (He made an exaggerated smashing motion.) To have the flames of the sun vouch for the scales of justice?! That's as absurd as having a griffin witness a loan agreement for a nest of goblins! The two goddesses have completely different divine roles! Can this guarantee even work? I think even Goddess Verena's scales would get stuck in confusion!"

“Second! Risk! A tremendous risk!” Adelbert pounded his chest, his armor creaking. “What does the Eternal Light carry on its back? You just said it yourself, it’s a vicious curse originating from the Nehekhara Desert, a curse that has plagued their knightly order for thousands of years! It’s the retribution for their ‘heart of stone’! Who knows if they might suddenly have a brain fart and do something that triggers the curse again? What will happen to our Flame Sun Knights if the curse spreads along with the guarantee contract?! Are we going to let my lads suffer the same fate, stepping in dog poop, stumbling on their charging horses, and even turning roasted meat into charcoal?!”

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, even gesturing wildly into the air as he simulated the scene: "What will people say then? 'Look, that's the Flame Sun Knights, that's Adelbert, who insisted on showing off by vouching for someone else, and now look what happened, the whole order is going to suffer bad luck!' Are the glory and reputation of our Flame Sun Knights, passed down for thousands of years, going to become the latest joke in the Imperial Tavern?!"

He stopped abruptly, hands on his hips, like a walking, ignited lava fortress, and declared decisively:
"In short! This is not negotiable! Don't even think about it! I'd rather fight a maddened dragon demon one-on-one than sign a guarantee contract that ties the fate of my entire knightly order to someone else's belt! Earl Su Li, you'd better give up on this idea as soon as possible!"

After saying that, he angrily plopped back into his chair, crossed his arms, turned his head away, and showed Su Li the back of his head with his actions, demonstrating his "firm refusal" attitude.

His heavy breathing echoed throughout the council chamber, along with... a faint, almost imperceptible, sulfurous aura emanating from his rage.

Vice-Commander Paulus stood by, helplessly rubbing his forehead. Hilde and the others, meanwhile, tried to maintain serious expressions, but the slight twitching at the corners of their mouths betrayed their inner turmoil. Su Li's plan had encountered an impenetrable rejection from its very first step, and in such a... dramatic and unpredictable way.

Faced with Grand Master Adelbert's fierce, even somewhat humorous, rejection, Su Li remained unperturbed. Instead, the fact that this was an internal meeting made him even more composed. He wore a sincere smile and gestured with his hands to indicate that the other party should remain calm.

"Grand Master, my old friend, don't close the door so tightly," Su Li said in a relaxed tone, trying to defuse the tension. "Let's look at the benefits of this from another angle. Think about it, if this 'guarantee agreement' can be reached, and it clearly stipulates that the Knights of Eternal Light must strictly adhere to the values ​​of the 'Glorious War' in the future..."

"What are the values ​​of the Glorious War? I think you are a legendary knight of the Goddess, so I don't need to elaborate," Su Li guided. "You see, essentially, it's about extending the doctrines of order, mercy (after the enemy submits), and purification advocated by our Goddess of the Sun to another powerful knightly order with different beliefs but not hostile goals, in a forceful manner. Isn't this spreading the Goddess's glory and ideals on a broader scale? Encouraging more knights and officers to practice principles close to our doctrines in their actions—isn't that a good thing for the Church in the long run?"

As Grand Master Adelbert listened, his fiery temper seemed to cool down slightly. He stroked his crimson beard, a thoughtful look flashing in his lava-like eyes.

Spreading the faith is indeed the deepest wish of every believer in the goddess. He was slightly tempted, but this slight inclination was like a pebble thrown into a lava lake, instantly overwhelmed by more practical concerns. He shook his head vigorously, still firmly refusing: "No! Earl Su Li, what you say makes some sense, but these are two different things!"

He pointed to the insignia of the Knights of the Flaming Sun on his chest. "Spreading the doctrine is the duty of church priests, saints, and abbots of monasteries everywhere! They are responsible for influencing people's hearts with scriptures and sermons. But I, Adelbert, am the Grand Master of the Knights of the Flaming Sun! My primary duty is to be responsible for the lives and honor of the thousands of brothers under my command! I cannot gamble their fate on a 'possible' missionary outcome!"

He seemed to have found a compelling argument, turning his gaze to Hilder, who had remained silent throughout: "Steward Hilder! You are also a legendary knight, you command the Knights of Vengeful Sun. You be the judge, would you be willing to let your own knightly order vouch for the future actions of another knightly order with different beliefs and burdened by an ancient curse, and bear the potential for widespread misfortune? Would you?"

Hildegard, suddenly called upon, remained composed on her striking face. She calmly met Adelbert's gaze, her voice clear and steady: "Grand Master Adelbert, firstly, the Knights of Vengeance are indeed currently incomparable to the Empire's top knightly orders like the Flame Sun and the Eternal Light. However," she shifted her tone, her voice imbued with a pure conviction, "if my knightly order possesses equal status and power, and if I am certain that this will bring Her Majesty Violet's glory and expand the Church's strategic advantage, I believe... we have an inescapable duty. The risks are there, but the rewards and significance are equally immense."

Adelbert was taken aback by these lofty remarks and snorted somewhat sullenly: "Easy for you to say... Since you make it sound so easy, fine, I'll go ask the Eagle Knights (another famous knightly order of the Sun Church) if they'd be willing to do this job! I certainly wouldn't!"

He looked at Su Li again, his tone carrying an ultimatum: "These knights of justice, in the end, are not followers of our Blazing Sun! Otherwise, their ancestors wouldn't have committed such a heinous act of massacring civilians in Arabia! Who can guarantee they won't do it again? Even with the Goddess's Contract, it's not foolproof, let alone now. This matter is too dangerous, there's no room for discussion!"

Seeing that the arguments of faith and honor wouldn't sway the stubborn commander, Su Li knew he had to offer something truly substantial. He leaned forward slightly, his calm smile still on his face, but his eyes sharpened as he unleashed his long-prepared trump card:

"Grand Master, what if I were willing to do everything in my power to help the Church of the Blazing Sun obtain a secular electoral vote that belongs to us in the Council of Electors?"

He paused deliberately, letting this earth-shattering news explode in Adelbert's mind.

“You should be well aware that although the influence of our Sun Church is growing day by day, we still do not have a single secular electoral seat that is clearly belonging to the church in the highest power circle of the empire—the Electoral College. The Church of Yurik has the Elector Middenland, and most other major denominations are also tied to certain Electoral families. As for us, we have always been in an awkward position. Currently, we only have one church vote in the Electoral College.”

Su Li's voice was full of allure: "Imagine if the Church of the Blazing Sun had its own secular electoral vote! What would that mean? It would mean that when deciding the future of the empire and speaking out in the highest council, we would have greater confidence and a stronger voice! It would mean that the radiance of the goddess would truly shine upon the very core of imperial power!"

He looked at Adelbert's frozen expression, as if he had been struck by lightning, and slowly said, "Making this happen will require some sacrifices and the joint efforts of powerful allies. If you and the Flame Sun Knights you represent are willing to demonstrate sufficient courage and foresight in the matter of providing guarantees, I believe that in the process of vying for electoral seats, the Province of Suland and other Electors will value the influence of the alliance between the two knightly orders even more. At that time, you will not only be the Grand Master of the Knights, but also a hero who will usher in a new era for the entire Flame Sun Faith!"

Su Li cleverly linked the seemingly independent matters of "guaranteeing the eternal light" and "securing electoral votes for the church," packaging a huge risk as a crucial step on the ladder to supreme glory. At the same time, she used this crucial electoral vote to persuade Grand Master Adelbert.

If he doesn't help Su Li resolve the curse on the Knights of Eternal Light, Su Li won't be able to secure electoral votes. He either has to refuse both options, or accept both!

Grand Master Adelbert was completely stunned. His mouth gaped open, his lava-like eyes wide open, the flames within them seemingly frozen in place. Help the Church secure electoral votes?! The temptation… was too great! So great that he could almost hear his heart pounding wildly in his chest!

“Elect...electoral votes?” Adelbert muttered to himself, his voice hoarse. His previous anger and determination seemed to falter before this more powerful “bombshell.” In his lava-like eyes, the flames of anger were replaced by a more fervent light called “ambition” and “grand vision.”

He abruptly raised his head, staring intently at Su Li, his tone unusually grave and tinged with disbelief: "Earl Su Li... are you... are you sure? You really have the confidence to secure a... secular electoral vote for the Blazing Sun Church?"

This is not merely power, but supreme glory, a grand ambition that the Sun Cult has failed to fully realize in the millennia since it took root in the Empire! If this can truly be accomplished during his reign, Adelbert's name will be forever engraved in the sacred texts of the Sun Church!

Facing Adelbert's burning gaze, Su Li calmly raised her hand and gently shook the scroll in her hand, which emitted a tranquil and mysterious light: [Verena's Truth Scroll].

"Your Excellency Grand Master," Su Li's voice was calm and confident, "with this treasure of order in hand, I am more than 90% confident that I can persuade the Council of Electors. You should know how irresistibly covetous those aging yet powerful Electors and Emperors are of the extra life represented by the pods of the [Blessed Wisteria Tree]. With this as leverage, coupled with the 'stability' we gain from accepting the Empire's conditions, it will be enough to pry open the most fortified door of power."

He abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming subtle, carrying a clear sense of choice:

"However, if you refuse to provide a guarantee for the Eternal Light..."

Su Li's gaze also fell on the Scroll of Truth, his tone carrying a hint of "helplessness" and frankness: "Then, I can only follow the primary intention of Princess Phyllis in sending this item, and use it first to ensure that the curse on the Knights of Eternal Light is dispelled. After all, this is the national treasure of Suland, and Princess Phyllis will certainly prioritize ensuring the interests and future of this important force under her command."

He shrugged, clearly presenting the multiple-choice question back to Adelbert:

"In other words, you now have two paths in front of you."

"The first option is for you to refuse to vouch for me. In that case, I will use the [Truth Scroll] to dispel the curse of the Eternal Light. As for the electoral votes... without this most crucial strategic asset, I can only temporarily shelve this grand plan and look for other opportunities in the future. Of course, we will still be allies, but whether the Church of the Blazing Sun can obtain that vote in our generation is hard to say."

“The second path,” Su Li’s voice rose slightly, carrying a strong sense of urgency, “is that you, Grand Master Adelbert, who, with the millennia-old glory of the Flame Sun Knights and the name of the Blazing Sun, have demonstrated unparalleled courage and foresight by agreeing to provide a sacred guarantee for the Eternal Light! Then, I can free up my hands to use the [Truth Scroll] as our ultimate weapon in our quest for electoral seats! At that time, you will not only save a powerful knightly order, but also usher in an unprecedented new era for our Blazing Sun faith! You will become a hero of the Church, a legend of the Empire!”

Su Li cleverly tied the two goals together, creating an "all or nothing" situation. Either Adelbert refused both, forcing Su Li to settle for second best and complete Phyllis's primary request (dispelling the curse), thus shelving the Electoral College plan. Alternatively, Adelbert accepted both, taking on the risk of "guaranteeing" in exchange for advancing the larger strategic goal of securing "electoral votes."

This almost cornered Adelbert, forcing him to choose between "avoiding risk and missing out on great glory" and "taking risks to achieve unparalleled success."

Grand Master Adelbert fell silent. He stopped roaring and waving his arms excitedly, and slowly sat back in his chair, his thick fingers unconsciously tapping on the cold obsidian tabletop, producing a dull "tap-tap" sound.

His ruddy face shifted with an unpredictable expression, sometimes showing hesitation, sometimes longing, and sometimes a deep fear of the risks. A long silence fell over the council chamber, broken only by the crackling of the fireplace and the tapping of Adelbert's fingers on the table.

Everyone knew that this legendary Grand Master was undergoing a profound internal struggle. On one hand, there was the heavy responsibility of the Knights' legacy and the unknown risks; on the other hand, there was the promise of a glorious legacy and a tremendous expansion of their faith.

Finally, after a suffocating silence that lasted for nearly fifteen minutes, Adelbert abruptly raised his head. His lava-like eyes, though still grave, now held a sharp, resolute glint. He took a deep breath, as if to suppress all hesitation and worry, and spoke in a hoarse but exceptionally firm voice:
“Earl Su Li…you have won.”

(End of this chapter)