Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 76 Salvaging the Magic Pearl
The mountains of gold coins made Su Li very happy.

While this world is idealistic, it's also very materialistic. Especially in this wild, remote, yet vibrant border princely territory, over 80% of problems can be solved with money.

For example, Su Li's biggest source of pressure right now is the green dragon in the forest, Deceitful Wings, Alyria Erebus. Su Li can also offer a bounty to recruit warriors or knights to go and get rid of her.

If he could come up with enough money, there would surely be a dragon slayer or some powerful knight order willing to accept the bounty. But a thousand gold coins was definitely not enough for a warrior to slay a dragon.

"So, I still have to focus on farming." Su Li sighed and walked out of the castle's cellar. Only a more prosperous territory could provide him with more gold coins. At that time, he would have more choices whether to form his own army or offer rewards for warriors.

As soon as he walked out of the cellar, Lawn, who was waiting in the hall, came to greet him and said, "My Lord, you are finally back. I have already done everything you asked me to arrange."

Su Li sat down on the chair and said to Lao En calmly, "Very good, my capable civil servant, you are truly my right-hand man. With you in charge, I have much less worries."

Su Li had a lot of tasks for Laun, and Laun reported them one by one: "After a careful investigation, I have found six divers in the territory. It is not convenient for you to come in person, so I will personally supervise from the shore. After I collect the magic pearl, I will share it with you as soon as I can."

Amerindians, or "ama nyo," are pearl divers. Because pearls and magic pearls are so rare and precious, they are the exclusive preserve of the nobility. Therefore, many fishermen, eager to meet the demands of the nobility, risked their lives. These women, known as "meridians," are exceptionally talented divers, fighting the treacherous currents naked and hand-to-hand, earning them the nickname "meridians."

The preparation for this task is not difficult, but it is extremely dangerous. Pearl collectors carry no equipment. They simply tie a rope around their bodies and dive into the deep water. Using a special knife, they pry the pearls off the rocks on the bottom of the water. They then use the rope or someone on the boat to pull the pearls back to the surface.

Legend has it that many sea sirens and sirens are transformed from haenyeo. Because of their dangerous work, haenyeo's lives depend entirely on the hemp rope tied to their bodies. Therefore, when they venture into the sea to collect fish, they hand the other end of the rope to their family members on the boat. If they encounter danger on the seabed, they pull hard on the rope, and their family members pull it back, perhaps saving them or, if not, recovering their bodies. The rope must be held only by their family members, as haenyeo only trust their loved ones. However, if their husbands betray their wives, they will take them to dangerous waters and, after the haenyeo enters the water, abandon the hemp rope from the boat.

At exactly two o'clock this afternoon, the Demonic Tide Clam will pass by the confluence of the territory's rivers. The territory is determined to obtain it at all costs, which naturally requires a ruthless official to supervise all the pearl divers to go into the water.

The image of a lord must be bright, majestic, kind and generous, so Lawn took the initiative to take on the role of this cruel official.

Su Li admired the talent of the Minister of State's Seal very much. The rumor that graduates of the Administrative Management Department of the Modheim Griffin Military Academy all have the ability to govern the country and benefit the world is indeed true.

Su Li nodded and said, "This mission is quite urgent, and we haven't had any training before. Please reward these female divers in my name. Anyone who goes into the water will be rewarded with 3 silver coins, and anyone who finds the Demonic Tide Clam will be rewarded with 3 gold coins!"

"A huge reward always brings courage." Laun replied confidently, "Rest assured, my lord. I will definitely bring this Demonic Tide Clam back."

After explaining the urgent task Su Li had assigned him that morning, Laun continued, "I've also completed the negotiations with the caravan. The caravan leader is at the dock outside the castle, waiting for your visit. Do you have time to meet with them?"

This was the agenda arranged yesterday, and Su Li decisively agreed: "Let him in. Tell me about the negotiation situation."

Hild immediately sent a servant down to bring the caravan leader up. While waiting for him to enter the castle, Laun said, "This caravan is called the Wester Highland Alliance Chamber of Commerce. It originates from the famous Wester Highland Plain within the Empire. We can call it the Wester High Chamber of Commerce for short."

"West Gao Chamber of Commerce?" Su Li asked curiously, "Why is it so strange? Why not call it West Chamber of Commerce?"

Lawn explained, "Because Westerland is one of the Elector Counties within the Empire, the Wester Highlands are the core area of ​​Westerland, the secular Elector Counties. The situation in Westerland is difficult to describe. Despite being adjacent to the center of power in the Empire, it is still rumored to be a strange and backward rural area. This is largely because it encompasses a large area of ​​terrifying territory inhabited by vampires and forest elves. Bounded by the World's Edge Mountains and the Empire's three major rivers, eastward along the Wester River, the dense forest gradually becomes sparse and differentiated into independent woods, including the terrifying Desolate Forest and the infamous Lawrence Forest."

"Yes, our territory is plagued by vampires and forest elves. Therefore, our people are more superstitious. For example, in West Highlands, when strangers enter the village, children will throw pig manure at them, believing that this will help drive away evil spirits. People covered in pig manure are particularly protected." A low voice sounded from outside the hall, and then a middle-aged man with brown hair and eyes, and dark skin walked into the hall.

If it weren't for the heavy, expensive fur coat he was wearing, Su Li would have been incredulous that someone with such a strong physique could actually be a caravan leader. He clearly looked more like a powerful knight than a mercenary merchant. After entering the castle, he bowed slightly, placing his right palm on his chest, and saluted, saying, "Kurt Stiller, head of the West High Chamber of Commerce, greets you, respected pioneer lord. Please allow me to explain that our chamber of commerce is called the West High Chamber of Commerce, not because we lack the strength to cover the entire territory of West Territory."

"On the contrary, any guild with the suffix 'Gao' is considered powerful and respected in Westerland. The word 'Gao' represents authority, officialdom, and honor in Westerland. It demonstrates our outstanding contributions to Westerland and our deep roots in this land. It reminds us why, in such a vast Westerland, the humans of our Empire retreat to a single highland, and why, despite the vast forests surrounding Westerland, we must journey to the borderlands to cut timber."

The people of the empire are indeed stubborn and vindictive, and their flames of revenge never go out!
After listening to the two people's introduction, Su Li immediately had a certain understanding of the situation in West Territory. It was a bit similar to Guanzhong. The internal plateau was flat, close to the center of the empire, and there were large rivers flowing through it, which served as natural barriers. However, the external situation was severe, with a large number of monsters and rebel threats.

When the vampires rebelled, the main force took place in this territory.

Su Li waved to him and said, "No need to be so formal, Chief Kurt. We have already reached some cooperation and are friendly partners, aren't we?"

"Yes," Kurt nodded, adding, "Your Chancellor of the Keeper of the Seal is truly exceptionally talented. We haven't gained any advantage in our negotiations with him. At the price of three gold crowns per day, for the military guarantee you offer, we really don't see much profit from this trip."

The daily military guarantee costs of the 3 Golden Crowns are indeed a considerable security fee.

You should know that the monthly salary of a considerable number of elite knights is only 3 to 5 gold crowns.

This price can even buy an armed servant directly in the slave camp.

They would stay in the forest for at least 30 to 50 days each time they cut down trees, which meant that they would provide the Hesse Lord with at least 100 gold crowns as security fees.

If you only rely on cutting down blood pine, the profit will be very meager.

But the charm of the forest lies in the fact that no one knows what kind of adventures you will encounter in it.

If they successfully obtain some precious medicinal herbs, or some precious monster cubs, high-value minerals and gems during the logging process, they can still make a profit.

Furniture merchants usually bring pharmacists and gatherers with them for this very purpose.

Of course, Su Li also profited greatly. The armed protection he provided didn't require constant dispatch of troops to their side. He simply needed to ensure the forest was safe, protecting them from large bandits and looters. They could handle the minor risk of a few monsters attacking them on their own. This was also the main point of Lawn's negotiations yesterday. This would align with Su Li's strategic objectives. Su Li was ultimately committed to clearing out the forest bandits, and large groups of them needed to be eliminated.

Originally, Kurt was reluctant to meet this condition. He doubted whether this territory had the strength to eliminate the various threats in the forest.

But today, after seeing the head of Lambert, the leader of the Black Arrows, his attitude changed immediately. After sitting down, he made a request, saying, "I saw the bounty offered by the Black Arrows bandit gang in Maleburg. I'm willing to pay an extra five gold crowns, or 5 gold crowns, for Lambert's head."

"Please believe me, this is a very good deal. Even if you meet Count Amadeus von Draken, you won't gain anything extra. You are all pioneer lords, and a disagreement might even lead to a conflict. Why not give it to our Chamber of Commerce? We need this head as a gift to establish a relationship with Count Amadeus. In the future, if your territories have any special products, our Chamber of Commerce can serve as a bridge of communication."

Su Li waved his hand generously and said with a smile: "No problem, I'll leave Black Arrow Lambert's head to you. It just so happens that I also have a small problem that I need Chief Kurt's help to solve."

(End of this chapter)