Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 91 God's Grace Arrives
Following Hildur's voice, a dozen knights entered the training ground.

Although they were covered in a lot of mud and looked dusty while traveling, their temperament was very distinctive, like young lions with a strong desire to fight.

Riding in front of them was a sharp-eyed middle-aged priest wearing a black monk's robe with a golden eagle with its wings spread high in the air on his chest.

Black and gold are the iconic colors of the Cult of the Sun Goddess. They believe that extreme light brings extreme darkness, and anyone who offends or looks directly at the sun will be destroyed by the power of the Sun Goddess.

The eagle is the symbol and totem of their church, showing the fierce style of this church as a military sect.

Therefore, the Knights of the Flaming Sun, affiliated with the church, were accustomed to wearing shiny gilded black armor on the battlefield, with patterns of the sun and golden eagle on their flags and badges, and then charging into the enemy camp with a gorgeous posture.

The priest dismounted upon seeing Su Li, straightened his chest, gracefully removed his white gloves, placed his palms on his chest, bowed slightly, and saluted Su Li, saying, "Respected Pathfinder Lord, Ron Esari, leader of the Sun Goddess Combat Pilgrimage, salutes you."

Su Li personally stepped forward and said, "We are threatened by a Green Tide. Your Combat Pilgrims' visit is reassuring to me. My domain and I look forward to fighting alongside you."

Ron said calmly, "Facing the monsters head-on and defeating the evil threat is what the Goddess taught us. On the way, I heard your high-ranking attendant, Knight Hilde, brief me on the situation. Our pilgrim group's six apprentice knights, 6 knight archers, and the remaining 11-plus armed attendants are willing to join the battle to help the territory defeat the evil and seek the Goddess's grace."

The members of the Combat Pilgrims were all ascetics who often helped the lords of various territories eliminate threats from the wild, such as herds of wild beastmen that plundered villages, goblin tribes that stole property and women, and even certain bandits hiding in valleys and forests. In return, they received funding from a lord, including weapons, equipment, food supplies, and so on. This funding allowed them to travel further on their pilgrimage and explore more territories.

Su Li also respected this custom and said immediately, "During the time we fight the monsters, I will provide the pilgrims with logistical supplies. If we can successfully defeat the monsters, I will also provide the pilgrims with no less than 3000 kilograms of food and 10 high-quality weapons."

"I praise your generosity, respected pioneer lord. The Sun Goddess will know your virtues, and divine grace will surely protect you." Ron bowed again, then asked, "Where is the monastery in your territory? I would like to visit your monastery first and pray to the goddess."

Su Li said frankly, "As you can see, we are a newly established territory. The monastery is still under construction, and we don't have any priests to spread the teachings of the goddess. I have ordered the construction team to work day and night to speed up the construction of the goddess' monastery. I hope that when the monastery is completed, you can assist me in holding a sacrifice to the goddess."

Ron's eyes lit up and he said, "It's my honor, Lord. If you have any questions about the Goddess's teachings, you can discuss them with me."

Su Li made decisive arrangements and said, "My high-ranking attendant, Chief Steward Xilude, is a knight who has just joined the Church of the Fiery Sun Goddess. She needs a deeper understanding of the teachings of the Fiery Sun Goddess. Xilude, please ask Lord Rong En about the Goddess's noble teachings."

Xilude never doubted any of Su Li's decisions, but this time she hesitated. She clearly felt that the lord had specifically mentioned her name and made such an arrangement, which must mean that a huge opportunity would come to her.

She walked to Su Li's side and whispered, "My Lord, the appearance of the Combat Pilgrimage Group may very well mean that the Goddess has cast a glance at our territory. This opportunity to gain divine grace should be given to you."

Should I go there myself?

Su Li had never thought about this problem before. Maybe he could also improve his cultivation qualifications?

But he only considered it for a moment before decisively rejecting the idea. Given his diligent cultivation, it would be a waste of this precious opportunity of divine grace.

Moreover, he had only been in the territory for two months, so there would be plenty of opportunities to gain divine grace in the future. The most urgent task in the early stages was to cultivate a strong fighting force, one who could act like a pillar of support for the army and ensure victory in battle.

So he immediately replied firmly: "Hilde, be obedient. Go discuss doctrine with Lord Rong En. If he questions you about doctrine, remember to answer bravely."

The content of this information is very detailed, and even explains in detail the different impacts of the two answers.

Answer "Brave" to receive [Baptism of Divine Grace]. All your knightly skills will be lost, and you'll have to embark on a new path of knighthood training, but your aptitude will be greatly enhanced, and your training speed will be doubled. Answer "Faith" to gain divine approval. A brotherhood of the Flaming Sun Knights will arrive in your territory within three months, numbering no fewer than 48 members.

There was no need to hesitate between these two options; the first was the more valuable choice no matter how you looked at it. This would almost guarantee that Hirud's aptitude would steadily reach the Legendary level, and he might even have the opportunity to become a Sanctuary Knight.

If a knightly order under the Flame Sun Knights arrived within three days, Su Li would consider it. But if they arrived within three months, given the current situation, choosing this option would mean they would have to wait for them to come and reclaim the territory. Seeing Su Li's resolute attitude, Hildurde could only step forward and bow slightly to Ron, asking, "Sir Ron, I know that Her Majesty Violet is the deity in charge of tactics and strategy. If we want to win this battle, what strategy should we adopt according to the teachings?"

Ron didn't answer Hildes' question immediately. Instead, he said calmly, "Before answering this question, as the priest leading the pilgrims' practice, I should first give you a detailed introduction to Her Majesty and the doctrines she taught us."

"As we all know, the Goddess's teachings have little influence in the northern part of the Empire, but in the southern part of the Empire, more and more people are beginning to believe in the Goddess of War, Violet. Because of this, we have obtained a sacred vote in the Empire's Electoral College."

"In the past, people believed that the Goddess of War could neither inspire the heartfelt rage of the Ulric Cult nor the loyalty and perseverance of the Redmar Cult. For some soldiers in particular, Her Majesty Violet was more like an 'Officer's Goddess,' and that it was brute force and passion, not the strategy Her Majesty represented, that had carried the Empire through countless wars."

"But whether one believes it or not, most cities within the Empire have a temple run by the Order of the Goshawk. There, sharp-eyed priests offer courses in strategy and tactics, open to anyone who wishes. They also hold regular services for those preparing to migrate south (the exact dates vary according to local customs, but are generally held every five days)."

"The goddess's followers are more interactive than most sermons, with priests actively encouraging participation and asking questions of the congregation. This presents too many questions for most people in the empire. They are used to being lectured rather than asked questions, and they understand little besides the emperor's decrees. Therefore, most people avoid these very strange sermons. Therefore, to most people in the empire, Her Majesty Violet is nothing more than a goddess of strategy and war."

"But as we enlightened countless people, more and more people began to worship the Goddess. Unlike other gods of war, Your Majesty focuses on avoiding unnecessary conflicts through clever strategies. This is what many soldiers like, but few soldiers who have experienced the horrors of war like war. Followers of Ulric and Sigmar consider it a sign of cowardice. Followers of the Sun Goddess, on the other hand, consider it cautious."

“For the same reason, the Sun Goddess is popular among women with sons and husbands. They pray to her to guide officers to make wise choices and bring their loved ones back alive. As they say, Redma takes you to war, but Violet brings you back.”

Although it was Hildurde who was asked to ask for teachings, Su Li could not help but be fascinated by what he was saying. The teachings of the Sun Goddess, who was more popular in the southern part of the empire, were so consistent with his values.

In this chaotic alien world, there is actually a god who uniquely proposed the concept of "cautious war". Compared with other barbaric gods, this god is noble and wise to the point of being somewhat unusual.

Redma takes you to war, but Violet takes you back. This slogan has unparalleled appeal.

More importantly, the goddess's followers and pastors have been preaching in the North for many years, providing services to those preparing to move to the South, and generously offering strategy and tactics courses to the public, encouraging all participants to ask questions actively.

By establishing good relations with their church, Su Li could already foresee that there would be a steady stream of immigrants moving south from the north and arriving in the border prince's territory.

While Su Li was thinking, Rong En had already introduced the church's doctrine to Xilude in detail. The core of the Sun Goddess's doctrine is glory, which requires believers to always maintain their dignity and honor; respect prisoners of war; do not show mercy to the enemies of mankind; obey the orders of superiors; and do not disobey instructions unless necessary.

He had already begun explaining the training that would follow after joining the order. "As a knight of exceptional character, once you have mastered Her Majesty Violet's teachings, you will likely be inducted into the Order of the Blazing Sun, one of the wealthiest and most powerful knightly orders. At some point in a member's career, a Blazing Sun Knight will be sent out on a solo mission for one to two years to test their knowledge and hone their skills in battle. Many a village, farm, and station has been saved by a young knight stationed there."

"So, Hildre, if you were this lone garrison knight, and arrived at a vulnerable border settlement, facing a massive influx of green tides, what do you think would be the key to saving this innocent territory?"

Hildreth hesitated for a moment, then replied firmly, "I will bravely defeat this army of monsters with unwavering faith in the Goddess. I will show no mercy to any human enemy!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a brilliant golden light descended from the sky, instantly enveloping the entire body of the heroic female knight.

The light was like a shining sun, slowly rising in the center of the training ground, and its brilliant light spread in all directions. Under this golden light, the entire castle seemed to be wearing gorgeous armor, sacred and magnificent.

Countless soldiers and slaves who were in training looked here with wide eyes.

Then, huge cheers of surprise erupted on the training ground: "It's a miracle! The gods have bestowed their grace!"

"It's truly a miracle! Wonderful! Our territory is blessed by the gods!"

"It really is the divine presence! We are a territory cared for and blessed by the gods, and we will be saved."

(End of this chapter)