Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence

Since the charming and adorable Sylvana stayed in Blackwood Town, Su Li finally understood how proactive a woman could be when she wanted to win over a man.

For example, she would come to the Violet Bramble Palace every day under the guise of communication, and once she arrived, she wouldn't leave. Sometimes she would sit beside Su Li with a seven-stringed zither, playing elegant melodies. Other times, she would stand in front of the bookshelf, browsing various poems and books, waiting for Su Li to finish his official duties. Usually, she would leave behind a maple leaf bookmark as a gift for Su Li.

This elegant elven maiden definitely had the skills of a 'green tea', subtly and silently infiltrating Su Li's life, leaving her presence in every aspect of his daily routine.

So much so that the ministers of the territory were accustomed to seeing this vice-captain by Su Li's side whenever they came to the Violet Bramble Palace to report. She even spent more time with Su Li than the chief high-ranking attendant.

At first, the ministers would try to avoid her, but no matter how they hinted, she would elegantly shield herself with a book, turning a deaf ear. Gradually, the ministers stopped paying attention to her.

Anyway, there were no particularly secretive matters in Blackwood Territory's affairs. The territory followed a righteous path, with no conspiracies or tricks, worthy of the words 'upright and honorable'.

When the Premier of the Provincial Affairs Council, Oliver, entered the study to report, he even forgot about the young woman standing in the corner, whose presence was not very noticeable. He said to Su Li, "Lord, our Provincial Affairs Council has completed the planning proposal for the Harvest Season Arena Tournament. Do you need to review it?"

Su Li waved his hand, throwing the proposal Oliver handed over directly onto the desk, and said, "I won't read the overly detailed plan. Just give me a brief report."

Oliver immediately explained patiently, "After our research with the bishopric, we believe that this arena tournament should not be held too frequently, so we plan to make it a grand celebration held once a year, scheduled for late spring and early summer, on the first rest day after the end of the harvest season."

The rest day is the last day of a cycle. Under normal circumstances, on this day, the Church of the Radiant Goddess would also gather the territory's believers and train them into militiamen.

"The elite knight competition is our core and focus, which we have named Glory of the Radiant Sun. The champion will receive 100 gold crowns and a lion's mane mushroom, which will directly help this elite knight break through to the champion level. The runner-up will receive 50 gold crowns and a lightscale fish. The third place will receive 30 gold crowns and a consecrated wisteria pod."

Hearing this, Su Li decisively clapped his hands and said excitedly, "Very good, your Provincial Affairs Council has considered everything very carefully. Using the consecrated wisteria pod as the winner's prize will not only attract knights to our territory, but also greatly enhance the reputation and value of the consecrated wisteria pod, allowing more people to recognize its effects."

After this grand event, the premium on the consecrated wisteria pod alone would probably allow the territory to earn a lot of money, recouping all the expenses for this event, including the rewards.

In the past, many people did not understand or recognize the powerful effects of the consecrated wisteria pod. After all, it was difficult to verify the matter of increasing lifespan by one year.

But now that this extraordinary spiritual fruit is directly used as a third-place prize, it will inevitably leave a deep impression on everyone and change many people's perceptions of it.

When people mention the consecrated wisteria pod in the future, they will think of it as an extraordinary spiritual fruit that only the winners of the arena tournament can enjoy. This will be the best opportunity to showcase this spiritual fruit! At that time, more nobles and wealthy merchants will be interested in this magical fruit.

Merchants like to follow the trend, especially when it comes to rewards that only the best knights can obtain. They will definitely flock to it.

This year, the value of the consecrated wisteria pod may increase by 50% or even more than 100%.

This can greatly alleviate the territory's financial crisis.

You must know that the territory is still in deficit by several thousand gold crowns every month. The remaining ten thousand or so gold crowns in Su Li's hands will probably be used up in a few months.

Oliver's next arrangement also fully considered this aspect, and he continued, "We have named the champion knight competition Crown of the Radiant Sun. The champion will be rewarded with 500 gold crowns and a rare amulet. The runner-up will receive 300 gold crowns and a flawless vibranium rune armor. The third place will be rewarded with 100 gold crowns and a griffon egg."

"In all four weight classes, we will follow the traditions of the empire, allowing for ransoms. That is, the defeated party can pay a ransom to the victor in order to obtain a chance for a revival match, up to 3 revival matches. The first to win four rounds or the opponent gives up directly wins."

"As you know, the knights of the empire are particularly prone to impulsiveness. Even in jousting matches, they are willing to gamble heavily for victory. In this highly anticipated duel ceremony, they will spare no expense to win. We can take the opportunity to have the halflings provide loans on the side, and we can also win big. Even a large number of knights will go bankrupt and have to work for us. The scale of the Black Steel Redemption Knight Order can be significantly expanded."

Su Li couldn't help but smile. He didn't expect that his Iron-Blooded Prime Minister would also have the potential of a cunning merchant.

When this grand ceremony ends, the territory will probably be able to directly harvest tens of thousands of gold crowns! After all, all transactions within the territory must be taxed. Although it is a ransom, at least half of it must be handed over to the lord. Don't feel that you have worked so hard to win the battle, but you can only receive 50% of the ransom. That 50% is still a generous reward from the lord. Otherwise, they would have to accept a 30/70 split, or even a 10/90 split.

Su Li immediately asked with concern, "How is the number of people participating in the registration?"

"The knights are very enthusiastic about registering. As more and more merchant groups spread the news, our territory has gathered three mercenary groups and six or seven adventurer teams, as well as members of the Brotherhood. Currently, the number of registered outsiders has exceeded 400."

"Before the celebration begins, they are exploring everywhere in the territory, clearing monster nests, exploring ancient ruins, and searching for the wizard spire and monster tribes in the Blood Pine Forest."

"We plan to divide them into different villages for group elimination. Within each weight class, only 3 winners will be selected from each village."

"In addition, all the knight orders in our territory have also participated in this grand ceremony. Your high-ranking direct attendants have 18 places (four weight classes), the Vengeance Sun Griffon Knights have 8 places (two weight classes, no elite level or below), the Blackwood Guard Knights have 6 places (same as above), the Flame Sun Knights, Crimson Night Knights, Green Field Knights, Fallen Wolf Knights, Black Steel Redemption Knights, Blue Heron Mercenary Corps, etc. all have 12 places (three weight classes). Their champion knights can directly participate in the finals on the day of the celebration. This is a special preferential treatment that our territory gives to the knight orders."

"These knight orders have more places, making it easier for them to enter the formal Lion Ring Arena Tournament, and they can also attract more knights to join these knight orders."

Su Li nodded with satisfaction. This grand ceremony was indeed a good opportunity for the territory to expand its strength.

Each knight order will recruit a group of new people as a result, and they can also take the opportunity to contact the winners of each village and select the best ones for employment.

Su Li continued, "Don't limit your sights to our territory. Promote it more and attract knight orders from other forces to participate in our feast as well."

The scale of knight orders and warbands of all sizes within the empire is very considerable. Some are officially recognized, and some are temporary gatherings of people. They travel around to enhance their reputation.

This kind of grand ceremony is their favorite activity. There is nothing that can increase their glory more than winning in a large-scale arena tournament.

Su Li even felt that he could allow each church to participate in this event and compete to find the strongest knight in their church.

However, the current problem is that Blackwood Territory's reputation is still relatively weak. The strongest knight selected by Blackwood Territory's church may not be widely recognized.

Oliver replied respectfully, "Lord, we are already promoting this aspect. There are still nearly two months left, and I believe it will attract more knight orders to participate."

After saying this, Oliver shifted the topic to another top priority: "Lord, while this arena tournament is being held, another activity will inevitably be in full swing—the betting aspect. We must firmly grasp this in our hands. The income from this may not even be weaker than the arena tournament itself."

Betting, ah. This is very different from the environment Su Li was in in his previous life. In the empire, gambling has already become a daily part of life. Gambling is so prevalent that everything from trivial matters to territorial policies, official appointments, and even the secrets of the castle and the time when the Claws of Death take off from the castle become the content of the commoners' gambling.

Many people can skip meals, but they can't skip gambling. With just one copper coin, gamblers can participate in all the betting content. It is common for commoners to start with casual gambling and end up bankrupt.

Of course, the Lion Ring Arena in Blackwood Town has the strongest gambling atmosphere.

Su Li initially spent a lavish 10,000 gold crowns to construct the grandest knight arena in the territory, making it opulent, magnificent, and imposing.

The purchasing power of a single gold coin in the Empire is extremely high. It could pay for the services of a prostitute twenty or thirty times, and each time you could pick two or three beautiful and sexy women!

The knight arena, built at the cost of 10,000 gold crowns, is extremely large and full of the characteristics of Imperial architecture, burning with the entire territory's desire for blood and glory.

From a distance, the Lion Ring Arena resembles a steel Great Wall stretching across the center of Blackwood Town. Its outer walls are over thirty meters high, constructed from huge stones, each of which seems to have been personally polished by dwarven engineers. The massive structure is extremely majestic and magnificent. The reliefs on the outer walls are lifelike, depicting twelve knights holding halberds, overlooking all living beings in the posture of interrogating heretics, with gargoyle sculptures chained to their bases by black iron forged steel hinges. The Imperial double-headed eagle emblem is not a simple relief, but is cast from molten brass cannon shells by four hundred dwarven engineers, with the shattered remains of the Chaos eight-pointed star under its claws.

Walking into the arena, the first thing that will shock you is the layered stands, which are like inverted war fortresses, each layer supported by thick stone pillars, full of the heaviness and magnificence of Imperial architecture.

The center is a killing field with a diameter of over 400 meters, shrouded by three layers of protection. The outermost layer is a fine steel fence engraved with runes, the middle layer is a giant granite protective wall, and the innermost layer is magical vines cultivated by nuns, tightly binding the entire protection together, ensuring airtightness and preventing any attack from penetrating.

Twelve steam clock towers surround the top of the arena, the copper clock surfaces etched with scenes of past Imperial champions executing Greenskin warlords. When the gladiatorial contest reaches its climax, the clock towers will spew out sulfurous steam mixed with gunpowder, enveloping the entire space in a blood-tinged golden haze, instantly igniting the enthusiasm of all the spectators, causing them to throw countless gold coins and rewards below.

Most striking is the "Well of Confession" beneath the north-side stands, a vertical shaft a hundred feet deep, filled with fragments of armor from defeated warriors of the past. In the confessionals on the well walls sit three battle priests of the Blazing Sun Goddess, clad in heavy armor, to supervise whether there are despicable tactics or unfairness in past battles, and whether any followers of Chaos have defiled this arena.

Last year alone, this arena earned Su Li 673 gold crowns. At this rate, it would probably only take 4-6 years for Su Li to recover his investment costs, and then he could lie back and make money.

Moreover, this is only the income from the arena itself, not including the income from gambling.

The gambling business inside this arena was previously entirely managed by the Halfling Baran Tomborn family. Halflings have a talent for business, and their annual gambling income is as high as 2460 gold crowns.

This is much higher than the income of the territory's prostitutes.

The most ⊥ new ⊥ small ⊥ say ⊥ at ⊥ six ⊥ 9 ⊥ ⊥ book ⊥ ⊥ bar ⊥ ⊥ first ⊥ hair!

Of course, the relationship between casinos and brothels is not competitive, but a delicate and intimate symbiosis. In this magnificent entertainment arena, the prostitutes sway and become the most attractive chips on the gambling table. They shuttle between the feasting and drinking, teasing the men's nerves with their amorous postures, while those wealthy guests with gold around their waists indulge their desires under the dual stimulation of alcohol and money.

Whenever the duel enters a feverish stage, the atmosphere in the VIP rooms becomes even more decadent. The eyes of those nobles in gorgeous clothes burn with bloodthirsty desire. They are no longer polite gentlemen, but beasts dominated by primitive impulses.

The prostitutes know how to maximize their value at this time. They take the initiative to cater to these drunken guests, stroking their skin with gentle fingertips, and increasing the men's desires with their submission and beauty.

The most thrilling moment is when the duel reaches its climax. The eyes of the VIPs flicker with greedy light, their hands begin to tremble involuntarily, and they roughly tear the prostitutes' carefully dressed clothes.

The sound of silk and lace breaking between fingers, mixed with the heavy breathing of men, constitutes a beautiful chapter that nobles and knights are addicted to.

The prostitutes are already accustomed to this crazy game rule. They know how to find a delicate balance between danger and pleasing, in order to exchange for more wealth and chips for themselves.

At this moment, money and desire are perfectly intertwined, forming the most fascinating landscape in this arena.

Although in the Empire, knight arenas, taverns, and brothels are the three essential buildings in every town.

But the Halfling Baran Tomborn family deserves the credit for combining all of this so perfectly.

And the Baran Tomborn family, who perfectly created all of this, only accounts for 8.7% of the operating profits, which is already very high. It means that they can earn 200 gold crowns a year.

You must know that even if their family manages their own autonomous territory, they may not be able to earn 200 gold crowns.

When their family first came to the territory, the entire family gathered all their wealth and only came up with 800 gold crowns.

Because their work is going so well, the Provincial Council has not taken back the operating rights of this casino, and they are still responsible for it.

This arena festival is undoubtedly their greatest opportunity to earn wealth, and the territory must further support their work.

But Su Li would not be overbearing and eat the whole pie alone. The Emperor of the Empire, Emperor Malcolm III, the Conqueror of the North, who once defeated a large number of rebel and alien allied forces in the Northern War, once famously said: "Politics is the means of using interests to win over a group of people to form a group. War is the armed械斗 of this group against other political groups."

So Su Li pondered for a moment and said: "We will not interfere with the arena and gambling in each village. Let the territory's knight families, noble families, merchants, and landlords run it themselves."

"But on the day of the festival, all gambling projects in the Lion Ring Arena must be fully patented by the Baran Tomborn family. Any unofficial private gambling will be fined ten times the amount of the bet!"

Oliver immediately said respectfully: "Everything will follow your will, Lord. Do you have any other instructions?"

Su Li waved his hand and said: "I already know the general situation, so let's announce it according to the current plan first. If any knights feel that it is inappropriate or strongly oppose it, we will make adjustments."

Ah, people must not give themselves too much mental attrition, and don't think that everything can be perfect.

The essence of this world is a huge makeshift team. As long as a large-scale event can be run smoothly, it is already a huge success, surpassing more than 97-98% of other organizations.

Even with the largest leagues, it is very common to revise the league's rules from time to time, or temporarily.

This is the first time the territory has held such a large-scale celebration, and it will be considered a success as long as it can be held smoothly.

Even if the rules are released, it is normal to have something that is not perfect and needs to be supplemented.

Moreover, blessings and misfortunes depend on each other. Perhaps the places where the knights strongly object will be accepted and modified by the territory, which can greatly improve the knights' goodwill towards the territory.

After Su Li made arrangements, Oliver got up and said goodbye, preparing to follow the Lord's instructions, modify the rules, and send them out directly.

After Oliver left, Sylvana moved the book away from her face, walked behind Su Li, gracefully stretched out her slender fingers, helped him rub his temples, and asked: "Lord, is the territory's finances very tight? You know I have never cared much about gold coins, but after all, I am from a noble background, and I always have some savings. There are still 382 gold crowns in my dowry, why not lend them to you for emergency use? Don't worry, I won't ask for interest or anything."

Speaking of this, she deliberately blinked her eyes, with a hint of a smile: "As long as you occasionally treat me to a meal in the future. I am most afraid of bothering others."

No wonder men can't resist green tea.

Such a gentle and understanding girl, even if you know that she has something to gain from you, how can you bear to reject her thousands of miles away?

Su Li waved his hand and said: "The territory's finances are a bit tight, but it's not short of a few hundred gold crowns, I appreciate your kindness. But it's no problem to treat you to a meal, I just have a question I want to ask you."

Sylvana immediately smiled and winked at him, and said: "If I can help you, Lord, I will definitely know everything and say everything."

Su Li didn't hide anything, and directly asked bluntly: "You are a ranger, and you have a lot of experience traveling north and south. Especially since you just came from the direction of Maleburg, how long do you think it will take for us to travel back and forth to Maleburg at the current speed of our territory?"

Sylvana immediately brightened her eyes and asked: "Lord, do you want to go to Maleburg before the harvest season?"

After leaving this castle, the number of female courtiers around the Lord will be even smaller. Her chances of success will be higher!

As a knight who often travels north and south, she knows too well how boring and unbearable the long journey is, especially at night, the darkness in the wild is far higher than in the town, and in the pitch-black night, people will be particularly lonely and lonely.

That is the best opportunity for her to succeed!