Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 317: Obtaining the Baron Trial Card Again and a New Legendary Enemy

Su Li naturally agreed with Ge Sen's suggestion.

Su Li felt that Black Forest Territory and Gray Rock Clan were two forces that complemented each other perfectly, even more so than Black Forest Territory and Red Beard Clan.

The Gray Rock Clan lived in abject poverty, lacking ale, food, and even their mining areas were nearly contaminated by the threat of ratmen and undead.

What they lack is precisely what the Black Forest Territory is abundant in. Su Li has always planned to develop the territory into a border granary; the fertile fields below Bjorn Bay alone produce 2500 tons of wheat. Selling half to the Grayrock Clan would be enough to solve their hunger problem, and there would even be some left over to brew a batch of precious dwarven ale. Of course, it's also possible that they would use all the wheat to brew ale, because dwarves can go without food, but they cannot go without dwarven ale. Dwarven ale itself contains abundant energy.

In many dwarven clans, the brewer holds a position akin to a prime minister or logistics officer in human society. A visionary dwarven brewer can even be said to determine the future of a territory. This is because, in many crises, dwarves have relied on ale to sustain their strength and weather difficult times.

In fact, Su Li could also provide the dwarven ale they needed.

When Hilder led a four-person treasure-hunting team to Eliria's dragon's lair, Doglin stole a treasure from the legendary dwarven brewer: Bergman's Flaming Generosity.

This is a rugged flask cast in dwarven brass, inscribed with dwarven runes. Pour in a flask of waterfall water, and what pours out is the barley wine of the Stream Pass. It's a famous dwarven specialty; just one cup, and even a cowardly wretch might dare to fearlessly charge at a giant spider or a rat troll.

Any dwarf who drinks a cup of this Rapids Barley Wine before battle will unlock the traits of [Immune to Fear] and [Fight to the Death] for the entire party.

When this treasure first arrived in Black Forest Territory, the spring water it used was the waterfall water from the emerald valley in the Green Hills.

After a year of development in the territory, the ordinary mortal waterfall in the Emerald Valley has transformed into Rainbow Waterfall.

The value of this Rapids Barley Wine soared, rising from 3 copper coins per cup to 8 copper coins per cup! It was especially popular with dwarven engineers and master blacksmiths. They all claimed that after drinking the barley wine made with the water from Rainbow Falls, their magical powers surged and their minds were filled with inspiration.

To be honest, 8 copper coins for a glass of wine is really not much. In comparison, a glass of brandy might cost as much as 30 gold coins. This consumption concept of the dwarves is full of their simple values.

Although this Rapids Pass barley wine is the second most suitable specialty wine for dwarves in the territory, Su Li didn't deliberately raise its price. Mainly because its production is simply too simple!

All you need to do is find a strong dwarf woman to squat under Rainbow Falls and continuously pour beer into her jug. This is like turning the entire waterfall into a beer barrel at a beer festival; all you have to do is take your glass and fetch your own beer from below.

Su Li didn't really expect him to make money. Maintaining the morale and spirit of the dwarves, spreading the knowledge widely, inspiring their creativity, and making them work more enthusiastically would bring benefits far beyond the cost of a few drinks.

Of course, even so, it can still bring Su Li an income of about 60 to 80 gold coins per month, and greatly enhance the reputation of the Troll Skull Tavern, attracting many dwarves.

Since the beginning of this year, Su Li has taken the opportunity to recruit more than 40 dwarves to reside in Black Forest Territory and become imperial dwarves.

Their involvement has further boosted the progress of Su Li's forging industry and engineering projects.

Su Li also wanted to use this to make a deal with Gerson, so he had Hilde bring a barrel of barley wine, and then personally poured a cup for Gerson, saying, "Chief Gerson, you can try our territory's specialty, Bergman's Generous Flame, which is a type of barley wine from the Rapids Pass. I feel that it is very compatible with some of the characteristics of your clan."

Ge Sen was very bold. He took the wine glass with his thick fingers, tilted his head back, and gulped down the whole glass. The sound of his throat rolling was indeed like rocks falling from a limestone mine.

"Ah~" After finishing his drink, he exhaled sharply, twitching his wine-red nose, and let out a blissful sigh: "By the grace of Granny's beard, this is truly a generous and fiery wine! I guarantee it ranks in the top five, if not the top three, of all the dwarven wines I've ever tasted!"

Dwarves always speak in such an exaggerated way. Su Li smiled and then said, "This wine is very suitable for dwarven engineers. I've heard that your Gray Rock tribe is famous for producing dwarven engineers in addition to miners?"

“Hahaha~” Gerson laughed loudly. He jumped onto a chair next to him and forced himself to look Su Li in the eye. “My big friend, I can see that you’re still eyeing our Gray Rock Clan’s engineers.”

"However, your idea is indeed correct. Our Grayrock Clan's engineers are truly the best in the entire Gray Mountain Province. When it comes to fighting gray, no one is better than us!"

"Have you heard of the Courage Ladder of Dragonrock Forge? It was forged by the engineers of our Grayrock Clan. It stands over three thousand meters tall, a magnificent ladder that soars into the sky, placing Dragonrock Forge above the heavens. This Courage Ladder almost guarantees that Dragonrock Forge will never fall. Invaders can only look up at the dwarven city in the clouds. Anyone who attempts to launch an attack will be riddled with bullets by the massive turrets and densely packed musketeers mounted on Dragonrock Forge."

After listening to Gesen's introduction, Su Li suddenly had a clearer understanding of the Dragon Rock Forge. A dwarven fortress already perched atop mountains, and above it, a sacred place in the sky and clouds?
Visitors probably couldn't see the full crimson glow of this Longyan forge even through the clouds; this magnificent furnace looked like a blazing sun hanging high above the white clouds.

It's unclear whether this Courage Ladder is like a space elevator that shoots straight into the sky, or a massive, spectacular tower.

If given the chance, Su Li would definitely visit this sacred land of dwarves. He felt that the dwarves in this sacred land, by simply climbing the 3000-meter-high Ladder of Courage that soars straight into the clouds every day, could hone their unparalleled strength.

It's hard to say, but in the capital of this dwarven kingdom, there are hundreds or even thousands of champion-level dwarves, whose military strength is in no way inferior to that of an electorate.

However, the Ladder of Courage was a wonder of the dwarves, so Su Li didn't ask too many questions. He recruited so many dwarven engineers to build his Flashspear City!

It should be about two weeks before the Ramsay family delivers the Spear of Heaven.

The construction of this city of Flashspear is crucial to the fundamental plan of Hessian territory's westward expansion; it serves as a strategic forward base. His chosen location is not even within the current territory of Hessian territory, but rather among the territories that Marshal Erstein is currently expanding.

In addition to strengthening control over this newly developed land, it was also intended to serve as a logistical base for Black Forest Territory's war against Blue Mirror Territory and Swamp Territory.

If Flashspear City can also have 3000 to 5000 people, plus the population of Blacksin City, the total population of the territory can easily exceed 10000, and that's just the urban population.

If we add the population of Whiteburg, as well as the various villages and farms, his population will directly exceed 20000.

This size definitely qualifies him as a baron.

However, this process is not going very smoothly at present. At least before this year's assessment, it will be difficult to complete it at the current pace.

The main problem is that construction at White Castle is progressing too slowly; the apprentices at the Imperial Engineering Academy haven't even finished digging one-tenth of the foundation yet.
Based on their construction pace, Su Li felt that if White Castle were to be built, it would take at least 10 years, and possibly even 20 years if things went slower.

Of course, this wasn't a deliberate delay on their part. It's simply the normal pace for a human territory to build a castle. After all, on the Scarlet Highlands, their support consisted of only a few villages and nomadic tribes, at most a kingdom's knightly territory.

The reason why Blackhamburg and Bauhinia Palace were able to be built so quickly is entirely due to the fact that last year, the dwarves from Redbeardburg came to Blackhamburg and gave him a Baron experience card, which made his construction speed soar.

With the expiration of the Baron's trial period, construction in the territory returned to normal.

If Su Li wants to continue his large-scale construction projects, he must find another powerful external ally. He needs to hire thousands of dwarves to work for him and accelerate the construction of Flashspear City.

As for external assistance, Su Li currently has his eye on the engineers of the Gray Rock Tribe. After all, they are relatively poor, and with nothing else to do, all they can do is lift weights and grind dust.

So after Gerson finished praising himself, Su Li followed up on his proud words, saying, "Of course, I have long heard of the reputation of your Gray Rock Clan. Therefore, I intend to entrust you with a sacred site project in my territory, so that you can help me erect the Spear of Heaven on this border princely land."

"You've seen how abundant this dwarven wine is in my territory. If you agree, I'll offer you grain, ale, and troll brew as payment. What do you say, my friend?"

Gerson patted his chest heavily and said with a serious expression, "My big friend, you've come to the right place! Our engineers in Grayrock Fortress are more meticulous and hardworking. If we build this holy city of Flashspear for you, the construction time will be at least 15% shorter than other dwarven clans, and the cost will be more than 25% lower!"

"Hmm, let me calculate. If your Black Forest Territory can help us with defense, we can send at least a team of 1400 engineers and laborers. Among them, the number of elite personnel will be no less than 300."

"Their salaries are around 1500 gold crowns for elite level and 1000 gold crowns for regular level, totaling 2500 gold crowns. Since you are a friend of our clan, you only need to pay 2000 gold crowns. All of this can be converted into wheat, roughly 1000 tons per month, and the rest can be converted into wine, weapons, and dwarven covenant gold. What do you think?" Su Li also took a deep breath. Once construction begins, the territory will be undergoing large-scale construction, which will inevitably cost money like water.

Building a hospital, an armory, a large military camp, and so on, all require thousands of gold coins. The construction of this Flashspear City will likely consume tens of thousands of gold coins!
Putting aside everything else, the monthly salary for dwarves alone is as high as two or three thousand gold coins, not even counting the cost of materials, transportation, and various supporting municipal, military, and commercial buildings.

Just thinking about it, Su Li felt that without 50000 gold crowns, the very foundation of this city couldn't be laid properly.

Therefore, the territory is always in financial straits. It's not that Su Li's income is low, but rather that his expenses are too high.

Fortunately, the Grayrock Clan agreed to trade grain, which, if all goes well, would provide the territory with a market for its grain and alleviate some of its financial burden.

Su Li was quite satisfied with this proposal. He just asked curiously, "What's the deal with you saying that our territory will be responsible for your defense? Why do you still need to purchase weapons from us?"

Arms trade between humans and dwarves is not uncommon, but usually humans buy various weapons, armor, and cannons from dwarves, and even hire dwarven musketeers and artillerymen. Otherwise, dwarves would not generally be relatively wealthy.

But this is the first time I've ever seen dwarves buying weapons from humans.

Speaking of this, Gerson sighed heavily and said, "Our Gray Rock Clan is located on the edge of the Gray Mountains, so we are more vulnerable to external invasions. This has led our clan to invest almost all of its wealth in the military, resulting in relatively backward technology. We can't even mass-produce muskets, let alone have enough wealth to buy cannons."

"And all of this, my friend, you have plenty of in your territory. Your Bauhinia Holy Flame Foundry can produce large quantities of muskets, and you also have a considerable number of mortars. You can sell some to us, and then we will provide laborers and pay for the arms transactions through remittances from overseas Chinese."

Remittances from overseas Chinese are truly an indispensable source of income for backward, impoverished, and densely populated countries.

Su Li didn't expect that Oliver's Sacred Industrial Alliance would pay off so quickly. This Bauhinia Sacred Flame was an important project that Oliver had invested in back then.

It employs a large number of dwarven engineers and master blacksmiths, and not only produces muskets and cannons, but even cannonballs can be produced directly by the dwarves.

Currently, Su Li is provided with 1-2 mortars per month, and it is not a problem for Su Li to sell 4 or even 8 mortars to the Gray Rock Clan.

Su asked out of curiosity, "Are you under a lot of defense pressure?"

Gerson's face was grim: "Without a doubt, our Grayrock Clan faces two blood feuds and external enemies. Besides the ratmen of the Plague Clan, there is also Jasper, the legendary leader of the Nightwalkers."

"Legendary level?!" Su Li exclaimed in surprise.
In any race, a legendary unit can be considered a major force. The force commanded and led by a legendary unit will, to some extent, serve as a typical representative of that race, and its rise and fall will significantly affect the fate of that race.

Otherwise, Archibald's killing wouldn't have caused such a huge uproar between the Empire and the Dwarves.

Su Li heard that the Imperial Electors' Council and the Emperor were furious and sent envoys to the Dwarven High Court to question them.

They might not necessarily stand up for Archibald, after all, the sacred alliance between dwarves and humans is undoubtedly more important than a duke.

Humans are not as stubborn and rigid as dwarves, so a single dispute is unlikely to escalate into a blood feud and affect the relationship between the two races.

But they could easily seize this opportunity to attack the dwarves and demand a huge indemnity.

Regardless, Archibald was the Grand Master of one of humanity's strongest knightly orders—the Knights of Eternal Light. There were very few knightly orders of this caliber in the entire human empire. Since their Grand Master was killed by the dwarves, the dwarves would undoubtedly pay an astronomical sum of money to avoid damaging the friendship between the two sides.

If the dwarves truly refuse to pay reparations, it could very well lead to a breakdown in relations between humans and dwarves during the reign of the High King. Furthermore, if the dwarves face a major crisis, humans might refuse to send troops to aid them.

However, Su Li believed that this situation would not occur. The current High King of the Dwarves was a powerful and ambitious ruler with great talent and vision. He would surely be able to resolve the conflict between the two races with far more skillful means than any previous High King.

It's possible that the emperor of the human empire and several powerful electors might even receive a few steam tanks as compensation from the dwarves.

At that time, the half-griffin riders and steam tanks will truly be able to form a large army of "chicken mechanized" warriors.

This is by no means a good thing for Su Li, because by observing the strength of these electors, one can also see how powerful the forces led by legendary figures of other races are.

If Jasper's Nightwalkers are the main undead force in the Gray Mountains, then their strength must be extremely powerful.

He was filled with resentment towards the Black Forest Territory, especially since they had just thwarted one of his plots.

Therefore, Su Li asked cautiously, "What is the strength of Jasper and the Night Wanderer? My territory and I have never come into contact with legendary forces, let alone undead. My friend, can you tell me more about them?"

Gerson naturally hoped to gain the help of the Black Forest Territory to fight against this powerful evil undead.

The forces of good in this world are always under siege by the forces of evil, and the Night Wanderers led by Jasper are undoubtedly the most powerful evil force threatening all forces of good in the direction of the Gray Mountains province, without exception!

No one knows when this evil necromancer will emerge from the darkness and attempt to destroy a vast swathe of civilization's territory.

The ability to form a powerful alliance is something that every leader of the righteous faction would welcome.

He immediately explained, “The Nightwalkers are the main undead force in the middle of the gray mountains in the northeast of the Black Forest foothills. Almost every human and dwarf settlement has a story associated with them: some stories tell of a friend of a friend who dared to peek through a window when the Nightwalkers passed by and disappeared as a result. They draw other wandering undead into their ranks, empty graves, plunder battlefields, and then Jasper leads a mixed force back to the mountains.”

“This happens almost every year. When both moons shine in crescent form, a crack will appear somewhere at the foot of the Grey Mountains. Old Jasper will set out from there in his hearse, and the great clock on his hearse will summon the dead to his side, wherever they lie. Accompanying him is a horde of undead—ancient warriors who died long before the time of Sigmar. Together they travel along the winding roads of the Empire, through towns and settlements, adding to the horde with their dead.”

"The dead among the Nightwalkers come in many forms. Most are zombies, from the makeshift graveyards that serve the smallest human settlements. The Nightwalkers also include many skeletons, from the battlefields that are always located not far beneath the Imperial lands. Summoned by the incessant tolling of the corpse wagons, creatures from the forests and farms stagger forward on the flanks, while guarding the rear are the abominable mass graves (mass graves), composed of the dead who have been deprived of the dignity of their final resting place."

“Unlike the living, whose populations shrink over time, the undead grow stronger the longer they are left unchecked. Once the strength of the Nightwalkers approaches the limit of a warband, they will return to the Gray Mountains unless something particularly enticing—such as a newly discovered battlefield—attracts their attention.”

"Unlike the warring factions, the undead have almost no organizational structure. They don't tend to maintain dedicated scouts or ambush squads. Instead, old Jasper forms the center of the Nightwalkers, and his paranoia means that the more powerful the undead are, the closer they are to him, while his flanks and rear are more likely to be made up of the laggards and newcomers."

Su Li couldn't help but gasp. The longer a necromancer gang remained untouched and unsuppressed, the stronger its power became. It was almost unimaginable how many [Night Wanderer] gangs Jasper actually commanded.

It's important to know that the undead who went to desecrate the sacred tomb of the Grayrock Clan's ancestors were just a group of Nightwalker Corpses. It was only through a bloody battle that Durmst, Mor's chosen knight, led a large number of high-ranking personal servants to purify them.

Jasper also commands countless "Nightwalker Corpse" gangs. If he were to mobilize all of them, it would truly be a world-ending crisis.

It would probably require a legendary lord of both humans and dwarves to lead a combined army of the two races to defeat his vast undead sea.

And all of this doesn't even take into account Old Jasper's influence. Most of the Nightwalkers were bound by his dark magic, and the links of dark magic aren't very stable. Only the powerful monsters centered around him are the true undead force and elite, enhanced by his dark magic energy.

Whether an army has a legendary commander makes a world of difference in its combat effectiveness.

(End of this chapter)