Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 319 The Formation of Territorial Culture and the Academy
The Hessian Griffin Engineering College is located on Black Iron Ridge Island, about 500 meters west of the confluence of the Blackwater River and the Brienne River. It is surrounded by cliffs on three sides, with only a 100-meter suspension bridge connecting it to the mainland on the south side. The island is mainly composed of black basalt, and the top has been artificially flattened to form the college's base, making it appear from a distance like a steel crown floating in the clouds.

The island's outer edge is fortified with 20-meter-high bastion walls, their surface cast with molten black steel and inlaid with imperial griffin reliefs. At its center stands a cast-iron sanctuary, a domed main castle: its central spire rises 120 meters, topped by a 15-meter-diameter bronze gear sundial, its surface engraved with prayers of the goddess of justice, projecting a shadow that covers the entire island at noon. The interior is supported by massive arches, with stained glass depicting the history of Blackwood's conquests, creating a flowing "epic corridor of light" as light filters through.

Crossing a wide stone bridge spanning a hundred meters, once inside the academy, you'll see a marble statue of the Goddess of the Sun, over 50 meters tall, holding a holy sword and gazing at the blazing sun.

On either side of the path in front of the statue is a hundred-meter-long marble monument forest, inscribed with the academy's motto: "Better to perish in the fire of steel than to live a life of decay." Behind it are engravings of the glorious victories and epic triumphs of the Black Forest since its founding.

Dean Oliver, along with the college's lecturers and senior engineers, welcomed Su Li under the statue. They were originally going to take Su Li on a further tour of the college, but Su Li's attention was drawn to the forest of marble monuments.

He led Hilde, Lauen, and Fandall to read all the inscriptions on the twenty-meter-high marble monument one by one.

The first inscription tells the story of the Battle of the Brienne River Highlands: In the third month after the founding of the Black Forest Territory, Gorgil, the leader of the Goblin Severed Toe Tribe, corrupted by Chaos, led 5000 tribesmen, including vile goblin raiders and three powerful Anaric spiders, to invade the Black Forest, intending to storm the vast plains, plunder the territory, and burn the farmland. Lord Su Li, the Bauhinia Knight, urgently mobilized 50 knights and over 130 armed retainers from his territory. With one heart and one mind, the territories met the enemy at the highlands on the south bank of the Brienne River. The two armies fought fiercely from noon until dusk. The lord, using the Glory Relic – Windwing Symbol, summoned a fierce wind, finally defeating the enemy in one battle, beheading over two thousand, and obtaining the Glory Relic – Water-Repelling Pearl.

The second part tells the story of the formation of Lake Raeflin, a sacred site of the territory. A loyal knight of the land bravely sacrificed herself in the war against the Greenskin invasion to protect her people. Her tears fell to the earth, forming Lake Raeflin, a sacred place for the territory. People who prayed to the lake with reverence would receive the priestess's blessing and protection. The land around the lake also became more fertile, yielding abundant harvests and plentiful fishing and hunting opportunities.

The third inscription tells the story of the territorial marshal, Knight Erstein, who fought for a day and a night and successfully slew a powerful two-legged dragon, with hundreds of people witnessing his feat.

The memorial tablets behind it list in detail the Battle of Khorne's Chosen, the Battle of the Border Post, the Battle of the Blackwater River, the Battle of the Fortress of the Purple Thorns, the Counterattack in the Black Pine Forest, and so on.

Every battle was thrilling and inspiring, and each sentence allowed the observer to clearly see the arduous journey and fierce battles that had taken place since the founding of the Black Forest Territory!
It is precisely because of these thrilling and glorious victories, and the bloody battles fought by Su Li leading the knights, that Black Forest Territory has been able to be invincible, with its indomitable spirit and stand tall on this vast and fertile border princely territory at the foot of Black Forest Mountain!

Looking up at the forest of steles, Su Li couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion, a heroic ambition that seemed to conquer all. He sighed to the three ministers who had followed him since the founding of the territory, "These steles bear witness to our journey of 'plowing through thorns with swords and irrigating the wilderness with blood.' Every inscription is a testament to our glory."

Hilde gazed up at the inscriptions, her beautiful face radiating heroic spirit, and praised, "This forest of steles is truly remarkable. Only when these great victories and glorious deeds are clearly laid out before us can we see more clearly that we have not wasted the past year. The entire territory has even acquired its own historical heritage and shared glory."

What is historical heritage and cultural identity? This moment is vividly demonstrated in the Stele Forest.

Every member of the Hessian Territory, upon seeing the historical achievements and glorious past inscribed on these monuments, will feel a surge of belonging and pride. It is because they personally participated in these battles, building the territory's glory with their blood and flesh, that the territory has been able to stand on this land.

Now, this territory is no longer just Su Li's private property. It embodies the hard work, ideals, and even the entire lives of countless knights and ministers! It is the common home of everyone.

Even assuming Su Li were to unfortunately be assassinated, his son, barely twenty years old and lacking any prestige, would be ignored by the knights when addressing them. But with a single shout, a heavily armored phalanx stood silently before him.

However, when foreign enemies invade, these knightly families will still unite under the banner of the Bauhinia flower to resist the invasion and defend this common territory that is the result of everyone's blood and lives!
This is the true core of a territory, the source of the cohesion that brings countless people together under one banner!

Perhaps this is also the meaning of the academy's existence: they gather all of this together, inscribe it in words, and form a culture and spirit that permeates the hearts of everyone in the territory.

Of course, this concept of "heart and soul" was specifically reserved for the knightly class. In the empire, only knights were considered the lord's own men, perhaps along with ministers and armed squires. As for commoners and slaves, they were merely the lord's property and consumables. Just like the war described on the first inscription, it seemed as if Su Li, with only 50 knights, had defeated 5000 goblins and three powerful Anaric spiders. The contributions of other free militias and slave legions were reduced to a mere mention of "unity of purpose across the territory."

In fact, the contributions of the Free People's Corps and the Slave Legion were indispensable. The number of slaves who died in battle accounted for more than 70%. It was even thanks to these slaves that the Black Forest Territory was able to withstand the onslaught of the bandit chariots. Furthermore, it was they who guarded the priest legion of the territory and attracted out the despicable goblin raiders.

But in the end, none of this was even worth recording the names of the knights, making the outcome seem somewhat legendary, like something out of a chivalric novel.

Like a romantic charge, after the holy relic of glory brought divine grace to the world, Su Li led more than 50 golden knights in a charge that shone like the sun and moon and was as magnificent as mountains and rivers, and defeated more than 5000 forest monsters.

Su Li now understands why the myths and legends of the empire are so romantic and vivid. The older the story, the more legendary it is. It's not because that era was full of romance and divine favor, but because later descriptions didn't detail the war process. Instead, they greatly emphasized the protagonist and his knights, attributing the contributions of many others to them. This emphasis on the main characters and neglect of the supporting characters makes the stories full of legend and romance, as if the gods favored them and destined them to achieve great things and establish their own families and territories.

Of course, Su Li is the biggest beneficiary of this artificial deification movement. Just like countless times in the history of the empire, his achievements and inscriptions make him seem legendary, like a protagonist chosen by the gods, destined to create a powerful Black Forest Territory and start a great career under the protection of the gods.

If future generations read this inscription, they will also feel the power and romance of the Bauhinia ancestors, who, like a legend, created this powerful territory.

After expressing his admiration, Su Li smiled and asked Dean Oliver, "You've put a lot of thought into this stele forest; it's excellent. How about it? It must have cost a fortune, right? Do you need me to approve another grant for the academy?"

Su Li remembered the academy's funding allocation; the first allocation even appeared in the daily intelligence report, prompting Su Li to agree to give Oliver 5000 gold crowns to lay the foundation for the academy.

However, based on what we've seen so far before even entering the academy, 5000 gold crowns would be more than enough to build an academy, let alone construct these main buildings.

Even with a large number of dwarf engineers and ogre construction teams, it would still cost a fortune to build such a spectacular structure.

In fact, Su Li remembered that Oliver asked him to approve three more notes to increase investment, adding 3000, 1700 and 500 gold crowns respectively.

Even so, the project has not incurred any expenses so far. Before the academy was built, Oliver had assured Su Li that, after review and control by the provincial council, the academy's budget would not exceed 20000 gold crowns.

This means that the cost could exceed the budget by up to 23000 gold crowns, with a 15% risk control measure. If the project is still not completed after exceeding 23000 gold crowns, then either Su Li will behead Oliver, or Oliver will behead a series of corrupt officials involved in the project and save the project.

Currently, no one in the territory dares to act recklessly under the iron-fisted prime minister. In the empire, corruption is unavoidable; even in the Blacksin Territory, various forms of corruption have always existed. However, with Oliver presiding over the provincial council, his terrifying authority looms over everyone, and the scale of corruption among these officials and civil servants is relatively small. Oliver has undoubtedly fulfilled the generous promises he made when he first joined the territory—to reform the bureaucracy, streamline taxation, and reduce corruption.

The Black Forest Griffin Engineering Academy was Oliver's core achievement, and he kept a close eye on it. So, upon hearing Su Li's inquiry, he calmly replied, "Thank you for your kindness, Lord, but funding is not currently a problem for the academy. Many corrupt officials and unscrupulous merchants have already generously donated 873 gold crowns to the academy!"

Funded by corrupt officials? Isn't that what you reaped from confiscating their property and skinning them alive?
Su Li couldn't help but gasp. Good heavens, no wonder he's the iron-fisted prime minister of the territory. Working for him not only requires labor, effort, and raw materials, but you could also end up bankrupt and have your wealth go to the national treasury if you're not careful. It's quite in line with the dark and desperate style of the empire.

Of course, all of this was their own fault. It should be noted that Su Li was very generous; as long as they worked diligently and were loyal to the country, their income and bonuses would be enough to provide them with a comfortable life, far exceeding that of most of the subjects.

They insisted on embezzling and corruption, stealing Su Li's money, so don't blame Oliver for robbing them of their money too.

Su Li then asked, "How much funding is left for the academy's construction?"

"There are also 1667 gold crowns."

Su Li raised an eyebrow: "Isn't this more than the funds we allocate and confiscate?"

Oliver calmly replied, "In addition to the funds we confiscated, the Academy also received a donation from a wealthy businessman. This donation amounted to more than 1500 gold crowns."

"Huh?" Su Li was slightly surprised: "How could there be so much? It's even more than the donations to the Dawn Church."

It's important to know that the Holy Pool of Mother Earth of the Church of Dawn is capable of nurturing a large number of nuns. These nuns would travel to various rural villages and farms to preach, guide agricultural production, and perform midwifery, among other things. This is how the Church of Dawn managed to collect 1000 golden crowns from large landowners, knightly families, and some farmers and ranchers.

And the wealthy business class alone provided Oliver's college with 1500 gold crowns? What were they after?
Oliver smiled and said, "This is also related to the Goddess of the Sun and the Knight."

Is it related to the Goddess of the Sun?
Su Li glanced at the enormous religious statue, over 40 meters tall and soaring into the sky, and asked, "Speaking of which, I'm also curious. Why is there a statue of the Goddess of the Sun erected at the entrance of the academy? Is it because of the territory's beliefs? Otherwise, wouldn't the goddesses of justice and knowledge be more suitable for the academy?"

Oliver, the chosen one of the goddess of justice, spearheaded the project, only to have a statue of another deity placed at the entrance. That's quite disloyal, isn't it? Doesn't the goddess of justice mind?
Oliver calmly replied, “As long as knowledge and wisdom are respected, the goddess of justice, Verena, will greatly appreciate it. And as far as I know, Her Majesty Violet, the goddess of the sun, is also the embodiment of wisdom and strategy, so it would be very appropriate for her statue to be erected in the academy.”

"In terms of respect for knowledge and progress, the three goddesses of the South, Violet, Sharya, and Verena, form a close alliance to some extent, much like the alliance between Yurik and the Church of Redmar in the north of the Empire."

The gods of the Imperial Order are indeed distinctly different. In addition to the gods of various regions, there are also some ancient gods, such as Mor, Tar, and Sharya, who have existed since the beginning of the world.

In addition, there are Lanod, Mannan, and some less popular deities.

Their relationship is complex in some ways, but also easy to understand in others.

At least within the Black Forest Territory, these three goddesses have no complicated relationships and form a very reliable alliance. Just like the relationship between the Black Forest Territory and the Grayrock and Redbeard clans, they can mutually benefit each other and work together to resist the siege of the evil legion.

After introducing the relationship with the gods, Oliver changed the subject and returned to the relationship with the mortals, saying, "The followers of the Goddess of the Sun also attach great importance to the transmission of knowledge. In the past, they would preach and answer questions for the people of the empire on their days off. Now that academies have been built in the territory, some abbots, knights and priests of the church take the initiative to preach, teach and answer questions here."

"They established the Radiant Sun Military Academy, offering courses in strategy and tactics. It primarily teaches knights military strategy, tactics, and analyzes battle examples, while also spreading their faith and researching new tactics. It is the highest-level academy in the territory for cultivating high-level intellectual talents, implementing military thought, and conducting war games. It is also the supreme sanctuary for maintaining the purity of thought and the steadfastness of faith among high-ranking knights, resisting the corruption and decadence of chaos."

After listening to Oliver's introduction, Su Li nodded slightly. It could be said that this was very much in line with the style of the followers of the Goddess of the Sun in this world.

Conducting strategic and tactical lessons, along with wargaming exercises, is one of the favorite activities of Violet the Sun Goddess's followers. When not engaged in physical training, the followers of Violet the Sun Goddess conduct extensive military strategic discussions, including the deployment and maneuver of legions, the utilization of terrain, and the deployment of artillery, followed by tactical simulations to improve their command capabilities and combat efficiency.

According to legend, Violet would prepare a special afterlife for her loyal followers who had won honors in her lifetime.

After death, the souls of the faithful enter a majestic hall. Here, they are separated by their ranks of achievement. Commanders find them gathered before a vast sandbox and lifelike miniatures, where they discuss tactics and engage in battle. Souls of former soldiers join the battles among the miniatures.

Those who survive a battle may join the commander's ranks, and even if they die in battle, they are not destroyed. They are just temporarily removed from the game. They can watch the discussion or join another battle.

Therefore, the people at the Lieyang Sunshine Military Academy will definitely promote this kind of course, which is not only to promote the doctrine, but also an important way to combat chaos and corruption.

After all, the corruption of chaos is everywhere, and to fight against it, one needs the ultimate faith to leave no room for it to take hold.

Su Li turned his head and asked, "Who are the professors at the Blazing Sunshine Military Academy?"

“It is His Excellency Rong En.” Oliver pointed to the patriarch of the Church of the Goddess of the Sun in the crowd.

It is quite reasonable for the patriarch of the Church of the Sun Goddess to serve as the dean of this academy. He must ensure the purity of thought and the fidelity of faith of the knights trained by the academy. Otherwise, if they are corrupted by chaos, it will only tarnish the Church of the Goddess.

Moreover, this Bishop Rong En truly deserved the position of Dean in terms of both prestige and ability. He was once a chosen knight of Sharya, but for the sake of the teachings of the Goddess of the Sun, he even gave up his status as a chosen knight of Sharya and devoted himself to the faith of the Goddess of the Sun.

Chosen Knight!

The longer you stay in this world, the more you understand just how powerful and precious these four words truly are.

Even powerful dukes only reach the level of Chosen Knights.

This can be said to be the absolute mainstay of the human empire, the sharpest weapon in humanity's fight against evil.

Throughout the empire, countless knights strive to become Chosen Knights as their lifelong goal. As for the even more powerful Legendary Knights, they are seen by most as totems and symbols, unattainable beings. Therefore, becoming a Chosen Knight is essentially the highest achievement a mortal can attain.

Even under these circumstances, Ron gave up his honor, status, and power as a chosen knight, willingly starting as a mortal and renewing his faith in the Goddess of the Sun.

Therefore, no one could question his devotion and loyalty to the goddess of the sun; he was the most fervent Violet devotee.

He serves as the headmaster of this domain, the hope of all knights in the Nengfu territory.

More importantly, his strength is already quite considerable. After the goddess forgave his betrayal, he is now able to accept the divine grace of the Goddess of the Sun. With the foundation of a chosen one and cultivation experience, he is already striving towards the high-level champion stage.

No one in the territory is more suitable to serve as the dean than him. Otherwise, it would be impossible to let the territory's Marshal Orstein and the high-ranking steward Hilde serve as deans, as they have neither the time nor the energy to manage teaching affairs.

Of course, as the religious advisor of the territory and the patriarch of the Goddess of the Sun in the Black Forest Territory, Rong En was also very busy with government affairs. Su Li asked, "Priest Rong En, you have such a heavy burden on your shoulders. You have to be my advisor and develop the church. Do you have the energy to handle the affairs of the Sun Radiance Military Academy?"

Ron, dressed in a red bishop's robe embroidered with the emblem of the Sun Goddess with twelve rays, looked exceptionally spirited. Perhaps having a career and motivation truly makes one appear younger. This elderly knight seemed more energetic and vibrant than a 30-year-old craftsman or wealthy merchant.

He immediately stepped forward and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Lord. I have plenty of energy to keep up. After all, the academy has two vice deans to help me with administrative affairs, as well as 23 lecturers."

"How many?" Su Li was stunned: "23 lecturers? How can there be so many! How many knights does your academy have!"

This is a knight!

骑士！

骑士！

This is important, so I'll say it three times. These are the elite of the elite, selected through a rigorous process, not just any random kid who gets into school.

So why are so many lecturers needed? Do they have that many students to teach?!
Ron replied calmly, "The reason we have so many lecturers is because we have enough knights! Our academy has 327 knight cadets. Apart from 60 elite knights who are here for further training and preparing to serve as company commanders, commanders, and chapter leaders, the rest are all reserve cadets selected from the territory. In this regard, our Dean Oliver deserves great credit; the probability of the reserve members he selected advancing to the rank of knight is already over 37.3%!"

(End of this chapter)