Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 323 The enthusiastic celebratory atmosphere and the large number of knights

As the Territory Glory Festival approaches, the festive and lively atmosphere within the territory is growing stronger.

It's not just because of the ritualistic aspect of the festival, but more importantly because of the large influx of people from outside the territory.

Merchants, citizens, and servants in the territory exclaimed excitedly, as if knights from all over the world had come to the territory of Blacksem!

This statement is certainly an exaggeration, but for a city with only a few thousand inhabitants, the sudden influx of thousands of knights, armed squires, mercenaries, and adventurers is indeed a huge opportunity and a challenge.

Walking down the street, you can easily see groups of two or three knights in armor and their squires strolling about. The famous saying, "If you throw a brick, you can hit two knights," is not an exaggeration, but a fact.

In particular, these knights were all of noble birth, and many of them would bring several armed attendants and halfling servants with them when they went out, which resulted in the territory being completely crowded with them.

The Hessian Territory had anticipated this scene and prepared four row houses in advance to accommodate the knights who came to participate in the celebration. These were iconic buildings of the Empire, four-story residences. The first floor housed the master's kitchen, which also included a laundry room, a dishwashing area, and a storage room. Next to the kitchen were the master's servants—small rooms for girls or halfling maids who resembled country rats. They were responsible for looking after the master's bedroom and supervising the workers cleaning the dozens of rooms rented out on the second, third, and fourth floors.

In the past, this area was a gathering place for all sorts of people, and many wealthy knights and monastery priests were keen to expand their territory in this area, sending out various teams and thugs to threaten and intimidate the owners of the row houses.

But now these crimes, and even the Chaos minions and cultists hiding within them, have vanished without a trace!

After all, the knights of the Church of the Sun Goddess might not be willing to intervene in these evil things, but the knights of the Church of Redmar are truly bursting with a sense of justice! They always have the maintenance of justice and the purification of evil on their lips. As long as Chaos minions or cult followers dare to appear, they dare to pursue and purify them to the end.

You could say they are the most passionate and resolute, or you could say they best embody the eccentricities of the Knights.

After all, knights always have a sense of mission to uphold justice.

It can be said that as the grand ceremony approached, the landscape of the territory was completely transformed, becoming a place of peace and tranquility.

Of course, this was followed by a lot of fighting and riots. These rough and hot-tempered knights would get together and start duels at the slightest disagreement.

One follower of Ridmar, suspecting Chaos corruption in a village within his territory, followed Imperial tradition and burned the entire village to the ground. This alarmed the territory's griffon and pegasus knights, who, upon discovering it was a false alarm, enraged the knights and villagers, bound the troublemaker and nearly burned him at the stake! Finally, the territory's court severely punished him with over 200 gold crowns and ordered each of the 30-odd households to pay nearly 10 gold crowns in compensation to quell public anger.

However, he simply didn't have that many gold coins. He went bankrupt, pawning his pants, and only managed to collect a little over 30 gold crowns. Of course, he only gave each household the equivalent of one year's income and compensation. These people had only been in the territory for less than a year, so this was barely enough compensation.

However, the court still threw him into the Blacksteel Redemption Mercenary Group and sentenced him to 210 years in prison, to pay off his debts with the spoils of war.

He's truly lived a life of hardship, accumulating over 200 years of debt at a young age, perfectly experiencing the despair of this despairing world. Even as a formal knight, no matter how long he tries to survive, he can't live to 200. He's not a long-bearded dwarf warrior; he doesn't have the lifespan of an immortal race. This means he basically has to spend his entire life paying off his debts from now until he dies.

However, aside from these few blunders, the bigger problem lies in the imbalance between the sudden surge in demand and the limited supply.

The town of Hessen is only so big; it's already quite considerate that it can accommodate 1000 outsiders.

Now, thousands of rough men have suddenly squeezed in, from inns to taverns, from brothels to hot springs, everywhere is filled with knights exuding homoerotic fervor, vying for food, wine, and lodging, and exchanging warm and friendly greetings to each other's female relatives.

Then, because the verbal argument would soon escalate into a more intense fight, this further exacerbated the shortage of resources, as they could easily smash the tables, chairs, and counters in the tavern once they started fighting.

For several days in a row, Hilde and Oliver, the head of the provincial council, reported to Su Li on various issues within the territory.

After listening to Hilde's report once again, Su Li learned that just an hour earlier, the knights of the Goddess of Justice and the followers of Lanod had fought fiercely in the territory's square.

Because these followers of Lanod were swindlers, taking advantage of the population boom in the territory, they inflated prices and cheated outsiders. A fight broke out between the two sides in the square. The anger that had been building up for days between the locals, who were already dissatisfied with the soaring prices, and the outsiders who felt discriminated against, was finally ignited, and a large-scale brawl involving hundreds of people broke out.

This even alarmed Demst, the chosen one who had just escaped from the Demon Realm of Lust, nearly drained of his life force by the lustful ladies. In his words, the ladies treated him with incredible fervor, their sharp blades providing the perfect welcome; the blood he lost could have given them a rose petal bath!
Fortunately, everything went very smoothly. He brought out a Rose of Lust from the Demon Realm of Lust. This rose was so red that it looked as if it were dyed with blood. When the spring breeze blew over its tender and dewy heart, it was like a bewitching flame and a beautiful woman, making people want to use a blade to ravage and ravage its delicate petals.

This rose, a product of chaotic corruption, was unaffected even by the divine magic of the Church of Dawn. It was planted in an inconspicuous corner of the Emerald Garden. Yet its influence was enough to cover hundreds of square meters of amethyst grapevines in the garden, giving the wine made from it a more lethal aphrodisiac effect.

This was a plan that Su Li was very satisfied with. He couldn't possibly turn all the amethyst gold brandy into this deadly aphrodisiac. That would actually damage the reputation of the gold brandy, limiting its sales and target audience. After all, most people drink fine wine to enjoy it. If they were under the influence of a deadly aphrodisiac, they would be very violent and only want to vent, and wouldn't be able to enjoy the tranquility of life.

However, human desires have their ups and downs. On holidays when desires are extremely strong and ritualistic, or when encountering an unparalleled beauty, people will need a bottle of brandy, which is like a deadly aphrodisiac.

These 100-plus square meters of amethyst grapes are perfect for making a batch of specially crafted wine with even more aphrodisiac effects. Its value will generally be higher than that of normal amethyst gold brandy, and may even reach 200 gold crowns per bottle! As the saying goes, a moment of passion is worth a thousand pieces of gold, and there are plenty of noblewomen with strong desires and wealthy knights and nobles who are willing to pay for it.

It can be said that Durmst's trip to the Demon Realm of Seraphim generated at least 3000 to 5000 gold crowns annually.

Therefore, Su Li was very generous to him, directly rewarding him with a rare-grade armor, the Twilight Armor. This was a rare-grade armor forged by the dwarven blacksmith master, Boros Dragonhammer, in the previous cycle. It was a standard gilded black plate armor, in the Gothic style, decorated with a double-tailed comet emblem, a griffin crest, and raven feathers, perfectly matching his Black Guardian Knight style.

The main reason why Su Li bestowed the plate armor upon Demst instead of keeping it for himself as expected was that the dwarves had erupted!
It could also be said that Su Li's luck had turned around, as the Iron Peak Fortress dwarf, Torek Ironbrow, who carried a legendary mission, also forged a rare-grade plate armor, the Bloodforged Fine Gold Plate Armor.

This was entirely a matter of luck; it was just a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse, triggering that extremely low probability event!
He is a high-ranking champion dwarf, originally a gift from the Imperial Engineering Master Franchiska, but the value he has created is now no less than that of the Imperial Engineering Master.

After the celebration ended, Su Li took the time to talk to him about the legendary mission he had undertaken.

However, in the moment, Demst was so greatly inspired that he entered a state of frenzy. Even ignoring his physical exhaustion from being drained by the succubus ladies, he took the initiative to quell the massive riot in the square. Forget the three-year agreement; Black Forest Territory was his warmest, most beloved home! Even if they tried to drive him away, no one could.

The fact that it took the deployment of Chosen Knights to quell the riot demonstrates its scale and terrifying nature.

Su Li sheathed his training sword and said to Hilde, "We can't let the territory continue to be in chaos like this, otherwise it will leave a very bad impression on the knights and will also be bad for the reputation of our territory."

Su Li could understand if some trouble arose. After all, in most countries, no matter how grand the event, there were always problems, such as unfinished construction sites, thieves stealing participants' equipment, and even thieves from all over the country gathering around the venue.

If you're relaxed enough, this kind of thing can be quite uneventful. In the end, it's all just a matter of getting by, and after the celebration is over, not many people will discuss how well the organizers actually did.

It's like as long as I lie flat enough, no one can beat me.

However, Su Li did not want to continue to deceive people like this. He still hoped that this grand ceremony would be renowned throughout the entire border princely territory, and even the entire empire.

Such unnecessary chaos would only make them a laughingstock, and far fewer knights would come in the future. Hilde took the longsword from Su Li, then handed him a cup of warm fruit tea. After wiping the sweat from his face, her handsome face turned serious as she said, “My lord, your recent rise to fame has had a tremendous impact. The battles we won were truly glorious, even legendary. Not only are the church priests spreading your victories within the church, but many bards are also telling the story of the Black Forest Star of Light in the taverns. This has led many knights and adventurers to hear of your renown. I heard that after you held a grand arena festival, even if only one percent of the knights were moved and decided to come to the territory, given the sheer number of participants, that would still be an unparalleled scale.”

"On the other hand, the specialties and generous rewards of our territory have greatly amplified the influence of this grand event. Many caravans, adventurers, and even knights are extremely interested in the armor and extraordinary items from our territory. They would normally consider whether it's worth making a trip alone. But with this grand event as an opportunity, they are more likely to make up their minds. Coming to our territory allows them to participate in the event and purchase a large amount of powerful equipment and items, so knights and merchants are flocking here."

"Our Glory Arena organizing committee has made various preparations and contingency measures, but the provincial council has assessed that all these measures can only alleviate the current tense situation in the territory. Even if the number of people does not increase, it can only prevent the conflict from escalating. However, this premise is obviously not true. Currently, only a small number of knights have arrived in the territory, and the main force is still on its way! We estimate that by the day of the celebration, there may be at least 3000 knights, along with their squires, attendants, servants, adventurers, and merchants, totaling about 20000 to 30000 people, arriving in the territory to watch the competition."

Two hundred thousand spectators is a considerable number for any grand event. Keep in mind that the entire population of the Black Forest Territory is only around ten thousand.

If these 10000 people have to accommodate 20000 visitors, it will likely cause the local order to collapse!

Especially since those who came were all powerful combatants, not ordinary civilians. If those 3000 knights were to launch a rebellion, like during the Crusades, and plunder and destroy their allies, that would be a huge mess.

Even considering that they are a motley crew and unlikely to threaten the order maintained by the Knights of the Sun Goddess, simply providing food for so many gluttons is a headache.

Fortunately, the celebration is after the harvest season, and the upcoming spring harvest will greatly enrich the territory's resources and alleviate this wave of price increases.

Su Li, always optimistic and cheerful, said, "The arrival of so many people is bound to inject extraordinary vitality into our territory. Don't always focus on the pressure they bring; believe in how to turn all of this into our greatest opportunity. Do you and the Provincial Council have any suggestions?"

After handing the training sword and towel to the maid beside her, Hilde gave Su Li a bright smile and said, "The opportunity is indeed unparalleled. Since the last cycle, the total amount of taxes declared by the territory on the two consecutive tax filing days has reached 800 and 1300 gold crowns respectively. Even considering tax refunds, our tax revenue for these two cycles has exceeded 1500 gold crowns. Keep in mind, this doesn't even include the revenue from the sale of various items in the territory. After all, the vast majority of assets in our territory are actually controlled by you, Lord."

That is indeed true. It should be said that the wealthiest 1% of families in the territory control 99.5% of the territory's wealth!
Su Li's own wealth accounts for 80% or even 90% of the wealth of this richest family. He has almost created a wealth recirculation within the territory; the money he spends will return to him in a few months.

Su Li provides most of what the knights currently need, such as armor, props, supernatural items, food, lodging, and prostitutes.

If he collected 2100 gold crowns in taxes, then the various items he sold and the services he provided were worth at least 5000 gold crowns. There's no way it could be less than that; the actual number is likely more than double that.

Therefore, the territory cannot drive these knights away and must treat them well. Currently, each of them is already contributing nearly 10 gold crowns to the territory's expenses. This number will only increase in the future.

So Hilde said, “Our suggestion is to build a large military camp for them to live in. Knights and mercenaries are actually paramilitary personnel; in their lives, marching in the wild and camping are normal occurrences. They are not like tourists and do not necessarily need to stay in hotels. If there is really no room, they can also live in tents. We can allocate 800 tents from military supplies and sell them to them. Of course, we can also vacate some of the military camps in our territory and let them move in. After all, Marshal Orstein took thousands of infantry and cavalry with him, and many military camps in the territory are empty.”

Su Li's eyes lit up: "That's a good suggestion. Anyway, there's nothing confidential in our military camp, so we can just let them move in. But do we have the manpower to move the supplies in our camp?"

“My lord, I don’t think there’s any need to relocate. If the knights are stationed here, they won’t steal. They’re not followers of Lanod and value honor highly. We can just send a few soldiers to guard the warehouse and keep out their dishonest squires.”

"Furthermore, we can separate the knights from the mercenaries and adventurers. The knights will be stationed in our military camp, while the others will be stationed in the Blue Heron Mercenary Group's camp. That large base is now quite empty due to their expeditions. Of course, all of this is charged, and quite expensive. A tent in the military camp costs 1 silver coin per day. A tent in an ordinary field camp costs 10 copper coins per day."

Su Li's lips curled up slightly. Why did this scene seem so familiar?

There are people who would actually spend thousands or tens of thousands of dollars to buy a tent in the desert and stay there for several nights, just to watch a game.

I never expected that such a good thing would happen to me this time!

Su Li decisively said, "Okay, let's arrange it this way. Set aside a campsite for them and let them pitch their own tents. Also, make sure to send heavy troops to guard the Gem Pool. The Blue Heron Mercenary Group's camp is located below the Rainbow Terraces, less than 15 miles from Rainbow Waterfall and the Gem Pool. I don't want those damned bastards to disturb the peace of the Gem Pool and steal the gems inside. Otherwise, Vidag will complain to me again."

"No problem, my lord. I will arrange for people to set up checkpoints and establish a restricted area nearby, forbidding anyone from approaching. However, prevention is worse than cure. There is no way to guard against thieves for a thousand days. If they continue to do nothing, sooner or later someone will sneak in and cause a major breach. We need to find something for them to do to vent their excessive energy."

These knights were all overflowing with energy. With nothing to do and no outlet for their boundless energies, they could only spend their time in brothels. Su Li had heard that the prostitutes in the territory were almost driven mad by them.

There are only similar cows, and no worse land.

That's because there aren't enough oxen. When there are too many knights training day and night, prostitutes will really suffer from exhaustion of their essence and vitality, and die. This is one of the five types of fatigue and seven types of injury.

In this world, no one cares about a prostitute's body; capitalists and powerful figures only exploit every ounce of their value. They'll go to any lengths to survive. In this desperate world, the wealthy and powerful only care about making money, even if their coins are stained with blood. A dead prostitute can be bought again, but if the opportunity to make money is lost, it's too late for regrets.

Many thugs and thugs have taken advantage of the situation to force women into prostitution and make huge profits.

This kind of thing will definitely happen as long as the sex industry is not completely banned.

Since the number of prostitutes who have died in the territory is still relatively small, it is indeed a wise choice to find something for these knights and mercenaries to do.

Su Li said, "Let them go to the Black Forest to explore the ruins and wizard towers. There are a lot of ruins there. If we rely on our own strength to clear out all the hidden treasures in the 1500-mile territory, I'm afraid it will take forever."

"In addition, post another bounty in the tavern: if the knight can provide 50 tails of the Plague Clan ratmen, he will be rewarded with 50 silver coins and 1 Extraordinary Spike!"

The Extraordinary Spikes number in the thousands, enough for Su Li to issue bounties for thousands of missions.

This item is not only valuable but also extremely practical. For knights, it can improve their physical condition, and in dire situations, just one pill can sustain them for a long time. It's practically an essential item for knights, whether at home, traveling, or engaging in robbery. (While knights don't steal, they certainly don't have a principle of not robbing.)

Upon hearing this, Hilde's eyes lit up, and she asked, "My lord, do you intend to use these knights to purify the Grayrock Clan's mines?"

“That’s right. Many of the knights who came this time are knights from the Church of Redmar. Their greatest strength is fighting against all kinds of evil and purifying corruption and erosion. They are very good at this, which is much more advantageous than us doing it ourselves.”

Hilde's spirits lifted instantly, and she said, "I'll go and arrange everything right away. I believe the boiling situation in the territory will soon be eased."

Su Li nodded, watching Hilde's departing figure with great satisfaction. The celebration had been so successful, far exceeding his expectations.

But before he could finish his workout and lie down comfortably for long, Hilder returned again.

"My lord, you may need to add an urgent item to your agenda today. The Gray Market Merchant Guild and the Ramsey family have arrived."

(End of this chapter)