Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 327 The Prosperous Lake Leiflin and the Alluring and Powerful Snake Woman Hela
After listening to Roger's introduction, Su Li couldn't help but smile. This sea god Mannan was quite interesting. He was neither generous nor stingy, but he was like a eccentric madman. No one could know his attitude towards his believers in the next second.

Seeing Su Li's interest, Roger continued, "I've heard that Mannan's temperament is so strange because, according to legend, at the beginning of creation, Mannan loved a goddess named Lilith, but she was in the sky that Mannan couldn't reach. No matter how Mannan tried to express his love, he never received a response. So Mannan, who is also the sea, is forever angry."

There's also this legend that Mannana was nothing more than a sycophant. No wonder he needed his followers to have the utmost devotion to him, while attacking disloyal or unbelieved sailors without warning. It's said that no one truly loved Mannana—they feared his wrath, and their faith in him was merely a means to appease his capricious nature. But Mannana's priests also admired his strength, courage, and aloofness.

Meryl Ramsay continued, "In the process of appeasing Mannan, we have learned many methods of controlling the ocean and water currents. Transporting Lightscale Fish is a piece of cake. The question now is, how many Lightscale Fish can your territory deliver to us?"

This is indeed a question that Fandral can answer. With such a large lake, even if the Sunfall spell is used to make the springs in the lake gush forth, it can only affect a small part of it. Even as a druid, he has no way to count the number of live fish in the lake in detail.

So he looked at Su Li and asked, "Lord, we just felt an even stronger Rhea's divine grace near the Spear of Heaven, and the divine magic of the Dawn Box has increased again. Why don't we summon the Sage of the Algae Heart and ask him about it?"

“Sure.” Su Li’s eyes lit up. “I haven’t seen this new Leia Spirit since we returned. Today is a good day to meet it.”

This is truly good news. Unexpectedly, the effect of the Heaven's Spear also works on the Dawn Box. This means that two Nature Spirits can be summoned each cycle in the future, and the number of Blood Sacrifice Farms will inevitably increase rapidly. Perhaps by the next harvest season, the scale of these Blood Sacrifice Farms will be close to 5000 acres. The only thing to consider is that the territory may not be able to keep up with the blood sacrifice materials.

With Su Li's approval, Fandral immediately took out the Dawn Box, which made President Roger's eyes widen instantly: "Isn't this the makeup box from the auction? It's actually a sacred object of Rhea! Brother Su Li, just how many other good things did you pick up at the auction?"

Su Li said with a smile, "There really isn't anything else, just this last one."

As the two were talking, Fandral had finished praying to the Dawn Box. Immediately, energy surged in the clear, indigo lake, and a large amount of water gushed out from the center of the lake like a fountain. Then, clumps of algae and lotus roots gathered from the bottom of the lake, forming a humanoid torso, which then floated on the gushing water and turned to look at Fandral.

Beneath the azure dragon's face lay a desolate and arrogant air: "Descendant of Leia, what brings you to me?"

Fandral immediately poured a barrel of fermented acorn pulp into the lake as an offering, then devoutly said, "Your Excellency, the Sage of the Algae Heart, following Rhea's teachings, we urge you to uphold the ancient covenant and assist humanity in its domestication and development. We wish to gain a clearer understanding of the number of fish in this lake."

A large amount of acorn sap was absorbed by the gushing lake water and landed at the feet of the Algae Heart Sage. After tasting it, the sage smiled with satisfaction: "This young man does know some rules and manners."

Perhaps only a spirit like the Algae Heart Sage, which has existed in nature for an unknown amount of time, would regard Fandral, this old druid, as a young man.

After being flattered by Fandral, it emitted a refreshing minty scent that seemed to have a fatal attraction, instantly causing the entire tranquil lake to boil! Countless lake fish leaped out of the water like carp leaping over the dragon gate, frantically surging from beneath the gushing water.

With the protection of the Algae Heart Sage, the creatures in the lake will become more active and reproduce more rapidly.

The Algae Sage enjoyed the frolicking of the fish and crabs for a while, as if surrounded by children and grandchildren. It even plucked some algae from its body and sprinkled it on the rolling fish like fish food. Then, the fish grew rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Fandall had never witnessed this scene before. Although he had lived for a long time, he had never encountered any natural spirits in his entire life, not even in the year or so he had spent in the Black Forest Territory.

He immediately explained excitedly to those around him, "This is the effect of Vitality Growth. It seems that the Algaeheart Sage used its ability as a natural essence to enhance the lake's nutrients and psionic abundance, benefiting a large number of lake creatures."

This feed is amazing! It's even more convenient than feeding fish in the fishpond. Su Li witnessed firsthand how several fish that ate the algae grew to be even plumper than the bighead carp in the fishpond. It felt like each fish could easily weigh over 10 pounds.

Then, with a wave of his hand, the Sage of Algae Heart sent a stream of water flying like a rainbow across the sky to the shore, carrying with it a large number of fresh fish that were leaping and jumping on the lake embankment, numbering at least several hundred.

“Young man, this is a reward for your sacrifice. I like this lake very much, and I will stay here for a while. As for the question you asked, I have already taken stock. There are 6 Duin Claws, 18 Storm Dragon Eels, 457 Lightscale Fish, and some disgusting cave corals, which I have cleaned up for you. This is the Crimson Pearl.”

With a wave of its hand, it seemed as if a rain of pearls was falling from the sky, with hundreds of pearls the size of hailstones falling with a gust of lake water beside the weeping willows.

"It's such a beautiful lake, it's such a shame that there's so much filth and garbage in it. You can summon me once a quarter from now on, and I'll come and clean up this garbage for you."

A joyful sound came from the nuns on the shore: 457 light-scaled fish?

This number is one to two times higher than they estimated. The lake holds so much hidden wealth; its vast area and the resources hidden deep beneath the water are something that humans have never been able to fully grasp.

However, with a thorough investigation by the Sage of Algae Heart, everything came to light. Including Du Yin Claw, Su Li's impression of it was that there were only two; when did it multiply to six?
Regardless, this is a testament to the territory's vibrant vitality this spring.

Meryl Ramsay was also shocked: "So you mean the wealth hidden in this one lake alone is more than 50000 gold crowns? I am a follower of Mannan, and I have never seen any lake with so many resources."

Fandall beamed, after all, all of this could be attributed to their Church of Dawn. He said with a smile, "It's not that exaggerated. Of these 457 Lightscale Fish, probably more than half are new hatchlings that have emerged since this spring. Princess Phyllis's two Magic Tide Pearls were only recently returned, so these new hatchlings are still relatively small. This is also a major reason why our estimated number differs so much from the current one. We estimate that we can sell around 50 Lightscale Fish."

Fifty luminous fish are worth over 5000 gold crowns. For any caravan, that's a considerable fortune.

Even though Su Li still has tens of thousands of gold crowns in his coffers, this income of 5000 is still quite considerable. It's important to understand that the territory's finances are sustained by these kinds of incomes, one by one.

No single method can make a territory grow big overnight, providing it with tens or hundreds of thousands of coins in a single transaction.

Meryl Ramsay was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately said, "Then we'll buy all 50 of these scaly fish! We'll take them back to Maleburg and sell them using our trading network."

Upon hearing this, Su Li raised her hand to interrupt him, saying, "What I need is not just to sell these Lightscale Fish. Gold coins are not very important to me right now. What I care more about is using these Lightscale Fish to open up a network of relationships."

Meryl Ramsay laughed and said, "I know what you mean. You want to replace Baron Grant's role and tie those dukes and earls to you."

“That’s right. I’m not asking them to switch their support to me right now. At least don’t obstruct my attack on Blue Mirror Territory.”

“No problem! When we sell these light-scaled fish, we will emphasize their origin: they are light-scaled fish from Lake Reverlyn.”

The formation of a specialty product's reputation is quite important. Just like Weishan Lake carp and Yangcheng Lake hairy crab, people are willing to pay a premium just for hearing their names. Su Li certainly hopes that Lake Leiflin's scaly fish can also achieve this level of fame.

Once an agreement was reached, the members of the Church of Dawn began fishing for the Lightscale Fish in the lake. With the presence of Crimson Pearls, the fishing process was relatively quick.

In just about three hours, the nuns of the Church of Dawn brought 50 luminous fish to the shore and delivered them to the Mannan priests of the Ramsay family. These 50 fish were relatively large and plump, and their weight and value exceeded expectations, reaching 6730 gold crowns.

The value of the Crimson Pearls far exceeded everyone's expectations, reaching over 9300 gold crowns. This was mainly because the Sage of Algaeheart had cleared all the cave corals from the territory in one go! Su Li was also quite lucky; his trading partner happened to be a follower of Mannan, enabling him to sell these precious pearls to the southwestern province of the empire and the coast of the Claw Sea. Otherwise, a value of 3000 gold crowns for these pearls would have been considered a good profit.

While they waited, Mary also pushed forward another important task for the Ramsay family. At her summons, a snake woman was brought to the shore of Lake Raeflin.

The arrival of this snake woman caused a sensation along the route. After all, to be honest, snake women could be seen occasionally within the Medusa Empire, but snake women from the far east were extremely rare in the empire.

Even diplomatic envoys from the Celestial Empire of China could only be met in the vicinity of the palace in Talabheim. How much more so for this rare race from the southeast of China.

Under the theme of dragons and tigers, this snake woman is more like a Silla maid in the East. She sways her serpentine waist and graceful figure, like a classical beauty who has stepped out of an Eastern painting. Her posture is gentle, charming, light and elegant, completely different from the heroic female knights in the empire, which makes countless men go crazy to watch.

Even Su Li couldn't help but take a second look; he was a bit of a fetishist too. It should be said that no one could help but envy Xu Xian's ability to play with snakes. Especially since this snake woman possessed such a delicate and pitiful appearance, it only fueled a man's desire to conquer her.

His attire was also distinct from that of the Empire. His long, ebony hair was styled into a high bun, adorned with a gilded silver snake hairpin. A vermilion mole between his brows added to his mystique. His amber-colored vertical pupils gleamed with a cold, eerie light, and the corners of his eyes were decorated with jade scales. The snake-shaped silver pendants hanging from his earlobes swayed with his movements, perfectly blending danger and vulnerability.

She was draped in a smoky blue silk gauze woven in the East, with a shawl outlined in a serpentine pattern of wisteria flowers. The silver embroidered python pattern coiled at the collar rose and fell with her breath, and the semi-transparent nature of the fabric made the curves of her waist and hips appear and disappear, which not only conformed to the subtle aesthetics of the East but also contained a hidden metaphor of sensuality.

What is most alluring, without a doubt, is the emerald luster of her pale blue snake tail scales under the light, with tiny silver rings adorning the tip. This inhuman feature, through careful enhancement—gold powder tinting the edges of the scales and pearl chains wrapped around the joints—transforms her bestial, exotic nature into a perfect object of admiration.

Su Li observed her alluring body for a moment, and suddenly realized that this was the uncorrupted version of the Breast-Torture Serpent.

"Naizi Snake" is the nickname given to this powerful demonic unit by the Imperial Knights. Its real name is Saria Viper Cavalry. They have at least four pairs of breasts, dazzlingly white. Of course, their lower bodies are only covered in scales. Except for the lack of legs, Saria Vipers have all the female organs that should be present, and even more.

Meryl Ramsay glanced disdainfully at the snake woman and said, "Bauhinia Knight, don't be fooled by her seemingly weak appearance. She's a classic femme fatale. We lost more than a dozen soldiers when we arrested her."

The snake woman listened to Meryl's assessment without any expression on her face, keeping her head down obediently, appearing weak and submissive.

Su Li then turned to look at Mei Li and asked, "Is this the master you brought to guide us in spice cultivation?"

Meryl Ramsay has come to the Blacksin Territory with two missions. In addition to delivering the Spear of Heaven in exchange for the nautical chart of the Endless Sea, her other important mission is to support the cultivation of spices in the Blacksin Territory, using the Ramsay family's technology and strength, as agreed upon earlier.

Meryl brought the snake woman here for this purpose without a doubt. She nodded and said, "That's right. The Bauhinia Knight can understand the snake woman as a kind of Eastern priestess, somewhat like the nuns of the Church of Dawn. However, the Dawn Church nuns' divine magic and abilities are mainly for planting wheat fields and vineyards, while the snake woman's main divine magic and abilities are for tending spice fields."

"In the process of tending to spices for thousands of years, the fragrance has been seeped into their blood. Especially for these elite snake women, the places where their snake bodies swam while they chanted prayers would leave a trace like a spice path, and there was a chance that several completely different spices would grow on this path."

Su Li's eyes lit up immediately, grasping the key point: "So, along the winding path she traveled, she could obtain any possible spices?"

Meryl Ramsay smiled approvingly: "That's right, so having a snake woman is equivalent to having a spice seed bank. Combined with the abilities of the Dawn Church nuns, your territory will soon be able to cultivate different varieties of spices and plant one or two acres of each. These spice fields will become a spice estate for your territory."

Upon hearing Melie Ramsay's description, the hearts of the numerous monks from the Church of Dawn raced with anticipation for the future. If the territory truly cultivated dozens of spices across dozens of acres, then its future would be promising! Perhaps, in the distant future, the Black Forest Territory would possess hundreds of thousands of acres of spice fields.

Thinking of this magnificent scene and achievement, the nuns of the Church of Dawn are full of energy; their church loves this kind of vibrant scene the most.

Just as Meryl Ramsay was explaining with a smile, Su Li's calm voice rang out: "Ms. Ramsay, do you know which church I belong to?"

Meryl's smile faltered for a moment, then she quickly smiled and said, "Of course, we've all heard that the Bauhinia Knight might become the chosen one of the Sun Goddess, something that countless knights have been hoping for."

"That's good. Don't try to fool me with those excuses used to deceive the followers of the Church of the Goddess of Dawn." Su Li's words were also very much in the style of the followers of the Goddess of the Sun, as sharp and direct as a sword, showing no mercy to the other party.

"If this snake woman were truly that perfect, would your Ramsey family have sent her directly to the Black Forest Territory?"

It's important to know that the Ramsey family controls more than 80% of the spice trade in Maleburg. Even so, they are willing to take any risks and pay any price to obtain the star map for the Endless Sea voyage and continue to risk their lives to travel to the far east to purchase spices at the end of the spice route.

If the snake women could truly cultivate such vast spice fields within the empire, why would they go to such great lengths? And why would they willingly give such an important resource to an outsider?
Just as Su Li would never entrust the core of both civil and military affairs, such as Hilde and Oliver, to anyone else, in the fields of economy and spices, if this snake woman is truly as strong as she claims, her status and importance could be comparable to Hilde and Oliver.

Meili's smile faltered, which was why these merchants disliked interacting with knights; these knights showed no consideration for each other's feelings and lacked the tact and diplomacy of merchants.

President Roger remained silent, naturally delighted to see this unfold. Their chamber of commerce was a significant competitor of the Ramsay family.

If Melly offends Su Li, they can take advantage of the situation and snatch some of the spice trade quotas from the Ramsey family. After all, no one is immune to the allure of such a lucrative business.

Fortunately, Meryl Ramsay remained calm. She took a deep breath and said slowly, "What I said is absolutely true, and there is no falsehood in any of it."

Su Li raised her hand, interrupting her: "The most successful deception in the world is a lie that is true in every single word! These words seem correct on their own, but when put together, they don't tell the truth. Don't you know that the knights of our Sun Goddess Church are the most capable of discerning Lanod's tricks?"

“Alright. I admit, I did exaggerate a bit. The snake woman’s ability requires the right climate and soil to grow spices, such as in the regions ruled by tiger people. Within the Empire, we have yet to witness a successful transformation of this ability.”

Under the pressure of Su Li's aura, Meryl Ramsay had no choice but to reveal the truth, but she then argued, "The reason we still chose to send her here under these circumstances is because we determined that Blacksin Territory is different from Maleburg. The climate and soil of Blacksin Territory are likely sufficient to meet the conditions required for her ability."

Hearing her say this, Su Li finally pondered, as this was something he was also concerned about. Others might not be able to activate the snake woman's abilities, since spices were indeed not produced much within the empire.

However, the Black Forest Territory is different. Due to his abilities, the level of fantasy in the Black Forest Territory is extremely high, and many lands can meet the growing conditions of various demanding plants. Therefore, it is possible that after the snake woman's journey, some kind of spice will appear, and its seeds can be collected to expand production.

Even if we concede that the current conditions in the territory are insufficient, with the assistance of daily intelligence, he can create conditions to allow the snake woman to produce more spices.

As the saying goes, where there are venomous snakes, there is always an antidote.

So, in the fantastical garden where the snake woman appears, it would be natural for some kind of spice to be produced.

Su Li then softened her tone slightly and asked Meryl Ramsey, "What's her name?"

"Hela Bluescale. She's a very cunning woman, Bauhinia Knight. We suspect her ineffectiveness might be related to her lack of sincerity in her prayers. Whether you can tame her depends on your methods."

tame……

These two words are truly full of wildness.

However, Su Li was confident in this, for the shortest path to a woman's heart was the path of cultivation!

Su Li was very confident in his abilities; he could even seduce her.

For women, whether or not they have crossed that line in their relationship makes a world of difference in their attitudes.

However, Su Li wasn't so reckless. He decided to use a combination of kindness and force, and said to her, "Hela, I know you may harbor resentment towards us. But it's alright, I'm a very generous person. As long as you create enough value for our territory, I can let you leave. For example, you provided us with plenty of spice seeds."

"Can I trust what you say?" Hela finally spoke for the first time since arriving at the lake, her voice a little hoarse, yet with a touch of mature elegance.

“Of course!” Su Li said decisively, “I think you must have learned about this during your time in the Empire. We knights are different from the followers of Lanod; we value promises and honor very much. I can swear in the name of the goddess.”

(End of this chapter)