Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 363 The Armory's Production Capacity Increase and Demst's Strength Soars
After Hilde activated her Divine General state, what impressed Su Li the most was her 40-meter-long, gold-plated Blazing Longsword. This beast-slayer sword was covered with a layer of dazzling golden light, and when she swung it with all her might, the longsword seemed to burn in the golden light, emitting a crimson-gold glow.

If you've ever seen gold being burned by fire, you'll definitely remember it vividly. True gold fears no fire, and it truly is one of the most beautiful sights in the world.

At that moment, the 40-meter-long sword cleaved through the void, leaving behind a scorching afterimage and a dazzling light. It was truly hard to imagine what kind of powerful enemy could withstand such a ferocious attack from a chosen knight.

It's no wonder that in this dark and desperate world, the forces of order are always surrounded by endless evil legions, while the human empire has stood firm for thousands of years. The knights of the empire are truly virtuous and powerful, their strength awe-inspiring. Even demons and monsters would tremble with fear and flee in terror in the face of such power.

This also stirred Su Li's emotions, making him eager to unlock the combat power of a chosen one immediately.

After Hilde deactivated her divine general form, Su Li approached her, gently stroked her chosen-class armor, and said, "My steward, the splendor of the chosen-class is truly impressive and something to be admired."

Hilde smiled gently, sheathed her longsword, grasped Su Li's right hand resting on her armor shoulder, and encouraged him, "My lord, as long as the territory is secure, you will achieve all of this sooner or later. We have the Azure Spikes and the 'Sun Codex,' and divine grace can guarantee your progress and improvement every day. With the Blessed Wisteria Pods still in our possession, even through persistent effort, you can advance to the Chosen God level. Moreover, with the effects of so many extraordinary spikes, your bloodline abilities are extremely powerful and solid. Once you reach the Chosen God level, you can activate your Divine General state anytime, anywhere, making you exceptionally powerful."

Upon hearing this, Su Li's mood brightened considerably. He was right. Personal strength was secondary to him; as a lord, his most important task was to manage his territory well. As long as his territory was strong and secure, everything he wanted could be achieved!

He smiled and said, "Then let's put the armor away and continue our tour of the Hessen Armory."

Upon hearing that the lord wanted to visit the armory, Peros Dragonhammer squeezed through the crowd and arrived at the armory's gate.

The crowd in the square had not yet dispersed, and a bard, disguised as Seele, was giving a captivating speech in the tavern and the square.

The crowd was filled with passion, eager to join the expeditionary force and wage a sacred war.

In fact, the bards were far more diligent than Su Li had imagined; they essentially received an extra three silver coins as a reward from Su Li for nothing. Even without Su Li's request, they would have enthusiastically proclaimed the sacred expedition and the teachings of the Sun Goddess.

After all, the two are a perfect match. The Goddess of the Sun is the human god who most enjoys launching expeditions similar to the Green-skinned Waaaaagh.

At this time, her followers and knights are extremely fanatical, filled with a sense of sacredness towards the war. Any bard who stirs the crowd up during this period, even without saying anything particularly eloquent, can elicit cheers and receive generous rewards. This is the bards' best opportunity to make a fortune.

Even Lord Su Li took advantage of this opportunity to sell off military equipment on a large scale.

In the lead-up to the expedition, the knights' spending was extremely impulsive; they would almost bankrupt themselves to buy all sorts of equipment. This wasn't entirely due to religious fanaticism, but also to plunder and profit. If they could win the war, they could also amass a great deal of wealth through looting.

This deep dive into Mount Oka will surely uncover a vast amount of abandoned dwarven treasure, whose wealth far surpasses that of the ancient tombs of Arabia.

By purchasing equipment and supplies, knights not only increase their chances of survival but also invest in themselves, reaping greater rewards in future expeditions.

As Peros approached, Su Li asked, "The Holy Expedition is about to begin. How are our arms sales going?"

Boros immediately replied, "My lord, since you announced the expedition, our arms sales have been booming. Currently, even after discounts, the price of a fine-grade weapon has risen to 24 gold crowns."

Buying a superior-grade weapon for 24 gold crowns would have been considered a huge waste in the past. After all, 20 gold coins could often buy a full set of superior-grade plate armor.

But now it's really not that high, because the weapons that Black Forest sells out are basically double-enchanted. First of all, Moon Crown Flower is used during the tempering process.

After the Glorious Games, more than 500 knights joined the Black Forest Territory. Including squires and commoners, the Black Forest Territory's population surged by more than 2000, and the number of manors, farms, and villages added was close to 10.

This caused the Mooncrown Tree to grow even taller. This tree is closely linked to the prosperity of the Black Forest Territory. As the Black Forest Territory's strength increases and the territory flourishes, it will grow rapidly. Similarly, its silent growth of one or two centimeters at night will also have a reciprocal effect on the Black Forest Territory, resulting in increased yields in farmland, plumper fish in ponds, and even a faster population growth, making humans stronger.

After this Moon Crown Tree grew so much, it undoubtedly produced even more flowers. And what's even more wonderful is that every evening after dusk, when the Witch Moon hangs in the sky, its branches are covered in blossoms, a profusion of flowers covering the entire tree.

This gave Hela and the dwarves ample materials to continuously produce more equipment and treasures.

On her first night of training, Hela discovered the effects of these Moon Crown Tree flowers. Just as flames represent human civilization, they can produce Blazing Rings and Embers in a perfumer's incense burner.

The Ring of Blazing Flames is a very powerful magical artifact, extremely valuable, and almost never sold to the public. It is kept only in Su Li's vault as a strategic reserve.

What is strategic reserve? It means that in the final battle, you can rely on a wave of upgrades and spending money to allow your army to sweep away your opponent.

The effect of the Ring of Blazing Flames, once activated, causes a brilliant, sun-like, crimson-gold ring to condense on the armor of knights and officers. As long as this ring shines brightly on the lower abdomen of the knight's armor, the knights are immune to fire damage. Even amidst the flames of a burning city, they can ride through the inferno and charge towards the enemy. Simultaneously, they are enchanted with flames, imbuing their weapons with the power of Akashic fire magic.

At this point, any opposing force challenging the Black Forest Territory would be terrified. They couldn't even dream of challenging the territory's elite knightly orders; even encountering a wandering knight within the territory and getting a single, ordinary slash would instantly deplete most of their health!

At this point, how could the enemy not be so terrified that their morale would collapse? Even the Chaos Knight wouldn't have the courage to continue fighting.

The embers, when added to the forging furnace, transform the flames into magical flames—the flames of Aksha. This not only increases the temperature of the fire but also elevates ordinary weapons crafted by master blacksmiths into extraordinary ones, imbuing them with a layer of magic. This is essentially equivalent to top-tier equipment.

It's fair to say that the equipment crafted in Blackwood now possesses properties that elevate it beyond ordinary weapons. Even the most basic superior-grade weapons boast the dual effects of Fire Spinel and Mooncrown Blossom tempering, inflicting a minor fire damage on heavy attacks and bursting forth with dazzling golden light upon encountering demons. This type of equipment was already priced as high as 20 gold crowns long ago, and with the arrival of this Great Expedition, the price has only risen to 24 gold crowns, which is remarkably reasonable. In Maleburg, the prices of weapons and equipment are likely to have multiplied several times over. Keep in mind that last year, before even the Great Expedition, just during the wars in the southwest and southeast of the Empire, a set of Dwarven Elite-grade armor saw its price in Maleburg skyrocket from less than 30 gold crowns to over 65 gold crowns.

Besides these ordinary but high-quality equipment, Blackforest Territory also possesses a batch of extraordinary resources. These are weapons crafted from embers, which are directly transformed into exquisite-grade equipment. Including the effects of the Imperial Engineering Academy within the territory, it can produce 5 to 7 exquisite-grade weapons daily, along with 1 to 3 sets of exquisite-grade armor.

Beros was also in high spirits, saying, "My lord, we can earn over 2000 gold crowns a day just by selling newly crafted weapons and armor. If the preparations for this Holy Expedition can be extended further, we might be able to collect nearly 100000 gold crowns a month. Moreover, in this case, we can also stockpile a batch of high-level weapons and armor to improve the army's weaponry."

The idea of ​​earning 10 gold crowns a month is clearly wishful thinking.

This huge income can only last for one cycle at most. After all, the Imperial Holy Expedition only happens once every few years, and the knights will definitely be going to join in the fun soon.

Su Li was just curious and asked, "Do the knights still have so much spare money to buy equipment? During the Glory Festival, they were almost emptied out by us."

Beros Dragonhammer chuckled and said, “My lord, you underestimate the wealth of these knights. Although the knights seem to have very little money, each one practically penniless, the wrecked ship still has 3000 nails. They pawned all their tools, spoils, and materials for this sacred expedition. Moreover, only about a third of them were emptied out; a considerable number won the final bet of the competition and did not join our territory. These people are extremely wealthy.”

"They pawned everything they had?" Su Li smiled. "They really went to great lengths. What will their wealth be like after selling all that stuff?"

“Very high.” Boros Dragonhammer said excitedly, “Yesterday alone, we harvested more than 20 kilograms of vibranium, and we expect it to increase further today.”

"Twenty catties of vibranium?" Su Li's pupils dilated in shock. He asked, "Where did they get vibranium?!"

This is something that's prohibited from being smuggled, and all the giant iron mines are definitely controlled by the major lords. These ranger knights have no power, nor are they smuggling caravans, so where would they get vibranium?
"This is the wrecked ship and 3000 nails I mentioned earlier. These wandering knights, adventurers, and badland nomads roam and fight everywhere, and they can always find some items or weapon fragments containing vibranium on the battlefield or in ruins. Some people have even found daggers containing precious metals. We have collected nearly 100 pounds of various precious metals during this period."

That sounded good. Su Li then remembered a piece of information from the intelligence report and asked, "Is the Genome Anvil family in the armory? What is their production of Star Iron?"

Boros Dragonhammer nodded and replied, "Their ley line furnaces are located beneath the four King's Furnaces in the Armory. Currently, their Star Iron production is quite considerable, yielding over 80 kilograms per day. Although it's mainly used for armor production at present, there's already a trend of oversupply. I believe it won't be long before they accumulate enough Star Iron to sell to the outside world."

Upon hearing this good news, Bairga immediately said, "My friend, if your territory is going to sell Star Iron, please be sure to give priority to us Gray Mountain Dwarves." "Haha." Su Li laughed loudly, "Of course, no problem, my friend. If my territory has any surplus precious mineral veins, I will definitely supply them to you first."

While he was having a pleasant conversation with Bairga and inspecting the Hessen Armory together, Hilde came to Su Li's side in the evening and cheerfully reported, "My lord, Demst has returned."

It has to be said, his little black donkey is really fast; even the Pegasus Knight might not be as fast as it.

Moreover, the little black donkey's nuclear-powered endurance is something that the Pegasus Knight can't even begin to compare to.

This black donkey truly possesses the characteristics of a living saint, never tiring.

Su Li frowned and thought for a moment before asking, "What was the name of Durmst's mount again? Do you remember?"

Hilde replied calmly, "It's Blackhoof, my lord. Durmst mentioned it once. And I've dealt with it myself; the name is truly fitting. Not only are its hooves black, but it also loves to sneak up on people from behind and kick its opponents with its hooves."

"During battle, Durmster basically only needs to take care of the front. Blackhoof often kicks from behind, sending attackers flying. Its fighting power is very strong, and it may not be weaker than a half-griffin."

It's not necessarily weaker than a half-griffin; that's being very modest. In any case, this grumpy, cunning, and sly black donkey was the chosen mount that Mor gave to Durmst. When it gets angry, even Durmst, the chosen one, has to back down, which shows its fighting prowess.

Su Li said, "Let Durmst come over. We happen to be in the armory; should we prepare a set of Yangyan horse armor for Blackhoof as well?"

Blackhoof was indeed a magnificent horse, especially after it donned its armor. Without Demst's knowledge, few would immediately recognize that its mount was a donkey. After all, Demst's status as a chosen one was too dazzling; who would expect a chosen one to ride a donkey? Only the followers of Mor, a bunch of neurotic fools, would do something like this.

Before Hilde could reply, Demst's exaggerated voice came from afar.

"Oh dear, oh dear, what a huge loss, what a huge loss!"

“I feel like I’ve been treated like a beast of burden ever since I joined the territory, exploited like a donkey.”

"Look at the missions I've taken on. Some involve entering the Demon Realm of Sorrow, getting into a mess of women, and ending up completely drained. Others involve dueling with the Chosen Ones of Khorne, which is thrilling and nerve-wracking. Still others involve entering a ghost ship and purifying a ship full of monsters, a mission with a near-death experience."

"I feel like a stupid donkey, being completely fooled by you, my lord... Ouch, don't kick me, don't kick me. I'm not discriminating against donkeys! My darling, you're the smartest! Don't kick my face, if you hurt it, how am I supposed to go on my date tonight? Darling, don't worry about me, just do your job well. I'll get you a sister-in-law next year."

Sure enough, with his final reassurance, Black Hoof let out an excited neigh, bared its white teeth, and rubbed against Durmst's arm, very satisfied with his promise.

Su Li clicked her tongue: "Black Hoof, you were fooled by him like that? What does his marriage to his sister-in-law have to do with you? I'm more reliable than you. I've prepared a set of Yangyan horse armor for you."

Black Hoof reacted quickly, kicking Demst in the back of the head with a loud thud, causing Demst to stagger back a few steps.

He roared angrily, "I've found you a sister-in-law! Do you think she'll mistreat you? When she rides a little mare, you'll have a place to call home!"

The black hoof's stomp froze in mid-air, and it seemed that what Durmst said made some sense.

Su Li burst into laughter, and seeing this pair of lively characters always brought him joy for a long time.

Perhaps this is the unique charm of the Knights of Mor. They always possess a distinctive quality that attracts the believers and friends around them.

After Durmst finally managed to calm Black Hoof down, Su Li smiled and looked at him, asking, "My chosen knight, how was the trip?"

Demst's resentment had long since vanished with Su Li's promise. Although he had been on the most dangerous battlefields and doing the most dangerous missions since entering the territory, the rewards he received were also the most generous!

Without Su Li's generous reward, would he have been able to gather rare-grade weapons, rare-grade armor, and the Yangyan horse armor he was about to acquire so quickly?

Previously, the territory had only crafted 12 sets of this horse armor, and after the Radiant Festival, the number of newly added horse armor sets would not exceed 3.

Besides the set that is required for the griffins, it is already quite difficult for him to get a set as well.

At least half of a knight's mount's combat power comes from its horse armor, which is a perfect-grade horse armor that can provide area-of-effect burning.

His complaints just now weren't really about the territory; weren't they just an attempt to gain more benefits for himself?
Just like his duel with Khorne's Blessed Knight, Gunther, he gained a lot from the victory, and his attacks became even more ferocious.

The Blood God's blessing is just; besides being the god of slaughter and destruction, he is also the embodiment of human courage and sacrifice. Evil gods all possess the ability to have two sides, so if we remove his violence and bloodlust, his divine role can also be understood as a god of war and a god of justice.

This brings us to the source of the power of the Chaos Demons. The essence of all demonic power originates from the projection of extreme emotions by intelligent beings.

Khorne's subspace nature is not entirely negative; it also contains dimensions related to positive values. However, these traits are often distorted due to their extremism. For example, Khorne's sense of honor and obsession with victory in battle can be seen as an extreme expression of "courage."

On the other hand, Khorne upholds the honor code of "fighting head-on" and opposes the use of intrigue or ranged weapons (such as magic and firearms). This trait can be described as an embodiment of "fair competition" and "sportsmanship," but in reality, this "honor" serves only the killing itself and has nothing to do with morality.

Ultimately, Khorne's followers pursued pure power ascension, symbolizing a desire to "overcome limits." By constantly fighting to surpass themselves, this power worship can be positively compared to the fighting spirit in competitive sports; however, when taken to extremes, it can lead to indiscriminate slaughter.

All of this manifests in Gunther's case: after using the divine spell, Eye of the Blood God, if he wins the next duel, he receives the blessing of the Blood God, making his attacks even more ferocious and violent, imbued with the Blood God's savagery. Each victory permanently increases his attack power, elevating him to a higher level.

Perhaps one day, he will be so fierce that his enemies will tremble with fear, and even a simple axe swing can instantly wipe out most of the enemy's health bar.

However, if Gunther is defeated, the blessing is transferred to his opponent. And it's a positive blessing, representing the courage, strength, and fearlessness within the human spirit. Extreme emotions, violent corruption, and chaotic decay remain on Gunther.

This kind of thing is not uncommon. Both inside and outside the empire, there are people who become stronger the more they slay demons.

Of course, such people often don't have a good ending, and they are easily tempted and corrupted by evil in the end.

Demst's statement in the arena that he felt the burning gaze of Blood on his prey may have stemmed from this.

However, he only fought Gunther once and had little contact with the Chaos Corruption. So far, it seems that the Blood God is not very interested in him. The benefits he gained from winning the duel were positive, and his overall combat power increased significantly.

With the Yangyan Horse Armor, his and his mount's combat power will be further enhanced. At that time, the black hooves will be wrapped in a flame-like halo, and after charging into battle wearing the horse armor, they will leave a fiery trail behind them.

So after Su Li asked, he immediately replied excitedly, "Lord, I have fulfilled my mission and, together with Black Hoof, successfully purified all the undead monsters on the ghost ship and brought back all 12 chests of gold coins. This harvest was truly very rich!"

(End of this chapter)