Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 377 The Bone Merchant and the Valley of Memory

After chatting with Luna Deshan for a while, Su Li discovered that the territory and army had much stronger control over the Black Pine Forest than he had imagined.

While he was not paying attention, many ministers, generals, churches, and knightly orders had already strengthened their control over the area in various ways.

This pleased him greatly. This was the effect that power and subjects should have. They had everything taken care of without him having to worry about it.

If he has to be involved and worry about everything, then what's the point of him spending so much money and supporting so many people?

He then asked Luna Deshan, "Since you've been in the Blackpine Forest for so long, you must have come into contact with quite a few forces within it, right? Our current area is only in the western part of the Blackpine Forest. What's in the central and eastern parts? Have you discovered any Wood Elf communities?"

"The Wood Elf community?" Luna Deshan pondered for a moment before carefully choosing her words to reply, "Hunters have indeed heard rumors that they've spotted Wood Elves in the Blackpine Forest, but they've only been seen briefly. However, we haven't received any concrete information about the Wood Elf community. This is quite normal; the Blackpine Forest is extremely vast, and the territory we currently occupy is only about one-tenth of the core area once ruled by the Green Dragons, with its borders extending only to Lake Aisonic."

"Compared to the vast Black Pine Forest, the area we occupy is probably less than one percent. Just fighting against the beastmen, goblins, and monsters that roam from within the Black Pine Forest is extremely difficult. It's perfectly normal that we don't know about the various mysterious locations and opportunities within the Black Pine Forest."

Hearing Luna Deshan say this, Su Li immediately felt relieved and realized that what she said made a lot of sense.

The name Heisen Territory comes from the Heisen Mountains, where "Hei" refers to the black mountain range and "Sen" refers to the black pine forest.

In theory, this Black Pine Forest is at least a province on par with the Gray Mountains and the Border Prince's Territory. It is destined to have a large number of forces and war gangs moving around, meaning there are no wood elves in it. If there were wood elves, it would be a small wood elf kingdom.

Given the strength of the Black Forest Territory, the area it occupies is likely just a corner of the edge of the Black Pine Forest.

Humans are not naturally adept at navigating forests, and the reason they were able to occupy this area was mainly because the terrain around Lake Eisund was very flat and the land was fertile.

Of course, even more important is the assistance of the green dragon Eliria, who is restraining some monsters and confining them to the mining area. Many monsters in the forest have been forced to become her servants and minions, refraining from attacking human strongholds. This is definitely a significant relief for the Black Forest Territory, possessing immense strategic importance.

Otherwise, with the current army and deployments of the Black Forest Territory within the forest, it would be absolutely insufficient to withstand wave after wave of relentless attacks. At the very least, it would require double the effort and the deployment of even more troops.

As Su Li was chatting with Luna Deshan, the clear, loud cry of a giant eagle came from the sky, and two giant eagles flew swiftly from the direction of Black Forest City.

Su Li raised an eyebrow. This elven merchant was quite powerful; he even possessed a giant eagle.

It's important to know that these giant beasts and birds of prey are not something that ordinary individuals can afford to raise; they all require a powerful force to provide resources behind them.

Soon, guided by his guards, Fandral landed on the lakeshore, followed by a woman with a distinctly elven appearance. She was tall and muscular, with tanned skin. Her long hair was held in place by a ceremonial elven crown and an intricately woven hairpiece.

This is a cunning woman who often appears bare-handed when meeting clients, employees, and suppliers, displaying the ceremonial cross-shaped scars that overlap with her childhood burns.

However, she dressed extravagantly to see Su Li. It could be said that the giant eagle's speed covered the distance between Black Forest City and Bjorn Shallow Bay in the blink of an eye. Su Li and Luna Deshan had been talking for so long before they arrived, mainly because they had spent time on her attire.

The elf was dressed in fashionable clothes made by the finest elven tailors, adorned with extravagant decorations, perfectly befitting a criminal boss of her status and renown.

Although her striking beauty was often looked down upon by other elves, and sometimes they would whisper behind Nayadarin's back about how her experiences living among humans had distorted her worldview, no elf could deny how focused and ruthless the Bone Merchant was in pursuing her goals, regardless of whether their opinions on aesthetics were right or wrong.

The scheming woman walked up to Su Li and promptly bowed slightly, saying, "I've finally met you, the great, wise, and brilliant Lord of Black Forest."

Su Li raised an eyebrow, and immediately formed an impression of this woman—a hypocrite.

Therefore, Su Li cautiously replied, "Hello, Ms. Nayadarin. I have heard my ministers talk about you, and I have heard that you are a very powerful businesswoman."

“That’s right, I’m looking for some small items in your territory.” This woman was clever; she didn’t state her request right away. After all, Su Li might not be interested, and even if he was, he might not be willing to help her.

So instead of getting straight to the actual transaction, she started chatting about interesting tidbits, saying, "While I was acquiring items in your territory, I heard something interesting about the Sky Titans. Apparently, there's a living Sky Titan right near your territory. I wonder if you're interested in such a powerful creature?"

"Oh? The Sky Titan?" Su Li said with a smile, "It's hard to imagine anyone not being interested, isn't it?"

It's like asking someone on Earth, "Are you interested in dinosaurs? I know there's a dinosaur near your house, would you like to see it?"

Especially with Su Li's current strength, hunting giant beasts is easy. Even if there really is a Sky Titan several hundred meters tall, he might not be unable to take it down.

Of course, it also depends on whether there are any benefits to hunting this behemoth.

"But I remember that the Sky Titans were all wiped out by the ogres in the Battle of Sky Mountain, weren't they?"

This was the first genocide war in the world. Su Li remembered his ministers telling him about this history and culture, so he had a deep impression of it.

Nayadarin laughed and said, "The Sky Titans were only defeated and slaughtered by the ogres, not because the race couldn't adapt to the climate change. In fact, the climate change in this era isn't that significant compared to the previous one; at least the elves and dwarves were able to survive, let alone the Sky Titans, who are even stronger individually and more adaptable."

“I know that there is a simple map in the Micous, on the second floor of the basement of the Medici Manor castle in your territory. This map is from the work of the famous sage Aruf Barnes, and I think it will answer your curiosity.”

"The Medici Estate?" Su Li raised an eyebrow, having no recollection of the estate.

Seeing this, Luna Deshan took the initiative to introduce, "The Medici Manor is a manor built by your knight Jeff Hoffman in the Bloodpine Forest. Its castle is a mountain fortress on Bloodpine Mountain. This family is famous for participating in the siege of the Chosen Monster, the Chaos Beast, the Chimera. The family knights are brave and skilled in battle, and are proficient in using bows and arrows. Almost all members of the family also serve as rangers in the Bloodpine Forest. Their manor has a mead mill and a carpentry workshop, and is famous for producing forest mead, exquisite log furniture, and bloodpine wood."

“Oh, Jeff Hoffman, I remember this knight. He’s an elite knight who fought alongside the Beast Slayer Gerald!” This also shows that an elite knight can gain enough by fighting alongside Su Li for a long time. He’s not even old yet, and he’s already bought a piece of land in the territory of Black Forest and built a small manor nestled against the mountains and by the water.

This Medici Manor certainly can't compare to Su Li's Bauhinia Manor and Bauhinia Palace, but it's still an excellent home for an elite knight.

How many people can own their own kingdom in a beautiful, secluded place while they are still in their prime?

That was a knight's manor, with a population of at least 30 to 40, and possibly as many as 100. Within this manor, he was the supreme master, and the fate of every single person was in his hands.

Moreover, he also had his own armed squires. The entire family of several knights, plus about 20 armed squires, were enough to form a sizable fighting force.

At least if he wanted to attack a howling beast horde of 50 or more, or a goblin camp or kobold lair, he would have absolutely no problem.

His family alone was enough to expand the territory in the area, which is why he had a lot of witchcraft tools, mysterious treasures, and spoils of war.

Su Li then looked at Nayadarin and said, "Your intelligence is also quite impressive. You even know the blueprints hidden in the treasure chest in the secret room on the second basement floor of the Medici Manor." Nayadarin replied frankly, "That's because I'm very interested in the ancient past. This map records the location of the last surviving Sky Titan."

"Hmm?" Su Li finally put down his fishing rod, turned around and leaned back in the wooden chair, looking directly at Nayadarin, and said, "You have successfully piqued my interest. Now you can tell me more about this simple map."

Seeing that Su Li was finally attracted, Nayadarin immediately began to explain in detail: "Long ago, a wise man who traveled from Terrabheim boarded a prototype of the dwarven flying device and went to investigate wonders around the world. Fifty years have passed, and they have not returned. Most people believe that they have disappeared—provided that they can remember that a wise man once left. However, this wise man eventually returned, dragging his old and withered body, speaking a language that sounded both primitive and somewhat refined."

"She returned with a map so far from Terrabheim that most people assumed she had simply spent the last few decades in the border princely territory drinking up her expedition funds. In reality, the map supposedly showed the location of the last surviving Sky Titan, whose mountain home had nearly been blown away from the world while fleeing the influence of ogres and gluttons. Most people thought she had gone mad, but when she died a few months after the height of summer, Terrabheim was plunged into a three-day, three-night saltwater storm."

"The proud nobles of the capital were uninterested in all this, but adventurous adventurers stole the map and followed its route to the Black Pine Forest. From then on, the map vanished from the world's sight. Some say it died under the twisted shadows of the Black Forest, others say it was torn apart by monsters and disappeared into the Brienne River. Over the long years, all of this was almost completely forgotten. However, not long ago, my spies heard of its new whereabouts, appearing in the secret chambers of your knights."

"And although it is not an artifact of the Elven race, I am very interested in it and hope to discuss the ancient times of the Elven race with the Sky Titan, and perhaps even learn the secret of how to make large landmasses move in the air."

"But I must admit that the knights of your territory are incredibly powerful. I have sent several adventure teams and Lanod followers to try to retrieve this map, but all have failed."

kindness?
There really is information about the Sky Titan?
Su Li didn't hold any mythical significance for the Sky Titans. After all, they had been nearly wiped out by the Great Glutton and its ogres, so the one who escaped alone probably wouldn't be very powerful. At most, it would be legendary level, definitely not demigod.

Moreover, many knights of the Black Forest Territory may have seen it, and a certain mountain range in the Black Pine Forest might be its incarnation.

Hilder mentioned that when she led her treasure-hunting team to the dragon's lair, they encountered mountain giants disguised as small hills on the way. There have long been rumors that these giants are the less intelligent descendants of the Sky Titans.

That's why there are so many giants around the Black Forest Territory. During the last war, Su Li discovered that the Green Dragon Legion had an unbelievably large number of giants.

However, Su Li wasn't too concerned about whether it was as mythical as it seemed. What he was interested in was whether this Titan possessed any ancient spiritual plants.

As a sage and living fossil who has lived for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, and a recorder of the changes in the Black Pine Forest, it is very likely that it was already here when the High Elves withdrew from the colony, silently watching everything.

Therefore, if there are any spiritual plants or forgotten spiritual plant seeds in the Black Pine Forest, it is the most likely to know, or it may secretly hide many seeds and spiritual plants when people are not paying attention.

What Nayadarin wants to communicate with it is probably far more than just the ancient times of the elves.

However, although Su Li was interested, he couldn't reveal his intentions directly, so he smiled and said to Nayadarin, "But it's no use telling me all this. The map is in the hands of Sir Jeff Hoffman. My territory guarantees the inviolability of private property, and I can't make him hand over the map for you to see."

Naya Darin was utterly helpless; this lord really would say anything to refuse.

When she was young, she might have believed in the sanctity of private property, but after witnessing the unscrupulous actions of so many nobles and merchants, it would be idiotic for her to still believe in that.

Even a fine could bankrupt the richest man in the territory and land him in prison.

Whether property is sacred or not depends entirely on whether these wolves want to target you. Once they have their eye on you, wealthy merchants are nothing more than fat sheep.

But she couldn't refute Su Li's words, and could only say, "Of course, of course, we all know that you, Lord, are committed to maintaining the fairness of the law and the equity of the territory, and ensuring the safety and freedom of everyone."

“But you are the lord of the Jeff Hoffman family. If you are interested, I think the Hoffman family would be very happy to show you this map.”

"Moreover, we are willing to search for the old days with you. If you can also let us see the ancient Sky Titan, we can invite you to visit the Valley of Memories."

Valley of Memories!

Su Li's eyes suddenly lit up. This Valley of Memories was the most important reason why he came into contact with Nayadarin Frostwood!
This is one of the most fantastical and sacred places in the Black Pine Forest, and also one of the greatest opportunities in the Black Pine Forest. It is said that it contains the remains of a large number of soldiers from the peak of the High Elves.

Su Li wasn't going to raid tombs or dig for treasure, but leaving this mass grave unattended was definitely not an option. There were a large number of undead wandering outside the Valley of Memories, and if the Night Wandering Corpses found the Valley of Memories, the situation would be completely ruined.

The knights of the Mordred were experts in this area; their church even had a Corpse-Sunning Festival, where every 10 years they would pull the corpses out of their graves to sunbathe, thus reinforcing the Mordred magic and ensuring that important remains would not be defiled by the dead.

Some elves, whose souls are successfully delivered to the realm of the dead, find complete release and peace, leaving behind abundant opportunities and gifts. These include their weapons, treasured magical artifacts, and precious gems.

That was a treasure from the elves' most glorious era! Even keeping just one percent of it would be an immense fortune, possibly far exceeding all the wealth the entire Black Forest Territory has ever accumulated!
So Su Li immediately asked with great interest, "Are you inviting us to visit the Valley of Memories? What kind of place is that?"

Nayadarin didn't offer mindless flattery; instead, his tone was solemn and awe-inspiring as he said, "Deep within the Black Pine Forest—a forest renowned for its secluded clearings and shadowy valleys—lies a valley trapped in an almost impenetrable darkness, like an endless twilight. There, paths twist and turn, and time flows in a strange way: as people often say, you turn a corner here and see another version of yourself in the distance turning a similar corner. This is the Valley of Memory, a place filled with magic. Without my guidance, anyone who enters here will be lost in the long river of time and space out of place."

"The Valley of Memory is widely known in folklore—some claiming it is the origin of the Imperials' sense of déjà vu—but it was actually a mass grave for the Elves, burying those who perished at the end of the War of Longbeard. The surviving Elves, in their retreat, cast a spell on the countless fallen soldiers, preventing their bodies from decaying and their minds from fading into death, until the Elves returned and took their corpses back to Ulthuan. However, since then, countless ages have passed, and the earth has covered these neither-living-nor-death elves, and towering trees have pierced and draped over their bodies. Now, this entire place is haunted by the dreams of fallen soldiers on the verge of death."

"People often seek out the Valley of Memories in search of knowledge of the past, for the elves left underground dream of what they remember from their lives: ancient elven cities, ancient deals with early humans, and the terrible atrocities of the Great Rupture and the War of Revenge. The Valley of Memories can offer much to those willing to risk their reason, though they will soon discover that their dreams are no longer their own."

"Within the Valley of Memory are a few buildings and a single community dedicated to the elven gods: Radlia, Lilith, and Molay-Hogg. These elves, also known as the Rock People, attempted to record the dreams given to them by slumbering soldiers through statues, hoping to piece together the true timeline of the old world before the War of the Longbeard. However, they almost all went irreversibly insane in the same way. Surrounded by them and entertained by them, I often meditated in silence, thus discovering the ability to access the dreams of my spies. I can use this to communicate over long distances and issue instructions and orders on the battlefield."

"I imagine all of this must be of great importance to your territory and military as well!"

Hiss~ Su Li immediately took a deep breath!

He knew that the Valley of Memories was very powerful; otherwise, the Daily Intelligence wouldn't have devoted so much space to introducing this opportunity and bringing him into contact with the Bone Merchant, Nayadarin Frostwood.

But he really didn't expect that the Valley of Memories would be so powerful!

Isn't that Mor's divine power?

Mor's magical abilities allowed him to enlighten the knights and infiltrate the dreams of the believers.

But this Valley of Memories allows Nayadarin Frostfore to enter the dreams of her spies. And you must understand, her spies are spread all over the world.

However, she was able to use this method to contact her subordinates and issue orders.

This feels like a mysterious level of ability, forcibly convening a meeting.

Moreover, this ability is extremely helpful for military command. In the future, it will be possible to conduct long-distance communication through meditation and issue instructions and orders through the confines of pickled mustard tubers!
This may not be of much help to the Hessian territory at the current stage, since it has a total of more than 2000 infantry and cavalry, and can command messengers, banners, and military music.

However, as the Black Forest Army grows stronger, and when it expands to 10000 men, or when it engages in a decisive battle with the main force of the Night Wanderers, then this ability to issue orders in real time will be incomparably useful!
(End of this chapter)