Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 424 The Abundant Dragon's Nest Treasure and the Application of Mercenary War Dogs

The dragon's nest in the Twilight Mountains still churned with scorching heat, but the atmosphere inside the cave had undergone a dramatic change. Besides the smell of sulfur, the air was now filled with... an air of busyness and excitement.

Under Hilde's command, dozens of champion soldiers and accompanying dwarves from the Black Forest Territory began carefully clearing and moving Drake's mountain of "treasure." The scene was somewhat chaotic at times, after all, moving things from under a red dragon that, although surrendered, still had fierce eyes and occasionally spat out sparks from its wounds, was a psychologically daunting task.

Drake's massive body was curled up in a corner of the lava island. His only remaining left forepaw was carefully bandaged and secured by the priests of the Church of Sharya using specially made fireproof thick linen soaked in healing potion and metal splints. This bandaging method looked particularly comical on the dragon's huge body. The huge wound on his chest was also covered with a thick layer of herbal ointment that exuded a cool scent.

Its enormous head rested on the cold rock, its golden vertical pupils half-closed, filled with intense, unbearable pain and resentment, staring intently at the "robbers" who were carrying away its precious treasure.

Every time it saw the soldiers carrying away a metal ingot or gem that it particularly liked, it would puff out a small puff of smoke with sparks from its nostrils and make a pitiful grumbling sound in its throat, like a big dog whose bone had been stolen.

"Hurry up! Watch your step! Don't break anything!" Sogard's booming voice echoed in the cave. The dwarf god was radiant at this moment, and his powerful body was bursting with amazing vitality.

He was personally using a magnifying glass and a small hammer to tap and bang on several strange minerals, covered in volcanic ash, that he had just unearthed from the depths of the dragon's lair. His face, beneath his thick beard, was flushed with excitement. "My lord! Look at this meteorite iron! Extremely high purity! And this... this is..." His voice trembled with excitement, "Aether! And a large amount of vibranium! Good heavens, this stupid dragon has no idea of ​​their value! It actually piled these treasures together with that junk! What a waste! What a waste!"

Sogard's roar made Drake, who was in the corner, grunt in dissatisfaction and turn his head to the other side.

The preliminary inventory results were quickly compiled and handed to Hilde. She took the list and walked up to Su Li, her handsome face beaming with barely concealed excitement:
"My lord, the initial inventory of the dragon's nest is complete. We will take two-thirds of it."

Su Li nodded in satisfaction. This was far from what Su Li had said before the battle: that they would take away half of the spoils.

But that's normal. The other side has surrendered, so how could the terms be the same as when they hadn't surrendered? Surrendering means losing double the amount—that's a universally applicable principle.

If the conditions are the same whether he fights this battle or not, then our side has fought for nothing.

Su Li isn't Taco; he can't possibly go through a massive battle with his opponent only to have everything go back to the way it was before. Wouldn't that be ridiculous?
Therefore, it is only natural that the conditions after the war were much harsher than before the war.

Then Su Li asked, "Is there anything noteworthy you've learned?"

Hilde nodded: "Drake truly lives up to his reputation as a greedy dragon; the treasures in the dragon's nest are quite abundant. Our main gains from this battle are as follows: there are over 1200 dwarven oath golds and over 40000 gold crowns. In addition, there is a considerable amount of gold that has been melted down and cast into crude gold ingots or coins stolen from caravans and adventurers, of varying quality."

"Five pounds of Ether, one hundred pounds of Vibranium, and over five thousand pounds of various metals and precious metals. The Vibranium is of extremely high purity, enough to forge several sets of top-quality Vibranium rune armor. There are also large quantities of meteorite iron ingots, mithril stone, and copper ingots, which are excellent basic materials for armor and weapons."

"In addition, there are more than 4000 pieces of gems, jewelry, diamonds, etc. For example, there are more than 100 fire stones of different sizes! The largest one is the size of a fist and contains pure fire elemental energy. The obsidian weighs several tons, is hard, and contains a weak earth fire energy, making it an excellent enchanting medium and building material. This will help us create more holy sites, amulets, rings, and so on."

"Conservative estimates suggest that the value of this wealth exceeds that of 80000 gold crowns."

Su Li nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the mountain of treasure, and asked, "Anything else? Something with a more legendary feel?"

Hilde's smile deepened as she turned to the back of the list, pointing to several individually marked items. "Of course, my lord. Drake has reigned supreme in the Twilight Mountains for centuries, his reputation for power and prestige unmatched. Whether it was valiant knights who came to vanquish him, adventurous parties attempting to slay dragons, or warbands corrupted by Chaos, all have set foot in his lair, ultimately becoming part of his treasure, or... becoming skeletons beneath his feet. It's no wonder that over the long years, he has accumulated some truly legendary items."

"First is a perfect-grade weapon—the [Citybreaker] Warhammer. It's a heavy two-handed warhammer, the hammerhead forged from a single obsidian core and etched with the ancient dwarven rune, Granni's Wrath. The handle is wrapped in fire-resistant dragon lizard skin. Its effect is to unleash a powerful shattering shockwave upon attack, dealing extra devastating damage to buildings, constructs, and heavily armored units. Swinging it generates a small-scale shockwave, disrupting enemy formations. According to Drake, this weapon belonged to a powerful dwarven dragon slayer 100 years ago; he was killed and the weapon was seized after the dragon slayer challenged him."

Yes, it fits the background quite well!

A fully grown dragon will inevitably face several challenges from dragon slayers throughout its life.

However, just like the background of the Dragon Slayer, his name only signifies that he is qualified to challenge dragons, not that he can definitely defeat them. To be precise, the probability of failure is very high. After all, regardless of their level, all butchers share the same goal: a glorious death and liberation.

The dwarf butcher clearly died a glorious death in battle.

Su Li picked up the perfect-grade weapon and replaced his Furnacebreaker Warhammer.

The powerful, perfect-grade weapon felt incredibly heavy and substantial, perfectly matching Su Li's current strength.

Su Li, with her current champion-level strength, doesn't need this weapon to have the power of a chosen one; a perfect-level weapon would be just right.

Hilde then reported, "Besides this weapon, there is also a set of the rare-grade Ser's Armor. Although this armor is only rare-grade, it is very famous and is the top-level standard equipment among dwarves."

"These half-armored suits were commissioned by King Thale to be crafted by the blacksmiths of his magnificent forge. It is said that during the Great War of the Goblins, King Thale gave each of his commanders a set of these armors as a reward for their loyalty and bravery. Legend has it that warriors wearing these magnificent armors would instill great fear in their enemies, for the bravest among their opponents knew the terrifying power of these armors."

"In the peaceful years that followed the turbulent period, the surviving commanders of the Thrall army eventually passed away, and these armors were passed down from generation to generation. Today, the armor of Thrall is undoubtedly one of the most precious heirlooms that the dwarven clans can possess. Over time, many armors have either been lost or buried with their last owners, but some have still survived through modern clans."

"The Armor of Thale is a beautifully crafted set of half-body armor. These armors are made of pure gold and are engraved with many intricate patterns. The breastplate is engraved with the emblem of Thale: the face of a strong boar, with a rose between its clenched teeth. Although most people do not recognize this ancient and famous emblem, many dwarves do."

"This armor is a heavy half-body suit, providing dwarves with tremendous protection. In addition, if an enemy launches a melee attack that deals a heavy blow or ambushes you, this armor will fire an energy missile at the attacker, causing considerable electrical damage. Attackers have almost no chance of immunity, and even if they do manage to immunity, they will suffer more than half the damage."

“We believe we can reward this armor to the dwarven butcher or trade it to the dwarven kingdom. After all, this armor has a distinguished history, and its cultural value far exceeds the protection it can provide. If we give this armor to the dwarven kingdom, we can at least exchange it for 2 to 3 sets of rare armor.”

Su Li immediately made a decision: giving it to the dwarf butcher was out of the question.

Even if Su Li gave the Chosen Butcher Sogard more weapons and equipment, he would not leave Flashspear City and pledge allegiance to Su Li.

How to win over these arbitration committee members is a matter for Flashspear City itself. Su Li cannot simply give them his precious wealth in vain.

Conversely, gaining the friendship of the Gray Mountain Kingdom of dwarves would benefit Su Li himself. This armor is a renowned commander's armor in dwarven history, and many dwarves are obsessed with recovering their lost ancient relics.

Giving them this armor will not only earn you their friendship, but also a great deal of wealth.

Fortunately, Su Li also seized a large amount of dwarven oath gold in this battle. With this set of armor and some specialties from the Black Forest Territory, they could form another caravan to travel to the Gray Mountain Kingdom.

The Longyan Forge is incredibly valuable each time it's fired, making it unsuitable for crafting rare-grade armor. However, as the year draws to a close, Su Li has another batch of Ether and Vibranium.

Su Li thought he could perhaps entrust the task to the dwarves of Dragonrock Fortress to forge a batch of even more top-tier equipment. Who knows, this time they might even be able to forge legendary armor!

Now, he has a legendary weapon and a legendary amulet; all he lacks are legendary armor and a ring.

The legendary ring is currently being crafted by Ingrid. It's also time to begin forging the legendary armor.

While Su Li was pondering, Hilde continued to report, "Most of the remaining amulets and armor are of perfect grade, and their effects are not as powerful as these two."

"However, it is worth mentioning that a very special thing was discovered - a sacred relic of honor belonging to the Church of Yurik in Middenheim: the Yurik Snowstorm Banner."

As she spoke, two strong guards carefully carried forward a long, rectangular object wrapped in thick canvas and placed it on the open ground in front of Su Li. Unwrapping the canvas revealed the contents.

It was a massive, weathered metal battle flag. The flagpole was made of dark, cold-weather hardwood, tightly wrapped in finely forged black iron, and atop it stood a cast-iron statue of a howling white wolf, its eyes seemingly still retaining a cold, icy glint.

The flag itself is not made of cloth, but is made of tough, thick, gray-white wolf skin tanned and pieced together, with a heavy iron ring around the edge, so that it can hang down naturally even when there is no wind, showing a heavy texture.

On the flag, the striking wolf head emblem of Yurik is embroidered in dark, almost black metallic thread. The entire flag is somber and practical, devoid of any vibrant colors, and covered with marks of hacking, slashing, and burning, silently telling the story of the fierce battles it has endured.

“Based on our identification and the remaining fragments of records,” Hilder’s voice carried a hint of solemnity, “this banner is called the ‘Yuric Snowstorm Banner.’ It did not originate from ancient mythology, but was forged at the end of the extremely chaotic ‘Age of the Three Emperors’ in Imperial history, around the year 2000 of the Imperial Calendar. At that time, in order to consolidate its faith and resist internal and external threats, the Church of Yuric had it personally forged by the High Priest in the Great Fire Temple of Middenheim, after receiving Yuric’s blessing. It is said that fragments of the helmet of an enemy leader, captured after defeating a powerful Norse Chaos warband, were added when the banner was forged, symbolizing victory over Chaos.”

“Its most famous owner,” Hilde said, turning the pages of the old, somewhat tattered parchment in her hand, “was Grand Master Gustav Heinrich of the White Wolf Knights, known as ‘Black Wolf.’ He was active around the year 2200 of the Imperial Calendar, and was not known for his personal martial prowess, but rather for his iron will and ability to maintain morale. Under his command, this banner appeared in several key battles.”

She pointed to several particularly deep wounds on the banner: "The most illustrious achievement was the defense of Blackfire Pass. At that time, Grand Master Heinrich, with far fewer troops, held off the massive Orkkins 'Waaagh!' at the pass. When the defensive line was on the verge of collapse, he ordered this holy banner to be raised and personally stood at the front. It is said that the Yurik's cult soldiers who witnessed the holy banner displayed incredible resilience, withstood the Orkkins' fiercest attack, rebuilt the defensive line, and finally received reinforcements, killed the Ork warlord, and turned the tide of the battle."

"Another instance was during the chaotic battles in Hawke's Territory against the Norsca invasion. The rebels ambushed Heinrich's troops, and in the chaos, the banner once again became the core of their morale. The soldiers quickly rallied around the banner to form an effective resistance and thwarted the ambush. Later, when facing the Norsca Chaos Raiders who landed, the Imperial Legion, under the influence of the Holy Banner, displayed extraordinary aggression and resistance to the fear of Chaos, ultimately driving the enemy back to the sea."

Hilde concluded, "Without a doubt, this battle banner is a powerful strategic treasure. Its core power lies in its ability to greatly inspire and stabilize morale, especially for soldiers who believe in Yurik. Legend has it that it can grant the Legion's 'rock-solid will,' making soldiers extremely resistant to fear and panic, and even when facing behemoths or the corruption of chaos, they can recover their composure more quickly and maintain their lines."

"【Winter Resilience】Greatly boosts morale, making soldiers less likely to collapse when suffering heavy damage or being attacked from the flanks, and soldiers are more tolerant of pain and fatigue."

【The White Wolf's Charge】When the legion launches a decisive charge guided by its banner, its impact and melee power are briefly but significantly enhanced, as if infused with Yurik's fighting spirit.

“However,” she added, “the records also mention that over-reliance on its power could make commanders too aggressive, and soldiers could break away from their formations in a frenzy.”

“Unfortunately,” Hilder said with a hint of regret, “around the year 2220 of the Imperial Calendar, Grand Master Gustav Heinrich disappeared during an expedition deep into Norsca, and this precious relic was lost with him in the icy wastelands of the Chaos Wastes. The Church of Yurik searched for centuries without success. Ironically, it ended up in Drake’s lair. Perhaps some unknown Chaos Champion found it in the wastelands, challenged Drake, was killed by the red dragon, and it became one of his possessions. Drake probably just thought this huge banner, made of adamantite, fine wolf pelts, and hardwood, gleamed and was a fine trophy, without truly understanding its power and history.”

Su Li stepped forward, his fingers tracing the cold, hard flagpole and the rough, thick wolf-skin banner. The ancient battle marks seemed to carry a chilling aura and the clamor of the battlefield. He felt the immense will of the Northern White Wolf God and the indomitable collective strength of the human legions contained within. This was not merely a powerful treasure, but a symbol of a weighty imperial history and faith. Its value far surpassed that of ordinary gold, silver, or magical equipment.

"A sacred relic lost for hundreds of years... its return is of extraordinary significance. It is also a great inspiration to us."

Then Su Li's gaze swept over the mountain of spoils before him, gleaming alluringly in the red light of the lava lake. Even though he was somewhat prepared, he was still taken aback by the sheer magnitude of the haul. The red dragon's centuries-long "accumulation" far exceeded his expectations, especially the strategic-grade rare metals and gems imbued with powerful energy, which would have immeasurable significance for the future military upgrades and magical research of the Black Forest Territory.

He glanced at Drake, who was still whining and looking mournful in the corner, and suddenly realized that this "mountain cleaner" didn't seem so repulsive after all.

“Very good,” Su Li’s voice was steady, carrying an air of complete control. “Hilde, organize the manpower to sort and pack all the supplies carefully. Adamantite, meteorite iron, fire gems, magical items, and special spoils should be packed separately and escorted by Captain Bradley, Master Sogard, and Eliria, respectively, and transported directly back to the Blackwood Fortress Vault. Other common metals and ores should be registered and stored by Oliver as reserves for territory development and military replenishment.”

“As for you, Drake,” Su Li’s gaze shifted to the red dragon, “I have received your ‘sincerity.’ Rest assured and recover from your injuries, and diligently fulfill your ‘cleaning’ duties. Remember, from this day forward, the peace of the Twilight Mountains is your sole purpose. If you dare to harbor any further disloyal thoughts…”

Su Li didn't continue, but simply patted the warhammer at his waist. The Deathclaw emitted a low, threatening hiss in response.

Drake's massive body visibly flinched, its enormous head drooping even lower, a series of indistinct, submissive gurgling sounds emanating from its throat. All it wanted now was for these "plague gods" to hurry up and take its precious creature away so it could lick its wounds and shattered dragon heart alone.

As the soldiers of the Black Forest orderly carried away their spoils, the lava cave echoed with the sounds of busy harvesting. What could have been an earth-shattering battle to slay a dragon ended in a dramatic surrender and the acquisition of a fortune that would make any imperial elector envious.

This is also Su Li's biggest objective in waging this war: to replenish the Black Forest Territory's treasury with a large amount of wealth, which will greatly enhance the Black Forest Territory's strength and lay a solid foundation for the upcoming war with the Swamp Territory.

Why do so many mercenaries and free militias still eagerly sign up to serve Su Li, even though the battles in the Black Forest Territory can be extremely fierce at times? Naturally, it's because Su Li is willing to spend money; his rewards are very generous, attracting mercenaries to risk their lives for him!
Moreover, not every battle in the Black Forest Territory was extremely fierce. Since Su Li established the territory, there were only two truly brutal battles: the decisive battle against the Green Dragon and the decisive battle against the Blue Mirror Territory, or more precisely, the decisive battle against the Green Knight Legion.

In these two battles, the Hessian territory suffered the deaths of nearly a thousand elite troops and a large number of free militia.

In fact, apart from these two battles, the Free People's Corps and the Mercenary Corps were very relaxed and comfortable in the other battles, serving Su Li and enjoying victory, glory and honor!
Many mercenary groups rose to fame as a result, gaining numerous victories, reputations, and fortunes.

However, mercenaries can't always have an advantage, right? They have to fight one or two tough battles to justify the bounty Su Li gave them.

In the upcoming battle against the Swamp Territory, Su Li still requires these war dogs to take the initiative in the attack.

After all, given the terrain of the swamp territory, if the enemy doesn't respond to the attack and continues to wage guerrilla warfare against Su Li, Su Li's main army will find it difficult to cope.

After returning to Blackwood Fortress, Su Li instructed Hilde, "Before next spring, recruit as many mercenaries as possible to serve us. In the swamp territory, flexible mercenaries are a good choice."

In the next battle, Su Li planned to employ the tactic that Yuan Shao had rejected at the Battle of Guandu: exhausting Cao Cao for three years. At that time, Yuan Shao had just unified Hebei, and Ju Shou and Tian Feng both advised him to first focus on agriculture and easing the people's burdens, then advance to Liyang, gradually establish a presence in Henan, build more ships, repair weapons, and dispatch elite cavalry to raid Cao Cao's borders, keeping him restless while Su Li could take advantage of his ease. Within three years, the matter could be settled.

This situation is very similar to the current situation between Su Li and the Swamp Territory. The Swamp Territory's army is unlikely to dare to come out, after all, they have to cross the Twilight Mountains to harass the Black Forest Territory, and they have to face the Black Forest Territory's powerful air cavalry and a large number of Chosen Knights. Basically, they will not return.

However, the Black Forest Territory could easily cross the Twilight Mountains to harass the enemy. And these mercenaries were Su Li's light cavalry and war dogs.

There's no way around it; with such a long history, there's a wealth of experience to draw upon.

(End of this chapter)