Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 433: Scenes of the Territories Along the Way to Maleburg and the Shadow of War

After Su Li decided to go to Maleburg, the ministers of Hessen Territory quickly and efficiently arranged everything.

Black Forest Territory is now teeming with talent, and Su Li, with the assistance of his intelligence system, is able to select and appoint capable individuals.

His iron-fisted prime minister, Oliver, was Verena's chosen one, possessing exceptional abilities in domestic governance and the selection and appointment of officials.

All of this made the Hessian Territory extremely efficient; the preparations for departure and military deployments were completed in less than a short period of time.

The chill of early spring had not yet completely faded, but the square in front of the Forbidden City was already brightly lit and bustling with activity. Huge bonfires crackled, dispelling the morning mist and illuminating busy figures and the well-equipped procession. The air was filled with the scents of leather, metal, horses, and a barely perceptible excitement—the aroma of wealth and opportunity.

Su Li stood atop the towering palace steps, overlooking the massive caravan. At its heart was the remarkable "Golden Bread Cart" caravan from the Black Forest Territory, Su Li's favored caravan.

At this moment, Baggins Brandy Gingerbread was energetically directing the halflings in the final inventory and binding. A line of wagons, laden with amethyst gold brandy, craft beer, fine furs, rare timber, and processed agricultural products, rolled along.

Meanwhile, the busy attendants couldn't help but glance enviously at the sky above the plaza. What attracted them was the powerful, proud, and arrogant air cavalry of the Black Forest Territory. Their dedicated air cavalry hovering area above the plaza was now vastly different in size from last year.

Last year, Su Li was accompanied only by two Pegasus Knights, Ariana and Fastrick. This year, however, the number of Pegasus Knights has soared to 10.

More importantly, alongside these pegasus were large numbers of griffin troops and griffin riders.

There are as many as 24 people, including horse vultures and griffins!
These air cavalrymen were all clad in perfect-grade [Blazing Sun Horse Armor], and the knights wore various dazzling golden armors, with a large number of rare-grade armors among them.

Compared to regular cavalry, these powerful air cavalrymen were much more robust, their mounts gleaming with feathers, and their eyes sharp. They were equipped with saddles and armor meticulously crafted by the dwarves, perfectly suited to the charging posture of griffins. The knights were armed with heavy lances, flails, and sturdy kite-shaped shields; they were the absolute main force tearing through enemy air lines and diving to strike ground targets. Hilder, as the air cavalry commander, rode atop an exceptionally magnificent silver-maned griffin with a thick, silver mane, giving this main force a final address, her voice clear and powerful.

Ten winged horses circled gracefully above the plaza, their white wings reflecting a soft glow from the campfire, like angels in flight. Nearby, more than twenty horse vultures and griffins exuded the ferocious aura of kings of raptors, their occasional low growls making even the horses on the ground uneasy. Thirty-four air cavalrymen stood ready, a force unmatched by any single power in the border princely territory. Well-equipped and disciplined, they were capable of forming a formidable battle group against aerial threats, providing comprehensive protection and fire support for ground caravans. This air force itself was the most direct proof of the Black Forest Territory's leap in strength and one of the greatest guarantees of safety for this journey.

On the ground, Foreign Minister Hatzig was gathered with Baggins, the leader of the Golden Bread Cart, Haimis of the Gay Friends Club, and Ashfield, the halfling hero, discussing in hushed tones their initial strategy for entering Maleburg and the chambers of commerce they might contact.

Agriculture Minister Fandral stood nearby, inspecting the packaging of several boxes of high-quality seed samples and soil conditioners intended for display. The elf Sylvanas, dressed in practical yet elegant travel attire, stood a short distance away, her gaze calmly sweeping over the large caravan and aerial forces, seemingly assessing something. Beside her lay an exquisite satchel containing funds prepared by the Knights of the Light Arrow for her purpose on this journey.

Su Li's gaze swept over this unprecedented expeditionary force, encompassing land, sea, and air, his heart filled with confidence. This massive caravan carried the wealth and produce of the Hessian Territory, with elite air cavalry providing powerful military support, and a capable diplomatic and commercial team handling the trade routes. He believed that this trip to Maleburg would bring back far greater profits and broader development opportunities for the Hessian Territory than last year.

That's right, this time he didn't plan to travel light like last time, taking three days to fly through the air as if on the run. Instead, he led a large caravan into Maleburg.

He wanted to declare to the city in a grand and just manner that nothing could stop him and his army from marching to Maleburg.

In other words, if he wanted to, it wouldn't be long before the army of the Hessian Territory could be at the gates of Maleburg!
In fact, this is by no means an exaggeration.

The territory of Black Forest has now expanded westward to the Twilight Mountains, which means that as long as Su Li sets off from the west side of the territory, the journey to Maleburg will only take one or two cycles, with only the Swamp Territory in between.

If it were just air cavalry flying, without the burden of the Grey Swan troops, they could reach Maleburg in a day.

This time, Su Li couldn't just be away for a day or two, since he still needed to lure out Tzeentch's Chosen One, Chaos, the Transformer.

Therefore, he had to travel by land. This also had its advantages: besides deterring the corrupt and incompetent officials of the Electoral Council of the Maleburg Empire, it also allowed him to thoroughly investigate the situation in the swamp territory.

Su Li was also quite interested in whether the lord of the swamp territory would dare to ambush his caravan.

Keep in mind that this caravan included four Chosen Ones, over 30 Champion Knights, and more than 200 elite soldiers, escorting over 300 carriages through the swamp territory in a grand procession.

If the enemy does send their main force, it would be a perfect opportunity to lure them out. The four Chosen Ones could then use this chance to carry out a decapitation strike and severely damage the enemy's main force.

As Su Li was thinking, Lourdes landed in front of him on his maned griffin, bowed crisply and reported: "My lord, all personnel and supplies have been inventoried and are ready to depart!"

Su Li nodded, his voice steady and clear, echoing across the square: "Destination, Maleburg! Let's go!"

At his command, the heavy palace gates slowly opened. The ground caravan, its wheels turning at the shouts of the drivers, was the first to depart. Immediately afterward, the circling winged riders descended, spreading out on either side and in front of the caravan like escorting spirits. Finally, with a deafening flapping of wings and a low growl, all the griffins and eagles ascended in succession, merging into the dawn-lit sky, and marched majestically towards Maleburg, the land of wealth and opportunity.

In early spring, the Central Plains were just awakening, the wheat sprouting new green leaves, and the air filled with the fragrance of earth and the moist scent of spring. This was the core area of ​​the Blacksem Territory, where the roads were relatively flat and wide. The caravan moved swiftly, the heavy wheels of the carriages churning the solid road with a regular, muffled sound.

The air cavalry patrolled at low altitudes, while pegasus riders conducted reconnaissance missions ahead, and griffins and horse vultures maintained a deterrent formation. Their very presence served as the best pass, and scattered villages and small patrols encountered along the way gave way in awe, even offering resupply points. The banners of the Black Forest Territory fluttered in the spring breeze, proclaiming a new order for this land.

Upon entering the Dominion of Baran, the atmosphere suddenly became relaxed and warm. Halflings are naturally optimistic and hospitable, and when they saw that the caravan not only included their hero Ashfield, but also the banner of the "Golden Bread Wagon" and Chief Baggins Brandy Gingerbread, almost the entire village along the way turned out to welcome them.

Sweet pies, newly brewed fruit wine, and various exquisite handicrafts were enthusiastically offered to the caravan members. Foreign Minister Hatzklin and Baggins thrived here, not only replenishing their food and water supplies but also leveraging the halflings' widespread, seemingly casual but actually deliberate "intelligence network" to gather the latest news on the road ahead, the Chaos Warband activities on the Flashspear Plains, and even scattered rumors about recent power shifts and the movements of the merchant guilds in Maleburg. Ashfield, in particular, became a star; his return filled the halflings with immense pride.

However, in this dark and desperate world, any warmth is destined to be fleeting. Leaving the warmth of Balan Territory and stepping onto the plains of Flashspear City, the atmosphere in the air instantly froze. Here, there was both the vast majesty shrouded in divine grace and the heavy weight of chaotic corruption, filled with the mixed smell of rust and blood.

From the moment this city of Flashspear was built, it was destined to possess an exceptionally solemn and dark atmosphere. The Chaos Warbands ravaged the land, leaving behind a scene of devastation, with abandoned villages and scorched fields everywhere. The sky seemed to have darkened as well. The atmosphere in the caravan grew tense; the guards gripped their weapons tightly, the air cavalry lowered their cruising altitude, and the formation tightened.

As expected, the attack occurred while traversing a rocky area. It wasn't an organized ambush, but rather several Chaos Warbands with different totems, some even hostile to each other. Primarily Satherin and Tzeentch-based raiders, they charged from different directions like hyenas drawn by the caravan's size and wealth, howling as they approached. Their equipment was haphazard, but their numbers were vast, filled with primal savagery and a destructive urge. The battle erupted instantly. The ground guards quickly formed a defensive circle around the wagons, spears raining down and muskets firing in unison, desperately repelling the first wave of frenzied charges. However, the Chaos Warbands included many strong mutant warriors and Chaos warriors, whose impact was extremely powerful.

Especially Tzeentch Doom Rider!

The Doom Knights are the most powerful mortals in the world. Riding the Tzeentch Disks, they consider themselves superior, looking down even on other Chaos Champions. If it weren't for the fact that their presence brought only death and a true apocalypse, their windswept path would be a truly spectacular sight. There is nowhere to escape from the Doom Knights, and they will show no mercy.

Tzeentch's demonic mounts are known as the Disks. These strange creatures are neither demons nor constructs, but a terrifying combination of both. Filled with mystical power, the Disks can levitate, soaring through the air on magical winds. They are not entirely exposed to enemy attacks; they unleash magical fire arrows and lash out with spinning tentacles and claws at approaching enemies.

These are top-tier cavalrymen, comparable to the half-griffin knights of the human empire! And their numbers number as many as a dozen!

Flying shock cavalry would be a major headache for any enemy. Compared to their ground cavalry counterparts, they traded armor and defense for extremely high speed and power.

As Tzeentch's most powerful melee-specialized unit, they caused considerable trouble for the knights of Blackwood. Fortunately, the territory also possessed a powerful air cavalry. At Hilder's command, twenty-four griffins and horseflies clad in [Sunfire Armor], piloted by knights, swooped down like a golden meteor shower, their shrill cries tearing through the air! Their target was none other than the strongest-looking Chaos warriors and warband leaders charging at the forefront.

Dive! Slam! Tear!

The griffins' sharp claws and beaks easily tore through the Chaos warriors' rudimentary plate armor, while the griffins' heavy slams could smash their targets, weapon and all, into a bloody pulp. The knights' heavy lances, amplified by the momentum of their dives, possessed astonishing penetrating power, their flails whipping up a storm of blood. The perfect armor rendered the Chaos warriors' counterattacks weak and ineffective. The Pegasus knights, like nimble reapers, used their speed and agility to precisely target the spellcasters and ranged units within the warband, dispelling the corrupting influence of Chaos with arrows imbued with divine power.

Meanwhile, Hilder personally led the powerful Chosen Knights to deal with the powerful Doom Knights, using her blazing, rare-grade longsword to cut them down one by one from the air.

After confirming that no new warbands had appeared, Su Li finally used his powerful legendary weapon, the Spear of Oath, to summon two squadrons of Green Knights, completing the encirclement of the monsters. This was Su Li's true trump card; how could he possibly wander around with only a mere 200 men?
The two squadrons of Green Knights he can summon in every battle are his trump card. It means he can move freely, fighting or retreating at will. Even if surrounded by 5000 or even tens of thousands of people, he can easily break through and escape, with a large number of suicide soldiers covering his retreat.

With the addition of the Green Knights, the battle turned into a one-sided massacre. The savagery of the Chaos Warbands was utterly futile against the well-organized, well-equipped, and highly trained air cavalry. Their proud, ferocious charges crumbled instantly under the devastating blows from the sky. In less than half an hour, several warbands attempting to scavenge the spoils left behind a trail of corpses and wailing wounded, dispersing like a tide and disappearing into the ravines of the wasteland. The caravan suffered almost no damage, except for a few wagons scratched by projectiles and a few ground guards sustaining minor injuries. The air cavalry's first combat demonstration perfectly showcased their terrifying suppressive power as a strategic force. Su Li stood on the command wagon, watching the golden raptor riders circling overhead, his eyes filled with absolute confidence.

In the following days, he simply released the air cavalry, allowing them to hunt down Chaos Warbands along the way, which could be considered as helping Flashspear City alleviate external pressure.

After the bloody battle on the plains of Flashspear City, entering the Blue Mirror Plains, the vast, mirror-like meadows and the azure lakes dotting the landscape brought a breathtaking tranquility. This place was once a prosperous farm and pasture; though now somewhat desolate, the traces of its former chaos have significantly diminished. Given time, the territory could easily surpass its former prosperity within a few years.

After all, the Church of the Dawn Goddess is far more skilled at farming than the Church of Mannan.

Moreover, thanks to the repeated efforts of a large number of troops, the security here is much better than in Flashspear City, allowing the caravan to catch its breath, rest more thoroughly, treat the wounded, and reinforce the wagons.

It's worth mentioning that Sylvanas's keen elven senses detected a subtle, almost imperceptible magical disturbance in the air. It was very faint and not chaotic in nature, more like the remnant of some kind of ruin or natural node. She reported this discovery to Su Li. Out of curiosity and caution, Su Li dispatched Ariana and two of his most alert Pegasus Knights to conduct a low-altitude search in the general direction Sylvanas had indicated.

A day later, Ariana returned with an unexpected surprise: deep within a dried-up ancient riverbed surrounded by wind-eroded rock pillars, the Pegasus Knights discovered several peculiar fragments of ore buried deep in the soil, emitting a faint arcane glow. Sylvanas's initial assessment revealed it to be an extremely rare magical mineral known as "Stardust Blue Crystal," a core material for crafting high-level enchanted weapons, armor, and certain powerful artifacts—a priceless treasure.

Its pure arcane energy is a treasure to elven mages. This discovery was purely accidental, yet it added enormous potential benefits to the journey and made Su Li realize that the Blue Mirror Plains might hold undiscovered treasures. Once he returns, he can send a dwarven exploration team to search the area thoroughly.

The final and most treacherous part of the journey was the green moss swamp west of the Twilight Mountains.

After crossing the last ridge of the Twilight Mountains, the scenery suddenly changed. No longer were the majestic and desolate mountains, but an endless green hell shrouded in a damp mist—the heart of Earl Ritanel's territory, the Green Moss Marsh.

This desolate land, which the Earl had managed with such success, was now silently laid bare before Su Li's massive caravan. The air grew thick and heavy, thick with the pungent smell of humus, decaying plants, and some indescribable, sweet-smelling odor.

As far as the eye can see, there are twisted strangler figs, ancient trees with gnarled roots, bottomless mud pits, and puddles covered with thick duckweed, reflecting an eerie light. Roads? Here, it's almost a luxury. The so-called "roads" are nothing more than narrow, winding paths that previous generations had barely managed to pave on relatively solid mud with wooden stakes, gravel, and tenacious vines, snaking and twisting like the intestines of a giant beast, sinking deep into the dense vegetation.

This is Count Litanel's absolute territory, a unique kingdom comparable in size to the Count's, yet composed entirely of treacherous swamps. His core of rule, [Mudcrown Castle], though hidden deep within the swamp, wields influence like omnipresent miasma, enveloping every inch of the muddy ground. The arrival of the Blacksin caravan is undoubtedly like a boulder thrown into this seemingly calm, yet turbulent, quagmire.

The caravan's pace inevitably slowed, as if stuck in viscous amber. The heavy wagons struggled along the slippery boardwalk, their wheels frequently sinking into the soft mud at the edges, requiring the escorting soldiers to push and pull with great effort. The mobility of the air cavalry was also severely limited. The dense canopy greatly restricted flight space; the griffins and eagles' enormous wingspans appeared clumsy at low altitudes, limiting them to low-altitude patrols over relatively open waters or the boardwalk. The pegasus riders, with their small and agile advantage, weaved through the gaps in the forest, undertaking the more important forward reconnaissance missions.

However, everyone could feel countless eyes staring intently at them through the dense foliage, the murky water, and even the churning mud. It was a chilling feeling of being watched by the swamp itself.

The count's "welcome" soon arrived in his own unique way, neither a large army nor a warm welcome, but rather the malice of the swamp itself being "activated".

Without warning, brightly colored miasma would suddenly rise from puddles or rotting tree holes, drifting towards the caravan. The prepared caravan immediately produced various perfumer's products to dispel the miasma. Simultaneously, countless large, disease-laden mosquitoes swarmed like a dark cloud. Guards lit specially prepared insect-repelling herbs, while Pegasus knights precisely ignited insect-repelling smoke bombs with enchanted arrows, barely managing to fend off this biological weapon's attack.

Hilde's griffins and pegasus riders repeatedly spotted swiftly moving figures—the "frogman" scouts who could breathe freely in the mud and underwater. Slippery as eels, they struck and retreated, never engaging in direct confrontation, leaving only strange gurgling sounds and ripples in the mud. Occasionally, in the misty twilight, from the depths of the murky waters beside the boardwalk, the shadowy silhouettes of strangely shaped wooden boats covered in slippery moss would appear, gliding silently like ghost ships before vanishing swiftly into the thick fog. These were the Earl's unique "Marsh Boat" force, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.

Even with the arduous journey, the Blacksin Territory's guard maintained a high degree of discipline. The elite soldiers, gleaming in armor and armed with superior weaponry, stood in perfect formation even in the mud. The champion knights, like mobile fortresses, scanned the area with sharp eyes for any suspicious movement. This steely will and fighting spirit displayed in such harsh conditions was a powerful deterrent in itself. The Count's frogmen and Zezhou troops, accustomed to ambushing and harassing in the mud, clearly found no weak points to exploit against such a well-prepared elite force.

Amidst heightened vigilance and constant small-scale harassment, the caravan traversed the Earl's swampy lands with the fragility of dancing on a knife's edge. Each day was long and oppressive, the dampness seemingly seeping into their bones, and the unknown threat lurking everywhere. Fortunately, they did not venture deep into the swamp, but instead, after reaching the vicinity of the Blackwater Whirlpool, they detoured through Dragonbone Shoals, a flat, dry area near the foot of the Twilight Mountains, a vassal territory of the Swamp Territory.

Looking back at the mossy swamp still shrouded in thick fog, resembling a gaping maw ready to devour anyone, the knights whispered to their companions with lingering fear: "Count Litanel... is truly a terrifying figure. He transformed this muddy swamp into an impregnable kingdom, daring to even provoke a red dragon... However," he changed the subject, glancing with awe at Su Li's tall, imposing figure ahead of the column and the golden raptor circling in the sky, "the lord who can make this 'King of the Swamp' only dare to hide in the shadows and launch sneak attacks, never daring to show his face... is probably even more terrifying."

When the massive caravan finally crossed the last mountain ridge without incident, and the majestic silhouette of Maleiburg came into view on the distant horizon, the entire group erupted in a long-suppressed cheer. They had successfully overcome all obstacles, thwarted a potential ambush without bloodshed, and arrived at their destination with undeniable strength.

Su Li reined in his horse and stood atop the mountain, gazing at the city where wealth and power intertwined, a sharp smile curving his lips. He knew his arrival would inevitably stir up a storm in the city, but he was utterly fearless. The golden figures of the air cavalry circled in the sky behind him, like eagles proclaiming their kingship.

(End of this chapter)