Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 438 Lady Bayonetta's wavering thoughts and the message from the Speaker: a generous gift
As the chosen knight of the Goddess of the Sun, Su Li had commanded dozens of battles, large and small, and he knew all too well how difficult it was to ambush tens of thousands of people.

Even with the assistance of the natural spirits, and despite being at the foot of Gray Mountain, facing the mindless and reckless charge of the Khorne Legion, he was still unable to ambush a legion of tens of thousands.

However, the Third Army Corps of Maleburg was completely ambushed, and it just so happened that this army corps had just been re-equipped. In the end, they were able to break through the ambush and report that their equipment had problems and was of poor quality.

One coincidence is one thing, two coincidences are a bit strange, and when so many coincidences come together, it can only mean that there must be a conspiracy behind this!
So, faced with Su Li's question, a flicker of panic crossed Lady Bayonetta's exquisite face, but she quickly composed herself, a calm smile appearing on her lips. She said, "I've heard a rumor before: Tzeentch is cunning and wise. Violet is wise and cunning. Lord Su Li, as a follower of the Goddess of the Sun, today I've witnessed firsthand that the rumors seem true. Even such a simple exchange has led you to concoct conspiracy theories?"

Tzeentch is cunning and wise, while Violet is wise and cunning.
This, it must be said, does somewhat fit the image of the Church of the Goddess of the Sun.

Su Li did not fly into a rage, because the villain itself is a collection of extreme human emotions, symbolizing human wisdom, civilization and extreme conspiracies, tricks and so on.

If he were to get emotional, he would fall into this woman's trap. So Su Li calmly looked at Madam Bayonetta and launched a counterattack, asking, "Madam, aren't you afraid that I'll take advantage of you again in this transaction?"

This aggressive question, like a cold needle, precisely pierced Mrs. Bayonetta's carefully maintained facade of composure.

The feigned composure in her bright, captivating eyes, like spring water, shattered instantly, rippling violently. An indescribable, complex emotion surged within her—shame, anger, and a stinging pain of having old wounds reopened in public. That auction with Su Li, that humiliating defeat where a mythical artifact was handed over as a mere mortal stone, remained the deepest scar in her otherwise smooth-sailing career of power and influence, a source of resentment and bitterness that haunted her even in the dead of night.

Being so bluntly and mockingly brought up in front of her, Bayonetta felt as if an invisible whip had lashed her face, leaving it burning hot. She gritted her teeth, almost hearing the sound of them grinding together.

That resentment, which had been deliberately suppressed, was like dormant volcanic magma, ignited and boiled over at that moment. She suddenly looked up and met Su Li's mocking gaze. The undisguised desire for control and aggression in that gaze made her heart skip a beat!
She hated this feeling because, since becoming the city lord's wife, it had been a long time since anyone had caused her emotions to fluctuate so intensely. Although this emotion was anger and resentment, there was no doubt that Su Li was someone completely different from ordinary people in her heart!
“Lord Su Li is joking.” Bayonetta’s voice was colder and harder than usual, each word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth, forcibly maintaining her last bit of composure. “Let bygones be bygones. We are talking about current cooperation, which concerns… the future.”

She tried to steer the conversation back on track, but her slightly trembling fingertips and somewhat rapid breathing betrayed the turmoil in her heart.

Su Li merely watched her indifferently, without pursuing her further. However, the oppressive feeling in his eyes did not dissipate; instead, it was like an invisible net, firmly enveloping her. He seemed to be admiring her current posture of suppressing her anger and shame. His gaze was so tangible that it made her feel like a trophy being examined and evaluated.

"If it's a deal with Lady Bayonetta, then of course there's no problem. But if it's a deal with the City Lord's Mansion, I'm not interested!"

She looked up at Su Li, and for the first time, a clear anger of offense ignited in those eyes that always held an air of elegant calculation or composure: "What's the difference?"

“The difference is that I utterly despise Your Excellency, the City Lord.” Su Li’s answer was quite straightforward, and at the same time, his gaze became scorching, like a tangible flame, unabashedly fixed on Bayonetta. That gaze pierced through her expensive dress, carrying a naked possessiveness and desire to conquer, roaming freely over her mature, voluptuous, and stunningly beautiful body. The undisguised desire to conquer was as naked and dangerous as a beast eyeing its prey, instantly placing her in an unprecedentedly violated situation.

Mrs. Bayonetta felt a surge of heat rush to her head, her cheeks flushing uncontrollably. But this time, it wasn't shyness, but a fire of utter rage! Her eyes, as cold as a deep pool, instantly froze, sharp and piercing as she met Su Li's aggressive gaze without flinching.

She straightened her slender yet incredibly powerful back, her full breasts heaving with her rapid breathing, outlining a breathtakingly mature figure. The silky fabric of her deep purple parliamentary robe rippled with it, gleaming with a noble yet dangerous sheen under the dazzling lights of the banquet hall.

"Lord Su Li!" Her voice suddenly rose, clear and cold like shattered jade, carrying a bone-chilling coldness and an inviolable majesty, instantly drowning out the noise of the banquet hall. "Watch your words and your gaze! This is the Lord's Mansion of Maleiburg, not your border camp! I am the Lord's wife, representing the dignity and order of this city! Your words and actions at this moment are a serious offense to the Lord's Mansion and to the traditions of the imperial nobility!"

Her rebuke was forceful and resounding, each word as sharp as an icicle. The imposing demeanor cultivated from long years in a high position and wielding power acted as an invisible barrier, attempting to shut out Su Li's scorching gaze and blatant intentions. She slightly raised her chin, revealing the graceful lines of her swan-like neck; her fair skin shimmered like pearls under the light, creating a striking visual contrast with her dark dress—both noble and sensual, yet exuding an aura of unapproachability.

However, Su Li's gaze did not soften in the slightest despite her rebuke. Instead, it lingered even more brazenly on her chest, which heaved slightly with anger. His deep eyes seemed to penetrate her clothing, carrying a burning, tangible heat. Bayonetta clearly felt that gaze, like a tangible caress, sending shivers of indescribable, shameful trembling through her, beneath her icy defenses. She forced herself to maintain a cold expression, but the blush creeping down her ears and the trembling, unconsciously clenched fists hidden beneath her wide sleeves betrayed that her inner peace was far from what appeared.

The feeling of being openly coveted, of being scrutinized like prey, mixed with anger, humiliation, and a flicker of attraction to immense power that she herself was unwilling to admit, clung to her nerves like a poisonous vine. Su Li's intense masculine aura, emanating from the battlefield, and his undisguised ambition, were both an extreme offense and a dangerous, potent poison, stirring ripples of fear even in the depths of her frozen heart.

"Offense?" Su Li's deep voice rang out, tinged with a playful smile. Instead of backing down, he leaned forward slightly, his imposing aura intensifying. "Madam, I am merely stating a fact, and... expressing my preferences."

His gaze remained fixed on her, as if admiring a rare treasure, filled with possessive desire. "Lord City Lord, you are repulsive. But you, Madam..." He paused deliberately, his gaze lingering for a moment on her tightly pursed, beautifully shaped red lips, the heat in his eyes almost scorching, "...are captivating."

These words were like the final straw, completely igniting Bayonetta's anger and indescribable shame. She abruptly took a step back, as if to distance herself from the source of the danger, her deep purple robe tracing a cold yet elegant arc with her movement.

"Enough!" Bayonetta's voice was icy cold, carrying a resolute, cutting edge. "Lord Su Li, it seems we have nothing to discuss between us except for necessary transactions! The cooperation between the City Lord's Mansion and the Black Forest Territory is limited to the exchange of spoils and equipment! As for anything else..." She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turbulent emotions churning within her, using all her remaining strength to maintain her last vestiges of fragile dignity and coldness, "Please have some self-respect! Farewell!"

Having said that, she didn't look at Su Li again, turning and walking away quickly as if fleeing the eye of a storm. Her back was still straight, her steps still elegant, but the slightly hurried pace and stiff shoulder lines revealed the turbulent emotions within her. The deep purple hem of her skirt brushed silently across the polished marble floor, leaving behind a faint, unique fragrance of a mature woman, and an atmosphere utterly disrupted, filled with dangerous tension.

Su Li stood there, watching her departing figure, as graceful as a noble swan yet tinged with a hint of panic, his playful smile deepening. The more cold and resistant this thorny rose was, the more it fueled his intense desire to conquer her. He could almost see the flames ignited beneath her icy exterior and the impending storm.

His intention to cooperate with the City Lord's Mansion remained unchanged. However, the prerequisite was that he had to suppress the City Lord's Mansion's arrogance and take the lead in this alliance. And Lady Bayonetta was undoubtedly an excellent breakthrough point.

In truth, Su Liyuan wasn't as eager as he appeared. After all, in terms of temperament, some of his female courtiers were no less impressive than Lady Bayonetta. Aside from her Moon Priestess's Moon Essence effect, Bayonetta didn't possess an overwhelming advantage in charm.

Therefore, Su Li only used a little bit of aggressive means to break through Bayonetta's carefully prepared disguise and defense.

And all of this, without a doubt, was extremely effective. Mrs. Bayonetta practically fled back to her lounge. Only after closing the door and leaning against the cold, carved wooden frame did she allow herself to breathe heavily. Her chest heaved violently, her cheeks burned, and Su Li's scorching gaze and explicit words were branded into her mind, impossible to erase. A strong sense of humiliation, a feeling of being violated, mixed with a terrifying emptiness forcibly awakened deep within her, left her weak all over.

She walked to the ornate dressing mirror. The woman in the mirror was stunningly beautiful, but her eyes held a panicked, unsettled look and a hint of... a hazy, watery glint that even she herself didn't notice. Looking at her flushed cheeks and slightly moist eyes in the mirror, a surge of intense shame, anger, and resentment welled up inside her.

Su Li… this barbarian from the border! This arrogant nouveau riche! How dare he! How dare he look at her like that! How dare he utter such blasphemous words! Since she became the Lady of the City Lord's Mansion, no one had dared to speak to her like that for a long time. She slammed her fist on the cold dressing table, the pain in her knuckles bringing her to a slightly more sober state. But the forced, instinctive throbbing within her body, like stubborn vines, tightly entwined her reason.

“We’ll see…” Bayonetta looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes turning cold and sharp again, but deep within them burned an unprecedented flame, a mixture of hatred and a secret desire. “Su Li… I will settle this score with interest! I will make you know the price of offending an imperial noblewoman!”

However, beneath the cold resolve she forcibly constructed, a strange and burning emptiness ignited deep within her body by Su Li's aggressive gaze and domineering demeanor surged like an undercurrent, silently telling of another, more secretive and intense war that was about to unfold in the depths of her soul.

Filled with shame and resentment, Mrs. Bayonetta sank her weary body into the luxurious bed covered in expensive velvet. The air was thick with the scent of expensive incense, yet it could not soothe her turbulent emotions. Su Li's burning, aggressive eyes, his deep, mocking voice, echoed in her mind like a curse. The humiliation of having her old wounds exposed in public, the anger of being openly coveted, and… that forcibly stirred, terrifying flutter in her heart, clung to her consciousness like vines.

In a state of extreme mental exhaustion yet unusual excitement, she sank into a chaotic dream.

The dream was no longer the magnificent city lord's mansion, but a blurry, oppressive, chaotic space. She felt bound by an invisible force, unable to move. Su Li's figure appeared like a ghost, no longer at a safe distance, but inches away, carrying the suffocating pressure of a battlefield. His tall frame loomed over her, his deep eyes flashing with a dangerous light in the darkness, no longer mocking, but pure, unquestionable desire for conquest.

In her dream, she tried to rebuke him, tried to summon her guards, but no sound came out, as if stripped of all power and support. Su Li ignored all her symbols of status—the magnificent gown, the badge signifying her position as the city lord's wife—as if they were nothing more than a useless veil. His actions carried a tyrannical, irresistible force, easily shattering her symbolic resistance. The humiliation of being utterly suppressed and stripped of all control was amplified infinitely in the dream, leaving her with a suffocating despair.

Yet, amidst this extreme humiliation and fear, a strange reaction, contrary to her will and originating from the very depths of her body, suddenly erupted like a wildfire. It was a burning yet empty throbbing, forcibly awakened by absolute power, a yearning surging beneath the surface of a frozen lake. This contradictory, utterly shameful feeling swept through her entire body like an electric current, causing her to utter a silent sob in her dream. A powerful emptiness welled up deep within her, making her soul tremble, yearning to be filled by some powerful and brutal force…

"No!" A suppressed cry of surprise ripped through the silence.

Mrs. Bayonetta awoke abruptly from her nightmare, her heart pounding wildly in her chest, as if it would burst. She gasped for breath, her full breasts heaving beneath her thin silk nightgown, outlining their breathtaking contours. Cold sweat soaked her back; the silky robe clung to her skin, providing a cool, sticky sensation, but it did nothing to quell the burning, unfamiliar throbbing deep within her, forcibly awakened by the dream.

In the darkness, she gasped for breath, trying to calm her racing heart. Yet, the humiliation of being violated and the forced emptiness from her dream lingered vividly. She instinctively brought her long, shapely legs together, but couldn't stop the molten emptiness, like magma, spreading from deep within her lower abdomen. The feeling was so unfamiliar, so intense, and so… shameful. She could even feel the skin on her inner thighs trembling slightly, a lingering, blushing dampness.

She sat bolt upright, the straps of her silk nightgown slipping down to reveal her rounded, white shoulders and delicate collarbones. In the darkness, she hugged her arms tightly, trying to dispel the bone-chilling cold and the deepening heat. Moonlight streamed through the exquisite window lattice, illuminating her slightly sweaty, pearly skin, outlining the mature, voluptuous, and breathtaking curves of her body. At this moment, this body, once her pride, a symbol of nobility and power, filled her with an unprecedented sense of loss of control and…degradation.

“Damn it…” she cursed under her breath, her voice slightly hoarse and trembling. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to banish Su Li’s hateful figure and the shameful scene in her dream from her mind. However, the more she resisted, the more clearly that burning gaze, that domineering posture, and the palpitations that were forcibly awakened from her dream were imprinted on her senses.

She threw back the silk quilt, her bare feet stepping onto the cold, smooth marble floor, trying to extinguish the fire deep within her with its coolness. She walked to the huge French windows, gazing at the sleeping city of Maleiburg outside. The city lights, like scattered stars, symbolized order and power. But her heart was like a deep pool tossed with stones, turbulent and unable to regain its former tranquility.

Her reflection appeared in the mirror: her hair was slightly disheveled, a few damp strands clinging to her smooth forehead and long neck; her robe was rumpled, revealing a glimpse of alluring, snow-white, full skin. Those eyes, usually calm and composed, were now veiled in a misty haze, carrying a sense of lingering fear and a longing she herself couldn't decipher… an emptiness. The unnatural flush on her cheeks hadn't completely faded, adding a breathtaking, decadent allure to her stunning beauty.

Looking at herself in the mirror, a surge of intense shame, anger, and resentment welled up within her once more. This wasn't just directed at Su Li for his offense, but also at her own body's shameful, betrayal of her will!

“Su Li…” Lady Bayonetta looked at herself in the mirror, her voice both angry and alluring, but the light in the depths of her eyes, a mixture of hatred, humiliation, and a hidden flame, burned even more fiercely. “What you have done to me… I will repay a hundredfold! I will make you… pay a price you cannot even imagine!”

However, beneath her resolute vow, the burning yet empty throbbing deep within her body, forcibly ignited by her dreams, burned silently within her noble form like an inextinguishable ember, proclaiming a secret war that began in the depths of her soul and was destined to be difficult to quell.

While Mrs. Bayonetta tossed and turned, the members of the council stayed up all night. After leaving the Hesse Chamber of Commerce’s headquarters, Smith was taken to the council building overnight.

Speaker Vigo Malcolm sat behind the tall chairman's table, his figure shrouded in shadow. The dim candlelight stretched his shadow long, making him appear exceptionally dignified.

Facing Smith, who had been forcibly brought in by the guards, he said in a cold voice, "Don't be nervous, Smith. I just want to convey some goodwill to Lord Su Li through you!"

Smith's effeminate face was covered in cold sweat. Even as a senator, he didn't want to offend the entire parliament. After all, he didn't want to be shot eight times in the back and forced to commit suicide. So he quickly said, "That's great, Speaker. Lord Su Li also intends to convey goodwill to us. Just now, at the Black Forest Chamber of Commerce's headquarters, I reached an agreement with Lord Su Li. He has agreed to provide us with a batch of Star Iron Armor first."

"He personally promised that if the council were to go to war with the city lord, even if the city lord is a legendary figure, he would lend us a hand. Do you know that Lord Su Li has the ability to deploy one legendary dwarf hero and eight Chosen Ones under his command! His willingness to help us deal with the city lord would be our greatest asset!"

One legendary dwarf hero and eight chosen ones! Upon hearing this news, all the members of the council gasped in shock, as if the temperature had suddenly dropped several degrees.

No wonder he was so fierce today; his strength even surpasses that of the Lord of Maleburg! Naturally, he has the confidence to look down on everything.

Speaker Vigo Malcolm's face was hidden in the shadows at the end of the long table. After a moment of silence, he said coldly, "Very well. We can convey some goodwill to him. Tomorrow at dawn, you should visit Lord Su Li and tell him that Baron von Kleist of the Electoral Council has sent someone to contact the Nightwalker Corpse to help him resolve the mess he's made. Tell Lord Su Li to prepare in advance."

"In addition, we need to present Lord Su Li with a generous gift, and we need to borrow something from you."

Smith immediately broke free from the guard, took a step back, nervously touched his neck, and asked, "What do you want to borrow? Not my head, is it?"

“Don’t worry, Senator Smith,” Vigo Malcolm said emotionlessly, “You’re one of us, why would we treat you like this?”

"I heard you recently acquired a treasure, the Lustful Silver-Stringed Harp. Give it to me, and I'll prepare an unforgettable gift for Lord Su Li!"

(End of this chapter)