Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 439 The Parliament's Generous Gift: The Bewildered Lady Bayonetta
"What do you mean Baron von Kleist has already contacted the Nightwalker Corpse to clean up the mess he made?!"

The day after Smith received the mission from the council, Su Li learned of this important news at the headquarters of the Hessen Territory Merchant Guild.

To be honest, he was in a very good mood when he arrived in Maleiburg.

In addition to establishing his reputation and prestige, he also made connections with a large number of merchants in Maleburg. The goods he brought sold very well and became popular throughout Maleburg.

More importantly, he discovered the intense political struggle within the upper echelons of Maleburg.

The Lord of Maleburg wanted to break free from the constraints of the council, but the council went even further, wanting to abolish the entire Lord's Mansion and eliminate the need for a Lord, instead having the council directly control the city.

That's why Su Li was able to be so assertive yesterday. After all, no matter how powerful he, as an outsider, was, he was still a threat from afar, while the struggle between them had immediately reached a life-or-death level.

Once the Great Expedition ends, the council will be embroiled in corruption scandals, while the city lord returns with a great victory; at that point, the situation will be reversed.

Su Li only needs to be patient and wait for them to turn on each other before he can reap the rewards. Ideally, the council would eliminate the city lord, and then Su Li, in alliance with Lady Bayonetta, would wipe out the heavily damaged council.

Of course, things rarely go exactly as he wishes.

However, when making plans, one should always plan in the direction that is most advantageous to oneself, and then adapt to changing circumstances.

To Su Li's surprise, the council delivered such shocking news to him the very next day.

Senator Smith immediately explained, “That’s normal. The Electors’ Council has made a mess of things, but it hasn’t reached the Empire yet. Naturally, they’re doing everything they can to fix it. And this kind of thing has happened many times in the border princely territories. A territory that failed the assessment was destroyed in a huge crisis.”

"If they want to clean up the mess and mitigate the impact of this incident, the simplest and most effective method is undoubtedly to wipe out the Black Forest Territory. That way, no one can bother them, and it will also prove that their assessment results are correct. The Black Forest is unstable, ephemeral, and cannot be classified as a noble territory."

"And the Night Wanderer, Old Jasper, is their best tool."

After listening to Senator Smith's explanation, Hilde's heroic face hardened with fighting spirit. She said to Su Li, "My lord, we have also been looking for this group of hidden rats. If they can show up and fight us fair and square, it would actually be a good thing for us, giving us more opportunities to access the next level."

Hilde was naturally confident, as her forces, after rest and recuperation, could mobilize tens of thousands of elite infantry and cavalry! The most important force among them was the knightly orders from various churches.

Although the Black Forest Territory suffered heavy losses in the last battle, the various church knightly orders that believed in God did not participate. However, due to the expansion of the territory, their numbers have greatly increased.

Therefore, if an evil force like the Night Wanderer Corpse appears, and the Church Knights, Dwarves, and Black Forest Territory join forces to fight, it would be equivalent to strengthening the cohesion of Black Forest Territory. Su Li could then use the power of other forces to enhance his own strength.

The only thing to worry about is the existence of the legendary necromancer Jasper, but Su Li has a magical black box from the Ruscia Rainforest that can influence and interfere with the winds of death, which is specifically aimed at the legendary necromancer Jasper.

If Jasper is affected by this lizardman's sacred object, and his magical winds are disrupted, then his legendary strength will be unable to be unleashed, and his undead army may not be a match for the powerful alliance of the Black Forest Territory.

The benefits of defeating a legendary figure are immeasurable!

Who knows, the territory's first legendary knight might be born. Even if we take a step back, there could still be several chosen knights.

Therefore, Su Li had great confidence in Hilde's heroic bearing and awe-inspiring fighting spirit. After nodding slightly, he looked at Smith and asked with some surprise, "I didn't expect that the Electors' Council would be able to contact Jasper?"

Smith, with a sinister expression, said, "Lord Su Li, you should not underestimate any councilor or imperial noble. Their long-standing traditions always endow them with some strange and unusual abilities."

Su Li nodded, agreeing with Smith's assessment. In this extraordinary world, it wouldn't be surprising to encounter opponents with any abilities. For example, you might have already led your troops to the enemy's castle, seemingly about to execute the tyrant and punish the wicked, only to have the castle rise up on its own!
Compared to this desperate situation, for von Kleist, representing the Imperial Electoral Council, contacting Jasper, the Nightwalker, was not a problem. Moreover, old Jasper had been lurking around the Valley of Memory recently. Hidden in the dark world, it had long been eyeing the Black Forest Territory.

It simply hadn't found the entrance to the Valley of Memories before, and it was wary of Su Li's ability to always find his messengers, so it hadn't made a move. After all, Night Wanderers generally don't fight powerful or threatening enemies.

But if someone is willing to take the loss for him and pay him a sufficient commission, he will definitely be willing to take the plane to complete all of this.

Su Li then said, "Then I'll ask Commissioner Smith to go back and convey my gratitude to His Excellency the Speaker."

Senator Smith's effeminate face developed a more meaningful smile, a complex expression that mixed envy, regret, and amusement.

"Lord Su Li, the Speaker's 'generous gift'... is more than just a piece of news." He deliberately dragged out his words, his gaze sweeping over Su Li and the battle-ready Hilde beside him.

He clapped his hands lightly. Two men dressed in parliamentary guard uniforms, but with unusually somber eyes, laboriously carried in a huge wooden crate covered in thick velvet and placed it heavily on the floor in the center of the Chamber of Commerce's main hall. The crate looked unusually heavy and made a dull thud when it hit the ground.

Su Li's brows furrowed instantly, a sense of foreboding washing over her. Hilde also instinctively gripped the hilt of her sword, her sharp gaze sweeping over the box and Smith.

"What is this?" Su Li frowned.

Smith's smile carried a subtle hint of lewdness and envy: "Your Excellency the Speaker is well aware that Lord Su Li is quite interested in Lady Bayonetta... However, given her strong personality and her status, it would be difficult to approach her through ordinary means."

He paused, lowering his voice, with a tone of sharing a secret, "So, His Excellency the Speaker has specifically returned this... 'treasure' that you personally sold to its rightful owner. However, this time it has been... 'tuned' and used against an excellent target."

He stepped forward and abruptly ripped off the thick velvet covering the box!

The box contained neither treasure nor weapons. There, Countess Bayonetta was huddled at the bottom of the velvet-lined box! She was still wearing the well-tailored, deep purple senator's robe that spoke of her noble status, but now it was disheveled, her elegant updo loose, and a few strands of blonde hair clung sweatily to her unusually flushed cheeks and smooth neck.

What's even more alarming is her condition.

Those eyes, usually as clear and sharp as a cold pool, were now veiled with a layer of watery, hazy light, as if shrouded in a dreamlike mist.

Her long eyelashes trembled helplessly, and her eyes were like a pool of spring water, so tender and charming that they could completely captivate anyone!
Her full breasts heaved violently, each breath carrying a faint, heart-wrenching sob, like the mournful cry of a dying swan. It was like a forcefully amplified, uncontrollable signal of pleasure, stemming from the body's most primal instincts!

Her long, slender legs were pressed tightly together, and the hem of her expensive silk robe was crumpled up, revealing the taut and alluring curves of her calves encased in white stockings.

She was like a precious flower ravaged by a storm, yet radiating an alluring charm; her noble demeanor contrasted sharply with her current decadent state, dominated by desire.

An invisible, sweet and tempting scent seemed to permeate the air, making those with weaker wills waver.

This was precisely the terrifying effect of the [Sexual Torture Silver String Harp] curse—[Enjoyment of Pleasure]! It hadn't destroyed Bayonetta's sanity, but it had amplified her most sensitive and primal senses to an infinite degree, pushing her into a purgatory of extreme craving and illusory pleasure! Any tiny touch, even a mere glance, could unleash a monstrous wave of overwhelming madness in her cursed and distorted senses! Smith looked at the once high and mighty, unapproachable Lady of the City Lord in the box, a flicker of greed and twisted pleasure in his eyes, but even more so, a fear of Speaker Vigo's methods. He licked his dry lips and said to the ashen-faced Su Li, "His Excellency the Speaker said this is… a gesture of goodwill. This 'generous gift,' I hope, Lord Su Li… will enjoy it well."

He deliberately emphasized the word "enjoy," his smile both ambiguous and nauseating.

"His Excellency the Speaker also asked me to convey," Smith's voice was low and tinged with coldness, "that once Bayonetta is dealt with, and the City Lord's 'foundation' is eliminated, even if the City Lord returns... he will be nothing more than a stray dog. Only through cooperation between the Council and the Black Forest Territory can true stability be achieved."

Looking at Lady Bayonetta in the box, trembling helplessly like a beautiful toy, tormented by the curse and reduced to nothing but instinctive longing, Su Li felt a surge of icy rage instantly engulf him! This was not the conquest he desired!

Speaker Vigo's methods were far more despicable and ruthless than he had imagined! This was not only torture for Bayonetta, but also a blatant exploitation and humiliation of Su Li! He was being used as a tool to handle dirty affairs and, incidentally, to satisfy his own desires!

Hilde also gasped, her handsome face filled with anger and contempt: "Despicable! To use such demonic methods!" Her gaze toward Bayonetta was full of sympathy, but even more so with disgust for the council's dirty tricks.

Su Li forcibly suppressed his rage, his eyes as cold as a sword's edge. He walked step by step toward the huge box, looking down at Mrs. Bayonetta huddled inside. Her dazed gaze seemed to sense his approach, letting out a longer, more longing sob, her body involuntarily twisting slightly toward him, like a drowning person desperately grasping at a piece of driftwood.

Su Li crouched down, reaching out not to touch her alluring body, but to gently brush away the sweat-dampened blonde hair from her forehead with his fingertips. This tiny gesture sent Bayonetta trembling violently through her body, emitting a groan that was almost a breakdown, a mixture of extreme pleasure and pain! It was as if this insignificant touch alone was enough to ignite the flames of a curse within her!

Su Li's expression was complicated. He withdrew his hand, stood up, and stared at Senator Smith, whose smile was frozen on his face, with eyes like sharp swords.

“Go back and tell Speaker Vigo! I’ve remembered his scheming. I will repay him tenfold!”

Su Li's chilling words, "I'll repay you double," were like a biting wind carrying shards of ice, instantly freezing the ambiguous, lewd smile on Senator Smith's face. His facial muscles stiffened, and the initial amusement and envy in his eyes were instantly replaced by astonishment and confusion.

He shrank back, as if pierced by an invisible chill. In his distorted value system, Speaker Vigo's "generous gift" was a stroke of genius—it eliminated the troublesome city lord's wife, or at least rendered her completely harmless, while also appeasing the powerful border lord and binding Su Li firmly to the council's side, making him a mortal enemy of the city lord's mansion. Wasn't this a win-win situation? Why did Su Li react...like a lion whose tail had been stepped on?
“Lord Su…Lord Su Li…” Smith’s voice trembled slightly, he couldn’t understand Su Li’s anger at all. In his view, this was nothing more than a dirty but efficient power transaction, and Lady Bayonetta was just a beautifully crafted, incidental “gift” in this transaction.

He stammered, trying to explain, "This... His Excellency the Speaker meant well... He wanted to... uh, save you some trouble..."

"Get out!" Su Li's voice was deep and thunderous, containing suppressed anger to the extreme. His gaze was like a tangible blade, causing Smith to swallow back the rest of his words.

Smith shuddered. His petty cleverness and scheming were utterly fragile before the tangible pressure emanating from Su Li. He dared not utter another word, his face drained of all color, and he hurriedly bowed, "Yes...yes! I'll go back and report to His Excellency the Speaker right away! Farewell!"

He practically tumbled backward, staggering, even tripping over the threshold at the doorway, and fled the Black Forest Merchant Guild's headquarters in a disheveled state with two equally terrified subordinates. His sinister scheming and schadenfreude had long been washed away by fear.

Silence returned to the hall, broken only by Lady Bayonetta's intermittent, painful, and desperate sobs, which tore at Su Li's nerves like the most jarring noise.

Su Li stood rooted to the spot, his chest heaving slightly, his gaze complex as he looked at the woman curled up in the ornate trunk. She had once been so noble and aloof, like a frozen rose, but now she was cursed and twisted into the embodiment of desire, fragile and vulnerable. Speaker Vigo's calculations were ruthless and precise—once he truly "enjoyed" this "generous gift," there would be no turning back between him and the Lord of Maleburg; it would be an irreconcilable blood feud! The council would then reap the benefits.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to suppress the turmoil in his heart.

At that moment, he truly understood what it meant for even heroes to be unable to resist the charms of a beautiful woman!
Even if he knew it was a despicable conspiracy by the parliament, a honey trap they were using, what could he do?
The silver-stringed harp of ecstasy originated from him. When President Roger identified the second trait [Enjoyment of Pleasure], he introduced it to him.

This is the poison of sexual sadism; the women affected by it will inevitably experience a stronger effect than those affected by aphrodisiacs.

If a woman is affected by its strings, she will crave a man intensely. The more she desires but cannot obtain him, the deeper her sexual abuse and corruption will penetrate, like a sharp knife cutting into her flesh from within. If left unaddressed, her will will gradually collapse, and her body will eventually disintegrate, transforming her into a chaotic egg.

However, if she found relief and pleasure in time, Prince Satherine wouldn't bother investing any more corrosive power. It's important to understand that even Chaos Gods have limited power; they only unleash massive amounts of corruption on targets they're interested in. Otherwise, with so many people coming into contact with the Chaos Winds, the Empire would have collapsed long ago.

“Hilde…” Su Li’s voice carried a hint of struggle. He opened his eyes and looked at the dashing knight commander beside him. “What… should we do with this?”

Hilde's gaze also fell on Lady Bayonetta, her eyes filled with contempt for the council's despicable methods and deep sympathy for the noblewoman who had suffered an undeserved calamity. But when she heard Su Li's question, her eyes instantly hardened without the slightest hesitation.

“My lord!” Hilder’s voice was resolute and carried an undeniable force. “This is not a question of how to deal with them! The council’s methods are dirty and despicable, and they deserve to die! But Lady Bayonetta… she is an innocent victim!”

She stepped forward, her gaze fixed intently on Su Li, her voice clear and powerful: "More importantly, Madam possesses the 'Power of Moonlight'! That is the crucial opportunity for you to reach the legendary realm, and even to glimpse the Holy Domain! It concerns your future path, and the ultimate power of the Black Forest Territory! This power must not be severed!"

Hilde's tone was urgent and resolute: "The council wants to use you as a tool to kill someone, to instigate a deadly battle between you and the city lord. This crime must be pinned on them! But just because we know it's their conspiracy, can we stand by and watch the lady suffer the torment of the curse, watch that precious moonlight power perish in her agonizing agony?!"

Her words struck Su Li like a hammer blow. Yes, knowing it was a trap, could she just stand by and watch him die? Could she just abandon that power that was so vital to her? The council's methods were indeed despicable, but Bayonetta's own power and her current predicament were real.

"The Council is guilty! They are the instigators!" Hilder's voice was filled with a chilling sense of justice. "If we back down out of fear of the conspiracy and allow the Lady to be devoured by the curse, that would be a true failure! Not only would we lose that power, but we would also allow the Council's evil scheme to succeed and disgrace our morality!"

She looked at Su Li, her eyes filled with trust and encouragement: "My lord, the most urgent task is to lift the curse on the lady! As for the council's schemes... once the lady regains her senses, we will have plenty of time and strength to make them pay tenfold! Let them understand that resorting to such underhanded tactics will only hasten their demise!"

Hilder's words were like a wisp of fog clearing from Su Li's vision. The struggle in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a cold resolve and a sharp edge. Yes, the Council was guilty! Bayonetta and her Moonlight power—he wanted them all! The Council's debts would be settled!
Without further hesitation, he strode towards the ornate cage. Watching Mrs. Bayonetta, her cries of pain and longing intensifying with his approach, Su Li's gaze became intensely focused. He reached out, this time not merely brushing her hair aside, but with an irresistible force and a carefully solemn touch, and gently lifted her trembling, curled-up form from the "gift box"—a symbol of humiliation and conspiracy.

Bayonetta's soft, burning body fell into his arms, as if she had grasped her only salvation. Instinctively, she clung to him tightly, uttering broken syllables that were difficult to understand.

Su Li still had a bottom line. After taking Bayonetta out, he did not molest her. Instead, he took out the Stardew Orange he always carried with him and fed it to Mrs. Bayonetta.

This is an item capable of greatly purifying various curses, toxins, and negative effects. It is Su Li's most important purification item, carried with him at all times to prevent him from falling victim to the enemy's underhanded tactics. Even after this powerful extraordinary spiritual fruit matures, Su Li only carries two with him at a time.

However, after Mrs. Bayonetta ate it, she was only less in pain, and her red face became rosy, but she was still breathing rapidly and her eyes were glazed.

Fortunately, she regained some consciousness and saw Su Li's young and handsome face so close to hers. Gasping for breath, she said, "It's...you? Despicable! No...no, you couldn't have turned the servants in my city lord's mansion against me in such a short time. It must be a provocation by the council! Help...help me!"

This woman is indeed incredibly intelligent; no wonder she was able to handle the council alone in the city lord's absence.

But it was all in vain. No matter how clever an individual is, they can't defeat an entire group with vested interests. Even an emperor, when faced with a monolithic group of nobles and civil officials, can still drown, be poisoned, or die suddenly. How much more so for a frail woman like her.

With so many members of parliament, they've already infiltrated her city lord's mansion like a sieve!
So once the other party decides to break off relations, it will be difficult for her to avoid all sorts of underhanded tactics. Especially since the other party has seized the opportunity to pin the blame for her being caught in the trap on Su Li! This is truly a perfect conspiracy.

Su Li took a deep breath and said, "I currently have two options to save you. This Star Dew Orange is just a byproduct of the Extraordinary Spirit Tree itself. The Star Dew Orange itself is what can truly dispel all kinds of curses and toxins. I can take you to Black Forest Territory, but even if we fly at top speed and spare no expense, it will take two days and two nights."

"The second option is to find someone to detoxify you. Otherwise, the corrosive effects of sex will cut your flesh from the inside out like a sharp knife, and you will turn into a chaotic egg."

(End of this chapter)