Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence

The mountain of gold coins put Su Li in a very cheerful mood.

Although this world is idealistic, it is also very materialistic. Especially in this wild, remote, and vibrant frontier territory of the Prince, more than 80% of the problems can be solved with money.

For example, Su Li's biggest source of pressure right now, the Green Dragon, 'Cunning Wing' Aeryria Erebus in the forest. Su Li could also use a bounty to recruit warriors or knightly orders to deal with her.

If he could come up with enough money, there would definitely be dragon slayers or some powerful knightly orders willing to take on this bounty. But a thousand gold coins is definitely not enough for a warrior to slay a dragon.

"So, I still have to focus on developing the territory." Su Li sighed and walked out of the castle's cellar. Only a more prosperous territory could provide him with more gold coins. Then, whether he builds his own army or offers bounties to warriors, he will have more options.

As soon as he walked out of the cellar, Laun, who was waiting in the hall, greeted him and said, "Lord, you're finally back. I've taken care of everything you asked me to arrange."

Su Li sat down on the chair and said calmly to Laun, "Very good, my capable civil affairs officer. You are truly my right-hand man. With you in charge, I can save so much worry."

Su Li gave Laun a lot of things to do, and Laun reported them one by one: "After careful screening, I have found six Ama in the territory. It is inconvenient for you to come forward for this matter. I will personally supervise on the shore and contribute the magic pearls to you as soon as they are collected."

Ama, also known as pearl divers. Because pearls and magic pearls are very rare, they are exclusive to the great nobles. Therefore, many fishermen are willing to take risks to meet the needs of princes and nobles. These women who go underwater to collect pearls are extremely talented divers. They fight bare-handed against the dangerous currents, so they are called daughters of the sea.

Preparing for this work is not difficult, but it is very dangerous. The women who collect pearls do not carry any equipment. They simply tie a rope around their bodies and dive into the deeper water, using a special sharp knife to pry off the pearl shells from the underwater rocks, and then follow the rope or be pulled up by the people on the boat to bring the pearl shells back to the surface.

Legend has it that many sea monsters and female demons are transformed from Ama. Because they have to carry out this dangerous work, the lives of the Ama are completely tied to the hemp rope tied to their bodies. Therefore, when diving into the sea, the other end of the rope will be handed over to their relatives on the boat. If they encounter danger at the bottom of the sea, they will pull the rope hard. Their relatives may be able to save them by pulling the rope back, or if they can't save them, they can recover their bodies. The rope can only be held in the hands of relatives, because the Ama only trust their relatives. But if the husbands of the Ama change their minds, they will take the women to some dangerous waters and abandon the hemp rope on the boat after the Ama go underwater.

At two o'clock this afternoon, the Magic Tide Clam will pass through the confluence of the territory's rivers. The territory must obtain it at all costs, so it naturally needs a ruthless official to supervise all the pearl divers to go into the water.

The image of the Lord must be bright, tall, benevolent, and generous, so Laun took the initiative to take on the role of this cruel official.

Su Li very much appreciated the wisdom of this Minister of the Seal. It is said that graduates of the Merdheim Gryphon Military Academy's Department of Public Administration have the talent to govern the country, which is indeed true.

Su Li nodded and said, "This mission is more urgent, and there has been no training before. You should reward these Ama who go into the water in my name. All those who go into the water will be rewarded with 3 silver coins, and those who find the Magic Tide Clam will be rewarded with 3 gold coins!"

"Heavy rewards will surely bring forth brave men." Laun said confidently, "Lord, please rest assured, I will definitely bring back this Magic Tide Clam."

After finishing the urgent task that Su Li had arranged for him in the morning, Laun continued, "I have also completed the negotiation with the caravan. The caravan's director is waiting for you to meet him at the dock outside the castle. Do you have time to meet with them?"

This was an agenda that had been arranged yesterday, and Su Li readily agreed, "Let him in. Tell me about the negotiation situation too."

Hilde immediately sent a servant down to bring the caravan's director up. While waiting for him to enter the castle, Laun said, "The name of this caravan is the Wester Highlands Alliance Chamber of Commerce, which comes from the famous Wester Highlands Plain within the Empire, abbreviated as Wester High Chamber of Commerce."

"Wester High Chamber of Commerce?" Su Li asked curiously, "Why is it so strange? Why not call it the Wester Chamber of Commerce."

Laun explained, "Because the Wester Territory is one of the Elector Counts within the Empire, and the Wester Highlands are the core area of the secular Elector Count Wester Territory. The situation in the Wester Territory is hard to describe in a few words. Despite being adjacent to the power center of the Empire, it is still rumored to be a strange and backward rural area. This is largely because it encompasses the terrifying territories of vampires and forest elves, bounded by the World's Edge Mountains and the Empire's three major rivers. Along the Wester River to the east, the dense forests gradually thin out and differentiate into separate forests, including the frightening and desolate Grimwood and the infamous Loren Forest."

"That's right, our territory is harassed by vampires and forest elves. Therefore, our people are more superstitious. For example, in the Wester Highlands, when strangers enter a village, children will throw pig manure at them, believing that this will help drive away evil spirits. People covered in pig manure are especially strongly protected." A low voice sounded from outside the hall, and then a middle-aged man with brown hair and eyes, and dark skin walked into the hall.

If it weren't for the heavy and expensive fur coat he was wearing, Su Li would hardly believe that he, with his strong body, was actually a caravan leader. Obviously, he looked more like a powerful knight than a mercenary merchant.

After entering the castle, he bowed slightly, pressed his chest with his right palm, and saluted, saying, "Kurt Steeler, the director of the Wester High Chamber of Commerce, pays his respects to you, Your Excellency the Pioneering Lord. Please allow me to explain to you why our Chamber of Commerce is called the Wester High Chamber of Commerce, not because our strength is insufficient to cover the entire Wester Territory."

"On the contrary, all Chambers of Commerce that can add the suffix 'High' in the Wester Territory are powerful and respected Chambers of Commerce. The word 'High' in the Wester Territory represents authority, officialdom, and honor. It proves that we have made outstanding contributions to the Wester Territory and have deeply rooted ourselves in this land. It reminds us why we, the humans of the Empire, have to retreat to a highland in the vast Wester Territory, and why we have to travel to the frontier to cut down wood when there are large forests around the Wester Territory."

The citizens of the Empire are indeed fierce and vengeful. The flames of their revenge have never been extinguished!

After listening to the two people's introductions, Su Li immediately had a certain understanding of the situation in the Wester Territory. This was a bit similar to the Guanzhong area, with a flat internal plateau, close to the central government of the Empire, and with major rivers flowing through it, forming a natural barrier, but the external situation was severe, with the threat of a large number of monsters and rebels.

The main force of the vampire rebellion occurred in this territory.

Su Li waved to him and said, "No need to be so formal, Director Kurt. We have already reached some cooperation and are friendly partners, aren't we?"

"Yes." Kurt nodded and said, "Your Minister of the Seal is truly talented. We didn't get any advantage in the negotiations with him. Getting the military guarantee you provide at a price of 3 gold crowns per day, we really don't have much profit on this trip."

The military guarantee fee of 3 gold crowns per day is indeed a considerable security fee.

You should know that the salary of a considerable number of elite knights is only 3~5 gold crowns a month.

This price can even directly buy an armed attendant in the slave camp.

Each logging operation will last at least 30~50 days in the forest, which means they will provide the Black Forest Territory with at least 100 gold crowns in security fees.

If they only rely on cutting blood pine wood, the profit will be relatively meager.

However, the charm of the forest lies in the fact that no one knows what kind of adventures they will encounter inside.

If they successfully obtain some precious medicinal materials, or some precious magical beast cubs, high-value minerals, and gems during the logging process, they will still be able to earn back the profit.

The furniture merchant team generally brings pharmacists and collectors, and the purpose is precisely this.

Of course, Su Li also earns a lot. The military protection he provides does not require sending troops to follow them all the time, as long as he ensures that the forest is safe and that there are no large groups of bandits or raiders attacking them. They will solve the low risk of a few monster sneak attacks themselves. This is also the focus of Laun's negotiations yesterday. This can be consistent with Su Li's strategic goals, anyway, Su Li has to clear the forest bandits, and large groups of bandits need to be eliminated.

Originally, Kurt was not very willing to reach this condition. He doubted whether this territory had the strength to clear the various threats in the forest.

But today he saw the head of Lambert, the leader of the Black Arrow, and immediately changed his attitude. So after sitting down, he made a request, saying, "I saw the bounty for the 'Black Arrow' bandit group in Maleburg. I am willing to pay an additional 5 gold crowns and buy Lambert's head from you for 25 gold crowns."

"Please believe me, this is a very cost-effective deal. Even if you see Count Amadeus von Drakkenburg, you will not have any additional benefits. You are both pioneering lords, and there may even be conflicts due to disagreements. It is better to hand it over to our Chamber of Commerce. We need to use this head as a gift to open up relations with Count Amadeus. In the future, if there are any special products between your territories, our Chamber of Commerce can act as a bridge for communication."

Su Li waved his hand generously and said with a smile, "No problem, I will give you the head of Black Arrow Lambert. I also have a small problem that I need Director Kurt to help me solve."