Chapter 1062 - 156: Legendary Opportunity_3

Chapter 1062: Chapter 156: Legendary Opportunity_3

"Those pirate captains who occasionally drink with Long Zhuo describe a darkness slowly enveloping his head. Zhuo still drinks, sings sea shanties, and boasts about his recent victories amidst the admiration of the people. However, as night falls, a melancholic mood emerges in his heart. He will sit at the table, rubbing the curve of his hook hand, gazing at the ocean. Zhuo knows he can’t keep hunting like this forever. But exactly how long does he have before he loses the ability to die gloriously?"

"Anticipating all this, he hid the treasures accumulated over the years somewhere in the Border Prince’s Territory. And this treasure map should be one of the keys to finding the treasure."

"This is the treasure of a legendary dwarf butcher pirate; the amount of wealth he possesses is unimaginable."

Hilude nodded and then said, "Luckily, Grant hasn’t found Long Zhuo as a mercenary, or this battle would be even more difficult for us."

Su Li was relatively optimistic; even if Grant found Long Zhuo, he might not be able to afford their huge fees.

That’s a legendary butcher pirate. How much would it cost to hire them? It feels like it would take at least a hundred thousand Golden Crowns.

Such a huge sum, ordinary territories simply can’t afford.

Of course, this also means the treasure of this legendary butcher will be extremely valuable.

Su Li laughed and said, "It seems that Baron Grant’s vault actually has some good stuff. He just hasn’t had the time to cash it in."

Hilude nodded and then said happily, "We also found some content related to the Sun Flame Knight Order in their vault area."

Sun Flame Knight Order? This immediately caught Su Li’s attention as they are one of the three most capable knight orders under the Sun Goddess.

Su Li curiously asked, "Their followers of Manan, how could they be connected to the Sun Flame Knight Order?"

"This is related to Svennum Island." Hilude calmly explained, "It’s an island located on the west coast of the Border Prince’s Territory, occupied by members of the Flame Sun Knight Order. Many local sea people fear and despise the southern knights, claiming they are crueler and more corrupt than many Norsca people."

"On that island, there’s a fortress controlled by the Knight Order where battle rituals dedicated to Khorne are said to take place. Numerous human-skinned wolves roam the nearby rocky hills, trading pelts with southern merchants."

"Followers of Manan believe these knights have already been infected by demons, so they see reclaiming the area as a divine holy war."

Huh? There’s such a thing?

Su Li suddenly realized that the hostility and blockade between Baron Grant and Blue Mirror Territory against Hesse Territory were not just geopolitical conflicts; they also involved religious conflicts between sailors and knights.

This explains clearly why Baron Grant, leaving so many territories untouched, sought out Su Li.

After all, Su Li is a quasi-Divine Chosen of the Sun Goddess, and his territory has a branch order of the Flame Sun Knight Order.

From the sailors’ perspective, if Hesse Territory is not dealt with, these cruel knights will surely corrupt their territory.

Su Li pondered for a moment and asked, "Does the Flame Sun Knight Order have many fortresses in the Central Sea?"

Hilude and Oerstein exchanged a glance and both shook their heads. Oerstein said, "The Flame Sun Knight Order has many branches, but most are in the northern part of the Central Sea, not occupying many island fortresses."

"But from what we found at Blue Mirror Lake, the corruption of the Flame Sun Knight Order on Svennum Island is almost inevitable."

"I’ve heard rumors within the church that they keep giants as pets, and the pets are tortured and killed many times, then regenerated."

"Grand Leader Adelbert of the Flame Sun Knight Order has already sent a few knights to investigate this matter, but it seems there are no results yet."

After saying this, Hilude said, "Lord, maybe we could send knights to look into this matter. This would significantly increase our influence within the Flame Sun Knight Order."

"You mean to send Grand Master Constantine?" Su Li inquired.

Such a key matter, sending Freya is certainly not enough.

Hilude nodded and said, "Grand Master Constantine, after returning from the Great Expedition, is highly likely to advance as a Divine Chosen Knight. According to the rules within the Knight Order, he will return to the Eternal Flame Cathedral for blessings, thus gaining higher status within the Flame Sun Knight Order."

"If you are aiming to unify the Border Prince’s Territory or even ascend the throne, support from the church is indispensable. The Sun Goddess Church is your best choice. Therefore, enhancing your influence within the church, which will grow with your strength, is very necessary."

"The status and strength of the Flame Sun Knight Order are your best starting points."

Upon hearing this, Su Li nodded slightly; the Flame Sun Knight Order is a very special knight order with tremendous influence within the Empire.

To join the Flame Sun Knight Order, petitioners must be of noble birth, but rather than status and background, commanders appear more interested in the petitioner’s moral qualities. Petitioners must demonstrate their wisdom and eagerness for world knowledge, show interests beyond warfare such as arts, philosophy, engineering, or political talent. They must also be wealthy enough to afford the costs of armor and weapons forging and provide their own horse. Their remaining wealth will be handed over to the Knight Order’s treasury for the benefit of every companion in the Order. An exception to this selection process is if certain knights’ bloodlines can directly trace back to one of the original sixty founders of the Knight Order; even if their family has fallen into decline, they are still deemed worthy of joining the Inner Ring.

Before becoming a cult novice, most newcomers first participate in battles as reserve cavalry, learning remote combat skills. Once accepted by the Order, every cult novice must judiciously allocate time between intense learning, combat practice, and acquiring knowledge about the world beyond the Order. New members are expected to wander the old world for a year and a day, mimicking the heroics of Violet during her mortal times.

During this period, cult novices must face nine challenges covering knowledge, creativity, loyalty to Violet, and weapon skills. Few succeed on their first attempt, and Violet’s priests patiently explain that a true knight must learn from failures. Once a cult novice successfully passes the trials, they are officially granted the knight title by an Inner Ring Knight.

The knights of the Flame Sun Knight Order are uniformly dressed in black armor adorned with polished gold. Their banners, horse armor, shields, and breastplates are printed with a stylized golden sun wheel pattern, symbolizing their conversion to Violet in the sun-drenched southern Empire. Inner-ring members of the knight order are selected from the wealthiest families, and their eminent status is embodied in their armor encrusted with gold, jet, and diamonds.

The Flame Sun Knight Order prides itself on the broad talents and intelligence displayed on the battlefield. Before any battle begins, they study the enemy’s deployment, land conditions, and any unusual situations. Only then do they decide on the weapons and tactics best suited for the current situation. This often relies on improvisation or adaptation, such as suddenly switching weapons in battle or employing mirror shields that can blind the enemy.

The basic members of the Flame Sun Knight Order that Su Li may disregard, but at the branch leader level, their branch leaders possess talents like "War Leader" and "Unshakable."

They also have skills such as "Ranged," "Leadership," and "Charm."

Reasonably speaking, such a leader with goodwill toward Hesse Territory would greatly help Hesse Territory’s cause and influence.

After all, for Su Li to gain the full support of the Sun Goddess Church, someone must be inside the church.

Otherwise, throughout the Border Prince’s Territory or even the entire southern Empire, so many territories worship the Sun Goddess, including some Electors.

Why should the Sun Goddess Church choose to support Su Li to become the Emperor of the Empire?

So Su Li considered for a moment and replied to Hilude, "When Leader Constantine returns, I will discuss this matter with him in detail."

Perhaps both matters—the treasure fleet of the legendary butcher pirate and the crisis of Svennum Island—can be resolved together.

The remaining wealth isn’t something Su Li can sort out in the short term; everything that could be quickly cashed in has been sold off by Baron Grant. The rest cannot be swiftly converted into direct wealth.

Thus, he instructed the Provincial Affairs Council’s director, Oliver, to directly station here, to manage the war gains of Hesse Territory, and to appease this newly conquered land.

This director of the Provincial Affairs Council is his Prime Minister and chief advisor, adept at handling such matters.