Pioneer Lord: Starting From Daily Intelligence

Hilude whispered softly by Su Li’s side, "Lord, I can feel the presence of Manan, the Sea God. They must be his followers."

Hartskline stepped forward to communicate with the other party. This was precisely the moment for her, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, to act; otherwise, if the Lord went to talk, they might come to blows after only three sentences.

As a Half-Elf, Hartskline was naturally approachable. She spoke with a charming smile, neither humble nor overbearing, "We are Border Pioneer Knights from the Hesse Mountain Foothills, merely passing through your territory. According to Empire law, we Pioneer Knights are free to travel through the Border Prince’s Territory."

Although it was obvious that this group was a noble entourage, Hartskline’s words took them slightly by surprise, prompting them to ask, "Are you really Pioneer Knights?"

The other cavalrymen were also shocked, looking around in disbelief, "What kind of Pioneer Knights have so many Griffins?"

"These are powerful mounts that our Baron has longed for but never obtained."

"Are Pioneer Knights this strong now? Are they noble offspring from a great family?"

"I can’t tell; their banners don’t seem to belong to any Imperial Elector or those illustrious Duke’s families."

After whispering among themselves for a moment, a voice suddenly rose, "I get it! They must be from that Pioneer Territory at the foot of the Gray Mountain Range."

"Hesse Territory? The one that’s been gaining fame lately?"

"The one that defeated the Green Dragon’s Territory?"

As the voices spread, these cavalrymen collectively drew a cold breath and cautiously stepped back a few paces.

How could they not be afraid? Though the world’s communication of information was slow, as neighbors merely over a thousand miles away, they had heard rumors of the happenings at the foot of the Gray Mountain Range.

Especially when some Wandering Knights, Free Mercenaries, and Minstrels returned from the Hesse Mountain Foothills with embellished descriptions, they all knew about the fierce battles at the Hesse Territory, where powerful knights vanquished tens of thousands of Green Dragon’s Fangs.

The overwhelming Monster Legion was felled under their sword edges, with tales depicting a battlefield covered in mountains of corpses and seas of blood over the entire territory.

Within their territory, there was only a small Sun Goddess Monastery, with neither powerful Priests nor Knights, so their understanding of this battle’s details was limited. However, such vague rumors only heightened the horror they felt about this battle.

After all, the disparity in combat strength was enormous! On one side were perhaps fewer than five thousand citizens, including both men and women, whereas the other was a sprawling, numberless Monster Legion.

It’s unbelievable how these human knights could have won that war.

Thus, the Knights of the Blue Mirror Territory speculated that the knights of this territory must be fierce and battle-hardened, cutting down foes with abandon. Every Knight must have slain dozens, if not hundreds of monsters, to win such an uneven war.

The more exaggerated the rumors became, the deeper their fear of these knights grew.

More terrifyingly, although this group of knights was small in number, their combat strength was such that they could easily annihilate them.

Under the Banner’s aura of terror, these knights seemed enveloped in an overwhelming presence of bloodshed.

As the atmosphere of shock continued for a moment, the leading knight from the other side forcibly suppressed his fear and said with trembling, "We don’t care whether you are just passing by; as long as you’re in our Blue Mirror Territory, you must obey Baron Grant’s laws! Trespassing around Blue Mirror Lake incurs a fine of 3 Golden Crowns!"

The Baron sure knows how to extort.

Three Golden Crowns are a fortune beyond imagination for passing Ranger Knights and Adventurers.

Even Su Li felt a sting; so this is what it’s like to be taxed? To hand over a large number of Golden Crowns for no reason.

Vandar quickly stood in front of Su Li and said, "Lord, when in Rome, do as the Romans do; we should not make trouble when out and about. In our territory, if anyone takes water from Lake Revelin without permission, they too face a fine of 1 Golden Crown. Every Knight Order, every merchant guild, even passing nobles comply."

Su Li recalled his promises to Freya and Ingrid, originally intending to let it slide as paying a toll.

But at this moment, Hilude, usually calm and wise, interrupted Vandar, stepped forward, gripping her sword hilt. With her powerful aura enveloping everyone on the opposite side, she sternly demanded, "If we refuse to pay, then what? We’ve said we’d rest for a while and leave immediately!"

Su Li looked at Hilude in surprise; this was not like her.

Silvana, the Green Tea, standing nearby, tightened her grip on her bow, appearing thoughtful.

Under the powerful aura of a Divine Chosen, the opposite lineup became chaotic, even the warhorses restlessly stomping their hooves, retreating.

All of Manan’s knights gripped their blades tightly, nervously looking to their captain.

If a conflict erupts, they are undoubtedly doomed.

With a Divine Chosen Knight and two Champion Knights present, it wouldn’t take long to cut them all down off their horses.

The mustached captain swallowed nervously, yet his attitude remained firm; he drew his sword, shouting sharply, "Immediately comply with our laws, or we meet in battle!"