Pioneer Lord: Starting From Daily Intelligence

As the territorial armies began to muster, Su Li also arrived at Flash Spear City, bringing along his high-tier directly affiliated attendants.

Since the day this city began its construction, this was Su Li’s first inspection of the most central city in the western regions of his territory.

The scenery here was entirely different from that of Heisen City. Heisen City had grown bit by bit from nothing, so one could clearly feel the pastoral flavor that permeated that city everywhere; many buildings were relatively simple and primitive, like a feudal city from an agrarian age.

But Flash Spear City was different. From the very first day of its construction, the Hesse Territory had given it immense support. Thousands of Dwarf Engineers led countless construction teams, driving the development of this city with unparalleled manpower and resources. Its standards had been kept extremely high from the very start.

Countless buildings possessed the tall, magnificent style of dwarf architecture, and were glittering with gold and jade. Towers and high-rises stood in dense ranks; various great halls, exchanges, and religious great cathedrals made this city resemble a showcase of the territory’s highest level of civilization. Its overall standard had undoubtedly already approached the cutting edge level of large territories and commercial hub cities within the Empire. It looked less like a feudal city and more like a modern metropolis after industrialization, with a highly developed citizen class.

Especially those dozens-of-meters-high spires and the many prism-shaped high-rises lining both sides of the commercial districts—ever since entering the city, one could feel the extremely high level of technology and construction here.

The rows upon rows of buildings throughout Flash Spear City also clearly divided the city’s classes and functional zones.

At the highest point, there stood without question that dazzling Heaven’s Lance. When the army first entered the Western Plain, still about two hundred kilometers from the city, they could already see, upon the vast plain, this city perched on its high ground, and the gleaming spear-tip piercing through the clouds.

This newborn city offered opportunities, different from any other place in the Old World, to those Adventurers who set out upon perilous journeys. The prospect of settling within its high walls, the hidden wealth, and the fresh beginnings drew residents from every direction and every land.

Yet Flash Spear City was not some paradise of dreams. The influx of merchants and the rich also brought gangs and assassins; the Divine Grace drifting over the city attracted Mages and scholars who sought Power and longed to delve into the favor of Divine Spirits. But the corruption of Treachery and Sado had not departed from this city—rumors of missing civilians, the rise of cults, and Monsters lurking in alleyway shadows filled its streets and lanes.

And more than that, the Chaos Warbands gathered from all sides of the wilderness, Beastman Tribes, and uncountable goblins. They surged toward this place like pilgrims, intending to seize the city completely.

This scene was somewhat reminiscent of those Indians south of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau—hundreds of li away they could already gaze upon that plateau in the clouds, and then countless filthy, foul, and "creative" Indian brothers, just like goblins, would begin marching toward that high ground, intent on claiming it as their own.

And the one presently governing this city was none other than the Speaker of the Arbitration Court · Shepherd Leader of the Sun Goddess Church · once a Divine Chosen Knight of the Shalya Church · Father Rongen.

Indeed, from the very start of its construction, the tone of this city had been set: this was to be a more developed city of culture, a City of Faith. Therefore this city had no City Lord, and was instead governed by the Speaker of the Arbitration Court.

The entire Arbitration Court had thirty-six seats, currently jointly held by the Sun Goddess Church, Shalya Church, Virena Church, Mole Church, Tal Church, Reya Church, Mannan Church, Redema Church, Yurik Church, and others.

These included not only Priests and worship-leading Priests from the various Churches, but also Leaders of various Knight Orders—for example, Freya was one of the thirty-six arbiters.

Besides the Churches, high-tier Artisans, Guild Presidents, great merchants, Half-Elf chieftains, and others also held a certain number of seats.

Walking along the streets with Su Li, after briefly outlining the current situation, Father Rongen continued, "To further develop the city, we are currently negotiating with several other candidates for arbitration seats—such as the Dwarf Giant Dragon Butcher · Stone Hammer, son of Sogard · Balentine, and the 6th Ring Wizard · Sal Acosta."

"Hiss—" Su Li drew in a deep breath and asked in astonishment, "A Dragon Butcher? That’s a terrifying Divine Chosen Level combatant. Tell me what his story is."

Rongen immediately explained in detail, "Sogard was born into the ancient Stone Hammer Clan, a clan famed for guarding ancestral oaths and the secrets deep within their mining veins. In his youth, an ancient Red Dragon named Rock Burner · Gorus attacked their main mining city, Karachik. Dragon Flame devoured Sogard’s homeland; his father—Balentine, the Clan Lord at the time—covered the clan’s retreat while wielding the Ancestral Warhammer, Rock Breaker, and battling the Giant Dragon. In the end, he and the dragon plunged together into the collapsing mine tunnels and the Abyss below, their fate unknown, leaving only bloodstained fragments of the warhammer behind."

"On that very day, the young Sogard stood before the shrine of the ancestor Grimnir and, using the fragments of his father’s Warhammer and his own blood, swore a blood oath—until he had slaughtered all evil dragons in the world and avenged his father, he would never grow a beard, never remove his armor, until death or until he found his father (whether alive or dead). This is the heavy origin of the title ’Balentine’s Son’, and the starting point of his path as a Butcher."