Pioneer Lord: Starting From Daily Intelligence

The other invited churches also swiftly took action, contemplating how to impress this newly powerful figure who now wielded a substantial military force and had suddenly become ’generous and devout’.

In the city center of Flash Spear City, there was a daily surge of different church banners and gatherings of people. The storm set off by Su Li’s deprivation of Leonard’s territory was cleverly redirected by him into a sacred ’charity auction’. What he paid was merely the short-term ownership of a piece of land, yet what he harvested was the legitimacy urgently needed to conquer Blue Mirror Territory, as well as support from allies of the Powerful Church.

By now, the previous ’malevolent acts’ had completely transformed into an enhancement of his personal prestige, seen as ’noble virtues’.

After fierce competition, the Shalya Church acquired this piece of territory. In the square of Flash Spear City, Matilda, a nun of the Healing Goddess Church, did not make grandiose speeches, but rather detailed specific plans for establishing a large sanatorium, free clinics, orphanages, and distributing relief grains in Cypress Territory.

She promised that the Church would prioritize employing local residents, restore production order, and use the church’s medical network to introduce precious medicines. During Su Li’s iron-fisted conquest of Blue Mirror Territory, the Shalya Church provided exactly the most urgently needed ’comfort’ and ’reconstruction’, quickly pacifying the public grievance caused by war and deprivation of noble territories, dissipating potential unrest.

Su Li’s ’virtue’ donation, through Shalya’s charitable hands, was directly transformed into tangible public welfare.

Among all competitors, the Shalya Church was the most neutral, the least aggressive. Choosing to donate land to the goddesses of mercy and healing itself was morally unassailable. Even the most critical Empire jurists or neighboring Lords suspicious of Su Li found it difficult to accuse this donation of private interests or desecration of the divine. This significantly fortified Su Li’s new image as a ’restorer of order’ and ’guardian of public welfare’, thoroughly cleansing the negative impact of stripping Leonard of his title.

Not even the Manann Church could openly attack Shalya, known for compassion. Although disappointed, the Yurik Church found it hard to strongly protest Shalya’s acquisition of land — War God Followers may accuse Su Li of tyranny but cannot fault Shalya’s nuns for healing wounded soldiers and sheltering orphans. This effectively fractured potential opposition.

Moreover, Su Li’s army continued fighting. The medical prowess of the Shalya Church meant his wounded soldiers received treatment far surpassing ordinary army standards, reducing battle damage and maintaining morale. These large-scale medical points became invisible, reliable rear support for Su Li’s army.

When Grand Nun Matilda received the deed from Su Li, she subtly stated: ’The compassionate light of Shalya will equally shine on all wounded in need of healing, no matter whom they fought for.’

This almost gave tacit approval for Su Li’s army to enjoy church medical resources.

While the church helped Su Li solidify the rule over Hesse Territory, another knight’s presence greatly assisted the governance of Hesse.

This knight was the last Kingdom Knight captured by Su Li, Lady Isabella Viller of [Reed Shadow].

Isabella was the only daughter of the late ’Gray Willow Knight’ Sir Aldric Viller. Her father bravely died resisting the Red Dragon Drake’s vassals’ attack on the west bank of Blue Mirror Lake. From a young age, Isabella practiced martial arts, determined to inherit her father’s will. During Baron Grant’s suppression of the western ’Swamp Rebellion’ (where some displaced people and renegade soldiers caused chaos using the complex swamp terrain), Isabella volunteered courageously. With her deep understanding of water networks and swamp terrain, she led small teams to successful reconnaissance and raids multiple times. In a critical battle, she uncovered the rebel leader’s ambush plan at ’Crying Creek’ and bravely crossed through paths shrouded in toxic mists to timely warn the main force of the baron. Subsequently, she personally guided an elite force to launch a surprise attack on the rebels’ stronghold via an unforeseen waterway under cover of night and fog, capturing the leader alive.

Isabella’s wisdom, courage, and unique terrain combat skills earned her first-class merit in quelling the rebellion. Baron Grant defied opposition (since female knights were rare) to allow her to inherit the title of Kingdom Knight, taking up her father’s ’Gray Willow’ title, and formally granted her territory (located northwest of Blue Mirror Lake, bordering wetlands dense with water networks and willows), earning her the title ’Reed Shadow’.

Lady Isabella, calm and intelligent, was adept at strategy. Unlike traditional Manann Knights who favor frontal assaults, she excelled at making use of terrain, intelligence, and small-scale mobile tactics. Her territory was relatively barren but strategically crucial, guarding the western passage. She reinforced concealed defensive works using willow groves, streams, and swamps, forming scouts and guerrilla infantry familiar with the terrain. She cared meticulously for her subjects, particularly those family members who had lost relatives in border conflicts. Her subordinates admired her wisdom and resilience.

During the battle of Rapids Castle, the lady witnessed the demise of the Vampire Sea Dragon, leading to her faith’s collapse. No longer resisting fiercely, she voluntarily surrendered her troops.

The wealth in her possession was actually insufficient to pay her ransom; she was a female Kingdom Knight, with a ransom higher than most, totaling 2,000 Golden Crowns.

If she couldn’t pay enough ransom, there were men willing to exploit her noble status as a female aristocrat and knight.

But just at this time, a knight from the territory, Stern Knight, the son of the Deputy Leader of the Red Night Knight Order, paid the ransom for Lady Isabella!