Summer Solstice is one of the most important festivals for both the Reya Church and the Tal Church, and it is a special date in the Empire, not belonging to any particular month.

After this heavy rain ends, the Summer Solstice will arrive in three days.

This day is indeed a good day for the territory, with various auspicious events happening one after another.

Su Li, feeling at ease, stood with her hands resting on the dam, looking down. The territory had already welcomed the joy of the first bountiful harvest from farming, with the produce from the fields being gradually collected, cabbages being carted away one load after another.

This period of harvest will continue for over a dozen days, increasing each day until it reaches a peak during the summer wheat harvest.

Currently, Minister Lauren has started arranging the allocation of cultivated directions for the slaves beneath Jorn Shallow Bay and registering those who are contracted. This relates to their end-of-year assessments.

After contracting and linking production, the size of the land cultivated and the grain output will determine which slaves the Lord can generously emancipate and which will be directly put to death.

No one considered Su Li's system of eliminating the lowest-ranked serfs too brutal.

Compared to the harsh lords of this world, those nobles who would hang serfs at the slightest disagreement, Su Li's strictly regulated court system, with its clear public standards of reward and punishment, was simply a model of virtue and a saint among knights!

This world is vastly different from the modern society of the previous life, with despair, darkness, and blasphemy being the three main themes.

The Hesse Territory here has already been considered the most tolerant, just, and hopeful territory. Even if these policies were applied to the capitalistic societies on Earth, in aspects like law, virtue, human rights, and the baseline, it would surpass most countries. It just can't compare with some Eastern countries.

But even just by bringing some of the ideas and customs from Eastern society in the previous life to the Hesse Territory, it's enough to inject unparalleled vitality into this territory's spirit.

Hope is as precious as a gemstone in this world.

The thought that hard work can change destiny, that striving can elevate one's rank, is something that people from any territory in this world dared not dream of.

This hopeful idea is like chasing a dream, something even the Earth couldn't achieve, only some people from certain Eastern countries would take it for granted.

Within the Empire, if someone is born a serf, then they'll remain a serf for life. Their children would also be serfs, living with other serfs in filthy villages.

Unless Redema and Violet personally come to find him and lead the nation in a war against an invasion by the Green Skin. And if he not only won the victory but also saved the Emperor's life in passing, in such a case, he could attempt to apply to become a Kingdom Knight. If luck was on their side and the nobility were in a good mood, the chance of passing could reach maybe 20-30%.

The Hesse Territory has offered many serfs the chance to change their destiny, many serfs, and even armed attendants desperately grasping this slim opportunity, wanting to change their fate.

In this dark world, the existence of such a Hesse dream is no less than the descent of Divine Grace upon them.

However, the Divine Grace of the Divine Spirits only favors the mighty knights, never descending upon the serfs. Hence, the slaves and residents have crowned Su Li with the titles of Great Sage and Venus.

Under Su Li's watchful eye, the serfs in Jorn Shallow Bay worked with extraordinary vigor.

As hope flourished among the serfs, the military also harbored ambitious aims.

After Su Li finished discussing with the Minister of the Seal and the Minister of Agriculture, Military Commander Oerstein Knight found Su Li immediately and reported, "Lord, I've discussed the current military situation with Hilude, Fastrick, and Jerald. We all believe that our territory's army should not remain idle within the territory, and we must take action. Either eliminate the cultists of the Red Crown or solve the Centaur Tribe in the forest."

"Time is very pressing, and we must take decisive action."

Time was tight, and Su Li did not think his military commander was being alarmist.

The window for him to deploy troops was indeed very brief.

It's universally known in this world that after a heavy rain, forests, the wilds, and valleys will spawn various monsters like mushrooms after the rain.

Continuous rain will cause the Beastmen in the forest to rapidly proliferate and grow strong, while the sunshine after the rain provides the ideal conditions for the spores of the Green Skin to grow. Soon, goblins, Green Skin lads, and even big Green Skins will emerge en masse.

Through numerous hard-fought battles, the Hesse Territory has only just managed to clear out the monsters on the west side of the Blood Pine Forest slightly. If we don't take advantage of this temporary emptiness to advance, eliminate the powerful retinue of the Green Dragon—the Centaur Tribe—and send an expedition team into the Dragon's Nest to steal some of the Dragon Nest Treasure, we'll never know when the next opportunity will come.

Similarly, at Gray Rock Valley, the excavation progress of the Red Crown cultists is also rapidly advancing.

It probably won't be long before they unleash a terrifying demon.

Now Su Li faces the choice of whether to send the main force of troops to the northern Gray Rock Valley or to the Blood Pine Forest.

He only has two squadrons of professional soldiers, with nearly half being Half-Elves. Any crisis arising in either direction that cannot be properly resolved could lead to the territory's destruction.

But such matters are nothing to be overly surprised about. The people of this world have already become accustomed to it. This is a world full of conflict, darkness, and despair.

Compared to other pastoral worlds, humanity in this world forever struggles to survive amid endless threats.

The rocks here naturally weather into skeletons, plants grow eyes and genitals, and an evil monster legion might appear at any moment, posing an endless threat to the forces of good.

Yet within despair, hope also gestates; there are always individuals or forces stepping forward at the right time to rescue desperate situations.

So, after pondering for a moment, Su Li made a decision and said to Knight Oerstein, "From now on, take your troops into the forest and start clearing out the monsters, strive to quickly eradicate the Centaur Tribe, and find the Green Dragon's nest deep in the Blood Pine Forest."

"You must clear a path for the teams entering after us, then our exploration team will delve into the forest, infiltrate the Dragon's Nest and extract the wealth inside."

"Afterward, we will muster a reinforced army to resolve the issue of demon emergence."

Knight Oerstein furrowed his brow and asked, "Lord, your plan is indeed quite perfect. But will everything go as we wish?"

Su Li's ideal is undoubtedly good, but will the demons wait until the Hesse Territory forces return as he expects before making their appearance?

What if the cultist army completes the excavation first, and a large number of demons surge out from the Gray Rock Mountain before the Hesse expedition returns, the situation would deteriorate.

Su Li said calmly, "Let's see how it goes; when the cart reaches the mountain, there must be a way. The threat of Blood Pine Forest is something we must resolve on our own. The Dwarves might help us, or they might just stand by, only sending Rangers to assist."

"Therefore, we must seize every opportunity to resolve the crisis in Blood Pine Forest first."

"But the demons within the Gray Rock Valley are not only a crisis for us in Hesse; their existence threatens the entire Gray Mountain Range. For now, it seems the Redbeard Clan is more anxious than us."

"Their Redbeard Castle is at the traffic choke point and will certainly be attacked by the demon army. Our territory is further and somewhat behind. Even if the cultists cause chaos, they may not necessarily find our territory."

Su Li's attitude is somewhat indifferent, thinking that if the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up.

The world is full of crises; Su Li cannot be expected to resolve everything.

Is it that without the Hesse Territory, the Redbeard Clan and the Dwarves within the mountains won't care about the demons in Gray Rock Peak?

Anyway, they are closer forces; they are all within the Gray Mountain Range, sharing the same region.

The cultist army is very powerful, and Su Li previously had only over a hundred people, struggling even against two squadrons of scout cavalry.

If the Hesse Territory were to solve such a large number of cultists and demons alone, Su Li fears he lacks the ability. Even if he could win, his troops would suffer heavy losses.

After all, with such a long distance, if Su Li has to mobilize and gather serfs over there, even just marching would take at least ten days to half a month. If he spends ten days to half a month just marching, the territory won't have time to develop and would be destroyed by the Broken Toe Tribe.

So after listening to Su Li, Knight Oerstein decisively replied, "The situation is indeed as you say, my Lord. I will mobilize the soldiers and prepare gear and food, setting out for the forest tomorrow, determined to resolve the Centaur Tribe as quickly as possible."

Su Li nodded, realizing he should also begin organizing a small team to explore the Dragon's Nest.

Hilude must participate; she is blessed with Divine Grace and is loyally reliable. No matter how precious the treasures taken from the Dragon's Nest, she would not hesitate to send them back to the territory and hand them over to Su Li.

Any other member of the team who considers pocketing treasures would have their heads chopped off by her.

Then there is a Half-Elf, perhaps the Half-Elf hero Ashfield is a good choice.

Half-Elves always have the knack for "accidentally" encountering magic. For instance, "happening" to find a Rune ring. Scattered rune weapons? Those pieces of equipment in the center of the battlefield? Yes, worldwide, these items and other enchanted gear might "just so happen" to show up in Half-Elf territories.

Believing such things are mere coincidence is naive. Half-Elves naturally have sticky fingers and a congenital talent for theft.

Sending them to the Dragon's Nest to steal treasures is an excellent choice.

As for any guilt from stealing...

Anyone who worries about that doesn't deserve to survive in this world.

Once the Giant Dragon awakens, would it spare the Hesse Territory? It would only incinerate the land with Dragon Flame, plundering its treasures completely.

Given no retreat available to either side, a final battle is inevitable. The treasures within the Dragon Nest are destined to be Su Li's spoils.

For now, he is merely taking a share early.

Being overly scrupulous and adhering to rules would only result in ending up like Song Xianggong, mocked for three millennia after death!

Su Li quickly resolved; though yet uncertain of whom to choose, the area by the dam was bustling with numerous knights and Dwarves gathered in excitement.

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