Upon hearing the good news reported by Lauren, Su Li was overjoyed.

The timing of Master Kote and the West Merchant Association's return couldn't be more perfect.

The army clearing the Blood Pine Forest had just set off, leaving the forest relatively empty. Their association's workers could go in and start felling the Blood Pine Wood.

Meanwhile, after tomorrow's Summer Solstice celebration, the territory's land cultivation will also commence. The floodwaters from the Bjorn Shallow Bay have been drained, and the summer sun has dried the land below, making it soft and dry, ideal for cultivation.

The territory was short of manpower, but Master Kote brought back a Slave Capture Team, greatly alleviating the labor shortage issues. The acreage of fertile land for cultivation will also see a substantial increase.

So Su Li didn't even feel like worrying about the monsters in Lake Revelin. He immediately stood up and said to Fastrick, "I'll leave the clearing tasks here to you. Make sure to eliminate all deformed monsters to ensure that tomorrow's Summer Solstice celebration proceeds smoothly and peacefully."

Fastrick thumped his chest and promised, "Lord, rest assured. I guarantee with my honor as a knight that no beautiful maiden will fall prey to these monsters. The evil shall be cleansed and terminated by my hands."

Su Li waved him off, signaling goodbye. This powerful Flying Horse Knight had many commendable traits—his strength, imposing appearance, a heart full of justice, and a profound hatred for evil.

The only issue Su Li found hard to accept was that this young knight probably read too many knightly novels and minstrel tales. His mannerisms were akin to a proud rooster adorned with flamboyant feathers, both flamboyant and sprightly.

However, Su Li couldn't be bothered to tell him off. To Su Li's knowledge, within the Empire, knights as proud and flamboyant as him make up at least half, if not eighty percent.

Of course, he had the capital for his pride and flamboyance. If Su Li, at the age of twenty, possessed champion-level prowess, he'd be even more proud and arrogant than Fastrick!

If he had been a Champion Knight, instead of an Apprentice Knight, during negotiations in Bauhinia Castle with Count Suna, he could have been directly bestowed the title of Kingdom Knight instead of Pioneer Knight. His territory could have been in the Thorny River Valley rather than the Border Prince's Territory!

But as he walked along, Su Li quickly adjusted his mindset. Being a Pioneer Knight had its advantages, such as a broader fief and more fertile farmlands!

As long as there was enough manpower, the army that the Pioneer Territory could sustain would surpass most Kingdom Knight's Territories within the Empire.

But upon returning to Hesse Town, he discovered that the size of Master Kote's convoy was beyond imagination.

Outside the rudimentary wooden walls of the Black Forest, a massive convoy was encamped. Their caravan comprised more than two hundred wagons, supported by over twenty privateer ships, armed merchant ships, slave ships, and grain ships on the Black Water River.

Seeing this scale, Su Li smiled and said to the approaching Master Kote, "You're well-prepared, sir, intending to take away all our territory's wealth!"

Master Kote placed his right hand over his heart, slightly bowed, then smiled and said, "Isn't this a win-win situation for both of us? Gold coins only have value of a Golden Crown when they flow. Piled in a dark cellar, they're just a heap of scrap metal."

Indeed!

Master Kote was absolutely right.

Su Li wasn't a greedy giant dragon that hoards gold coins. Although he had piles of Golden Crowns forming three small hills in his depot, they were of no use to him. He still lived in poverty, with patched clothes and only one blanket that needed sun daily.

What he yearned for was the prosperity of his territory, the expansion of his army, wealth that could translate into an improved life and increased strength!

So Su Li smiled and said, "Indeed, it's a win-win situation. Our territory's growth can also make your warehouses' unsold goods valuable. You no longer need to worry about economic crises, having to discard excess wealth because they can't be sold."

After speaking, the two exchanged a knowing smile. It was clear that this round of negotiations had showcased both parties' values.

Then Su Li asked with concern, "Master Kote, what have you brought to my territory? How does such a massive convoy come to be?"

A convoy of two hundred carriages and ships wasn't extraordinarily large, but it was certainly a high-stake gamble.

To minimize losses, the world's commerce associations typically establish commerce alliances in major cities, creating complex commercial networks.

For instance, an ocean-going giant cargo ship or a large caravan heading to an Exotic Realm rarely operates entirely funded by a single merchant association.

This is because such large-scale convoys often carry goods worth several hundred to even thousands of Golden Crowns.

If lost to a storm or raided by raiders,

the lost wealth could cause a well-operating merchant association's funds to collapse, seriously harming its operations.

Thus, merchant associations usually form commerce alliances, sharing profits and distributing risks.

In a large convoy, each association handling goods for about a dozen vehicles meant the loss was relatively small. Some convoys, having complex compositions, involve dozens of associations, each providing goods for only one or two vehicles. Though the profit is small, so is the risk.

A universal truth in any world: higher returns come with higher risks!

When some large mercenary groups and escort companies protect caravans, they might even have the impressive feat of traveling with thousands of vehicles.

They are truly living life on the edge, licking blood from the knife's point. Only this scale can fend off raiders and bandits.

Master Kote straightened his chest and proudly said, "Respected Su Li, this trip is solely organized by our West High Merchant Association. It's a huge caravan I've managed to set up by pledging my shares. I bring you all sorts of supplies needed by the territory."

Master Kote's gamble was undoubtedly a great success!

His successful arrival at Hesse Territory signifies that this round trip may yield him wealth in the thousands of Golden Crowns!

Perhaps his overall influence in the West High Merchant Association will greatly increase because of this.

This commercial venture was not only visionary but also involved quite a bit of good luck!

Tal's storm swept through the Border Prince's Territory, devastating many lands, with countless refugees fleeing with their families. The raiders overlooked this low-profile caravan, allowing them to smoothly arrive at Hesse Territory.

Master Kote first addressed the issue Su Li was most concerned about, the slave matter, saying, "We brought along a privateering fleet and a Slave Capture Team, delivering to you 6 elite transcendent individuals, 12 formal transcendent individuals, 24 apprentice transcendent individuals, along with 50 technical workers from various industries."

"Of course, any territory requires a large number of serfs; we've brought 173 of them for you."

In fact, such a large-scale slave transport is beyond the capacity of a privateering fleet and Slave Capture Team.

Many underestimate the difficulty of marching during warfare!

On the Empire level, the difficulty of marching in major battles is ten, even dozens of times harder than fighting.

Marching and warring, always marching first, fighting later.

If you can march thousands of miles without substantial non-combat attrition, without slaves and armed attendants fleeing, and successfully bring ninety percent of your troops to the battlefield,

Then such a general is indeed an outstanding military talent!

To casually win a few victories on the battlefield would make him a legendary general in history.

West High Merchant Association certainly does not have such extraordinary people. They initially brought only one hundred fifty slaves, which is already a considerable Slave Capture Team scale.

Along the way, death and escape occurred, but fortunately for West High Merchant Association, the torrential rain resulted in refugees everywhere, making it easy for their Slave Capture Team and privateering fleet to capture more along the way. Thus, the number of slaves increased instead of diminishing.

They even found an elite knight stranded on a flooded slope, riding his white warhorse, starved for three days and nights in the flood. Weakened and near death, he was easily captured by the Slave Capture Team onto the ship.

Every time there's a natural disaster, it's a feast for the wealthy and merchant associations to rake in riches, with wandering knights all over the Border Prince's Territory. Their lands destroyed, they are forced to roam with an iron sword, seeking new masters.

Su Li's intelligence in recent days has allowed him to gather 3 elite knights, 5 formal knights, and 10 armed attendants from the wild. In the southern region of the territory, he discovered a camp of wandering farmer rebels, increasing the territory's population by over eighty people.

Su Li, in his heart, truly didn't want to buy so many elite knights anymore.

After all, each elite knight's monthly salary is five gold coins. Three elite knights' annual salary is enough to buy another elite knight.

His territory now has more than two squads of elite knights, and without doing anything all year, the maintenance costs exceed a thousand Golden Crowns.

This vast wealth is far beyond what an ordinary Pioneer Territory can sustain.

But now he can only grit his teeth and accept everyone who arrives.

He must rapidly expand his army to address the Green Dragon threat and prevent the potential demon ravages from the north.

So, Su Li waved generously and said, "As long as your slaves aren't plagued by disease, I'll take them all. Let's go check the quality of the slaves now."

Su Li didn't even negotiate the price, for money was least important to him. He needed to give West High Merchant Association the impression of open arms! To assure them that bringing slaves means making money!

Only then would they be extremely enthusiastic, eagerly organizing caravans and Slave Capture Teams to prioritize heading to Hesse Territory.

Master Kote's eyes immediately burst with excitement and joy, realizing he had made the right bet! Next trip, he could double the number of slaves.

He excitedly said, "Su Li, please follow me. I guarantee the quality of these slaves will satisfy you. These are meticulously selected elites."

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