Nevertheless, regardless of how you look at it, this is Su Li's first time being a father in two lifetimes. He dotes on Philis more and more, sweetening her daily life with a joyful smile. Even if she were offered an Elector, she wouldn't trade her blissful married life for anything.

However, Su Li's cultivation is not the fastest in the territory. The fastest, without a doubt, is Su Li's first Guardian Knight, the High-level Attendant Chief, one of the territory's twin pillars, Hilude Konsonia.

With the blessing of the golden hairpin, her mind remains constantly clear, keeping sleep at bay. Her unrelenting learning and cultivation day and night have propelled her strength to grow by leaps and bounds.

When she returned from the Bloody Highlands battlefield, she was still an Initial Tier Champion Knight. After more than a month of study and practice, she had read through 80% of the three sets of books, leaving less than twenty books unread. Her strength had also smoothly reached the pinnacle of a High Tier Champion Knight!

This means there is still a large amount of Divine Grace in the books to be absorbed. It's very likely that she will break through to the Divine Chosen Level, and the remaining books would suffice for other knights to make their breakthroughs.

As far as Su Li knows, someone in the territory has already set up wagers, betting on which of the territory's twin pillars, Hilude or Oerstein, will first break through to the Divine Chosen Level and on what day. The sooner the breakthrough, the higher the odds.

Su Li has not intervened in this situation. Gambling is simply too prevalent in the Empire, from trivial everyday matters to major territorial affairs, official appointments, the outcomes in the Lion Ring Arena, and even castle secrets and the weight of Death's Claw, all becoming subjects of betting.

Many can forego a meal, but they cannot go without gambling. For just a Copper Coin, people can participate in all sorts of gambling activities. There are frequent occurrences of residents engaging in small bets for fun or betting the farm and losing everything in large wagers.

The territory's most famous betting case happened between a Half-Elf and a Dwarf. Both wagered their entire estates, with a combined stake of up to 157 Gold Coins, betting on what position the next official assigned would hold.

The Half-Elf bet on the Chief of Taxation, while the Dwarf bet on the head of the Provincial Affairs Council.

As a result, the Dwarf won the gamble. While Su Li was engrossed in cultivation, he delegated all affairs to the Provincial Affairs Council.

This involves the political structure and governance framework of the Hesse Territory. After all, in any realm, a ruler cannot stand alone.

Su Li could manage a few hundred or over a thousand people by wielding power. However, as the Hesse Territory rapidly expanded, its territory now reaching the outskirts of the Blood Pine Forest and the foothills of the Gray Mountain Range, richly extensive with numerous posts.

He inevitably needs a group of people to help him maintain governance. The art of politics is to always unite the majority, making many friends, to achieve long-term peace and stability in rule.

In the Hesse Territory, the ruler is undoubtedly the master of Heisen Castle, the Pioneer Knight of the Hesse Mountains, the Divine Chosen of the future Sun Goddess, and a bloodline of the Bauhinia Clan, Su Li, the Bauhinia Knight.

As a Pioneer Knight, his domain is far larger than ordinary Kingdom Knights, possibly even rivaling the territories of some small Counts within the Empire (in mere size).

Therefore, it is impossible for him to appoint just one civil servant to manage such a vast territory and the intricate affairs.

Hence, following the tradition of the Empire, he has established a government for the Hesse Province. This predominantly involves the Provincial Affairs Council, assisting him in handling governance, and the Provincial Assembly, consisting of large landowner representatives, for legislative execution, who frequently meet in the Government Hall in Hesse Town.

The Provincial Assembly, composed of large landowner representatives, being responsible for legislation, is very much in line with the Empire's national conditions. Its key personnel includes Feudal Knights of the ruling class of the Empire, farm owners centered around the Half-Elf Autonomous Region, city mayors, and the leaders of the Dwarf Community.

Most of these people have their own farms, mines, or industries, and their interests and customs vary, making a simplistic legal system obviously inadequate to adapt to such complex scenarios, hence the need for them to confer on laws and certain autonomous rights.

In this regard, the Imperial Dwarves are exemplary. Having integrated into human society, their culture and traditions have been somewhat influenced by human society, with some traditions altered or abandoned. In smaller human towns and villages, Imperial Dwarves are considered part of the community, often adhering to the same laws, customs, and traditions as their human neighbors.

However, when an Imperial settlement houses multiple Imperial Dwarf Clans, they form an Elder Council to manage the community. This council comprises elders from each clan, democratically electing a head elder to lead. During such times, they follow the Empire's laws, customs, and traditions, while retaining elements of Dwarf law within the clan. Crimes infringing property will be arbitrated by the Elder Council, with offenders facing fines, forced labor, or both.

Imperial Dwarves are regarded as the "second people" of the Empire, the most significant race after humans, serving in various roles including construction, engineering, and military fields, significantly contributing to the construction of the Empire. Every lord has a Dwarf siege master bearing substantial responsibilities by their side.

Therefore, respecting their interests and ensuring they have a certain governing voice in the territory is crucial.

After all, in the primary export goods of the Hesse, which include grain, timber, wine, metals, weapons, armor, cattle, wool, and witchcraft items, one-third are dwarven specialties.

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