The Empire is a fiercely combative and courageous entity, where both the nobility and the common folk aspire to gain personal honor and pride through battle.

Anyone who dares to invade the Imperial Territory will face the wrath of formidable Knights, exceptional Warriors, and the Guardians of a nation that is feared and respected across the entire Old World continent.

These armies march to war in the name of various Divine Spirits, sweeping evil from the battlefield for the glory of their Lords.

However, within the Empire's borders, there also exist professions that are not so legitimate, with members of the Hendricks Sect and Brotherhood being among them.

This Church is somewhat similar to the Lanode Church, which led Su Li to mistakenly think they were people from the Lanode Church.

When the Wandering Son, Luo Ou, finished speaking, Su Li looked at him curiously and asked, "Some less formal methods? What can you all do for me?"

Luo Ou immediately responded, "Within the Empire, members of our Hendricks Sect Brotherhood are known as thugs, enforcers, or 'heavy hitters,' because our people can do various things for anyone, such as putting pressure on citizens and politicians, protecting precious goods, and, if necessary, breaking skulls. Due to the Sect's business expansion across almost all types of commerce and the entire Empire, we find ourselves traveling long distances, dealing with various people on behalf of the Sect, which often proves profitable."

"If you don't mind our methods being somewhat informal, we can help you contact mountain dwellers, recruit drifters, organize the outcasts of the Evil Land, and even forest bandits."

This was undoubtedly the Empire's nobles' dark gauntlet.

Under the Empire's rule, cities are whitewashed over the decayed, mottled walls, and in this land, farmers seem to exist only to serve their masters, whose existence seems only to pursue the chivalric ideals of Knights: dominion and protection. Under the tight protection of fortress bastions, Imperial Knights dedicate their lives to the expertise of the feudal system; hunting; tournaments, and more, while their subjects must toil laboriously to supply their Lord and fill their Lord's treasure troves.

So, it's evident that the Empire's nobles need some more flexible people to help them achieve their rule.

And at the bottom of the Empire, few can read and write well. On the first day of each month, they must gather to listen as their Lord's Attendant reads them the doctrines they must follow and reminds them that serving their Lord is a glorious endeavor, along with the duties they must shoulder to bathe in this glory.

In fact, Imperial farmers can barely make ends meet, working tirelessly in the fields day after day, struggling to survive in dire poverty. Most of these farmers can hardly live to middle age, let alone hope for their master's appreciation for their spirit of dedication. However, without the farmers' labor and the taxation on their already meager income, Knights would not be able to maintain their accustomed lifestyle.

The Imperial Knights themselves are also accustomed to transcribing their oaths in extremely glamorous fonts, treating them with a devout attitude. Knights recite these oaths before the Holy Image or relics of the Goddess—depending on the Knight's status, the Holy Image or relic could be a simply painted work adorned with candlelight or a gilded triptych. For these honorable but narrow-minded Warriors, violating even a single point in their oaths is seen as committing the most serious offense.

These Brotherhoods clearly serve as a less legitimate profession communicating between Knights and commoners, thieves, outcasts of the Evil Land, but not as a criminal profession.

Currently, their greatest use is undoubtedly helping Su Li organize these bandit groups around the Territory.

As long as Su Li is willing to provide some funds and a piece of land, some among these outcasts of the Evil Land and forest bandits would surely be willing to lay down their weapons and join the Territory.

The weaker ones among them could supplement the population for the Territory, reclaim farmland, and boost agricultural production.

The stronger ones could even be directly organized into the army, serving as soldiers or even low-ranking officers in the Provincial Legion. Because among these bandits, there are also some Ranger Knights who have lost their honor and violated their oaths.

Organizing them into the Territory is tantamount to giving them a chance to start anew.

Therefore, Su Li said to the Wandering Son, Luo Ou, "I can accept your presence in the Territory and provide you with sufficient rewards each time you recruit a band of drifters or bandits. But can you guarantee not to incite the commoners against the rule?"

"Of course!" Luo Ou immediately said, "We have always been followers of the faith in money. Whoever can provide ample funds, we serve them. We've investigated the situation in Hesse Territory, and undoubtedly, you are the biggest holder of Hesse Territory's wealth."

"And compared to the massive army of the Territory and the mighty Knights, the uprising of commoners is completely futile."

This is very prominent within the Empire, where the oppressive rule of Imperial Knights has an overwhelming advantage, and the uprisings and desperate fights of commoners are viewed by the Knight Lords as nothing but hopeless struggles.

While Su Li was contemplating, Luo Ou continued, "And I've seen that the wealth of commoners in your Territory far exceeds the usual Imperial level, even the food of slaves is beyond the reach of most serfs in other lands. They would only want to start a rebellion, overthrow your rule if they were kicked in the head by a dumb donkey."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.