Pioneer Lord: Starting From Daily Intelligence

Chapter 212: Chapter 117: Hesse Province Provincial Affairs Council and the Arrival of Fierce Warriors (Part 3)

To effectively govern such a vast territory, from the Gray Mountain Range to the Brionne River, from the Blood Pine Forest to the Green Leaf Hills, is no easy task.

A road has just been carved out in the middle of this vast plain, connecting towns and farms, but forests and power vacuums in unexplored regions still abound on both sides of the road. Green Skins and Beastmen reside within, and in certain areas, ancient ruins and lost treasures are hidden, attracting many treasure seekers and scholars to visit.

In the foothills where the Bloody Highlands to the north meet the Gray Mountain Range, there are profitable veins of minerals hidden, which might spark disputes with the Dwarf Kingdom at any moment. The Dwarves certainly do not recognize that everything in the Hesse foothills belongs to the Hesse Territory. If all in the Gray Mountains belongs to the Lords there, why should the minerals at the foot of the mountains belong to humans and not Dwarves? While the Bauhinia Knights may be Pioneer Lords, the Dwarves claim to be the eternal masters of the Gray Mountain Range.

Hence, to manage all these political affairs, and to have an excuse to slack off and ”cultivate,” he specifically formed the Provincial Affairs Council to handle all affairs in the Hesse Foothills Province.

The choice of a director for the Provincial Affairs Council became the most popular betting topic at the casino, with most believing Minister of the Seal, Lauren, was deserved. Others thought that the upcoming farming endeavors in the territory would be booming, and Minister of Agriculture, Vandar Oak, would bear heavy responsibility and double as the director of the Provincial Affairs Council. Others, like High-level Attendant Chief Hilude, Engineering Master Kurgan, and even Minister of Industry Sheriff were nominated.

In the end, Su Li, against all opposition, appointed the territory’s Minister of Religion, the Priest of the Sun Goddess, Lord Rong’en, as the director of the Provincial Affairs Council.

This decision, once announced, left countless jaws dropping in shock!

It even led to speculation that the Lord himself participated in the betting pool, earning over 600 Golden Crowns from it!

After all, just before the betting closed, a mysterious person had placed an additional bet of over 300 Golden Crowns, wagering that Rong’en would take up the director’s position.

In the Hesse Territory, there aren’t many rich people who can bring out 300 Golden Crowns at once, and even fewer who would wager such a fortune on an underdog choice like Rong’en.

If someone hadn’t conclusively seen the mysterious person who claimed the bet rewards return to the Corona Knight Order’s base camp at Silver Spring Valley, this would have been a widely discussed commotion for quite some time.

Su Li’s reason for appointing Priest Rong’en as the director of the Provincial Affairs Council is something he doesn’t need to explain to anyone.

This is fundamentally an institution to assist him, and he has the authority to decide the appointments of any high-ranking ministers in the territory. If he wished, he could appoint a rapist, a prostitute, or even a dwarf butcher to this position.

Of course, Su Li’s choice of appointing Rong’en was not a frivolous show of his absolute authority but rather a decision based on multiple considerations.

First of all, in the war against Skaven Blood Fury, Lord Rong’en made significant contributions. Before the battle, he led soldiers in devout prayer, personally blessing and encouraging each knight about to go to the battlefield. He fully demonstrated the value of a Combat Priest in this area as well as his devout faith in the Sun Goddess.

As the soldiers attacked, they roared with ”May the Sun Goddess bless us to die with dignity,” launching an exceedingly ferocious offensive.

During the battle, Rong’en personally participated, not retreating even when facing a powerful Divine Chosen Demon.

This ultimately earned him the forgiveness of the Medical Goddess, proving that he did not leave the Life and Love Church out of fear. (Of course, it might also be because he participated in slaying a Divine Chosen Demon, which was enough to repay the Medical Goddess for her blessings to him.)

Nonetheless, the curse on Lord Rong’en has dissipated, enabling him to resume cultivation and gradually restore his Divine Chosen Level strength.

This former Divine Chosen Knight took just a month to surpass Apprentice Knight, formal Knight ranks, reaching Elite Knight faster than Su Li, and in recent days, it is said that amidst handling political affairs, he has not neglected his cultivation, reaching the Middle Tier of Elite Knight.

Apart from establishing rapport with this inevitably Divine Chosen Knight of the Sunfire Church, the other major consideration for appointing him was the intelligence given to Su Li.

The day after Su Li announced the formation of the Provincial Affairs Council, the Daily Intelligence system listed several possible candidates and the effects of each person taking over the Provincial Affairs Council.

For example, if Lunadeshan were appointed director of the Provincial Affairs Council, the territory could more effectively manage the relationship between wilderness and domestication; not only would the spread of weeds in the fields be contained, but herds could potentially incorporate species such as wild horses, goats, and Uros bulls during grazing.

Moreover, every once in a while, they would receive gems, items, and precious beast eggs brought by animals from the Blood Pine Forest to the fields of the territory.

If Dwarf Engineering Master Belos Dragon Hammer were appointed as the minister of the Provincial Affairs Council, the progress of engineering in the territory would greatly accelerate.

In particular, the current construction of Hesse Town’s walls and Heisen Castle’s walls would rise from their current height of 16 meters to 24 meters! Moreover, construction costs would decrease by 20%. The price would be a decline in the economic prosperity, tax revenue, and public order of the territory.

The defense of the territory has been brought to the forefront, with Su Li hoping that the dwarf engineers can lead the Ogre construction team to quickly build up the defense facilities of the territory to offer more tactical options for the impending duel with the Green Dragon Followers.