Chapter 955 - 128: Bone Merchant and Valley of Memory
After chatting with Lunadeshan for a short while, Su Li discovered that the control over the Black Pine Forest by his territory and army was much stronger than he had imagined.
Without him having to worry or pay attention, many ministers, generals, the Church, and the Knight Order had already strengthened their control over the area in various ways.
This made him very satisfied. The so-called power and the so-called subordinates should have this effect — managing things from all directions without his intervention when he’s not worrying.
If he had to be concerned about everything, then what’s the point of spending so much money and raising so many people?
He then asked Lunadeshan, "Since you’ve been in the Black Pine Forest for so long, you must have come into contact with many forces within it, right? Our current area is only in the west of the Black Pine Forest, what’s in the central and eastern parts? Have you discovered any Wood Elf communities?"
"Wood Elf communities?" Lunadeshan pondered for a moment, then cautiously replied: "There are indeed rumors among the hunters that they have glimpsed Wood Elves in the Black Pine Forest, but they always vanished quickly. However, we still haven’t received any concrete information about Wood Elf communities. This is also quite normal, as the Cedar Forest is extremely vast. The territory we currently occupy is merely the core area once ruled by the Green Dragon, about one-tenth of its peak. The border only reaches Lake Essonide."
"Compared to the vastness of the Black Pine Forest, the area we occupy may account for less than one percent. Just resisting the Orcs, goblins, and monsters infiltrating from within the Black Pine Forest is quite difficult. It’s also quite normal to be unaware of the various mysterious places and opportunities within it."
Listening to Lunadeshan’s words, Su Li instantly felt relieved, realizing what she said made a lot of sense.
The Hesse Territory got its name because of the foothills of the Black Mountain Range, where ’black’ refers to the Black Mountain Range and ’pine’ refers to the Black Pine Forest.
Theoretically, this Black Pine Forest is at least equivalent in level to the Gray Mountain Range or the Border Prince’s Territory in being a province, destined to harbor numerous forces and war gangs. Even if there are no Wood Elves here, if there were, it would be a small Wood Elf Kingdom.
Considering the strength of the Hesse Territory, it probably occupies just a corner on the edge of the Black Pine Forest.
Humans are inherently not adept at activities within forests. The only reason they could occupy this area is primarily due to Lake Essonide, which is surrounded by very flat terrain and fertile land.
Of course, more importantly, they had the assistance of Green Dragon Aelirea, who restricted some monsters, confining them within the mine areas. Many monsters in the forest were forced to become her followers and minions, not attacking human strongholds. This definitely relieved a lot of pressure on the Hesse Territory and holds tremendous strategic significance.
Otherwise, given the current military presence and deployments within the forest by the Hesse Territory, it would definitely not be enough to withstand the endless waves of attacks. They would need to invest at least double the effort and deploy more troops.
While Su Li was talking with Lunadeshan, a loud and clear cry of Giant Eagles could be heard from the sky, as two of them swiftly flew over from the direction of Heisen City.
Su Li raised his eyebrow, realizing that this Elf merchant was indeed powerful, to even have a Giant Eagle.
It’s known that such giant and fierce birds are not something ordinary individuals can afford to keep, needing a powerful force behind them providing resources.
Vandar quickly landed by the lakeside under the guidance of guards, followed by a woman with a distinctly Elven style. She was tall, muscular, with reddish-brown skin. Her long hair was fixed by a ceremonial elven crown and carefully braided hair.
This is a cunning woman. When meeting clients, employees, and suppliers, she would often be bare-handed, showcasing the ritualistic cross scars overlaid with her childhood burn scars.
However, to meet Su Li, she dressed very lavishly. The speed of the Giant Eagle made the distance between Heisen City and Jorn Shallow Bay a mere blink of an eye. It was only because of her attire that they finally arrived after Su Li had been chatting with Lunadeshan for so long.
This Elf wore a fashion outfit sewn by the finest Elf tailors, extravagantly adorned, perfectly fitting for a crime lord of her status and reputation.
Though such gaudiness was often disdained by other Elves, sometimes leading Elves to whisper behind Nayadalin’s back about how living with humans had distorted her worldview. Regardless of the correctness of these aesthetic judgments, no Elf could deny how focused and ruthless the Bone Merchant was in pursuing her goals.
This cunning woman confidently approached Su Li, slightly bowed, and said, "Finally, I have the honor to meet you, the great, wise, and illustrious Lord of the Hesse Territory."
Su Li raised an eyebrow, forming an impression of this woman — honey-tongued and deceitful.
Thus, Su Li cautiously replied, "Hello, Miss Nayadalin. I’ve heard about you from my ministers, hearing that you are a very capable merchant."
"Indeed, I am seeking some small intricacies in your territory." This woman was very smart and did not immediately state her demands. After all, Su Li might not be interested initially, and even if he were interested, he might not be willing to help her.