The scale of the procession following Su Li from Bauhinia Castle was already quite impressive. Walking on the mountain road were not only the elite knights Schwartz and Frederick, but also the formal knights William and Sophie, apprentice knights Hilude and Reve, as well as six armed attendants.
These attendants belonged to the Schwartz Clan and the Frederick Clan. Whether in peacetime or wartime, the attendants would follow their lord's commands to complete those cumbersome, dirty, and heavy tasks the lord avoided.
However, once on the battlefield, they would employ every inch of their martial arts learned throughout their lives, cutting down all before them in the name of the divine spirit, the knight, or their lord. For the attendants, each battle was an opportunity to climb the social ladder or to repay their lord, even perhaps their only chance to ascend to the knighthood - although the likelihood was very slim.
They were the loyal servants of the knight lords, resilient infantry lines on the battlefield. Except for the elite foot knights of the Knight Order, they were essentially the Empire's most powerful infantry units. Every mature territory, in addition to a large number of knights, needed a corps of infantry to maintain the line; their numbers were large, their scale significant, cheap, and versatile, capable of undertaking all dirty and heavy tasks.
Their role determined that the focus of the procession was not on them; the proud knight lords drew all the attention.
Especially Schwartz, clad in vibranium rune armor, whose imposing majesty was evident, with the armor reflecting cold rays in the sunlight; the sound of hooves like thunderous echoes made the knights William and Sophie unable to resist turning their gaze toward him repeatedly, filled with envy for the vibranium rune armor.
Knight Frederick was himself elegant, while his son William was even more outstanding, with handsome features and leonine brown hair. Clad in full plate armor and donning a kite helmet, he was conspicuously elite among knights.
His sister Sophie was a budding beauty; since she was already an adult, her figure had fully blossomed, displaying elegant and alluring curves, projecting unparalleled charm. Particularly her long, wine-red hair that draped like waves over her shoulders, each swing in the wind vividly reflecting her fiery confidence and gallant demeanor as a female knight.
Theoretically, this pair, in maturity, appearance, experience, or strength should surpass Su Li. However, Frederick looked at his two children, like kids, unabashedly envying and yearning for the vibranium armor, and then saw Young Master Suli's composed elegance and confident amiability; he could in no way compare these two failing children to Young Master Suli! Clearly, Young Master Suli had just come of age, yet he exuded maturity and poise that easily eclipsed the older William and Sophie.
Frederick sighed slightly, then retracted his gaze and asked Su Li, "Young Master Suli, where are we heading now?"
Su Li turned with a smile and asked everyone, "Did you all bring money? I've had a good streak lately, taking you all to win some money. The tournament in Bauhinia Town starts tomorrow, so we're heading there now to place bets before registration closes."
Upon hearing Su Li's words, Hilude and Reve were the most excited; the two had completely put their trust in Su Li, especially Hilude, who still clutched the gold coin she had won earlier. Such a large sum, she hadn't had a chance to break it into change at the castle, so she hadn't returned it to Reve.
She whispered to Reve, "Let's follow Young Master Suli to place a bet later, and once we get the winnings, I'll return 1 gold coin to you."
Reve's heart raced, nodding hurriedly with a sound of excitement. She could hardly believe wealth could accumulate so fast; just yesterday, she had lent Hilude 10 silver coins, and now she would soon receive 1 gold coin back.
Schwartz had somewhat adjusted to Su Li's whimsical nature.
But Frederick, having just encountered Su Li, couldn't help but frown at the words. "Young Master Suli, shouldn't we be rushing to prepare the plans for the expansion of the Border Prince's Territory? The tournament in Bauhinia Town, with participants limited to apprentice knights, grants the title of 'Knight of Dawn' to the victor. Such battles are not mature, full of uncertainties, and a single tense error could change the outcome of the match entirely. Betting on this is purely gambling."
Su Li replied with a smile, "Makes sense. Then let's keep it entertaining with small bets, no more than 10 gold coins per person. However, Knight Frederick, you must realize that raising resources is also the foremost responsibility of a Pioneer Lord. Without sufficient wealth, how am I to build a larger army?"
Seeing Su Li's calm confidence, Frederick decided to say no more. Raising funds was indeed the most critical task at hand, and he also had to admit, Young Master Suli evidently had a unique confidence in this area.
After convincing Knight Frederick, Su Li then talked with interest about another topic. "Knight Frederick, do you know much about griffins? Are they interested in lions?"
"Probably. Humans can take an interest in mermaids. Many legends claim griffins are products of alchemy, but I don't quite agree. I think they, like centaurs, might be creatures made by nature's extraordinary power." After speaking, Frederick curiously asked, "Why is Young Master Suli suddenly interested in this? Do you plan to breed a half-lion griffin in the clan's stables?"
Su Li raised an eyebrow, "Are the family's half-lion griffins bred?"
"Of course not!" Frederick replied, "Most of the terrifying creatures ridden by imperial knights are raised from a young age, but this rarely happens with half-lion griffins. These noble beasts with eagle heads and lion bodies aren't mastered in training by humans; they exist in dense, dangerous forests."
"The final trial for knights of some renowned knight orders to advance is to capture a half-lion griffin alive and subdue it. Unsurprisingly, most of them fail and are torn to pieces by these fierce beasts. This is why half-lion griffin knights are exceedingly rare in the Empire. When a half-lion griffin attacks, it charges before the enemy can lift a weapon to counter it; its razor-sharp claws can easily gut foes, and its powerful beak can puncture armor and limbs."
Su Li curiously inquired, "Besides this, is there no other way to tame and acquire a half-lion griffin?"
"High Elves possess a talent for beast taming and a mode of coexistence with natural creatures, allowing them to be equal companions to elven horses, griffins, griffin horses, white lions, celestial horses, dragons, phoenixes, giant eagles, war eagles, and forest essences. Conversely, the Empire's methods of beast taming are relatively crude, making it impossible to coexist with adult griffins. If you are the first a young griffin sees when it opens its eyes, you can tame a griffin, but such opportunities are exceedingly rare. As far as I know, the clan doesn't have any griffins about to be born."
Su Li's lips curved slightly upward as he said, "What if I told you, Knight Frederick, you had a chance to obtain a half-lion griffin, would you want to try?"