Chapter 541: Fire Dragon Diago
This time, after completing their respective experiments, most of the elven lords bought back a bottle of "mutation toxin."
This thing is very expensive. Although its destructive power is commendable, they are still somewhat skeptical.
After all, elves are proud. While they somewhat acknowledge the Bay Territory's capabilities, they are not particularly "trusting" of the products made there.
Ordinary war supplies are easy to accept—low in technical complexity, not too expensive.
They believe they can easily produce them, but the Bay Territory offers cheaper manpower and resources, so they are willing to trade.
In their view, with the same time and resources, they can create more valuable magical plants and magical tools.
This somewhat eerie mutation toxin gives them a feeling of curiosity.
They don't like it but feel compelled to try it.
Annie, who knows the truth, will not tell them about the situation in the Catachan dimension.
As her cooperation with the Bay Territory deepens, she increasingly believes that the Bay Territory's development pace will become faster and faster.
Because all the money and funds earned by the Bay Territory are invested in overall development.
Watching these elven lords teleport away, Annie couldn't help but walk to Matthew's side and, curious, asked:
"How do you deal with spellcasters?"
To handle regular soldiers, there are enchanted crossbows.
To deal with golems and war puppets, there's now the mutation toxin.
The biggest threat to the Ail Elves comes from the numerous and powerful elven mages of the Cole Elf Kingdom.
Although the Ail Elven Kingdom has the heritage of the Gold Elves,
they have fewer numbers, fewer resources, and naturally produce fewer spellcasters than the other side.
Of course, Annie now thinks this is more about resource allocation and training methods.
If only they could be like the Bay Territory…
No, the Bay Territory is one of a kind!
Subconsciously raising his eyebrows, Matthew touched his chin and, under Annie's expectant gaze, softly said:
"In most cases, only a spellcaster can deal with another spellcaster."
"However, in large-scale wars, considering the number of spells and the range of attack for spellcasters,"
"you can counter them with more specialized weapons and equipment."
Most spellcasters don't have attack ranges longer than bows and crossbows—some fall far short of them.
If more long-range lethal weapons are prepared, and personnel are assigned to watch for spellcasters, they can be significantly deterred and harmed.
Annie's eyes lit up. Suddenly, she thought of the most challenging part of dealing with spellcasters: breaking their magic shields. She couldn't help but ask again.
This time, Matthew did not answer. He merely gave her a smile, pointed upward, and said under her puzzled gaze:
"You can find answers to all your questions in the laboratory. As long as you pay the corresponding price, the researchers will be happy to answer."
Upon hearing about spending money,
Annie not only didn't feel dissatisfied, she actually felt delighted.
The Silverleaf Family's wealth accumulated over thousands of years is abundant!
She values her relationship with Matthew even more, and her previous worries have now disappeared.
Researchers were very welcoming of Annie's arrival.
This major patron offered a very high price—500,000 gold coins—for just a solution.
Led by the mage team headed by Magic Duncan, they cheerfully participated in the experiments and research.
In less than three days, they had formulated a set of solutions ready for battlefield use.
However, these solutions required many new weapons and pieces of equipment, which brought additional expenses.
Regarding the solution itself, after seeing the demonstration's effects, Annie was very satisfied.
Then, she willingly shelled out another 500,000 gold coins to start developing the specialized weapons and equipment.
Annie wouldn't rely entirely on the Bay Territory.
She needs the Bay Territory's ideas and plans.
If the Bay Territory cannot produce certain weapons and equipment, she can hand them over to the Ail Elves.
The Silverleaf Family would still gain considerable benefits from this.
In fact, Annie even harbored bolder thoughts.
If these specialized weapons and equipment were developed, other families and armies among the Ail Elves would certainly need them in large quantities.
The Silverleaf Family could act as intermediaries: leave the production to the Bay Territory and keep the sales in their own hands.
Both sides would feel reassured, and the partnership would naturally grow closer.
If Matthew knew she had reached this conclusion, he would be quite relieved.
Trading back and forth, everyone could grow the pie together, make money together, and maintain a long-lasting relationship.
This transaction, though it consumed millions of Destiny Power from Matthew, provided ample funds for the Bay Territory's development.
Apart from food, more resources were transported to the Bay Territory.
The factory's scale was expanding, with more and more territory residents joining as workers.
Various military supplies were rapidly produced, just like those sold to surrounding territories, and were sold to nearby regions.
News gradually spread outside the territory. Notices began registering the Bay Territory's sale of various weapons and equipment.
The prices listed caught the attention of many lords, and seeing accounts of other territories' unfortunate situations, those with needs readily opened their wallets.
The many weapons and pieces of equipment sold were exchanged for more resources, continuously flowing into the Bay Territory.
At the same time, large-scale recruitment and training were underway.
The residents' routine combat training also benefited from better conditions.
This turned more residents into professionals.
Increasing numbers of reservists joined the Bay Territory's army.
Meanwhile, better weapons and equipment were being produced amidst the sounds of machinery.
The entire atmosphere in the Bay Territory gradually grew tense.
News reports increasingly featured incidents of dragon-blooded creatures attacking, destroying villages, and besieging other territories.
It was only then that the people of the Bay Territory suddenly remembered.
Following their territory's guidance, they had been preparing for the arrival of the "Mad Dragon Maze" all along.
Constructing one underground outpost after another.
Producing better weapons and equipment.
Selecting more soldiers.
Conducting drills for evasive maneuvers during attacks.
These concrete actions were communicated to every resident through news reports and the slogans of administrative staff.
"Everyone must firmly remember that the Bay Territory's development relies on everyone's efforts."
"The fruits of the Bay Territory's development will also be enjoyed by everyone."
"Food prices will remain stable, varieties will gradually increase, and clothing will follow suit..."
Such practical slogans brought great joy to all Bay Territory residents.
They could clearly feel their lives improving step by step.
New residents, after their initial bewilderment, came to deeply value the hard-earned peace and happiness.
Of course, this had nothing to do with the Bay Territory's regular handling of "bad people."
Throughout the Bay Territory's comprehensive development, Matthew never let up on controlling "corrupt officials" and administrators.
Golems handled the allocation of supplies.
Auditing staff managed the distribution of wages and rewards.
Transparent reporting channels.
Universal magical "monitoring" for administrators.
Want to embezzle?
Solve the technical challenge of countering magic first!
The consensus was clear: lying in the Bay Territory was unthinkable.
The technological advantage eliminated more than 99% of problems.
Matthew never stopped pushing for improvement and refinement. Even if complete eradication wasn't possible, the goal was prompt detection and swift resolution.
The approach to dealing with violators carried the unique Bay Territory flavor.
"For every bit of embezzlement and the losses caused, make them perform the lowest-paying jobs under supervision."
"Only after earning ten times the fine, publicly apologizing in the territory, and broadcasting their 'glorious deeds' one hundred times can they start over."
"If they caused severe consequences, resulting in injury or death, then 'eternal laboratory assignment' was their only punishment."
Matthew emphasized the management monitoring situation with Butler Ralph, who wholeheartedly agreed.
What excited Butler Ralph most wasn't just the Bay Territory's rapid development and the stable, friendly, united, and progressive society, but also its fast problem-solving ability.
Thinking about what he was about to report, Butler Ralph felt a bit uneasy. After Matthew finished dealing with other matters, Ralph continued:
"Adventurers from the Underdark discovered activity—drow have halted their final sweep of the Gnoll Kingdom."
"They found something deep in the Gnoll Kingdom—a legendary fire dragon!"
"They engaged it, and the drow suffered significant losses."
A dragon!
And a legendary dragon at that!
Matthew rubbed his temples, recalling information on the Underdark.
There was no record of legendary dragons.
However, rumors of a shadow dragon causing havoc in a drow city-state emerged over ten years later.
Legendary dragons were somewhat more resistant to the "Mad Dragon Maze," but not by much.
In fact, their greater power caused even more destruction when they went mad. As they lost their sanity, they became increasingly frenzied!
This led Matthew to ponder the "Mad Dragon Maze's" terrifying effects on dragons.
Why hadn't dragons figured out a way to break it?
It couldn't be due to a lack of power!
Thinking of the legendary true dragons and even more terrifying demigod dragons that would appear in the future, their strength before the elemental tides erupted was certainly sufficient.
What, exactly, has led them to remain unmoved, even adopting a somewhat withdrawn attitude?
More and more mysteries made Matthew find it all very intriguing.
What used to be a cursory glance now became something more flavorful with each bite…
"Notify Angela to bring two legions and prepare to head into the Underdark for combat!"
At the moment, the only power in the Underdark that poses a threat to the Bay Territory is the drow.
If they secure the legendary fire dragon and the Gnoll Kingdom, their strength will certainly reach a new level.
With their greed, they are bound to make a move against the Bay Territory!
Matthew wasn't afraid of fighting the drow, but doing so wouldn't offer many benefits and could drag down the Bay Territory's development.
Winning would not compensate for the cost; losing would be devastating.
Now, however, is the perfect time to act.
Suppress the drow's growth, demonstrate the Bay Territory's strength.
At the same time, there was Matthew's most important goal:
"Capture or hunt down a legendary fire dragon!"
Even if this legendary fire dragon remains in the Underdark, it will still be affected by the unprecedented "Mad Dragon Maze."
Matthew believed that the drow discovering the dragon was also related to the increasing influence of the "Mad Dragon Maze."
So, Matthew decided to make his move.
Besides, Yaya's growth had slowed recently.
Although she had been "working hard" on her studies,
in Matthew's view, real combat was the best opportunity for rapid growth.
A legendary fire dragon was a suitable opponent!
The opponent was not a true dragon and was lower in tier compared to Yaya.
Under the influence of the Mad Dragon Maze, its intelligence and combat capabilities would weaken significantly.
Matthew speculated that in its previous life, it likely didn't cause much trouble due to the Mad Dragon Maze's influence and was swiftly dealt with by the drow.
A mindless legendary fire dragon was weaker than a typical legendary magical creature.
After all, the higher the tier, the more important intelligence becomes!
Hearing this news, Yaya cheered immediately.
She gleefully set aside her arcane tomes, happily closed her eyes, and sent her consciousness to her avatar still in the Catachan dimension.
There, Yaya could freely seek out all sorts of opponents.
For example, the dragon-blooded creatures that had almost fully recovered.
Yaya decided to warm up with them first and get back into the fighting groove.
And then there was the Catachan demon, whose value had increased by more than 200,000 gold coins.
The production of the mutation virus couldn't have been achieved without the contribution of the Catachan demon.
Of course, a massive Catachan demon wouldn't produce just one bottle of mutation toxin.
That was simply a marketing gimmick!
Killing such a dangerous creature wouldn't just make the castle's surroundings safer, it would also fill Yaya's little treasure trove with gold.
In addition to Yaya getting "busy," the news of the upcoming battle spread through the Bay Territory's army, greatly invigorating many soldiers.
They were raring to go!
All their hard daily training, constant strength-building—wasn't it all for battle?
They weren't afraid of fighting; in fact, they craved it.
They wanted to earn more merits, to claim more land for the Bay Territory.
Udala and Rika, who had just passed their reserve soldier assessments, felt this deeply.
Arnold, who stood head and shoulders above the ordinary soldiers, was smiling as he introduced the new reservists:
"To become a qualified soldier, you need more than just personal combat ability and physical fitness. You must also coordinate in group operations and resolutely follow orders."
"The upcoming training will have two parts."
"In the morning, you'll undergo basic combat specialty and skill training for soldiers."
"In the afternoon, you'll participate in formation and team combat drills."
"Don't worry—Bay Territory will meet every soldier's development needs, from food and clothing to magical sustenance and training methods. Bay Territory will provide it all."
As Arnold glanced at the bright, eager eyes before him, he cracked a slightly mischievous smile:
"Don't celebrate too early. The training will be very tough, so tough that some might consider quitting."
Nearby formal soldiers, watching with interest, nodded knowingly, as if anticipating a show.
Curious, Udala looked toward the training ground in the distance. Her eyes gleamed, and she didn't believe she couldn't handle this level of hardship.
Rika shared the sentiment.
However, she was more cautious, naturally suspecting that the Bay Territory's training methods might be problematic.
Soon, the official training began.