Chapter 552: The Dragon Disaster Strikes
"As long as there are enough materials, the Joint Factory can produce over 100 pieces of advanced magical equipment and items daily."
Annie gently stroked a light green cloak, feeling the hidden, accumulating magical energy, and continued with great anticipation:
"To ensure everyone is familiar with each step."
"We will arrange a rotation system, just like other factories in the territory, where workers will switch tasks every half-month to a month."
"Once they fully grasp the processes, they will participate in discussions and research for improvements."
Annie knew very well what Matthew expected from the Joint Factory.
It was not just a factory for producing advanced weaponry and equipment.
It was also a collaborative research institute for developing even better magical weapons and gear in the future.
"Well done. Manage it boldly. If you need anything, just tell Butler Ralph directly—he will provide you with full support."
Matthew nodded with a smile. His decision to appoint Annie as the head of the Joint Factory was indeed the right one.
With her personality, she would not favor either Bay Territory or the dwarven master craftsmen.
She could also assert herself against the elven master craftsmen when necessary.
The collaboration among the three factions was bound to lead to conflicts and friction. Handling these situations properly would be both a test and a training experience for Annie.
In the future, Matthew had even greater expectations for her.
As Matthew reviewed the various materials required for production in the factory, he noticed something quite interesting.
A significant portion of the materials came from dragon-blooded creatures.
This was a way to process the expensive dragon-blooded materials that Bay Territory had acquired, ensuring a swift return on investment.
Not only would they recover costs quickly, but it would also further fuel the enthusiasm of adventurers, helping the territory "absorb" the resources of the Dragon Madness Disaster.
The more adventurers and soldiers killed—
The more profit Bay Territory made.
The faster their strength improved.
And the more they could kill!
This positive cycle rapidly enhanced the overall strength of Bay Territory's adventurers and soldiers.
Most of the other materials came from the Dwarven Kingdom, with only a small portion from the Elves of Ail.
As expected, despite their dire situation, the dwarves were never stingy. Once they recognized a friend, they chose to trust them completely.
The Elves of Ail were somewhat different from other elves, but for the most part, they were merely looking to acquire more resources.
The Elves of Ail purchased 55% of the weapons and equipment produced by the Joint Factory, spending a significant amount of gold in the process.
Matthew was not particularly concerned. Over time, the Elves of Ail would find themselves in increasingly difficult situations, making them even more dependent on Bay Territory.
When that time came, Matthew hoped their accumulated wealth from thousands, even tens of thousands of years, would be more substantial.
Just as Matthew was inspecting the Joint Factory—
In the central square of Bay City, more than ten individuals were under the watchful eyes of countless onlookers.
They bowed their heads in shame, repenting for the corruption and embezzlement they had committed in their work.
After each of them explained their thoughts and motives at the time, the tribunal announced their punishments:
"They will be sentenced to at least ten years of imprisonment."
"During their supervised time, they must continue working to repay the losses they caused."
"Only when they have served their sentence and their work results exceed ten times the losses they caused will they regain their freedom."
"Otherwise, they will remain under supervision and continue working."
"Let this be a lesson to all—do not steal! If you do, you will be caught!"
Everyone observed closely. Comparing each criminal's offenses and penalties, they saw that no exceptions were made, and everything was handled according to the law, giving people a strong sense of fairness.
Some mocked the offenders, while others took it as a warning.
Some even felt ashamed for not detecting the corruption sooner.
Their failure to notice had allowed greater damage to be done, causing larger losses for the territory and its people.
"Hey, what were these guys thinking? Lying under the noses of the monitoring golems?"
"Haha, they were obviously being evasive—it was clear something was off."
"This time, the longest one lasted two weeks. The monitoring golems need some improvements!"
"If the daily outdoor surveillance and questioning were enforced more strictly, we could prevent this better and catch them faster."
"Good point. Let's submit a suggestion—it should be revised soon."
"Yeah, let's go!"
"..."
Having just arrived in Bay Territory and witnessing this unprecedented public trial—
Several young members of the Ser Family were visibly astonished and intrigued.
"Is this how they eliminate corruption? How many detection spells would that require?"
"I heard the monitoring golems maintain a constant detection field—just like the ones we encountered at the city gates."
"Wow, is this Cousin Matthew's Arcanist philosophy? Fascinating."
"There are so many golems in the city—this is even more interesting than Sevinton!"
"Bay City is much cleaner than Sevinton. The roads are wide, the environment is tidy, and everyone is busy. I haven't seen a single beggar..."
"It really is impressive. When I first heard about it, I thought people were exaggerating. I never expected Bay Territory to have developed so well."
"That's right. While Bay City isn't as vast as Sevinton or filled with as many magical constructs and wizard towers, it radiates a unique sense of vitality..."
"Look at that food street..."
"The Adventurers' Guild Hall is massive!"
"Can anyone just buy magical weapons and potions here?"
"..."
Their curiosity about Bay Territory grew, along with their amazement.
Following a tip from a passerby, they curiously approached the information golem stationed at an intersection.
At first, they intended to ask about job opportunities in Bay Territory.
Since entering the city, that had been the most frequently discussed topic.
Then, they became interested in the information golem itself and started asking all sorts of strange questions.
However, before long, they reached the limit of the golem's response quota and could only stare at it longingly.
Nearby, Elio noticed the Ser Family emblem on their attire and said to Feili:
"Don't approach them recklessly. First, inform Butler Ralph and see how he wants to handle this."
Feili, who had been a bit nervous, felt relieved that Elio wasn't reprimanding her. She quickly nodded while sending an emergency communication to Butler Ralph, and then asked:
"How's the situation in the Catachan Demi-Plane? Are the Kobolds and Gnolls adapting? What about the Lesser Dragons?"
Elio wasn't annoyed by Feili's curiosity. Instead, she smiled and explained:
"Even underground, the fungal mats and plants from outside Catachan are slowly infiltrating."
"Fortunately, with the Kobolds' help, they can be cleared and excavated at any time, which also solves their food supply issue. The two complement each other perfectly."
Kobolds and fungal mats?
Thinking of that scene, Feili couldn't help but smile faintly and gesture for Elio to continue speaking.
"Two Lesser Dragons have already died—they were unfortunate enough to run into the Catachan demons."
"However, most of them have now settled down and are actively fighting against the surrounding creatures."
"Their adaptability is strong, and they are even modifying their surroundings. They will play a significant role in combating the fungal mats and the Green Tide."
"Dragons are fascinating. Even these Lesser Dragons grow incredibly fast—not only have they adapted to working with us, but they are also adjusting to the environment at record speed."
"Moreover, sensing the pressure of survival, they have started reproducing at an accelerated rate..."
Listening to Elio talk about the various interesting developments in the Catachan Demi-Plane, Feili's face showed anticipation and excitement.
Patting her on the shoulder, Elio smiled and reminded her:
"As the territory always emphasizes, every job is necessary and important—yours is no exception."
"Ensuring the safety of the people is our goal. This is our home..."
Feili shrank her neck slightly, then suddenly raised her wrist with excitement and said:
"Oh? Butler Ralph has decided to meet them!"
Making a quick hand gesture, Feili smiled and said:
"Be sure to come home for lunch—Grandmother is waiting for you."
Sticking out her tongue playfully, Feili walked toward the young members of the Ser Family. Watching her back, Elio pondered briefly:
"Did something happen? The Radiant Moon Family?"
Upon hearing that Feili was taking them to the Lord's Manor, the young members of the Ser Family readily agreed.
Along the way, they bombarded her with questions, marveling at Bay Territory and comparing it to the Ser Family's holdings.
They were full of energy and enthusiasm, reminding Feili of her younger self just a year ago.
Butler Ralph welcomed their arrival warmly, graciously accepting their gifts and surprising them in return.
"Wow, is this an advanced enchanted weapon?"
"Yes! It's absolutely real—my father's doesn't even compare!"
"The Lord gave these to us? This is amazing!"
"Hehe, now we can stay here with peace of mind..."
"That's not what you were saying before we arrived!"
Hearing their excitement, Butler Ralph chuckled heartily and asked with a warm smile:
"If you really want to stay, let's discuss what kind of work you'd like to do."
The young nobles exchanged glances, each considering their own ambitions.
Before coming, they had intended to become nobility within Bay Territory, assisting Matthew in managing it.
This was a common strategy among noble families. They had been professionally trained and educated, offering both loyalty to Matthew and the influence of their lineage.
However, after arriving in Bay Territory, their perspective had drastically changed.
They realized that the administrators here were merely performing a job—power and responsibilities were clearly defined, unlike the ruling elites they had envisioned.
Given this, they were drawn to their own individual interests and wanted to explore various jobs in Bay Territory.
After all, they also desired to improve their personal skills and knowledge.
Butler Ralph had no objections to their ambitions. Instead, he offered them practical advice.
They were delighted with this arrangement and eagerly began their professional training.
When Matthew learned of this, he pondered for a few minutes before drafting a letter to send to the Ser Family.
To his surprise, the Ser Family responded swiftly.
"They said Sevinton is preparing to act?"
Butler Ralph nodded solemnly as he carefully reviewed the letter and said thoughtfully:
"The council plans to deploy two legions to clear the dragon-blooded creatures around Sevinton, but I suspect they have no intention of expanding their reach..."
Matthew agreed and inquired if there were any other details in the letter.
Butler Ralph shook his head, his expression carrying a hint of doubt. After a moment's hesitation, he reassured Matthew:
"Perhaps the Count is simply too busy."
Matthew wasn't particularly concerned and responded decisively:
"In this situation, the number of refugees around Sevinton will continue to grow, but I doubt they can handle it all. There's a high chance they'll start sending people our way..."
"Inform the newspaper editor—tell them that Bay Territory still needs more refugees."
Hearing this, Butler Ralph immediately understood Matthew's intentions and began making the necessary arrangements.
Year 301.
January 8.
The Fourth and Fifth Legions of the Netheril Empire began their operation to exterminate the dragon-blooded creatures around Sevinton.
Under the leadership of Floating City No. 6, they demonstrated terrifying mobility.
Using the Legion Teleportation Spell developed by Grand Arcanist Iolum, they could deploy anywhere within a 300-kilometer radius in under an hour.
The disorganized dragon-blooded creatures were completely outmatched and swiftly annihilated.
More terrifyingly, all Extraordinary-tier dragon-blooded creatures were effortlessly wiped out by the Floating City's Destruction Cannons.
In fact, they took only ten minutes to kill a Legendary-tier Wyvern.
The creature didn't even have time to escape!
In just five days, they had eliminated over a million dragon-blooded creatures.
With an unstoppable force, they completely contained the effects of the Dragon Madness Disaster within Sevinton's borders.
Once again, the Netheril Empire proved that as long as they had Floating Cities, they were invincible.
However, despite vanquishing the dragon-blooded invaders, the imperial army made no effort to support the surrounding regions.
It seemed they only intended to protect Sevinton and nothing more.
Many lords pleaded for Sevinton's aid, but they received no effective response—only instructions to hold their ground and fight harder.
Yet the dragon-blooded creatures were growing stronger.
This created immense trouble for the neighboring territories and provinces.
Even the lands of marquises and dukes—
Their poorly defended villages and rural areas—
Were suffering heavy losses from dragon-blooded invasions.
The more militarily powerful high lords also began deploying troops to clear out dragon-blooded creatures.
Other lords, lacking weapons and supplies, started purchasing combat materials from the market.
They quickly discovered that the only territory still selling large quantities of combat supplies was Bay Territory.
Even more enticing was the fact that while Bay Territory had raised its prices—
Most of the increase was merely a transportation surcharge, rather than the exorbitant price gouging seen among other merchants.
Such fair dealing left many territories deeply impressed.