Chapter 566.5: Preparing for War
The entire stronghold returned to peace.
Matthew quietly observed the map suspended in midair while listening to Arnold and Leon summarize the battle.
Just as Arnold had said—
In this battle, Bay Territory held many first-move advantages.
They scouted the enemy early and obtained extremely detailed intel.
When they launched the surprise attack, the enemy had conveniently split into two groups, allowing for a divide-and-conquer strategy.
More importantly, Bay Territory's warships had over twice the combat strength of the Wokou's ordinary ships.
A complete victory was no surprise.
Still, as a seasoned veteran, Arnold made sure to explain all the details so no one would become arrogant and would understand the real balance of power.
On the other hand, Leon carefully analyzed the Wokou's likely next moves.
After the group finished discussing the battle, he cautiously continued:
"Though we struck decisively and left no Wokou alive—"
"We cannot assume the enemy knows nothing. We must be prepared for a full-scale counterattack."
Never underestimating the enemy and preparing for the worst—that was Leon's style.
The others agreed, and some even added:
"If the Wokou really are connected to our enemies, they'll certainly take note of our actions."
"Once they understand our strength, they might dispatch more warships and troops to wipe us out."
Not limiting their vision to the current battlefield, but tying it to the broader strategic picture—that was a mark of their growth as commanders and strategists.
Matthew didn't wait for the discussion to end. He quietly closed his eyes and returned to Bay Territory.
Unlike the gloom hanging over the Wokou stronghold, Bay Territory was still basking in clear skies and sunshine.
In the shipyard undergoing expansion—
Countless figures bustled about, hard at work.
Hundreds of workers processed the materials needed to build warships.
Shuyou watched as hardwood planks were placed into time-flowing magic circles and rapidly transformed, her mouth twitching slightly.
Even though she'd grown used to Bay Territory's druid-assisted "accelerated growth" method for producing ironwood, it still stunned her.
She still couldn't fully process what she was seeing.
Seeing her in silence, Liana—who was collecting data nearby—offered a comforting explanation:
"The Lord once said, if Bay Territory truly needs something, we can ignore cost and produce it at any price."
"Its market value can be temporarily disregarded—everything is for greater efficiency."
Shuyou's gaze drifted to the arcane badge on Liana's youthful robes, finding it all hard to believe.
The shocks brought by Bay Territory just kept piling up.
One plank after another was magically processed, undergoing more than ten steps of treatment and inspection before being installed on ships.
What used to take fifty to sixty years was now compressed into just five or six days.
The awe-inspiring scene clearly demonstrated the power of magic and arcane technology.
Carlos smacked his lips thoughtfully. Looking at the nearly completed new warships, he couldn't help but say to Matthew:
"Bay Territory gives me the feeling that this is the true center of arcane development."
"Only here does magic find its broadest and most practical use."
Matthew shrugged nonchalantly, watching the shipbuilding process and replying in a calm tone:
"The knowledge and technology were always there. I just didn't care to hoard them—I combined everything together."
Not care to hoard?
Carlos rolled his eyes, recalling how Bay Territory kept its tech "open," and muttered:
"No one's that generous. Knowledge shouldn't be that cheap."
A faint smile appeared on Matthew's face.
He knew this wasn't Carlos's personal opinion, but the prevailing view in other territories and across the Netheril Empire.
No one willingly gives away hard-earned knowledge at a bargain.
Even within Bay Territory, that mindset still lingered.
But Bay Territory had a different "strategy."
When someone contributes a piece of knowledge and gets tenfold compensation in return—
That resistance quietly vanishes. After all, Bay Territory gave too much in return.
"Don't think too hard about it. You should focus on training your troops. The Orc Wasteland is far from peaceful."
Hearing Matthew's words, Carlos rubbed his temples with a headache and muttered helplessly:
"The losses last time were too great. Even though we've recruited some new soldiers with decent potential, it'll still take at least 1–2 years to train them properly."
As he spoke, Carlos glanced at Beelzebub behind Matthew, sensing the increasingly powerful aura, his eyes flickered and he asked:
"Bay Territory's soldiers are progressing so fast—do you have any secrets or methods you can share?"
Instead of answering directly, Matthew proposed a hypothesis:
"Indeed, Bay Territory has its own techniques and methods for training soldiers."
"But without the conditions provided by Bay Territory, the effectiveness of such training would be greatly reduced."
"If the 8th Legion finds training new soldiers too troublesome, they can hand over the task to Bay Territory."
"As long as sufficient supplies are guaranteed, Bay Territory is confident it can train a batch of qualified soldiers for the 8th Legion in just 6 months."
"At the very least, they'll be able to rely on city defenses to withstand the next wave of orc invasions."
Carlos's eyes widened, his heart pounding from Matthew's unexpected generosity. Still a bit in disbelief, he asked:
"Bay Territory is really willing to help us train soldiers? And only in 6 months?"
Nodding matter-of-factly, Matthew gestured for Carlos to follow and smiled as his gaze passed over Yaya roaming about with Orianna and Guoguo:
"There's no need to joke between us. Of course I'm serious."
"Come with me into the military camp. Take a good look at how we train our soldiers. If you're satisfied, then we can talk about the terms."
Eagerly nodding, Carlos reluctantly left the shipyard, already set on one thing:
"I must report Bay Territory's production methods and philosophy to the family."
Bay Territory's production may seem like trading gold for speed.
But the explosive productivity shown in such a short time far exceeded his expectations.
If things continue at the old, sluggish pace, they'll quickly lose the "market" Bay Territory talked about.
Just these warships—if Bay Territory chose to sell them, even at double the price…
Many lords would cry and beg to buy them with their treasure vaults full of gold.
Owning one of these warships would be a "ticket" to venture into the New World and earn profits.
Sometimes, the appearance of something at just the right moment signifies even greater value.
Just like Matthew's offer to train soldiers.
With such thoughts racing, Carlos followed Matthew into the barracks.
The moment they entered, thunderous shouting erupted.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Soldiers in tight formation thrusting forward gave Carlos goosebumps. He admired the orderly lines and fierce momentum as they marched past.
Matthew shrugged and pointed at the soldiers, saying:
"They've only been training for three months..."
"I agree. Just name your conditions!"
Carlos answered without hesitation.
Though he didn't know why Matthew was helping, he wasn't going to act modest.
Then, flipping through the documents, Carlos shivered and muttered:
"Damn, you really don't pull any punches! Does training these soldiers really cost this much?"
Matthew nodded naturally and took the list, explaining item by item:
"Ten gold coins per soldier for tuition—that's not expensive at all."
"Each of them will learn at least three combat skills and feats."
"You can assign which combat techniques they learn based on their troop type."
Carlos instinctively widened his eyes, glancing at the thrusting soldiers nearby.
Sensing their extraordinary speed and power, he nodded without hesitation.
Having combat skills and not having them—two completely different concepts!
"Ten kilograms of magic food per soldier—intensive training requires better nutrition."
No problem!
"1,000 kilograms of food per soldier. The more they eat, the better they train—you get the idea."
You're right!
"Each soldier gets a set of enchanted armor and weapons."
"Bay Territory's gear is top-quality and affordable. Don't tell me you don't like that?"
Fair point!
"Five Vitality Potions per soldier. Bay Territory will also put them through blooded training—you should know that well!"
Ruthless!
"..."
After listening to the list, seeing that the training cost per soldier reached 100 gold coins…
With nearly 150,000 new recruits in the 8th Legion, total training costs would exceed 15 million gold.
Carlos, despite himself, found Matthew's reasoning sound and let out a long, pained sigh.
Still undecided, Carlos followed Matthew deeper into the barracks…
Only to be brought, almost unknowingly, to a place that shocked him even more.
It was a vast training field.
A 3,000-man unit was facing off against an assault of over 10,000 enemies.
The attackers had siege towers, battering rams, catapults, and ladders.
They even had massive Iron Golems and Striker Golems.
The clash felt incredibly real, the clang of weapons all too convincing.
Carlos saw soldiers injured and "killed" with his own eyes. He licked his dry lips and murmured:
"If you can guarantee our 8th Legion recruits will receive this same training… and achieve these results…"
"Then I'll do everything I can to push your terms."
The corners of Matthew's mouth lifted slightly. He nodded calmly but thought to himself:
"Heh, with this, the funds for the new training camp…"
"And the new batch of Feat-learning 'test subjects' are all ready."
Bay Territory's 'deals' are never easy freebies.
Of course, Matthew never intended to scam Carlos either.
In another seven or eight months, after a year of preparation, the orcs would launch a new wave of invasion.
The Netheril Empire, which had just suppressed the western orcs, would face an even deadlier threat.
If the 8th Legion grew stronger, it could greatly curb the orc invasion.
With them holding the front, Bay Territory would bear less pressure.
Though Bay Territory was progressing well, it still wasn't strong enough to stand alone.
Recently, with the Dragon Frenzy looming, eastern barbarians were beginning to stir again.
That would be Bay Territory's other major front this coming half-year, aside from naval warfare.
This time, the barbarian horde would not be small scattered tribes like in the past.
As Bay Territory ramped up soldier training and built one magic warship nearly every week…
News of the captured Wokou stronghold had already reached North Pirate Island.
The pirate generals were furious.
They weren't the type to take a hit and swallow the insult.
After years of dominance over the East Coast archipelagos, they had always struck back, even against powerful foes.
Faced with Bay Territory's bold provocation, many Wokou shouted for immediate retaliation.
But though their cries were loud…
When it came time to act, they all started making excuses.
They weren't fools. Bay Territory had sunk eight warships silently—it must have at least 16 ships' worth of combat power.
Now was the prime time to explore and make money in the New World.
No one wanted to risk their precious warships in a battle that would surely bring losses.
Besides, the eastern sea route had just reopened.
Countless merchant ships, fat as sheep, were ripe for plunder and profit.
No one wanted a thankless battle.
Except for two pirate generals!
One was a lackey of the Pfizer Merchant Guild.
The other was the owner of the Wokou stronghold.
These two had agreed to gather their fleets within two weeks.
When the time came, they'd devour Bay Territory's warships in one bite—and plunder the rich Bay Territory as a bonus.
Two birds with one stone!