🎄 Christmas Special! 🎄
To celebrate Christmas, enjoy 30% off monthly subscriptions from December 25th to 31st 🎁✨
The adjusted price is available on the Patreon page.
Chapter 455: In-Depth Cooperation with the Elves
Matthew did not adopt a reckless attitude of waging wars to harvest the power of fate.
As the saying goes, "No matter how great a nation, a love of war will lead to its downfall."
Bay Territory, whether now or in the future, was destined not to engage in large-scale rapid militarization, as it was contrary to his development strategy.
Relying solely on this method to obtain the power of fate, once met with failure, could very likely lead to the collapse of the entire territory.
Pursuing such a path merely for the power of fate would be extremely foolish.
Matthew was always exploring how to stably acquire the power of fate.
Then, he achieved a certain level of success.
This involved cultivating magical creatures in designated areas, thereby realizing a cycle of harvesting and utilization.
Currently, this method still had significant flaws, such as low yield, slow results, and susceptibility to various destabilizing factors.
However, as Matthew deployed more druids and resources to invest in the collective breeding of magical creatures,
He gradually uncovered another method of harvesting the power of fate.
By mass-rearing and cultivating magical creatures and then harvesting them at scheduled intervals, he could acquire corresponding power of fate.
Through small-scale trials, Matthew discovered that this method worked and planned to continuously invest in its support and research.
Ultimately, it aimed to achieve large-scale cultivation.
This approach brought many benefits: Matthew gained the power of fate, adventurers earned rewards, the territory acquired magical creature materials, and even professionals could obtain food made from the flesh and blood of magical creatures.
It was truly a win-win scenario.
Moreover, what Matthew valued most about this approach was that it allowed Bay Territory to secure a stable supply of magical materials and resources, thereby reducing reliance on imports.
Memories from his past life and the real world constantly reminded Matthew of one truth:
"We may not need it, but we must never be without it!"
This principle applied equally to various resources and technologies.
Matthew had suffered setbacks in this regard before!
Therefore, Matthew was willing to invest more funds to lay a stronger foundation for the development of Bay Territory.
All the materials harvested were uniformly stored by Matthew.
In the future, such stable opportunities for development might not always be available!
Barracks.
Training Grounds.
Whoosh!
A sharp whistling sound pierced the air. Annie resisted the urge to look back at the arrows flying behind her, raising her shield as she charged forward.
Step by step, she probed the weaknesses in the formation, only to find through repeated clashes that she couldn't locate the breakthrough she sought.
The elf soldiers she brought, though adept with exquisite archery, managed to inflict some damage on the slightly unprepared Bay Territory forces.
However, they were still unable to breach the front-line defenses and sustained heavy losses under continuous arrow fire.
Whether in melee or ranged combat, they seemed at a disadvantage.
Their usual training techniques seemed ineffective against the tightly coordinated military formations.
Frustrated, Annie chose to admit defeat.
This time, she keenly observed that Bay Territory's formation was less a simple arrow-shooting array and more of a defensive advancing formation.
Its solid defense and long-range firepower always left them in a tough spot.
In such direct confrontations, Annie often found herself at a loss.
After the drill ended,
Annie instructed the dejected elf soldiers to continue their training. Curious about Old John, who had greeted her earlier, she suppressed her excitement and asked with anticipation:
"Where are we going?"
Old John winked at her and smiled. "To the place you've always wanted to visit. But be prepared; don't be too surprised."
Recalling some terrifying images, Annie licked her lips lightly and resolutely said:
"I'm already prepared!"
As long as it's not too "dangerous…"
Seeing the determination on her face, Old John turned to observe the training elf soldiers and thoughtfully stroked his chin.
"These elf soldiers seem like rookies. While they've trained for quite some time, their combat experience is quite lacking…"
"Why does the Lord want to cooperate with the elves?"
Suppressing his doubts, Old John led the composed Annie to the underground laboratory.
Upon seeing the vast scale of the underground laboratory, Annie's eyes sparkled with amazement.
He had been slightly worried that the laboratory's size might be too small to meet the needs of the Ail Elves.
But now, it seemed there was no need for concern.
Instead, she began to worry about what kind of cooperation terms Bay Territory might propose.
With a hint of contemplation in her gaze, Annie saw various experimental subjects and cultivation tanks.
Even though she had mentally prepared herself, seeing the diverse and distorted forms of experimental subjects made her involuntarily widen her eyes.
Bizarre and grotesque, their appearances were twisted.
The only solace Annie found was that there weren't too many scenes of blood and gore.
As such, while she found them astonishing, she managed to endure.
After all, the Ail Elves had also made many horrifying attempts to gain the power to oppose the Col Elven Kingdom.
Paying a price was worth it!
The one thing Annie felt relieved about was that every experimental subject here was "deserving" of their fate.
She then began to attentively examine the strength and condition of these experimental subjects.
"Next, you'll hear about a plan, and you can share parts of it outside."
"For the detailed contents that must remain secret, I'll have you sign a contract in advance, so you won't need to worry too much…"
Matthew clearly understood that without sufficient bait, big fish wouldn't bite.
Annie naturally nodded in agreement, feeling relieved; she had been anxious moments ago.
Matthew then explained the three completed modifications in detail, illustrating the areas and effects of each procedure.
"Experimental subjects can start from the lowest-tier professionals."
"This means a broad audience…"
"The effects of the modifications are highly polarized."
"This indicates significant room for improvement…"
"Outstanding subjects often gain one significant tier in strength, even acquiring extraordinary abilities!"
"This signifies high potential!"
"The modifications are incredibly safe, though quite expensive…"
"That doesn't matter; the Ail Elves have abundant resources and nowhere to use them!"
"…"
Seeing the powerful results of the modifications firsthand, Annie's mind filled with their advantages.
She resolved that as long as Bay Territory's terms weren't overly demanding, she would strive to finalize the cooperation.
Finally, she saw hope for the Ail Elves to "survive."
Having achieved his goal, Matthew began contemplating the "terms" to propose.