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Chapter 507: All for the Population
"Each territory providing him manpower? He didn't even specify what kind of manpower!"
"Didn't he mention it? Ten professional talents per territory and 1,000 ordinary workers per territory."
"Hah, this is hilarious. I thought he'd propose some major conditions. As expected of a backwater baron."
"You can't put it that way. Lord Matthew simply doesn't understand: power is everything."
"Exactly, no matter how many factories you build, it won't increase knowledge."
"Becoming a Grand Arcanist should be the ultimate pursuit; everything else is just an illusion on the path of knowledge."
"Well, it's passable—let others work so he can free his hands to focus on research."
"Pfft, and with so many refugees..."
"He didn't even demand a larger mithral quota and only asked for more people."
"Could it be that Matthew and Bay Territory are just assisting Grand Arcanist Cronorman?"
"Possibly… Cronorman has a collaboration with the Dwarven Kingdom..."
"That must be it. It all makes sense now."
"Ah, I see…"
"..."
After the meeting, the Arcanist lords gathered in groups, constantly discussing.
Almost all of them believed Matthew's support for Cronorman was orchestrated by the Grand Arcanist himself.
Looking at the composed Matthew, Morduncan couldn't help but ask him:
"What's going on? Is this Cronorman's arrangement?"
Matthew shook his head. Though pleased, he didn't show it, instead calmly replying:
"No, I just wanted to use this opportunity to strengthen the connection between my territory and the Dwarven Kingdom."
"Their forging techniques, smelting skills, and their expertise in crafting high-grade and even legendary magic equipment are things we need to learn."
Morduncan could sense Matthew wasn't lying.
But he also suspected the young Arcanist wasn't revealing everything.
Feeling like he'd shared too much too soon, Morduncan hesitated and ultimately chose not to press further.
Noticing Morduncan's hesitation and recalling his "financial crisis," Matthew subtly probed:
"After one or two months of capacity expansion, we'll be able to meet the demand for standard battle supplies."
"However, for enchanted weapons and items, the newly trained spellcasters lack the experience and skills to produce them."
"I'll have to visit Sevinton's Adventurer's Guild to recruit professionals skilled in crafting magical items."
"Bay Territory once offered a salary of 100,000 gold coins per month for extraordinary magical item craftsmen, but no one met the criteria."
"Are there many experts in this field in Sevinton?"
Meeting Matthew's candid gaze, the sharp Morduncan quickly realized that this young Arcanist had been targeting him from the beginning.
Yet, the generous offer did make Morduncan a little tempted.
A monthly salary of 100,000 gold coins for an extraordinary-level magical item craftsman was at least 40% above market rates.
Morduncan was tempted!
He was desperate for money!
Leading Matthew into a private conference room, Morduncan wasted no time and asked directly:
"Why me?"
Without bothering to conceal his intentions, Matthew invoked Cronorman's authority:
"My teacher recommended you. He said you're the best magical equipment craftsman in Sevinton."
"Of course, given your skills, 100,000 gold coins might not be enough. I think 200,000 would be more appropriate."
Even though Morduncan was about to step into the legendary rank, he was still only an extraordinary-level spellcaster for now.
Extraordinary-level spellcasters were numerous compared to the empire's three-digit number of legendary spellcasters.
A monthly salary of 200,000 gold coins exceeded Morduncan's income for the first half of the year.
It was well-known that maintaining a mage tower consumed massive amounts of energy—Morduncan's monthly operating costs exceeded 100,000 gold coins.
His only revenue sources were selling spell scrolls, magical equipment, and enchanted gear.
But competition in Sevinton, where mage towers were everywhere and extraordinary mages abundant, was fierce.
Morduncan realized that Matthew's invitation wasn't just about crafting enchanted weapons and gear for the Dwarven Kingdom.
Yet, the price Matthew offered was irresistible!
Facing Matthew's smiling expression, Morduncan felt like he'd been schemed against but couldn't muster any resentment.
"Damn these gold coins... they're too tempting!"
Without a doubt, Morduncan was won over by Matthew's deep pockets.
Building even the lowest-grade mage tower cost around 20 million gold coins.
Working for Matthew for ten years would earn him enough to construct another one!
Morduncan had spent 30 years building his current tower and couldn't resist the offer.
Still, before leaving, Morduncan couldn't help but ask:
"Recruiting professionals across the empire can't be your main objective, right?"
Shrugging nonchalantly, Matthew shared his true motive:
"I'm not counting on other territories to provide talent. I just want the council's help in relocating as many displaced refugees as possible to Bay Territory."
"My Bay Territory needs more people!"
Watching Matthew's departing figure, Morduncan furrowed his brow, still puzzled by his intent.
But then, recalling the 200,000 gold coin monthly salary, Morduncan couldn't help but grin:
"With enough gold to buy elemental fuel, my Disjunction Spell will succeed in no time!"
After leaving the meeting room,
Matthew, accompanied by Cronorman, collected the recruitment rewards from the previous campaign.
He had been promoted to an Imperial Second-Class Viscount!
This meant he could purchase 2 kilograms of mithral annually.
For an ordinary viscount, spending 2 million gold coins on such a purchase was no small burden.
Some nobles even sold part of their quotas for a decent profit.
Meanwhile, the Sevinton council promised Matthew they would urge other lords to support Bay Territory with professional manpower.
Matthew had no objections, only casually requesting the council publish an announcement in the Arcane Times.
"I and Bay Territory are making headlines in the Arcane Times!"
The council staff nervously accepted Matthew's check, glanced at Cronorman to confirm he had no objections, and immediately promised:
"We'll make it happen right away!"
Thus, Matthew and Bay Territory's recruitment notice appeared prominently in the Arcane Times.
Most lords across the Netheril Empire now knew of Matthew and Bay Territory.
Their "paying to take in refugees" policy sparked widespread discussion among lords and nobles.
Eventually, they reached a consensus:
"Matthew truly lives up to being Cronorman's student, surpassing the master himself!"
Unbothered by the mockery, Matthew, now back in Bay Territory, watched as refugees poured through the large teleportation array.
Grinning from ear to ear, he declared:
"What's a little advertisement compared to more people?"