Chapter 533.5: If You Run Now, You'll Still Have Time…
Many territories, upon hearing the plight of the Bay Territory, felt a twinge of pity.
But as the Bay Territory offered favorable trade terms to secure more grain,
some lords found themselves tempted by the potential profits.
Driven by self-interest, many chose to secretly relax the grain trade restrictions.
Of course, the grain sold was priced at more than double the original rate and offered in limited quantities.
This strategy was intentional—to keep the Bay Territory in a constant state of dependence.
On one hand, they could obtain affordable goods from the Bay Territory while keeping its economy under pressure.
If questioned from above, they had reasonable explanations ready.
"The Bay Territory must keep bleeding, paying exorbitant costs for grain."
On the other hand, these lords not only profited handsomely but also benefited from the Bay Territory's development, turning it into a de facto labor force for their own gain.
What could be more satisfying?
Nothing!
Absolutely nothing!
It wasn't that spies weren't trying to infiltrate the Bay Territory.
But this time, under Matthew's orders, nearly all direct personnel exchanges were halted.
Even material shipments were handled via costly large-scale teleportation arrays.
Any spies who managed to sneak in among refugees or adventurers were swiftly apprehended by the inspection teams upon arrival.
The reason was simple:
They couldn't pass the "lie detection."
This approach was time-consuming and labor-intensive.
But when the Bay Territory handed these tasks over to thousands of adventurers and tens of thousands of trainee teams,
daily routine checks and practical assignments
not only enhanced the trainees' skills and their awareness of protecting the territory,
but also made them understand:
"The Bay Territory is always under threat. Trainees must work harder and grow stronger."
As for the captured spies, most were thrown into the underground world to perform labor and undergo training.
If they wanted to live, they had to behave.
Those who didn't want to live…
were granted their wish.
Matthew's laboratory happened to need "brave volunteers" for its experiments.
"Sometimes I feel like I'm turning into a ruthless villain…"
Matthew rubbed his chin and glanced at the massive cages, speaking to the eager Yaya nearby:
"Come on, we might as well test the secrets hidden within the Catachan Demi-Plane."
Yes, the captured draconic blood creatures,
except for a few special individuals and units, were mostly sent to the relatively safer Catachan Demi-Plane.
Compared to the impending "Mad Dragon's Maze," even the perilous Catachan dimension was indeed safer.
Sensing the faintly chaotic energy in the air, Yaya murmured thoughtfully:
"It really does feel like something's coming. I can even sense a tiny bit of its influence."
Matthew glanced at Yaya, his lips curling slightly.
It could indeed influence Yaya, though only very subtly.
But for the other draconic blood creatures, the effects could be far more pronounced.
The distant roars and howls made that abundantly clear.
Matthew kept a few control groups—creatures imbued with a murderous aura.
Once he finished documenting and studying them, these beasts would become training targets.
Soldiers who defeated them would receive enhanced training opportunities.
Their carcasses would be carefully dismantled, turned into a variety of materials, and used to craft magical equipment, items, and potions for the Bay Territory.
Exploiting every bit of value from the enemy was always Matthew's modus operandi.
Half an hour later.
Inside the fortress named "Hope."
Yaya, now in her original form, was roaring freely.
The dragon's might radiating outward caused all the draconic blood creatures in their cages to tremble.
At nearly 20 meters long, her massive frame was on the verge of breaking the boundary from large creature to gigantic creature.
At that point, Yaya's vitality and lineage would undergo yet another enhancement.
To nurture Yaya more effectively,
the Bay Territory provided her with abundant daily sustenance:
Two tons of high-quality meat.
Yaya, a carnivore at heart, especially loved grilled meat.
Because of this, the territory developed dozens of different grilling techniques.
Energy crystals valued at 100 gold each—100 per day (excess output from the elemental energy pool after a full day).
Yaya used these as snacks.
To replenish the energy consumed by her growing body.
50 kilograms of rare metals valued at 200 gold per kilogram (including but not limited to mithril, adamantine, refined iron, magical iron, and true silver).
Yaya's snack.
It strengthens her body's scales and enhances the durability of her internal organs.
Intermediate magical plants worth 100 gold each—200 units.
Yaya's side dish.
It provides additional information about Yaya's life force structure, further enhancing and stimulating her bloodline power.
These daily expenses total up to 40–50 thousand gold at most.
Each month's expenditure exceeds a million gold—enough gold that its cumulative weight matches Yaya's own.
Even a count's estate couldn't withstand such reckless gold spending like Matthew's.
Battle power growth relies on the investment of gold!
Under Matthew's cost-no-object "nurturing," Yaya recently underwent another massive boost in power.
Yaya
Race: Time Dragon
Class: Level 7 Arcanist.
Age: 1 year (Wyrmling stage).
Size: 19 meters long (Large).
Weight: 6.5 tons.
Talent: True Dragon Bloodline LV4, +8 to all attributes, mastery of bloodline abilities, proficiency in shapeshifting, temporal powers, and gravity control.
Challenge Level: 21→22+!
Feats:
Legendary Feat - Temporal Breath LV2: Inflicts time decay equal to age × 10 + 24 months on the enemy, and +50 true temporal erosion damage.
Extraordinary Feat - Dragon Might LV4: Emits a terrifying aura, imposing a -20 Will penalty on all surrounding creatures!
Extraordinary Feat - True Dragon Body LV3: +40 max health, +9 physical defense, +12 magic defense, +9 physical attack, +12 spell attack!
Extraordinary Feat - Iron Stomach LV2→LV3. (+2→+3 Constitution, +40%→+60% recovery, +12→+18 poison resistance, +60%→+90% digestion absorption.)
Extraordinary Feat - Reinforced Skeleton LV2→LV3. (+4→+6 Constitution, +2→+3 Dexterity, +300% bone strength.)
Extraordinary Feat - Second Heart LV2. (+2 Constitution, +20 max health, immunity to one fatal heart strike.)
Extraordinary Feat - Hardened Muscles LV2: +4 Strength, +2 Constitution, +2 Dexterity, -20% physical damage taken, +20% attack rolls,
Extraordinary Feat - Supernatural Healing LV2: +50→60 max health, +4→+5 Constitution, +5→+10 health regeneration, accelerated recovery of all non-lethal injuries by 10 times.
Extraordinary Feat - Temporal Rewind LV3.
Extraordinary Feat - Gravity Mastery LV2.
...
Special Abilities: Disguise, Shapeshift, Illusionary Doppelganger.
Skills:
Martial (185), Meditation (150→175), Knowledge (130→145), Perception (120→135) Evasion (120→135), Flight (135→140), Fleshcraft (135).
Attributes:
Strength: 26, +8 bonus.
Dexterity: 28→29, +9 bonus.
Intelligence: 29, +10 bonus.
Constitution: 31→39, +20 bonus.
Wisdom: 27, +9 bonus.
Charisma: 29, +9 bonus.
Luck: +5.
Physical Attack: 18 (Attack rolls +20%.)
Spell Attack: 22
Physical Defense: 24 (Physical damage taken -20%.)
Spell Defense: 24
Poison Resistance: 12
Health: 39×2+60+40+20+6/204 (Recovery +40%.).
Mana: 290+60/350
Evaluation: A chosen True Dragon!
Powerful!
Challenge Level 22+!
Comparable to standard Legendary combat power.
204 points of extensive health, combined with extraordinary regeneration, allows Yaya to fight without restraint.
Hmm, let's have a moment of silence for those unfortunate draconic blood creatures.
Yaya is steadily growing into a reliable powerhouse.
Especially now that she has fully transformed into a Time Dragon.
Her mastery over time power progresses rapidly.
Matthew, too, benefits greatly from this.
He can sense the seamless fusion and digestion of his soul's latent power, accelerating under the influence of time energy.
Within less than two months, Matthew will break through the level 10 Arcanist barrier and enter the high rank.
By then, he will formally inherit the legacy of the Goddess of Fate, Tayche.
What made Matthew laugh and cry was Yaya's enthusiasm for body augmentation surgery.
Not only did she strive to fully control each procedure, but she also wanted to research new modification methods like Matthew.
Of course, Yaya still has much to learn.
Nevertheless, she can "reap the benefits" by applying the fully developed fifth procedure to herself.
Before modifying her main body, Matthew and Yaya ran over a hundred simulations on her clones.
What surprised Matthew was that Yaya's surgical modifications did not rely heavily on external aids as humans did.
Her process was graceful: after completing all calculations and designs, she merely issued a "command" to her body.
The power within her bloodline would activate a similar ability, running the predetermined simulations and enhancements.
With sufficient energy replenishment and targeted stimulation, this specialized enhancement would naturally "grow" from within.
Just like her previous "augmentations."
The difference now is that as Yaya's size and strength continue to grow, the costs of these procedures also increase.
So, Yaya is eager to complete all the planned surgeries with Matthew as soon as possible.
The sooner they're done, the stronger she'll become in the future, and the fewer resources it will require.
Moreover, Matthew fully trusts Yaya to modify her own body.
For Time Dragons, body modification is no big deal.
If something goes wrong, Yaya can simply "roll back" herself.
Ensuring no problems arise.
After all, the modifications designed by Matthew and Yaya don't delve into "primal genes" but rather enhance and improve existing organs.
The results show that Matthew's modifications, aided by the power of destiny, are indeed highly effective.
Even with Yaya's supreme Legendary Time Dragon bloodline, the surgical modifications still yielded excellent results.
The attributes not only received their intended boosts but also experienced additional enhancements and adaptive corrections.
Put simply:
A standard soldier can only unlock 50% of the procedure's potential.
Elite soldiers can achieve 60%.
Catachan elites reach 70%.
Yaya hits a whopping 120%!
That said, Matthew continues documenting the data.
Based on the insights Yaya provides through her information, he's constantly improving the original surgical techniques.
Watching Yaya soar through the skies, drawing countless gasps of admiration, Matthew's lips curled as inspiration struck.
"Hm, if the Legendary Time Dragon bloodline can adaptively strengthen itself…"
"Then what about other top-tier bloodlines?"
"Or those exceptionally strong Legendary bloodlines—are they gradually shaped and refined through successive enhancements and evolutions?"
"With the Elemental Tides just around the corner, there's not much time left for the territory…"
While Matthew was lost in thought, Jifan approached, bearing bad news.
"According to the Catachan elite reconnaissance unit, a migrating group of Catachan Demons is heading towards our location."
Catachan Demons?
Catachan Demons—one of the apex predators of the Catachan Demi-Plane.
They measure over 10 meters in length, resembling a cross between a centipede and a scorpion.
Equipped with lethal pincers, numerous sharp claws, and venomous tail stingers, their toxins are among the deadliest in the Catachan realm.
Without a Constitution score above 30, even a slight encounter with their venom means certain death.
More importantly, these fearsome predators are not just powerful in combat—they're incredibly cunning.
They specialize in setting traps, ambushing, and lying in wait.
Despite their overwhelming strength, they remain highly cautious.
Even the most experienced Catachan hunters fear encountering such monsters alone.
In fact, the reason most Catachan leaders command absolute authority
is because they've proven their mettle and skill by slaying a Catachan Demon.
Recalling their menacing and horrifying image, Matthew instinctively asked:
"How far are they from our position? How long until we face them?"
Looking grave, Jifan pointed towards the grayish-brown forest to the east, visibly flustered:
"They're currently in the Muddy Marsh and advancing recklessly towards us. They're expected to arrive in five days."
Hmm, there's still time to run if we start now…