Chapter 536: Signs of Turmoil
A massive body ran wildly through the jungle.
Its eyes were blood-red, roaring incessantly, relentlessly chasing after Chris and the others ahead.
Its powerful limbs allowed it to run at breakneck speed.
Its sharp, deadly claws easily dug into the earth, slashing through tree roots.
Its spiked tail swung incessantly, warding off any enemy that might attack from behind.
At critical moments, the tail was also a deadly weapon.
Its gray-green scaled armor enabled it to ignore most jungle attacks, recklessly pushing through all kinds of deadly, dangerous plants.
Only plants dared to be so bold, accustomed to waiting for prey to come to them—this time they hit an unyielding wall.
The irritable Grolox beast was closing in on Chris's back.
"Run!"
Chris shouted loudly, dodging agilely to the side.
The relentless Grolox beast let out a sharp roar, lunging at Chris.
Chris suddenly accelerated, dodging the sharp claws.
The Grolox beast struck a tree trunk heavily, scattering wood chips and leaves.
Feeling the chaotic gusts of wind behind him, Chris began to regret his choices.
The Catachan jungle held far too many surprises.
Even areas recently cleared a few days ago could suddenly produce dangerous creatures.
This Grolox beast, attracted by the scent of blood, was different from the herbivorous ones Chris had encountered before.
Catching a whiff of blood, it chased after them, its snapping, clawing demeanor clearly indicating a hunger for meat.
With no time to dwell on the Catachan jungle's changes, Chris unhesitatingly downed a bottle of swiftness potion.
His body immediately became much lighter, and what was previously an exhausting sprint now felt entirely manageable.
Chris silently praised the potion made in the Bay Territory as he carefully avoided the harmless-looking hooked poison vine beans.
Easily evading another swipe from the Grolox beast's claws, he dashed madly toward the predetermined location, silently praying.
"Next time, I'll bring more potions and scrolls."
After sprinting full-speed for another 30 seconds,
a panicked Chris rushed into a thicket full of thorns and flailing grass.
Feeling the imminent threat from the deadly plants around him, Chris immediately stopped and turned to face the approaching Grolox beast.
This fierce monster widened its eyes, the red pupils brimming with cruelty and greed.
Its gaping maw, lined with sharp teeth, aimed to bite off Chris's head on the spot.
Whoosh!
The sound of rushing wind struck the Grolox beast's back.
Crunch!
Massive force tore brutally into the Grolox beast's back.
Moments earlier, the ferocious Grolox beast let out a mournful howl and collapsed heavily to the ground.
Dark, vicious claws pinned the beast firmly to the earth.
A broad mouth clamped down on its neck, immediately tearing open a gaping wound.
The Grolox beast struggled violently, but it couldn't break free from the immense power holding it down.
The harder it struggled, the wider the gash on its neck grew.
The tide of battle had turned.
Chris, not looking at the diving wyvern, instinctively drew his enchanted crossbow, aimed at the Grolox beast nearby, and pulled the trigger.
The specially crafted steel bolt punched through the Grolox beast's hard skull and lodged deep in its brain.
Severely injured, the Grolox beast trembled all over.
Its thrashing grew weaker until it finally collapsed, exhaling more than it inhaled.
The wyvern didn't immediately release its grip, instead twisting its neck forcefully as it felt the resistance fade.
Crunch!
The Grolox beast was thoroughly dead.
The wyvern bit off the beast's head—its share of the spoils.
The rest of the massive body was packed into a sealing box by the gathered Chris and his companions.
From the scales to the muscles, from the blood to the bones, everything would be utilized to the fullest.
Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Chris looked somewhat exhilarated, feeling the wind blowing against his face and hearing Ash's smug boasting from the side:
"Heh, good thing my aim was spot on from the start. I crippled the Grolox beast's hind leg right away, or else you'd be in big trouble, Chris."
"True, your aim was good. But next time we need to improve—these enchanted crossbows don't pack enough punch…"
Chris had no objections to this.
He had indeed underestimated the speed of the mutated Grolox beast, narrowly avoiding disaster.
Next to him, Morlock—his belly full—gingerly touched the swollen lump on his neck. After a brief chuckle, he said:
"Why not give feedback to the Bay Territory Research Institute? Let them develop a crossbow somewhere between a standard enchanted crossbow and a dragon-hunting crossbow."
"Didn't the Lord say it before? Where there's demand, there's a market. I bet they'll look into it…"
Ash nodded thoughtfully, a flicker of excitement in his eyes. Thinking about the progress on the Ghost Claw Blade project, he rubbed his hands together with enthusiasm and said:
"Now that we've got those claws from the mutated Grolox beast, we should be able to make considerable strides in refining the Catachan devil claw materials…"
With that thought, Ash's face showed a touch of exhilaration.
The Bay Territory was vastly different from the Gray Dwarf Kingdom.
While profit-driven interests existed here too, most rewards were merit-based.
The word "distribution" didn't even come up!
Looking at the spreading wings of the wyvern, Chris spoke expectantly:
"The wyvern's strength keeps growing. I really hope it can reach an even higher level."
Ash and Morlock exchanged glances, sharing a sense of absurd wonder and anticipation.
They felt a kind of pride in "nurturing" it.
Back at the camp,
the three of them saw the wyvern comfortably nestled in its roost, with the head it had bitten off now undergoing a purification ritual.
Carefully averting his gaze from the clerics and paladins, Chris turned to Alice, who was calculating their earnings, and asked in a pensive tone:
"It seems like not all of them are from the Church of the Goddess?"
Without a change in expression, Alice nodded matter-of-factly. She finalized the earnings, handed the list to Ash, and said:
"They're apprentices trained by the Bay Territory. Some may join the Church of the Goddess, but most will end up working for the territory…"
The fact that the territory could negotiate terms with the Church of the Goddess
excited all three of them greatly.
It showed the territory's growing strength and influence.
It also meant more clerics and paladins—valuable professions—would join their adventuring teams.
Teams with healing and restorative abilities could boost their combat effectiveness by at least 70%.
Ash quickly did the math.
After deducting costs for potions, scrolls, and the share given to the wyvern, each of them still stood to earn at least 2,000 gold coins from this mission. Excited, he smoothed his beard and said:
"Haha, now I can buy even more food!"
Morlock, familiar with his plans, pocketed the heart of the Grolox beast that was his share, then asked:
"How much do you plan to save? Twenty thousand gold?"
Seeing Ash's goofy grin, Chris chose not to comment. He took the task list Alice handed over, scanned the first few lines, and asked in surprise:
"Why are there hunting tasks from other territories on here?"
His words immediately caught the attention of Ash and Morlock.
Even the troll brothers, Lokfa and Batum, who were resting nearby, glanced over.
Tasks from the Bay Territory were varied, but missions from other territories were rare.
As if she had anticipated their questions, Alice handed them several newspapers and said:
"These are 'news bulletins' that the territory distributes for free. They detail the background and context, as well as Bay Territory policies and tasks. If you're interested, take a look."
News bulletins?
From the territory itself?
The group gathered around and fixed their eyes on Chris.
As the only literate one among them, Chris rolled his eyes and reluctantly read aloud:
"Nearby territories have been experiencing disturbances and attacks from dragonblood creatures. Their numbers are numerous, and incidents frequent."
"With too few adventurers and insufficient strength, these territories are unable to clear out the dragonblood creatures and have turned to us for help…"
Hearing this, they all immediately lost interest.
Ash even rolled his eyes and pulled out the Grolox beast claw to inspect it.
It wasn't that they disliked clearing dragonblood creatures.
The Alice Adventurers' Team they belonged to was already the best dragonblood hunting group around.
They had even captured a stone dragon with a challenge level of 21+, earning the Lord's praise.
With the added refinement from their time in the Catachan jungle, both their strength and gear had undergone a qualitative leap.
Clearing dragonblood creatures, seen as dangerous and terrifying by adventurers from other territories,
was not only simple for this team, but also incredibly lucrative.
However, all this was predicated on the Bay Territory controlling the mission details.
Only under these conditions would they consider taking on tasks.
They outright rejected assignments from other territories.
Shrugging nonchalantly, Chris turned the page and continued sharing the news with the group.
Every adventurer knew what tasks from other territories were like.
The Bay Territory.
The Lord's estate, office.
Matthew, humming a tune, casually ignored the several territorial envoys.
It was as if he didn't notice their embarrassed expressions at all.
Standing next to him, Steward Ralph flipped through the summary of adventurer clearing tasks. After nodding slightly at the group, he said very calmly:
"We have already notified the adventurers in the territory; some of them might be interested."
Ralph's words might as well have gone unheard.
The envoys' embarrassed expressions grew even more pronounced as they felt powerless in the face of Ralph's indifferent response.
If there had been any progress, they wouldn't have received such harsh criticism from their lord.
Yet they fully understood the situation's context—they knew their territory and their lord were at fault and could only silently grumble to themselves.
They wanted help but refused to offer any benefits.
It was nothing more than wishful thinking.
The envoys, well aware of their lord's nature, felt a deep sense of regret.
If they'd known, they wouldn't have taken on this tricky mission.
The Bay Territory was nothing like other regions.
Its rise had been exceptionally rapid.
It hadn't even established proper relations with surrounding territories.
Let alone employing the usual tactics of alliances and intermarriages to build connections.
Even territories that were on good terms would require more than a few polite words to send troops for such a significant matter.
Ralph observed their conflicted expressions with a calm gaze, gaining a deeper understanding of the lord's principle: "Forge strength through self-reliance."
The nearby territories were no more than pests and posed no real threat.
They had acted arrogantly during recent blockades.
Only now, when they needed help, did they think to lift those blockades—without considering reparations or mending relations.
Even if the Bay Territory ignored them, did they dare provoke it?
They even opened up their borders, allowing the Bay Territory's soldiers and adventurers to freely clear out dragonblood creatures.
What an audacious request!
Such thick-skinned gall.
Since they wanted something for nothing, then let them wait!
It wasn't the Bay Territory that had a headache—who's afraid of whom?
One of the envoys couldn't hold it in any longer. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke very respectfully:
"We're willing to provide some assistance and rewards to the Bay Territory…"
Before he could finish, Ralph cut him off decisively:
"There's no need for empty promises."
"The Bay Territory has already extended help, but you must meet our terms."
"Twenty tons of grain per territory, 200 kilograms of advanced magical materials, 2 kilograms of mithril, or tenfold purchasing rights."
"Additionally, all gains from battles fought by the Bay Territory's troops will be centrally distributed by us, without interference from the other party."
"These are our conditions. They're not difficult, so it's up to you to decide."
The Bay Territory's approach to these neighboring regions was straightforward:
No contact, no initiative—only interests matter.
No rejection, no proactive outreach—only gold matters.
The nearby lords soon received the Bay Territory's response.
The blunt reply naturally angered these self-important lords.
They quickly united in continuing their blockade against the Bay Territory, planning to teach it a harsh lesson.
As for the dragonblood creatures in their territories, they decided to dispatch their own troops.
If the Bay Territory's forces could handle it, surely they could too.
Rather than meeting the Bay Territory's steep demands, they might as well use those resources as task rewards.
To these actions, Matthew simply found amusement.
In response, Matthew instructed the news bulletins to "follow" and report on their battle outcomes.
The news bulletins were well-received by the territory's residents.
The reason was simple: this era was severely lacking in entertainment.
Even the locals' casual conversations rarely brought up anything truly fresh or interesting.
Many items in the bulletins came from the Arcanist Gazette editors, who had established cooperative ties with the Bay Territory.
These contributors not only had broad sources of information but also access to diverse layers of news, ranging from high-level matters to ground-level reports.
Upon learning about the Bay Territory's newspapers, the Arcanist Gazette's editor had the foresight to discuss collaboration with Matthew.
After reaching an agreement, the editor boldly reduced the monthly advertising fee from 200,000 gold coins to 100,000 in exchange for a 10% share in the news bulletin's profits.
Recognizing the value of such talent, Matthew didn't hesitate to invest.
He set a price of six copper coins—double the production cost—for each newspaper, sent out 100,000 copies at once, and assured the editor:
"No matter how many you sell, you'll receive 20% of the total sales revenue!"
Each issue of the news bulletin included at least two full sheets with over 3,000 words and no fewer than thirty articles.
The six-copper price tag
greatly exceeded the editor's expectations. He once tentatively asked Matthew:
"Wouldn't selling them at six copper coins cause losses?"