Chapter 536.5: Signs of Turmoil
Matthew's reply was simple:
"Don't worry about that. The more you sell, the more you'll earn…"
As the masterminds behind the scenes, such as the Cole Elves, gradually revealed themselves, and as the Bay Territory's strength continued to grow,
items that had once only existed in Matthew's memory began to appear in the territory.
Paper and printing were among them.
Matthew had long grown weary of the cramped confines of parchment. He assigned Popo and Old Six to this task.
That clever little fellow did an excellent job: not only was it fast and high-yield, but it was also highly secure.
No one would have guessed that a group of low-intelligence murlocs could produce clean, neat, white, and durable paper.
Matthew's reward for him was equally satisfying.
A completely safe "Dragonblood Bestowal."
With both his intelligence and strength enhanced, the little guy confidently promised Matthew:
"In no more than two months, paper production can be doubled again."
Thus, when the Arcanist Gazette editor saw the large, orderly sheets of paper filled with writing,
he immediately realized the significance of this invention.
Compared to parchment, he instantly recognized the many advantages of what Matthew simply called "paper."
First of all, the larger size meant it could hold more text.
This alone could eliminate 70–80% of parchment usage.
Then, the quality was superb: smooth and flat, dazzlingly white, and even with text printed on it, there was no ink smearing. The overall experience was incredibly pleasant.
And these were just the obvious advantages.
He also inferred two highly important benefits.
The production output of paper was undoubtedly very high.
Otherwise, the Bay Territory couldn't have sent him 100,000 sets—200,000 sheets—of large newspapers in just two days.
The cost of paper must be very low.
Otherwise, Matthew couldn't possibly sell so many newspapers at a price of six copper coins each.
Considering that parchment the size of two palms cost a full silver coin,
the Arcanist Gazette editor began to envision a future where "paper" completely replaced parchment.
The two weren't even in the same league!
But then he wondered: why didn't the Bay Territory simply sell paper directly?
And wasn't the paper-making process relatively simple?
Weren't they worried that the paper might be "taken over" by other spellcasters or lords?
...…
"There's no need to worry about that. Paper won't drop to six copper coins, but it will be forty copper less than a silver coin's parchment."
"Besides, they won't be able to produce such good, cheap paper."
"The expected cost in manpower and resources makes it more feasible to just buy the paper we're about to sell."
"After all, our costs are lower, and we have significant room for price reductions."
If anyone dared to copy them, Matthew could simply lower the price to squeeze them out.
Matthew handed a thick stack of paper to the curious Annie.
She ran her hands over the smooth surface with delight, her gaze brimming with admiration as she looked at the smiling Matthew.
This unexpected gift stirred a ripple of excitement in Annie's heart once again.
How many secrets was the Bay Territory hiding?
And how many more was Matthew keeping to himself?
As she relished the fine texture, Annie beamed and nodded eagerly, exclaiming:
"Such a wonderful item—we Silverleafs simply can't pass it up. Let's start by purchasing one billion sheets of paper. After all, it's just 600,000 gold coins—what a deal!"
A billion sheets of paper was a massive amount, weighing at least 150 tons.
But it wasn't much—just fifteen days' output from the Bay Territory's murloc paper mill.
After negotiating this small business deal, Matthew gestured for Annie to speak, and she smiled subtly, cautiously asking:
"Those people want to know if the Bay Territory will continue selling seedlings of the Tree of Life?"
The "fat cats" were getting impatient?
No surprise there.
When nobody had the Tree of Life, everyone could just endure it.
But now that the neighbors had it—and were flaunting it right in front of him—he couldn't tolerate it any longer.
This was absolutely unacceptable!
Without hesitation, Matthew nodded; recently, even Steward Ralph had been reprimanding him.
Nearly 80 million gold coins of trading revenue had been entirely spent.
Although every single coin had been wisely used to create corresponding value, contributing significantly to the Bay Territory's development…
Facing the territory's growing expenses, Steward Ralph felt compelled to remind Matthew once again.
"Of course we will continue selling it, under the same terms as before."
A single legendary elemental crystal would serve as the starting price, capped at a 50 million gold coin auction.
Having obtained what she wanted, Annie's face lit up with a radiant smile. She sat down contentedly, browsing the newspaper as she asked curiously:
"How long can the territories around the Bay hold out?"
"At most two days!"
"Huh? That's impossible. While their strength isn't as great as the Bay Territory's…"
"Each territory should still be able to gather an army of two to three thousand soldiers, right?"
"We'll see."
These discontented lords.
Each gathered a sizeable army.
Some lords were even more cunning.
They allied with a few friendly nobles to form a larger force.
And then, this makeshift army—composed of ordinary farmers, retired soldiers, wandering professionals, and a handful of regular troops—
quickly revealed its true capabilities.
A 3,000-strong force.
Launched a fierce attack on a group of exceptionally rare dragonborn gnolls.
The expected victory did not materialize.
As the massed soldiers, disorderly and chaotic, approached the howling gnolls, disaster struck.
With no experience in marching, warfare, or controlling large-scale armies, the lords issued attack orders.
The unruly soldiers, more like armed peasants, charged at the gnolls with a roar.
The gnolls—often depicted in stories as weak, foolish, and little more than fodder for legendary heroes—were in reality hulking killing machines.
They easily tore through the lords' defensive lines, taking down a few tough opponents and terrifying the remaining soldiers into submission.
When a farmer, after two or three days of training, dropped his weapon and turned to flee…
The other soldiers naturally followed suit.
Advancing was too difficult, retreating was far easier.
In the aftermath of the rout,
the 3,000-strong army—plus a few cavalry—suffered over 300 casualties, with another six to seven hundred "missing."
Realizing the gnolls were not to be trifled with, the lords sensibly chose to retreat.
After all, these kobolds and gnolls alone couldn't pose a significant threat to the territory's castles and walls…
Then, most of the lords regretted their decision.
The maddened kobolds and gnolls.
Regrouped in considerable numbers and attacked the castles and walls.
Though they seemed like reckless, suicidal beasts, their fearlessness made them all the more terrifying.
Who wouldn't fear an enemy that didn't fear death?
No one!
Even the territory's farmers quickly learned how ineffective these lords and their forces were.
The majority of the populace lost all confidence in their own lords.
When the dragonblood creatures attacked, they fled quickly, heading straight for the Bay Territory.
The reason was simple: the Bay Territory had never lost a battle, and it could at least guarantee their safety.
Everyone feared death, and these people were no exception.
Several unlucky lords found themselves besieged by the very kobolds and gnolls they had once scorned.
Thus, when faced with a choice between their pride and their lives, the lords quickly chose the latter.
One day later.
Annie watched the envoys at the estate's gates, who were trying to secure an audience, and muttered helplessly:
"The dragonblood creatures causing problems right now are probably just kobolds and gnolls, right?"
Knowing the creatures' actual combat power, Matthew nonchalantly replied:
"When kobolds reach a certain number, their combat effectiveness isn't weak at all."
"As for gnolls, regular soldiers aren't their match, let alone hastily assembled troops."
"The most important point is that they lack the fighting spirit to face fearless monsters. It's not surprising at all that they can't win."
Hearing this, Annie mentally reviewed the situation. Recalling the performance of certain Aelven nobles in the ongoing conflict with the Cole Elves, she nodded in agreement:
"Indeed… so what's the territory going to do next? Do you think they'll actually agree?"
Matthew, still busy noting down various data points, casually responded:
"That's up to them. As long as they accept our terms…"
At this point, Annie had almost no doubt that human lords who hadn't endured the tempering of war
were essentially no different from the Aelven noble families who "talked the talk without walking the walk."
Matthew's actions had several key benefits.
The first and most crucial was the simplest: drawing in more population.
The threat and influence of the dragonblood creatures naturally frightened the populace.
Several villages had the misfortune of being overrun by gnolls.
According to circulating rumors,
the nearby villagers all knew that those villages were almost completely wiped out.
Except for a few hunters who had been out, everyone else had ended up as food for the gnolls.
Such a dire threat, coupled with a bit of deliberate "stirring" by adventurers,
had most of the nearby populace believing their territories were no longer safe, and they were planning to move to a safer place.
For example, the Bay Territory!
When Matthew finally met the envoys again,
their faces showed undisguised urgency and fear, a far cry from their previous confidence.
Fully prepared, Steward Ralph reiterated the terms and quickly received a positive response from the envoys.
"No problem!"
"We have no objections to these conditions."
"In times of hardship, true friendships are revealed. Our bond with the Bay Territory is unbreakable."
"This is just a small matter. We've already prepared the supplies."
"Here is our lord's personal seal. His exact words were: 'Name your terms, and we'll comply.'"
"…"
Such a dramatic "change of face" left Annie astonished.
Having secured the desired agreement, Ralph leisurely signed the magical contract with them and then continued:
"Since you're all in such need of the Bay Territory's help, we'll gladly oblige."
With Ralph's confirmation, the relieved envoys couldn't help exchanging glances and eagerly urging action.
The Bay Territory's troops were finally about to deploy!
At that moment, Ralph sent out a brief message in their presence.
At the same time,
every adventurer in the territory received the mission details through their Bay Territory adventurer badges:
"Support Mission: Protect the populace."
"Mission Objective: Clear out dragonblood creatures in the neighboring territories and ensure the safety of their residents."
"Mission Reward: Equivalent to Bay Territory mission rewards. For each rescued resident transported to a safe area, earn 1 merit point."
An unusual merit mission!
Many adventurers familiar with the mission details quickly gathered into groups.
Clearing out dragonblood creatures was their specialty!
The Annie Adventurer Group, already prepared, set off immediately upon receiving the news.
Thousands of adventurers poured through the prepared teleportation arrays, swarming into the neighboring territories.
To them, it was a land of untapped wealth, ready to be explored and claimed.
However, the most powerful adventurer teams didn't target the numerous ordinary dragonblood creatures.
They moved swiftly to find populous villages.
And then, much to the dismay of many lords, the unexpected happened.
After quickly eliminating the dragonblood creatures around these villages,
they easily earned the villagers' trust.
Deploying pre-prepared portable teleportation arrays,
they transported thousands of villagers straight to the Bay Territory.
After all, nowhere was safer than the Bay Territory!
For 200 gold coins per teleportation, plus 500 gold coins for settlement permits, they gained at least 3,000 merit points.
The entire process took less than an hour.
What a windfall!