Chapter 537: No One Dares to Owe Bay Territory Money
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Sharp crossbow bolts flew through the air, killing the crazed gnolls one after another.
The strong, fierce gnolls had great strength and madness that ignored death, but they weren't even close to rivaling adventurers.
Hundreds of gnolls fell one by one under the continuous volley of bolts.
The adventurers' shooting skills were exceptional, largely due to Bay Territory's constantly improved enchanted crossbows.
Despite maintaining a relatively stable price, Bay Territory's enchanted crossbows had undergone four rounds of improvements.
Accuracy, lethality, and range were all greatly enhanced.
Thanks to their outstanding performance and relatively low cost, they became increasingly popular among adventurers.
At a production cost of 200 gold coins, even a novice adventurer could afford one after three months of effort.
By that time, adventurers' combat techniques would also have been honed.
Even with enchanted crossbows, they considered them only an additional source of firepower, not a crutch.
Bay Territory merely wanted to provide convenience to adventurers, not have them rely on weapons at the expense of their core skills.
As a result, nearly every adventurer visiting Bay Territory aimed to acquire an enchanted crossbow.
Adventurers eligible for support tasks were generally elite mid-level or higher adventurers.
For them, crossbow shooting was just one of many methods of taking down enemies.
Still, dealing with these beast-like gnolls made it particularly fitting.
Seeing only a few dozen gnolls left, adventurers eager to refine their melee skills charged forward.
Chris set down his crossbow, carefully inspected it, maintained it diligently, and watched as his teammates sliced through the remaining gnolls. He then turned to Morlak, who was yawning beside him, and asked:
"Why are we only dealing with these scattered gnolls? There are plenty more outside the villages and castles."
Rubbing his eyes, Morlak put down his Bay Territory cooking manual and, unlike typical ogres, mumbled with considerable cunning:
"Hehe, it's like how the drow elves boss us ogres around."
"At first, we struck a deal, but after we finally dealt with the enemies, they backtracked and locked us up."
"By then, we were seriously injured, starved to the brink, and too weak to fight back."
Chris froze briefly, quickly realizing a critical point, then abruptly turned to Ash, who was calculating nearby, and asked:
"Have the recent requests for achievements and kill counts been verified?"
Without hesitation, Ash conducted a quick check and replied:
"They've all been verified, and the achievements and gold coins have been distributed along with the supplies."
Chris, upon hearing this, suddenly understood and said:
"I get it now. Those lords haven't paid yet, which is why the territory isn't in a hurry…"
"By the way, did Big Sis mention any follow-up plans? Are we continuing to clear out dragon-blooded creatures on the outskirts?"
Ash sent over the combat records and issues to Alice and quickly received her response:
"That's right. First, handle these scattered gnolls and kobolds outside. Rescuing refugees and villagers is a rare chance to earn achievements."
Hearing this, a hint of doubt crept into Chris's mind.
Could it be that those lords had already paid up?
Or perhaps Bay Territory wasn't worried about them defaulting?
...…
Using magic tools that extended communication range, they sent out various "Communication Spells" to ensure adventurers were fighting as planned.
Alice simultaneously tallied and compiled data, updating the magically projected images with real-time information from each territory.
Dozens of fresh graduate spellcasters, under Liana's guidance, busily applied their learned spells to construct these projections.
Old John observed these energetic young individuals with satisfaction, gradually understanding the lord's purpose in involving them in territory development.
The lord had once said in an important meeting:
"Spellcasters are truly powerful, capable of channeling the immense forces of nature into themselves."
"By studying and researching arcane knowledge, they create one extraordinary spell after another."
"In this sense, spellcasters are like human wish-granting machines, able to achieve nearly anything with their magic."
"They should be the vanguard driving humanity's development."
"Much like how they're accelerating the growth of Bay Territory."
These young trainees and spellcasters were educated from an early age to consider territorial development their responsibility.
Their contributions to the territory determined the rewards they received.
Their abilities determined their roles and platforms.
Greater contributions brought greater benefits.
This policy was unanimously supported by Bay Territory's administrators.
They recognized its superiority.
In the Netheril Empire, a land where spellcasters always reigned supreme…
They either pursued the eternal mysteries of magic or sought immortality.
Their approach wasn't wrong.
But they had monopolized over 90% of the empire's wealth and resources.
They focused solely on their research and experiments.
Never considering how to return the fruits of progress to the people providing those resources.
So, when more predatory evil gods and entities emerged…
Those spellcasters, who believed themselves wielders of ultimate destiny and power, were easily "handled" by their opponents.
They had but one card to play.
No matter how strong that card was…
Once countermeasures were in place, that card alone couldn't stop anything.
Just like the upcoming internal upheavals within the Netheril Empire—the "Nether Scrolls' Calamity," the "Lich's Catastrophe," and the "Ascension Arcana."
Each brimming with terrifying and uncanny mysteries!
Now, these young spellcasters and professionals were guided from a young age to develop the territory, contribute more, and have their growth tied to those contributions.
Under this system, the intelligence and creativity of spellcasters became a driving force for the territory's development.
As the territory grew larger, its resources and wealth increased, and the benefits provided to these spellcasters naturally expanded.
From the lord's policies, Old John could already faintly discern…
The lord's future spending on talent cultivation would be one of the territory's largest investments.
Because the lord would meet most of the professionals' training needs.
Whatever they could absorb, the territory would provide.
This meant the territory would fully develop every professional's potential.
Including spellcasters.
As a result, there would be no single dominant group of spellcasters.
"The lord's plan seems simple, but it actually holds profound meaning…"
As Old John pondered, Alice, who had just guided most of the adventurer teams, also began to share Chris's doubts.
She glanced at Old John beside her and directly asked him the question:
"Has the territory already negotiated with the other lords? Have they paid?"
Still examining the map, Old John marked out villages and towns within each territory and answered calmly:
"They show no intention of paying voluntarily. We just need to keep meticulous records."
"For now, they can still afford it, but they act as if they don't care and might even mock us…"
"However, when the debt accumulates over time…"
When the debt becomes enormous…
So large that these lords can't repay it…
Hiss…
As she looked at Old John's smiling face, Alice's eyes flashed with many thoughts.
She suddenly realized.
This once-old soldier was gradually growing into a commander, starting to learn more about relationships between territories.
His rapid transformation mirrored the extraordinary growth of Bay Territory.
This also filled Alice with excitement, as the same applied to her and her adventurer group.
They needed to keep improving to avoid being "eliminated" by the swiftly advancing Bay Territory.
After all, only about one-third of the familiar faces from the first group of adventurers to arrive in Bay Territory remained.
Not that they'd all perished, but many had settled into a comfortable routine.
Content with a simple way to earn gold, they no longer had the courage to venture out and explore anew.
That was their own choice, but Alice had greater aspirations.
The "changes" in Old John and others, the rapid growth of Bay Territory, and the adventurers' learned "specialties" and "skills" all represented this broader trend.
Riding this wave of development, Alice gained resources she never could have imagined before.
This significantly boosted her strength and potential.
Naturally, she set her sights even higher.
Aiming for extraordinary accomplishments!
Perhaps even legendary feats!
As the lord had said:
"Everyone needs a dream. Bay Territory's job is to build a road leading to those dreams!"
"As long as you step onto it and keep moving forward, your dreams will come true!"
Alice had her own big dreams too!
...
The Alarad family's territory.
Alarad City is a mid-sized city, surrounded by 10-meter-high walls bristling with watchtowers and firing slits.
The walls, made of green stone slabs, are extraordinarily sturdy and bear numerous scars from chopping and battering, remnants of past wars.
Alarad City has a long history, having been established two centuries ago.
Before the eastern province's expansion, Alarad City was one of the easternmost cities in the Empire.
It once had a critical mission: to stand as a frontline against barbarian and orc invasions, serving as the foundation of the Alarad family's power.
Times have changed, yet Alarad City still stands tall and unyielding.
However, its defenders have devolved from elite troops into a ragtag bunch.
A city once impervious to tens of thousands of orcs is now besieged by a mere twenty thousand gnolls, struggling to hold out and verging on collapse.
Lord Schroder, the city's ruler, wore a grim expression as he watched the increasingly fierce battle on the walls. As more gnolls climbed up, he couldn't help but shout to the adventurers under his command:
"Get up there and take out those gnolls!"
The high-level adventurers following him rushed forward without hesitation.
Displaying impressive combat prowess, they swiftly took down the gnolls that had reached the walls, temporarily stabilizing the situation.
The garrison commander wiped sweat from his brow, relief evident in his eyes.
Thankfully, Lord Schroder returned just in time, bringing over a hundred elite adventurers with him.
Without their help, the walls might have been breached, and the tens of thousands of people within the city could have faced a catastrophe.
As he hurried to summon reserve soldiers to replace the defenders…
Schroder clenched his teeth at the sight.
Over three thousand garrison soldiers, yet they couldn't hold back an assault from twenty thousand gnolls—a complete disgrace.
If he hadn't witnessed Bay Territory's troops, just a few hundred of them, easily sweeping through thousands of gnolls…
Schroder might still believe that his city's soldiers were sufficient to defend it.
But now, the cold, hard reality had struck him like a slap in the face.
Even these nearly mindless gnolls, using crude siege tools, were able to scale the walls.
They not only caused immense trouble for the defenders but also came dangerously close to seizing the walls.
If they had any semblance of rational strategy and didn't focus all their attacks on one small section, Alarad City might have been in real danger.
Though Alarad City is merely a mid-sized city, it holds tremendous significance for the Alarad family.
If the city were to fall under Schroder's watch, he might lose his position as heir, and possibly even his noble status.
Luckily, he had promptly recalled the adventurer forces from the Swamp Ruins; otherwise, disaster could have been imminent.
Despite this, the heavy losses among the garrison soldiers still made Schroder feel uneasy.
The enemy had been attacking for just three days, and while their casualties reached three thousand…
Each day, hundreds to thousands of gnolls continued to gather from elsewhere.
They had already inflicted over five hundred casualties among the garrison. Although the adventurers were strong, they numbered only two hundred.
If the regular soldiers were all killed or injured, the adventurers wouldn't stand against thousands of gnolls on their own.
They were here for money, not to throw their lives away.
"But why do adventurers become so formidable under Bay Territory's orders?"
"I'm offering a decent price, so why aren't Alarad City's adventurers willing to help defend it?"
"I'm not sure, but our resources are running low. We need to purchase more from Bay Territory as soon as possible."
"There aren't enough soldiers here. We could recruit some temporary troops. As long as we provide them with proper weapons and equipment, they could at least be somewhat effective."
"We could order a batch of crossbows from Bay Territory. Even without enchantments, they'd suffice against these mindless gnolls…"
"..."
Hearing their discussion, Schroder's expression changed slightly, though he had to admit they were right.
Action needed to be taken quickly!
Yet the thought of dealing with Bay Territory again gave Schroder a headache.
In the past, Schroder would never have considered seeking help from Bay Territory.
But now, these adventurers' suggestions were indeed good ideas, though Alarad City simply lacked the foundation to implement them.
Losses sustained from supporting the Scarlet Fortress a few months ago…
The Alarad family's suppression of other nobles…
And shortages of various weapons and equipment all prevented Alarad City from quickly assembling a large reserve force, unlike Bay Territory.
Reflecting on these matters, Schroder recalled an earlier time.
He and several other lords had mocked Bay Territory's militia training and its supposedly overblown reaction to the "Mad Dragon Maze Lock."
But now, it seemed that the truly foolish ones had been them.
Listening to the incessant howling outside, Schroder mustered the same courage and decisiveness he had displayed during his adventures beneath the Swamp Ruins.
Without hesitation, he retrieved a specialized communicator and sent out a message.