Chapter 564.5: Wokou Pirates
Butler Ralph of the banquet hall warmly invited Carlos to sit.
As one of the most prominent families in the Eastern Province, the Yao Moon Family might not be widely known on the eastern coast, but Butler Ralph knew well their strength and influence.
Important figures like Carlos, who held positions in the Empire's legions, were not uncommon in the Yao Moon Family.
The lavish spread of food allowed Carlos to temporarily set aside his concerns and eat heartily.
Meanwhile, Shuyou curiously eyed a gray dwarf guzzling wine beside her. Even while drinking, he was stuffing roast chicken into his mouth.
The amber-colored crispy chicken skin was so tempting that even Shuyou, who usually ate very lightly, couldn't help but feel her appetite stir.
When she bit into it, the honey aroma mingled with the chicken's sweetness, dancing and leaping in her mouth.
Her teeth had barely chewed twice before her greedy tongue rolled the delicacy down into her stomach.
Feeling almost enchanted, Shuyou took another bite of the juicy drumstick.
The chewy chicken gave her an unprecedented sense of springy tenderness.
She cleaned off the entire drumstick, even gnawing the small bits of meat between the bones and tendons.
Curiously, she took a sip of the light-purple plum drink—its sweet and sour flavor, paired with a refreshing chill, cut through the slight greasiness, leaving only a delightful fragrance.
After finishing the meal, Shuyou's cheeks flushed slightly as she looked at her fellow diners enjoying the feast. She no longer felt embarrassed.
Just as Shuyou was curiously watching the gleeful Butler Ralph eat, a crisp voice beside her caught her attention.
"Ah, welcome to Bay Territory! I hope everyone enjoys the food here!"
Cheerful Yaya, one hand holding Orianna who wanted a lollipop, the other carrying a drowsy Gugu eating ice cream, nodded at Shuyou with a smile.
Feeling the unintentional aura of majesty and mystery from Yaya—
Remembering Yaya's identity, Shuyou's heart pounded wildly. She forced a smile and said:
"Bay Territory's food is delicious and suits our taste perfectly. Thank you for your welcome, Lady Yaya."
Tilting her head, Yaya gave her a curious look, her round, chubby face full of mischief. As if recalling something, she smiled and said:
"If you're interested in crafting magical equipment, you should check out the United Factory."
United Factory?
Thinking of Bay Territory's advanced magical gear that was popular even in the Netheril Empire and other kingdoms—
Shuyou, who had been longing for it ever since she saw it, felt a surge of excitement and joy. She quickly and respectfully replied:
"Thank you for the guidance, Lady Yaya."
Giggling, Yaya, with her hands behind her back, was directing Orianna and Gugu.
Each girl held a roasted lamb or suckling pig as they sneakily tiptoed away.
Watching the hilarious scene unfold, Shuyou felt amused. The names of famous figures like Ma Youfu and Mag Duncan flashed through her mind—she was eager to visit the factory right away.
Carlos, however, was watching her with suspicion, his mind full of thoughts.
He knew very well that Yaya only smiled at those she liked or found interesting. She rarely interacted with anyone else.
If Shuyou could build a good relationship with Yaya, then all the issues Carlos had been worried about would no longer be a problem.
Of course, Carlos also understood Yaya's uniqueness. He didn't dare remind Shuyou directly—she'd have to rely on her own fate.
After enjoying the unprecedented feast, the Yao Moon Family members were still savoring the taste.
They suppressed their desire to guzzle wine like dwarves and followed Carlos into the meeting room where Butler Ralph awaited.
Butler Ralph radiated the aura of a peak high-tier Professional without any concealment.
Managing all the development matters of Bay Territory had greatly empowered his "Butler" class.
Carlos couldn't help but wonder: If Bay Territory's astonishing development continued, could he witness the birth of a Legendary Butler?
When Butler Ralph activated the map's holographic magical display, Carlos quickly cleared his thoughts. A faint smile appeared on his face as he asked with anticipation:
"Has the Yao Moon Family's order of 40 Dragon-Hunting Crossbows been shipped yet?"
With a soft smile, Butler Ralph's expression remained gentle.
He didn't react to Carlos's change in tone and still gave off a warm, spring breeze-like comfort:
"The Dragon-Hunting Crossbows are quite valuable. Bay Territory is planning to request one-way teleportation permissions from the Yao Moon Family, so your visit, Sir Carlos, is most welcome."
Noticing Carlos's relaxed expression, Butler Ralph, moved slightly in his heart, decided not to speak in riddles. He got straight to the point:
"You mentioned the Yao Moon Family wishes to cooperate with our Bay Territory. May I ask what kind of cooperation you're proposing?"
Had this been before their arrival, everyone from the Yao Moon Family would've unanimously believed they only needed the support of Bay Territory's army.
But even with just a superficial glimpse, the strange Bay Territory had already left a very deep impression on them.
Along the way, they had already given it careful thought—whether it was agricultural golems, the way citizens were trained, or the construction speed of engineering golems—it could all inspire something new for the Yao Moon Family.
Whether purchasing from Bay Territory or cooperating with them for development, it would bring immense, visible benefits.
They were tempted, yet hesitant, since they hadn't been granted authority for such a major cooperation.
On the contrary, Shuyou remained clear-headed and firmly told Butler Ralph:
"Here's the situation. In the northeastern coastal hills of the New World, our Yao Moon Family discovered a cluster of rare metal veins."
"Among them, we've already identified mithril and arcanium ore. The deposit is at least mid-sized, estimated to be worth over 300 million gold coins."
"But to fully develop it, we must first resolve a major issue."
"There's a mutated Wyvern nest on the edge of the Ten-Thousand Mountains in the area, and our Yao Moon Family can't clear it alone. We need the powerful combat strength of Bay Territory's soldiers."
Arcanium?
A cluster of mineral veins?
Mutated Wyverns?
A nest?
At the mention of these terms, relevant information and data immediately surfaced in Butler Ralph's mind.
A rare metal vein cluster was incredibly valuable—the estimate of several hundred million gold was likely conservative.
Besides mithril, arcanium was also a critically important magical crafting material.
Its primary use was to greatly stabilize the effects of spells, magic arrays, and enchantments—essential for achieving permanent enchantments.
With its inclusion, spell formations became more stable and less prone to external interference, and their duration and effects improved significantly.
It played a crucial role in creating spell scrolls, magical gear and items, long-lasting golems, and combat puppets.
Bay Territory manufactured a wide range of golems.
Produced many advanced magical items and tools.
Was planning to construct large-scale Mage Towers.
And was building territory-wide mana channels, energy storage pools, teleportation arrays of various sizes—
All of which required strategic rare metals like mithril and arcanium.
Having experienced regional blockades, Bay Territory no longer wished to entrust its fate to others.
For them, no amount of rare metal production was too much!
However, while the prospects for cooperation were excellent, claiming this massive pie would naturally require drawing some blades.
The Ten-Thousand Mountains.
Mutated Wyverns.
These were unique to the New World.
The former referred to an extremely dangerous, nearly ten-million-square-kilometer wild mountain range.
Within it lived countless dangerous, deadly, and terrifying mutated magical creatures.
Numerous northern continent exploration teams had spent centuries and poured vast manpower, materials, and wealth—
Just to build a series of fortresses and safe zones along the northern coastal edge of the Ten-Thousand Mountains.
And even those were only relatively safe.
Arcane news reports regularly mentioned families or factions in the New World losing entire forts or cities—
To beast tides or attacks from mysterious, dangerous creatures originating from the Ten-Thousand Mountains.
Even the Cole Elves–led expedition gave up on exploring south from the northeast of the New World—
Instead turning to the snow-covered, cloud-piercing Grey Mountains in the northwest.
There, they achieved great success, discovering numerous rare metal veins and valuable gem mines.
As for mutated Wyverns—they were terrifying apex predators in the Ten-Thousand Mountains' food chain.
Once they reached adulthood, they wielded upper-Extraordinary-tier power.
They were infamous for their overwhelming melee prowess and their size, rivaling true dragons.
Moreover, depending on the specific nature of their mutated nest, these Wyverns possessed powerful, unique abilities.
Four known ones included:
Extraordinary magic resistance, enhanced physical strength, toxic breath, and flesh-devouring regeneration.
Some long-lived individuals even possessed Legendary-level power.
And due to their warped mutations, they could develop even more horrifying, grotesque abilities.
Their pack behavior made their challenge rating no less than that of true dragons at the same tier.
Two nests would mean at least 30 mutated Wyverns at the Extraordinary tier!
Possibly even a Legendary being!
Even with Bay Territory's current strength, resolving such trouble wouldn't be easy.
However, considering the New World was far away and the Lord had always planned to explore and study it—
Butler Ralph figured they could learn more from the Yao Moon Family before discussing the matter with the Lord.
Noticing Butler Ralph's expression and realizing how difficult the request was, Shuyou decisively revealed one of the family's trump cards:
"Since Bay Territory would need to mobilize large forces, if your territory agrees to cooperate, we're willing to gift the manufacturing technology for giant steam engines."
Giant steam engines!
Butler Ralph raised his brows slightly. Noting Carlos's calm expression, he carefully examined Shuyou's youthful face, then smiled and said:
"I'll report to the Lord immediately. It's highly likely the cooperation will be approved. You may enjoy your time around Bay Territory—you'll have an answer tonight."
Though Butler Ralph hadn't agreed outright, his attitude greatly reassured the Yao Moon Family.
After all, this was a major matter involving the mobilization of over ten thousand troops and a sea voyage of more than 20,000 kilometers.
Even a millennium-old family like the Yao Moon Family—
Had been so affected by the recent widespread Dragon Frenzy that they couldn't spare extra strength and had to choose to cooperate with Bay Territory.
If Butler Ralph had agreed too quickly, they would've instead worried that Bay Territory had some ulterior motives.
Having received the news, Matthew thoughtfully browsed the information provided by the Yao Moon Family. The corners of his mouth curled slightly as he said with anticipation:
"The manufacturing technology for giant steam engines—now that's generous!"
Before the development and promotion of arcane technology based on the "Missura Core"—
Steam engine technology unearthed from various ruins was the best power core available.
It didn't work like in the original world—burning coal to boil water for steam-driven motion.
It incorporated magical technology to replace gas expansion and mechanical propulsion.
Its fuel was costly—elemental fuel required to run elemental furnaces.
But its mechanical power output was extremely strong, and its control and safety were excellent.
If not for the fact that it was too bulky, required tons of metal, and needed extremely advanced metalworking skills to manufacture—
Even the modern energy systems led by elemental energy pools wouldn't easily outcompete it.
Still, giant steam engine technology remained incredibly valuable.
Its flexible adjustability and safety made it especially suitable for large battleships.
To enter the Sea of Death or cross the Caribbean Sea, large warships still relied on giant steam engines.
Only the immense power from such engines could help ships escape the horrific twisted monsters of the deep.
Matthew valued giant steam engines even more for their embedded mechanical and metal-processing technologies, which could greatly enhance Bay Territory's production capabilities.
While advancing magical energy tech, Matthew also wanted to pursue alternative paths.
With these steam engines, Bay Territory could manufacture ultra-large ships with seven or more masts and project power across both continents.
Thinking of the New World's rich minerals and resources, Matthew's lips curved upward.
But then he suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Butler Ralph:
"Has the intelligence on that pirate group been fully gathered?"
Butler Ralph, understanding Matthew's intent, took out a file and said:
"They're a group of Wokou pirates, mainly operating along the southern East Coast, plundering passing ships and merchant vessels."
"They sometimes move inland to raid territories and cities, and they're wanted by several kingdoms and factions."
"Their base is on an island on the edge of the eastern Sea of Death, with a population of around 500,000 and three pirate cities."
Wokou pirates!
A flicker of tangible hatred flashed in Matthew's eyes. He laughed loudly and said:
"What a coincidence. Time to settle both new and old scores—and show the Yao Moon Family what we're really made of."
Fighting Japs—even ones from another world—has always been my favorite thing!