Chapter 588: My Turn to Step In
Huff!
Whistling sharp arrows continuously flew toward Tyrael.
He could feel the sharpness of the arrows. Gritting his teeth against the urge to dodge, he swung his blade quickly to slash them down.
The arrows slammed into the blade with a loud clang, sending a shower of sparks flying.
The tremendous impact caused Tyrael's forward charge to momentarily pause. He was about to slow down.
The arrows that followed in a dense volley were about to rain down on him.
A surge of overwhelming psionic energy suddenly struck Tyrael, launching his body forward. In an instant, he leapt more than ten meters sideways, narrowly avoiding the incoming arrows.
Just as Tyrael was feeling a bit relieved, a burst of firelight suddenly shot in from afar, engulfing the entire area.
Tyrael, struck down, didn't struggle. Lying powerless on the ground, he couldn't help but let out a long breath, his eyes flickering with excitement:
"So this is the power of a caster? It really does bring tremendous convenience..."
A hand reached out to pull him up. Wolf-Fang, his eyes gleaming, let out a ferocious laugh and said:
"This is psionics, not magic."
"The Lord said it's more flexible, more powerful, has a higher potential ceiling, but is also more dangerous."
Feeling the faint stream of power flowing slowly through his body, Tyrael couldn't help but take a long breath and said with great anticipation:
"Let's hope we become stronger, to survive in this dangerous world..."
Looking up at him, Tyrael could clearly see deep anticipation in his eyes.
Such hypocrisy!
In the wide and busy training ground.
Everyone had their own training tasks.
Diligently learning skills, mastering psionic spells, refining feats.
Nearly everyone in the base craved power.
At first, they had thought about fleeing the base and regaining their freedom.
But soon, they abandoned that idea.
The territory provided a path for everyone to learn and grow. As long as they worked hard, they could attain the power and knowledge that was once out of reach.
Everyone had struggled with their fate and hardships, enduring trials and suffering. Surviving to this point was indeed due to a large amount of luck.
But everyone understood clearly—luck wouldn't always protect them.
Next time they faced danger, they needed power and abilities of their own.
Only then could they confidently take control of their fate.
People also vaguely speculated.
Why did Bay Territory delve into the Underdark, invest massive manpower and resources, and establish a base on the border between the Mind Flayer Empire and Gray dwarves territory?
Bay Territory's actions surprised everyone.
They directly posted the mission of the entire base at the top of the training ground's bulletin board.
"Resist the Mind Flayers, protect our homeland."
"Study abilities, forge a new path."
"Create skills, improve feats."
"Increase power, achieve transformation."
When teaching, Bay Territory laid everything out openly.
They told everyone about the dangers and challenges of learning psionics, psionic feats, and special combat skills.
At the same time, they explained that any groundbreaking breakthroughs and progress would bring great income to the innovators and boost overall strength.
With things made this clear—
Even knowing they were being treated as "test subjects," everyone reacted with remarkable calm.
Everyone else in Bay Territory was the same, so there was nothing to worry about.
Many people even yearned for the elite soldiers of Bay Territory, the modified gray elf warriors, and the rapidly advancing Professionals.
Everyone longed to be powerful!
They hoped to become just as strong!
"Anyway, remember, any power upgrades or modifications should be done in the training ground."
"That way, if something goes wrong, we can at least keep people alive."
Training officers dispatched one after another officially took over the training of most captives and temp workers.
The trainees, mostly elves, gray dwarves, and drow, had solid foundations.
Under Bay Territory's special training methods, they progressed rapidly.
Bit by bit, the base's structure and form was being reshaped into what Bay Territory envisioned.
What Sera thought would be the difficult part—passing on special abilities—turned out to go surprisingly smoothly.
For every captive and temp worker who had experienced hardship, their obsession with mastering power was deeper than most.
"Next, we must quickly begin our assault on the second and third Mind Flayer outposts."
During a break in training, Sera addressed the group:
"Don't think Mind Flayers are stupid—they're actually cunning and devious, just incredibly afraid of death."
"We must prepare for the worst. The Mind Flayer base has already sent distress signals to nearby forces and territories..."
"First, we need to expand our detection and awareness range, and build a network for early warning and enemy interception..."
"Then, we need to launch a full-force attack on the Mind Flayer base, overwhelming them in one powerful strike!"
"The specific battle plan will be developed through group discussion."
"We must try to preserve our people and swiftly gain control over the base..."
"The mission will be difficult, but it's precisely because it's difficult that it must be done!"
Hearing Sera's words, no one felt troubled. Instead, their faces lit up with excitement.
Everyone wanted to show off, eager to prove themselves. Now was the perfect stage.
Of course, the plan they came up with would be rehearsed in advance and then refined based on the simulations.
The plan wouldn't satisfy everyone, but it would "convince" everyone!
While the ruin base was preparing for war, the surface world was also anything but peaceful.
The Star of Regicide had just passed.
The "Dragon Frenzy Calamity," which had raged for over half a year, finally showed signs of calming down.
The various territories and lords of the Netheril Empire could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
They no longer needed to use valuable troops to protect their lands from dragonblood creatures.
However, the negative effects of the Dragon Frenzy were only now beginning to appear.
Massive casualties, staggering military expenses, barren lands, and halted production had all left the major territories burdened.
Some territories had become complete wastelands.
Many fleeing lords were now preparing to gather people and troops to reclaim their lands.
Prices for many goods also began to skyrocket.
Riding this wave, Bay Territory's material sales boomed.
Grain, weapons, and other supplies produced by Bay Territory—
Were sold for twice the usual price, exceeding five million gold coins.
Bay Territory, which had been expanding production and storage, was now able to move old inventory out of warehouses for sale.
And produce newer, better goods to refill those warehouses.
With Bay Territory's growing reputation and sales network, more and more territories wanted to buy supplies from them.
Even the territories that had planned to blockade Bay Territory chose to quietly "shut up."
Still, Bay Territory remembered their actions clearly.
"If others pay double, they pay four times. Take it or leave it. This is just the interest—the principal comes later."
Steward Ralph said this to Adam Smith while reviewing data and reports.
Baron Lynch, standing beside him, nodded with a smile and eagerly jotted down a note on those disgusting guys.
Jifan let out a soft sigh, recalling the ruins and devastation of nearby territories. He shook his head helplessly:
"Those territories—they've all fled or collapsed. Now they're basically empty..."
Steward Ralph naturally understood his concern. Shaking his head nonchalantly, he continued:
"Population is what matters most. Blindly expanding land does nothing for our strength."
"Just like we did before—we need to maintain a buffer zone between our territory and others in the Empire..."
Adam Smith recalled the attacks on their land two years ago by neighboring territories and was filled with emotion:
"So the Lord had already seen that far ahead... truly remarkable!"
He could even imagine it—
During the Dragon Frenzy, Bay Territory had absorbed and rescued the people and refugees from surrounding lands, draining the neighboring lords of their "blood."
Their entire population now belonged to Bay Territory, leaving behind nothing but empty cities and ruins.
It was common knowledge.
No matter who you were—once you entered Bay Territory, you could never leave.
Whether seeking safety or refuge, once the people entered Bay Territory—
After experiencing its peace, prosperity, and spirit of striving—they would develop strong loyalty and unity.
Without the threat of force, very few would ever choose to return to their original lands.
And those who did often came back in deep disappointment.
After experiencing Bay Territory's openness and fairness, they couldn't adapt to the dark, ruined lands they left behind.
They regretted their choice.
After weighing the pros and cons—or after a certain trigger—they would quietly return to Bay Territory.
As if nothing had ever happened.
Of course, Bay Territory was happy to accept everyone.
But those who had left without permission and intended to rebel—
Bay Territory would simply make them repeat the path of "struggle."
And secretly place them under surveillance.
If they acted suspiciously or tried to endanger the territory—
Then being sent to the underground lab would be the best way for them to continue contributing.
Bay Territory had "taken" the population of surrounding territories.
This was already public knowledge.
Even if the neighboring lords knew what Bay Territory had done, they had no way to stop it.
In fact, they now had to curry favor with Bay Territory, hoping to receive aid.
Whether it was rebuilding their lands or eliminating lingering dragonblood creatures—it was beyond what those devastated lords could handle.
Bay Territory would continue to be a "role model," maintaining a friendly face to the outside world.
And they didn't care at all about the territorial expansion of the neighboring lands.
There was so much wasteland.
So many dense forests.
Such vast oceans.
The perilous yet bountiful Catachan Jungle.
The vast and resource-rich Underdark.
And a new continent almost devoid of people, filled only with endless monsters.
Bay Territory has a huge appetite, but it's also very selective.
The busy Bay Territory continues to expand daily, constructing more castles, bases, and camps.
More and more refugees and adventurers are flocking into the increasingly renowned Bay Territory.
The banned news reports always manage to reach the various lands of the Netheril Empire and other kingdoms on time.
The more something is banned, the more it sparks people's desire to view it.
A new batch of adventurers arriving at Bay Territory were immediately placed into the basic adventurer training camp.
There, they would undergo Bay Territory's first round of "enhancement."
They would learn a wealth of fundamental yet incredibly effective and precious knowledge, skills, and feats.
At the same time, they also received a "surprise" prepared by Matthew.
Just after handling the expansion of the sales network and strengthening the combat capabilities of merchant convoys, Steward Ralph entered Matthew's office with a grave expression, holding some documents.
Matthew skimmed through them and noticed the map projections appearing within.
Studying the red-and-green battle formations, he murmured thoughtfully:
"The Cole Elven Kingdom has broken through multiple lines of defense of the Ail Elves and pushed the front lines to their final stronghold."
"If they take Icewind Fortress, they'll fully gain the upper hand. The heartland cities of the Ail Elves will be within their blade's reach..."
As Matthew examined the war fronts, he noticed the Cole army gathering outside Icewind Fortress. He eagerly rubbed his hands together.
Steward Ralph carefully studied the battlefield situation.
He noted that several strongholds and fortresses behind the breached lines of the Ail Elves were still resisting, and he said with delight:
"The Cole Elven Kingdom is getting anxious—they're going all in with one final battle."
Their relentless assault was a clear attempt to secure a decisive and overwhelming victory by smashing through the Ail Elves' last defense.
But if their assault is blocked and they can't quickly take Icewind Fortress, the fortresses and castles behind them that haven't fallen will become nails in their back.
If they suffer defeat or start losing momentum, they might end up with their retreat cut off and their entire army surrounded.
"However, based on the current situation, the Ail Elves have lost many elite troops."
"The major families and lords are trying to preserve their strength—they're about to collapse under the Cole onslaught."
"Battles without hope of victory are often the most despairing."
As Matthew described the Ail Elves' grim future, the light in his eyes only grew brighter.
Knowing how much preparation the Lord had done for this moment, Steward Ralph asked with anticipation:
"Will you be stepping in personally?"
"Of course!"
Flipping through Bay Territory's preparations, Matthew nodded without hesitation and declared in an unquestionable tone:
"The Cole Elves prepared so many surprises for me—I must return the favor."
"Such a grand occasion naturally requires our performance."
"Notify the first group. Head to Icewind Fortress immediately. The territory is now on second-level alert. Prepare for the Cole Elves to make a desperate move."
As he spoke, a giant Mage Hand lifted pieces of Thunder Magic Armor and dressed Matthew.
Further enhanced by Modunken and others, the Thunder Magic Armor had now reached the pinnacle of extraordinary-tier equipment.
As the final visor came down, electric-blue lightning flickered across him, exuding an indescribably powerful aura.
Watching Matthew's back as he left, Steward Ralph said with anticipation:
"It's time for our enemies to witness the power of Bay Territory!"
Urgent notifications spread rapidly.
Every base, city, and camp in the territory received the message.
As most adventurers and citizens were still pondering, hordes of Steel Golems and Sentinels stepped into combat positions.
Guards just finishing their training also began their patrols.
A looming storm seemed to quietly envelop all of Bay Territory.
In the busy military camp—
High-level adventurers who had just finished drills showed no fear upon hearing the sudden order. Instead, they were full of excitement.
After long and resource-heavy training, it was finally time to put their efforts to the test.
The light from the large teleportation array flared.
The first batch of combatants stepped into it without hesitation.
Subsequent waves of fighters were marching in from afar.
Along with them came vast quantities of pre-prepared battle supplies.
Bay Territory was about to show its fists and muscle to the nations and factions of the northern continent.
Authority and status are not won with empty talk or wild fantasies.
Only through punches and struggle can true respect be earned.
Whoever refuses—smash their face!
Whoever resists—beat their teeth out!