Chapter 612.5: Trouble is Opportunity
Whoosh!
A gentle breeze swirled and swept through the fields.
It brought the fragrance of wheat from the land.
Yaya sniffed the faint scent of malt in the air, her big eyes sparkling with excitement.
It wasn't that Yaya wanted to drink; she was excited because she would soon get to eat fresh malt candy.
This sweet and sticky delicacy was something Yaya simply couldn't resist.
The little Menglan in her arms felt the same, smacking her lips in excitement, enjoying the sticky sweetness of the malt candy.
Orianna, who was following beside Yaya, curiously observed the fish swimming back and forth in the pond, excitedly pointing and saying:
"Huh? Aren't these the fish we usually eat? So they are raised here!"
She gently patted Menglan's head, preventing her from releasing any aura, in case the fish couldn't handle it.
Menglan obediently wagged her tail, mumbling to herself:
"With such a huge harvest, can we gather even more companions now?"
"Some Leviathan tribes have already sent us trade requests. They urgently need clean food and to deal with the Wokou pirate Raiders."
She blinked lightly, thinking about how her maritime fleet would soon expand.
Yaya nodded enthusiastically, looking at the fish swimming back and forth with a magical aura, and said:
"Arrange it, get it sorted out immediately!"
"Those forgetful Wokou pirate Raiders have been itching for trouble for a long time."
"This is the perfect time to teach them a lesson and take back more islands."
"Those resource-rich islands in their hands are simply a waste!"
One island after another symbolized waves of adventurers joining the effort.
Bay Territory would not only gain massive orders but also reclaim gold coins from adventurers and residents, while acquiring abundant resources to replenish its stores. It was simply too good to be true.
Moreover, besides the resources of the Eastern Archipelago, Yaya valued the already well-prepared Brave Continent even more.
Brave Continent would mine rare metals and various resources, producing and manufacturing weapons and equipment urgently needed by the southern nations.
This would allow for significant replenishment, bringing in vast resources and wealth, thereby creating a virtuous cycle that would transform it into another great 'gold mine' for Bay Territory.
Yaya had already made up her mind that after 'teaching' the Wokou pirate Raiders a lesson.
They would begin constructing larger, more powerful fleets with greater transport capacity.
In what seemed like casual conversation, Yaya had already completed a status check of everyone in the area.
No cultists, no spies, no ill-intentioned individuals—far better than the situation in the dozen or so farm outposts from before.
"Such kind-hearted, simple, and hardworking people. As long as life gets better, they are happy to work hard..."
This made Yaya incredibly gratified, further solidifying her belief that her efforts and sacrifices were truly worthwhile.
Doing the same work as Yaya was Elio, who was leading the inspector team to capture cultists.
With incredible speed, she led the inspector action team to conduct large-scale arrests across Bay Territory's camps, outposts, fortresses, and cities.
Their operations were swift and precise, not letting a single hidden threat slip by.
"You've done very well this time. I think you are ready to take charge of the inspector team."
Elio was very satisfied with Feili's work, marveling at the growth of this once slightly reckless adventurer.
A proud Feili chuckled, flipping through the arrest records while quickly arranging personnel. She only responded as she stepped into the teleportation array:
"When I get a little stronger, handle things a bit more skillfully, and complete advanced managerial training, I think I can take charge of the inspector team."
Elio admired her confidence, recalling the moment Lord Matthew summoned her back from Brave Continent, and said thoughtfully:
"If nothing unexpected happens, the retaliation from the Cole Elf Kingdom should be coming soon."
"Your tasks ahead will be heavy, but as long as you maintain your current state, you should be able to complete them brilliantly."
Hearing the mention of the Cole Elves, Feili gritted her teeth, glaring fiercely as she said:
"I've been preparing good things for the Cole Elves for a long time. I hope they won't be too afraid."
Elio silently nodded, then stepped away, handing over the capture operations entirely to Feili.
She still needed to take a few hundred curious Minotaurs to have a proper tour of Bay City.
The Minotaurs following behind Elio marveled at the clean and beautiful streets, gasped at the dense crowds of residents, curiously observed the other races, and tasted all kinds of delicious food.
Elio was not in a hurry, taking her time showing them the sights of Bay City.
First, she wanted to leave a good impression on these Minotaurs, and second, she wanted to relieve some of their tension and stress.
Elio was responsible for all affairs in Brave Continent. It was an unprecedented experience and an incredible amount of pressure.
She had never imagined that one day, she would be responsible for the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not more.
Back in Brave Continent, Elio would always reflect repeatedly, worrying whether she had made the right decisions.
The immense pressure made Elio grow quickly, but it also brought her considerable psychological strain.
Fortunately, as she became more familiar with the regions surrounding Brave Continent and with the arrival of waves of reinforcements and soldiers.
Elio gradually let go of her anxiety and swiftly developed Brave City and its surrounding areas.
Now, even after returning to Bay Territory, Elio was confident about the safety of Brave City.
After a long walk, the Minotaurs, still unsatisfied, followed Elio to the Professional Training Academy.
The newly expanded Professional Academy was surrounded by towering walls and brand-new gates.
Just the two rows of towering Dragon Knight No.1 Golems were enough to make all the Minotaurs tense up again.
Elio led the Minotaurs to register at the entrance, then passed through twelve physical and magical tests, helping coordinate various issues.
It took about 30 minutes before these Minotaurs finally entered the Professional Training Academy.
"The strict testing measures are to better ensure the safety of the children inside."
Elio explained this to the Minotaurs, then waved at Elona, who was waiting nearby, and introduced her to them:
"This is Elona, your teacher at the Professional Training Academy."
"She will teach you knowledge and focus on learning crop planting and land development."
Upon hearing Elona's status as a teacher, the Minotaurs bowed respectfully.
In Minotaur tribes, teachers were as respected as warriors.
Carefully flipping through the roster, feeling the vitality and talent of these Minotaurs, Elona scanned their average age of only eleven or twelve and exclaimed in amazement:
"These are really good kids. No wonder you applied to Lord Matthew to bring them back for training."
Smiling and nodding, Elio turned around and gently nudged Elona, saying with a hint of surprise in the latter's eyes:
"I won't be staying too long. Over there, they urgently need them to play a role and see results."
Understanding Elio's intention, Elona nodded gently.
Not all territories and forces valued the cultivation and education of children as much as Bay Territory did.
And they certainly didn't invest so many resources and manpower to treat everyone's children equally.
Class, power, bloodlines, and proximity all created huge disparities.
In the past, Elona would have thought this was normal.
But it was only after she joined Bay Territory, studied, grew, passed strict evaluations, and successfully became a teacher at the Professional Training Academy.
She finally understood a simple yet profound truth.
"All inequality and injustice will lead to the accumulation of conflicts and contradictions."
"Over time, these will gradually evolve into even greater disasters."
At first, Elona had some concerns about Bay Territory's constant acceptance of new members.
However, as time passed, the cultivation policies of the Professional Training Academy not only remained consistent but became more refined.
This easily allowed all newcomers to develop a heartfelt sense of belonging to Bay Territory.
"Free education for children, assistance in raising them, high quality, and great results."
For the vast majority of people, this was simply an irresistible temptation.
Elona compared this to the education of the Cole Elven nobles' children, and it seemed far less than what Bay Territory provided.
After all, besides education in strength and knowledge, Bay Territory highly valued mental health and growth.
They nurtured children to have optimistic and positive mindsets, stable emotions, balanced personalities, and cheerful attitudes.
Bay Territory did not forcefully change anyone's nature but tried to develop everyone's best side as much as possible.
Since the Minotaurs wanted results, Elona didn't mind starting with a rapid training program.
"First, show results, solve the trust issue, then slowly progress step by step."
Elio was very confident in Elona's abilities and methods and then walked towards Lord Matthew's Druid Laboratory.
The newly expanded Druid Laboratory was spacious, with various experimental areas ranging from bright to dim.
All kinds of magical plants emitted different auras.
Some were very calm, some were very lively, and others were quite greedy, devouring everything eagerly.
The laboratory provided them with different growth environments to nurture various unique characteristics.
This maintained their species diversity and prepared for the cultivation of more types of magical plants.
Besides these incredibly valuable magical plants, Elio valued the newly developed young crop seedlings the most.
Brave Continent possessed countless resources, including magical plants and rare metals.
But its demand for food would only grow larger and larger.
Due to certain special reasons, ordinary crops struggled to survive in the soil of Brave Continent.
Even if a few lucky ones managed to survive, the food they produced was tainted with toxins.
According to the Bay Territory workers, the soil in this region was toxic, completely incapable of growing normal plants.
Currently, the population of Brave City was not large, and the food gap wasn't significant.
Bay Territory transported some, harvested some from the sea, and traded with the nations of Farsico, ensuring everyone was fed.
However, as time goes on, the number of people in Brave Continent would only increase.
Elio knew she had to prepare early!
In the past, Elio only had to manage battles; everything she needed was prepared by the territory in advance.
Now, Elio had to adapt, preparing for the expansion and development of Brave City.
The busy little Druids had grown to more than four or five thousand.
Led by slightly older Druid workers, they studied and worked carefully and diligently.
In an area spanning over a square kilometer, the diverse and complex flora and fauna flourished with endless vitality.
When Elio found Lord Matthew, she saw him observing a transparent laboratory.
Elio, much more composed now, carefully watched the scenes inside the laboratory.
Tender green sprouts grew visibly fast.
The soft sprouts became resilient, gradually supporting taller stems.
The green leaves darkened, as if maturing in the blink of an eye.
Rice flowers slowly unfolded, blooming from buds to full blossoms in just a few dozen breaths.
Elio keenly noticed.
In this laboratory, which seemed to have its 'fast-forward button' pressed.
Not only was the rice, which was the main subject of the experiment, changing.
But the surrounding environment as well, including the different nutrients supplied for the various growth stages of the rice.
Soon, the plump rice grains bent down, swaying gently, appearing incredibly beautiful and mesmerizing.
The symbol of harvest, golden grains emerged, and Elio watched with great anticipation as the invisible hands picked each ripe grain.
The golden grains were quickly 'dried' and slowly piled up on the large scale.
600…
700…
800…
900…
1000…
1059…
Matthew shook his head with a bit of regret, smacking his lips slightly before saying:
"Indeed, magic is not omnipotent."
It was completely normal for there to be bottlenecks in breeding improvements.
Matthew just didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
Fortunately, Matthew was not in a hurry; he continued to let Lucky and the Druids accumulate experience.
Meanwhile, he sought out Old Li, speaking to the Druid master who was painstakingly working on the rice:
"Don't be too anxious. The next step is just grinding work. With the passage of time and the advancement of various experimental methods, the cultivated rice seeds will become better and better."
Old Li nodded helplessly. He naturally understood the situation, but he couldn't help feeling somewhat unwilling.
Seeing such a good opportunity right in front of him, yet being unable to break through, naturally made him feel frustrated.
Facing Lord Matthew's half-smiling face, Old Li hesitated for a while before suddenly asking:
"Scientific methods are indeed very effective, and with the passage of time, they always manage to break through limitations."
"But, shouldn't we aim for more substantial improvements as well?"
Noticing the change in Old Li's mood, Matthew nodded in agreement, his eyes showing anticipation, signaling him to continue.
Old Li gritted his teeth, speaking in a cautious and somewhat nervous tone:
"The Earth Mother has reached out to me!"
The Earth Mother?
The Mother of the Earth?
Now that was a familiar 'God'!
Matthew raised his hand to touch his chin, recalling his history with the Earth Mother, his mouth curling up involuntarily.
"They are unavoidable, and it's time to reach out to them."
Bay Territory's development had already moved onto the right track—resources, talent, systems, and the people's hearts were all in place.
Matthew no longer needed to worry about the influence of the Divine Church on the territory's development.
After all, a drop of water could never pollute the sea.
However, engaging and communicating with the stubborn and old-fashioned Earth Mother would be quite a test for both Matthew and Bay Territory.
She was not just any ordinary deity!
She was one of the oldest gods.
Unlike the Outer Gods, who came from other worlds in the Material Plane.
She was a 'local' deity of the Material Plane!
If the communication and engagement were successful, it could elevate Bay Territory's agricultural production to a much higher level.
But if it failed, both Bay Territory and Matthew would face significant trouble.
"Am I afraid of trouble?"
"If there's no trouble, where's the money to be made?"
"Trouble is opportunity!"