Chapter 571: Hunting Wokou Pirates
As Li had just pushed open the bedroom door, she was met with familiar eyes filled with joy.
No one had really died!
Li's heart eased greatly. Seeing her mother's smiling face, she walked over excitedly, grabbed her rough hand, and was speechless for a long time.
She had come so close to never seeing her mother again.
With her head full of silver hair, Qiu Feng gently stroked Li's delicate face. Seeing the faint glow of gold in her eyes, a trace of sorrow flickered in her gaze, and she forced a smile as she said:
"The Arcanist from Bay Territory specifically recruited you into the army. You must perform well and not betray the grace of his life-saving favor."
Li could hear the hidden meaning in her mother's words, but thinking of that lightning bolt that pierced the darkness and the transformation of Fishing Island, she smiled and comforted her:
"I understand. Don't worry, I will do my best."
Qiu Feng sighed softly, gently patting the back of her hand, signaling her to decide for herself.
Several sisters who had escaped death excitedly recounted the past few days to Li.
Noticing her light-red military uniform, their faces lit up.
"Wow, you really got selected into Bay Territory's army!"
"That's amazing—you truly are the best!"
"Good luck!"
"We'll take care of Auntie, don't worry!"
"Hehe, we've also started Professional training lately."
"Yes, if you don't keep up, we'll catch up to you!"
"Bay Territory is so great—they not only feed and clothe us but give us a chance to change our fate..."
"And they treat everyone equally, regardless of gender."
"This time, we're not relying on anyone else—we're going to grasp power for ourselves."
Even without directly interacting with Bay Territory, Li could already imagine its beauty and impact on Fishing Island. She smiled and said:
"It really is like that. Everyone must study hard and train well—let's fight together when the time comes."
The girls all nodded firmly. They weren't afraid of battle—on the contrary, they looked forward to it.
Having been under Li's protection, they now wanted to fight alongside her and contribute their strength.
Looking at all the smiling faces, Li felt a surge of hope and anticipation for the future.
Then she heard the drum call from the broadcast:
"Bay Territory Navy, assemble!"
Li followed the crowd and unknowingly arrived at the military camp.
There, she joined many new recruits in basic training: formation, marching, and combat techniques.
When she was exhausted, she tasted Bay Territory's nutritional potion for the first time.
After regaining her energy, she resumed training in other subjects.
Though physically weak, Li demonstrated great endurance and adaptability, gritting her teeth and finishing the first round of training.
At the same time, she tasted the rich and flavorful meals in the camp.
Until the sun slanted west and the chilly sea breeze began to blow.
Having finished her literacy lessons, Li was about to head home.
But then, a messenger led her to an empty training ground.
There was no one else—only a figure in an Arcanist robe.
Matthew beckoned to the dazed Li, speaking in a gentle tone:
"Control the water flow. Let me have a good look."
Li's mind was a bit blank. Terrifying thoughts flashed through her head, but soon she calmed down.
The lives of her and her sisters were saved by the Arcanist. Even if he took it now, it wouldn't matter!
Though she thought that way, the mixed opinions about Arcanists still caused ripples in her heart.
However, the strong-willed girl quickly found herself an "excuse."
"If the Arcanist really wanted to experiment on me, he wouldn't have waited until now, so there's nothing to worry about."
"And if he can understand the secrets in me, maybe it's a good thing."
"After all, they've been getting more and more unruly lately!"
Mentally prepared, Li immediately activated her powers.
Clear, sparkling water began to swirl around her under her control.
The shining sunlight refracted off the water, casting a dazzling rainbow glow—a beauty hard to describe.
Matthew silently watched, saying nothing.
Initially nervous, Li noticed he didn't move and began focusing on the subtle changes in her control.
Compared to before, her water manipulation had greatly improved.
She now faintly sensed she could control several times more water than before.
The shapes and objects formed by condensed water were also much stronger.
Li couldn't help becoming immersed, gradually forgetting her initial thoughts.
Unbeknownst to her, Matthew had already gathered all the data of her "evolution" and silently marveled:
"Only once the mundane is washed away does the truth emerge—is this the true talent of a Lucky '5' genius?"
Li
Race: Dragon Girl
Age: 16
Class: Fangshi Lv1 / 1 Rogue
Talent: Dragon Girl Bloodline Lv2, All Attributes +2, Water Damage Immunity, Water Element Control, Summon Wind.
Feats:
Extraordinary Feat - Water Immunity: Immune to all Extraordinary and lower-tier water damage (Exclusive).
Extraordinary Feat - Water Element Control Lv3: Freely control (Charisma + Intelligence) × 300 kg of water.
Extraordinary Feat - Summon Wind: ???
Extraordinary Feat - Intuition: Can detect any approaching danger.
Attributes:
Strength: 8
Agility: 12
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 22
Perception: 14
Charisma: 24
Luck: -5 (Doom).
Evaluation: A Dragon Girl adrift.
"Top-tier bloodline Lv2, dual class, double Extraordinary starting attributes, four Extraordinary Feats..."
"Truly a Dragon Girl—one of the Eastern top-tier bloodline powers. Even the class is inherited from there..."
Matthew couldn't help but gasp as he watched the immersed Li, eyes filled with anticipation:
"Anyone else wouldn't know how to help you grow stronger, but I'm the exception."
In countless player discoveries and adventures, many secrets and gains were found in the Eastern ruins along the eastern coast.
The profession development system requiring player innovation was a key feature drawing new players.
And Matthew just happened to know the location of the Fangshi class's inheritance site.
Moreover, it happened to be on their way next.
But before that, Matthew had to properly train Li and help her develop her body and bloodline potential.
March 5th.
Bay Territory.
Fishing Island.
Clear skies.
The increasingly hot weather filled the air with a dry heat.
The damp and stuffy sensation made people feel trapped, unable to escape.
The rolling waves surged in layers.
The splashing spray bloomed and faded in an instant.
Flocks of birds dove toward the beach, densely packed, preying on easy food.
In the dangerous ocean, any food was extremely precious.
Above the beach, two towers—seven or eight meters tall—were under construction.
More than 50 large turret towers would completely encircle all possible landing points on Fishing Island, deterring any approaching enemy warships.
Busy figures moved everywhere, many of them goblins.
These seemingly silly little creatures, when fed well, demonstrated excellent driving and control skills.
After simple training, they quickly learned to operate construction golems, rapidly gaining building experience under the direction of engineers.
The engineers spoke highly of the goblins and were reporting back to the research institute.
They hoped for a new type of construction golem more suitable for goblin operation.
The Joint Factory wasn't particularly interested in this request, as they preferred producing more profitable golems.
However, Bay Territory's golem factory accepted the task.
Victor found it very interesting—his exoskeleton research experiment required more data and support.
The large-scale development of Fishing Island consumed a great deal of Bay Territory's resources.
Everyone could see how much importance Bay Territory placed on this forward base.
Especially after Bay Territory issued the development directive, countless adventurers began taking an interest.
No one was stupid. Given how much Bay Territory invested here, based on past patterns, it had to be highly profitable.
And indeed, it was.
"The Yao Moon Family has completed their transaction with us. They've taken all the spoils we seized from the two cities on Fishing Island."
After checking all the records, Leon excitedly reviewed the trade logs with the Yao Moon Family and continued with interest:
"Aside from keeping all the grain, they bought all the jewelry, Eastern porcelain, silk, as well as some coral and decorative gems looted by the Wokou pirates."
"We received a total of 13 million gold coins. We've already invested six million of that into transforming Fishing Island."
Eastern goods?
Matthew stroked his chin, thinking of the Eastern Continent over 100,000 kilometers away. He shrugged nonchalantly and said:
"No need to worry too much. Luxury goods are meaningless to Bay Territory."
"Besides rebuilding Fishing Island, you must establish a method of profit."
Already having plans in mind, Leon eagerly added:
"The 50 fishing boats we ordered are mostly ready. I've started assembling a fishing fleet."
"At the same time, we've issued protection missions to adventurers, inviting them to safeguard the fishermen."
"Meanwhile, we also need more information on the Wokou, so we're preparing to send adventurers to scout the major islands..."
Matthew was quite satisfied with Leon's detailed report.
The training hadn't been wasted—it was producing results.
Of course, it also had much to do with Leon's talent and potential.
In nurturing these geniuses, Matthew had discovered a critical insight.
The true excellence of these geniuses...
Was not only their physical aptitude or speed of strength advancement.
It lay in their grasp of opportunity and rapid personal growth.
As long as they were given a chance, they would shine in any role.
Naturally, such geniuses were still rare.
Most of Bay Territory's people were ordinary workers completing tasks by the book.
But these were the cornerstone of Bay Territory's rapid development.
And Matthew wouldn't miss the chance to "nurture" them either.
Using better "conditions" to "tempt."
Mandatory "training" to "strengthen."
Ideological and slogan-based "motivation."
Urging them to become better versions of themselves, creating more value for Bay Territory—and gaining more for themselves.
After Leon finished, Matthew calmly said:
"Most of the plans are good. But your handling of the Wokou is still too cautious."
Meeting Leon's expectant gaze, Matthew didn't beat around the bush and stated directly:
"Bay Territory has always had one solution for despicable races like the Wokou."
"Exterminate them all—don't allow these bandits to exist any longer."
"So, go ahead and issue the 'Slaughter Directive' to the adventurers!"
Slaughter Directive!
Bay Territory's most severe, deadliest, and highest-paying command.
Like a bounty mission, it ends only when the enemy is killed.
But it represents the only way to complete the mission—and Bay Territory's resolve.
With more than triple the rewards of other missions at the same tier, it was the most beloved and anticipated task among adventurers.
Because beyond the massive payout, it quickly awarded massive Merit Points—the most coveted resource.
Especially now that Bay Territory had begun revealing more and more of its "trump cards."
Eyes slightly widening, Leon saw—for the first time—his lord's naked killing intent. He nodded without hesitation:
"No problem. I'll arrange it right away."
Soon, Bay Territory's Slaughter Directive spread rapidly, causing a huge stir among adventurers.
The massive rewards exceeding similar-tier missions tempted nearly everyone, even high-level adventurers.
Especially since, a month ago, Bay Territory issued a new rule to boost the drive for Merit collection:
Once an adventurer reached 10,000 Merit Points, they qualified for Strength, Constitution, and Agility enhancement surgery.
Such surgeries weren't rare. Many flesh-based mages had similar methods.
Even some high-level spells could assist Professionals in such enhancements.
But Bay Territory's rule drove everyone mad.
These surgeries could boost all three attributes to 15 points.
And had a 100% success rate!
At first, some adventurers were skeptical.
But some dared to try.
Alice became the first to undergo the surgery.
She corrected her weakness in Constitution, strengthened her Strength, and combined it with her combat techniques and skills.
In front of everyone, Alice broke through the High-Tier bottleneck and reached the Extraordinary Tier.
Such power naturally drove adventurers wild!
Many of them had rich combat experience and skills.
But due to poor physique, they couldn't handle more battle energy or stronger combat techniques—and hit a wall.
Alice and Arnold had once been the same!
Now things were different!
The reason Matthew offered this "benefit" to adventurers...
Was not just to fuel their passion for Merit and recycle their gold coins.
But to gather more data to improve and refine the surgeries.
And to give Annie and the new batch of "Surgeons" plenty of practice.
The enhancement surgery offered to adventurers was only the base, foundational surgery for Warrior enhancements.
Its effects were reduced, and the risks were much lower.
Perfect for beginners to practice.
Bay Territory didn't have to give up anything.
It profited greatly from the adventurers' "contributions."
And gained a batch of stronger fighters.
Now, the Wokou pirates had become the adventurers' first target.
These battle-hardened adventurers would use various methods to kill them all.
Bay Territory was practically winning on every front!