Chapter 595.5: The Contamination Begins!
Yaya's voice might have still carried a bit of childishness,
But Annie could hear the seriousness behind her tone.
She instantly realized this seemingly absurd business plan had real potential to succeed.
Think about it. No matter their relationship with the Cole Elves...
They'd all definitely want to know more about them!
Those friendly with the Cole Elven Kingdom could assess their military strength.
A simple comparison...
Might give them more to think about.
When dealing with the Cole Elves in the future...
They'd know how much tribute to offer and how to manage the relationship.
They could even "sell out" Bay Territory for leaking the info.
That way, they could show allegiance and loyalty at a bargain.
What a great deal!
As for the hostile factions against the Cole Elves, they had even more reason to buy.
They'd gain a clearer view of the enemy's power and plan accordingly, making better preparations and countermeasures.
That sure beat fighting a deadly war just to get that same intelligence.
"Selling it for only a few hundred thousand gold? They might not believe it's real!"
"We should raise the price to at least a million so they trust it."
"And that's just for general info. If they want detailed intelligence, we can sell them a bit of 'favor' too!"
"At that point, we must charge extra!"
Seeing Annie talk so confidently, Yaya couldn't hide the admiration and joy in her eyes, as if she'd found a kindred spirit.
The wide-eyed Menglan in her arms even stared blankly, thinking:
"Should I ask mom and dad to buy a copy too? Maybe they'd be curious..."
Annie's words gave Yaya even more inspiration.
While jotting down this exciting get-rich scheme, she eagerly added another wild plan:
"Hey! Selling intel is only the first step to making money..."
"Just like we're fighting the Cole Elves now, we can't do it alone..."
"The Ail Elves families and other kingdoms or groups surely want us to hold out longer!"
"When the time comes, we can sell them goods, captured loot from the Cole Elves, even symbolic 'trophies' like corpses..."
Annie gasped.
She thought she was open-minded, but Yaya was on a whole other level.
Still, she quickly found inspiration in Yaya's plan and helped refine it.
"This counts as their way of supporting our fight against the Cole Elves..."
"As long as they 'trade' with us, they're indirectly opposing the Coles."
"Sharing in the 'gains' is perfectly fair..."
"And if they want more detailed info, they can even send people to Icewind Fortress..."
"I bet they'd be willing to pay some 'protection'... ahem, I mean 'living expenses'!"
Seeing countless gold coins waving at her, Yaya excitedly lifted Menglan onto her shoulder and, nodding frantically, shouted:
"Hey! That's not all!"
"Just watching us fight isn't enough. They'll want to try it themselves..."
"Then they can send people over to fight too. We can train them, guide them, and easily collect more gold!"
"Hey! Even just guiding and trAnnieng feels wasteful—we could teach them hand-to-hand how to fight the Cole Elves!"
"..."
The more they talked, the bolder and more excited they became.
Listening from the side, Matthew fully approved of their excellent performance:
"This is just too 'on point'!"
"Self-taught masters!"
"Wait... haven't I already been using 'trAnnieng' as an excuse to have the Third and Eighth Legions send troops to help?"
"Wow... it all started with me..."
Matthew thought that to himself but didn't say it aloud. Instead, he turned to the shocked Jifan, patted his shoulder, and said:
"These ideas and plans are excellent. You should consider working with Annie to run Icewind Fortress well..."
That's right. Matthew had already decided to ride the wave of what had become reality and implement these plans directly.
These plans were bold and remarkably forward-thinking!
But they would indeed bring huge benefits to Bay Territory—not just expanding its influence...
Sharing intel on the Cole Elves with other powers would also boost their confidence.
Make the Cole lackeys hesitate a bit more, and give their enemies a bit more courage—that was worth far more than a few hundred or thousand gold coins.
Of course, with Bay Territory showing such goodwill, no one would feel comfortable haggling over 'money' with them.
Just pay Bay Territory cheerfully and be done with it!
Blinking in slight confusion, Jifan nodded along but suddenly felt he couldn't keep up.
A wave of guilt rose in his heart, and he secretly resolved that he needed to study more.
After combat trAnnieng each day, he had to also study camp administration and management...
Unknowingly, Jifan was now full of confidence in this war.
Even if the Cole Elves still had over 400,000 troops!
Even with the terrifying Bloodthirsty Ancient Tree right at their doorstep!
"Ding! Through careful observation, you have obtained information on the Extraordinary Skill—Flesh Mutation."
"You have successfully understood all details of 'Extraordinary Skill—Flesh Mutation.'"
"Would you like to spend 10 million Fate Power to master 'Extraordinary Skill—Flesh Mutation'?"
"No!"
Rubbing his brow in excitement, Matthew reflected on the crazed yet awe-inspiring knowledge in his mind and silently told himself:
"There's no need to take crooked or evil paths. Shortcuts never end well—wasteful, slow to pay off, and full of trouble!"
This mental fortification came thanks to Matthew's recently acquired 'Advanced Feat—Mental Protection.'
With it and a series of related feats and skills...
Matthew and the Professionals could remain calm more easily, resisting various temptations and corruptions.
Of course, this had always been Matthew's habit. Now, it was just refined into a more efficient and specialized skillset.
Withdrawing his gaze from the ever-growing evil spirit—the Bloodthirsty Ancient Tree, Matthew couldn't help but shake his head and say:
"As expected, this is just a leftover piece tossed by the Scarlet Moon—not much effort was put into it. What a waste..."
Annie didn't know what exactly Matthew was lamenting, but she knew clearly he didn't take this terrifying Bloodthirsty Ancient Tree seriously at all.
She chose to temporarily ignore what she heard about the Scarlet Moon.
She too had received similar trAnnieng, knowing that learning too much about high-ranking entities...
Could easily draw their influence and attention.
What she was thinking now was...
Why hadn't they dealt with this ever-growing Bloodthirsty Ancient Tree yet?
As if sensing her doubt...
Yaya, diligently jotting down a mountain of plans and ideas, said with a hopeful tone:
"It's still too weak right now!"
"Let it grow a bit more, boost the Cole Elves' confidence..."
"Then wipe them out together!"
Seeing Yaya's clenched fist...
Annie dazedly saw the powerful and 'clever' Yaya watching the Coles' madness with sinister delight.
It was as if she had already foreseen this scene.
Fully reassured now, Annie headed toward the infirmary without hesitation.
She had to resume her recovery trAnnieng and return to the battlefield quickly.
Only then would she have the confidence to say "no" to those fools!
Of course, Annie also realized she needed to study more.
Learn more knowledge, acquire more skills.
The future was bound to be filled with hardship.
But Annie had always been clear about one thing:
She was already doing everything she could.
From now on, she owed nothing to her family or to the entire Ail Elves race!
She would lead more Ail Elves to survive—and thrive!
The Bloodthirsty Ancient Tree grew ever larger, devouring more and more Cole corpses.
Its twisted treefolk offspring had swelled to over 3,000.
Watching these locust-like monsters rampage, many Cole Elven Warriors couldn't help but feel a deep unease:
"Is the upcoming battle really going to rely on them?"
"If we die in battle later, will our corpses become food for this disgusting creature too?"
"Hard to say... but there's a pretty good chance."
"This monster is growing too fast. It's already reached the Legendary rank in a flash. Can we really control it?"
"Control? I wouldn't count on it. This thing is way too dangerous. It needs to be eliminated quickly!"
"We're just waiting for it to break through Icewind Fortress' walls. Right now, no one's orders matter..."
"With so many soldiers, why do we need this abomination to fight for us?"
"Something feels off. This monster might..."
"No way. The higher-ups must have their reasons..."
"Hah, don't forget—they've blindly charged ahead before, sinking an entire warship with everyone on board..."
No matter how puzzled the Cole Elves were...
The current reality was clear:
Their army stood by watching and preparing, while the real fighter was a monster.
It was an absurd scene, and Yaya, capturing it on film, couldn't help but flash a radiant smile.
"Just this shot alone should fetch 100,000 gold!"
Thought a certain little gold-obsessed girl!
"Roar...!"
The Bloodthirsty Ancient Tree let out a long, maddened roar.
The more Cole corpses it devoured, the more dazzling and frenzied the red light from its body became.
Even the flickers of intelligence in its eyes now seemed dull.
It had nearly been completely overtaken by the bloodthirsty power hidden in the corpses.
Its entire body turned blood-red.
Under the sunlight, wisps of smoke rose as it seared.
This terrifying monster had fulfilled its mission.
It had become the true vessel of the Scarlet Moon's twisted will!
"A vessel for the Scarlet Moon's consciousness!"
"Thank goodness it wasn't an avatar-level monster!"
Matthew watched the Bloodthirsty Ancient Tree's miserable fate without the slightest surprise.
For high-ranking entities like the Scarlet Moon...
They never did anything meaningless!
If they acted, they did so with perfection!
Don't believe any coincidence involving them!
Like this crazed evil spirit before them—clearly just a discarded piece.
But now, the Bloodthirsty Ancient Tree had turned from a pawn into a terrifying player.
And Matthew and Yaya had finally been waiting for this moment!
This meant that after slaying this terrifying monster...
Matthew and Yaya would gain far more rewards!
It wouldn't be a wasted effort at all!
That was their true reason for 'waiting.'
Otherwise, even those Cole corpses held incredible value.
Though not as useful as the dwarven corpses, they still harbored significant 'sins' and made excellent bait.
Why let this disgusting Bloodthirsty Ancient Tree ruin them?
"Roar...!"
Along with that terrifying roar came waves of twisted, horrifying will!
Many who had already been affected by the earlier meteor strike now saw a bloody moonlight flash in their minds.
As their gaze was drawn upward involuntarily...
A blood-red moon with a monstrous face laughed wildly at them.
"Ah... so... beautiful!!"
A heavily wounded Cole Elven Warrior roared in madness.
The nearby Cole Elves immediately tried to pour Purification Potion down his throat.
Unfortunately, they were too late!
From his twisted wounds, terrifying tentacles and bloody flesh strands began to grow.
He was mutating!
In agony, the Cole Warrior shouted and hacked off his own head.
The head that fell to the ground still wore a blissful smile—but the mouth had torn open all the way to the back of the ears!
One crazed scream after another echoed through the Cole army camp!
The contamination had already begun!