Chapter 678: Soldier Rotation, Blossoming Everywhere
The transformation of other Dragon Warriors couldn't be rushed for now.
Dragon Warrior modification covered a wide scope.
They played a critical role in the structure of Bay Territory's current combat power.
The reason the Cole Elves hadn't acted against Bay Territory directly—
Was largely due to the unknown number of Dragon Warriors capable of threatening legendary combat units.
Which accounted for at least 30% of the deterrent.
The rest, naturally, was the military might of Bay Territory—and the fearsome Yaya.
Matthew believed the Cole Elves had already uncovered part of the Dragon Warrior secret.
Especially after they paid a huge price—
Offering 20 legendary fire elemental crystals in a transaction with Bay Territory.
This was a deal handled by Steward Ralph.
In which "Heart Modification" and "Skeletal Reinforcement" were traded to the other party.
Completing this extremely critical deal.
It was precisely because of the Cole Elves' millennia-old stash of legendary fire elemental crystals,
Along with the support from Bloodmoon City and the Truth Organization,
That Bay Territory could develop the vital "Scorched Earth Tactic" and swiftly gain an advantage on the Catachan plane.
And it was exactly this seemingly irrational "trade" by Bay Territory—
That made the Cole Elf Kingdom barely able to breathe a sigh of relief.
As long as Bay Territory was willing to engage in trade with them,
The well-established Cole Elf Kingdom had no reason to fear or hesitate.
In the eyes of the Cole Elf Kingdom,
Bay Territory's technology and ingenuity were ultimately limited.
The technology acquired through trade—
Could be quickly digested by them.
Easily reverse-engineered and improved upon.
Even continuously iterated and innovated.
Their powerful production capabilities and magical manufacturing gave them this confidence.
But Matthew had long anticipated this.
As long as the other side was willing to pour in resources and manpower into the bottomless pit of "Dragon Warrior Modification"
Then Matthew's plan was already succeeding.
Not to mention that Bay Territory could, through these trades, obtain the necessary resources for development.
Yet after acquiring the transformation technology from Bay Territory—
The Cole Elf Kingdom quickly found itself dumbfounded.
They paid a huge price and conducted hundreds of bloody, grueling experiments—
Only to get disappointing results.
The transformation surgeries did work.
And their effects were indeed remarkable.
Whether it was heart enhancement or skeletal reinforcement, both significantly boosted soldier combat effectiveness.
But the fatality rate was too high!
Over 60%!
The Cole Elf researchers had never imagined that Matthew and Yaya's time manipulation would be applied in such a way.
Not to mention Matthew's accumulated experimental data and insight into modifying core difficulties.
It would take them a long time—
To conduct more transformations,
Gradually exploring and researching step by step.
For now, the high casualty rate meant the technology couldn't be applied widely among Cole Elf soldiers.
Even refining the procedures had to be done in secrecy.
The Cole Elves weren't like other intelligent races.
Their structured policies and institutions meant that even with more authority and resources—
The upper echelons couldn't be too autocratic in matters of life and death.
After all, most Cole Elves lived fairly comfortably without needing to rely on the kingdom.
They merely lacked a "path upward."
Without great pressure,
The Cole Elf leadership would never blatantly and recklessly sacrifice their people.
But now, facing the rapidly growing Bay Territory—
The un-mobilized ruling class of the Cole Elves was beginning to feel the strain.
Bay Territory lacked nothing except ordinary people viewed as burdens in other territories.
Especially after the leadership received the Cole Elf envoy's reports from the Dark Forest—
And witnessed the power of magical and improved dwarven artillery—
A gradually unified thought swept through the Cole Elf ruling class:
"Find a way to contact Bay Territory and obtain their manufacturing techniques."
"Refuse any requests for spell-related knowledge; instead, offer more materials in exchange."
"This must be achieved, even if it means paying an additional price."
The Cole Elf Kingdom boasted vast lands, abundant resources, a large population, and cutting-edge magical technology.
They also held more than a dozen demi-planes, rich in resources and heritage.
With thousands of years of accumulated goods, they could purchase any technology they wanted from Bay Territory.
While the Cole Elves wracked their brains over how—
To conduct trade through more circuitous means,
Matthew was already reorganizing Bay Territory's military forces.
"Current new recruit camps include:
"13 kobold, gnoll, and murloc camps across the Dark Forest, Silvermoon River Plains, and Misty Swamp."
"6 murloc and sea monster training bases on the eastern islands."
"5 training camps for cave dwellers, gnomes, and gnolls in the Underground Development Zone."
"4 training bases for venom spiders, skeletons, and mutated monsters across Penglai Island and Hero Continent."
"And 2 underground training bases for earth elementals and stone crocodiles in the Rocky and Cantrew Mountains."
"These camps will test and refine the new soldiers through live combat training."
"Kobolds and gnolls who complete three combat missions and express willingness to join Bay Territory will be evaluated."
"The rest will be returned to the Dark Forest as quest targets for new adventurers."
Old John had spent a long time preparing for this, with detailed plans ready to be implemented.
Seeing the lord reviewing the camp records, Old John confidently continued:
"The training cycle for new recruits is two months, with four rounds of combat training."
"This will raise their average Professional level to 4, meeting the standard for qualified soldiers."
Bay Territory's recruitment standards had already become stricter than before.
Usually, one needed to be a level 2 Professional, or an exceptionally talented level 1, to qualify.
If trained on their own—even with Bay Territory's training support—
It would take nearly half a year to reach level 4.
But once enlisted, the daily intense and efficient military training—
Not only enhanced their power quickly but molded them into proper soldiers.
Matthew never relaxed military training standards just because of weapon and war machine development.
On the contrary, soldiers needed to learn and train in even more techniques and knowledge.
After completing basic training—
They would enter the advanced training camps Bay Territory had prepared.
Each region already had two or more advanced training camps built.
These camps specialized in practical combat against mid- to high-level enemies.
"Most of the direct combat here involves coordination within small to mid-sized squads."
"It tests teamwork and obedience to orders."
"With the support of druids, the first wave of clerics and paladins, plus magic scrolls and healing potions, losses are nearly zero."
"The gains from battle, resource usage, and supply replenishment all form a positive feedback loop."
"That's why you created these sustainable resource points, right? Your foresight is incredible."
Old John couldn't help but admire him, his eyes full of delight and excitement.
Now he truly understood why Bay Territory went to such lengths across regions—
To develop resource sites,
To restrain magical creatures and monsters,
And to build dedicated training, combat, and resource zones.
This kind of expansion was slow,
But ensured each captured area could become self-sufficient quickly.
And over time, produce more and more resources.
Every expansion increased Bay Territory's total productivity and military might.
Each new development became easier to carry out.
Building a positive snowball effect that could grow into an overwhelming force!
In the past, Old John couldn't see it.
But now, the more he learned and experienced, the clearer it all became.
In truth, the training camp system wasn't just for soldiers.
Support staff and auxiliary personnel were also getting solid, practical training.
In the original world, or one without mystical powers to back it,
Many of Matthew's early policies would have met resistance from entrenched interests.
They would weigh birthright, positions, and power, scheming how to benefit themselves.
Matthew would often have to compromise, giving up optimal options in favor of what most could accept.
And if the territory improved step by step,
It might become a kingdom, or grow into an empire.
But as time passed—
And contradictions accumulated—
As more people fell into despair and found no path forward—
As the empire's system, laws, and morals collapsed and decayed—
Its lifespan would reach its limit.
And so the cycle would begin again, repeating old mistakes.
Perhaps some lessons would be learned, nudging cultural growth forward.
But most of the time, it would stagnate—or even regress.
Fortunately, this was a completely different world.
As an Arcanist, Matthew, and as a true dragon, Yaya, could fully enforce their will within the territory.
More importantly, Bay Territory had already weathered the hardest early phase.
Everyone's lives were steadily improving.
The newer the residents, the greater the impact and shock.
Precisely because of this—
Matthew's policies were producing increasingly positive results.
The resulting ripple effects naturally brought more obedience and support.
Matthew clearly understood his own influence.
While ensuring the big picture stayed on course, he had already delegated part of policymaking to staff and local representatives.
Of course, Bay Territory's laws always centered around the people, with no loopholes.
And certainly no vague exceptions to favor anyone.
Most importantly, Bay Territory guaranteed fair legal enforcement and transparency of all proceedings.
No one could lie here—magical inquiry would expose everything.
In this environment, calling it stable governance was a modest understatement for Bay Territory's progress.
"Another public sentencing today. Heard it was a city lord."
"What law did he break? Don't tell me it was embezzlement?"
"Of course it was! Word is he stole over fifty thousand gold."
"That's insane. That's decades of wages."
"Right? Most people work and train like mad just to make a few hundred a year."
"Sure, he worked harder and earned more. That's fair."
"But embezzling? That's asking to die."
"Heh, some idiots just have to test the law. Lord Matthew, the law golems, and detection constructs won't go easy on them..."
On the street, Misha blinked her big, curious eyes and eagerly rushed over.
She loved a good crowd!
Just as she squeezed in, Lola grabbed her collar and scolded:
"Don't run off. You'll get lost."
Clever and sharp, Misha wriggled nonchalantly, unfazed by the curious looks, and chirped:
"Hehe, okay, okay, I'll listen."
Helpless before Misha's mischievous streak, Lola awkwardly smiled at the onlookers, then whispered fiercely:
"Next time you act up, I'm not bringing you."
The little one immediately shrank back, her big eyes full of exaggerated pleading.
Seeing those watery eyes, Lola, not wanting to draw more attention, finally set her down.
She looked at the sentencing crowd and quickly spotted the city lord in a prison uniform.
Though she'd visited Bay Territory several times, it was mostly for trade.
She'd never deeply explored the territory—only marveled at the magical creations and stunning order.
Though curious about Bay Territory and its rapid development, she never thought it could threaten the Cole Elf Kingdom.
But this unexpected trial made Lola stop in her tracks.
A solemn chief judge stared at the city lord and declared in a clear voice:
"According to Bay Territory's Anti-Corruption Law, you are sentenced to 25 years in prison for embezzling 57,672.32 gold coins, and fined ten times that amount."
"You must earn the fine yourself; third-party payments are invalid."
"Due to your actions, your direct descendants for three generations are barred from holding public posts."
"Do you have any objections to the verdict?"
The city lord lowered his head bitterly and replied:
"I accept the sentence."
A cheer erupted immediately. Lola licked her lips, still processing.
Before she could react further, Misha had already snuck beside another child and curiously whispered:
"Did you understand all that too?"
The boy, Lin Ren, glanced at her and replied matter-of-factly:
"Of course. Starting in our second year, we study Bay Territory's laws."
"Wait, are you from another territory? Welcome to Bay Territory. Hope you have fun here!"