Chapter 688.5: Elemental Golem Manufacturing Plant
The Cole Elf Kingdom was about to win.
The factions they supported were on the verge of driving Netheril out.
Who would've thought—Iolum trained a second Grand Arcanist!
The real fight was already over!
In the key battles that followed—
The Cole Elf Kingdom witnessed the terrifying synergy between Grand Arcanists and floating cities.
Floating cities alone weren't scary.
They were just big sturdy rocks floating in the sky.
At most, they could drop some alchemy bombs or stones.
A powerful Grand Arcanist—
The Cole Elves had their own that could rival or surpass them.
But when the two were combined—
They produced a 1+1>3 level of overwhelming power.
With full-spectrum spell enhancement and virtually unlimited "energy," a Grand Arcanist—
Could rain down destructive legendary spells from thousands of meters above, wiping out most enemies from afar!
A few defiant Cole Elf Archmages still tried to "test it."
They then fell into Iolum's traps.
The Cole Elves suffered a crushing defeat!
Over one-fifth of their Archmages died at the hands of the "raging" Iolum.
That devastating defeat was deeply painful for all Cole Elves.
And it's why they are so determined to destroy the Netheril Empire.
The threat was too great!
So the Cole Elf Kingdom quietly gave up on contesting Aelrasco—only leaving behind a few envoys and resources to keep supporting other forces.
The severely wounded Netheril didn't expand further. They went dormant, quietly rebuilding.
Until more Grand Arcanists and floating cities appeared.
With enough cards in hand, the Netheril Empire began exploring and conquering other demi-planes.
Only then was the Netheril Empire officially established!
A direct confrontation would cost even the Cole Elf Kingdom dearly.
So they resolved to undermine them step by step.
Over a century, they infiltrated and laid traps all throughout the Netheril Empire.
They supported external factions to jointly resist Netheril's expansion.
Various insidious strategies took effect.
Grand Arcanist Iolum was never able to lead long-term.
Internal divisions among factions, classes, and Grand Arcanists.
A web of conflicting factors—
Slowed the rise of the Netheril Empire.
All of it—thanks to the black hand of the Cole Elf Kingdom.
Now, signs of Netheril's disintegration have begun to show.
Bay Territory's rapid growth, the coming Elemental Tide—
All prove the Cole Elves' long-awaited moment has arrived!
They're ready to strike against the Netheril Empire!
Priority: eliminate the most threatening Grand Arcanists!
Thus triggering the beginning of the Netheril Empire's next great crisis!
If the plan succeeded, even if Grand Arcanist Cronorman survived, he'd be severely injured.
At the very least, he'd lose the chance to advance during the Elemental Tide.
That alone would neutralize a massive threat to the Cole Elf Kingdom!
If Grand Arcanist Cronorman was eliminated—
The Cole Elves' internal factions would grow more confident.
Pushing the follow-up plans would then be easier and more natural.
Moreover, with the return of the Elven gods—
They needed the Cole Elf Kingdom to make more "impactful" "contributions."
Realizing this, the Cole Elf councilors all turned to look.
With a smile, Tyrian began to elaborate on the "proposal" and persuade further.
Soon, the Cole Elf Council agreed to the plan.
Of course, step one: complete the operation in the Aelrasco demi-plane.
The massive losses there would deal a severe blow to Netheril.
It would force them to divert resources, making them easier to divide.
This marked the beginning of a vast plan—one that would take years or more to reveal its terrifying force.
By then, the Netheril Empire would suffer catastrophic damage!
Having once again found common interest, they moved into action once more.
Outside, in the larger council chamber—
The meeting hadn't even started yet.
Elf reserve councilors and lords were passionately discussing the miracle shown during Bay Territory's commendation ceremony.
In the Netheril Empire—
Many Grand Arcanists did not worship gods.
Some even arrogantly claimed that Grand Arcanists could become gods!
Or at least, high-level beings comparable to deities!
But for most ordinary lords and spellcasters—
Worshiping the Magic Goddess was completely normal.
After all, a third of Netheril's magical development—
Came from the teachings of Elven ancestors.
Another third from ruins and self-driven research.
And the last third from the Magic Goddess's enlightenment.
But to the Cole Elf Kingdom, the truth behind this miracle was traceable.
Regarding the miracle at Bay Territory's commendation ceremony—
Many elven spellcasting families understood what it meant.
The Magic Goddess was rapidly gathering power in the material plane, drawing in high-quality souls.
The Earth Mother who followed did the same.
It clearly showed how formidable the fallen Bay warriors were.
And Bay Territory still had a total of 300,000 such soldiers!
To the Cole Elf Kingdom, this was a force that couldn't be underestimated.
Of course, they were experienced and confident in dealing with rising and falling powers.
Not just the Netheril Empire!
No matter the faction—
In the early stages of development, everything went smoothly.
But as time went on, performance usually worsened.
The Cole Elf Kingdom just needed to quietly monitor their growth—
Give them enough opponents—
And stir up internal strife and conflict.
Waiting for the most outstanding individuals to grow old.
From heroic and wise to aged and sluggish.
Then, the most pioneering generation dies out.
The next generation is often more arrogant and self-assured.
But their temperament and resilience are often lacking.
When they encounter setbacks during expansion, there's a high chance they'll choose to retreat.
Once they fall back, there's rarely a second chance to move forward again.
Rather than bleeding and sacrificing, it's easier to enjoy comfort.
But once that hedonistic mindset spreads to the next generation, the odds of producing outstanding figures drop even further.
And so, the entire power loses its edge, its drive, and eventually fades into mediocrity.
Just like the powerful soldiers in the magical images—
They too will one day age and become burdened and frail.
The next generation of Bay Territory soldiers, raised in comfort, will inevitably fall short of their predecessors.
When that day comes—
Bay Territory's military strength will slowly decline.
Leading to a gradual weakening of overall combat strength.
Bay Territory's rate of expansion will begin to slow.
And the surrounding forces that harbor deep grudges will strike without hesitation!
If Bay Territory has accumulated enough wealth and managed to produce multiple Legendary Professionals, it might retain part of its territory.
If not—
Then the enemy factions will completely consume Bay Territory, turning it into fuel for their own growth.
The threat to the Cole Elf Kingdom will disappear.
This process may take decades, centuries, or even longer.
But for Cole Elves, who live for a thousand years—
It's just a small portion of their life, scenery on their journey.
This is the patience of the long-lived—their invincible strategy!
Matthew didn't know what the Cole Elves were discussing, but he was very familiar with their style and methods.
He needed to finalize the lung augmentation procedure.
Then he had to proceed with the magical equipment and weapons tech trade.
Matthew's decision to trade wasn't just to gain more arcane technologies from factions like the Cole Elves—
It was also to ensure Bay Territory could stockpile capital and foundation.
Right now, it was the calm before the Elemental Tide erupted.
Various magical materials were still in short supply.
Theoretical knowledge and techniques outpaced the development and application of physical goods, gear, and resources.
Once the effects of the Elemental Tide set in—
Magical materials and resources would flood the markets.
Technologies that had been theoretical and unrealized—
Would finally have a chance to become reality!
At that point, combining tech with real-world applications would massively widen the gap in productivity and combat efficiency.
Anyone trying to catch up then—
Would have to pay a much steeper price.
And possibly waste even more manpower and researcher time.
And this was just the tech and research angle.
Once productivity and resource disparities formed between territories and kingdoms—
Soldier morale, combat technique, and total battle readiness would also suffer.
The Cole Elf Kingdom, with its immense foundation, vast tech reserves, and countless highly educated individuals—
Would inevitably erupt with explosive growth once the Elemental Tide hit.
Matthew had witnessed the terrifying power unleashed from thousands of years of Cole Elf accumulation.
He'd seen the Netheril Empire unable to mount much resistance—
And watched it crumble, partly due to the "help" of adventurers and players who held it back.
He'd also seen what was left of the elven forces after Cole Elf Kingdom's fall—
How they tenaciously survived and resisted the aftermath of calamity.
That's exactly why Matthew prioritized research and tech development so heavily.
The current stockpiles of Bay Territory—
Beyond the necessary strategic reserves—
Matthew planned to rapidly consume and utilize them.
To boost Bay Territory's wealth and current military power.
And to accumulate more tech and develop new knowledge.
Rapidly advancing the training of Bay Territory's talent pool.
Cultivating more specialists in manufacturing and research.
Bay Territory's current talent base was still quite shallow.
Once batch after batch of trained professionals graduated from the Professional Academy—
Using their systematic knowledge to inject fresh blood and firm foundations into Bay Territory's R&D—
That's when its homegrown tech would see explosive growth.
As he thought this—
Matthew handed the last part of the enhancement to Annie.
Then quickly left the underground lab and made his way upstairs to the office.
Upon arrival—
He found Butler Ralph waiting patiently.
"Looks like they're offering a high price."
Hearing this, Ralph handed over a thick stack of documents with a faint smile, and said smoothly:
"These are trade requests from Black Tower, Red Tower, Red Robes, the Witch Kings, and others—as well as the Kingdoms of Lodan, Farsico, and Lordaeron."
"They've all offered impressive tech. The thirteen Legendary-grade Elemental Crystals are the most sincere offer."
These were top-tier organizations and major nations—Bay Territory's best trade partners.
Matthew was familiar with most of them.
Black Tower and Red Tower were two of the Seven Tower factions of Netheril.
Four of the Seven Towers were part of the Empire.
Each led by a Grand Arcanist.
Among the strongest powers in the Netheril Empire.
They were very interested in Bay Territory's golem and engineering tech—
Especially for mining, land development, and constructing cities and mage towers.
They were even willing to share some of their mage tower and formation tech.
Matthew was very pleased with these offers—he was already planning to upgrade the underground lab.
And the buildings being adjusted on the surface couldn't just sit there—they needed to be properly developed and scheduled.
Of course, Matthew didn't really care about their trade motives.
It was just a convenient excuse.
Bay Territory wouldn't question it—and they wouldn't take it seriously.
One of the Seven Towers, the White Tower, located in the Kingdom of Lodan, was leading this round of deals.
They came on behalf of Lodan, whose coastal battlefront desperately needed powerful flamethrowers—
To deal with mutated insects and undead monsters on the Lodan Plains.
They were willing to pay with a thousand Shire warhorses.
Half male, half female.
That was an incredibly generous offer.
Shire warhorses were among the strongest in the northern continent—and even across the Material Plane.
Massive, durable, and explosive—born to be warhorses.
And after a thousand years of careful breeding by the Kingdom of Lodan—
They'd become gentle-tempered and gained magical beast-level toughness, improving every aspect.
Shire warhorses were part of Lodan's strategic reserves—
Prepared specifically for its famous knight regiments.
Rarely sold.
Each Shire warhorse cost over 30,000 gold coins.
And now they were offering a thousand breedable ones.
That was true sincerity.
Another tower—the Purple Tower—was part of the Kingdom of Lordaeron.
Lordaeron and Lodan had deep ties—
They were one country a thousand years ago before splitting.
Now, Lordaeron was dealing with sea threats—
And urgently needed Bay Territory's long-range dwarven cannons.
According to intel from the Thorn Merchant Guild and the long-range fleets—
Huge waves of sea monsters, Sahua fishfolk, nagas, and sea witches were appearing.
If it were just the former, Matthew figured they could hold out.
But if both nagas and sea witches showed up—then he had no doubts.
The former would raid coasts, destroy cities, and enslave people.
The latter would follow the waterways inland—and take vast lands.
One of the most infamous calamities, the "Naga Tide," was unleashed by both.
The Purple Tower's offer greatly excited Matthew.
"Elemental Golem Manufacturing Tech?"
"That means our Elemental Golem Factory is finally happening!"
"And we'll finally have cannon fodder ready to fight the Plague Beasts."