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Chapter 579: Like Being a Dog for the Cole Elves?
The grotesque and terrifying body of the giant octopus floated upward, pushed by the currents.
Three or four newborn Leviathans, led by little Menglan, were carefully dismembering the giant octopus.
Each young Leviathan was rather "adorable," squeaking "ya-ya, ya-ya" as they occasionally glanced curiously down at Matthew.
Interestingly, the largest piece of meat went to little Menglan, but instead of eating it right away, she happily dragged it over to Yaya.
Yaya inspected the octopus remains and said to little Menglan with pleasant surprise:
"Extraordinary-grade pure fleshâeach pound can fetch at least ten gold coins..."
"It has magical organs. If made into magical tools, it could be worth over 200,000 gold coins..."
"Oh? The essence of this octopus is extremely high qualityâperfect for supplying to Quan Quan. This is great stuff!"
"Ah? This big eyeball is excellentâcan be used to craft an Aein Stone!"
"You've struck it richâyou can buy tons of dried cod now..."
Little Menglan remembered the end part and forgot the middleâshe only knew she'd get to eat lots of dried fish.
But that wasn't Yaya's biggest surprise for her.
After mentally tallying up the value, Yaya took out a small bottle under Menglan's curious gaze.
Surrounded by seawater, the transparent reagent bottle still glowed faintly.
Primary Water of Life!
Condensed from Bay Territory's Tree of LifeâQuan Quan.
Even for Yaya, this water still had significant benefits for growth.
It could nourish her soul and body and remove hidden risks.
If it helped Yaya, it would surely help a Leviathan too.
Little Menglan could clearly feel a "delicious" sensation emanating from the unassuming liquid.
When Yaya sneaked it into her mouth, Menglan closed her eyes, and a refreshing coolness spread instantly through her body.
That tiny bit of Primary Water of Life increased her maximum HP by 10!
Of course, Water of Life at the same tier only works once.
Naturally, the Leviathan couple below noticed the "exchange" between Yaya and little Menglan.
They also "sensed" the presence of Water of Life and looked curiously toward Matthew.
Miaoye's massive form slowly approached Matthew.
The closer she got, this 40-meter behemoth became ever more awe-inspiring.
Seeing a giant living beingâ
Was an even more intense experience than seeing buildings or ships.
Yet Miaoye's voice was gentle, like a spring stream flowing through the heart:
"Perhaps we can trade even more."
Matthew smiled and nodded, fully agreeing:
"This isn't a tradeâit's a win-win."
"Win-win? What a curious word. Talking with clever humans always gives us new ideas."
Miaoye looked at the happily swimming little Menglan and felt more certain in their decision.
Bay Territory had impressive development potentialâ
And ambitious plans to expand into the ocean.
Not to mention, notable combat prowess.
Safe, clean food brought great benefits to rare young Leviathans.
In the future, with stronger ties, they might even be invited to resist the Deep Sea's malice together.
As for the extraordinary materials Bay Territory gained from tradeâ
They were mostly things young Leviathans couldn't absorb anyway, just troublesome piles.
By all accounts, the Leviathans came out ahead!
And as it happened, Matthew thought the same!
Working with the Leviathans gave Bay Territory access to rare extraordinary materialsâ
A solid foundation for researching mass production of extraordinary-grade weapons and gear.
This meant modified warriors didn't have to wait endlessly for magical armorâthey could use extraordinary gear earlier.
The annual value of this alone could reach tens of millions of gold coins.
And strengthening the modified warriors would greatly stabilize and deepen Bay Territory's power.
Also, allying with Leviathans had major advantagesâ
Not just for the upcoming resource zones in the New Worldâ
Even the Bay-Farsico trade route would benefit from Leviathan support.
The Wokou pirates had suffered greatly.
The Cole Elves already knew of Bay Territory's ties with the Air Elves.
Larger wars were sure to erupt.
And with the Leviathans' attitude toward Wokou, Bay Territory could definitely pull them onto the same boat.
Any way you looked at itâit was profit!
They exchanged a knowing smile. Suddenly, a strange ripple came from afar. Miaoye turned and swam off with Archie.
Twenty to thirty seconds laterâ
A lifeless giant sea serpent floated upward.
Previously a lazy swimmer, little Menglan now dutifully tore into the serpent, preparing bite-sized chunks for the other Leviathan cubs.
She gained a valuable piece of sea serpent hide, internal organs for potion crafting, and other magical materials.
Meanwhile, Yaya carefully recorded the Leviathan cubs' body data, preparing personalized growth plans.
Unchecked growth might feel goodâ
But scientific planning was far more efficient.
Still, Matthew remained intrigued by the Leviathans' hatred of the Wokou pirates. He asked directly:
"Why do you hate the Wokou? And how do you use their corpses?"
Archie, resting, looked up at the feasting young Leviathans. Hatred flashed in his eyes as he spoke in a deep voice:
"They released the Source of Aberration, polluting most of the seas and committing unspeakable sins. We only seek revenge."
"As for their corpsesâthey attract Deep Abyss predators because of the sin within, which triggers those predators' hatred."
Source of Aberration?
Matthew had heard this cryptic phrase before, but hadn't paid much attention.
Now, it seemed the "Source of Aberration" wasn't just some metaphorâit might be something much more terrifying.
Of course, in any world, the Wokou pirates loved committing atrocities. Matthew wasn't surprised anymore.
If they were all wiped out, many problems would disappear.
Matthew raised an eyebrow and, recalling the Wokou from his own world, gave a faint smile:
"So that's it. Wokou pirates who sin too much always get hit by earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons. Must be divine retribution."
"Still, divine retribution isn't enough..."
Archie caught the tone and smiled back with satisfaction, speaking firmly:
"As long as it's about killing Wokou, we Leviathans are always ready."
"Take everything elseâwe just want their corpses sunk into the abyss forever."
Matthew readily agreed, pleased that they shared a goal of exterminating the Wokou.
He didn't ask about the Source of Aberration, worried it might awaken some terrifying memories.
As they chatted, Matthew and the Leviathan couple discussed the trade details.
Good relations still required clear distribution of profits.
If things weren't made clear upfront, trouble would come later!
While things were busy below, there was no rest above either.
The soldiers handling mutated sea beasts all wore bright smiles.
Some of the processed materials would feed the Leviathansâ
But 30% of the profits would be distributed based on combat contributions.
Over 300 extraordinary sea monster corpses were collected, including three Legendary-grade ones.
Their estimated material value alone exceeded 30 million gold coinsâeven after sharing with the Leviathans.
The logistics crew worked even harder than the soldiers.
Even in Leviathan territoryâ
Even after the fighting had endedâ
Elio still had soldiers rotate for rest to ensure combat readiness.
The Yao Moon Family murmured complaints, but only quietlyâthey didn't dare raise their voices.
They even grumbled at the soldiers who brought out hundreds of tons of food to trade with the curious Leviathansâand explained prices patiently.
Some Yao Moon Family members sneered.
To them, trade meant profit. If a deal was possible, maximize the gain.
Upon hearing their chatter, Shuyou locked them in the ship's hold and clearly told Elio:
"All profits of the Yao Moon Family shall be allocated by Bay Territory."
Shuyou knew these profits had nothing to do with their family.
If they even got a sip of soup, it meant Bay Territory was being generous.
Greedy overreach might ruin New World cooperation entirely.
No one wanted selfish scoundrels as partners.
Shuyou knew she'd face trouble back homeâbut didn't care.
Her time in Bay Territory had prepared her to become an Arcanist.
When that time came, she'd gain irreversible control over family resources.
If the others refused, she'd rather work with Bay Territory alone.
For personal growth and profit, Bay Territory was the better choice.
Shuyou quietly observedânot to copy their system or behaviorâ
But because she knew such things couldn't be copied.
She and Li followed Liana, listening to the young Arcanist's tasks.
"We must log and categorize all material sources and qualities."
"Meticulous processing can increase overall profits by over 15%."
"Understanding materials teaches us more and reveals hidden info."
Liana had grown fastâwithin months, she was already a Tier 3 Arcanist.
What truly made Li and Shuyou obedientâ
Was her knowledge of creatures and the arcane info she shared.
Just a few hours of sorting materials had taught them a lot.
Meanwhile, Liana recorded even more data.
"We must report combat outcomes and persistent problems to the intelligence center."
"Magic cannons work well at rangeâbut struggle underwater. We need upgrades..."
"Against underwater attacks, magic torpedoes alone aren't enough. More offense/defense options are needed..."
"Magic warships accelerate slowly, and max out at 35 km/h. Improve sails and kinetics..."
"Dragon-Hunter Ballistas are strongâbut need more range and better accuracy..."
"Warship personnel move too slowly in emergenciesâimprove deployment and evacuation systems..."
"Cargo handling is inefficientâespecially for loads over 10 tons. Improve cranes, mechanical arms, and rigging systems..."
"Ordinary soldiers lack effective anti-large-target optionsâwe need more trials and supplies..."
"Warships and transports need longer-range detectionâminimum effective range: 15 kilometers..."
At that point, Shuyou's curiosity got the better of her:
"Why 15 kilometers? Does that number have special meaning?"
Liana paused, not annoyed, and patiently explained:
"It's based on the Dead Sea and Caribbean characteristics."
"The former allows visibility up to 12 kilometers with telescopes."
"The latter has 15 km visibilityâso we took the greater value."
"Yesterday's Chaos Storm from the Legendary sea monster Hydraâand other legendary spellcastersâall reached that range."
"That's why we must enhance our detection range..."
Shuyou's gaze grew complex. She realized how far behind she was.
Visual range?
Legendary monsters and casters?
The former meant stored knowledgeâ
The latter showed breadth and depth of thought.
Liana was younger, yet the gap between them was already vast.
Talent mattered, but more so the environment for learning and growth...
In Bay Territory, almost any question got answered quickly.
If you studied diligently, nearly all knowledge was within reach.
For spellcasters, this was a true "holy land."
Li, who had no formal spellcaster training, also noticed Liana's methodical style.
Everything in her hands seemed to resolve smoothly.
Liana herself didn't think much of it.
These tasks were easier than her teacher's trickiest arcane model problems.
...âŠ
Bay Territory.
Inside the Intelligence Officeâ
Hundreds of staff worked tirelessly.
They sorted and compiled intelligence from across the territory.
Urgent matters received immediate action; assigned personnel were promptly notified.
Feedback and improvement suggestions were evaluated and passed to the appropriate research centers.
Every staff member knew the intel well and understood the issues involved.
Simply putâthey were all "experts."
This matched Bay Territory's core principle:
"Let professionals handle professional matters."
The territory never tolerated "laymen leading professionals."
Arnold took the critical intel handed over and began reviewing carefully.
"Ship modification feedbackâsend to the shipyard, naval research lab, and engineering division. Let them coordinate..."
"Warship weapons upgradesâhave weapons research and the shipyard collaborate..."
"Soldier weapons upgradesâassign to the military weapons lab and navy ministry..."
"Magical tool requestsânotify the Magic Duncan Lab and replica factory..."
"..."
With all matters assigned properly and no errors foundâ
Arnold headed to address two critical issues from yesterday.
First stop: the Food Research Center.
There, he found Rebecca and Little Auspice sampling palm-sized dried cod.
With one glance, Arnold recognized it as dried cod from Fishing Isle.
Cod from Bay Territory's nearby seas had tender texture and rich aromaâperfect for soups.
Fishing Isle's cod was meatier, with more bonesâslightly tougher but great for frying.
Locals preferred the former, but Leviathans liked chewy foodâFishing Isle's cod was a better match.
But Bay Territory never worked on guesswork.
Rebecca carefully sampled; Little Auspice diligently recorded.
In front of them, the round, pudgy Yagron joyfully munched the dried cod.
His big eyes sparkled with contentmentânothing like a savage ogre.
After savoring the palm-sized cod, Yagron described the taste in fluent Common.
Rebecca and Little Auspice discussed, then decided to stock several varieties.