Chapter 630: Unrivaled!
After finishing his words, Matthew's smiling figure slowly faded away in front of everyone.
Before their anger could surface, only a collection of stunned, colorful faces remained.
The Grand Knight Commander Macarn, who had remained silent, crossed his arms and slowly narrowed his eyes, a playful expression appearing on his face.
"A duplicate?"
Councilor Arad couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. He had never imagined that the Matthew who had been speaking with them all this time was merely a magical duplicate.
Judging from the expressions of everyone present, they too had failed to notice this fact.
Matthew's attainments and talent in magic had once again refreshed Councilor Arad's understanding.
Princess Dawn's pupils shrank slightly as she looked at the spot where Matthew had just disappeared, recalling the intelligence provided by the Cole Elves, a wave of dissatisfaction rose in her heart.
"Can't even meet him face to face, so how am I supposed to gather intelligence on him?"
"The Cole Elves must have already discovered the secret of Matthew's duplicates, yet they have no intention of revealing it at all. Are they waiting to see what I think?"
Recalling the look Matthew had just given her, there was none of the amazement, desire, or affection so typical of other humans—in fact, not even the faintest hint of appreciation.
Princess Dawn even saw something that made her feel a bit particularly uncomfortable—"pity."
"Is he pitying me?"
"On what grounds?"
As the favored daughter of the heavens in the Riel Elven Kingdom, Princess Dawn felt belittled.
But before she could regain her composure, the voice of Butler Ralph suddenly sounded in her ear:
"Would you all like to collaborate with our Bay Territory to jointly develop the Dragon Warrior transformation technology?"
"If you have any ideas, feel free to come talk to me after this meeting ends."
"Our Bay Territory welcomes you to join, but the price won't be cheap."
As for Butler Ralph's constant talk of terms and conditions—
Others found it strange, but only Sun Sheng found it perfectly normal.
After all, he had seen with his own eyes that both Matthew and Yaya dared to negotiate terms even with the revered Lady of Magic—so why would they care about what others thought?
Moreover, the longer Sun Sheng stayed in Bay Territory, the more he understood how different it was from other territories.
Everyone in Bay Territory was striving for the development of the territory.
Other territories?
Either struggling to survive, ruthlessly exploiting others, indulging in pleasure, or desperately floundering.
In just two short months, Sun Sheng had witnessed tremendous changes in Bay Territory.
More confident than ever!
Compared to the safety throughout Bay Territory, the southern lands of Falsico and the Netheril Empire, which Sun Sheng had visited over the past two months, were plunged into chaos and disaster.
Now Sun Sheng understood: the only real shackle restraining Bay Territory's growth was its relatively small population.
That was why Bay Territory was constantly absorbing new people.
Bay Territory openly used this as a bargaining chip, making it part of every transaction, even willing to take a loss for it.
With such determination, how could Sun Sheng not be moved?
While others hesitated, Sun Sheng decisively stood up and, under their gaze, walked up to Butler Ralph and said:
"By the Goddess's decree, I will discuss the cooperation on Dragon Warrior transformation with Bay Territory."
Butler Ralph immediately thought of the Lord's judgment about the Goddess's church:
"The Goddess will not only not stop it, but will actually be happy to see it happen."
"Because, if the Dragon Warrior transformation becomes widespread, isn't that the broader application of magic?"
"The Goddess might even use this as an opportunity to expand her followers into other Professional paths."
Only now did Butler Ralph realize he had always treated the Lady of Magic and the Goddess's church as one and the same.
Now, he finally understood—their needs were not the same.
The Goddess's vision was higher. She cared little for changes in the material world's powers, and was more concerned with the favored chosen who pleased her.
The church, however, was different!
They craved more voice, more benefit, more power!
That was exactly why Matthew had determined that the church would definitely be tempted.
Pleasing the Lady of Magic and increasing their own strength—why wouldn't they go for such a deal?
Butler Ralph glanced at the others, noticing their various reactions, and beckoned his old friend Sun Sheng:
"Come, let's go discuss the terms, and I'll show you the results of the first transformation surgery."
Everyone's ears perked up at this, and as they watched Butler Ralph and Sun Sheng walk away chatting and laughing, they couldn't help but exchange glances.
"Could Sun Sheng be a plant?"
"That can't be, the church is not that easy to deal with…"
"Bay Territory and the Lady of Magic's church are on very good terms!"
"Good relations and interests are often at odds!"
"What terms will Bay Territory propose?"
"Should we gather intelligence first, or try it ourselves?"
"Better report back first…"
"..."
Councilor Arad saw a few of them discussing among themselves and immediately realized something.
It seemed like these guys had already formed an alliance!
They might have already shared information and could collectively bear any conditions Bay Territory imposed.
Councilor Arad hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn't join in. Instead, he immediately walked out of the hall.
Mixing with these guys who had already teamed up would likely mean getting the short end of the stick.
Better to find an old acquaintance and pull him into the game.
Sun Sheng followed Butler Ralph through several turns, only to find himself in a mysterious space, with his sense of the surroundings oddly dulled.
Not sensing any danger, Sun Sheng's expression didn't change; rather, he marveled at Bay Territory's ever-growing power.
"Bay Territory has more and more things hidden away…"
Clack! Clack! Clack!
A heavy metal door slowly opened, revealing a wide and well-lit corridor.
From the far end of the corridor came faint, intermittent sounds.
There was a track on the floor, smoother and brighter than the tracks outside.
A sturdy metal train rested on the track, its surface covered in dense magical runes.
A red light swept across, and Sun Sheng felt as if his entire body had been seen through.
Butler Ralph walked up first and placed his hand on the metal train's door. A clear, pleasant prompt sounded from within the corridor:
"Welcome, No. 03, aboard the train."
Butler Ralph beckoned Sun Sheng over. Snapping out of his shock, Sun Sheng carefully examined the all-metal train, curiosity getting the better of him:
"How was this made?"
Butler Ralph just smiled mysteriously, didn't answer, and gestured forward. The train started moving on its own.
Before Sun Sheng could get a good look, the train had already stopped.
The train doors opened, revealing a wide, bright field.
The sounds of training rose and fell without pause.
Sun Sheng looked over curiously and immediately spotted a group of soldiers with disabilities, constantly training on the field.
They were all drenched in sweat, yet none of them showed the depression typical of the disabled—instead, all were extremely excited.
After watching for a moment, Sun Sheng noticed their training intensity was so high it exceeded their physical limits.
He even saw several soldiers collapse from exhaustion but still stubbornly continued to train.
Some figures in white lab coats soon caught Sun Sheng's attention.
They approached those exhausted soldiers and used magical devices Sun Sheng couldn't understand to check the soldiers' conditions.
"Let him rest 20 minutes and take half a vial of high-energy nutrient."
"Let him rest 30 minutes, take a full vial of high-energy nutrient, and 5ml of Life Essence."
"His training intensity isn't enough—increase it by 15%."
"He's using the wrong training method; practice half an hour with the standard method first."
"He's finished his training and all his data meets the standard. Move him to the surgery queue."
"..."
All these instructions ringing in his ears gave Sun Sheng a sense of eye-opening wonder.
He had never imagined there could be so many intricacies in soldier training.
He wasn't interested in spying—he understood there was no point in it.
The Lady of Magic's church and Bay Territory had worked together for a long time and gained many benefits, but never any "extra" gains.
By now, Sun Sheng was convinced that no one could "take advantage" of Bay Territory.
Following Butler Ralph across the training field, he saw faces full of hope and excitement.
It seemed everyone had reached the same understanding—undergoing the surgery meant being reborn.
At this, Sun Sheng couldn't help but wonder.
What was the actual success rate for Dragon Warrior transformation? Was there any risk to their lives?
"These are the people who have undergone the first transformation surgery—the success rate is about 80%, provided the Lord and Lady Yaya are involved."
"Even after the first surgery, they still need to train harder for subsequent transformations."
"They have special training tasks, and to obtain certain abilities, must pay an even higher price."
"With Bay Territory's method, the price is usually paid in gold and magical resources—other powers might not be so generous…"
Sun Sheng, who had been listening intently, suddenly realized what Butler Ralph's words implied, his heart giving a little jolt.
The way Bay Territory valued its people and soldiers was almost unprecedented in the northern continent's history.
Their attitude toward transformed warriors was so good, even Sun Sheng felt envious and jealous.
Not even the Lady of Magic's church had treated its experimental subjects so well.
Because of this, Sun Sheng deeply understood the meaning behind Butler Ralph's words…
Thinking of the Lady of Magic church's casters, Sun Sheng nodded decisively:
"I'll prioritize candidates from Bay Territory's diocese to ensure confidentiality."
"As for the technical transaction, I'll report to the Bishop for now."
"I trust in Bay Territory's sincerity…"
Seeing Sun Sheng's conflicted expression, Butler Ralph couldn't help but laugh and patted him on the shoulder:
"Actually, that problem is easy to solve."
"The church doesn't even need to take any risks—as long as you handle things."
"The key is the transformation conditions set by the Lord!"
Hearing this, Sun Sheng recalled Matthew's words and was struck by a vital point.
Bay Territory's Dragon Warrior transformations were mainly for the old, weak, and disabled, so there was little pressure.
Success was naturally a joy; failure didn't matter much either.
He could select those "forgotten" members from the church of the Lady of Magic.
Remembering the fully-limbed Dragon Warriors in Bay Territory, Sun Sheng suddenly felt a surge of excitement, and asked Butler Ralph without thinking:
"Do you mean future transformations will achieve limb regrowth?"
Butler Ralph didn't answer, just gave him a knowing look, then continued discussing:
"If it's this kind of cooperation, you can send about 20 candidates for transformation to Bay Territory."
"The fee for each candidate is about 1.5 million gold coins!"
30 million gold coins!
1.5 million for each?
"Even if I sold myself, I couldn't make that much!"
Sun Sheng couldn't help but suspect Matthew had set such a high price just to make a big profit.
And he was exactly right!
Sun Sheng felt his back teeth ache but then thought again.
"Well, at least I don't have to pay it myself. Rather than let those fools spend it all on indulgence, it's better if the Bishop spends it here…"
Having made up his mind, Sun Sheng agreed to the cooperation with Butler Ralph.
In the end, he took one last deep look at the training field and simply left.
He needed to contact the Bishop as soon as possible and close the deal quickly.
Because Butler Ralph had already made it very clear.
To commission Bay Territory for transformations, you needed to get in line.
He didn't think there would be much time or ability for Matthew and Yaya to personally perform many surgeries.
Soon after Sun Sheng left, Butler Ralph encountered the smiling Carlos.
Councilor Arnold, with a stiff face, followed right behind him.
Butler Ralph showed no sign of displeasure—he just asked if they were here to discuss cooperation. Once they confirmed, he led them to the underground laboratory.
Half an hour later.
Carlos, looking a bit dazed, dragged a reluctant Councilor Arad back to the Lord's mansion.
He patted his forehead, forced himself to forget what he'd just seen, and glanced meaningfully at Councilor Arad, smiling as he said:
"Though Butler Ralph didn't say it, I'm sure he secretly deducted my contribution points and lowered my merit grade…"
Councilor Arad, now fully alert, noticed Carlos's wry smile, took a deep breath, and said directly:
"Don't worry, the 15 million gold coins I promised you will arrive soon."
Carlos glanced at him, nodded with a smile, then turned and walked away under his strange gaze.