Chapter 153: Recycling Murlocs
After eliminating the elite Murlocs led by the Murloc Tidecaller,
the remaining Murlocs, half-destroyed by the "Delicious Potion," scattered like frightened birds, fleeing for their lives.
Old John surveyed the battlefield, holding a pile of broken junk in his hands, muttering helplessly:
"Even Kobolds aren't as poor as Murlocs!"
Apart from the decent amount of experience points, the slain Murloc warriors and diviners offered almost no useful loot.
Even the Murloc Tidecaller's ebony staff was merely a good-quality raw material.
It could only be sold for 2000 gold coins, not even enough to cover the cost of the "Concealment" scroll.
Although it wasn't profitable, Matthew didn't consider it a loss. He returned to the city and issued new orders:
"One silver coin for each recovered Murloc corpse."
"Some Murlocs aren't dead; have the Kobolds dig some large pits and corral them."
This was just a temporary solution; Matthew planned to have the Kobolds dig and build large underground "breeding" farms.
Since Murlocs reproduced so easily, it would be wasteful not to take advantage of that.
Additionally, Murlocs had a broad diet.
They could eat algae, water plants, small fish and shrimp, or even food scraps, and thrive quite well.
They were excellent scavengers!
Plus, the cultivation of magic taro required large amounts of flesh and blood.
Now there was a clear supply!
Even Murloc waste, after proper processing, might serve as excellent fertilizer, Matthew speculated.
Hmm, a multi-purpose resource—perhaps more functions will reveal themselves in the future...
Ralph's eyes lit up, and he immediately began organizing the arrangements.
Although he didn't know Matthew's exact intentions, Ralph would support and execute them to the fullest.
After briefly explaining the Murloc "breeding" plan and notifying the Kobolds to begin work, Matthew prepared to return to the manor.
He needed to prepare quickly—Bay Territory needed to seize the next opportunity for growth.
Watching Matthew's departing figure, Aelios felt a sense of relief wash over her.
Before she could process her emotions, Old John waved her over:
"Come on, it's time to distribute the spoils of war at the barracks."
Blinking in surprise, Aelios could clearly sense that no one cared about her "appearance"—only her strength mattered.
Whew!
Yaya glided down gently and followed Matthew into the study, yawning as her illusionary form faded away.
Without Rebecca around, Yaya had been sleeping much more frequently.
Fortunately, Yaya could meditate while she slept, so it didn't hinder her growth.
Matthew set aside his cloak and weapons, dismissed his illusionary clone, and emerged from the hidden chamber.
As usual, he activated detection magic to ensure there was no surveillance before recording the information about the "Naga" and the "Deep Sea."
The early Naga activity gave Matthew significant insights.
Many known events may have had signs earlier than anticipated.
Matthew revisited various pieces of information, organizing and categorizing them more meticulously.
After finishing this task, Matthew focused his attention on the imminent opportunity in the Misty Swamp.
In the next couple of days, an underground ruin buried in the mud of the Misty Swamp would be unearthed.
It was the site of a medium-sized city, remarkably well-preserved.
Its destruction was akin to what befell Sweetwater Town centuries ago.
Thousands of years ago, the city had fallen during a major crisis.
Due to its sturdy construction and burial deep underground, hundreds of meters beneath solid rock, much of the "treasure" within had remained intact.
This site would attract many adventurers from Bloodmoon City who were keen on relic hunting.
If that was all, it would merely be another ruin among the many scattered across the Bloodmoon City region—not particularly noteworthy to Matthew.
What made this ruin famous and drew thousands of adventurers and players was a unique creature within: the Sky-Splitting Lizard!
These massive lizards, with mid to high-tier strength, were incredibly dangerous and lived in large groups—numbering in the tens of thousands.
They had completely taken over the city, surviving by feeding on the underground river's resources in the Misty Swamp.
What made them truly sought after was their ability to produce rare spatial crystals inside their bodies!
These crystals were essential for crafting spatial tools, casting spatial spells, and performing spatial modifications!
Matthew's carriage and loot storage belt both relied on these rare, expensive materials.
A single thumb-sized spatial crystal could easily fetch over a thousand gold coins.
It took hunting down ten Sky-Splitting Lizards to extract one spatial crystal from their bodies—a treasure worth millions of gold coins.
For most mid- to high-tier adventurers, this opportunity was extremely enticing.
In Matthew's memory, the ruin—dubbed Sky-Splitter City—had remained popular for nearly three or four years.
Eventually, adventurers had nearly wiped out the lizards, with the remaining ones fleeing through the underground river, disappearing without a trace.
Initially, Matthew had considered quietly discovering and gradually exploiting the ruin, reaping all the benefits for himself.
But such an approach was too time-consuming, and Matthew wasn't willing to waste valuable manpower in this dangerous underground site.
Thus, Matthew devised another plan.
Two hours later, Ralph entered the study after finishing his tasks, still carrying the faint scent of fish.
Matthew didn't mind, handing over some documents. After Ralph read them, his expression shifted to shock as Matthew smiled and said:
"Tomorrow, send a team to support the Murloc Camp. We need a large number of Murloc corpses for fertilizer."
"If anyone wants to take on the job, offer them 2 silver coins per Murloc—let's start a large-scale collection."
Though Ralph didn't fully grasp Matthew's intentions for collecting Murlocs in bulk, he nodded without hesitation and cautiously asked:
"Technically, that isn't our territory. Could other nobles come and..."
With a faint smile, Matthew calmly responded:
"If someone wants to spend a fortune building a proper city in the dangerous, unproductive Misty Swamp..."
"Using such costly land development to claim ownership of a piece of territory, why should we object?"
"Wouldn't that just guarantee a steady customer base for our food and resources?"
Competitors?
Not a chance!
Ralph was taken aback—he had never considered such a plan from the Lord.
But it had every possibility of becoming reality!
Surely, no one would be foolish enough to do that, right?