Chapter 228: Elemental Furnace
There was so much information in Matthew's words that even 343 didn't immediately react.
She tilted her head cutely, repeatedly eyeing Matthew with a smile, as if trying to determine whether he was lying.
"Hehe, Daddy, you're fibbing! Isn't the leftover money staying in Bay Territory? That's still profit!"
Clever Yaya exposed Matthew's "lie," which only made 343 more curious.
Matthew didn't argue the point. Now that he had gathered all the information about the automated production line, he pulled out a dark, shiny space crystal.
The red light in 343's eyes brightened with undisguised joy:
"Is this the space crystal from the Sky-Splitting Lizards?"
"Lord Matthew, may I take a look?"
Matthew handed the space crystal over without hesitation, clearly showing his intention:
"We can continuously supply high-quality space crystals for the Mage Tower."
The red light scanned over the dark space crystal.
Only moments later,
343 looked up at Matthew, gripping the space crystal tightly:
"So, what's the price?"
Rubbing his hands together, Matthew revealed the "price" he had long planned:
"My territory discovered an iron ore vein of decent quality, but we lack the technology and equipment for smelting."
343 looked at him calmly, thinking quickly before tentatively asking:
"You mean you need the lord to forge an Elemental Furnace?"
An Elemental Furnace!
This was Ioarem's most famous invention before becoming a Grand Arcanist!
By harnessing elemental forces to raise fire temperatures, it enabled mass production of steel and other metal materials.
Even a small Elemental Furnace could produce nearly 10 tons of metal per day.
Once the Elemental Furnace was created, Netheril's smelting technology advanced dramatically.
The continuous production of metal weapons and armor equipped Netheril's ground forces.
With superior equipment, they withstood the combined attacks of the orcs and barbarians.
Then, the fearsome war machines—the Iron Golems—made their debut.
The orcs and barbarians were numerous and powerful in close combat, often gaining the upper hand.
But with the large-scale production of metals from Elemental Furnaces, Ioarem and other spellcasters were able to mass-produce Iron Golems!
At the most critical moment of the battle, hundreds of Iron Golems were teleported into the orc and barbarian ranks.
These indomitable war machines, impervious to weapons and with immense strength, spewed deadly acidic poison and smashed through enemy lines with steel fists, breaking the orcs' and barbarians' will to fight.
Ultimately, Netheril won the Battle of Loken!
This victory led to the founding of the Netheril Empire!
To this day, the first Elemental Furnace ever created still stands in the Loken Mine, one of the four largest mining areas in the Material Plane.
Nodding, Matthew pointed to a nearby Iron Golem:
"With an Elemental Furnace, my territory could mass-produce high-quality steel."
Glancing at the space crystal in her hand, 343 nodded almost instantly:
"No problem, a small Elemental Furnace will cost 180,000 gold coins and 20 space crystals. Does that price work for you?"
Understanding the importance of this deal, Matthew had no objections. Memories of the upcoming orc wave in a few months flashed through his mind, but he kept silent.
Recklessly altering fate would eventually lead to being consumed by it.
The deeper Matthew's understanding of fate grew, the more cautious he became.
"Another business deal closed!"
"This will cover the lord's expenses for the next three months."
"And I can gradually return to my peak!"
The red light in 343's eyes shone even brighter, and her smile widened:
"The Elemental Furnace will take one month to complete."
"You can begin setting up the other smelting structures and place a space marker at a flat, solid location."
"When the time comes, I can teleport the Elemental Furnace directly to your territory…"
Noticing the excitement in 343's voice, Matthew couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of life:
"Thank you for your help. Here's to a successful partnership!"
With the deal sealed, Matthew left without delay.
It wasn't that he didn't want to gather more data on 343; he just didn't want to cross paths with the lord of the Mage Tower right now.
No one wanted to deal with the Mage Tower lord in their current state!
Returning to the Murloc Castle with an excited Yaya, Matthew carefully sent the space marker back to Bay Town.
Outside the room, cheers of excitement could be heard.
Matthew walked to the window and saw two adventurers exchanging a space crystal for 1,000 gold coins.
Their smiles were as bright as the gold itself, and laughing, they descended the wall with their excited companions, heading toward the newly opened tavern.
Judging by their expressions, they were likely going to celebrate.
Many adventurers, admiring their good fortune, had glinting eyes, ready to act.
They began seeking out adventurers who had bought "Ruins Adventure Kits,"
prepared to pay higher prices to buy the tools from them.
Meanwhile, other groups of adventurers gathered, seemingly planning to form larger teams.
In just a few hours,
three more adventurer teams had dug up space crystals worth thousands of gold coins.
Driven by the lure of gold, the remaining adventurers couldn't hold back any longer and rushed into the underground ruins.
Soon, more and more Sky-Splitting Lizard corpses were brought up.
Of course, some impatient adventurers ended up as meals for the lizards.
People die for wealth, as birds die for food!
It wasn't until the Scarlet Moon rose
that the adventurers, who had been busy in the ruins all day, finally calmed down.
The expanded tavern was packed to the brim, with almost every adventurer eagerly discussing their gains from the ruins.
Nearly every adventurer had made a decent haul.
As for those who returned with full pockets, everyone gathered around, drinking and cheerfully listening to their boasts.
It was clear that as today's events from the Swamp Ruins spread to Blood Moon City,
more and more adventurers, filled with dreams of fortune, would teleport to the Murloc Castle and dive headfirst into the underground ruins.
As for Matthew, he had already transferred his consciousness back to Bay Town, preparing to build the underground smelting factory.
In a month, the Elemental Furnace would be operational, and the territory needed to be ready.
Most importantly, Matthew needed to figure out how to maximize the Elemental Furnace's potential to boost Bay Territory's development.
In the future, what product would be the most profitable?
Matthew had only one answer: weapons!
Thinking back to Copper-Beard who had won his reward today, Matthew couldn't help but feel intrigued by the rare dwarf.
He had discovered Copper-Beard's expertise in forging!