Chapter 299: The Emergence of New Villages and Towns
If using illusion clones for experimentation already demonstrated Matthew's caution and meticulousness,
then the way he and Yaya further leveraged the clones showcased their "cunning" and "wisdom."
When Matthew initiated Yaya's "learning" process,
he transferred Yaya's consciousness into the illusion clone.
Yaya would still feel the pain experienced by her original body, but it would be significantly reduced.
Matthew tested it himself and concluded that the pain was reduced to about one-sixth of the original.
Of course, after multiple preparations by Matthew, Yaya adapted and successfully learned the new skill.
Although the price was high, when Matthew saw the new talent on Yaya's status panel, he felt genuine joy and satisfaction.
Yaya, having grown once again, fell into a deep sleep in the nest Matthew built for her.
She would wake up in just over a month.
By then, the Netheril Empire would face the beginning of everything!
The only regret Matthew had was that...
The requirements to learn the self-healing talent were simply too high!
Even for the strongest, like Beelzebub, the failure rate was significant.
Thus, this outstanding talent couldn't be spread across Bay Territory for the time being.
However, Matthew began to have more ideas.
Considering that the majority of soldiers and professionals had clear limits to their talents,
could he develop a talent that was less difficult to master, helping ordinary soldiers and professionals break through their limits?
This thought took root in Matthew's mind, rapidly growing.
Previously, Matthew had plans for development along these lines.
But those were primarily dependent on arcane magic techniques, specialized training, and widespread education.
As Matthew gradually realized,
even though the requirements and prerequisites for learning specialties were clear and well-defined,
for many soldiers and professionals without strong natural gifts, they would still hit a ceiling in their learning.
It became apparent that many soldiers would soon reach a bottleneck in their strength.
Bloodline fusion offered a potential solution!
If the soldiers' natural talents were insufficient, why not give them better talents?
But when Matthew dove deeper into the research, he found himself a bit overwhelmed.
While there were plenty of flesh-related spells, there was little cohesive knowledge on the subject.
"It seems I'll need to join a spell organization first."
"And relying on myself alone to push such a grand plan forward would be too difficult."
"I need to find new tools, new talents."
"Though the newly trained professionals are reliable, they still need more time to grow."
"It seems it's time to meet with the lord of the city."
"The Truth Organization people are really quite a headache!"
With this decision, Matthew didn't lock himself in the lab, opting instead to head to Bloodmoon City.
But before that, he had to prepare the territory against the upcoming "orc invasion."
In the study,
Matthew spoke while Ralph the steward jotted down notes.
"We need to build outposts not only within our territory but also in the surrounding areas."
"We can enlist adventurers to help with this, letting them scout locations so we can start construction directly."
In the past, Ralph may have been hesitant about involving adventurers in such key tasks.
But as their contributions grew, and more intelligent and capable adventurers emerged, he gradually became more open to giving them responsibilities.
The results had been positive.
However, both Ralph and Matthew agreed that adventurers must still be closely monitored and regulated.
Matthew knew the nature of adventurers and players all too well; without oversight,
they would do anything for profit, even the most reckless and lawless acts.
The only real difference with players was that they feared death even less, and were more reckless.
If only he could get fearless players to work for him, Bay Territory's development could progress even further.
Putting that thought aside for the moment, Matthew continued:
"This year's imperial harvest was excellent, and food prices have dropped, so we need to increase our food stockpiling."
With the return of the psionic tides, the likelihood of extreme weather will increase, and crop yields across the Western Continent will likely decrease.
Having more food stored will help maintain stability among the people!
While preparing for future crises, Matthew didn't neglect the present.
Reflecting on the scale of the upcoming orc invasion,
he estimated that the orcs might not make it past Bloodmoon City and the Misty Swamp, but the trolls in the Dark Forest were another matter.
They would undoubtedly join forces with the orcs!
As Bay Territory continued to expand rapidly, security couldn't be neglected either.
Considering the growing population, Matthew made further arrangements:
"As we expand the reclaimed land, it's becoming less convenient to travel."
"We should establish new settlements and outposts at key points."
Ralph, who had been struggling to manage the rapidly growing population, had a sudden realization:
"But who will manage these new villages and towns?"
With a slight smile, Matthew revealed his long-planned strategy:
"It's simple. We'll send out a secret notice to all professionals, soldiers, and citizens with more than 500 contribution points."
"The notice will be straightforward: the territory is recruiting village and town administrators—village chiefs, garrison officers, frontier team leaders, and nine other official positions."
"All candidates must undergo assessments, focusing on patrol security, land reclamation, and personnel management."
Ralph's eyes widened as he immediately grasped the significance.
The policy Matthew was implementing was a radical departure from anything seen in the Netheril Empire, or even the entire continent!
Yet another groundbreaking initiative!
While these positions were just for villages and towns, it was these small settlements that formed the building blocks of larger territories and, ultimately, vast kingdoms.
But Ralph quickly realized a potential flaw in this plan. Instead of keeping his doubts to himself, he asked directly:
"If personnel manage the people, then what about the distribution of resources, funds, and tasks?"
After all, this concerned the future development of the entire territory, and Ralph needed a thorough understanding.
How to monitor these officials and ensure the smooth operation of the villages was a challenge faced by every kingdom and organization in the material plane.
On a grand scale, it impacted the stability and prosperity of a territory.
On a smaller scale, it concerned maintaining control.
With a confident smile, Matthew replied as if it were obvious:
"As we know, every person has their own agenda, but golems? They don't."
Ralph's eyes widened further in disbelief, his voice incredulous:
"You mean to have golems manage everything?"
"Not manage—those golems would be outwitted in no time."
"I mean distribution."