Chapter 395: The "Collaboration Fee" of the Bay Territory
Mira curiously observed the adventurers gathering around.
She easily noticed that their gazes towards her were somewhat unusual.
More accurately, it was the looks directed at the carriage she was in that carried curiosity and significance.
Sensing Mira's movement, Sun Sheng, sitting at the door, patiently explained to her:
"The Bay Territory recently issued a bounty mission."
"They have called adventurers from Bloodmoon City and even the entire Eastern Province to help hunt trolls in their territory, 10 gold coins per head."
At first, Mira was indifferent, but as soon as she heard it was 10 gold coins per head, her ears immediately perked up, and her eyes sparkled.
"Really? 10 gold coins per head?"
"If we can kill just one, we will cover our expenses for the month!"
Sun Sheng, used to Mira's straightforward views, nodded with some amusement and said:
"Indeed, we have separated from Bloodmoon City, so we must consider our expenses independently now."
"First, find a suitable place to build the church in Bay City; I'll check out the battlefield afterward."
Mira, who had long prepared her little notebook, cheerfully jotted down the bounty mission.
She suddenly paused, glanced at the increasing number of adventurers outside, and boldly hypothesized:
"Might they compete with us for trolls? Should we take the initiative first?"
Sun Sheng didn't attempt to correct Mira's phrasing but smiled as he explained:
"The troll army numbers in the tens of thousands, and it will still be a few days before they reach the battlefield. We have time; they can't take that from us."
Mira nodded happily, amber eyes gleaming with a hint of inspiration, her mind scheming something.
The teleportation ended quickly.
Matthew opened the carriage door, nodded at the composed Sun Sheng, and looked at Ralph the steward, who was striding forward, saying in a clear voice:
"This is Paladin Sun Sheng, and inside is Deacon Mira."
Mira curiously peeked out, not because she'd never used a teleportation array, but she'd never experienced being teleported along with a thousand others.
Hearing Matthew's words, she quickly turned her head, maintaining a calm demeanor and a smile.
This was something she had learned from her paladin sister before leaving.
Judging by the looks of things, it worked well.
"This is Steward Ralph; you can directly contact him if you need anything in the future."
"I'll head to the Lord's Manor to prepare a banquet. After Steward Ralph arranges your accommodation, he will bring you to enjoy our Bay Territory's cuisine."
Under Sun Sheng's scrutiny and Mira's curiosity, Matthew got into the carriage and headed for the Lord's Manor.
Steward Ralph gave them a mage's salute, which was the standard greeting for the Goddess Church of Magic.
The half-elf steward gestured for them to follow, smoothly saying:
"Welcome to the Bay Territory. I hope you will create wonderful memories here."
"Please follow me, the church under construction is not far away."
Under the escort of the guards, Steward Ralph led the Goddess Church of Magic's team away from the teleportation zone, where adventurers were being dispersed.
Leaving the spacious passage, tens of meters wide, the church's group stepped onto the streets of Bay City.
Aside from a few scattered adventurers, the street was empty.
Steward Ralph specifically introduced Sun Sheng and Mira to the establishment and recent development of Bay City.
Upon learning that Bay Territory had transformed from a small village into a clean, orderly city in just nine months, Sun Sheng and Mira couldn't help but express their amazement.
For an ordinary territory, this kind of development might require ten to twenty years, or even several generations of hard work.
Soon, the unique Bay City caught the church members' attention.
After all, they would be living here for a long time.
Fresh air without any unpleasant odor.
Wide and clean streets.
Lush greenery.
Fragrant flowerbeds.
Uniform buildings.
Eye-catching rows of guards.
Unseen modified golems.
Magnificent city walls under construction.
All drew their attention.
"These are the church blueprints designed by the architectural experts from Bloodmoon City (343)."
"This is the general rendering of the finished structure."
"Please take a look. If you have any suggestions for improvement, we can discuss and modify it further..."
Sun Sheng noticed that Steward Ralph wasn't being perfunctory, and took the blueprints with some surprise.
After just a glance, he raised his eyebrows in astonishment, unable to stop himself from asking:
"As far as I know, Bay City is just a small city; there's no need to build a large church."
A large church!
Mira, who had been watching adventurers asking golems for directions, immediately perked her ears, turned her head, and saw Steward Ralph's confident smile.
"In fact, our Bay Territory plans to become a large city capable of housing a million people by the end of the year, so we want to do it in one go."
"Everyone, please look, we have arrived."
They arrived at the entrance of a high-walled enclosure, with the words "Goddess Church of Magic" posted on the wall.
Mira, somewhat stunned, blankly stared at the nearly ten thousand square meters of construction site before her and blurted out:
"Why is it so big?"
Lord's Manor.
While ordering food for Yaya, Matthew carefully explained to Liana:
"The Goddess Church of Magic can provide us with comprehensive spell education across all systems."
"However, you need to remind all the spellcaster trainees that learning knowledge is enough."
"As for the doctrines advocated by the church, let them think more about the ideas taught in the academy."
"If they're unguarded and careless, they could be brainwashed."
"They just need to approach it with a learning mindset, and there won't be much trouble."
Liana nodded hesitantly, still feeling somewhat pressured.
After all, not everyone had the courage to face the pressure from the church.
Yaya, overhearing this, laughed cheerfully:
"Just like what they teach in the academy, Bay Territory relies on no one but itself."
"And the most important point is, the best churches are always broke..."
Matthew smiled wryly, yet had to admit that Yaya was right.
It was precisely for this reason that gave Bay Territory the opportunity to "exploit the loophole."
He had already prepared a large amount of gold coins to "motivate" the members of the Goddess Church of Magic.
The church members, who were currently observing the construction progress, were witnessing Bay Territory's wealth firsthand for the first time.
"This is the central cathedral. Once the framework is completed, more detailed interior decorations will follow..."
As Steward Ralph introduced each area, it was evident that money was no issue.
While Sun Sheng and Mira were moved, they couldn't shake the feeling that Bay Territory had another motive!
Something about them was just not right!