Chapter 563.5: Rose's Revenge
Alarmed, the high-level Elven spellcasters launched a counterattack.
Spinning explosive fireballs streaked toward the Driders, hitting them one after another.
Yet their hairy gray-black hides exhibited incredible magical resistance.
The hits left only light scorch marks and minor wounds—barely effective.
This strange mutation made Matthew instinctively raise an eyebrow.
These Driders clearly had extraordinary spell resistance!
Unfortunately, with the distance, the avatar's gaze, and the urgency, Matthew couldn't openly "study" them.
Still, he had already seen through Rose's intent.
She planned to devour the souls of these elite Elven spellcasters in a massive, nourishing feast.
Because in terms of spell mastery, arcane knowledge, Weave manipulation, and spellcraft—
A mage's soul is far more "delicious" than any other Professional's.
If Rose succeeded, this would benefit her more than devouring millions of common souls.
It could even fully awaken her.
Matthew even suspected the surrounding Cole army was part of Rose's meal plan.
In terms of ruthlessness and scheming, Rose ranked among the most cunning of all evil gods.
The battle of wits between the Drow and Cole Elves had once heavily favored the latter.
But just when the Cole Elves believed they'd won, they realized nearly 200,000 Drow troops were actually Rose's bait.
Her obsession with consuming Cole Elven souls bordered on madness.
Once the Elven Queen, Rose had been cast into the Abyss by the Elven God-King Corellon. Now, having clawed her way back, she was eager for vengeance.
The mutated Driders rampaged like wolves among sheep.
Even combined efforts from extraordinary Elven warriors couldn't stop these brutal killers.
Matthew sensed that these twisted Driders were akin to golems under Rose's control.
Every slain soul was devoured, falling into Rose's grasp.
Without soul replenishment, the Driders drew upon battle itself to push their limits.
Once they fulfilled their purpose, they would perish.
More Driders followed, chasing the remaining Cole Elves.
Just as it seemed all would be wiped out, a beam of pale golden light erupted from within the Cole forces.
Like a golden sword, it swept across the mutated Driders in a radiant tide.
The monstrous entities were struck by the light and suffered catastrophic damage.
Their bodies rapidly deteriorated and collapsed into ash.
Affected Drow were also struck, coughing blood and falling.
Yet unlike the Driders, they did not die—they regained their senses, fear and confusion in their eyes.
Watching the sweeping golden light, Matthew curled his lips into a thoughtful smile:
"Divine Shockwave… the one who acted must be a truly powerful deity."
The divine avatar, noticing this, let out a piercing shriek and surged forward with condensed black mist.
But the expected cataclysmic explosion never came.
Only the golden shockwave and the black mist clashed, gradually canceling each other out.
The mist diminished rapidly.
The divine shockwave also weakened.
Matthew keenly noticed twisted crimson light rising from the distant sky, providing "support."
Informed by the scouts, Jifan immediately reported to Matthew.
He opened a communication scroll: "More than 20 surrounding villages and towns are conducting blood sacrifices."
Rose was truly ruthless!
"ROAR…!"
The divine incarnation unleashed another piercing shriek.
The nearby Drow clutched their ears in agony, blood streaming from their eardrums.
The black mist completely swallowed the weakened shockwave.
After achieving this, the divine avatar's form grew faint—but it roared in pleasure.
It bolted toward the remaining Cole Elves like lightning.
It was hungrier than ever!
The terrified Cole spellcasters frantically cast spells to stop it.
Some even considered using their trump cards to teleport and flee.
But before they could finish casting, the thin black mist around them solidified, easily binding them in place.
At some point, a deadly net had been woven around the Cole Elves.
They watched helplessly as the net tightened, their bodies paralyzed, their breaths growing faint, and an unspeakable fear took hold of their hearts.
In the end, over a hundred elite Elven spellcasters died.
Their deaths were eerily natural.
Not even a token struggle or resistance.
They didn't die in vain—they died trapped in the web Rose had spun herself.
But they died frustrated—had they fled earlier, they might've survived.
Rose greedily devoured the Elven spellcasters' souls. Her illusory avatar grew increasingly tangible.
She was beautiful and seductive.
A perfect Elven form fused with a twisted spider's body.
Though expressionless, her gaze gave the illusion of a smile and frown that could stir hearts.
She stood before several Cole Elven clerics. Seeing the radiant glow of their holy symbols, she felt a faint sting and spoke venomously in a calm tone:
"This is only the beginning. More and more Elves will become my followers. The traces you left behind will be erased."
Had Matthew heard this, he would not have been frightened—just scoffed at Rose's bluffing.
But to some others, her words sparked immense fury.
Before the golden light could materialize, Rose reached out and snuffed out the clerics' lives.
Her greedy eyes swept over the terrified Cole Elven army, laughing freely at the rising beams of holy light among them.
Then she pointed at the tens of thousands of Driders and shouted at the kneeling, praying Drow:
"Plunder. Slaughter. Enslave!"
With that, she vanished—as if she had never been there.
Nearly half the Driders went berserk, turning into twisted monsters charging the Cole Elven army.
The rest followed Shetlai through the breach torn open by the rampaging Driders, fleeing madly.
The surviving Drow followed as well, rushing out in droves.
The remaining tens of thousands of slave warriors were left behind as cannon fodder to delay the Cole Elven wrath.
In the center of the Cole army, golden flashes flickered—Matthew's last sight as he turned away.
"Tsk tsk… this is an Elven family matter. We best leave now."
Upon hearing this, Jifan didn't hesitate to turn away. Unnoticed by him, the Lord's figure had already vanished.
What had remained there was merely a mirage of a mirage.
After watching this anticlimactic "divine war"
Matthew issued an order to proceed cautiously and rebuild the city discreetly.
Castles and forts at both ends of the passage were rebuilt according to Bay Territory standards.
Moats and wedge-shaped trenches—once absent—were dug within two days.
Numerous scouting outposts were quickly established within a 10-kilometer radius.
The city walls were raised to 12 meters—higher than most siege towers and ladders.
To counter creatures like Juggernaut Golems, bastions with indented structures were added outside the walls.
Flanking sides could now support each other, cross-clearing enemies.
Bay Territory's steel golems, acquired via the Second Prince's trade, were teleported into Black Crow Fortress.
Second and third inner defensive walls were under construction.
The style of solid defense was pushed to the extreme.
Fortunately, the offensive feared by Second Prince Crezer did not arrive.
The Cole Elves, having suffered heavy losses, were now hunting Drow scouting parties across the map.
Even raiders from other Gray Dwarf factions were temporarily ignored.
However, many Drow city-states that received Rose's "divine revelation" began responding to her call, emerging from the Underdark.
It was foreseeable that if left unchecked, the southern provinces of the Cole Elven Kingdom would plunge into even greater chaos.
The victorious Bay Territory silently vanished.
Even Black Crow Fortress retained only a few staff to collect "protection fees."
No longer stirring trouble, Bay Territory focused on absorbing the fruits of battle and planning.
Drawing on both Gray Dwarf and Elven technology, its research and development saw great progress.
Higher-quality, more stable magical gear and items sold well across the territory.
Adventurers loved these weapons and equipment.
With them, they could hunt more dangerous dragons and earn more merit and gold.
New magical potions and botanical blends.
Improved combat golems and war puppets.
More productive magical plants and crops.
Even combat feats and skills for Professionals saw breakthroughs.
With sufficient gold and resources, Bay Territory began large-scale infrastructure projects.
February 18th, Year 301.
Bay Territory.
Clear skies.
The blazing red sun poured down light and heat.
Scattered white clouds drifted across the blue sky.
In the boundless wet farmlands—
Massive agricultural golems moved slowly across the fields.
Beneath their mechanical arms, rows of green seedlings were planted into the muddy earth.
The depth was just right, and the leafy tops swayed gently in the wind.
With each step, the golems left a trail of planted rice shoots.
In just five minutes, an entire acre was done.
The golems continued forward, joined by identical models working alongside them.
On the cement pathways between paddies—
Staff recorded the golems' performance.
This data would help guide the next round of golem improvements.
Several youths excitedly discussed the recent expansion of the Professional Training Academy as they worked.
"The intermediate training courses are scheduled—we can return to study soon."
"Hehe, Bay Territory really takes care of us. As long as you're willing to learn, everything's arranged."
"No doubt. Only after working do you realize how great life at the academy was."
"This time we have to study hard—learn more skills and techniques. Next job shift, I want to do more research."
"Haha, let's all work hard together. Too bad we have work or we could watch the holo broadcast."
"It's called 'magic television' now. Heard it'll sell in Sevinton—1,000 gold apiece."
"That's actually cheap. Spellcasters will love it."
"If they saw we each had one per household, they'd be green with envy."
"Not every household, though—you need at least 100 merit points."
"That's easy! Work hard for a year, do some overtime, earn extra bonuses—it's a cinch."
"True. Let's finish the data collection and performance tests, then head back to catch the magic TV broadcast."
"Got it…"
Nearby, a massive convoy was slowly heading toward Bay City.
Carlos withdrew his gaze and marveled to the Yuelight clan:
"See that? Bay Territory is already using agricultural golems on a large scale."
The rest of the group, equally stunned, felt a surreal dissonance.
This was no longer some backwater eastern province.
Even farms around Sevinton weren't this advanced.
Compared to this, the Yuelight clan's own lands were like a magical desert.
A young woman stared in wonder at a passing golem train, amazed by the roaring mana surge:
"Isn't that the golem train Arch-Arcanist Cronorman was promoting in Sevinton?"
Carlos thought of the rail line from Crimson Pass to Crimson Fortress and smiled:
"The golem train was invented here in Bay Territory. That's why I brought you all."
"In the New World, we need new partners!"