Chapter 664: Yaya's Making Money!
"Ah! This part's broken too, gotta fix it fast, it's super expensive..."
"Damn it, damn it, Yaya doesn't have enough gold to build another Yaya No.1."
"Gotta get Yaya No.1 back in action quick—taking down one legendary Catachan Demon should earn at least ten million gold!"
"The burst system still needs tuning. The power output's too high—it's wearing out the parts way too fast."
"The joints are under too much stress. Looks like I'll need to design a better motion transfer system in the future..."
"The center of gravity also needs adjusting. Luckily the material's solid, no major issues cropped up."
"The mana conduit structure needs reinforcing. Still too weak—it's easy to hit the limit..."
"The combo attack tactic works well, but it can be optimized even further—tighter timing, more damage."
"Let me check other inventions—maybe something can replace this part..."
"..."
Busy as ever, Orianna muttered to herself while working.
Two mechanical arms extended from the back of her Thunder Magic Battle Suit.
They radiated a bright magical glow.
Assisting her with various repairs and part swaps.
The arms were fast and precise, though they struggled with larger components.
Fortunately, Orianna was skilled enough to step in manually and handle problems quickly.
"Hmm, I should ask Dad for stronger mechanical arms. The straight joints aren't flexible enough... maybe something like chains?"
She imagined herself with octopus-like mechanical arms on her back—and immediately shook her head.
That look definitely suited her dad more.
"Fine, I'll just make a few floating, obedient, multifunctional ones..."
As she thought this, Orianna's mind started branching off again.
Luckily, the arms were already pre-programmed and completed their tasks flawlessly.
Not only did they swap out the parts, they even oiled them for protection.
18 minutes later—
Orianna completed maintenance and fine-tuning on Yaya No.1 and moved it around the outpost cluster.
Seeing this, Evilfang felt immense relief.
Good thing it didn't attack—would've run right into another one of the Bay Territory's traps.
Evilfang pulled itself deeper into its burrow, devouring another twisted creature that came too close.
It watched the outpost's defenses from afar, and a strange thought surfaced:
"The Bay Territory was clearly prepared... so what's their next move?"
Before it could piece things together, explosions boomed in the distance.
Blazing fireballs burst forth.
Charred corpses flew through the air, and sections of dense jungle were cleared.
Waves of magic energy surged outward.
Evilfang immediately redirected its distant sight, quickly "looking" toward the source.
A large mana-powered armored truck charged through the breach blasted open by fire and explosions.
Matthew stood atop the truck, holding a magic-charged staff high, unleashing firepower on the packed twisted monsters.
Exploding Fireball ×5!
Like a string of arrows, the fireballs rained down on the twisted creatures.
Matthew deliberately controlled the blast height to explode above the monsters' heads.
This had two major benefits:
First, to unleash the full shockwave of the explosions, maximizing the spell's destructive force and killing more twisted monsters.
Second, to avoid damaging the ground and causing bumps that might disrupt the golem truck's charge.
The adventurers weren't idle either. They targeted high-jumping, fast-moving, and ranged-attacking twisted creatures with precision shots.
The golem-armored truck, specially developed for this battle, showed impressive defense and support capabilities.
It could mark specific nearby enemies, aiding adventurers with precision targeting.
With Matthew's magical "plug-ins" supporting them, the adventurers performed like fish in water—achieving their goals easily.
Its half-tire, half-track design—
—allowed the truck to traverse complex terrain without getting bogged down in the jungle.
Weighing 10 tons, protected by full steel plating.
Its defense was top-notch—rated at high-grade, immune to attacks under 10 damage.
Maximum cargo capacity: 15 tons.
It could carry over 20 fighters at once, along with a month's worth of supplies.
Not only was it hefty—
—it packed serious punch.
On flat terrain, it could hit speeds of 55 km/h. Even when plowing forward, it still broke 40 km/h.
In the relatively smooth Catachan Jungle, it could go practically anywhere.
Of course—as long as it didn't ram into large or giant twisted monsters.
And yes, the truck had its own gear for large enemies too.
One front and one rear mounted Dragon-Hunter Ballista.
Deadly power, great for deterring aerial units.
Capable of handling challenge level 17+ large monsters.
A heavy automatic crossbow turret.
Enough to deal with challenge level 10–15 elite twisted monster packs.
In addition, long-range magical comms, large-scale enemy scanning systems, and combat support gear made the mana armored truck a highlight.
With one of these, even small-to-medium adventuring teams could now explore and operate in the Catachan Jungle.
Alice quickly grasped the vehicle's features and power.
It expanded adventurer reach, reduced casualties, and increased combat efficiency.
Perfectly in line with Bay Territory's usual approach—equip adventurers well.
Still, the nearly 3 million gold price tag would make many teams wince.
But not the Alice Adventuring Party.
They had money!
Monthly profits from their ruby mine were sky-high.
Even after each member's hundred-gold payout, their shared fund gained over 500,000 gold a month.
They also owned three resource islands—
—bringing in over 300,000 gold monthly.
And they earned shares from outposts and resource points recognized by Bay Territory.
Alice could already tell: if Bay Territory was investing this much force and material, they'd definitely bring in lots of adventurers.
And they'd pour serious effort into developing the Catachan sub-plane.
Which meant resources—and massive growth opportunities.
Alice was never afraid to invest—because investment meant greater returns.
She never feared getting the short end of a deal when working with Bay Territory.
Often, "getting the short end" led to even greater gains.
Alice had already decided—she'd request a purchase deal immediately.
With five of these golem-armored trucks, the Alice Party's current strength could take on way more missions.
Gatle, now test-driving one, watched as twisted monsters—ones they usually had to dodge—got crushed en masse.
He began rethinking Bay Territory's focus on technology, research, and productivity.
Even though they'd already joined Bay Territory, Gatle didn't want Catachans to fade into obscurity.
They had to undergo tougher training—and learn everything else Bay Territory had to offer.
Just knowing how to fight, or using brute strength, wasn't enough anymore.
Boom!
Greedy flames ripped through a mass of twisted monsters.
The charging golem truck crushed corpses with ease, barreling into the outpost's defensive ring.
A barrage of ranged attacks drove back the pursuing twisted monsters.
Evilfang, withdrawing its gaze, counted its remaining forces—and tensed up.
In just 7–8 hours, a third of tens of thousands of twisted monsters were already lost.
Evilfang glanced at Yaya No.1 covering the truck and at Matthew hurling fireballs—and decisively aborted the attack.
Stop fighting now.
In just 7–8 days—
Thanks to the nutrients and energy from the Green Tide, the fast-growing twisted monsters could recover to near pre-battle numbers.
But if the battle dragged on with no gains, recovery would take far longer.
Larger populations recover faster.
Smaller ones risk irreversible collapse.
And without a big enough monster screen, Evilfang wasn't confident.
The threats from Bay Territory, their strange attacks, and unrecognizable constructs demanded more of Evilfang's focus and analysis.
With that thought, Evilfang dug its burrow even deeper.
The better you hide, the longer you survive.
Matthew arrived at the outpost and received battle data from Heges.
He stared at the appearance of two legendary Catachan Demons in quick succession, a thoughtful gleam in his eyes.
"The timing of these demons... quite interesting."
Bay Territory had thoroughly prepared for enemies on the Catachan plane.
With the information in hand, they could now identify the main direction for their next offensive.
After a moment of thought, Matthew sent messages to City 22 and Bay Territory.
Rhythmic vibrations approached—Matthew turned to see Yaya No.1.
Its combat performance had definitely earned the attention and investment of Bay Territory.
"Yaya No.1's combat strength is outstanding—easily crushes elite combat units."
"At full power, it can rival legendary constructs."
"And its operating cost is low. The Element Fusion Engine makes near-perfect use of high-density elemental crystals."
"For a two-hour low-intensity battle, it only costs 20,000 gold."
"The 50 million gold price tag is steep, but future models will be at least 2 million cheaper—and come with upgraded combat support software..."
Orianna excitedly waved and introduced the machine to the adventurers.
Noticing that the Catachan warriors nearby were listening attentively—
Orianna, ever quick-witted, smoothly shifted the topic:
"In battles like the current fight against the 'Green Tide', having a Yaya No.1 means you basically can't lose on defense."
"It can handle large twisted monsters that pose serious threats to walls and defenses—and can even hold its own against Catachan Demons."
"It's not that huge, and with a proper storage setup, it can be transported flexibly and efficiently."
The adventurers were thrilled—
—but the Catachan warriors nearby were even more stunned.
They eyed the burly, powerful metal vehicle and could feel the immense energy it radiated.
Especially the magic projection hovering in front of Yaya No.1 that showed detailed combat stats.
"Overwhelming" was no exaggeration.
"Unstoppable" wasn't either.
Ordinary Catachan fighters were left speechless—but more observant ones like Gatle and Thorn understood Orianna's implication.
It wasn't just for Bay Territory!
The Catachan tribes could use it too!
With Yaya No.1, defensive pressure would drop significantly.
Sure, 50 million gold was a huge cost for an individual.
And 10,000 gold per hour of operation? That was ridiculous.
But for an entire Catachan tribe, the price was still within reach.
Gatle slowly averted his gaze, already picturing the possibilities.
Under the pressure of the Green Tide—
Even if the Catachans managed to hold out with Bay Territory's help, letting more of their people survive—
They would lose the ability and space to expand, becoming increasingly dependent on Bay Territory.
But Gatle didn't see that as a bad thing.
Over the years, the Catachans had paid a heavy price to survive.
Much of their heritage and history had already been lost.
If they joined Bay Territory, those things wouldn't vanish—in fact, Bay Territory would likely help recover them.
Absorb the good, discard the bad, and nourish the future.
Gatle, having observed for a while, understood Bay Territory's systems.
They didn't erase people's uniqueness—instead, they encouraged everyone to maximize their strengths.
That way, the entire territory would pool together its advantages and become stronger as a whole.
Gatle's clarity of thought owed much to Bay Territory's education and training.
He believed most Catachans wouldn't notice this—yet if they did, and grasped the idea, they'd embrace it.
That's what made Bay Territory a place where everyone could become better.