Chapter 687: Miracle
August 8th.
Bay City.
Clear skies.
The autumn wind of harvest season blew gently.
In the endless fields, golden rice waved with the breeze.
Rows of large-scale harvesting machines were about to begin their annual labor.
Golem trains roared by, hauling cars filled with grain.
During breaks in the work, everyone eagerly discussed this year's harvest.
Every face beamed with the joy of abundance.
"The highest-yielding acre surpassed 1,000 jin—that's more than double the Karl Plains' average."
"Several other acres hit 980 jin, and even the lowest-yielding field produced over 870 jin. This year is definitely a bumper crop!"
"Heh, our fields were developed early, maintained well, fertilized adequately, and we picked fast-growing seedlings. Naturally, the yield is high."
"The Silvermoon River Plains have better terrain and plenty of water, and they're easy to manage—just developed later."
"Their yield might not match ours yet, but they'll catch up soon."
"The Misty Swamp has potential too. It's really close to the fertilizer factory, so any good fertilizer gets tested there first."
"But that's not the key—the key is how this year's new seedling research turned out."
"From what I've seen, the Druid Institute developed rice that yields 800 jin per acre and can be planted twice a year."
"Twice a year? Seriously?"
"Even if it's only 800 jin, that's still an 80% increase!"
"Our territory is really getting better and better. It's only been a few years."
"Heh, don't compare by time—compare by tech and transformation. We've got even better days ahead."
"..."
The farmers and workers' discussion reflected their beautiful hopes for the territory's future.
Members selected to attend the commendation conference from each city, outpost, and fortress were marveling at the vast, fertile fields.
Taller, bigger, and more efficient harvesting golems.
Piles of rice like mountains.
Golem trains coming and going.
All gave them a deep sense of awe.
They knew clearly—once the pilots here ended,
Their own cities, bases, and camps would soon get the same machinery and equipment.
And everyone's life would become better and better.
Slowly withdrawing her gaze, Little Jixiang put down her paintbrush and carefully stored it away.
She turned with curiosity to the still-busy Liana and asked:
"Has the intel discovered by the Alice Adventuring Group been confirmed?"
Pausing her constantly shifting holographic model, Liana quietly nodded:
"Deep in those underground ruins are powerful seals and dangerous protective measures. Rushing in would be too risky."
"The territory will temporarily seal them and focus on exploring already-mapped ruins first."
"We'll gather resources and integrate technologies. Once we've digested and advanced our power and tech, we'll go deeper."
The reason they returned this time was to study, understand, and sort through the collected tech.
And to incorporate it into Bay Territory's expanding tech system for deeper integration.
The more accumulated tech and the more variety, the easier it is to spark innovation and breakthroughs.
As the saying goes—use others' stones to polish our jade.
Collisions of different ideas and design philosophies create the brightest sparks.
That's why Bay Territory established so many different research institutes—of varying types, origins, and approaches.
Bay Territory needed to tackle different problems from different angles.
And it needed everyone in Bay Territory to come together and solve problems during hard times.
That's how the Joint Research Center came to be.
With some regret in her eyes, Little Jixiang nodded and said:
"Too bad progress on transforming the Desert of Death is so slow."
"Though the plant types there are diversifying..."
"The environment's slow shift will still take decades."
Thinking of the tenacious plants growing in the desert, Liana smiled and shook her head. With great anticipation, she said:
"Don't worry about that. First, report your recent findings to the Druid Institute."
"Then you'll be surprised to see that the solution to your problem was already in their tech database."
Little Jixiang blinked instinctively upon hearing that.
The Catachan demi-plane's Druid Institute branch must have made serious progress in their tech pushes too.
Maybe there would be big surprises!
Little Jixiang nodded eagerly and said:
"I think so too. Everyone will gain a lot."
"Especially the big brothers and sisters who went to the Catachan demi-plane."
The Catachan demi-plane!
Liana had studied this dangerous plane in detail and was deeply interested in its changes and secrets.
But due to her limited strength and current mismatch in research focus, she chose to remain in the Desert of Death.
After all, the daily developments in mechanical, golem, and formation technology there still helped Liana grow.
The constant absorption and accumulation of knowledge satisfied her immensely.
Her Professional level had already reached 10.
And Liana had found a path for breakthrough—she just needed more knowledge.
But as the surface ruins kept being explored—
The appearance rate of new tech and knowledge was dropping sharply.
Without new input, and already feeling full from previous knowledge, Liana—
Decided to return to the Bay City research institute for absorption and advancement.
Like the other Druids, including Little Jixiang—
She too sought a way to break through and find the path that fit her best.
This was the challenge Matthew had given her.
One that required her full heart to ponder and solve.
The golem train gradually slowed to a smooth crawl as it entered the ever-growing Bay City.
Dense crowds gathered to watch the train arrive.
Magical screens along the streets played previews for the upcoming commendation conference.
The lively sound brought joy to the previously quiet carriage.
Liana, previously lost in thoughts of knowledge and tech, slowly returned to the present-day Bay Territory.
Little Jixiang leaned on the window, watching Bay Territory citizens eagerly awaiting by the tracks, a happy smile spreading on her face.
She still loved crowded places.
She loved Bay Territory's many shops, endless delicious food, trendy and pretty clothes—
And above all, the smiling faces.
What caught her curiosity the most were two "little ones" gnawing on pig's trotters.
They were eating happily, faces covered in grease. Their little arms and legs were still smaller than the pork knuckles.
Though... Little Jixiang wasn't exactly big either.
Watching the golem train slowly roll past, Misha couldn't help her curiosity and muttered:
"So that's a golem train? It looks super cool! Can it go faster?"
Little Lin Ren had stars in his eyes too. Swallowing his food, he wiped his mouth and said:
"I've never been on one either. I heard it's really fast and smooth—you don't even feel like you're moving."
That fast?
The wind must feel amazing!
Her eyes sparkled. Recalling Lin Ren's stories of mulberry harvests, Misha drooled and said:
"Aren't the mulberries ripe now? Want to ride the golem train to go see? Tickets aren't expensive."
"You know anyone over there? Can we climb the trees to pick them? I've got gold coins!"
Rich little miss doesn't lack money!
Hearing that, little Lin Ren mentally checked his gold stash and replied without hesitation:
"I know Uncle Sean. He's got a huge mulberry grove."
"And lots of other mixed crops too—veggies and fruits."
"After the commendation conference, we can sneak over for a look."
"We might not even need money. A couple days of work will cover it."
"The cooking and golem control skills we just learned will help us find a job."
Work?
A job?
Intrigued, Misha slurped the tender pig tendon into her mouth and asked wide-eyed:
"Do we get to eat work 'delicacies'?"
Little Lin Ren looked at Misha, thinking she was catching on too fast.
"Bay Territory for the win!"
The loud cheer instantly grabbed their attention.
A massive magical screen—
Was broadcasting scenes of Bay Territory's soldiers battling grotesque monsters in the twisted jungle.
In the living jungle, every step had to be taken cautiously, giving viewers a deep sense of dread.
The terrifying monsters looked like they deserved a beating just from their appearance.
Especially their charging style—it was bone-chilling.
Even so, the soldiers fought bravely, using various weapons to eliminate these horrors.
The fierce battles and hardships had captured everyone's attention.
Beside the battle footage—
Clear images and information of various dangerous plants and twisted animals were shown.
Mobile plants.
Bloodthirsty vines.
Deadly shrubs that excel at camouflage.
Poisonous insects of all sizes.
Grotesque plant amalgamations.
And twisted tree spirits that flashed by on screen, leaving a lasting impression.
All of it opened Misha's eyes to a whole new world.
"So Bay Territory's warriors are fighting these terrifying monsters?"
"Their fighting spirit is just insane..."
Though she thought this inwardly, Misha didn't say it aloud.
Instead, pointing to various mushrooms and plants flashing across the screen, she asked in a surprised whisper:
"Didn't we just eat that a few days ago?"
"Yeah, we did eat that a few days back."
"But not the original wild kinds—Bay Territory cultivated and processed them."
"Their toxicity was massively reduced..."
Seeming to recall a bad memory, little Lin Ren shivered and nodded.
He'd already made up his mind—next time they had mushrooms, he'd definitely ignore Misha.
Chasing after a moment of flavor wasn't worth the disaster.
They needed to cook thoroughly—boil it longer.
It had to be properly cooked!
In Bay Territory's military camp—
Soldiers were undergoing intense combat training.
This training boost was also part of the territory's reward system.
Something already set in stone by the territory.
Nobody wanted to be left behind, so they threw themselves into the training with full dedication, striving to grow stronger.
They hoped to earn better treatment and the priority to fight in future battles!
Maintaining strong competition and motivation was one of the reasons Bay Territory's army kept growing more powerful.
The soldiers trained diligently.
Meanwhile, commanders were finalizing the list of award recipients.
And sharing their admiration for the heroic deeds of several exemplary figures.
Some soldiers had outstanding cannon marksmanship.
In one defensive free-fire battle, one such soldier took out nearly 3,000 twisted monsters alone.
His kill count was 5–6 times higher than other artillery gunners.
Another soldier had unmatched sniping skills.
On his own, he killed 32 large twisted monsters and severely injured 65 others.
Yet another soldier excelled at mechanical control.
Operating a light combat armor suit, he resupplied 500 soldiers with combat gear.
On the side, he also killed 5 large twisted monsters and held a 20-meter-wide defensive line solo—for a full five minutes.
And one powerful Dragon Warrior perfectly executed decapitation tactics.
Leading his squad, he hunted 5 Catachan Demons—with zero casualties in the team.
He cleared 20 large twisted monster nests.
Many other elite soldiers also performed far beyond expectations—and naturally, Bay Territory made sure to praise and showcase them.
Set up strong role models!
Give the rest of the troops more motivation, pushing more of them to train harder.
Encourage them to study diligently and dig deep, striving to raise their combat effectiveness.
Aside from selecting and evaluating excellent warriors—
Bay Territory's commanders, under Angela's lead, also worked on post-battle analysis.