Chapter 689.5: Target: Crush the Enemy Army
Impressive talent—Matthew could see the growth path of an ordinary true dragon before perfect evolution.
Onyxia's sharp sensitivity indicated hidden potential deep within her bloodline.
If her talents weren't enough, or nutrition insufficient—
Her Greed trait would steal the growth potential of other body parts—
Strengthening her unique talents, but leaving the rest of her body mediocre.
In the future, Onyxia would have to spend more time and resources to train the underdeveloped parts of her body.
If she wanted to make up for this innate gap in her bloodline and pass it on properly, the cost would be even greater.
However, when Matthew noticed that Onyxia's personality hadn't shown any negative tendencies, he gently patted her head and said, under her stunned gaze:
"Well done. Don't worry about Bay Territory being hostile to you. You've probably already figured it out."
"Welcome to Bay Territory. Yaya has already prepared a lair for you, and there's a nutrient meal waiting inside."
"Before you go into hibernation to grow, you should have a good meal."
"When you wake up, you'll be able to activate more of your bloodline powers."
Matthew didn't speak in riddles with Onyxia—he took the initiative to communicate with her.
Hearing this, Onyxia stared blankly at Matthew's gentle smile.
She could clearly feel the sincerity behind his words.
The pressure weighing on her heart slowly dissipated, and she said excitedly, somewhat in disbelief:
"Thank you, Lord Matthew! Thank you, Lady Yaya!"
Yaya turned her head with a grin, then suddenly remembered something and cleared her throat, putting on a serious face:
"Don't call me 'Lady'—call me 'Boss Lady'!"
Onyxia instinctively shrank back her head and looked a little dazed, but she still nodded quickly.
The wall door slowly opened, and to Onyxia's surprise, another smiling Matthew walked out.
Matthew waved at Onyxia and led the slightly dazed girl into the secret passage.
Watching the mechanical structures and complex arrays flash by outside the tunnel, Onyxia recalled the recent Bay Territory training courses. Suppressing her fear of Matthew, she couldn't help but ask:
"Did you use a clone spell? I couldn't tell the difference at all."
Matthew was quite pleased with Onyxia's curiosity and courage, and nodded as he replied:
"This is my improved clone spell. Once you become an Intermediate Arcanist, you can begin learning it."
"Don't be influenced by the memories in your bloodline. You are an independent, thinking individual. Use reason and clarity to judge right from wrong."
Feeling Matthew's warmth, Onyxia gradually let go of her inner worries.
She noticed the lair slowly coming into view in the distance, and started looking forward to it, sensing a warm and comfortable aura.
What would the lair prepared by Bay Territory be like?
A giant half-magma bath!
One side was boiling, bubbling magma.
The other side was a small mountain piled with rubies, Fire Elemental Crystals, Adamantine, Magic Iron, and gold.
Driven by instinct deep in her bloodline and soul, Onyxia's eyes immediately widened.
Her body instinctively reverted to dragon form, and she gleefully dashed over, curling up on her little gold pile and shouting with joy:
"Is this really mine?!"
Matthew smiled and nodded, speaking in a calm and confident tone:
"Yes, this is your reward for joining Bay Territory."
"We in Bay Territory build comfortable homes and provide resources for development to all our members."
These were things Onyxia had studied before.
But she never imagined Bay Territory's standards would be so wildly different from what she expected!
After reveling in excitement for a while, Onyxia clutched a large ruby and declared firmly to Matthew:
"As long as Bay Territory doesn't change, I'll always be part of it."
Matthew didn't fuss over Onyxia's little cleverness. Seeing the drowsiness in her eyes, he gently cast a Sleep Spell.
Sensing no hostility, Onyxia could no longer resist the creeping drowsiness. She curled up contentedly on her golden nest and fell asleep.
Matthew stood quietly and watched as a faint red glow emerged from Onyxia's body.
She was absorbing nearby fire elements and energy, preparing for her first evolution.
During this process, the long-awaited message finally appeared before Matthew.
"Fire Dragon, Onyxia, Wyrmling, in sleep..."
"Consume 10,000 Fate Power to perform Perfect Evolution?"
As expected, once someone joins Bay Territory, Fate Power can be used on them.
Even True Dragons are no exception!
A brilliant smile spread across Matthew's face. The little ones among the Sub-dragons were in for a treat.
"Maybe Sub-dragon hatchlings who receive Perfect Evolution early can surpass them faster..."
No choice—lower strength meant less Fate Power consumption.
Azure-blue Fate Power slowly flowed into Onyxia's body.
The red glow on her body grew ever more brilliant. The magma nearby was drawn to her, slowly flowing toward her.
With a snap of Matthew's fingers, two dark-red Dragoon No.1 Golems approached with light steps.
They carried trays of fragrant magical food.
They brought the magical beasts close to Onyxia's mouth.
Smelling the delicious food and energy, the fire dragon happily opened her mouth to gobble it down.
Matthew checked the "Auto-Feeding" program, confirmed the supplies and food were sufficient, and then made his way toward the other lairs.
Hundreds of different lairs were spread throughout this deep underground space.
August 12.
Dark Forest.
Light rain.
Misty raindrops were blown sideways by the wind.
The sound of "drip-drop" echoed through the forest.
Alice scanned the map and quickly revised it based on scout reports.
Chris beside her looked at the new orders and said with surprise:
"We're launching another assault? Looks like Bay Territory is planning something big."
Just arrived, Laura flipped through battle feeds with great interest and commented softly:
"The Orcs and Trolls are getting smarter—they even know how to split up their advance."
"Too bad their overall strength is still too weak—they can't pose a real threat."
As she spoke, Laura also fine-tuned her Thunder Magic Armor to better handle attacks from Orcs and Trolls.
Watching her, Ashes blinked blankly and looked at the busy staff.
He wanted to help, but had nothing in his head.
One of the staff noticed and smiled at him:
"Don't worry. I integrated the data for the Combat Assist Helmet—it'll provide much more accurate combat tips."
"Next time you return to Bay Territory, we can also fine-tune the Thunder Magic Armor based on your fighting style."
Hearing this, Ashes broke into a smile and patted his chest in praise:
"Thanks a ton this time! Next time I'll definitely collect and organize the data."
"Data is just one part. You also need to maintain it regularly and run program diagnostics."
"Oh... got it. Let me jot it down."
"What good is writing it in a notebook? You should carve it on your flask."
"Every time you drink, you should think whether you've done these things..."
"Hic~~ Great idea."
"..."
Morak excitedly flipped through the mess of scribbles in his hand.
It took him a while to realize what he had written before.
Nearby, Batum cleaned his weapon while quietly calculating the merits and rewards he'd earned.
Alice, done with the map, pointed to a glowing red spot spreading across the map:
"This is our next attack point."
"There will be 4,000 Orcs here. When they're bombarded, they'll charge immediately."
"Laura, your team intercepts them. Keep your distance and be ready to retreat."
"Two kilometers to the right is a 500-strong Troll scout unit."
"Chris, your team handles it. Capture if possible—if not, kill. It's your time to earn some profit."
"1,500 meters to the left are 800 Orc Wolf Cavalry."
"Ashes, your team deals with them. Try to clear them out—don't let too many get through."
"Three kilometers to the rear are 6,000 elite Orcs."
"Morak, stick with the main force to intercept. If they breach Laura's line, move in and redeploy defenses."
"..."
Alice assigned battle roles—everyone listened intently.
As Bay Territory's most renowned adventuring team, the Alice Adventuring Group took on the most dangerous and grueling missions.
Though risky and hazardous, the rewards were extremely generous.
And the Alice Adventuring Group was confident they could prove their strength once more.
"We're just stronger than other adventuring teams!"
The proud slogan echoed in every member's heart.
They smiled faintly, confidence gleaming in their eyes, and performed final checks on weapons and gear.
The blare of horns.
Commands from magic wristwatches.
Bright red signal flares.
All triggered the assault order.
The long-waiting adventurers raised their new weapons and charged at the enemy.
Roaring artillery broke the silence of the Dark Forest.
Waves of fire lit the shadows beneath the canopy.
Scouts and intercept squads rushed to their designated positions.
The artillery teams roared, firing in wide bombardments based on pre-set coordinates.
Watching the flaming trails overhead, Laura's eyes flickered with emotion.
Unknowingly, the nature of war had changed drastically.
What other weapons would appear on future battlefields?
Rumble!
The deafening roar of artillery rang out.
Laura waited calmly for the enemy to arrive.
One minute passed, two, three—
Shuffling figures rustled the thick underbrush.
At last, when the enemy appeared, Laura issued the fire command into the comms.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Whistling projectiles soared.
Laura saw many enemies fall, along with screams and dying roars.
She carefully picked her target—a fast-moving bush.
Draw!
Fire!
The spinning arrow flew.
It vanished into the distant brush in an instant.
Boom!
A fierce explosion sent a shockwave rippling.
A wide patch of brush was flattened.
A half-blown Orc warrior appeared in everyone's view.
Skilled shooters among the adventurers cheered.
But they didn't look at Laura—they stayed focused on their aim zones, continuing to shoot.
Lone Orcs fell one after another.
However fast they charged, they couldn't outrun the deadly arrows.
The experienced adventurers knew—these feral Orcs were just appetizers.
The real challenge was the endless waves behind.
Elite Orcs in heavy armor and thick shields could push through.
Combined with encircling scouts, they could devastate greedy adventurers who failed to retreat.
But this time, they were on the offensive—no danger on the flanks.
Laura quietly calculated time.
When a large number of Orc warriors appeared 300-400 meters ahead—
She instantly issued a "fire coordinates" message.
"300 meters ahead—saturate with artillery!"
The roaring shells screamed overhead.
They slammed into the distant Orc army.
Violent firebombs wiped out scores of Orcs.
No matter how tough they were, Orcs couldn't survive magical artillery.
What amazed the adventurers even more—the blasts flashed three times, then rolled backward in layers.
Trees, brush, and Orcs alike were annihilated.
The deafening explosions and shockwaves made everyone's hair stand.
Even though the artillery supported them, such sheer violence was still unsettling.
Before anyone could comment, the "free fire" command reminded them of their job.
Snapping back, adventurers quickly shot the remaining Orcs.
Unprepared Orc warriors dropped screaming.
In about three minutes—
When the bombardment stopped—
Not a single Orc dared charge again.
Laura confirmed both flanks were solid, and encircling enemies had been crushed.
She led her team to move forward cautiously, clearing hiding Orcs one by one.
These dead Orcs evoked no sympathy—only satisfaction.
Orc invasions of the Netheril Empire were longstanding.
Most adventurers had lost loved ones or comrades to them.
That's why they chose such dangerous missions.
For them, killing these beasts with Bay Territory was a win-win.
With her team advancing fastest, Laura confirmed the area secure and gave the all-clear.
The other adventurers checked weapons and pressed forward on command.
Alice focused most of her attention on the live-updating battle map.
She saw every other team steadily advancing through their zones.
Her heart surged with emotion, but her face stayed calm. Internally, she shouted:
"Crush the enemy! Eliminate them all!"
Bay Territory's adventurers had no equal!