Chapter 642: Elemental Fusion Engine!
The underground space excavated by the Goblin Empire wasn't as dark as Matthew had imagined—instead, it was brightly illuminated by dazzling lights.
Matthew saw a city that left him in awe.
Massive golem machinery was operating nonstop, producing more steel golems and battle puppets.
These were transported via enormous elevators connecting to the surface battlefield.
In addition to these colossal mechanical factories, Matthew also saw giant transportation machines surrounding the city.
Inside gleaming metal pipes, an endless stream of resources was being delivered.
Thick smoke cloaked the entire passage, obscuring most of the view, but Matthew still spotted transport vehicles beneath the smog.
The massive truck heads were full of mechanical beauty and had astounding carrying capacity.
Each was 10 meters tall and wide—far beyond what Matthew expected!
This style resembled the steam-powered machinery Matthew remembered.
It showed that the Goblin Empire didn't rely solely on golems and battle puppets for power.
Recalling the earlier Mechanical Titan, Matthew's eyes gleamed with eager excitement.
But before he could closely examine the grand goblin city, especially the structure and function of the massive machines, intense tremors shook from above.
A cascade of rubble fell from the ceiling, crashing onto city walls and buildings, causing a disturbance within the city.
Then, Matthew's vision went black, and he began falling downward.
Just as Matthew thought the memory would fade—
A vast cavern appeared before his eyes.
Densely packed Abyssal Demon Fish and countless magical creatures were busily moving under goblin command.
Watching the goblins piloting golems and puppets, Matthew observed the clearly defined roles and guessed at the purpose of this place.
Before he could "see" clearly, chaos erupted in the distance.
A thick gray-black fog surged forth, filled with the screams and roars of magical beasts.
Boom!
Crash!
The entire deep cavern shook violently as stones rained down.
A terrifying golden figure emerged from a crack, illuminating the dark cave.
Lathander!
That dreadful presence instantly drew the attention of the creatures in the mist.
They stopped attacking the creatures in the cavern and all charged straight toward the glowing, heat-radiating Lathander.
That aggro-drawing power was insane!
Matthew only had time to remember the shadows writhing in the gray fog before falling again.
Finally, the memory went pitch black.
Matthew ended the connection himself, minimizing contact time with the little fish to avoid any irreversible damage.
After all, if this little guy could already awaken such critical memories, who knows what more he might uncover in the future?
Even the memories he'd seen so far had already answered many long-standing questions for Matthew and the players.
The Goblin Empire truly existed.
And they once possessed great power.
Their downfall was indeed related to the gods—and the dwarves and elves weren't innocent either.
It was even possible that dwarves and elves grew rapidly by feasting on the remains of the goblin empire.
Of course, this sparked more questions in Matthew's mind.
What exactly did the Goblin Empire do?
What made so many gods unite against them?
As he recalled the chaos of the Material Plane's future, Matthew smacked his lips thoughtfully:
"Looks like the goblins did one of two things..."
"Either ascended to godhood, or tampered with faith..."
"Only these two pieces of the divine pie would make the gods so angry..."
After all, in Matthew's view, nothing else could motivate the gods to unite so grandly.
Aside from the Elemental Tide, the Calamity, and the secret and violent divine war—
Facing these looming threats, Matthew had no choice but to lead Bay Territory's rapid development and prepare in advance.
This goblin ruin was an excellent opportunity to advance Bay Territory's strength.
"But in the fight against the goblins, it didn't seem like the gods suffered much."
"So why did they go silent for thousands of years?"
"And why are they only resurfacing now with the approaching Elemental Tide?"
"..."
These questions were crucial to Bay Territory's future development path and how to handle relations with other gods.
No matter how fast Bay Territory grew, they wouldn't reach divine-level combat strength within ten years.
So they'd best cling to the Goddess of Magic's thick thigh!
What comforted Matthew was that the current Magic Goddess was dependable—she showed up when needed.
But what puzzled him deeply was: would such a powerful goddess really sacrifice herself for that clown Karsas in the future?
Even though Matthew had witnessed it, it still seemed unbelievable.
After all, he truly understood how powerful divine beings were!
Nearly omniscient. Practically omnipotent.
Putting those thoughts aside, Matthew reflected on the goblin city and savored the memory of the Mechanical Titan's imposing figure. Without hesitation, he beckoned Elona.
Curious, Elona followed, knowing Matthew was planning something big.
But the young half-elf Druid didn't expect just how big it would be.
With a calm expression, Matthew instructed Elona to give little Fizz extra guidance.
"This little guy has great potential, but you must pay more attention to his ideological education."
"He must understand—if they don't embrace civilization now, they'll be eliminated in the future."
"..."
Elona beamed and nodded happily.
As a good teacher, she cared deeply for every student.
She trained them to the fullest of their potential.
And students with exceptional talent like this posed a welcome challenge.
The better their students performed, the more rewards and credit they'd earn.
A highly promising little fish—Fizz would surely bring her many surprises.
Matthew also spoke with Little Elephant, asking the ancient tree who had stepped into legendary rank to keep a closer eye on Elona and Fizz.
Matthew wouldn't underestimate the dirty tricks of the Cole Elves.
Even if you knew what they were thinking, they were hard to guard against.
Defense was always harder than offense!
That's why Matthew insisted on opening the Cantrell Mountains front!
If they didn't disrupt the Cole Elves' territory, the elves would definitely fix their sights on Bay Territory!
In fact, they probably already had.
Knowing the Cole Elves' nature, Matthew acted decisively after gaining these valuable memories, and gave orders to Jifan:
"Prepare for another round of expansion. This time we don't need a full push—just build a forward city 80 kilometers deep into the center!"
Though surprised, Jifan quickly accepted the task and began making preparations.
If the lord changed the plan, there had to be a reason.
Besides, Jifan had been fortifying existing towns and zones but was already prepared to move forward.
He greatly admired the lord and had long been consciously or unconsciously imitating his style.
Planning ahead was one of the most important habits!
Jifan looked over the vast Death Desert map, scanned suspected Cole Elf camps and clusters of magical creatures threatening Bay Territory and adventurers, and began issuing orders without hesitation:
"Inspection squads and dragon cavalry, strike the Cole Elf bases as fast as possible."
"Dragon Warriors are on standby. Follow the mapped patrol routes and stop any suspicious enemies from approaching."
"Send an emergency alert to adventurers. A guided expansion mission is coming. Rewards and payments increased by 80%."
"Notify logistics to organize a resource transport plan. No mistakes allowed."
As soon as Jifan's orders were issued—
Most adventurers received the message.
Excited, they finished their tasks at record speed.
After verifying the mission details, they began gathering their teams and gearing up.
They didn't know why Bay Territory was pushing into the Death Desert instead of continuing city-building.
But every adventurer knew—even legendary True Dragons couldn't stop Bay Territory.
Could anything in the Death Desert really halt them?
What a joke!
As the adventurers prepared, Bay Territory's emergency pioneering teams also advanced.
But before they moved, nearby Cole Elf bases were already raided.
Some were decoys—
Thrown out by Cole Elf scouts to mislead.
But some were real.
Those who couldn't escape were crushed by aerial wyverns and ready inspection teams.
Dimensional Anchor + Mana Shield + Wyvern Cavalry Sweep!
Most Cole Elf scouts didn't dare resist—they chose to surrender.
They'd already learned Bay Territory's way.
In battle, any resistance meant instant lethal force.
But if they surrendered quickly, they'd usually survive.
After the initial contact, they also understood Bay Territory's public trial system.
So the Cole Elf scout selection was adjusted:
No heinous criminals, no human killers, no overly talented ones.
With these restrictions, even if caught spying, they wouldn't be sent to Bay Territory's dreaded underground labs.
This was the unspoken agreement between the Cole Elves and Bay Territory.
Both sides avoided total humiliation or irreconcilable disgrace.
But even so, the repeatedly shamed and depleted Cole Elves were clearly losing ground.
Bay Territory's sudden action immediately drew their attention.
Especially Sword Saint Hess, who'd been planning to keep Bay Territory and Kalecgos fighting—he quickly deployed more people to Bay Territory.
This time, they got smarter.
Since sneaking around revealed little, they joined other kingdoms and factions in openly sending expeditions and adventurers.
Sword Saint Hess had prepared extensively beforehand, so he wasn't caught off guard.
He reasoned through Bay Territory's motives and reached a clear, rational conclusion:
"Bay Territory wants to dig into goblin ruins. The prep work must be nearly done now\..."
"They must have intel—critical tech and artifacts lie buried in the ruins."
"That's why they're investing so much in this grand Death Desert operation to unearth the truth..."
His report reached the Elven Council and was taken seriously.
Though they hated to admit it, Bay Territory's ability to stir things up had left the Cole Elves stretched thin.
The Elven Council was preparing a new offensive on the Rocky Mountains—to break the alliance of the Ail Elves and Bay Territory and seize full control.
They also gathered legions to sweep southern underground threats.
That area had been unstable for too long, and the Cole Elves had already taken heavy losses—even the forced training objective was complete.
It was time to show their wrath!
Otherwise, the lackeys of the Northern Continent might stop obeying!
With intel on Bay Territory's new move, the Council elevated Hess's authority and sent him more resources to act as needed:
Whether it meant exploring the ruins before Bay Territory—
Sabotaging their excavation—
Or halting their progress entirely—
All were valid options for Sword Saint Hess.
The Council didn't care how he did it—they only wanted results.
And if those results satisfied them, they'd gladly give Hess more power and resources.
Hess expected this reply and was well prepared.
His strategy was clear: "Act decisively, intervene when needed, preserve strength, gather intelligence."
Bay Territory, with its population nearing 10 million, was no longer a tiny land easy to wipe out.
Now was the time for the Cole Elves to reveal their long-term schemes!
"What? Why the rush? Simple!"
"Because the underground ruins contain the Elemental Fusion Engine!"
"Yes, the power core of a legendary battle puppet!"
Smiling, Matthew watched Bay Territory's expedition teams advancing and crisply replied to Steward Ralph.
The latter hesitated a moment before sending just three words:
"Speed it up!"