Chapter 643: Evil Entity - Phantom!
Elemental Fusion Engine!
On the surface, it's an indispensable energy source for crafting legendary constructs.
But Matthew had even greater hopes for it.
After all, the Elemental Fusion Engine contains multiple technologies and has vast potential applications.
The fusion technology most coveted by Matthew interested him more than the Mythallar Core of the Netheril Empire.
After all, the Mythallar Core's application and calibration are deeply bound to the Material Plane.
And its cost was simply too high. Even if Bay Territory went all-in, it couldn't produce a single Mythallar Core in a year.
So naturally, Matthew decided to settle for second-best—choosing the more adaptive and promising elemental fusion technology.
Aside from fusion technology, the information and technology for metals that can endure this level of power are just as crucial.
Just like in Matthew's original world.
The key to mastering nuclear fusion tech was a breakthrough in the development of ultra-strong materials for the reactor. Only then did they finally grasp this leapfrog technology.
Material challenges had long troubled Bay Territory.
From the previously captured Diamond Golem, Matthew had acquired much information and tech.
But a large portion of it remained unimplementable due to high difficulty and lack of materials, preventing Bay Territory's golem production from advancing further.
With the help of Fate Power and coordinated data visualization, finding a sample of the Elemental Fusion Engine would mean obtaining those technologies.
With that tech supplement, Bay Territory could begin to attempt crafting and researching legendary-tier constructs.
Only cities guarded by legendary constructs could resist the apocalyptic disasters and crises to come.
March 29.
Death Desert.
Clear.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The closer to the center of the Death Desert, the stronger the roaring winds.
The wind carried fine sand, stinging people's faces like needles.
The scorching sunlight was even more vicious, baking the whole desert like a giant furnace.
Without proper protection, standing outside for just a few minutes would burn your skin bright red.
By the second day, the top layer would peel off—burning, stinging pain that made people grimace.
Looking around, dunes stretched endlessly.
The blinding heat made people feel flustered and uneasy.
Such a desolate place, yet filled with many dangerous and deadly predators.
Precisely because of the barrenness—
They evolved horrifying hunting methods to survive and reproduce.
The sandworm that burst out of the ground before them was proof of that!
"Roar...!"
Roaring in pain, its giant mouth spewed deep green corrosive liquid.
The highly acidic liquid hit the sand, burning pit after pit the size of washbasins.
The harsh sizzling and rising gray-black smoke sent chills down the spine.
"No one dares fight a sandworm head-on. Just that corrosive spit is enough to break any Warrior's resolve."
"The reason's simple: sandworm breath is incredibly effective on sand, but even more deadly to adventurers' gear and their puny bodies."
Thankfully, Bay Territory's intelligence was thorough, and their strategies meticulous.
Prepared adventurers had no intent to approach.
They avoided the worm's initial ambush and dodged its second acidic assault.
Once the worm attacked the Clay Golems, armor-piercing bolts rained down.
Pfft!
Crack!
The massive sandworm was instantly turned into a pincushion and went still in seconds.
Moments ago, it had been roaring wildly—but now it didn't even last three seconds.
Two massive Clay Golems stomped forward, activated their vibration modes, and forcibly yanked the worm out of the sand.
The creature was 6-7 meters long, its 1.5-meter-thick body now limp.
Its light green blood was quickly absorbed by the sand and soon covered by blowing dust, erasing all traces.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
A huge hook lifted the sandworm's corpse.
Prepared butchers swung their cleavers to slice it up.
Though dangerous and ugly, sandworms were one of the more desirable supernatural magical creatures in Death Desert.
Despite its soft appearance, the hide was incredibly tough—light, comfortable, smooth, and highly enchantable. Perfect for close-fitting enchanted leather armor.
Even damaged upper halves could be repurposed for parts.
And their massive bodies meant just the lower half alone could yield 5–6 full sets of armor.
Even as raw material, their value reached 8,000–9,000 gold, making this a solid haul for the Alice Adventurer Team's vanguard.
And this was just part of the spoils.
Laura watched the butchers quickly carve up the worm and store odd internal parts in Bay Territory's special preservation boxes. Curiously, she asked:
"You're collecting all this separately? What are they even used for?"
Ignoring the faint stench and watching the growing blip on the scanner, Alice calmly smiled and said:
"Magical creature organs hold many secrets."
"Bay Territory has dedicated labs to research these organs and explore how to use them."
"Commander Jifang said we're already planning to breed sandworms in the Death Desert."
"These things breed fast and grow quickly—if not for food limits, they'd have swarmed the desert ages ago."
Breed sandworms?
Laura glanced at the grotesque, enormous creature and twitched slightly.
Had she just arrived in Bay Territory, she would've thought the idea crazy—maybe even suspected they'd lost their minds.
Such dangerous magical beasts should be wiped out, not raised in bulk!
But as she learned more about Bay Territory and its adventuring zones, she began to understand their logic.
There were plenty of "benefits" to breeding sandworms!
Just look at the bounty tally she just saw—
Each worm was worth over 20,000 gold.
And that was just the adventurers' cut!
Once processed by Bay Territory, the value could multiply 5x, maybe 10x.
She'd toured their desert production plants—witnessing truly shocking workflows and results.
Bay Territory's material utilization was beyond her imagination.
That's also why Laura, originally planning to return to the Riel Elven Kingdom, chose to stay in Bay Territory and join the Alice Adventurer Team's vanguard with Jifang's help.
She wanted to see Bay Territory's power and what these technologies could really do.
Following Jifang's instructions, Alice smiled and explained to Laura:
"Multipurpose use and deep processing of one resource creates countless jobs and even more value."
"That's how Bay Territory maximizes resources, grows profit, and supports its tech and military expansion."
Alice was explaining a concept to Laura—
A concept that even if others knew, they wouldn't know how to implement or change.
In worlds without supernatural strength—
Many kingdoms and groups fail to implement these systems due to vested interests.
If Laura tried to bring this policy back to her domain or kingdom—
Bay Territory would be thrilled!
Two outcomes possible:
Laura succeeds—
But to grow the domain, she'd need to buy resources and tech from Bay Territory.
They'd profit either way!
Or she fails—
Bay Territory gains a peak-tier supernatural Professional's loyalty.
Still a win!
Laura didn't grasp all of Alice's meaning—but pondered deeply.
The expedition team pushed forward.
Wind and sand whipped around, but couldn't stop their advance.
"Stop advancing. Medium-sized enemy 150 meters underground. Prepare for battle."
Alice's voice quickly spread out. The adventurers in white cloaks didn't flinch—instead, they all got excited.
Laura vaguely overheard several adventurers chatting:
"Heh, finally our turn to act."
"Medium-sized enemy. Probably a sandworm or a giant scorpion. Use Tactic No. 4. Team One, get ready to fight. Team Two, support from behind."
"Chances are low, but still—stay sharp for other types of magical creatures…"
"Set the bait first, then deploy the Clay Golems…"
"Alright, boys, let's get to work—gold is walking right to us!"
"Focus up. If we finish this job, we each get another house…"
"Heh, renting to new adventurers is the best. Get your gold back in two months flat."
"Pfft, just good timing, really. The territory's made it clear—houses ain't worth much, can't be traded anyway, everyone gets one…"
"No kidding. We've got ours, but some folks don't…"
"…"
Despite their casual tone, the adventurers were dead serious when it came to battle.
Right under Laura's gaze, a sandworm even bigger than the last one burst out.
Its maw, lined with hundreds of sharp fangs, swallowed the baited lamb leg whole.
Naturally, the moment it emerged, two dragon-hunting bolts had already been launched.
Pfft!
It was hit square in the waist. The barbed bolts, chained with wrist-thick iron links, anchored the beast firmly.
The pain made the sandworm thrash violently.
It instinctively lashed out at the incoming Clay Golem.
But the thick-skinned, tough-bodied Clay Golem wasn't fazed at all.
The prepared adventurers grinned viciously and pulled their triggers.
The battle ended—no different from the last one.
Laura hadn't seen Bay Territory's army in action, but the Alice Adventurer Team's vanguard was already enough to make her nervous.
The Alice Vanguard Team currently had 105 members.
Every single one was a high-level adventurer.
All geared head to toe in magically glowing enchanted equipment.
Each carried two rare spatial items.
Laura couldn't help but compare—realizing even her own magical gear fell short in quality and practicality.
Their combat prowess was just as outstanding. The earlier ambush on the sandworm? That was just one 20-man squad.
From making noise, to setting traps—
To using Clay Golems as bait to lure out the sandworm.
Then unleashing deadly enchanted crossbows in a precise, focused barrage.
The entire battle lasted less than a minute.
Not a single casualty. Not even a hint of celebration in their expressions.
Laura saw it clearly—it was calm, practiced confidence in their tactics.
She saw their meticulous setups, how well they coordinated and adapted—experienced and refined.
Laura ran through her memory of adventurer teams—only a handful could match up.
Yeah—those rare, elite transcendents or legendary adventurer parties.
What shocked Laura even more was Alice herself—tall, radiating power.
This clearly young human ranger had not only undergone Dragon Warrior transformation but wore Thunder Magic Armor.
That alone said plenty—about Alice's team's deep ties with Bay Territory.
Laura could guess: this was the bait to get adventurers working harder on tasks for Bay Territory.
Even if it was obvious bait—
There were still countless adventurers eager to bite!
Even Laura herself was seriously tempted by Alice's situation!
The more she learned about Dragon Warriors, the more she realized—even post-surgery, they could still train and grow stronger.
Laura's curiosity about this enhancement had turned into eager yearning.
The former—for kingdom and people.
The latter—for herself.
Laura had been stuck at peak transcendence for over ten years.
She'd trained hard, faced danger and death repeatedly.
But breaking through the transcendence tier into the legendary still felt like a tangled mess—with no clear path.
Now, any obvious progress could be a major breakthrough for her.
So naturally, Laura wanted to try getting the Dragon Warrior enhancement from Bay Territory.
She believed many of the advanced and transcendental adventurers arriving were thinking the same.
Of course, Bay Territory had clear paths for getting such enhancements.
First: join one of Bay Territory's partner organizations.
Then, wait for a rare opening during the long queue.
Second method was tough too—but a bit easier.
Become a Bay Territory adventurer.
Earn 100,000 merit points and serve Bay Territory for 3 years.
Then, pay 1 million gold at internal rates to complete the first-stage Dragon Warrior transformation.
The third method was the "simplest."
Join Bay Territory, pass the assessment, and become a soldier.