Chapter 199: Special Compensation
After receiving Adam Smith's confirmation,
Brown and Hawk finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
They looked at the busy Thorn Merchant Guild warehouse, eyeing the many stacked supplies, and couldn't help exchanging glances.
Both of them were no fools and knew that it hadn't taken just a day or two for the Thorn Merchant Guild to stockpile such a large amount of supplies.
This meant that while the Carlisle family was developing the ruins camp,
the Thorn Merchant Guild had continuously been delivering supplies to Bay Territory, seemingly unconcerned about any disruptions.
While they were lost in thought, someone from the Thorn Merchant Guild waved them over:
"Come on, the teleportation is ready to begin!"
Brown and Hawk stepped onto the teleportation array, and after the crushing sensation of temporal shifting, their vision returned to light.
What appeared before them was a small squad of fully armored heavy infantry!
Although the bloodstains on their armor had been cleaned, the aura of recent slaughter still left Brown and Hawk deeply unsettled.
Before leaving, they had spoken with Tres.
They had learned the full details of the battle and knew just how terrifying these seemingly cumbersome heavy infantry soldiers were!
Their intent was obvious—they wanted to replicate them!
But to their dismay, they didn't see the terrifying weapons these heavy infantry soldiers had wielded.
Quickly regaining their composure, the two followed the soldiers out of the warehouse.
The moment they stepped out of the door, they froze.
Towering walls, clean streets.
Rows of soldiers, each exuding a tangible killing intent.
Rows of stone-built houses.
Heavy crossbows radiating an aura of war.
Everything about this scene screamed at them.
Their previous decision not to attack the Murloc Fortress had been the right one!
What surprised them was that they didn't see any prisoners at Murloc Castle.
Logically, even if Bay Territory didn't want to use the prisoners, they wouldn't have abandoned them in the wilderness.
After all, those prisoners were a valuable asset, one that could be exchanged with the Carlisle family for significant benefits.
With growing suspicion, the two reached the center of Murloc Castle.
A towering fortress within a fortress.
Gazing at the internal castle perched atop the hill, Brown and Hawk felt a wave of dizziness.
Just how afraid of death must they be to build such a sturdy fortification in the desolate Foggy Marsh?
Who were they defending against?
The murlocs?
The answer was simple—it was to defend against them!!
After seeing this, they had no thoughts of launching an attack.
If they couldn't take down Murloc Castle, any attempt to threaten other areas of Bay Territory was out of the question!
Humming a light tune, Matthew, freshly arrived via consciousness transmission, received Angela's battle report.
Skimming through it, Matthew quickly noticed that despite their overwhelming advantage, Bay Territory had still suffered some casualties.
Fortunately, the losses were minimal, with only around 30 deaths, yet it still pained Matthew.
Sensing the two approaching, Matthew turned his head, gently stroking the peacefully sleeping Yaya.
Adam Smith, meanwhile, was flipping through information sent by the Assassins' Guild.
On one hand, he was trying to gauge the true intentions of the Carlisle family.
On the other hand, he was understanding their limits to better negotiate benefits for the territory.
Hawk and Brown, following the heavy infantry, entered the scene.
They directly witnessed this moment.
Their hearts skipped a beat upon seeing Yaya unharmed and Matthew smiling, a sense of bitterness welling up inside them.
"Indeed, all of this was within this lord's calculations!"
Putting down the documents, Adam Smith, brimming with confidence, greeted them and invited them to sit:
"Welcome, we've been expecting you."
Seeing the confusion on their faces, Adam Smith couldn't hide his amusement and smiled as he said:
"You two have thoughts about Bay Territory's ruins, shouldn't you have informed us in advance?"
At these words, Hawk and Brown's expressions darkened slightly.
They quickly suppressed their frustration—after all, they were the losers in this.
"Yes, it's our fault!"
"We didn't know the boundaries of Bay Territory, and we apologize for encroaching on your land. We ask for your forgiveness."
Circumstances forced their hand!
They just wanted to resolve this matter quickly and avoid further losses.
As for the future, who could say?
After all, the Carlisle family was not the type to suffer a loss and not seek revenge!
However, it seemed Adam Smith had seen through their thoughts and spoke directly:
"So, on behalf of our lord, I'd like to discuss the matter of compensation…"
"And how to develop the ruins!"
A flicker of realization passed through Brown's mind, and in the muddle of his thoughts, a lightbulb went off.
He focused on Adam Smith's smiling face, catching a glimpse of Matthew in the background, quietly reviewing a spell scroll.
His mind began racing, and exchanging a glance with an excited Hawk, he thought:
"What does this mean?"
"What issues could there be with developing the ruins?"
"Could it be that Bay Territory lacks the manpower to develop the ruins?"
"That's very likely! If that's the case, this is a huge opportunity!"
The two exchanged quick glances and, meeting Adam Smith's gaze, suddenly grew enthusiastic.
Brown patted his chest without hesitation and said:
"We're here to discuss compensation, and we've already brought over some of it, which I'm sure will satisfy Bay Territory."
Seeing how "cooperative" these two were, and thinking of his lord's plan, Adam Smith realized the time was right.
He gave a nod to his lord and, under their eager gazes, led them to a meeting room.
Watching the three of them leave, Angela walked in with a solemn expression.
She leaned in and whispered a few words into Matthew's ear, causing him to put down his scroll with a strange look, and directly ask:
"The first batch of compensation is… twenty half-elves?"
Remembering the pitiful eyes of those half-elves, Angela nodded fiercely before saying with frustration:
"These aren't ordinary half-elves; they're half-elven slaves from the Kingdom of Col."
"Each of them has the potential to become spellcasters and has far longer lifespans than regular humans, making them perfect for focused training…"
"They were originally intended for the Carlisle family to train as alchemists and enchanters, with all the proper documentation."
Half-elven slaves?
Matthew instinctively widened his eyes, rubbing his hands in excitement.
The Eastern Province, the Carlisle family, and half-elves.
With these factors together, he had a vague idea of which half-elf Fate Power had been hinting at.