Merchant From Earth in the Magical World-Chapter 463 - 380: The Decisive Battle Behind _2

While the Wildwind Principality waged war against the Eternal Domain, an old Orc marshal also commanded the Orc army to attack the Elf-defended Frostleaf City.

Both armies had only recently been re-equipped and were not yet proficient with their new weapons, so their mode of warfare still retained much of its old-fashioned nature. First came a barrage of Magic, then the full army advanced.

The Orcs, fearless in death, charged the towering walls, while the Elves valiantly defended their city from atop the high ramparts. The battle was fierce. However, just as Yan Xing had predicted, the Orcs did not want to sustain heavy losses in this war, so they were only putting in seventy to eighty percent of their effort. It was more like a performance, a bid to demand more alchemical equipment support from the Cloud Tower.

If Anderson could defeat Yan Xing at the Outpost Fort, the Orcs, with renewed force, could then take Frostleaf City, gaining leverage to negotiate terms with Anderson. If the outcome of the battle at the Outpost Fort remained unclear, the Orcs could withdraw at any time to focus on their own Highland City.

A battle plan and a letter requesting support were sent to the Cloud Tower. In their battle plan, the Orcs presented the Tower Mages with a tempting proposition.

"If the Orcs breach Frostleaf City, they can cut off the connection between the Snow Elves and Thunderous Swamp. After regrouping, the Orc army will then strike Thunderous Swamp from the north. If successful, there will be no need for Anderson to defeat the Eternal Domain, as the Orcs can assist Cloud Tower in gaining control over the entire Thunderous Swamp..."

Of course, the Orcs had no plans to enter Thunderous Swamp. The swamp environment was too harsh. The Swamp Tribe dwelling within were formidable enough, not to mention the Alchemist faction that could rival the Cloud Tower. The Orcs lacked the courage to enter Thunderous Swamp, but they possessed the audacity to use it as a pretext to demand benefits... and considerable audacity at that!

The Tower Mages were delighted upon receiving the Orcs’ battle plan. They were unaware of how difficult swamp warfare was and only saw that the defenses on the north side of Thunderous Swamp were much weaker than on the southern side. With Anderson’s Wildwind Principality tying down the Eternal Domain’s main forces, the north side presented an opportunity for the Orcs.

Cloud Tower immediately decided to substantially increase the military supplies provided to the Barbaric Orcs, redirecting a large portion of the materiel originally intended for the Wildwind Principality to them. The Tower Mages, inexperienced in large-scale warfare, did not realize this indicated a looming shortage in their own resources. They believed that with the wealth amassed by the Tower, they could splurge as they pleased, and it was the Goblins’ responsibility to turn these resources into Alchemical Weapons.

Production orders were dispatched to Goblin Alchemy Factories across the world, forcing the Goblins to labor day and night, yet they still could not meet Cloud Tower’s demands. The Tower Mages, however, turned a blind eye to the Goblins’ grueling labor.

They could only see... the Eternal Domain continually sending its weapons to the Silvermane Principality, the Snow Elves, and those noble domains that had allied with Thunderous Swamp.

At a time like this, can Cloud Tower say it’s unable to produce Alchemical Weapons?

What would the powers aligned with Cloud Tower think?

What would those still on the sidelines think?

Thunderous Swamp, with such a small territory, can maintain such a large scale of Alchemical Weapon production.

Can the Goblin Alchemy Factories under Cloud Tower possibly lose in terms of production speed?

Absolutely not.

It’s impossible!

If the Goblin Alchemy Factories cannot fulfill the orders, it’s because you Goblins are being lazy.

If you cannot complete them on time... the Tower Mages will be furious, and the consequences will be severe.

Cloud Tower had never seen an industrialized assembly line, so they naturally could not imagine how terrifying the Eternal Domain’s current production capacity was, nor how low its production costs were. The Mages, indulging in wishful thinking, used the productivity of their own artisanal workshops to estimate the Eternal Domain’s resource production efficiency.

Unwilling to concede defeat in the supply of Alchemical Weapons, the Tower Mages began to exploit the "lazy" Goblins, making life miserable for those working for Cloud Tower.

The Goblins had very little rest each day, continuously processing various alchemical materials. Yet, before one batch of orders was finished, an even greater number of new orders piled on.

However, non-stop work did not enhance efficiency. Fatigue led to a very high defect rate for the handcrafted Alchemical Weapons, and coupled with constant accidents, output failed to improve substantially. This was also the main reason the Cloud Tower Mages believed the Goblins were slacking off.

"We’ve already made you work overtime, so how come you’ve still accomplished so little?"

The Tower Mages were deeply dissatisfied and continually subjected the Goblin Alchemy Factories to high pressure and punishments.

The Goblins, existing as a race under Cloud Tower’s protection, were furious but dared not voice their anger. As a race, Goblins were inherently weak, always enslaved by one species or another. Without Cloud Tower’s protection, they simply could not survive. They had no choice but to continue working even after being punished.

However, at this very moment, a type of pamphlet quietly began to circulate within the Goblin Alchemy Factories.

On the pamphlet’s title page was a message from a Goblin who called himself Gaga. He briefly described his work experience in the Eternal Domain and the emotional journey that led him to decide to leave Cloud Tower’s protection and join this emerging territory.

Turning the page revealed photos of Goblins working in the Eternal Domain. The Goblins in the pictures wore very decent work clothes, laboring in a brightly lit workshop. Around them was machinery that looked incredibly precise, and many humanoid alchemical automatons followed their commands.

Gaga’s words were interspersed among the photos. He described the working environment of the Eternal Domain, boasting about how its machinery made work so much easier.

"Lifting something that weighs dozens of tons requires just the push of a button; grinding a perfectly round steel ball requires just the push of a button; making crystal powder requires just the push of a button... 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Here, we can create any geometric shape we can imagine and then assemble them into the machines of our dreams. Lord Yan Xing never restricts our inventions, even if they turn out to be ridiculous or useless. He is even willing to have his Alchemists assist with the machines we invent, and he doesn’t mind if we waste some precious alchemical materials in the process.

Here, we enjoy a creative freedom we never had before. In contrast, the Mages of Cloud Tower only care about achieving immortality, and everything must serve that single goal."

Gaga then showcased several items invented by the Goblins in the Eternal Domain. Among them were photos of a trial run of a maglev metro system.

Following these were many snapshots of daily life.

"...There are many delicacies here, and our favorite drink is something called ’Cola.’ It’s sweet and fizzes with lots of bubbles.

The only thing we’re dissatisfied with is that... Lord Yan Xing limits our working hours. Even during wartime, Lord Yan Xing only allows us to work ten hours a day. After work, we can use the tools here to make whatever we want, or we can go back to rest or go out and have fun. If Lord Yan Xing likes something we make, we can even receive a hefty reward..."

When Donald’s Farsight Mercenary Corps found themselves unable to operate effectively on the Wildwind Highlands, Yan Xing used transport aircraft to move them out of the region. Among the many tasks Yan Xing assigned them, one was to locate the Goblin Alchemy Factories scattered across various lands and accurately deliver the "gifts" from Goblin Gaga to his friends.

He was well aware that the production capacity of handcrafted Alchemical Weapons was simply no match for the Eternal Domain. As the scale of the war expanded, the alchemical supplies Cloud Tower would need to produce would inevitably exceed the production limits of the Goblin Alchemy Factories. By then, each Goblin Alchemy Factory would devolve into a sweatshop, and Goblins were not a race suited for strenuous physical labor. Oppression would stir various forms of discontent among the Goblins, and exhaustion would make them desperate to escape their plight.

If, at such a time, someone unafraid of Cloud Tower could offer them protection and a comfortable working environment, then they would have even less inclination to work.

Through such a long period of warfare, Thunderous Swamp had already proven its strength. For these Goblins, pushed to the brink of collapse, dying from overwork was one fate; escaping to the Eternal Domain, however, might offer a glimmer of hope...