Water Mage in the Flame Realm-Chapter 428 - 408: Development Amid Adversity

In simple terms, the rapid development of Wildfire Territory began when Andrew initially went to the Warm Fire Commerce Association and negotiated numerous "business cooperations" with them.

During that period, Andrew was busy making products such as magic facial masks, lip balm, eye drops, and Soul Defense Scrolls, greatly reducing the frequency of communication with Wildfire Territory and An Ya.

However, the benefits brought by the business cooperation were solidly obtained by Wildfire Territory.

One should know that Wildfire Territory, as part of the unprecedented life form of Andrew, the Magic Lord, could fully enjoy the gains from the "Fire Extinguishing Upgrade Method."

And all of Andrew’s business cooperations with the Warm Fire Commerce Association had Fire Extinguishing Value profits!

Although the environment in the Flame Realm is harsh, it precisely resulted in a super large market for the many "fire extinguishing products" Andrew made.

When the business cooperation was successfully launched and built, the Fire Extinguishing Value obtained was massive.

Half of this Fire Extinguishing Value belonged to the Warm Fire Commerce Association, mostly used to accelerate the "Fire Creation Plan," aimed at shaping the legendary "Eighth Fire."

The remaining half, as an individual, Andrew needed only a bit; more would be too much for him to absorb.

Thus, nearly half of the Fire Extinguishing Value profits from the business cooperation actually flowed back to Wildfire Territory.

"I see, so that’s how it is!"

At this point, Andrew felt like he was reading a book and already had some understanding of why the Water Tower Tree, Shire, had grown so tall and robust.

After all, even nearly half of the business cooperation’s Fire Extinguishing Value is still massive.

The enormous Fire Extinguishing Value was first injected into the Lake of the Ocean, helping the already nearly dried-up lake rise continuously in water level.

As the water level of the Lake of the Ocean rose, the moisture the Water Tower Tree could absorb increased accordingly.

Shire is directly above the Lake of the Ocean and benefits the most from it.

In the Inner Sea Desert, having water and trees are the two most important things, equivalent to having the two most essential and fundamental conditions for continuing to grow stronger!

"So, when I was too busy with business cooperation and somewhat neglected the rear base, it was actually when Wildfire Territory began to rise?" Andrew marveled to himself.

Continuing to "read," he was surprised to "read" that after acquiring a large amount of extremely precious water resources and having the largest Water Tower Tree in the Inner Sea Desert, Wildfire Territory was besieged.

"What? Wildfire Territory was actually besieged?"

Andrew was taken aback, "How come I didn’t know about this at all?! Did Sister An Ya deliberately avoid reporting it to me to not disturb me? Even Ivan didn’t tell me?"

Hurriedly continuing to read, he discovered that——

The besiegers of Wildfire Territory were not the Magic Guild.

Instead, it was the various sized towns in the Inner Sea Desert at that time!

"This..."

Andrew frowned, then relaxed after a moment, letting out a gentle breath.

Overall, the desert dwellers across the Inner Sea Desert were relatively simple folk.

But negative aspects of human nature are inevitable.

Of course, the most important reason was that the "temptation" was too great.

The Lake of the Ocean underground was one thing, but a Water Tower Tree that suddenly grew rapidly above ground in a short time was too conspicuous in the Inner Sea Desert.

It wasn’t even like carrying gold across a busy market.

It was basically like throwing a piece of fresh meat into a pack of vicious wolves!

A large number of desperados gathered and launched an assault on Wildfire Territory.

Andrew carefully examined the time this incident occurred; it was the third day after he informed An Ya and Ivan that he would go with the Warm Fire Commerce Association to participate in the Royal Court negotiations.

"I guess Sister An Ya and Ivan didn’t want me to be distracted, so they didn’t tell me about this?" Andrew thought, "But if this matter is not handled well, it could indeed be more troublesome than imagined!"

With the strength of Wildfire Territory, they would naturally not be concerned about some unruly mob.

The real point was: what impact would Wildfire Territory’s handling of this incident have on everyone in the Inner Sea Desert?

If handled too leniently, it would give the impression of being weak and easily bullied, leading some who were secretly watching and lacked the courage to act to possibly have bad ideas.

On the other hand, if handled too harshly, it would give those who could be allies the impression that Wildfire Territory was overly cruel and severe.

After all, the Lake of the Ocean nourished not just Wildfire Territory and Shire, but all Water Tower Trees and all towns built next to them in the Inner Sea Desert.

——Wildfire Territory and the towns across the desert are naturally one entity, not in an adversarial relationship!

Andrew understood this principle but admitted that if he faced the problem personally at that time, he didn’t have any particularly good solutions.

Ivan was a rough man and probably wouldn’t have a suitable solution either.

Thankfully, there was An Ya.

Unconsciously holding his breath, Andrew carefully read about how An Ya handled the situation at that time.

First, An Ya directly sent Ivan, who, outside of Wildfire Territory, by relying on his own strength, under the watchful eyes of countless people paying attention to the battle, crushed the attacking thugs in just three seconds.

"Hmm, first and foremost, we must respond and retaliate with thunderous means."

Andrew nodded silently; it wasn’t too surprising. This method of handling wasn’t difficult to think of.

An Ya immediately ordered: Execute the three ringleaders of the villainous group, then capture the others without killing or imprisoning them but send them back to their original towns.

"Oh? So this is a strategy of punishing only the chief criminals and not questioning the rest?"

Andrew pondered for a moment and continued reading: An Ya did not merely send people to escort the villains back to their towns; she also dispatched at least one specialist familiar with botany and efficient water usage to each desert town.

Simply put, she sent a specialist who "understands the Water Tower Tree" to every town.

The reason is simple: The Lake of the Ocean doesn’t only nurture Shire; Shire has just benefited the most, or rather, benefited first.

In fact, all Water Tower Trees in the Inner Sea Desert will gradually benefit as the water level of the Lake of the Ocean recovers.

An Ya’s objective was to make people in each town understand a principle: Don’t envy our Wildfire Territory’s resources because everyone holds a treasure in their hands.

Upon reading this, Andrew fell silent.

An Ya’s approach indeed seemed firm yet flexible, with clear thinking, broad vision, and strong strategic foresight.

"The question is... is An Ya being too naive?"

Andrew furrowed his brows again, "Only dispatching specialists to towns for Water Tower Tree maintenance and efficient use without sending a force for protection or a team to handle the instability in these towns?"

It’s not that Andrew is pessimistic about human nature, but every Water Tower Tree in the Inner Sea Desert is a precious asset; they cannot be compromised.

Water Tower Trees need not only maintenance and utilization but also tight protection.

Andrew still remembers the crisis when Shire was nearly cut down and killed by Wildfire Town’s former mayor!

In fact, at that time, Ivan raised objections to An Ya: "The safety of Water Tower Trees in each town—let’s set that aside for now. What I want to ask is, who is safeguarding the personal safety of the specialists sent to each town?"

An Ya’s response was: "I understand your point, Ivan. I’ve considered that, which is why I want to ask you to go to Hunting Wasteland City."

"Hunting Wasteland City?" Ivan was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, then quickly nodded, "Understood, then it’s no problem; leave it to me."

At that moment, Andrew almost immediately grasped An Ya’s true intentions.

She hadn’t neglected the safety of Water Tower Trees and the specialists.

On the contrary, she had considered it thoroughly.

She planned to utilize the power of Hunting Wasteland City to maintain regional stability in the desert.

Moreover, she intended to use this opportunity to resolve issues and eliminate hidden dangers related to Hunting Wasteland City!

Remember, after the First Dual Fire War, the existence of Hunting Wasteland City became somewhat delicate and sensitive.

Before the Dual Fire War, Hunting Wasteland City stood steadfastly on the desert’s edge for countless ages.

It was a city built, run, and managed by Desert Hunters.

The hunters in the city were almost all top-tier hunters.

They hunted Desolate Beasts in the desert, dismembered them, and sold them as top-notch magic materials.

However, after the First Dual Fire War, everything changed.

Because nearly all Desolate Beasts in the desert were "exorcised" by Andrew!

The remaining beasts mostly went to Wildfire Territory post-war and voluntarily accepted Andrew’s exorcism.

—Simply put, no more Desolate Beasts roamed the desert, rendering the hunters of Hunting Wasteland City essentially unemployed!

The predecessors of Desert Hunters were the Deep Blue Guard. Each hunter was a "Deep Blue Guard whose powers were sealed by the Earth Fire Curse," just like Ivan in the past.

If not handled properly, these people are not mere rabble but could become an unstable force.

A professional group with strength not matching Flame Warriors or Crimson Knights but still quite formidable suddenly faces mass unemployment, it’s a terrifying prospect.

Especially as they used to sell beast materials mainly to the Magic Guild’s Earth Fire Mages, with little trade involving the Warm Fire Commerce Association.

Ivan once even served as a hired bodyguard for Earth Fire Mages.

If mishandled, Hunting Wasteland City could wholly join the Magic Guild and become a foothold for the Guild in the Inner Sea Desert!

Reading this, Andrew’s heart hung entirely with An Ya and Ivan, contemplating: "Regarding Hunting Wasteland City’s issue, I am aware. My original plan was to address this after Royal Court negotiations, to return to Wildfire Territory and handle Hunting Wasteland City’s problem. This force, even if not aiding us, must never assist the Magic Guild."

For Desert Hunters, simply telling them—"You are under the Earth Fire Curse, and I can help remove the curse"—might be effective but not highly persuasive.

The Earth Fire Curse doesn’t affect the Hunters’ daily lives; it just prevents them from surpassing limits to revert to their full form as Deep Blue Guard.

In other words, most of the Hunters don’t care about any curses.

They don’t even know or believe they are cursed, merely viewing it as a distant rumor.