Sorcery Monarch

Chapter 76: You’re Nothing Special

 

The barbarian Beelzebub ultimately remained in place.

 

It wasn’t just because of the disciplined soldiers, but because the elder shaman Tana had told him before they came: unless faced with a deadly threat, he must hold back.

 

Before he could react, the soldiers at the gate had already begun organizing everyone into lines.

 

“If you could help us with the records, we need to register each person,” said Old John with a smile, eyeing the towering barbarian before gesturing toward the queue.

 

Beelzebub hesitated, staring at Old John. What surprised him was that there was no familiar hostility—only a hint of delight.

 

It was all too strange.

 

Old John, ever the familiar presence, pointed to the line of cart drivers and adventurers, explaining as if it were only natural:

 

“Do you see them? Whether they’re cart drivers, wanderers, adventurers, or even former kobolds, they won’t face unexpected danger as long as they follow the rules of the territory.”

 

Beelzebub observed the soldiers, noting that unlike those he’d encountered before, they weren’t trying to exploit people under the guise of searches or inspections.

 

Every person, including adventurers, had their weapons collected and were handed a slip of paper.

 

“Weapons are registered and stored with the corresponding numbered tag. When you leave the village, you’ll get your weapon back. This is to ensure no violent incidents occur within the village.”

 

The strict weapon control measures went far beyond Beelzebub’s imagination.

 

Even the typically arrogant adventurers, as if they’d been informed beforehand, obediently handed over their weapons without a hint of defiance.

 

It was all so peculiar.

 

Although Beelzebub found the situation strange, he began to relax.

 

Despite Bay Village’s oddities, at least there didn’t seem to be any immediate danger. With his expectations set low, Beelzebub wasn’t asking for much.

 

While everyone lined up to enter the village, the anxious Adam Smith made his way into the lord’s estate, which looked the same as before, entirely unchanged from Bay Village.

 

Behind him, the elder shaman Tana, her face filled with complex emotions, stared at Yaya, who descended from the sky, whispering in disbelief:

 

“A dragon!”

 

Yaya landed precisely on Matthew’s shoulder.

 

She stretched lazily, revealing her graceful form and increasingly radiant silver body.

 

Though small, her wings and claws were sharp and fully developed.

 

Shaman Tana gazed at this near-perfect creature, and terrifying images flashed through her mind as she lowered her head slightly.

 

Stroking Yaya’s smooth back, Matthew scanned Shaman Tana’s stats, smiling slightly as he said:

 

“It seems your battle with the Eastern Empire was quite intense.”

 

His words left everyone else confused, not understanding what Matthew meant.

 

Only Shaman Tana looked at Matthew’s dark eyes in shock, asking fearfully:

 

“How do you know…?”

 

Name: Tana.

 

Age: 112.

 

Class: Level 12 High Shaman, Master Breeder.

 

Status: Chief Shaman of the Hotak Clan on the Eastern Continent.

 

Talent: ???

 

Skills: ???

 

Heritage: ???

 

Attributes: ???

 

Although Matthew hadn’t fully uncovered her power, he had gathered enough information.

 

With a mysterious smile, Matthew avoided answering directly, choosing instead to display his background and strength. In a gentle tone, he said:

 

“Since you know the common language, that makes things easier. We’ve purchased you and your people, and you only need to work for me for five years.”

 

“During those five years, you’ll receive fair wages, plenty of food, and proper conditions.”

 

“After five years, you can leave freely, but you’ll have to give up everything here, and rejoining later would mean starting from scratch.”

 

“Of course, if you don’t agree to these terms, you can simply owe me 1,000 gold coins and work it off before leaving.”

 

Shaman Tana, who had dealt with countless people, suddenly found Matthew impossible to read. The terms were incredibly generous, but that only deepened her suspicion.

 

However, as Matthew had pointed out, she seemed powerless to resist.

 

After the Hotak Clan suffered devastating losses in battle against the terrifying forces of the Eastern Empire, nearly losing all their able-bodied fighters, their fate had been sealed.

 

Seeing her spirit so broken, Matthew couldn’t help but think that this once-background-only conflict might be far more complex than he had imagined. He continued calmly:

 

“There’s nothing special about you. Don’t worry—if you want to stay longer in Bay Village, you should learn the common language properly.”

 

Before he could finish speaking, Matthew turned and left. Only then did Golden Fang and Silver Fang finally take their fierce gazes off the old shaman’s vital points.

 

She stood there, stunned!

 

Back at the lord’s estate, Ralph took the supply list from Adam Smith, quickly noticing a change in the figures.

 

“Two million pounds of wheat, total cost 1,100 gold coins, with the price per pound rising by 1 copper coin?”

 

“Three thousand pounds of spell components, total cost 360 gold coins, with the price per pound rising by 2 silver coins?”

 

Ralph promptly informed Matthew of the change, and Matthew quickly identified the issue:

 

“These seemingly minor shifts are actually quite significant within the Netheril Empire.”

 

“The former represents the foundation of livelihood, and the latter indicates fluctuations among spellcasters.”

 

“Have the prices of production materials dropped?”

 

If it were only one or two items, Matthew wouldn’t have thought much of it.

 

But when nearly all material prices fluctuated, combined with his memories, he quickly noticed something was amiss.

 

“It seems that, with the limited scope I used to have, I missed noticing the subtle causes of these changes.”

 

“Now, it’s clear—some factions have already begun making preparations.”

 

“After all, divination magic isn’t rare…”

 

“Perhaps they only saw fragments, but the changes are real!”

 

Many thoughts flashed through Matthew’s mind before he set them aside to focus on the present.

 

Bay Village had already stored up 4.4 million pounds of wheat, enough to feed 22,000 people for a year.

 

Nearly 5,000 pounds of spell materials had been stockpiled—sufficient for him and the trainees for a long time.

 

For now, these supplies weren’t an immediate concern!

 

However, in Matthew’s plans, Bay Village was destined for continuous expansion, recruiting new people almost every week.

 

With six months until the heavy snows of winter, and a steady recruitment pace of around 1,500 people per month...

 

By the time winter approached, Bay Village’s population could reach as high as 35,000.

 

Not to mention the terrifying orc wave of destruction that was expected next year!

 

What they had now was far from enough.