Chapter 170: A Tour of Cities
More than 80% of the cities in the Chaos Forest were already under the control of the Demon King?
If this news were to spread, it would be an explosive revelation. Who could have anticipated that the Demon King has nearly achieved complete dominance over the Chaos Forest almost unnoticed?
If this trend continued, the complete unification of the Chaos Forest would appear to be an imminent event on the horizon.
However, it was worth noting that the Demon King possessed not just one, but multiple subordinates of monarch-level strength.
In light of this, the notion of possessing a kingdom-level power should not be considered peculiar.
Yet, with the unification of the Chaos Forest, it was inevitable that the Thunder Empire in the north, the Sunset Empire in the west, and even the Water Blue Federation would perceive it as a threat. The three major powers could not afford to turn a blind eye and the Chaos Forest would undoubtedly face immense pressure.
At that critical juncture, would the Demon King be able to withstand the mounting challenges?
Shui Yao accepted Li Si's invitation to explore and witness with her own eyes the true extent of the Chaos Forest's resources and wealth.
Li Si raised his staff, and a surge of spatial energy enveloped them. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared from the Demon King's castle.
As Shui Yao regained her senses, she found herself standing amidst the Goblin Farm. What an exceptional showcase of magical power from this draconian priest.
Spatio-temporal attributed magic was considered the most challenging type of magic to master. Even the most talented mages would be considered exceptional if they could achieve short-range teleportation, which was an extremely impressive feat.
Teleportation was an advanced form of spatial magic, known for its extreme difficulty in practice. Yet, this draconian priest displayed such mastery and ease that he hardly even needed to chant incantations. It was evident that his magical prowess was close to that of a master-level Level 5 mage!
With such strength and magical abilities, regardless of where he went on the continent, he would be respected as a formidable individual.
It seemed that there were hidden talents and extraordinary individuals under the Demon King's command.
Shui Yao was being overwhelmed by the unfathomable depths of the Darkness City's strength and resources when her attention was suddenly captivated by the sight of an enormous Spirit Field right before her eyes.
As a mage, Shui Yao could keenly sense the inconceivable life energy surrounding the farm.
Crops within the fields grew rapidly at a visible speed.
At least over ten thousand goblins were toiling away in the fields.
Li Si explained, "This is one of the three major farms in the Darkness City. The food produced by just this farm alone is enough to meet the dietary needs of dozens of large forest populations."
"That much?" Shui Yao exclaimed. "This farm seems to have been blessed by the goddesses of nature and abundance. It's truly miraculous!"
A single farm capable of sustaining millions of people. If she had not witnessed it with her own eyes, Shui Yao would never have believed such a thing was possible. But now, having witnessed the farm's marvels firsthand, she had to accept this reality.
In fact, Li Si's description might even be modest. Because Shui Yao noticed that the goblin farm did not solely cultivate food crops. Approximately one-third of the Spirit Field was dedicated to medicinal herbs.
Murmuring to herself, Shui Yao said, "With just one farm yielding such profits, and the Darkness City boasting three of them, the food pressure in the Chaos Forest must be significantly alleviated."
Li Si chuckled and said, "Huhhuh, although the Darkness City farms are of the highest tier, they are not the largest in terms of scale. Let me bring you to the Giantree City to take a look!"
As they spoke, Li Si waved his hand, and the teleportation magic was once again activated. Since the Darkness City was relatively close to the Giantree City, the teleportation error was minimal. They instantly appeared near the Tree of Miracle.
The land surrounding the Tree of Miracle had been extensively developed, with a radius of twenty to thirty miles transformed into high-quality Spirit Fields. Its scale was much larger than the three farms in the Darkness City combined.
Li Si explained, "This is the elven farm of the Giantree City. It is the largest farm in terms of scale. Currently, it is estimated to employ over a hundred thousand elves, more than enough to sustain tens of millions of people."
"Of course, we don't need that much food, so not all of it will be used for growing crops. We will promote the cultivation of herbs, fruit trees, timber, and other cash crops here."
Shui Yao was deeply shocked.
Could this be the legendary Tree of Life?
No, it was not just a Tree of Life. It was clearly a Tree of Miracle, and the vast expanse of Spirit Fields surrounding it was all created by this Tree of Miracle.
Li Si explained, "This Tree of Miracle is a great gift bestowed upon the elves by our master. Currently, the population of the Giantree City has reached over four hundred thousand and is approaching half a million."
"If we include other races, the population of the Giantree City is close to six hundred thousand, and it will continue to grow towards a million in the future. Although Giantree City is not the main city, it is currently the most popular one."
Generally speaking, forest cities were not of significant scale. The main reason for this was the issue of resources. Settlements in the forest, whether tribes or cities, heavily relied on acquiring living resources from the surrounding environment. However, environmental resources were limited. As the population reached a certain level, the marginal costs increased and the marginal benefits decreased, making it impossible to form cities with millions of people.
But now, the Tree of Miracle had the power to change everything.
Li Si added, "In fact, whether it's the Darkness City farm or the Giantree City elven farm, they might not be the future's most central production bases."
Shui Yao struggled to understand, "What do you mean?"
Li Si replied, "Recently, our master has collaborated with the Flower Fey Demon King and is planning to invest in a large number of flower spirit farms. In the future, their scale might surpass that of the elven farms, with a per-acre yield potentially exceeding that of the Darkness City's farms."
After their conversation, the two of them proceeded to tour Giantree City.
Giantree City had already flourished beyond expectations.
The alchemy workshops were bustling with several thousand, if not tens of thousands, elven alchemists. With abundant material supply and maximum production capacity, they could produce hundreds of thousands or even millions of basic potions daily.
Considering a wholesale price of 100 gold coins per bottle, the daily value of these potions alone would reach billions of gold coins.
Thanks to the elven farms, Darkness City farms, and the promising future of the flower spirit farms, there was no shortage of raw materials.
However, there was one crucial issue to address - the Demon King needed a massive market capable of absorbing such a vast production capacity. Currently, Giantree City's warehouses alone were stocked with approximately five million potions, leaving Shui Yao awestruck and speechless.
But her overwhelming joy could not be contained.
"This is incredible!"
"Absolutely incredible!"
"Our White Sands family specializes in the potion business."
"We are the top-ranked potion merchant in Holy Tides City and among the top three in Pale Moon Kingdom. We operate over four hundred and fifty potion stores across the Azure Water Federation."
Li Si could not help but express his surprise. It was no wonder the master wanted to recruit Shui Yao and have her join the merchant guild.
With over four hundred and fifty potion stores spread throughout various cities in the Azure Water Federation, the vast sales network was more than capable of consuming a substantial portion of the production capacity and generating immense value.
Shui Yao was filled with excitement.
Lately, their family had almost completely lost access to their sources for procuring potions. Even their own established alchemy workshops had come to a halt due to issues like inability to obtain raw materials, alchemists abandoning their positions, or unexplained workshop fires.
This impending situation threatened to bring their business to a complete standstill.
That was why Shui Yao had made the daring decision to spend a hundred million gold coins to purchase potions directly from the recently arrived Dark Dragon merchant guild.
It was undeniably a risky move.
The potion industry demanded exceptional skills in supply chain management.
After all, the quality of medicinal herbs varied greatly, and the proficiency of alchemists ranged from excellent to subpar. If a customer were to experience adverse effects or any complications after consuming a potion, and it was later revealed that the potion was faulty, it would completely tarnish the reputation of the potion store.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, the White Sands family would never consider placing such a substantial order with an unknown and unverified merchant guild. However, the elven potions had proven to be of excellent quality.
The materials used were remarkably fresh, and the elven alchemists exhibited exceptional skills. The potions they offered were both superior in quality and competitively priced.
Shui Yao's mind began to race with possibilities.
The elven alchemy workshops of Giantree City, as well as the Dark Dragon Chamber of Commerce and the White Sands family---if they could form an alliance, they had the potential to become the leading potion merchant in Pale Moon Kingdom. Furthermore, they could even dominate the entire federation's potion market and explore untapped markets on a larger scale.
In such a scenario, not only would the Demon King amass great wealth, but the Dark Dragon merchant guild and the White Sands family would also experience rapid growth and expansion.
"Next," Li Si uttered, "Let's head to Berserk Beast City."
Shui Yao had only skimmed through the various workshops in Giantree City and had not had a chance to fully explore them before being swiftly transported to Berserk Beast City.
In contrast to the neat and picturesque Giantree City, Berserk Beast City had a somewhat rugged appearance.
However, since aligning with the Demon King, Berserk Beast City had undergone remarkable transformations in just over a month. The streets were now filled with shops catering to miners.
There were orc bars, orc barbecue joints, and even an orc bathhouse.
Coincidentally, it was a shift change, and thousands of orc miners were returning to Berserk Beast City, attracting admiring gazes from other orcs.
As it turned out, mining had become the most respectable and profitable occupation in present-day Berserk Beast City.
The orc miners held a prestigious position within the city, and coupled with the abundance of resources, they enjoyed a high standard of living.
Li Si explained, saying, "Berserk Beast City's transformation from a notorious den of thieves to its current state, with numerous forest tribes joining forces, was achieved in just a little over a month."
"At present, Berserk Beast City has four operating mines, and the daily yield of gold and rare minerals alone is valued at millions of gold coins."
"Furthermore, a thousand Dwarves have already settled in Berserk Beast City, preparing to establish Dwarven forges."
"In the future, their focus will be on crafting armor, weapons, and supplying other manufacturers as Berserk Beast City possesses significant advantages in this field."
Li Si even took Shui Yao on a tour of the orcish mines. Here, she was astounded to see the remarkable infrastructure and the increasing efficiency of daily production. However, what truly left her perplexed were the countless sights that seemed incomprehensible to her.
Inside the mines, there were extensive networks of railway tracks laid out. Massive ore trains, rugged and imposing, operated in a seamless and orderly manner, transporting the mined ores directly to the storage areas.
In addition to the magitek locomotives, there were gnomes operating magitek excavators, magitek drills, and magitek crushers, tirelessly assisting in the mining process. Shui Yao even witnessed gnomes piloting magitek helicopters, conducting surveys and explorations of nearby mining sites. The presence of these magitek devices throughout the mines was truly astonishing.
"So, this is the legendary magical technology," Shui Yao exclaimed. "I had believed it to be lost, yet here it is, right before my eyes!"
Li Si provided some insights, saying, "These are the gnome magitechie from Thousand Fangs City. Our master greatly values magical technology and has rewarded Thousand Fangs City with a dedicated magical research institute."
"Through continuous research and development," he continued, "Thousand Fangs City has made remarkable strides in magical technology."
"At present, the mining facilities in Berserk Beast City have been designed, invented, and manufactured by the gnomes of Thousand Fangs City themselves."
"As their experience grows and matures, these advancements will eventually extend to all cities. With the integration of magical technology, both production and daily life will undergo significant and transformative improvements."
Shui Yao had heard that during the heyday of the ancient mage empire, a single large-scale magitek warship could annihilate an entire kingdom. This indicated the tremendous advantage of magical technology.
It was clear that the Demon King highly valued the added value and increased production efficiency brought about by magical technology.
Although its current implementation was still in its primitive stage, given more time to Thousand Fangs City and the Magitek Research Institute, they might eventually master top-notch magical technology.
Moving forward, Shui Yao visited several cities, such as Silver Springs City, Ironheart City, and Bloody Fortress. Each place had its own unique characteristics and had undergone transformations since the Demon King's arrival.
Throughout this process, Shui Yao gradually gained an understanding of the Demon King's strength. His overall power was not inferior to that of some small to medium-sized kingdoms. Even the Empire would need to prepare for significant damage if they sought to eradicate him.
It was unbelievable.
The business opportunities here were enormous. Whether it was potions, equipment, alchemical items, medicinal herbs, ores, food, any of these could pave the way to success.
After a thorough investigation that lasted half a day, Shui Yao finally realized the wisdom of her decision. Apart from the formidable protection offered by the Demon King's immense power, the implications for the White Sands family were profound.
The vast commercial prospects, immense productive capacity, and tremendous cost advantages of the Chaos Forest alone justified such a choice. Aligning with the Demon King and the Dark Dragon Chamber of Commerce would bring nothing but benefits to the White Sands family.
Shui Yao even entertained the daring idea of having the entire clan join forces under the Demon King's banner. She had a growing sense that the development potential of this Demon King might not be limited solely to the Chaos Forest."