Arcane Emperor

The reason the Nesserite Empire was able to grow and expand robustly amidst the double pincer attacks of Barbarians and Orcs was precisely because they greatly developed and nurtured Arcanists.

Of course, success by Arcanists, downfall by Arcanists!

When an empire's armed forces start to become extreme, there will inevitably arise huge hidden dangers and drawbacks.

Butler Ralph, who had curbed his excitement, opened his throat and exclaimed loudly,

"You should feel fortunate to have our Lord presiding here; these Mutant Creatures are merely lambs to the slaughter."

"Likewise, you must not become negligent due to this and always depend on our Lord to take action."

"You ought to fulfill the role you're supposed to play and earn every bit of your harvest and rewards..."

Angela, who personally retrieved a large chunk of Flesh Essence and rushed back, bit her lip slightly and lowered her head, her face under the silver mask tinged with hints of unease.

Unbeknownst to her, Matthew gently patted her shoulder and comforted her in a soft, calming voice,

"Don't worry, with me as your support, you can display your talents to your heart's content."

The young Lady Knight, unaccustomed to such treatment, felt the impulse of "a soldier dies for those who appreciate them" surge within her.

She nodded solemnly, then gave a salute, and began commanding the Soldiers to clean up the battlefield and resume their journey as quickly as possible.

Seeing his Mana Points were all but depleted, Matthew savored the real-time Hit Points display of the Mutated Crocodile, and chuckled as he saw his Experience Points (EXP) accumulated to 800 and his Skill Points up by 4.

"Indeed, recruiting a bunch of brawlers is absolutely necessary..."

"Taking action at a crucial moment not only establishes one's prestige but also legitimately secures the kills for oneself."

After dealing with that large wave of Mutant Creatures, their numbers once again thinned out.

The Soldiers were able to relax somewhat.

Angela directed the Soldiers to take turns resting.

She also had Soldiers who hadn't fought before work together to try and kill some Mutant Creatures, to increase their combat experience and hone their fighting skills.

Angela did this to prevent any mishaps during potential crises later when Soldiers without real combat experience might panic or perform unstably.

How are veterans made?

They are trained up from recruits!

Matthew saw even more clearly that among the original 20 Soldiers, only half were Professional Warriors, and only Elder John and Captain Sean had reached Level 3.

After several hours of battle, four more had set foot on the path of the warrior, becoming Level 1 Professionals.

The rest of the Soldiers had also improved in strength to some extent.

Matthew's prime focus, Leon, was growing at a remarkably fast rate.

In just over an hour, he had learned Basic Swordsmanship LV1 from Elder John and made significant progress with his White Wolf Sword Technique, advancing towards LV2.

Such astonishing growth left Matthew inexplicably amazed.

Indeed, the more turbulent the times, the greater the chance that heroes will emerge.

Is it because the old order is shattered, giving others more opportunity?

Or is it the world itself sensing imminent danger and making an effort to fight back?

Matthew, who hadn't taken action again, was happy to enjoy the benefits brought by everyone's combat.

30 EXP isn't much, but 10 EXP isn't little either!

Matthew's accumulated Experience Points were, unbeknownst to him, nearing 900.

Then, Butler Ralph glanced at the Enchanted Box of Flesh Essence and, after doing some quick calculations, approached Lord Matthew's ear somewhat sheepishly and murmured,

"The 3000 gold coins provided by the family, 2500 were used to purchase various materials, and of the remaining 500 gold coins, 230 have already been handed out..."

The smile beneath the mask suddenly stiffened, and Matthew felt a sense of disorientation like when he first entered the game.

Indeed, no matter the world, money is something one simply cannot do without!

Though spending money was fast, the returns were not absent.

The Soldiers were in high spirits, and essentially, Matthew had almost brought them under his sway.

From the occasional respectful glances they cast his way, they were nearly beyond his control.

Matthew felt the money was well-spent—a mere few hundred gold coins had built an image of a dignified, powerful, and trustworthy Lord.

An extremely worthwhile deal!

Of course, Butler Ralph also needed to be well "appeased."

His strength might not be very formidable, but his managerial abilities were quite outstanding, and he was a talent that could be trusted. Matthew said very patiently and softly,

"It's okay, just go ahead with the expenses. If we are short on gold coins, we can exchange them for some fine weapons at a discounted price."

"When we return to our territory, I will immediately deal with these Flesh Essences and refine them into Life Potions and Enchanted Weapons."

"As long as we can find a channel to sell them, we can immediately exchange them for a large amount of gold coins and resources."

"Given the materials we have now obtained, earning 1000 gold coins is totally within reach, with a profit margin of at least threefold."

Butler Ralph, having taken another reassuring pill, nodded in agreement, continued to exchange gold coins for the soldiers, recorded their merits, and maintained everyone's morale.

In his heart, though, he was reminiscing over Matthew's awe-inspiring spellcasting abilities from just a moment ago.

Thinking of Matthew's show-of-force today, he immediately realized that My Lord might be hiding some cards, of which even he was not aware.

This, on the contrary, made Butler Ralph feel even more reassured!

The blood moon in the sky had turned completely crimson, without a trace of white left.

Looking out, the whole world seemed somewhat distorted and terrifying under the shroud of the blood-colored moonlight.

The journey was already 2/3 complete, and the caravan was about to leave the Misty Swamp.

A dense and noisy sound gradually approached from the distance.

At first, it was just a faint clatter, and everyone thought it might be the chirping of insects or the roars of Mutant Creatures.

But when those swarms of dark shadows surged towards them, Elder John cried out sharply,

"A large number of enemies spotted ahead!"

Leon, looking at the blood-red figures one after another, started to feel a bit of nervousness, his breathing under the mask becoming slightly heavier.

Elder John patted him on the shoulder and said with firm assurance,

"Don't panic. Stay calm to resolve the danger and kill the enemies."

"The more reckless you are, the greater the chance of death..."

Regulating his breathing and forcing himself to calm down, Leon gratefully looked at Elder John, discarded any distractions, and focused intently on the enemies in the distance.

"Halt the advance!"

Angela took out her monocular telescope and, peering through the now thin and gauzy mist, she saw hundreds of Mutated Fishmen.

Angela's expression changed, but then she quickly remembered Matthew's consolations and suppressed her emotions to command with composure,

"Bring all the carriages over, with their tails facing outwards, and the horses facing inwards, to form a circle."

"Groups of three soldiers each—take Long Wooden Shields from cargo cart number seven, prop them up to block the gaps."

"Trained militias, step forward. Take spears from cargo cart number ten to assist those with shields in sealing all the gaps."

"John and Sean, you two will be in charge of leading the first and second row of spearmen. Arrange a fixed position for them, and teach them how to exert force..."

"Those who can use arrows, stand up. You'll stand atop the cargo vehicles and shoot down at the larger Mutated Fishmen from a superior position."

"Remember, aim carefully before shooting. Attacks to the head are effective, otherwise, it'll be a waste of strength and arrows..."

"Cart drivers from team nine, get the fuel tanks from cargo cart number nine, and distribute them evenly around us."

"Get more shields out and dig a trench around the outside of the caravan at the fastest pace, then block it up with the shields."

"The rest of you, pick up spears, be aware that Mutated Fishmen will try to squeeze through the gaps under the wagons—stab their heads fiercely."

"..."

Angela's voice and commands became faster and faster, and Butler Ralph also joined in to help with the arrangements.

Touching the tip of his nose silently, Matthew watched the swarming Mutated Fishmen approaching and felt an unexplainable sense of weirdness and release.

"I knew that misfortune wouldn't be so easy to shake off..."

"If we had not dealt with the two Mutated Crocodiles earlier and instead abandoned all the supplies to flee forward, it's very likely that we'd be sandwiched between the Mutated Fishmen and Mutated Crocodiles!"

"Indeed, the more you try to dodge, the greater the danger becomes until there's no escape, no way to avoid it!"

Looking at the Attributes panel, Matthew stood up under everyone's gaze, caressed his Magic Wand, and looked calmly towards the distance. His serene demeanor inspired the soldiers.

Stop looking at me, this is the only help I can offer for now!