Golden Dragon: Six Thousand Years of Empire

The Goblin city-state located in the western continent obviously didn't have the privilege to refuse the demands made by Holy Dragon Noah, and thus, Noah also gained a vassal presence in the West.

Indeed, just a vassal. Noah did not choose to bring the Goblin city-state under his rule, nor did he intend to relocate it across hundreds of thousands of miles. Although there was such an idea initially, this plan has been canceled.

Mainly, after seeing the goblins, Noah felt he couldn't tolerate these green-skinned creatures; they challenged his aesthetic sense. Noah didn't want these green creatures frolicking under his nose every day.

Thus, he chose to turn a blind eye and would provide military assistance in exchange for the Goblin engineers' technical support for the Holy Dragon's Land.

The Goblin city-state must ensure at least fifty engineers are stationed in the Holy Dragon's Land to offer technical aid in weapon development, with a requirement to increase this total by ten every decade.

Noah did not specify particular engineers since he was still unfamiliar with the Goblin city-state. Specific requirements can be raised once the engineers settle in and begin weapon development.

This outcome could be considered akin to the initial suggestion from the mage to Noah. However, Noah didn't need to spend a fortune recruiting but instead received high-end technical talents from the vassal Goblin city-state as tribute.

Of course, in return, the goblins would receive military assistance from the Eastern Holy Dragon, with a Cloud Giant legion stationed long-term near the Goblin city-state, protecting these fragile green-skinned dwarfs.

As for the impact this legion would have on the surrounding regional situation, Noah didn't care; it would inevitably be a positive change for the goblins.

This group of arms dealers would undoubtedly expand their living space, and their political status relative to surrounding areas would rapidly increase, allowing them to acquire more resources.

For this reason, Noah required the goblins to dispatch ten additional permanent engineers every decade, and they could bring their families.

If they really missed their homeland, the Goblin city-state would need to send another engineer for rotation, maintaining the required number.

Once the required number of engineers settled, Noah first set requirements for the newly developed weapons' appearance. Without affecting their power, some cost could be added to optimize their design, just enough to make them look elegant.

Noah did not want his army troops to step onto the battlefield with patchwork-looking weapons, letting the enemy mock the stinginess and poverty of him, the Holy Dragon.

The development of new weapons wouldn't take long because the goblins themselves had a very mature weapon system, albeit with designs that Noah found uncommendable.

Therefore, the first batch of engineers only needed to adjust and modify the weapons' appearance under the direction of fairies familiar with Noah's aesthetics, making them simple, beautiful, and elegant before mass production.

These newly designed weapons, which at most could harm Golden Warriors, would be distributed only to the City Defense Army within Noah's territory, as he believed they were not up to standard for the army soldiers.

The army soldiers, who needed to face extreme battle conditions, should be equipped with standard weapons capable of posing a lethal threat to Gold Rank creatures; otherwise, there's no point in equipping them.

The development of such weapons would take some time, though not long, as the Holy Dragon's Land could provide better materials to the goblins, along with Magicians offering engravings and enchantment alchemy techniques for joint development.

However, it was foreseeable that even if these weapons could be produced on an assembly line, their cost would be high, to a level unacceptable by ordinary noble lords.

Just like his foster mother Selena once said, if the money is spent, it might as well be invested in training a few same-level Extraordinary professionals or equipping oneself with stronger gear; it would be more cost-effective than spending on external objects.

Noah didn't mind these because he knew the cost could be infinitely lowered after scaling up on the production line.

Moreover, a crucial factor determining cost is the supply and price of raw materials, but the value of raw materials isn't absolute, as their scarcity is determined by region and demand.

Some seemingly scarce materials are everywhere under special circumstances, like stones by the roadside.

For instance, materials currently coveted by magicians, like Secret Silver Mountain Copper, are only scarce concerning the Material Realm.

In Noah's memory, an ancestor once discovered a metal continent floating in the Void, covered with high-quality, high-purity metal veins.

"Expedition, exploration, colonization..."

The ultimate goal and pursuit for most Dragon Lords choosing to become rulers is to establish a vast empire spanning multiple planes.

This is dictated by the Dragon Clan's nature; once they develop a desire and demand for something, they will always want more and better, never satisfied.

Of course, most Dragon Lords merely entertain the idea, because limited capabilities prevent them from achieving it; turning a Lord into a King is considered a huge evolutionary leap forward, let alone becoming an Emperor.