Merchant From Earth in the Magical World

When it came to specialized knowledge, Duan'er's thinking was very clear. He replied to Yan Xing, "Consuming magical elements of a certain attribute doesn't guarantee that a magical beast will develop demonization of that same attribute.

Generally, those that fly in the sky will develop air-attribute demonization.

Those that run on the ground will develop earth-attribute demonization.

Those that swim in the water will develop water-attribute demonization.

Creatures that live in Hell mostly develop fire-attribute demonization.

My Lord, the fact that your warhorse can develop air-attribute demonization is extremely rare; all the horses in the Eternal Domain's stables develop earth-attribute demonization.

Chickens are somewhat special.

Since they have wings like birds, they can develop air-attribute demonization. They also run on the ground, so they can develop earth-attribute demonization as well.

If you want them to develop water-attribute or fire-attribute demonization, it isn't as simple as just feeding them feed with the corresponding magical elements."

"Oh, I see," Yan Xing said in realization.

These chickens were originally raised for meat. Having them develop two types of attribute demonization is already an incredibly unexpected gain. Why would I hope for three or four types? One needs to know when to be content.

Recalling the promise Yan Xing had made to him and Li Zhua before leaving for Nuta City, Duan'er asked, "My Lord, you said... if Li Zhua and I can raise a few magical beast chickens for you, you would give each of us one. When will you give them to us?"

Yan Xing smiled. "After the meeting, each of you can pick one. Take it to Thunderous Swamp and see if they can adapt to the environment there. Also, summarize your experience in raising chickens and train a group of chicken farmers for me. Soon, there will be even more chickens for you to raise."

Upon hearing this, Duan'er and Li Zhua immediately stood up and bowed to Yan Xing. "Thank you, My Lord."

Yan Xing had the two Werewolf Clan Leaders sit down and said, "Let's set aside the matter of the magical beast chickens for now. We should discuss how to use this time to enhance our strength. The Eternal Domain does not aspire to compete with the Silvermane Principality, the Barbaric Orcs, and the Snow Elves for supremacy in the Wildwind Highlands. However, we must possess the military strength to keep them outside Thunderous Swamp when we are forced to face war.

"Clan Leader Li Zhua made an excellent point just now. Merely relying on the current Eternal Domain and the Werewolf Tribes at the southern edge of Thunderous Swamp is not enough to deter enemies hostile to us. During the lull in the three-way war, we must venture deeper north into Thunderous Swamp and persuade more Werewolf Tribes to join us. We need to organize the werewolves who are willing to grow stronger with us, so we can jointly defend our homeland, protecting our land and our wealth."

Duan'er looked thoughtful after hearing Yan Xing's words.

Li Zhua then asked, "My Lord, what should we do? The Werewolf Tribes inside Thunderous Swamp are usually very strong. They tame many Poison Flies and even Dragon Flies. Some tribes even possess Swamp Lizards or other, more powerful swamp magical beasts. They use these magical beasts for hunting, so they aren't desperate for food. They won't join us easily."

Poison Flies are Fifth Order swamp magical beasts.

Dragon Flies are an upgraded version of Poison Flies, Sixth Order magical beasts capable of casting magic that weakens and enfeebles enemies.

Swamp Lizards are Seventh Order magical beasts capable of casting Petrification Magic.

Eighth Order: Swamp Behemoths.

Ninth Order: Snakehide Buffaloes.

Tenth Order: Snakehide Brutes.

Eleventh Order: Bipedal Flying Dragons.

Twelfth Order: Bipedal Wyvern Kings.

The powerful Werewolf Tribes living deeper in Thunderous Swamp tame more, higher-order swamp magical beasts, so they naturally capture more prey. Since they are not in urgent need of food, they cannot be bought off with it.

Yan Xing slowly outlined his plan. "We have one month to prepare. During this month, you are to send more werewolves equipped with Eternal Domain slingshots deeper into Thunderous Swamp. They should go to those Werewolf Tribes to promote the slingshots. I will accept any materials in exchange for the slingshots, even offering them on credit.

"While promoting the slingshots, you need to ascertain the distribution and strength of the Werewolf Tribes and Lizardmen Clans deep within Thunderous Swamp. The terrain inside the swamp must also be meticulously recorded. I will also survey the terrain of Thunderous Swamp from the air. Working together, combining aerial and ground reconnaissance, we will create a relatively detailed topographical map of Thunderous Swamp.

"Duan'er, you need to accelerate the establishment of the Southern Camp and the training of the militia. A month from now, when war breaks out within Thunderous Swamp, the Southern Camp must achieve combat readiness quickly. If you lack any supplies, find Gao Sipa.

"Li Zhua, you must organize a delegation to visit the neighboring Werewolf Tribes. Make it clear to them that Eternal Commerce and Trade is very keen on establishing trade relations. They can trade goods they possess, such as agarwood, furs, and herbs, for everyday necessities from us—items like iron pots, basins, soap, and fabric. You can also appropriately display our strength. Try to establish mutually beneficial and friendly relations with the Werewolf Tribes adjacent to us. This will help stabilize our northern border during the war that will erupt deep within Thunderous Swamp in a month."

Between the Werewolf Tribes on the southern edge of Thunderous Swamp and the domains of the Werewolf Clan Leaders deeper in the swamp, other Werewolf Tribes were scattered. These tribes possessed intermediate strength.

If I want to strike deep into Thunderous Swamp and initiate development from its core, I must first stabilize these nearby Werewolf Tribes during this period.

Duan'er and Li Zhua accepted the command together, "Yes, My Lord. We will certainly complete the tasks you have assigned us."

Duan'er then asked curiously, "My Lord, you mentioned a war will break out deep within Thunderous Swamp in a month... Who exactly are we going to fight?"

Yan Xing chuckled. "I don't even know the actual situation deep within Thunderous Swamp, so I have no idea who to fight. However, a war *must* break out within Thunderous Swamp in a month; only then will we have an excuse to intervene."

As for how a war could start inside Thunderous Swamp... I hope the Werewolf Tribes, armed with slingshots, will try to seize territory from the Lizardmen Clans. Alternatively, the Lizardmen Clans, seeing the Werewolves' increased martial strength and feeling threatened, might preemptively attack the Werewolf Tribes. If they don't fight, I'll find other ways to make them.

Yan Xing knew that as the two main races within the Swamp Tribe, Werewolves and Lizardmen harbored significant conflict. Even without external provocation, powerful Werewolf Tribes and Lizardmen Clans would clash for various reasons. Lizardmen were adept at both ranged and melee combat and were generally two orders higher than Werewolves, thus often holding a significant advantage in conflicts. Werewolves had to rely on numerical superiority and endure substantial losses to protect their interests and territory.

Now, Yan Xing was arming the Werewolf Tribes deep in Thunderous Swamp with a large number of slingshots. The Eternal Domain slingshots, fitted with rubber bands specially customized by Yan Xing, could shatter a brick from twenty meters away. Their lethality was no less than that of the rudimentary bows and arrows made by Lizardmen. They could even completely surpass Lizardmen archers in rate of fire and personal ammunition reserves. The dense forest environment of Thunderous Swamp also favored the small, handy slingshots.

Consequently, large Werewolf Tribes deep in Thunderous Swamp, equipped with these slingshots, would gain an advantage in suppressing Lizardmen at mid-range. Combined with their numerical superiority, they would very likely take the initiative to attack the Lizardmen Clans that had long bullied them.

Even if those large Werewolf Tribes obtained slingshots but still didn't attack the Lizardmen Clans, I could continue to sell them Steel Chains and keep arming them. I believe that as long as I keep supplying weapons to the Werewolf Tribes, there will definitely come a moment when they cross a threshold, and the armed Werewolves will attack the Lizardmen.

At that point, large-scale racial warfare would erupt within the entirety of Thunderous Swamp. The forces of the Eternal Domain, having completed military preparations, could then seize the opportunity to intervene, thrusting our influence from the fringes of Thunderous Swamp deep into its heartland in one swift move.

As for the strategy to employ at that time, it will depend on acquiring more detailed information about the interior of Thunderous Swamp and then formulating plans based on the specific situation.

After all, these Werewolf Tribes along the southern edge of Thunderous Swamp rarely left their own territories. Their knowledge of the depths of Thunderous Swamp might even be less than their familiarity with the grasslands outside it. They only knew that, in recent years, the deeper parts of Thunderous Swamp had been relatively peaceful. Small-scale conflicts between Werewolves and Lizardmen were continuous, but no large-scale wars had erupted. This indicated that the Werewolf Tribes and Lizardmen Clans deeper in the swamp had reached a certain balance of power.

What I need to do is disrupt this balance; the conflicts between the races will then naturally intensify.