My family runs an adventurer's guild.

For a time, the streets and alleys of Jiliubao were filled with the tempting aroma of grilled fish, shrimp, crab and shellfish.

"...Tsk tsk! Such fresh grilled tuna! It's been so long since I've tasted this flavor..."

"...And this sea cucumber is pretty good too! It's even alive! That big crab just pinched my nose!"

"...Thinking back, we used to look at the sea every day but never get to eat any fish. It was such a strange life... Thankfully, those awful days are finally over! There's so much fish in the market now, all thanks to that orange cat named Tony!"

"...Yes, yes, after we finish eating, we'll go thank this kind Mr. Tony...What kind of gift do you think would be best?"

"...What nonsense are you talking about! How can you address such a distinguished person by his first name? You should call him Mr. Stark or Lord Cat!"

"...Ah, thank you for reminding me. I will be careful when I see Lord Cat later."

"...Also, for the cat's gift, let's choose a mouse and a sparrow! There's no cat in the world that doesn't like those two things..."

While ordinary citizens were indulging in seafood dishes, picking their teeth and chatting idly, some astute businessmen in Stromgarde were already planning to use the canning technology Tony had provided to quickly create an industry chain—building canned fish and crab factories in Stromgarde, and then sailing upstream along the Cold River next to the city to sell the canned goods at various colonies upstream.

Just like how fresh ribbonfish from the Zhoushan Islands can fetch six times the price after being airlifted to Urumqi, inland residents of this world would also be willing to spend a few extra dollars to have a rare and high-class dish (canned seafood) on their dining table...

The plan to use the surplus magic of the Arc Reactor to build magical streetlights and a musical clock tower in Stromgarde City has also been put on the agenda.

"...This place is really...full of vitality! The new teleportation array has only been open for such a short time..."

Watching the local bigwigs arguing in front of the Dragon King about the distribution of profits from the seafood cannery project in the city hall, the future Black Panther T'Challa was momentarily stunned and couldn't help but exclaim to Ferry, "...How come it already feels like it has brought about such a big change?"

"...Because this is an industrial revolution accelerating right before our eyes, Your Highness!"

Phil curled his lip. "...I think you can probably guess what a drastic change this will be, meow!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

On Earth, the core of every industrial revolution has actually been a revolution in energy conversion methods.

Thousands of years before the Industrial Revolution, people on Earth already knew how to use various energy sources—the ancient people of the Mesopotamian Middle East knew that oil and natural gas could be burned; the ancient Romans built watermills along rivers, and the ancient Chinese also had the technology to build windmills.

However, ancient human civilizations had obvious limitations and problems in their use of the above-mentioned energy. The key issue was that they did not know how to convert between different types of energy. At that time, the only way to convert energy was to rely on one thing: the human or animal's own body.

In the natural metabolic process, humans and other animals burn organic fuels (that is, food) to convert energy into muscle movement.

For this reason, the history of human civilization has historically been dominated by two major cycles: the growth cycle of plants and the cycle of solar energy changes (day and night, summer and winter). Many of the rules and customs of agricultural societies also originated from these two cycles.

It is easy to imagine that if we get rid of this backward model that relies on human and animal power, it will inevitably bring about tremendous changes.

The Industrial Revolution was a massive, all-encompassing transformation—with the widespread adoption of the steam engine and internal combustion engine, the basic energy source for human society shifted to fossil fuels, represented by coal and oil. Energy density increased hundreds of times, and the social economy finally broke free from the constraints of the "Malthusian trap," no longer stagnating at a low level, but rapidly exhibiting exponential growth...

In the fantastical world where Phil and his friends live, the situation is slightly different because of the existence of magic. As early as the agricultural civilization stage, magicians had already mastered various ways of converting between different energies. Just like the diverse ways of using electricity in modern industrial society, they could use the magic power contained in magic crystals to release all kinds of spells: the magic power in the magical world can be roughly compared to the electricity in industrial society.

However, the supply of magic is generally not as cheap, abundant, or stable as electricity, and magic crystals are many times more expensive than batteries. Therefore, the vast majority of magicians can only cast spells sparingly and with careful budgeting. Miracles brought about by magic cannot be as widespread as electricity on modern Earth; instead, they remain the privilege of a few, a luxury that most ordinary people can only experience occasionally…

However, the magical version of the Arc Reactor that Tony Stark has been tinkering with in this world is equivalent to lighting up the magic well technology for the people of this world—moreover, it's not that the heavens have bestowed upon them a magic well, but that mortals can create countless magic wells on their own!

Once there is a continuous and massive supply of cheap magic, magicians will not need any research or exploration. They can simply connect various practical spells that have been passed down for centuries to the Ark reactor and cast them on a large scale, instantly changing the face of the entire society!

—Cast natural spells on every farm to stimulate plant growth; illuminate every street with enchanted lamps of "Eternal Light"; enchant every sword; mass-produce houses and fortresses with magic, even build cities from nothing; mass-produce everyday necessities with transmutation; mass-produce healing potions like canned beverages; make magical communication as readily available as telegrams for civilian use…

From communications to transportation, from agriculture to industry, from warfare to medicine… all sorts of ways to improve social life and production—equivalent to magic on Earth in the early 20th century—have already been invented and thoroughly understood. It's just that the magic isn't powerful enough to make them widespread.

Tony Stark's magical version of the Arc Reactor removed the last stumbling block to the development of this magical society.

The resulting surge in productivity and the great socio-economic transformation naturally followed like water flowing into a channel, happening so fast it was almost lightning-fast!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The emergence of the improved magic circle, and the resulting surge in transport capacity, brought a violent impact to the future development and operation of Stromgarde and Dragonneck, comparable to a great flood (imagine how the Ming and Qing dynasties in Beijing would be thrown into chaos if the transport capacity of the Grand Canal suddenly increased by tens of thousands of times).

In order to effectively control this change, or more precisely, to try to collect as much tax as possible from it, the Golden Dragon King Alaric and his young prince Lambert had to temporarily suspend their planned border patrols and instead stay at Stromgarde to discuss new engineering and institutional plans.

However, on the other hand, His Majesty King Alaric could not disappoint the border troops and civilians—they had already been notified in advance.

So, seeing that Miss Silver Dragon had nothing to do after attending the opening ceremony of the local Temple of the Sleeping God, the Dragon King issued her an official document authorizing her as a temporary envoy to inspect Cold Harbor, which had just been ravaged by war, and to distribute relief supplies to the local soldiers and civilians. Meanwhile, Tony, who had been getting a bit of a headache from being pestered by the overly enthusiastic citizens of Stromgarde these past few days, naturally wanted to continue his journey and find some peace and quiet.

So Lulutia, Firi, Tony, and T'Challa, the dragon and the three cats, continued their journey to Cold Harbor.

Compared to the Golden Dragon Peninsula below the Great Cliff, the western wilderness atop the Great Cliff is much more open. Just a few miles from Stromgarde Fortress, one finds desolate grasslands, swamps, and dense forests, where one can still vaguely spot goblins, flesh-tearing dragons, ferocious wolves, and other monsters.

A few colonial outposts, sparsely scattered and surrounded by thick wooden walls, were barely connected by a few muddy paths worn by cattle and sheep. Further away from Stromgarde, even these paths disappeared. Fortunately, the dragon and its three companions, tasked with patrolling the border, didn't need to travel by land; they could fly there. Furthermore, there was no risk of getting lost—they simply needed to fly upstream along the Cold River.

At the source of the upper reaches of the Cold River lies a vast inland lake known as the "Fresh Sea," which is currently the forefront of the Golden Dragon Kingdom's expansion into the New World. The most remote colonial outpost in the entire country is located further west, across the "Fresh Sea."

However, Phil and his group didn't need to travel that far on this inspection. In the middle reaches of the Cold River, a swift tributary originating from the southern snow-capped mountains joins it. Because of its mountain origin, the tributary's water temperature is perpetually icy cold, and ice floes frequently drift by, effectively cooling the lower reaches of the Cold River into a true "Cold River." The Golden Dragon Kingdom built an inland port at the confluence of the Cold River and this tributary, named [Cold Port Town]. The area is not only close to the mountains and rich in forest resources, allowing for local shipbuilding, but also produces high-quality coal and iron ore.

From the very beginning of its construction, Cold Harbor Town was designated by His Majesty the Dragon King as one of the most important cities for development in the western wilderness.

Unfortunately, while Cold Harbor Town is rich in resources, it is also teeming with monsters. More importantly, it is close to the border of the Green Forest Kingdom to the south, and elven special forces often incite monsters to attack the town, cause slave rebellions, or instigate assassinations and incite internal strife. As of now, the fierce struggle continues to unfold here, and the Golden Dragon Kingdom has just lost a round when the elves burned the entire town, along with the newly mined coal reserves, to the ground.

So when Phil and his three companions, along with the dragon and the three cats, finally arrived at Cold Harbor Town after rushing upstream along the Cold River, it was still a scorched ruin. Most of the local residents were either dead or had fled, and even the coal mine had stopped production—the mine was already small due to the inconvenience of transportation.

At this moment, there are only a little over a hundred kobolds and human soldiers in Cold Harbor Town, supervising the slave laborers as they carry out the reconstruction project.

So, as usual, Miss Silver Dragon announced His Majesty's concern for them and distributed the gifts from her spatial bag—a dozen boxes of salted fish, two bags of candy, and five large barrels of liquor. The soldiers below cheered as usual, and even the slaves were happy to have salted fish as an extra treat.

That night, they stayed in the newly renovated town hall. But they had barely fallen asleep when they heard a commotion outside, the faint, panicked barking of kobold soldiers: "...Woof! Help! Woof! Those barbarians are attacking again! Woof woof woof!"

Author's message

PS: Breaking news! President Lee Myung-bak, with his squinty eyes, has finally been formally sentenced to 15 years in prison! This perfectly ensures that the ironclad rule of all South Korean presidents meeting a bad end remains intact! Currently, the media is speculating that President Moon's current efforts to curry favor with Kim Jong-un in the North are partly motivated by a plan to flee to Pyongyang after his downfall...

Chapter 255, The Gnoll's Night Raid

In the dead of night, on the outskirts of Lenggang Town, shadowy figures loomed and the cold wind howled.

One by one, menacing figures with bushy hair and piercing eyes emerged silently from the wilderness, stealthily approaching the town. Although the wilderness was pitch black at night, their bright, lantern-like eyes allowed them to move freely in the darkness.

These are a group of humanoid creatures with hideous faces and filthy bodies.

When standing upright, they are slightly taller than ordinary humans, but weigh at least twice as much. Their bodies are covered in thick, bushy, grayish-green fur, and their heads resemble those of hyenas, with filthy yellow teeth and blood-red eyes. They are bloodthirsty and ferocious. Although they are now appearing on the outskirts of Cold Harbor Town equipped with decent leather armor, flails, and broadswords, due to their innate nature, they usually prefer to use their claws and fangs to kill their prey, then rip open their bellies, pull out their intestines, and feast on their white brains and steaming blood…

—This is one of the most ferocious and savage tribes in the western wilderness: the gnolls.

This is a carnivorous creature with low intelligence and a ferocious, ruthless nature. They reproduce rapidly and typically prey on warm-blooded animals, especially intelligent beings, as they are drawn to the screams of intelligent creatures. They even consider all living beings—including their own kind and offspring—as food. Everything about the gnolls is driven by hunger; appetite is their greatest motivation…

Gnolls are born lazy and savage, abhorring labor and possessing no magical talent whatsoever. They can craft stone tools and set traps, but they do not know metal smelting. In the wild, they neither mine nor cultivate, but live a nomadic and hunting-fishing life. Many simply make a living by raiding and plundering civilized villages and towns, or capturing humans and goblins as slaves... Therefore, roaming gnoll raiding gangs can be found everywhere in the western wilderness.

The struggle and battles between gnoll bandits and settled settlers are the eternal theme of this land.

In general, gnolls have no affection for other races; they only care about getting a share of what others have. A gnoll will share your joys but never your sorrows. The length of their cooperation depends entirely on your strength and whether you remember to feed them well. However, those who dare to command gnolls usually possess sufficient strength to intimidate these humanoid beasts into silence…

At this moment, Hawk, the gnoll chieftain of the Bloodclaw tribe, is leading his more than two hundred men in a full-scale night raid on Cold Harbor Town.

Compared to the ragged gnoll tribes in the wilderness, armed only with clubs tied with stones and chipped bowls, who at first glance looked like beggars, Hawke's Bloodclaw tribe was clearly much more sophisticated in their display of power. Every gnoll participating in this battle wore leather or iron armor, wielding a greatsword, battle axe, and mace made of high-quality steel, as well as a shield covered with woven rattan.

Hawk, as the leader, not only wore an enchanted chainmail, but also carried a steel flail and a poisoned short scimitar, with a Flame Sword that could shoot flames hanging from his waist, and a ruby ​​ring on his finger that contained a Giant Fireball spell.

Hawke's wealth was not amassed through scattered spoils or transactions with smugglers—even selling the entire Bloodclaw tribe wouldn't have yielded that much—but rather through his connection with elven spies from the Green Forest Kingdom, who provided him with substantial financial support. Consequently, his Bloodclaw gnolls were now obligated to obey the elves' commands.

—Because the Great Cliff plunges directly into the sea in many places, cutting off the coastal lowlands that serve as the main bases of the New World nations, for a long time, there were no adjacent borders between the New World nations. They could only communicate with each other by sea, and their relationship was relatively harmonious.

Because the oceans separated the countries' territories, large-scale wars rarely broke out between the nations of the New World.

However, in the last hundred years, as the population and power of various countries have continued to increase, their controlled spheres have expanded from the coastal lowlands to the Western Wilderness behind the Great Cliffs. As a result, armed conflicts between these countries have gradually intensified in their struggle for inland territory.

In this endless struggle for living space, the Green Forest Kingdom, with a total population of only 200,000 and a base of only 100,000 elves who were also resistant to agriculture, quickly fell into an extremely unfavorable situation. The elves had a small population, slow reproduction, and it was difficult to get more elven immigrants to replenish their numbers. They could not withstand a brutal war of attrition. If too many people died or were injured in the war, then the slaves and commoners of other races in the country would definitely rebel.

Therefore, based on the disgustingly simplistic idea that "if I can't gain a foothold, you can't have it either," the Green Forest Kingdom's strategy in the Western Wilderness is mainly to disrupt and destroy, constantly arming and instigating various barbaric racial forces, funding them with food, weapons and money, and then organizing them to attack the immigrant settlements of the Golden Dragon Kingdom and the Lighthouse Federation, using the method of killing, arson and scorching to curb the land reclamation activities of other countries.

In addition, the elven special forces occasionally take to the field themselves, sometimes poisoning the wells in settler villages, spreading plagues in towns, or holding blood sacrifices with corpses... The recent massacre in Cold Harbor Town, which shocked the entire Golden Dragon Kingdom, was the result of a joint operation by an elven special forces team, Bloodclaw tribe gnolls, and two other barbaric human bandit gangs that received funding from the elves.

Of course, the Golden Dragon Kingdom and the Lighthouse Federation were not cowards who would just take a beating without fighting back. Instead, they regularly organized adventurers and retired soldiers in the western wilderness to act as slave-hunting teams, raiding elven settlements in the forests, capturing lone elves, burning elven villages, and so on. The various parties spent year after year fighting and killing each other in this escalating cycle of "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

In fact, Hawk, the leader of the Bloodclaw tribe, was unwilling to attack Coldharvest Town again so soon. After all, less than two months had passed since their last night raid on Coldharvest Town with the help of the elven special forces, during which they massacred all the townspeople. The town was still basically in ruins, with only some soldiers and laborers carrying out reconstruction work, and there was not much to be gained from it.

However, the elven leaders had already declared that, in retaliation for the Golden Dragon King's recent massacre of the elven villages, an even larger Waaaagh must be established in the Westfall as soon as possible. Thus, Hawke had no choice but to pull himself together and, once again, lead his minions back to Coldharbour for a nostalgic return.

Well, it's true that Cold Harbor Town, still a ruin, won't yield much profit, but the walls and moats I destroyed last time haven't been repaired yet. Breaking through should be easy, right?

Despite the darkness and high winds, the Bloodclaw tribe's gnolls, with their keen night vision, still managed to spread out into battle formations in an orderly fashion and approach the vicinity of Cold Harbor Town. In fact, gnolls are nocturnal creatures that are more adapted to night battles than to fighting during the day.

Unfortunately, besides gnolls, many other races possess excellent night vision, such as kobolds...

Before Hawke and his men could even reach the burned-out walls of Cold Harbor under the cover of night, they could already hear the incessant barking of the kobolds within the town, along with the deafening banging of their gongs.

"...Woof! Enemy attack! Woof! Clang—clang—"

"...Woof woof! Help! Woof! Those barbarians are attacking again! Woof woof woof woof!"

There's no other way; since we've already been discovered, let's switch from a sneak attack to a full-scale assault!

With that thought in mind, Hawke drew his flaming sword and used its bright flames to signal the start of battle to his entire force.

"...Awooo! Attack! All troops, charge!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

At first glance, kobolds and gnolls may seem to be related, but in reality they are worlds apart.

Dog-headed people: Oviparous reptiles covered in scales, averaging 1.2 meters tall, essentially smaller lizardmen with dog-like heads.

Gnolls: Viviparous mammals, covered in fur, averaging 2.2 meters tall, basically a large hyena standing upright.

Due to the enormous size difference between the two sides, not to mention that the gnolls had raised several trolls to act as vanguards, even though the kobold soldiers stationed in Coldharvest Town could see as clearly as the gnolls at night and had received advance warning, hastily donning their armor and forming a spear formation in the streets to defend against the enemy, these short men, only 1.2 meters tall, were quickly routed after a brief but bloody battle, barking and fleeing in disarray, abandoning their armor and weapons.

Only a few human warriors, under the cover of mages, were barely putting up a fight against the gnolls in front of them.

However, as more and more gnolls poured into the town from all directions, these human soldiers gradually could not hold out any longer.

Meanwhile, a rebellion broke out in the nearby slave camp. Orcs, dwarves, kobolds, and humans alike—the vast majority of slaves—smashed their shackles in the chaos, overthrew their guards, and surged out of the camp gates, attempting to escape into the night… But only a very few lucky ones gained their freedom; the majority of the weaker slaves became prey for the gnolls—they had a particular fondness for fresh human entrails, especially when they were still alive and warm…

When Ferry, Lulutia, Tony, and T'Challa stepped out of their lodgings, they were met with a horrifying spectacle of dismemberment, murder, and cannibalism unfolding across the streets. Whether it was a dying, battered warrior or a runaway slave unable to escape, they were all pounced upon by excited, bloodthirsty gnolls and devoured alive. It must be said, some of these creatures possessed incredible resilience; even after their bellies were ripped open by claws and their intestines were ripped out and devoured, they continued to struggle and scream in the mud until their necks were bitten off…

T'Challa, the inexperienced newbie Black Panther who hadn't yet undergone any brutal training, was completely overwhelmed by this bizarre scene and immediately vomited. Tony and Firi, while faring a little better, were also caught off guard and their legs went slightly weak.

So, the first to react was surprisingly Lulutia, Firi's seemingly lazy mistress. She first surveyed the chaotic, bloody battlefield, then raised her head and let out a thunderous roar… or rather, a dragon's roar!

"...filthy, inferior creatures! How dare you offend my dignity?!"

—Her shouts were not particularly loud, but they possessed an extremely powerful penetrating force.

The overwhelming and surging dragon might that followed was like a hurricane and a tsunami, instantly drowning out the desperate screams of the human warriors who were bloodthirsty, drowning out the triumphant roars of the jackals, drowning out the agonizing cries of the dying, drowning out the clash of swords and the explosion of magical fireballs, and enveloping the entire town of Cold Harbor with an indescribable majesty and terror...

This is the majesty of the dragon—the arrogance and awe-inspiring power of standing at the top of the food chain in the mortal world, looking down on all living beings!

The next moment, before the gnolls could even react, the silver dragon Lulutia had already identified the location with the largest number of gnolls, and then unleashed one of the silver dragons' most powerful attack spells: [Anti-Gravity]!

Immediately afterwards, the gravity within a radius of twenty meters reversed instantly. Not only did the gnolls that were hit scream as they "fell" into the sky, but even the dilapidated houses and tents in this area were also sent flying into the air... After floating in the air for a moment, they began to fall again.

"...What are you waiting for? Kill them already! These gnolls are tough and thick-skinned; a fall might not kill them!"

By this time, Phil also realized what was happening, pulled out a small magic wand, and unleashed fifteen acid arrows at the gnolls in the air. Meanwhile, the future Black Panther, having recovered from his vomiting, pulled out a bundle of small javelins, squinted one of his cat eyes, and began practicing his target shooting.

However, compared to Tony Cat in his Iron Cat suit, their firepower was far too weak.

—Only to be seen was a magic Vulcan cannon on Tony's left shoulder, a magic crossbow in his right hand, and a magic spear thrower attached to the steel sheath of his cat tail. Countless magic light arrows rained down on the jackals who had nowhere to hide in mid-air!

Such an American-style oversaturation firepower instantly turned all the flying gnolls into dazzling fireworks, blasting them to smithereens... After the attack, Tony, with a smug look on his face, blew on the scorching hot cannon barrel and said with apparent regret:

"...Sigh, without Jarvis's help right now, my hit rate feels much lower, and I'm wasting a lot of magic power!"

Ferry & T'Challa: ...Keep showing off!

At the same time, Miss Silver Dragon Lulutia had reverted to her dragon form, soaring into the air and unleashing a powerful breath of dragon fire at the gnolls and trolls on the ground who hadn't yet been thrown into the sky by the [Anti-Gravity], instantly sweeping away a large group of them, even killing Chief Hawk!

The Bloodclaw gnolls, who had been advancing with unstoppable momentum, suffered such a devastating blow that their offensive could no longer be sustained. The kobolds, who had been in complete disarray just moments before, were now emboldened by the sight. They turned around, picked up the weapons they had just discarded, and barked as they charged back into battle.

Not to mention that after a brief respite, Iron Cat Tony once again unleashed a barrage of attack spells upon the remaining gnolls...

However, just as the battle was beginning to turn dramatically, a powerful and resounding roar echoed from behind the distant night sky.

One of the kobold soldiers, who had just regained his strength and drawn his greatsword, immediately collapsed again upon hearing the sound, letting out a terrified scream:

"...Woof! Evil dragon! Another evil dragon is coming, woof!"

Chapter 256, Black Panther Brand Popsicle

Accompanied by howling winds and a biting chill from the snow-capped mountains, another ferocious beast broke through the thick clouds of night and descended upon the burning, corpse-strewn Cold Harbor Town, adding a new variable to this chaotic battle.

This is a terrifying beast with a silvery-white body, covered in a layer of metallic scales. Spikes are faintly visible beneath its bony wings. Its scales are hard and smooth, and its slender yet powerful tail flicks constantly, as if it is ready to deliver a fatal blow to its enemy at any moment!

It is a white dragon, a well-known cannon fodder unit among the five evil dragons.

Among the five evil dragons, the white dragon is the smallest, least intelligent, and weakest in combat, with only limited intelligence compared to wild beasts. Therefore, it is frequently bribed or misled by various unscrupulous forces, such as elven spies, to become their top henchmen on the battlefield.

However, even though the White Dragon is widely recognized as "cannon fodder among dragons," it is still a genuine dragon!

The chill that permeated the air, the dragon's might that swept in with the wind, and the blood-red dragon's eyes that were wide open in anger—they were all unmistakable!