Red Dragon Monster Hunter Template.

Before Elasdra and the others could respond, a thunderous, deep voice suddenly rang out.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Isn't it obvious? How can an old monster who has lived for over a thousand years still be so naive? Have he wasted a whole thousand years of his life?"

The space that had just calmed down rippled again, and a huge dragon head slowly emerged from the void.

Chapter 459 Capture

When the giant dragon, which was over two hundred meters long, emerged from the void, the originally spacious circular hall instantly appeared cramped and crowded.

Thor's eyes burned with intense light as he looked down at the tiny mad mage, a half-smile flickering in his eyes.

Scorching winds billowed from his mouth and nose, creating ripples of air within the small circular hall. The immense pressure mixed with the gravitational field spread wildly, causing the ancient books and dimensional maps floating in the air to fall like birds with broken wings.

The situation is now clear. Even excluding Thor's presence, among the remaining people, there are two or three top spellcasters whose strength is on par with the Mad Mage.

With their combined strength, almost no one in the entire prime material plane could escape unscathed.

Besieged in dire straits, Hyrast's expression grew increasingly frenzied. The eye-demon patterns on his colorful robes flickered wildly, and his hair stood on end, crackling with electricity, making him appear like a madman.

A vast array of magical spells, like a colorful fountain, erupted from the scepter in his hand, relentlessly bombarding the surrounding space in an attempt to break through the blockade and find a way to escape.

But all the struggles were ultimately in vain.

The power of silver fire bestowed by the goddess of magic possesses an almost absolute restraining power over all magic in the world. It is precisely because of this power that it has attracted the covetousness and prying of countless forces from different planes over the years.

A clear, silvery glow spread out like a soft veil, filling every corner of the rotunda. Exploding fireballs, surging lightning, evil curses, disintegrating beams—all the magical attacks that attacked melted away upon touching the silver fire.

With the combined efforts of the two goddesses of magic, the vast silver flames not only steadily blocked all of Harast's counterattacks, but also had the power to protect the precious ancient books scattered around.

At the same time, Thor's colossal claws, obscuring the sky, descended from mid-air. Their enormous size did not hinder their speed at all; on the contrary, they moved with lightning speed, suddenly grabbing downwards.

The entire space had been completely sealed off, rendering teleportation spells utterly ineffective. How could a caster's on-the-spot reaction possibly compare to the physical speed of a top-tier red dragon?

Hyrast only had time to activate the layers of defensive spells he had set up before, and the next second, a streak of crimson-gold light flashed by, and he was grabbed by Thor's giant claws.

The magical barrier, several meters thick and strong enough to withstand the full force of a legendary warrior, was as fragile as an eggshell in the face of Thor's terrifying grip.

The mad mage, who was only a little over 1.8 meters tall, was as small as an ant on the fingertip of an ordinary person when he landed in the palm of a red dragon that was over 200 meters long. He had no chance to fight back.

Even the finest dragon scales on Thor's palm are comparable to a heavy tower shield. With just a slight contraction of his strength, Hylast's bones emitted a series of fine, taut popping sounds.

If he hadn't spent years studying flesh-and-blood mutation magic and constantly modifying his own body, making his physique far superior to that of ordinary fragile spellcasters, this grip would have already crushed him into mincemeat.

A hazy rainbow light rose from Thor's clenched palm, intertwined with dark lightning—dragon-attribute energy specifically for breaking spells.

They relentlessly invaded the mad mage's body, destroying his magical equipment one by one, disintegrating the magic flowing within him, and completely sealing off any possibility of him casting spells to escape.

Strands of shimmering gold threads then burst forth, wrapping and tightening around Hyrast's entire body, severing his last hope of escape.

Once everything had settled, Thor slowly extended his giant claws.

In the palm of his hand, Hyrast was already wrapped in golden silk into a golden cocoon, with only his head, covered in a mess of hair, exposed.

"This bug is yours to handle. As top spellcasters, you must have plenty of ways to dig out what's in his head."

Everything you acquire must be replicated for me. If the result doesn't satisfy me, you know the consequences..."

Thor flicked his giant hand slightly, and the golden cocoon enveloping Harast instantly flew out and rolled to the feet of the people of Elasdra.

He then waved his dragon claw, signaling the group to leave. Now that he had achieved his goal, he had no intention of letting them get in his way any longer.

Next comes the moment to reap the spoils. The underground labyrinth that Hyrast painstakingly built over a thousand years contains treasures and forbidden knowledge—a vast fortune.

The only unfortunate thing is that there is a special node deep underground where the magic network and the shadow magic network overlap, which has been breeding a chaotic and distorted magical field for many years.

This force field will continuously erode the minds of living beings. Short-term exposure may not be harmful, but if one stays for a long time, the mind of the creature will inevitably be gradually distorted and driven mad. Moreover, the deeper one goes into the strata, the more intense the erosion effect becomes.

Therefore, the entire vast underground space is completely unusable for conventional land development.

Perhaps this place could be transformed into a dedicated prison for sinners, housing chaotic and evil creatures, allowing them to vent their desires and reveal their true nature, and harvesting spiritual essence.

Perhaps two negatives make a positive, and it might even clear their minds a bit.

The cramped and enclosed space made Thor feel extremely uncomfortable. Suddenly, a white light flashed, and his massive dragon body twisted and transformed once more, returning him to his youthful human form.

He used his psychic powers to summon an ancient book from the ground, casually flipped through a few pages, and immediately realized that with his magical abilities, he simply couldn't understand it.

However, this forbidden knowledge is itself an immeasurable treasure. Even if one cannot understand it, one can hand it over to subordinates, who can still use it for their own purposes in the end.

In addition, the labyrinthine city's interconnected dimensional portals and countless otherworldly monsters, if developed, could also be a considerable resource.

These trivial and complicated matters were naturally not something Thor needed to worry about personally.

The great Red Emperor never wastes time on such trivial matters.

When Thor retraced his steps, he quickly found the lurking green dragon, which was trying to escape.

These green reptiles are treacherous and cunning by nature, utterly devoid of loyalty, and like venomous snakes, adept at seizing every opportunity.

He simply raised his hand casually, and a tremendous force suddenly descended, slamming the green dragon into the hard rock wall and shattering half of its fangs.

On the return journey, there were no more obstacles. After picking up the new "Gardener" in the mushroom forest, Thor rode the green dragon straight up the wide shaft and returned to the surface of the deep-water port.

Many adventurers and civilians who lingered around the tavern out of curiosity were startled and exclaimed in surprise when they suddenly saw the giant dragon appear.

Everyone gripped their weapons tightly, ready for battle, while the city-state guards quickly assembled and formed ranks in the distance. But before anyone could launch an attack, a terrifying pressure that suppressed everything swept across the entire area, pinning everyone to the ground, rendering them unable to move.

Thor had no intention of getting entangled with these ant-like mortals. He urged the green dragon beneath his feet to flap its wings and take off, flying straight toward the north gate of the city.

It has only been a little over ten hours since he entered the underground labyrinth.

However, the huge, dirty, and dilapidated slum that was hidden between the north walls of Sham Shui Po has been completely bulldozed and cleared out.

The power of magic solidified the entire foundation, causing the ancient city wall on the north side to tremble and rumble continuously, with large stones collapsing and crumbling one after another, completely dissolving its former appearance.

Chapter 460 Development

Magic is the primary productive force. A qualified earth elemental mage is equivalent to an entire construction team working with large-scale engineering machinery.

Not to mention earth elementals and earth giants, who are born with spell-like abilities; if there are enough of them, even the most magnificent fortified city can be built in a day.

There were also plenty of kobold craftsmen on site; the renovation plan for a mere slum was nothing more than a piece of cake for them.

Large blocks of stone danced in the air like snowflakes, quickly twisting and shaping themselves upon landing, forming a seamless stone wall that rose from the ground. Quartz solidified into thick glass under high temperatures.

Soon, spacious and bright multi-story buildings sprang up one after another like bamboo shoots after a rain. The poor people who gathered here witnessed this scene and exclaimed that it was a miracle.

In just one day, the entire slum had been transformed. The towering, orderly buildings exuded the grandeur unique to the Red Emperor's territory, appearing even more prosperous than the inner city just a wall away, a truly awe-inspiring sight.

The next step was registration and census. In Saul's view, the census was absolutely of paramount importance in the management of the territory.

Even when playing strategy games, it's necessary to calculate how many farmers and soldiers you have under your command. If a lord doesn't even know the total population under his rule, all his policies and plans are just castles in the air.

Yet, even with such a simple principle, over 90% of the forces in the Prime Material Plane are unable to achieve it.

Firstly, a large number of adventurers roamed around, resulting in a constantly shifting population; secondly, there was a lack of sufficient low-level clerks and loyal subordinates.

Deepwater Harbor is the largest city-state in the Northlands, with its inhabitants mostly being intelligent races such as humans, elves, and dwarves, but the literacy rate is just over 50%.

It is easy to imagine that the poor people in remote mountain villages who spend their whole lives working the land would have even lower levels of education.

Being able to write their own name and perform simple addition and subtraction within one hundred was already considered quite good. Even if they wanted to learn more, the knowledge resources had long been firmly monopolized by the nobility and the artisan class.

They tightly controlled all kinds of means of production to maintain the established order, ensuring that the sons of nobles remained nobles, the sons of artisans remained artisans, and the common people were forever trapped at the bottom.

Then look at the tax official in charge of population statistics and tax collection. This world is full of all kinds of monsters, and traveling far is an extremely dangerous thing.

They only travel to various towns and villages during tax collection seasons and rarely stay for long, so they simply don't have the energy to conduct a thorough population census.

Therefore, the compulsory education that Saul implemented in his territory can be said to have achieved multiple benefits.

Only by broadening the horizons of our people will they develop stronger desires and more intense emotions, and the territory will produce more capable talents.

…………

Guided by the dragon-vein kobolds, the poor people walked to the makeshift table to register their names, ages, and occupations.

Without a census, one wouldn't know, but after a series of statistics, the condition of the slums was truly appalling.

Less than 10% of people can write their own names, and the overall literacy rate is less than 1%. Duplicate names are common. Many people don't even have a formal name, only a crude and simple code name.

Many of the kobolds responsible for recording the dragon veins had to rack their brains to name each person individually to make them easier to distinguish.

Even so, many poor people still couldn't remember their new names and often confused each other.

Long-term malnutrition, endless heavy labor, and painful torment not only ravage the body but also the mind.

Limited brain development and prolonged suffering gradually numb the mind and slow down reactions. When projected onto attributes, this will result in a penalty of at least -1 to -2.

Unless there is a special fortuitous encounter in the future, this inferior attribute will accompany them for life and will be difficult to reverse.

But children who are still growing up are undoubtedly lucky. Now that the entire suburbs have been incorporated into the Red Emperor's territory, compulsory education will be officially implemented.

With sufficient nutrition and the resilience honed by their childhood hardships, they might find a way out and achieve something great.

In short, since Sol's arrival, the entire suburbs have undergone rapid changes, with various public facilities being built and improved one after another, and the quality of life for the people has continued to improve, which has made many inner-city residents envious.

In particular, the news that the newly built academy would not only offer free courses but also teach basic magic tricks and martial arts to select talented individuals made many inner-city residents eager to try their luck.

As time went by, many people who were struggling to make ends meet in the inner city quietly moved to the suburbs.

Saul has always welcomed all who come; once they register, everyone becomes his subject.

As for the potential for this move to cause unrest in Deepwater Port, population loss, and subsequent obstruction... shouldn't those who uphold goodness allow their people the right to pursue a better life?

However, coming to the outskirts of the city does not mean that people will be free from worries about food and clothing; they still need to work to earn resources for survival.

When the emperor issued his order, a large number of his subordinates in the wilderness set off one after another, heading to the deep-water port.

After a group of combat personnel arrived, they advanced deeper into the underground labyrinth through various passages, intending to first complete the complete clearing of the area before starting the renovation project.

The other group consisted of merchants, artisans, and craftspeople from all walks of life who purchased raw materials and set up factories in the nearby deep-water port to carry out production and business.

The poor people who were recruited were assigned to work in various factories, and this time they were able to receive reasonable wages.

The army that ventured deep into the underground city to clear out the monsters quickly made a breakthrough, unearthing a large amount of gold and silver jewelry, metal deposits, and countless ancient books and knowledge.

Chests of treasures were continuously transported out from underground, making countless adventurers envious but helpless.

There are indeed many interesting things in the Lost City.

For example, on the sixteenth floor, in the area occupied by the Githyanki, there is a portal connecting to the starport.

This starport is actually a giant meteorite floating among the stars in the prime material plane, with its interior hollowed out.

The moment Thor's gaze pierced through the clouds and established contact with the starport, he immediately felt that, relying on the authority of the Serpent King Dragon, he could seemingly tear this meteorite from the void.

The Mind Flayer, the Gith Yankees' old adversary, has been able to occupy the underground city for so long, naturally possessing extraordinary methods.

The entire seventeenth floor is shrouded in a massive psychedelic magic spell. Any creature that enters this place and lacks sufficient mental strength will be trapped in an eternal illusion.

In their dreams, they would believe that they had found a huge fortune in the underground city, returned safely to the surface, and lived a happy and fulfilling life.

However, their bodies were immersed in a special solution, and their brains were gradually extracted.

Chapter 461 Virtual Reality

What can be created by combining a massive psychedelic magic system that can plunge creatures into a near-realistic illusion with the cultivation chamber technology left over from Hyrule's various flesh-and-blood mutation experiments?

The first thing that came to Thor's mind was the various virtual reality games that were still in the conceptual stage in his previous life.

If we were to place the consciousness of a creature into an illusion and place its physical body in a cultivation chamber, wouldn't a small area be enough to accommodate a massive population and continuously harvest their dissipated spiritual energy?

As Thor's strength has grown, he has no rivals in the North, and even across the entire Prime Material Plane, very few forces dare to wage war against him.

The favorable and stable living environment has led to an explosive growth in the number of various organisms within the territory.

Leaving aside highly intelligent races like humans and dwarves, ordinary kobolds and goblins have reproductive capabilities comparable to sows.

In addition, their lifespans are not short, they can mate all year round, and their breeding cycle is extremely long, with their population almost doubling every year.