Chapter 237: Medusa’s Temptation
Although both sides reached a cooperation, the matter was not over, but rather just beginning. The complexity of the situation exceeded Owen’s imagination. He had not expected Ghost Valley Town or the Mountain Range’s situation to be so unique.
The Mountain Range, due to its high altitude and cold climate, had limited resources. Even if they learned to cultivate terraced fields, it would be difficult to meet their needs. As a result, the Beastkin who took refuge in the Mountain Range were forced to disperse into small groups of dozens or hundreds, relying on hunting and gathering for survival.
This led to each small tribe being very isolated, making it extremely difficult to assemble them.
Firstly, they wouldn’t be willing to fight for the Lizardmen. Secondly, war would consume the tribe’s adult population, which formed the foundation of the tribe’s existence, adding further complications.
Although Ghost Valley Town, due to the presence of the teleportation circle, developed at a pace and scale that completely transcended the limitations of the Mountain Range, its internal structure remained dominated by small, clan-based groups. Consequently, even the Town Mayor held limited authority.
For instance, Mei Ya became the Town Mayor because she was strong enough. As for governance, there was virtually none. The entire town operated autonomously. If not for the long-term influence of outsiders, this place would have been chaotic instead of prosperous.
In this situation, the only thing Mei Ya did was collect taxes and eliminate any scum who dared to covet Ghost Valley Town.
Owen was speechless. He had thought his governance of his territory was unparalleled, but Mei Ya was even more impressive, essentially acting as a collector of protection fees.
In reality, Mei Ya was also quite helpless about this. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to manage Ghost Valley Town, but rather that she couldn’t. Her strength allowed her to occupy the position of Town Mayor and collect high taxes, but as an outsider with no trusted subordinates, she couldn’t possibly manage the town’s affairs, let alone build an army. In other words, she hadn’t integrated into the town at all.
Owen also found this situation troublesome. Mei Ya lacked sufficient influence to unite the forces of Ghost Valley Town, let alone the scattered Beastkin tribes in the Mountain Range.
Left with no other choice, Owen decided to start with the town and build a small-scale army to gradually expand his influence. However, after assessing the situation, he almost wanted to give up.
Beastkin were far stronger and more agile than humans. Even Cat-folk and Bunny Girls, after reaching human size, possessed the strength to easily overpower several strong men. Not to mention the Cat-folk who could disfigure someone with a single swipe, even the seemingly harmless Bunny Girls, thanks to the powerful hind legs of rabbits, could kick a 200-pound man seven or eight meters away. Those with weaker constitutions could start preparing for their funeral, while those who were luckier would suffer broken ribs. This showed how physically strong Beastkin were.
The problem was that their overreliance on their physical advantages made Beastkin less adept at using tools and weapons.
Ghost Valley Town was still better, having developed a foundation for civilization due to the influence of outsiders. However, other Beastkin tribes in the Mountain Range were not, and iron tools were rarely seen in these small tribes. Wooden sticks and stone axes were obviously less effective than their natural claws and teeth.
Not to mention the issue of discipline. It was easy to make the wild Beastkin fight desperately, but getting them to learn discipline and obey orders was harder than killing them.
The stronger the Beastkin, the more pronounced this tendency was, putting Owen’s plan to build an army at a standstill from the very beginning.
Owen soon realized that Beastkin were more suited for special operations or serving as special forces rather than large-scale combat.
Maya, who was standing beside him, reacted even faster than Owen. After frowning for a moment, she presented a revised version of their initial plan.
Their previous plan was to steadily build up their strength, first forming an army and establishing a base before negotiating cooperation with the Mountain Mother Clan.
Now, they had to reverse the order, first trading with the Mountain Mother Clan as arms dealers and then gradually integrating the Beastkin tribes in the Mountain Range.
The change in plan reduced the importance of Ghost Valley Town. After realizing this, Mei Ya hesitated for a moment before proposing a new deal.
Mei Ya had realized that she couldn’t do anything without manpower, so she wanted to hire some from Owen.
She planned to hire some foreign adventurers and recruit some from Ghost Valley Town’s residents. Combined with the manpower hired from Owen, she could barely establish a team and avoid being a mere spectator in the upcoming changes.
Owen was very interested in this. After all, he wasn’t afraid of his subordinates being bribed or betraying him. The more Mei Ya hired, the greater the benefits he would receive. So, after some thought, he brought out a type of soldier that she couldn’t refuse: Gorgons.
The four types of monsters in the Dungeon had different advancements. Among them, the advancement of Poisonous Snakes included Gorgons, and even the stronger Medusa.
As expected, upon seeing her fellow kin, Mei Ya decided to hire them without hesitation, confident that she could truly turn them into her own subordinates.
However, the Gorgons Mei Ya hired required Owen to spend Progress Value to exchange, and they weren’t cheap. Ordinary gold and silver wouldn’t suffice; she needed rare resources like Mithril and Adamantine.
Mei Ya didn’t mind this and waved her hand generously, “Let’s start with ten to test the goods.”
This action made Maya’s eyes light up as she reevaluated the wealth contained within the Mountain Range.
In fact, this was quite normal. While the Mountain Range lacked food, it had no shortage of resources.
The endless mountains contained countless high-quality timber and minerals, including gold, silver, gems, crystals, sulfur, saltpeter, and even precious Magic Crystals, Mithril, and Adamantine. The Mountain Range had vast deposits of all these resources.
This place was worth occupying. Maya’s eyes shone brightly as she calculated something. Owen, after checking the quality of the Mithril and Adamantine, nodded in satisfaction.
“Ordinary minerals like gold and silver can be exchanged for supplies. As for Mithril and Adamantine, besides hiring Gorgons, you can also choose to exchange them for these.” Owen rewrote a list for Mei Ya and took out some samples. Since Mithril and Adamantine couldn’t be measured by ordinary goods, he wasn’t going to deceive her in this regard.
“I want the Bloodline Potion!” Mei Ya’s eyes immediately landed on the emerald green potion. Her bloodline was sending out a signal of longing, and she couldn’t wait to get her hands on it.
“Of course. There are basic Bloodline Potions, advanced ones, and even perfect potions that can turn you into a Medusa.” Owen’s tone, though calm, was filled with temptation for Mei Ya.
Just like the relationship between the Nine-Tailed Fox and the Fox Spirit, there was a huge gap between Medusa and Gorgon. It wasn’t about strength, but an evolution in their life level. Therefore, no Gorgon could resist the temptation of becoming a Medusa, just as few Fox Spirits didn’t dream of becoming Daji.
Mei Ya instinctively sensed that she was about to fall into Owen’s trap. But this was a strategy laid out in the open. As long as she couldn’t resist the allure of becoming a Medusa, she would inevitably fall into the trap.
The key was that the Bloodline Potion in front of her and Maya were not fake, further confirming that what Owen said was true.
