23. Welfare for the Family

Chapter 24: 23 Benefits for My Family

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, the villagers, who had initially been indignant about his actions as a collaborator, fell into a brief silence.

The so-called commanderies and counties were, in essence, the major cities of the Ixialia region. Although all were established within Ixialia's primeval jungles, there was no comparison between the villages and the commanderies and counties.

To put it in easily understandable terms, it was the difference between the city and the countryside. Each commandery and county in Ixialia was led by wise and intelligent Yuentar elders, chosen through voting, and sometimes even directly ruled by Yuenale heirs.

Commanderies and counties represented not just varying degrees of political power; for commoners, being born in a commandery or county versus a village in the wilderness meant two entirely different lives.

Each commandery and county had specially constructed Elemental Pedestals, typically built based on the magical elemental concentration of the region.

Their appearance was somewhat similar to the pyramids of Yuan Chen's previous life, but they were more magnificent, solemn, and mysterious.

Considering they were built in the primeval jungle, their geographical advantage might rival the Maya Temple, but even the smallest Elemental Pedestal was several times larger than the grandest Maya Temple.

Approaching an Elemental Pedestal, and under its enhancement, the people of a commandery or county had no need to worry about their livelihood. With the pedestal's amplification, even a frail old woman could wield powerful Elemental Magic to aid her daily life.

Newborns, moreover, would receive excellent education from the outset. Even the assessment of magical talent was entirely free. In some larger commanderies and counties, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of apprentices honed their skills within the Elemental Pedestals...

This was why Yuan Chen believed Ixialia was powerful.

Although Ixialia did not have conventional armies, in times of war, it could easily muster millions of Elementalist mages, with an average level above LV2.

It wasn't that Yuan Chen looked down on other nations; it was simply that even Demacia, with its Mana Stones, could not withstand the magical bombardment of millions of mages simultaneously...

Especially in a home-field advantage, with the Elemental Pedestals present, Ixialia's mages had no worries about insufficient mana. The only limitation was stamina; otherwise, it would be infinite firepower for everyone.

The reason Yuan Chen was so certain of the commanderies and counties' appeal to these villagers was simple...

While procuring supplies, specifically ordering sword blades and purchasing armor, Yuan Chen had made inquiries about this village from various sources.

Regardless of whether it was the blacksmith or the stonemason, their words were filled with deep envy when discussing the commanderies and counties.

And the youths were even more so. If they had been born in a commandery or county, they might have already received better educational resources and become true elemental apprentices by now, instead of only being able to use the rudimentary Yuan Chu Axiom for fishing...

But...

In Ixialia, becoming an urban dweller was not easy. Especially for Lupe, a political exile banished to the deep mountains, she couldn't even leave the vicinity without permission from the governor of a nearby commandery or county.

Just then, the blacksmith beside them couldn't help but interject:

"Join a commandery or county? Kid, let's be clear, joining one isn't that easy!"

Yuan Chen nodded in understanding—

Becoming a true city dweller required more than a little effort. Setting aside other matters, in the background story, Milio's talent was exceptionally strong, wasn't it? After awakening his traits, he was highly likely to become the youngest Elemental Master after Qiyana.

But what was the final outcome? He could only embark on his journey alone. His grandmother Lupe, a former Ixialia elder, couldn't even accompany him, let alone contact some of their family's old friends.

Although that was just Milio's personal story, seeing a corner of the room gives you a glimpse of the whole.

Ixialia's traditional conservatism is no less than Ionia's. On top of this is a severe magical dictatorship; the Royal Family, who have ruled Ixialia for tens of thousands of years, hold absolute dominance over this land.

Even the Yuentar elders, who are part of the ruling class, are unwilling to have even the slightest conflict with the Royal Family in this regard...

...the fate of political prisoners is tragic... they have already been killed.

"There's an opportunity! Right before us!"

Yuan Chen said:

"If it were just an ordinary achievement, it naturally wouldn't allow us to be promoted to members of the county. Or, even if an ordinary opportunity allowed us to become members of the county, in the eyes of those true county members, we would still just be a bunch of bumpkins from the countryside, competing for food with them!

But now, we have such an opportunity, not only to become respectable county members but also to gain the respect of all county members!"

"But before that, I want to ask everyone in the village...

Do you truly want to become members of the county, want to gain everyone's respect, want your children to receive a better education, instead of wandering in the wilderness, stone mountains, and sea ships all day, worrying about making a living.

Do you want your children to truly stand out, to walk through the magnificent study corridors of the Elemental Tower, to respectfully ask questions of the noble Yuentar elders, or even to become one of them and bring glory to the family!"

Even without borrowing or activating the power of Oshirresh's Pain Ascetics, Yuan Chen was still one of Oshirresh's Great Demons.

Even if his strength was debatable, in this situation, Yuan Chen's actions and demeanor naturally carried an infectious emotional charge called Joy, excitement, and fervor.

Coupled with Yuan Chen's already rich physical movements and passionate tone, the villagers' inner desires surged exponentially—

As a dancer by profession, influencing the audience's state of mind through body language was instinctual for Yuan Chen. If nothing else, the key to Ionia's traditional war dances lies in their splendor, passion, and ability to attract gazes and attention.

And Yuan Chen's dancer level had long reached the master standard! Furthermore, by using his control over the Water Element to make the environment somewhat humid and hot, even the elders who could usually maintain their composure felt their emotions stirred—

Lupe did notice this minor trick of Elemental Magic, but her wish was for her family to regain its former glory. Therefore, she happened to be on the same side as Yuan Chen.

So, Lupe not only didn't expose him but even actively helped to spread and maintain the effect, covering up the magical fluctuations.

With Lupe's inside cooperation, the villagers clearly couldn't contain their inner curiosity and desire.

And so, the old blacksmith with the big beard, who considered himself to have a relationship with Yuan Chen from forging weapons, didn't suppress his inner doubts but voiced the curiosity of everyone in the village:

"Of course, we want to become respectable county members, but you've said so much, what exactly is the opportunity? Tell us quickly!"

"Yeah! Tell us quickly! If it works, we won't blame you!"

"My son is almost seven years old. If he joins the county, he can become an elemental apprentice. Hurry up and tell us your method!"

Seeing that the atmosphere had been built up, Yuan Chen grinned and said:

"The opportunity will come in two months. At that time, it will be Ixialia's triennial Elemental Festival. To celebrate this festival, every county will hold a grand celebration, and at the end, each county will present its congratulatory gift to Yishuaoken."

As long as we can present enough gifts during this process, we will have a chance for promotion."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's plan and the opportunity, the people who were initially excited suddenly calmed down. A moment later, the blacksmith at the head spoke with a face full of difficulty:

"You make it sound simple, young man. But Ixialia is so vast, and every county has countless people wanting to offer gifts in similar ways.

How can a small village like ours, which barely maintains its roads, compare to those larger settlements?

Not to mention sending it all the way to Yishuaoken... That's the capital of Ixialia. What kind of treasure has His Majesty the Great King not seen?"

"What if the gift was an Elemental Dragon?" Yuan Chen looked at the people before him.

Elemental Dragon...

Hearing Yuan Chen's words, everyone present fell into a brief silence.

If it were in the past, or if Yuan Chen had spoken about the Elemental Dragon from the start, those present wouldn't have taken it seriously. They might have even thought it was a fantasy, a joke, or the ramblings of a fool...

But now, after Yuan Chen had stirred their emotions to an extreme with his words, body language, and the catalysis of magic, they didn't think it was impossible.

Instead, fueled by their heightened emotions, they stammered like gamblers, swallowing hard and saying, "That's an Elemental Dragon... How could it be defeated so easily..."

"That's why I found them!"

Yuan Chen waved his hand, drawing everyone's attention to the Fleshfang Hunters beside him, and said with great passion:

"They are hunters from the Carnivore Beast Tribe! As you can see, they are born hunters! And their goal this time is an Elemental Dragon!"

"But you all know how powerful Elemental Dragons are, so even these born hunters of the Carnivore Beasts aren't entirely confident. They don't understand the mysteries of this land, nor do they know what the Yuan Chu Axiom is!"

"But we do!"

Yuan Chen raised a finger: "We are people of Ixialia! We understand this land, this jungle, and the creatures in these mountains better than anyone!"

As he spoke, Yuan Chen winked at Mordas. Seeing this, Mordas nodded nimbly, then lifted the side of the wagon, revealing the neatly arranged equipment.

Polished Giant Arrows were neatly arranged under the canvas. The huge, barbed Steel arrowheads reflected a cold arc of light even in the night.

Large barrels of Hunting Poison emitted a gloomy aura. And at the very back, the Ballista, which was still enormous even after being disassembled, drew gasps of astonishment from the crowd.

"Gods, how did they bring it in?" the bearded blacksmith exclaimed, unable to help himself.

"A two-person Ballista! It could probably shoot down city walls, right? Such exquisite Steel craftsmanship... How did you get it?"

"This is the wisdom of the hunters."

Yuan Chen clapped his hands and said, "The hunters know how to hunt and have sufficiently powerful weapons, but they don't know this jungle, they don't know Ixialia--"

"But we know! No one understands Ixialia better than us!!"

"That's for sure, we've lived in this jungle since we were kids!"

If the people of Ixialia didn't have much confidence in hunting, then their familiarity and trust in the land beneath their feet was rooted in every Ixialian—

In the eyes of the common people of Ixialia, everywhere outside Ixialia was a battlefield, wasteland, nouveau riche, disease, and chaos. Under such circumstances, it was no wonder that the people of Ixialia were so xenophobic, and so proud of the land beneath their feet!

Under the provocation of words, they even completely forgot that Yuan Chen was also an outsider... But it didn't matter, after all, compared to the Meat-toothed Beasts, Yuan Chen at least still looked human, just a little fairer and smoother than the people of Ixialia.

And now, using this pride, Yuan Chen continued to strike while the iron was hot:

"These hunters don't know how to coexist with this land! But we can! The weapon rust they can't deal with, we can easily solve with a simple Yuan Chu Axiom!

They are entangled by complex bushes and vines, unable to advance, we just need to wave our hands and they will part to make a path! And when we join forces, what can even an Elemental Dragon do?"

"What's more, we have already mastered magical items that can weaken dragons!"

Yuan Chen took out a glass jar filled with red liquid and said:

"This is a magical elixir from the Meat-toothed Beasts! The materials inside are incredibly precious, even if a dragon is splashed with this potion, it will be poisoned and weakened! Even they only have this one chance!

It is precisely because of this that I brought them back here. Because the village took me in when I was adrift at sea, so I also want to seek benefits for my family!!"

Bullshit benefits, Yuan Chen simply didn't want to expose the Azure Starfire to everyone.

As for the liquid in the jar...

While traveling, Yuan Chen casually found a pool and mixed some dirty water with Pack Beast blood. With the Azure Starfire suppressing the dragon, let alone dirty water, even if it were laundry detergent, Yuan Chen could still righteously claim it was a divine magical item.

"And now, the decision is yours."

Yuan Chen looked at the people in front of him with a solemn expression:

"This opportunity is hard-won... I hope everyone in the village will consider it carefully!"

Hearing this, caught between the yearning for the future and the fear of the dragon, the villagers couldn't come up with a unified statement for a while. Finally, the bearded Blacksmith couldn't help but look at Lupe beside him:

"You are the village's eldest elder and an Elemental Master. With your great wisdom, please give us some advice!"