Cassius nodded slightly in acknowledgnt.
But his gaze went beyond the envoy, looking at the dozens of boxes of gold behind him.
The strong ogres were struggling to carry the boxes, transporting them to a steam locomotive waiting nearby—these new transport tools were already being used in many places.
Even the ogres, sensing the heavy weight inside the boxes, vaguely guessed that they were filled with gold, but the presence of the Red Dragon quashed any delusions.
"Not bad."
"Indeed, it's two million gold coins. It seems your sincerity exceeds my expectations."
Sachsie pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his forehead, then bowed again with his scepter raised.
"Of course, His Majesty values your empire greatly. He hopes we can achieve a peaceful and friendly relationship, which is why he sent here."
"This is the sincerity of the Kingdom of Thrace and the sincerity given by His Majesty Wilhelm."
Before he finished speaking, Sachsie took out a parchnt scroll from the inner lining of his robe and slowly unfurled it.
On it were lines of common language words infused with magical power, essentially stating that the Kingdom of Thrace and the Ashen Empire agreed to a peace treaty, not to invade each other within a year.
However, Cassius' eyes darkened, and the Dragon's Might around him spread tangibly.
"Falsifying a contract isn't a wise move, is it?"
"As a descendant of Aragon the First, do you lack even the most basic integrity?"
"Your Majesty, what do you an..."
Sachsie's hands trembled like chaff, sweat continuously trickling down.
He silently cursed their clever king, who thought of such a thod to preserve the kingdom's territory.
"Where is the Cartapa Hills that I wanted?"
Cassius asked straightforwardly.
Sachsie reluctantly straightened his body and replied, "Your Majesty, the Cartapa region is too barren and desolate to match this great contract. Perhaps we can compensate in another way..."
"Enough."
Cassius said coldly.
"Do you think I care about the land?"
"The Ashen Empire cannot be choked by any country."
"If the Kingdom of Thrace is unwilling to give up the Cartapa region, I would rather form a military alliance with the Kingdom of Cassandra and take this land from you!"
Cassius paused for a mont. He slowly rose from his seat in the hall, exposing a nacing smile.
"At that ti... you will lose more than just the Cartapa region, but two-thirds of the territory north of the Radiant Mountains."
"Your, Your Majesty, please calm down!"
The hurricane ford by Dragon's Might surged, knocking Sachsie backward. The contract in his hand dimd instantly and turned to ashes.
"You misunderstood. This is not the final contract, only one of the proposals from the Kingdom of Thrace!"
He fumbled to take out another parchnt scroll from his bosom, raised it high, and hastily unfurled it.
This ti, the contract clearly stated:
"The Kingdom of Thrace grants the Cartapa region to the Ashen Empire."
"Signed by: Wilhelm Aragon"
"Your Majesty, this is the true contract from our Kingdom of Thrace!"
It turned out that Wilhelm and the ministers of the Kingdom of Thrace did not value the barren Cartapa region but were also reluctant to give it up easily.
This would damage the kingdom's dignity and increase the threat from the Ashen Empire.
Therefore, they drafted different contracts for Sachsie to argue, striving to keep the kingdom's territory and continue controlling the vital passage to the Anzeta Great Wilderness.
Now, seeing no hope of convincing them, Sachsie finally took out the final contract.
"Your Majesty... What do you think?"
"Not much."
Cassius let out a cold laugh.
"As expected of the forr Fadlan people, arrogance seeped into their bones. Do they really think the empire wouldn't dare to go to war with them?"
Sachsie quickly defended, "Of course not, Your Majesty. We always uphold the principles of peace and integrity towards you and..."
"Heh, do you really think I'm unaware of the situation in the south?"
Cassius interrupted him again, taking steps forward.
"I heard that your frontline situation is quite poor. Your army retreated hundreds of kiloters north under the attack of General Tamur of the Kingdom of Cassandra, losing several cities in succession, and even your capital is threatened."
"In that case..."
A massive shadow engulfed Sachsie.
"Thrace is already in such a miserable state. Who gave you the courage to bargain with ?"
"..."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Sachsie's lips quivered.
After a long ti, he struggled to get up, tidied his clothes, and cautiously asked, "Then, what other requirents do you have?"
Cassius replied calmly:
"However, you are indeed quite fortunate. Although I am dissatisfied with your arrogance, I also do not want the Kingdom of Cassandra to win."
"You should thank . My requirents may even benefit you."
Sachsie, sowhat puzzled, could only keep silent and wait.
Finally, Cassius' voice echoed.
"Besides the ownership of the Cartapa region as required in the contract, you also need to purchase weapons from the empire."
"Once the transaction is completed, I will naturally sign this contract."
Just as he finished speaking, the contract flew from Sachsie's hand and landed before the Red Dragon.
Then, under the escort of the Tiefling Guards, Sachsie and his diplomatic mission were led out of the hall.
"Please co this way. His Majesty has made arrangents."
Strangely enough, the guards stationed at the altar lined up and left.
Walking along, Sachsie was still deeply intimidated by the power and aggressiveness of the Red Dragon.
But he was sowhat puzzled, turning to Dayev beside him and asking, "Why did he let us purchase weapons?"
"I thought—this Majesty would directly demand gold coins."
Dayev was silent for a mont before tentatively replying:
"Maybe..."
"He truly hopes we will win?"
"Boom!"
Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook violently.
A rumbling hum ca from the earth, and dust rolled in, followed by a long Dragon's Roar from the sky.
Sachsie instinctively turned his head, only to see that the spot where the Isdalia Grand Altar once stood was enveloped in dust and sand, but a massive shadow appeared within the dust.
As the dust slowly cleared, a more unbelievable scene unfolded before them—
The ground in the distance suddenly rose nearly a hundred ters, forming a high mountain platform, lifting the entire grand altar into the air so that anyone in Isdalia could look up and see the pyramid.
Cassius stood at the top of the altar, looking down at the earth indifferently, as if he had just done sothing trivial.
It was like a miracle.
"Long live His Majesty Cassius!"
"Long live the Empire!"
"This is the power of His Majesty!"
"What the heck? Can this faction leader actually hamr out a wonder with bare hands?"
Humans, monsters, and players in the city of Isdalia looked up at the "Aerial Altar" in wonder, shouting in exclamation.
Sachsie stared blankly at the spectacular sight, his expression dazed.
As a mage, he naturally understood that creating such a large-scale environntal effect was at least a ninth-tier spell—yet, the Emperor had perford it so effortlessly, with hardly any expenditure.
This was the ultimate power of an individual.
"Praise Amanata above..."
"Thankfully, we signed the peace treaty..."
After a long silence, Sachsie patted his chest in relief, grateful that he had not acted recklessly.
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