Chapter 349: Chapter 351: The Fourth Calamity, Zhang Kou Jiu Lai (Part 2) (5200 words) Chapter 349: Chapter 351: The Fourth Calamity, Zhang Kou Jiu Lai (Part 2) (5200 words) “What does the fourth disaster have to do with us at Black Iron Castle?”
The words of Collins seed… as if catching Lu Xun had anything to do with , Zhou Shuren.
Lide’s eyes revealed a hint of profound aning as he heard this, “Lord Collins, everything has its cause and effect.
The connection here is too significant.
That group of greedy and disorderly beings harbors a strong possessive desire for all things.
Even for the hoe in the farr’s hand, the hamr in the miner’s hand, the copper pucks in the beggar’s broken bowl, they feel a desire to possess. The fourth disaster knows no concept of rules; the undead act without restraint.”
After pausing for a mont and seeing that Collins’s complexion had visibly worsened, he continued to press on,
“The life on the Main Plane cannot destroy them, and after these calamities cannot satisfy their desires on the Main Plane, they will inevitably spread beyond it.
Lord Collins, I bet that even you know how rich an existence the Underground City is in human legends.
Those greedy fourth disasters possess an even crazier urge to explore and conquer than surface humans.
Once the Underworld appears before them, once Black Iron Castle cos into their view, everything will change.
As for whether that change is good or bad, I think, Lord Collins should be prepared…
Perhaps you will welco a rebirth, or perhaps, destruction.”
Lide’s eyes carried a profound aning, and his tone seed to be that of persuading.
In fact, he hadn’t lied at all, nor had he stated that the players would definitely bring destruction; he was simply innocently reminding the other party to be prepared.
But how could Collins not think of the worst-case scenario? The information Lide provided all pointed to the terrifying nature of the threat. If Black Iron City were to be discovered by that calamity, destruction might even be putting it lightly, whether the Half-Elf race could survive was in question.
After wildly speculating, the mind of this Level 18 Half-Elf began to conjure images of a group of chaotic, blood-thirsty beings acting without logic, destroying everything they encountered.
This directly caused him imnse psychological pressure.
“The ergence of the fourth disaster in the Underworld is almost inevitable, and I have co here because the Bloodline race is about to face the challenge of these terrifying beings, I need to strengthen my own power before they discover us.
Lord Collins, only with great power can one claim a place in a world full of uncertainties.
Those damned greedy life forms are far too terrifying.”
“So, we need to cooperate, Dawn City and Black Iron Castle need genuine cooperation.”
After going around in a large circle, Lide still returned to the original topic.
But now, when the two of them discussed this topic again, their mindsets had already reversed.
Originally, Collins only intended to try negotiating cooperation with Lide, but now it had turned into urgency and desperation.
One should not underestimate the difference here, although it was only a simple change of mindset, it could win greater benefits for Dawn City.
Lide currently had no intention of waging war against the Underground City; he could not conquer this world in a short ti.
Because the Half-Elf Main City—Liusi City in the central region, had a Transcendent in command, the benefits of capturing Black Iron Castle could not offset the disadvantages of starting a war with a Transcendent.
Until the Ancient Alchemy Magic Array on the Magic Crystal Vein was completed, his strategy for the Underworld would be focused on cooperation.
War was rely a ans; obtaining benefits was the ultimate goal.
The term ‘arbitrage trade’ had already been tested on the Centaurs of the Dwarf Hills, and now one-fifth of the Dwarf Hills had been brought under the control of Dawn City.
Of course, aside from external threats, there were internal reasons as well.
There are now too many forces in Dawn City.
Having a multitude of powers might seem like a good thing to others.
But in Lide’s view, it revealed a huge vulnerability.
The powers he controlled were too dispersed, which directly resulted in Dawn City’s territory being patchy and disjointed, with no way to link together.
Dawn City, Dwarf Valley, Dwarf Hills, Anos City, Crimson Mage Tower, Dark Contract, and even the start of developnt near the Fishman Tribe with the Level 17 Centaur Guido Blackwind of the Gale Bloodline.
These forces were scattered around, necessitating Dawn City to expend vast amounts of energy to govern these regions.
Moreover, the environnts and dangers surrounding each force varied, further complicating governance.
With the arrival of players, these chaotic actors added even more variables to an already uncertain situation.
Although the Intelligence Command Center had temporarily linked these forces with an intelligence network, it hadn’t fundantally changed the situation of each force fighting their own battles.
In these circumstances, what he needed wasn’t to carve out new spheres of influence, but to first address the problems revealed by the overly rapid expansion within.
Unstable foundations were a huge taboo; Lide had a clear understanding of Dawn City’s predicant, knowing when to expand and when to retract.
“Kachar City Lord, how should Black Iron Castle cooperate with Dawn City?”
When the topic of cooperation was raised, a asure of calmness returned to Collins’s eyes.
Though Lide’s words had greatly shaken him, they were, after all, information unilaterally provided by Lide. While he already believed it to a degree of 70 percent internally, before verification, he couldn’t possibly take Lide’s word for it.
While Collins tried hard to disguise it, Lide could still clearly feel that the attitude of the Level 18 Half-Elf had already begun to shift.
The corners of his mouth briefly curved in a smile.
Negotiation was a zero-sum ga; the one who seized the initiative stood to gain the most.
And clearly, it seed Collins, who had been comfortably fishing for advantages, had now, due to the information divulged, yielded the initiative.
Or rather, Lide had forcefully snatched the initiative away.
Lack of information was truly frightening; the outside world was changing. They might even face destruction in the near future, and yet he was completely unaware.
This had caused a trendous psychological shock to Collins.
If Collins had lived on Earth, he would surely know the language system fixed in online self-dia—such as, those better than you are working harder, society is weeding out those who can’t keep up with the tis right after graduation, those earning less than fifty thousand a month don’t deserve to live… and so on.
This type of dia uniformly had a na: anxiety selling–fabricating or exaggerating certain matters to induce trendous self-doubt, leading to anxiety and unrest, even to the point of fostering an inferiority complex and fear.
Lide was rely using the cruel experiences imposed by society to strike another blow at the Half-Elf.
Letting him taste the terror of self-dia.
“Lord Collins, becoming stronger is surely a common aspiration for both Dawn City and Black Iron Castle; we’ve always been on the sa side.”
When he ca to the crucial point, Lide spoke in a deeper tone.
“We can share what we have to achieve genuine exchange and integration. Only in this way can we both beco stronger.”
“Kachar City Lord, please elaborate,” Collins, visibly more interested, urged.
A flash of sharpness appeared in Lide’s eyes.
“For instance, Dawn City has a rich foundation in magic and can create various powerful Magic Scrolls, while Black Iron Castle possesses excellent archery equipnt manufacturing techniques, and the Half-Elves’ bows are renowned worldwide.
Dawn City could send Mages to systematically train a large number of Spellcasters for the Half-Elves, while Black Iron Castle could send Half-Elves skilled in bow-making to jointly develop new bows with us, with the fruits of this research on weapons and equipnt to be shared by both sides…”
Collins was taken aback by these words, his eyes widened as he stared intently at Lide.
“Kachar City Lord, what do you an by this?”
“For example, if our joint research departnt discovers a type of Super Level bow that surpasses all current bows through our combined efforts, then both Dawn City and Black Iron Castle could possess the manufacturing technology for this bow, becoming stronger together.”
Watching Collins, clearly moved, Lide spoke with a aningful look, not giving the other side too much ti to think, he continued.
“Secondly, the exchange of trade. Located on the surface, Dawn City has access to a wide range of resources and materials not available to the Underground City. These include, but are not limited to, Magic Supplies, Alchemy Bombs, Dwarf-forged armor, potions for training Mages…
While the Underworld has an abundance of mineral resources.
We could satisfy our needs by trading and exchanging goods we each possess.”
“Thirdly, the exchange and training of military forces. Dawn City’s army is incredibly strong, governing several races,
Dwarves, goblins, Beastn, Centaurs, humans, One-eyed Giants, and the list of Professions available for them to change into is endless.
We could help each other train a portion of our forces to cover the weaknesses in our own.”
For example, Black Iron Castle could help Dawn City train archers, whereas we could help you train warriors, cavalry, and even doctors, blacksmiths, tailors…”
“Fourth…”
By the ti Lide listed more than a dozen terms for cooperation, Collins had been completely stunned.
He had never thought that cooperation between two powers could go to such depths, collaboratively developing weapons and equipnt, sharing results, helping each other train armies to compensate for weaknesses,
and even investing in infrastructure, creating various essential goods for everyday life. These thods of cooperation were simply unheard of.
It wasn’t just the cooperative clauses that surprised Collins; the information revealed by Lide while proposing them also shook him.
He had originally thought Dawn City was rely a simple Vampire Castle, but unexpectedly, the other party actually ruled over so many races.
The casually revealed information let him see the vast power behind Dawn City.
If Lide had proposed such in-depth cooperation from the start, Collins would never have agreed— who knows if this vampire had any other ulterior motives.
But after the recent discussion about the Fourth Calamity, he began to waver.
If the outside world had really changed and the future of Black Iron Castle was no longer certain, then why couldn’t they embark on mutual cooperation?
Moreover, Black Iron Castle would not be at a disadvantage with this kind of cooperation, especially since Lide had agreed to systematically train their spellcasters, a point that deeply tempted him.
Half-Elves are natural-born archers, most skilled with the bow and arrow, but that doesn’t an he did not desire a Caster Corps.
In the Glory realm, who doesn’t want to be a lofty Mage who could destroy a city with a casual flick of magic?
Regrettably, the magical heritage of Half-Elves is incredibly weak. Although Black Iron Castle has a Mage Tower, its Great Mage reached Level 18 solely through trial and error, countless mistakes, and a super high Talent.
When it cos to training Spellcasters, they are basically novices at the entry level. Therefore, although Black Iron Castle has a Level 18 Great Mage, the rest of the Spellcasters can’t even reach Level 5.
“Kachar City Lord, I…”
Watching Collins hesitate, not yet resolved, Lide slightly smiled. He was not in a hurry for the other to make a decision, as cooperation between two powers was not child’s play.
Rising to his feet, he said slowly,
“Lord of Collins, you don’t need to rush your reply. You can think about it when you go back. I will stay in Black Iron City for a few more days.
But I believe you will understand that the cooperation between Black Iron Castle and Dawn City is a rare opportunity for Black Iron Castle, and if you miss it, it won’t co again.”
Lide’s words were not without reason; this cooperation seed equal on the surface, but actually, Dawn City was at so disadvantage. He offered too much and asked for too little.
But… if you don’t offer bait, how will the fish bite?
Lide revealed an amused smile.
There are many who can resist temptation in this world, but it was clear that Lord Collins, the Level 18 Half-Elf City Lord, was not one of them.
Especially with his trump card—magic, helping them to massively train Spellcasters, was an irresistible temptation for any race.
Hearing Lide’s words, Collins visibly relaxed, quickly rising to his feet, his tone changing once again.
“Kachar City Lord, in the next few days, I will arrange soldiers to guard your safety, and you can directly command them if you have any issues.
I hope you have a pleasant journey in Black Iron Castle.”
Hearing this, Lide slightly nodded, his smile brightening a touch.
“You?”
A simple change of address, but the aning behind it was worth contemplation.
After Lide’s figure disappeared from the City Lord’s Manor, Collins pondered alone in the vast hall for a long ti before hastily standing up and heading to the Black Iron Mage Tower, only a few hundred paces from the manor.
Ten minutes later.
Atop the Mage Tower of Black Iron, fifty paces high, Collins gazed out through glass windows over the majestic and magnificent city; the expansive view eased his mind.
After a mont, he turned to face an aged figure in a gray-white Mage robe, who was reading Magic Books on a raw wooden table, and asked,
“Mahari, do you think we can trust this Vampire? Does an undying Life truly exist in this world?”
Hearing Collins’ puzzled words, Mahari Grey Claw, the Tower Master of the Black Iron Mage Tower, the only Great Mage of Black Iron Castle, a spellcaster of level 18, shook his head helplessly at this mont.
“Collins, is this the fifth ti you’ve asked? Do you still need to answer?”
Collins’ expression stiffened, and he smiled awkwardly.
“Lord Mahari, this is after all a choice concerning the fate of Black Iron City; I must be cautious.”
Mahari set down the yellowed sheepskin-covered magic books he was holding, his deep yellow eyes gazing at the City Lord of Black Iron Castle, his tone grave.
“Collins, the world is vast; it is normal for so existences beyond our understanding to appear, just like magic—no one can know all there is about magic.
As for whether or not to do it, all I can say is…”
He paused in his delivery, and Collins waited for the next sentence with the anticipation of a cat with its claw in its heart.
But at that mont, the Half-body Mage instead reached out for the ceramic cup on the table and took a sip, seemingly with no intention of continuing.
“Lord Mahari… I swear! If I could, I’d have the Divine change your annoying habit of talking in halves.”
At this displeased remark, Mahari set down his cup and smiled.
“What do you think would be our loss if we cooperated with the vampires? And what would be our gain?”
“Loss? Gain?” Collins furrowed his brow, and after so thought, he slowly said,
“The loss might be that we would teach them how to make bows and arrows, thus the strongest weapon of the Half-Elves would fall into the hands of these vampires.
The gain, on the other hand, would be…”
Mid-sentence, he faltered because he suddenly realized that aside from this loss, the other aspects of the cooperation seed to favor Black Iron Castle.
Especially since they would help train spellcasters, this option made him feel that his bow and arrow crafting skills were not so precious after all.
“Now, I think you have your answer, Collins. The vampire was right; if you’re not strong, you will inevitably be eliminated.
We have no way of knowing what’s happening in the outside world, but even if what the vampire said is wrong, even if the Catastrophe of the Fourth Day doesn’t exist.
But, so what?
Is it not a good thing for us to make Black Iron Castle stronger, to allow our Grey Claw Tribe to control our own destiny??
In my view, the biggest issue is not whether our cooperation with the vampires is problematic, but whether their city is as powerful as they claim…”
At these words, Collins felt his thoughts clear up instantly.
Cooperation was not the problem, since Black Iron City stood to gain far more than it would lose; the key issue was whether the vampires genuinely had the resources and power to support such a scale of cooperation.
Having grasped the key point, Collins made up his mind at once.
“I’ll go talk with that vampire again.”
Level 18 Great Mage Mahari looked deeply at City Lord Collins, feeling sowhat moved.
“Collins, you are becoming more and more like your father.
You only need to rember one thing about this cooperation: Black Iron City is the Black Iron City of the Grey Claw Tribe; we cannot allow those vampires to use the na of cooperation to weaken our control over the city.
Everything else can be negotiated.
It is best to start with small-scale cooperation, and then, once the initial contact is without issue, to expand the scope to a comprehensive cooperation.”
“I understand, Lord Mahari.”
After Collins left, Mahari, looking sowhat threadbare, stood up and moved to the place where Collins had just been standing, his profound yellow eyes burning as he looked out the window.
Those hawk-like eyes seed at that mont to pierce through the towering walls, through the eternal silence and grey dim, to see the edge of the world.
The sky of the Underground World remained as unchanging as ever, dark, grim.
“Why do I always feel an urgency in my heart… Could it be like twenty years ago, when a great disaster happened? My intuition has been proven right countless tis, I hope this ti it fails…”
“Oh, great Half-body God Kaplotz, I hope you can once again provide with guidance, your faithful believer Mahari prays to you…”
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