[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-black-dragon-necromancer":3,"chapter-black-dragon-necromancer-black-dragon-necromancer-chapter-106":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Black Dragon Necromancer",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2312866,4521,"Chapter 106: Unpleasant Negotiations","black-dragon-necromancer-chapter-106",106,"\u003Cp>“Sakavi, are you planning to openly plunder?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sakavi’s voice rolled from his throat, a deep, molten roar that seemed to heat the air in the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you weren’t wearing that gaudy golden hide, I’d seriously doubt whether your so-called dragonblood was forged by some goblin merchant in a dye vat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His dragon pupils narrowed to knife-thin slits, fixed unblinkingly on the direction of the Jin Hui Sanctum within the crystal sphere: “Such a price that leaves not even a speck of bone dust… how exactly did you scrape this together from beneath your scales? Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His leaning frame cast a suffocating shadow; each word spat out like sparks flying:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or do you, in your eyes, have the words ‘sucker’ carved onto my head?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A misunderstanding, Your Grace! You flatter me far too much. Our Jin Hui Sanctum, as a branch of the Dragon Worship Cult, regards serving and following the Great Dragons as the very foundation of our faith and our supreme honor—how could we, how dare we, show you even the slightest disrespect or deceit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice paused, as if shaking its head in sorrow, overflowing with the grievance of being misunderstood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There must be a colossal misunderstanding. Please, Your Grace, calm yourself—I shall explain each payment in detail. Every coin has been meticulously prayed over and rigorously calculated, solely to ensure the offerings match your dignity and needs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sakavi’s sulfurous breath warped the air before him; his dragon pupils glowed sharp as needles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When the Aqilong representative dealt with you last time, you weren’t speaking like this.” His voice dropped low, each syllable bitten through clenched teeth. “You blurted out old debts from the Ashfire Brotherhood, then cited ‘risk premiums’—your posture was so damn rigid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tilted his head slightly, as if savoring the memory of that unpleasant encounter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has your stubbornness been blown away by the winds of the Abyss? Or did you only remember how to speak to a vile chromatic dragon after seeing me win this battle at my own doorstep?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Grace, you need not threaten me with such words.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice on the other side of the crystal sphere shed its smile, remaining steady but now carrying a worldly, almost icy calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our Dragon Worship Cult has dealt with Great Dragons longer than many kingdoms have existed. We have encountered all manner of temperaments—and we know well—” he stretched the syllable, “a chromatic dragon willing to sit and reason is rarer than a three-legged toad.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice paused, then regained its unshakable composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We dare transact with any being because we possess the means—certainly—to ensure contracts are honored. Defaulting is never our problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You should be grateful—grateful that what separates us now is more than mere distance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sakavi’s voice plunged into a deep, grinding rumble like tectonic plates crushing far below, each word steeped in icy malice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Otherwise, I’d use my claws to teach you—how a black dragon responds to those who speak to him in such a tone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The molten gold in his dragon eyes burned dangerously bright, as if magma churned beneath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The cost would be one neither you nor your Jin Hui Sanctum could afford to pay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Grace, these verbal sparring matches are meaningless. According to our prior agreement and the current situation, the reconstruction of Nora Sien Port has already begun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice paused briefly, then stated its demand clearly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now is the time for you to fulfill your promise. The Dragon Worship Cult requires an official foothold in the port. Please prepare the land allocation documents and sovereignty permissions as agreed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone was calm, yet he emphasized “promise” and “fulfill” with deliberate precision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Black dragons never break their word, nor do we dabble in wordplay—that’s the filthy trick of green dragons.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sakavi’s voice was low and direct, bearing the dragonkind’s signature, almost arrogant honesty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You will receive a plot of land in Nora Sien Port—that will not change.” He paused slightly, a cold gleam flashing in his vertical pupils, “but I never promised that land would be free.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We are fully aware of that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanozhuo’s voice carried the calm of someone who had anticipated this all along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We will pay the fair market price for the land—that is commercial practice, unrelated to today’s discussion.” He shifted tone, cutting to the core issue: “I imagine your demand for high-purity Holy Light Crystals, extracts from the Spring of Life, and other rare materials used to purify Abyssal corruption… is now immense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone carried a faint, calculated edge of advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you also know that, as a chromatic dragon—especially a black dragon lord—you cannot find any supplier on the open market willing to risk being hunted down to conduct such large-scale, sensitive transactions. And this… is precisely what we are here to discuss today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph! Don’t lump me in with those scurrying fools!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sakavi’s voice bristled with offended pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am a duly appointed Duke, personally granted by the Emperor of Luo Sen Empire, registered in the imperial heraldry! I am no wandering vagrant who dares not fix a nest. My title is legal, bound by orderly oaths!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His dragon pupils flared with piercing gold light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Under this system, even the most rigid wood elf cannot draw a blade against an orderly lord without cause—as long as I stay within bounds, everyone must abide by the rules.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You speak truly, of course. Yet among chromatic dragons with ‘legal status,’ there are only two kinds—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanozhuo’s voice slowed, as if stating an undisputed truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One kind is conquered and tamed by greater powers, becoming silent ornaments or mounts on someone else’s coat of arms. The other kind—” he paused deliberately, sharpening the next words, “gains titles and ranks through long-term scheming, intricate contracts, or precisely timed ‘contributions.’ These titles serve to expand influence more easily—or… to conduct affairs too unsavory for daylight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They earn titles and ranks through prolonged scheming, intricate pacts, or perfectly timed \"contributions\"—titles often meant to more easily expand their influence, or... to conduct affairs too inconvenient to carry out in broad daylight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unfortunately, every faction familiar with your past has categorized you as the latter. In their assessments, your threat level has always remained alarmingly high.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems… we are unlikely to reach consensus today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sakavi’s voice suddenly grew calm; the earlier fury sank beneath ice, leaving only cold, pragmatic calculation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But your urgent desire to establish a branch in Nora Sien Port… will have to wait.” His tone was flat, yet each word struck with precision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After all, it remains a ruin requiring complete rebuilding. And the Dragon Worship Cult—forced to operate in the shadows of order—must blend among merchants and adventurers, unable to openly mobilize resources or seize the initiative.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused slightly, making the next words even more lethal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And the Abyss favors the first vultures to arrive. The later you come, the cleaner the bones you’ll find.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forgive me, Your Grace, but your current behavior is indistinguishable from that of a highwayman.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanozhuo’s voice was clear and hard, each word like a finely polished ice spike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unilaterally suspending agreed-upon contract terms, exploiting our inability to act openly—that is not commerce. It is plunder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He intensified his tone, delivering the core warning:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Dragon Worship Cult’s reputation and network, spanning millennia, are built upon the sanctity of contracts. If you insist on breaking this agreement today, have you truly considered what lengthy list of troubles you will be added to?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When you next need certain ‘hard-to-obtain’ resources in the Astral Plane or other realms, who among the reputable merchants will sit down to negotiate with a ‘plundering lord’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When you next urgently need some \"hard-to-obtain\" resource in the Astral Plane or another realm, who else among reputable merchants will sit down for a detailed talk with a \"pirate lord\"?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah! My dear friend, you’ve utterly misunderstood me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sakavi’s voice shifted abruptly; the cold threat vanished like tide receding, replaced by a tone of weary, sincere candor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I mean, even if Nora Sien Port remains a ruin, eager adventurers and merchants won’t be stopped from rushing toward the Abyss—they’ll just endure harder journeys and more troublesome supplies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone was light, as if stating an insignificant fact: “Meanwhile, I’ve drained my treasury dry and still cannot raise the colossal funds needed to rebuild the port. The construction progress will inevitably… be delayed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, his voice thick with the wounded sincerity of being misjudged:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But this is absolutely, absolutely not a breach of contract! It’s purely a matter of objective constraints. Think—if I had the funds, wouldn’t I want the port built as soon as possible, to welcome merchants and earn gold?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So this isn’t blackmail—it’s simply… an unfortunate reality. We remain each other’s closest partners, don’t we?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems that despite our mutual urgent needs, we cannot yet find a balance satisfactory to both sides.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice within the crystal sphere returned to its original calm, polite distance, now laced with cautious detachment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I believe further argument is pointless. We both may need to pause and calmly reassess our positions and leverage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I believe further debate is pointless now. We may all need to pause, step back, and calmly reassess our respective positions and stakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Klausuna, bring me that merchant named Melo. I’ll show this scheming bastard what a true conspirator looks like!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Livog is guarding the Soro Islands—he’s back, so who do we send there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Send Zelas. She’s earned enough battle merits in this war—probably doesn’t feel like fighting anymore. Perfect chance to send her there for training. Besides, we just won a defensive battle; no one dares cause trouble now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Send Zelas; she’s amassed plenty of battle merits in this war and probably has no intention of fighting hard—perfect to send her over for some training. Besides, we’ve just won a defensive battle; no one would dare cause trouble now.\u003C\u002Fp>",1643,"2026-06-20T13:10:04.638Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f3e92bf891c58e876823b5cccd939814ed0e7279846bc2bb69f8a0db6a2a054c","black-dragon-necromancer-chapter-107","black-dragon-necromancer-chapter-105",145,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fblack-dragon-necromancer-cover.jpg"]