Chapter 897: Negotiation (Part II)

Jier did not immediately reply to the old Dwarf's question; a smile on his face, he calmly and slowly approached the other party, specifically increasing the distance between himself and the many Human Villagers who had been closely watching his every move behind him.

When the distance between the two was just over a meter, Jier then lowered his voice and said to the old Dwarf: "Old man, before I answer your question, I must first confirm one thing. Have you felt the series of good intentions I have shown?"

The old Dwarf reached out to stroke the bandaged wound on his head and said with a hint of sarcasm: "If you mean this sort of thing, then my people and I have felt it completely. Hmph, your good intentions—"

Jier shrugged his shoulders: "It seems you have understood. Since you have understood the various good intentions I released earlier, that is truly great. Ahem, as for the reason why I came to this remote place that has terrifying legends in the outside world, I think, even if I said I came here by accident, you wouldn't believe it, right?"

The old Dwarf looked up slightly, dissatisfied, and glared at the young Human who was much taller than him: "Knowing I wouldn't believe it, then be straightforward and honest. How about letting this negotiation you specifically prepared continue?"

Jier paused. He did not want to honestly reveal the reason for the large group of Refugees behind him just like that, because if he did, he would instead become the weaker party in need of others' help. It shouldn't be like this; after all, if he had come here alone, he would instead be the party occupying the initiative in the negotiation because he had no place where he relied on others.

But the other party wanted him to be honest, and this actually put him in a difficult spot.

If he did not honestly state his background now, he could of course occupy an advantage in the current negotiation. After all, he personally had no desires or demands, and under the natural cause of Humans helping Humans, all his actions were reasonable, naturally occupying the advantage in the negotiation.

But that would be lying. Jier was guided by the Great Bird Spirit to come here to liberate the Humans here. His purpose was of course not that pure and noble; he had taken a fancy to the safety and remote location of this place and wanted to settle the hundreds of Refugees under his command here.

Within a few days, the Refugee Team waiting at the Cunzi outside Huitou Forest would definitely be summoned here by him, and at that time, everything would be known to the original Human Villagers and Dwarves here. Then, his dishonesty during the negotiation would be seen by everyone. Perhaps the local Human Villagers would at most complain in private and then understand—or have to understand even if they didn't—but how would this group of Dwarves, whose combat strength Jier valued and would definitely absorb into his combat team, view his dishonesty at this moment?

Honesty that is not absolute is absolute dishonesty.

Especially in a situation where the good intentions and trust between the Human and Dwarf sides were both fragile.

If these Dwarf Warriors, who would definitely be of great use in future battles, held suspicion and wariness toward him because of his dishonesty at this moment, what would his gains and losses be then?

Hesitation during critical battles, being unable to entrust safety to the other party due to the loyalty of the Dwarf personnel, and so on, were all problems.

Jier thought and judged rapidly, his expression stiff, his eyes darting left and right in their sockets, clearly in the midst of rapid thought and weighing.

The old Dwarf, who had lived for several hundred years, saw at a glance what the young Human Knight's expression represented at this moment. He sniffed his large nose, his graying beard trembling, and with his hands on his hips, he spoke softly: "Oh, it seems that although I am old, I still asked about the key point this time? Young man, relax, relax. I have lived for so many years, hmm, at least far longer than that Saint Hors Kingdom of yours outside, and I have long understood many principles and accurately understand the rules of how society operates."

"People always act while holding various personal or organizational interests. Unprovoked good deeds or actions might exist, but they are not common; yes, they are not common." The old Dwarf raised his hand and gestured vaguely at everything around him: "Noble evil deeds exist, and despicable good deeds are not rare. Taking action for other various reasons and interests is quite normal. Ah, do not doubt the differences between Dwarf society and Human society; sentient beings are mostly similar. Except for those empty-headed Elves, all living beings in the world are about the same."

"Uh..." Jier opened his mouth slightly.

"Speak, your concerns, your reasons, why did you come here? Be honest, okay? This will only have benefits and help for this negotiation. You frankly tell your story, and I will also frankly tell you my thoughts. Enough blood has been shed; thanks to your restraint, the rough lives of my lads did not pass away casually. Isn't this the start of a good negotiation that you have been preparing all along?"

The old Dwarf spoke slowly, using the words of a mature and steady elder. In the span of a few sentences, it seemed as if he had taken away the initiative of the negotiation.

Jier had listened to the old Dwarf's words. Just as he was about to speak, his ears inside his Steel Helmet moved slightly; he seemed to hear some strange and distant noise from the direction of the west side of the Cunzi.

The sound was distant and blurry, but it felt quite familiar.

He was stunned for a moment, then ignored the faintly heard sound and lowered his head slightly to say to the old Dwarf: "What you said makes a lot of sense. Then I will also honestly answer you, hoping that after you hear my answer, you can make a rational judgment to make a response for the subsequent negotiation so that everyone present can get the satisfactory answer they want."

The old Dwarf took a deep breath and nodded: "I will judge rationally. Speak, I hope the answer will not disappoint me."

Thus, Jier reached out to unfasten the armor on the front of his neck, took out a wooden black bird statue hanging inside, showed it to the old Dwarf, and then pointed to the sky above his head, gesturing to guide the old Dwarf to identify a tiny black dot circling high in the sky.

He told the old Dwarf roughly about the guidance of a certain suspected divine existence and the news that there was a team under his command. Jier did not explain in detail where the people under his command came from, why they were under his command and management, or what the composition of the team was; he only spoke generally about how he and a Priest of the God of Agriculture were about to head further south to rescue the Villagers of an entire village that believed in the Human God of Agriculture.

The old Dwarf frowned as he listened. He did not expect that the real situation was far worse than he had anticipated, especially when he heard the young Knight say that hundreds of people under his command were stationed in a Human Cunzi within a day's walking distance outside Huitou Forest.

He had originally thought there was at most a team of a few dozen people. This number of Humans was something he and his Miners could barely handle, even if those few dozen people were professional Human Soldiers.

But hundreds of people—this number was even greater than the total number of existing Human Villagers in Tuolituo Cunzi. Not to mention anything else, just at this very moment and place, the two hundred or so Villagers confronting the Dwarves were already a number the Dwarves needed to deal with with all their might. With several times more than that, they Dwarves would have no possibility of winning at all.

Yes, even if they all fled back into the Treasure Mine at this time, sealed the gate, and hid in the depths of the mine tunnels, this number of Humans was not something the mine's defensive design could withstand.

But then again, a Human team of hundreds was very bad, but not the worst kind. After all, if a few more powerhouses like this young Human Knight came—not many, just two or three more—even if the Dwarves had a hundred more people at this time, they definitely would not be able to handle it.

A few dozen Dwarves would just be a number slaughtered in one or two exchanges.

And his trump card, those believers among the Miners who believed in the God of Strength, couldn't even beat one, let alone a few more.

"Phew, I understand, I understand. Very good, very good, young man. I see your honesty and the importance you place on this negotiation. Sigh, the truth is always a sharp blade. I believe what you said, the scale of your team, and your intention."

The old Dwarf carefully and repeatedly stroked his beard. Dwarves familiar with old 'Iron Fist' all knew that this was his subconscious action when he was nervously thinking.

After a pause, the old Dwarf calmed his mood and actions, trying not to let the other party see too much: "So, your honesty has opened the door to friendship with the 'Stone Moss' family, young man. Let us enter the formal negotiation. Come, tell me your requirements, then listen to our requirements, and let us carefully discuss what each of us can do and implement it. On our side, I can represent all the Dwarves, present or not, and make decisions on their behalf."

Jier smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that the majority of the truth he had just spoken would make him lose the upper hand in the negotiation and be manipulated by the old Dwarf in front of him.

Fortunately, negotiation skills are very important, but the strength behind the two parties in the negotiation is the key factor that truly determines the process and result of the negotiation.

He did not lie about the scale of his Refugee team; he told the truth, just without describing in detail the composition of the team and the combat capability of the entire team. Perhaps this old Dwarf thought that the hundreds of people under his command were all armies from Human society?

"On my side, I first need you Dwarves to give up the management rights and ownership of Tuolituo Cunzi," Jier said first.

The old Dwarf frowned, his lips moved slightly, and the circle of beard around his mouth shook a few times, but the old Dwarf did not flare up; he just stretched out his left hand to signal the young Knight to continue.

Jier looked at the old Dwarf's expression and demeanor and slowed his speech to explain: "Through my exchanges with the Villagers yesterday, I roughly learned the history of this place."

"History..." the old Dwarf muttered in Dwarven Language, with a hint of disdain.

After all, history in the mouths of Humans was, to Dwarves whose lifespans were several times that of Humans, just a part of their life's journey. It was far from being worthy of the term history.

To Dwarves, only things with a time span of over a thousand years were worthy of being described by the term history.

After all, a thousand years, for a Dwarf family, was only a few generations; a few generations, just crossing the anecdotes passed down by word of mouth, barely reached the edge of history.

Jier continued from his previous words: "I must affirm that this place originally belonged to your Dwarf land. Not just here, the vast land outside also belonged to the Dwarves, your Kingdom, your land."

The old Dwarf nodded; this was a matter of course to him.

"But."

Jier said.

"But, the living beings of the world are governed by the various great gods; look, they are the great gods hanging in the sky. They are incomparably powerful and govern all the land and living beings in the world. And nearly a hundred years ago, they bestowed this vast land upon us Humans, uh, a great Bard named Hols."

Hearing these words, the old Dwarf took a deep breath, suppressing his surging anger.

Jier, watching the old Dwarf's expression, hurriedly said: "Don't forget, among those great gods in the sky, there are exactly your Dwarf gods; they also agreed to this transfer and exchange of land."

The old Dwarf almost blurted out words cursing the Dwarf gods, but fortunately, he gritted his teeth and kept his mouth shut at the moment of speaking. Cursing was of course no big deal; although the gods were great, they were not omnipotent and perfect, and could not know everything that happened in the world. But as a member of the 'Stone Moss' family, he could not bring shame to the family or take actions that damaged the family's dignity.

Seeing that the old Dwarf had calmed his mood, just with a stinking face, Jier smiled slightly and continued: "Therefore, under the bestowal and witness of the gods, this land has since belonged to Humans, named the Saint Hors Kingdom. The land we are currently on belongs to the Southern Autonomous Cunzi Region, Sasi County, Bolisi-fa Ling, Southern Province of the Saint Hors Kingdom."

Jier stomped his feet, pointing out a small hole in the ground with his toe: "You see, this place now belongs to Human land; Dwarves managing this place lacks a basis in law. On this point, I believe you definitely understand. Of course, everything in this world is ultimately determined by force. On this point, you and I both understand. So, the Dwarves managing this place before was not legal, but reasonable. Now that I have come, organized the local Human Villagers, and weakened your military force through a series of battles yesterday. Therefore, I hope you can understand and give up the management rights and ownership of Tuolituo Cunzi."

The old Dwarf was noncommittal about this; after all, these were all obvious things that definitely could not be kept. Things that could not be kept could not be kept no matter how much one tried to hold onto them, just like holding a handful of fine sand; one could hold it in their hand for a short while, but as time dragged on, sand would always slip through the gaps between the fingers.

It could not be kept.

But it was not as if nothing could be done.

After the old Dwarf was silent for a while, he nodded to Jier: "Regarding your request, there is generally no problem, but there are two key points that need to be explained; one of them is not negotiable, and the other can be negotiated."

"What? Management rights or ownership? Management rights are not non-negotiable, but ownership is out of the question," Jier said hurriedly.

The old Dwarf shook his head: "Neither. I am certainly willing to let go of things I cannot keep. It is not what you mentioned, but something else. The Mine outside the village, the one that has always existed, our Dwarf Mine! As well as our Dwarf houses and property in the village."

The Dwarf Mine, the Dwarf houses and property.

Jier rolled his eyes, then asked: "Which one is non-negotiable, and which one can be negotiated?"

The old Dwarf said decisively: "The Mine is non-negotiable; the houses and property can be negotiated."

Jier rubbed his gums, had a sudden inspiration, and immediately said: "I think it is exactly the opposite; the Mine can be negotiated, but the houses and property are what do not need to be negotiated."

"Hmm?" The old Dwarf was momentarily puzzled.

Jier explained: "From what I understand, for you Dwarf remnants, the most important and urgent need right now should be to return to the Dwarf Kingdom, to Dwarf territory, right?"

The old Dwarf was stunned for a moment, then nodded heavily: "That is so."

Jier spread his hands: "You have feet and can walk away from here, but the problem is, the Mine outside the village has no feet; it cannot walk, it cannot leave Torito Cunzi. Can you Dwarves dig up an entire mine buried in the earth and carry it on your backs to travel? Right, when you leave here and return to your homeland, if there are no Dwarves here, even if the Mine still belongs to the Dwarves, who would be able to maintain it?"

The old Dwarf was stunned: "This..."

"A kingdom that no one cares about, no matter how great, will collapse. Even the smallest, simplest house, if someone lives in it, can stand firm on the earth." Jier spoke these words slowly, and after hearing them, the old Dwarf nodded involuntarily, even re-evaluating the young Human Knight before him.

"And the houses and property, those things can be taken away."

"Wait, how can houses be taken away?" The old Dwarf interrupted Jier's words and asked this question.

Jier smiled: "Of course you cannot take the houses, but if they belong to you, you can completely sell them to others before you leave, in exchange for the various supplies you need on your journey home."

Hearing this explanation, the old Dwarf said with dissatisfaction: "'What do you mean by if they belong to you,' they belong to us Dwarves. We demarcated and planned them ourselves, designed the styles ourselves, gathered the building materials ourselves, put in the labor to build them ourselves, and have lived in them for decades; they belong to us, and no one can take that away!"

"Yes, yes, yes, they are all yours, they are all yours. See, aren't these issues settled now?" Jier said with a smile.

But the old Dwarf shook his head: "The houses and property are no problem, but the Mine cannot be decided so easily."

"You cannot take it with you anyway; once you leave here, won't the Mine just be broken into and utilized by the people in the village?" Jier shrugged.

"Then we just won't let others break into it," the old Dwarf said suddenly and decisively.

Narrowing his eyes, Jier vaguely felt there was a problem. He had not previously understood this Dwarf Mine in depth. Did it have a name? What was being mined? What was the output? When did mining start? Who held the ownership of the Mine? He did not know any of these questions.

But the Mine manager before him certainly knew, so Jier decided to ask about the situation.