Chapter 137: News of the Black Dragon

Opportunity knocks but once; a capable ruler never misses a time window.

Her sister's sudden "awakening" brought immense prestige to the family; this divine favor solidified the ruler of Morsodilka's position, so naturally, they must seize this opportunity to push certain matters forward.

"Now might be the most suitable time for a contract. My sister said you have a way to contact your Princess directly?"

It was clear that Verna was somewhat anxious.

The situation had improved slightly, but some deadly dangers had not disappeared.

That Beast Lord, unless met by an equal force fighting desperately, remains a threat to the city.

Shaliman, sitting opposite the Divine Maiden, was somewhat puzzled; the news she had heard was of a great victory.

At this moment, Li En passed the new information he had received from Kukku over.

"That Beast Prince today has grown 17% larger in volume than yesterday's."

Shaliman looked at the note Li En handed over and was instantly shocked. Li En sighed; this girl seemed not yet to have returned to normal.

"Yes, under the catalysis of the spell, it is growing further." Verna silently glanced at Li En; she had already sensed that the true leader of this embassy was actually the Classical Knight, who ostensibly had no direct connection.

"This is the worst possible development trend. That Beast is still in its growth phase; the Mind Flayers outside are not in a hurry. They are waiting for the Beast's child to reach its peak." Li En sighed and added.

Upon hearing this, the scene immediately erupted in exclamations.

That ridiculous huge thing outside can actually become even stronger?!

In negotiations, the more urgent party naturally reveals weakness.

It was a good thing Shaliman stated it directly; it indeed became pressure in the negotiations.

But since the City Lord had condescended to come personally, there was no need to be too particular about certain things.

A top leader does not appear in negotiations easily, because if they fail, there is no retreat. The City Lord coming personally meant they brought a contract acceptable to both sides.

But one should not expect too much credibility from this contract; after all, everyone knows that the "Dark Elf Alliance" in diplomatic settings is just an insult.

Both sides placed their terms on the table and completed the two-city alliance, which had been prepared long ago, in two exchanges.

The content was quite simple and straightforward: "No mutual attacks within three years, and treat forces related to the 'Beast' as wanted criminals by both parties," with an expectation to announce it simultaneously in half a month.

As an alliance, this thing, which amounts to at most a single sheet of paper, could be called a joke.

It merely set the most basic non-aggression pact and designated a common enemy, because for any more complex or demanding contract, both sides lacked the most basic mutual trust; signing it would be equivalent to signing nothing.

This was not a magical contract, but after both parties announced it, it was guaranteed by their mutual reputations; this was also a reason why oaths would not be too complex. You cannot expect a Dark Elf to prioritize reputation over interests on the scale of reputation and benefit.

"In fact, if any Dark Elf truly sacrifices for the sake of an oath and credibility for a great reason, she will have no honor left in Dark Elf society." These were Victoria's exact words earlier; it seemed she indeed despised this society where lies were treated as glory.

An overly realistic society made both sides lack the most basic trust in credibility and oaths, even viewing those who keep their word as foolish.

But as a City Lord, Verna would not casually break an oath. This level of commitment already far exceeded expectations; at the very least, the leader of the embassy was quite satisfied.

Shaliman breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed this time she could properly report to Her Highness the Princess.

And this mindset revealed her immaturity as a great noble—if she were a normal great noble.

Such diplomatic occasions are opportunities to actively pursue connections; one must not only seize the time to build networks but also find ways to enhance one's own reputation.

As for the completion status of the mission itself, there was no need to care too much; as long as it was passable (failure with a suitable reason).

Looking at Shaliman, Verna became even more astonished; this "diplomatic envoy" of the other side was simply too honest. Was this some kind of disguise or deception? She couldn't quite figure it out.

With the major matters concluded, the atmosphere improved significantly, but if it were only these things, there would be no need for the City Lord to come personally again for a special night talk.

"... There is a second Beast Prince, also under the control of the Mind Flayers."

Verna, whose time was limited, chose to lay all her cards on the table at this moment.

"Can I entrust you with handling this matter?" Just after the alliance was formed, the City Lord proposed a commission.

"Why us?" Shaliman was somewhat puzzled. "Do you lack assassins here?"

"Because if I hand it over to other families, news will leak quickly, and you should have means to quietly leave here and return."

The Mind Flayers had developed to this extent; did the local families not know? They had entered the city to trade many times before; the Dark Elf city was one of the few city-states that allowed them free movement.

The Mind Flayers' abilities were very useful, whether taming slaves or creating thugs; after so many years, they already had intricate ties with the various local families.

Even now, it was possible that many families were already trying to make deals with the Mind Flayers outside.

"You are in a war phase; will those families still collude with the enemy?"

"Absolutely." Verna spoke with absolute certainty. This was the Dark Elf way; the more urgent the moment, the more internal strife. Every failure was an opportunity for the lower ranks.

If there was no opportunity to rise, then create one.

Therefore, the only ones worthy of trust were one's own family members, and even that was only slightly more trust, after all, sisterly fratricide was also a Dark Elf tradition.

But this time, Verna chose to trust her sister.

"My sister will participate in this mission and bring some specialized equipment. You mainly need to protect her."

Although unclear why her sister trusted this surface-dweller so much, Verna vaguely knew her sister's awakening had some relation to him and decided to add emphasis again.

"... We need to consider this." Even if such a thing could be done, one could not agree to it casually.

"Reply to me within two days. If you have any needs, you can also tell me."

"Um, do you have a Little Black Dragon in your city?" Violet Rose suddenly interjected, reminding everyone of the target of this mission.

All the city's resources served the Dark Elf nobility; if one truly wanted some treasure, asking the Dark Elf nobles was not wrong.

Verna smiled.

"I have heard of this. The eldest daughter of the third-ranked Xia Luofen family has tamed a juvenile Black Dragon. She probably intends to raise it for a few decades as a trump card. I can arrange for her to undertake certain missions." Other families could betray her; of course, she could also draw her blade against those families at any time.

This did not even count as the main event of the negotiations; it was merely a small gift expressing friendliness.

Eliminating a future threat was by no means a bad thing.

Having finished speaking, Verna took her leave; she was very busy tonight and still had many matters to communicate properly with her sisters.

"Only one? It seems there is more information being hidden."

Li En also felt it was subtle; he did not want to trade with Verna, feeling as though he was being arranged by her.

Trades between surface-dwellers and Dark Elves would inevitably have some flaws; it was possible that the news "the surface-dweller is the culprit" would be sold to some noble family by accident.

An honest Dark Elf in a transaction? Probably no one has ever seen one. A Dark Elf who simply borrows a knife to kill is already considered a great benefactor.

Since one little black dragon is in the hands of a noble, the other is likely similar. Li En thought he would try to seek out information.

He had also prepared to commission the black market and information brokers, but he did not expect the source of information to arrive so quickly.

"Black dragon? I know. The eldest daughter of my family raised one as a trump card. Heh, black dragons are naturally favored by the Lord of Shadows. She plans to raise it to a certain level and then sacrifice it to the Lord of Shadows to transform it into a Shadow Dragon." The City Lord had left, and only then did the hiding Vitoria dare to come out.

She directly told Li En the answer.

Shadow Dragons are indeed weaker than Black Dragons, but they possess strong innate shadow resistance, giving them a huge advantage in internal shadow-style conflicts. Who the Shadow Dragon is being trained to target needs no further explanation.

No wonder the City Lord was happy to sell her out; these subordinates' families must all regard her as their greatest hypothetical enemy.

Next, they would probably have to go to the Land of Dreams to inform Her Highness Dai Niya about the covenant.

Whether this commission can be accepted also requires confirming the specific situation. The City Lord probably never imagined that her own sister would leak her information.

As for those candidates, they will further perfect their abilities. The first matured "Valkyrie" will become their reference.

"I, too, can now accept the inheritance." And Miss Shaliman was also quite looking forward to tonight's Hall of Heroes.

(End of this chapter)