Chapter 299: Tomi Shows His Stuff

"Buzz, buzz, buzz!"

Halfway through the councilors' meal, a sudden, strange noise drifted in, growing steadily louder, accompanied by the shouting of the guards outside.

"Is this how you treat guests in Marienburg?"

The councilors walked out the door and saw a Dwarf Helicopter hovering ten meters above the ground, while a large group of guards pointed their bows, arrows, and spears at it from a distance.

A young dwarf poked his head out from the hatch, the corners of his mouth curling up as he looked at the trembling legs and arms of the human soldiers below. Short-lived races were always like this, fearing everything beyond their understanding.

"Boss Tomi? You actually came by air?" Even the well-informed Viscount Feimier was stunned. The fact that dwarves had developed manned aircraft had always been a legend in the Empire; settlements outside the Qunshan had neither the opportunity nor the strength to equip them.

"Move aside, make room for our distinguished guest!"

"Whoosh!"

The soldiers stumbled backward as the helicopter's rotor speed gradually decreased, and it landed steadily on the ground. The air current it stirred up blew away many of the merchants' top hats, and Viscount Feimier showed some dissatisfaction as he watched his peers' clumsy, flustered reactions.

"For us business people, time is as precious as gold." Cousin Tomi jumped out of the cabin; he looked much rounder, and his attire was leaning toward that of the Empire Dwarfs.

"What good business do you have for me, inviting me over?" Tomi's previous words were double-edged, but his unexpected entrance had shown off his strength, intimidating everyone who had doubted his capabilities.

"Please, please come in!" Viscount Feimier regained his composure, turning and gesturing for him to enter, though his eyes still drifted involuntarily toward the helicopter. The host and guests took their seats, and after a brief exchange of pleasantries, both sides got down to business.

"Since you come from Altdorf, Boss, you must have heard the news, right?"

"Naturally. Is it true?" Tomi revealed a perfectly measured look of surprise.

"Indeed. We are all in the same trade, and that oppressive, exorbitant taxation leaves us little room to breathe."

"Uh, hmm!" The opulence of the City Council almost dazzled Tomi; he muttered a silent criticism to himself but nodded nonetheless.

"So you need an army to ensure your safety after independence, is that it?" Following the original plan, Tomi went straight to the point. "Then you have come to the right person. As long as the price is right, what you can obtain is far beyond your imagination."

"For example? A few artillery regiments?"

"That kind of aircraft?"

"Or perhaps Steam Tanks? You dwarves must still have those!"

Tomi speared a piece of steak, as if describing a trivial matter, while the city councilors grew excited.

"It seems you are still too conservative." Tomi picked up his wine glass and swirled it, taking his time to admire the legs of the wine before downing it in one gulp.

"Also, I rarely mention my identity; after all, as a merchant, one must rely on the goods. But I must say, I am the cousin of the King of the Southlands, His Majesty Sinuoli—the closest kind." Tomi added, shaking his empty glass.

"This? Did you come here at his behest?" After a moment of silence, Baroness Alicia spoke up.

"You might think that living longer than your enemies is a good way to take revenge, but for us Sons of the Mountains, that does not apply. The terms written in blood are like whip marks soaked in salt water; if they are not settled, no dwarf with a sense of honor can find any taste in their drink."

Cousin Tomi responded to the Baroness's question indirectly. Sinuoli's return to the Old World had caused a huge stir among the Dwarf Realms, and the merchants of the Empire of Man were well aware of this.

"Shameless betrayal! Despicable! Base! That pig, even rats seem smarter than it!" Tomi cut the steak on his plate fiercely, as if to express his anger through it.

"Then is this, uh, a way of settling a Grudge?" the Baroness asked next.

"Yes, His Majesty the High King is equally angry, but considering the ancient covenant and the deep cooperation with you all, he has asked my cousin to restrain his vengeful fury within a certain range. Otherwise, the Storm Hammer would have already shattered that pig brain!"

Hearing this, the merchants understood: that King of the Southlands, Sinuoli the Generous, was willing to support their independence because, in the eyes of the dwarves, this was a betrayal of Dieter IV. And no one would question the passion for vengeance of Sinuoli, the son of the "Grudge-bearer" who bore the name Suorsen.

"With all due respect, your cousin's territory and subordinates are mostly in the Southlands; how much can he really help us?" An old man from Kislev stood up.

"Ha, have you short-lived fellows already forgotten that great war against Chaos?" Tomi saw through his background and sneered.

"You..."

"His Majesty Sinuoli is the champion chosen by the Ancestor Gods! If it weren't for your logistics failing to keep up during that battle eight years ago, how could he have been ambushed by Gulu?" Tomi interrupted the old man directly.

"As the saying goes: a cup of wine before the battle, and the Black Ark turns to ash; a barrel of wine before the battle, and the Demigod's status becomes naught; a cart of wine before the battle, and Nurgle's demonic army also..."

"Sigmar preserve us! Please, hold your tongue!" Viscount Feimier shouted. "Ignore that old Russian; none of us doubt the valor of the Exterminator of Plagues. If you draw her attention, we will all suffer, even with His Majesty Sinuoli protecting us!"

"Hmph!" Tomi responded with a dull nasal sound.

"I admire the strength of the King of the Southlands and his Slayer warriors, but no matter how battle-hardened they are, they cannot hold off Marienburg's eight—no, seven—docks."

The man with only one eye raised a new point of doubt; the merchants were very concerned about risk management.

"I am also a guest of His Majesty Chalun and the various dukes across the mountains. The noble knights also wish to see your independence, or rather, they wish to see the Empire of Man lose its fattest purse."

The city councilors were persuaded; they rejoiced that they had found an intermediary who could bring in unimaginable external aid. The dwarves and knights had credibility, strength, and motive; they could find no reason not to believe them.

"Both I and those individuals hope to see your sincerity regarding military funding; you know, expeditions and immigration are very expensive." Tomi peeled a prawn to relax, watching the whispering councilors, knowing he had already succeeded.

Urgent messengers rushed out of the secret doors of Marienburg; they had to reach Weifengbao and then cross the Grey Mountains through Weifengbao's channels. With their return, several signed and sealed agreements appeared before the councilors.