Chapter 91: Negotiations (Part II)

Hearing Sinuoli mention monsters, the four Humans nodded in unison; clearly, they all had terrifying experiences related to them.

"As far as I know, there are no more monsters in the Border Prince Territory than in any other region of the Old World, but the lack of a strong government makes the monsters bolder, so it appears as though there are more."

Sinuoli continued, noting that because the Border Prince Territory was close to the World's Edge Mountains, he had gained a certain understanding of the place through constant exposure.

"Aside from the Greenskins pouring in from the Badlands, the forests here are full of filthy ungulates, and I have even heard that those rats who only dare to operate in the sewers elsewhere can strut through the Border Prince Territory with impunity." Sinuoli continued, ignoring the ugly expressions on the faces of Lailun and his party.

"That is indeed the case. After my stronghold suffered an assault by Minotaurs, I realized I needed to improve my long-range firepower," Knight Lailun replied.

"Those fellows, not only are they born with thick fur, but they also don't know where they got some shoddy plate armor to hang on their bodies. My Musketeers fired so many arrows they were almost turned into hedgehogs, yet those beasts were still swinging their axes and fighting wildly!" Mentioning the Minotaurs, Lailun could not help but clench his fists.

"If it weren't for Makusi's outstanding archery, hitting their vital points like eyes and throats one after another, and a small squad of Knights of the Blazing Sun under my command being able to hold the line, my subjects might have already suffered."

"Knights of the Blazing Sun?" Sinuoli looked the tall Human before him up and down and repeated the phrase, but he did not press for details; who didn't have a few secrets?

Sinuoli had some understanding of these Knights of the Blazing Sun, a group of wealthy, high-reputation knights; in the game, their damage was higher than the Reiksguard and they could also deal fire damage.

The Order of the Blazing Sun was a small but prestigious elite knightly order, and it was one of the most famous and highly regarded orders to date; it was also the wealthiest knightly order in the Empire.

They worshipped the Goddess of War, Myrmidia, and influenced by Her, the small but elite Knights of the Blazing Sun were passionate about studying the technology of war and military strategy, valuing personal ability and achievement above all else, even more than one's noble or common birth.

The resource-rich order also quickly attracted military geniuses from all walks of life to gather under its banner; every member knight regarded the perfect mastery of the art of war as their primary goal, traveling alone across the Old World, regardless of the scale of the conflict, to seek battle and learn.

Any army with a Knight of the Blazing Sun in its leadership was capable of securing victory through strategy before blades even clashed.

Members of the Order of the Blazing Sun wore luxuriously decorated fine plate armor made of brass, with a main color scheme of bright black trimmed with gold, and their polished, mirror-like shields depicted a burning sun.

Thinking of this, Sinuoli gained a better understanding of Knight Lailun's extraordinary nature; in his view, with the help of the Knights of the Blazing Sun and the ability to recognize the importance of firearms, this Lailun was very likely to make a name for himself in this chaotic place, the Border Prince Territory.

If this land adjacent to the Mountain Kingdom could have a powerful lord who was friendly to the Dwarfs, it would undoubtedly be a great help to the revival of the mountains and a great boost to the growth of his revival points.

Sinuoli made up his mind to give Lailun some help, but that would have to wait for the knight before him to speak first.

"Elder, we have chatted so much just now; I am indeed very satisfied with the power of your firearms, but could you lower the price a little?" Seeing that the two platters of roast meat were reduced to almost nothing but bones under the siege of eight people, Lailun spoke up.

"I think I can indeed make some concessions, and I can even represent my Clan to sign some agreements with you!" Sinuoli drained the beer in his mug and wiped his fake beard.

"How many do you need?" he asked Lailun.

"Hmm, thirty? I think with my current troop strength, forming half a squad of Musketeers might be enough," Lailun deliberated.

"How about this, a flat price of one thousand gold coins? I'll include 50 rounds of ammunition with each gun." Sinuoli made a significant concession; this was basically his cost price for the goods.

"That, that is truly appreciated!" Lailun was overjoyed at the discount Sinuoli offered; it was truly not easy to get a discount from a race as fond of gold as the Dwarfs.

"If you are willing, all kinds of supplies needed for the construction and development of your territory can be ordered from my Clan's chamber of commerce. According to the plan, the High King's caravan will pass through Karak-Hern again on its return journey in four months; if you place an order then, the goods will be delivered by this time next year," Sinuoli pitched his follow-up services.

"What kind of supplies can your Clan provide? Stone? Or steel?" Lailun signaled his attendant to take out paper and pen to record.

"I come from, um, never mind, you probably wouldn't know it anyway, the Drazkrad Clan." Like every Dwarf, Sinuoli proudly raised his head when mentioning his Clan name.

Lailun and the others indeed showed confused expressions; the vocabulary of the Dwarf language was clearly outside their scope of knowledge.

Sinuoli did not mock the ignorance of the short-lived race as his compatriots often did; he continued.

"It is normal not to know the specific details. You just need to know that my Clan is powerful. In principle, everything your territory needs can be obtained through us, provided there is a suitable price," Sinuoli added.

"What is considered a suitable price?" Knight Lailun, who was not wealthy, still focused on this question.

"I'll give you a twenty percent discount on the market price; a territory of a thousand people shouldn't consume that much anyway," Sinuoli promised with great satisfaction.

"Boss, no, wait, there has to be a limit to this!" Tomi was indeed a seasoned merchant; he promptly reminded Sinuoli, who was already tipsy from his poor tolerance for alcohol.

"Right, let's set the annual limit for discounted goods at five thousand gold coins!" Sinuoli added. Even if this matter didn't get his father's support in the end, he could still afford to subsidize a quota of one thousand gold coins. This also, to a certain extent, avoided the possibility of the knight before him changing professions to become a middleman.

"Hmm, then, what do I need to pay?" Although Knight Lailun's cheeks were also flushed from drinking, he had not lost his reason; his performance made the Dwarfs present look at him with higher regard.

"For now, nothing. If you really feel bad about it, just organize the noteworthy intelligence from the Border Prince Territory and hand it over to the contact person when the caravan returns each year," Sinuoli thought for a moment and said.

"When the day comes that you achieve or near-achieve your goal, someone will come to contact you!" he added.

Thanks to Xiao Baofeng, He Mou Ai Kan Xiaoshuo for the tips, Wuyi Shouhu, Lurker in the Darkness, Zui Ai Quanmian Zhanzheng Luoma, and An Ya for the monthly votes.