Chapter 740: Overbearing Might

"I don't see any sincerity," Lei En said, then turned and left without a hint of hesitation.

He was indeed retreating to advance, using this move to show his stance, but it wasn't entirely a pretense; if the dwarves couldn't produce enough sincerity, he would truly look for a construction crew in the Empire.

"You can't leave!"

Dan En Tie Shou, flustered, let out a booming thunderclap and used his body to block Lei En's way, sealing the council hall's exit.

Lei En stared coldly at him, "Is this the dwarves' hospitality?"

"Uh… no!"

Dan En realized his argument was weak, couldn't think of a reason to retain Lei En, rushed up to block the way in panic, then suddenly recognized his overreaction, his face full of embarrassment.

"Your Excellency, Count," Magnus hurried forward to defuse the situation, apologizing: "Dan En has no ill intent; he just wants the cooperation too much. Please, Your Excellency, forgive Dan En's rudeness." As he spoke, he gave Dan En a signal, and Dan En sheepishly retreated.

Lei En snorted, "I thought His Majesty Dan En wanted to force me to stay."

"No, no," Dan En shook his head repeatedly.

"Your Excellency, Count, please sit down; I will show you the dwarves' sincerity," Magnus said, his expression solemn yet sincere.

Lei En nodded and returned to his seat.

He looked at the three Dwarf Kings before him, using his soul eye to monitor their emotional shifts and discern their attitudes. The one who reacted most strongly to his withdrawal of cooperation seemed to be King Dan En, but in fact the greatest reaction came from Thorgrin.

The white-bearded old dwarf had not spoken for a long time; outwardly nothing was apparent, but his soul's hue shifted violently like a massive dye vat.

Dan En Tie Shou, compared with Thorgrin, was nothing more than a greenhorn.

Magnus, however, remained the most composed, keeping his cool.

All three kingdoms faced a population crisis, so the three kings' interests were broadly aligned in wanting to solve it. Thorgrin was more urgent than the other two, because he wanted to kick Kestajin Tie Xu out of the Zhigao Shan Kingdom, eliminating the threat to the Shattered Star clan.

The dwarves' three goals—solving the population crisis, expelling Kestajin, and reclaiming the New Continent—were ordered in decreasing urgency.

Lei En had already thought it through at the Zoltan house.

"Your Excellency, Count," Magnus exchanged a glance with the two kings, gave a slight nod, and said, "We are willing to raise the dwarf legion's strength to five thousand. Moreover, the remuneration for building Gotham City can be modestly reduced…"

He was cut off before finishing, Lei En interjecting, "Is this your sincerity?"

"These are just preliminary terms; we can still negotiate, I think…" Magnus forced himself to continue.

"I don't want your opinion; I want my own," Lei En said, looking impatient.

His overbearing, dictatorial attitude inflamed all three Dwarf Kings; as kings, they had never faced such brutishness, yet they had to endure it. After a few seconds of glaring, Thorgrin finally spoke, "Then state your demands."

Lei En had already thought of everything.

He extended a finger, "First, I can accept dwarves as residents of Gotham City, but they must obey Gotham's laws like any other citizen, with no privileges."

Dan En Tie Shou's complexion shifted as he rose to object, but Magnus held his shoulder.

Lei En seemed not to notice Dan En's move, saying calmly, "This is my bottom line; I will not permit anyone outside the law in my city. If you don't accept, then it's off, and I will leave immediately."

Extrajudicial authority must never set a precedent.

The three kings, seeing his stern expression and no room for discussion, felt deeply helpless.

The council hall fell silent; the kings wore thoughtful looks. After a long while, Thorgrin gave Magnus an almost imperceptible nod, indicating his agreement. Dan En, also helpless, slapped the table and swallowed his words.

Magnus said gravely, "Your Excellency, Count, the dwarves will accept Gotham City's laws."

"Very well."

Lei En nodded expressionlessly, "I will permit a dwarf district, but its area may not exceed one-twentieth of Gotham City's, and its location will be decided by me."

"The location is fine, but the area is too small," Magnus shook his head, indicating difficulty accepting.

"Not small," Lei En replied dismissively, "Gotham City will eventually hold a million people; one-twentieth of its area can house at least fifty thousand dwarves. If we pack tighter with proper planning, accommodating one hundred thousand dwarves is no problem."

One hundred thousand dwarves...

The three kings were secretly delighted; moving a hundred thousand dwarves to the New Continent would greatly ease the pressure on the underground fortress.

Yet before they could rejoice, Lei En added, "Every dwarf moving into Gotham City must register to become a legal resident. The first batch may not exceed twenty thousand; thereafter, every five years I will increase the dwarf quota according to Gotham's population growth."

Magnus immediately objected, "Twenty thousand slots aren't enough; we need at least fifty thousand."

"Not even one more is acceptable."

Lei En showed no sign of yielding, retorting, "In the early stages, Gotham City's population may be under one hundred thousand; if half are dwarves, is Gotham my city or the dwarves' city?"

The three kings' gazes grew uneasy.

In their hearts, although they knew this was impossible, but…

"Fine, then twenty thousand," Magnus agreed.

The underground fortress could hold out another ten or so years; moving out twenty thousand dwarves first, then gradually increasing, should alleviate the population pressure. Gotham was merely a stepping stone; once the New Continent's situation is surveyed, they could try to establish a dwarven city of their own, and twenty thousand dwarves would be enough to complete the scouting mission.

Lei En had already guessed the dwarves' plan and didn't mind.

No matter what the dwarves intend to do on the New Continent, without their own backing they can't succeed. Do they really think the New Continent is that easy to reclaim?

Netifu Demon, Abyss Demon, and Catastrophe Undead, which is the easiest to provoke?

When the dwarves suffer heavy losses, they'll naturally turn to us.

Lei En sneered inwardly, looked at King Magnus, and asked, "Your Majesty, King Magnus, you just said the dwarf legion could be increased to five thousand?"

"Yes." Magnus had already anticipated what he would say.

"I accept that condition," Lei En nodded, bluntly stating, "A five-thousand dwarf legion must occupy five thousand legitimate dwarf resident slots."

This was originally a loophole.

The dwarf legion swore fealty to Lei En, and Lei En would be responsible for their daily needs—food, drink, waste, weapons, equipment, etc. —considered his people, implicitly not counting against the dwarf quota.

Unexpectedly, Lei En blocked that loophole, leaving only fifteen thousand slots.

Sending out a powerful legion still consumes slots!

This made the three Dwarf Kings' blood boil; they felt like fools, giving away benefits for nothing while harming their own interests.

"No!"

Dan En Tie Shou shouted, "The dwarf legion is something we have poured countless effort and wealth into; its strength far surpasses the human transcendent legions. A dwarf kingdom only has a few legions of ten thousand each…"

"I don't want to hear these reasons." Lei En was unmoved, "These are you yourselves who raised them; the so‑called 'sincerity', does it not count?"

Dan En's anger flared instantly.

Thorgrin and Magnus's expressions were also grim, and Magnus said in a deep voice, "Count, there is no one who negotiates like you, is there?"

"We are not negotiating; we are discussing a business deal. If you cannot accept, you may stop at any time; after all I incur no loss." Lei En's attitude was one of indifferent "talk or not talk."

This is the most crucial point.

The three Dwarf Kings were like snakes grasped at the seventh inch, finally realizing their own passivity.

Lei En's soul eye sensed their wavering thoughts and further urged, "The additional two thousand dwarves, divided among the three kingdoms, each kingdom to contribute?"

Sure enough, the three kings' opposition softened.

They whispered a few sentences, quickly reached consensus, and Magnus spoke on their behalf: "We agree to a five‑thousand dwarf army. However, Count, you must cover all expenses of this dwarf army and may not mistreat them."

"That is natural." Lei En solemnly promised, "In the name of the God of Magic, I will treat the dwarf army the same as my other forces."

The kings' expressions softened.

After making his oath, Lei En continued, "I have one final request."

"What else?" Dan En Ironhand glared.

Lei En ignored him, calmly saying, "The payment to dwarf craftsmen for building Getan is halved, and the construction costs of the dwarf district must still be deducted from the payment."

Before the words finished, the three Dwarf Kings could no longer sit still.

They sprang up, staring at Lei En as if fire would erupt from their eyes. Dwarves' zeal for gold and gems is second only to their devotion to the gods; the payment for building Getan is at least ten million Gold Shields, possibly up to thirty million, halved—practically a death sentence for the dwarves!

After a long silence, Thorgrin gritted his teeth and said, "That's impossible."

"Not a single Gold Shield may be lost!" Dan En shouted loudly.

"Count, do you wish to be recorded in the Book of Great Hatred?" Magnus stared at Lei En, starkly different from his earlier composure.

During the Third Epoch, there was a legend who, relying on his great strength, refused to repay a debt to a dwarf and maliciously defaulted. Though the sum was only a few Gold Shields, the aggrieved dwarf, in fury, wrote the debtor's name into his clan's Book of Hatred. For centuries, generations pursued the debt, eventually reclaiming hundreds of thousands of Gold Shields with interest, plus half the debtor's life, before crossing the name off the Book of Great Hatred.

Lei En had heard this story.

Yet, faced with the fury of the three Kings of the Hills, he remained as immovable as a mountain.

"Nothing is impossible." Lei En crossed his arms and said lightly, "I said this is merely a business; you may refuse, and any agreed terms can be voided entirely."

Today we will let these dwarves witness the overwhelming might of Party A's father.

If you want to earn my money, you must obey obediently.

"On what basis do you think we would agree to such harsh demands?" Thorgrin's fury flared, his snow‑white beard billowing.

Lei En spread his hands and shrugged, "Because you need me more than I need you."

Having said that, he stood up.

"I give you a quarter‑hour to consider; after that, I will not wait," Lei En tossed the words, turned, and walked out of the council hall.

Watching Lei En's swaggering back, Dan En Ironhand almost wanted to draw a battle axe and cut him down, but recalling the Holy Soul Wizards behind Lei En—more than one—he could only choke it down, his chest heaving wildly like a bellows under strain.

Thorgrin and Magnus stared at each other.

They finally witnessed Lei En's prowess, and simultaneously felt a sense of helplessness.

Indeed, as Lei En said, they need cooperation even more. The three underground strongholds face an imminent population crisis; Lei En's city‑building plan is their only lifeline. Miss this chance, and in a decade or so the dwarves will suffer catastrophe.

"We cannot agree to him," Dan En said bitterly, "We will find a way ourselves."

Magnus glanced at him, "What method?"

Dan En was momentarily at a loss for words.

For a hundred years, they have realized the dwarves' overpopulation and have been seeking solutions, dispatching many dwarves to find suitable relocation lands, even venturing to other planes, yet to no avail.

Either the environment is too harsh to inhabit, unsuitable for digging underground strongholds, or already occupied by powerful races.

Ai Lun E Si's domains are already owned by others.

Although the dwarf population has recovered, it is limited to the three great kingdoms; the whole clan's strength is far below that of the Third Epoch, perhaps less than a tenth. Even the number of top‑tier Kings of the Hills is insufficient to contend with those mighty races.

Aligning with humans to reclaim the New Continent is the best path forward.

"That's over ten million Gold Shields!" Dan En was unwilling, feeling as if his heart were bleeding.

Magnus slowly shook his head, also reluctant to part with such wealth, sighing, "Treasure is ultimately less important than the lives of our kin; if we can establish a foothold on the New Continent, we can earn far more than ten million Gold Shields."

"But…" Dan En tugged at his own beard.

"No need to argue further," Thorgrin's face grew solemn, as if making a major decision, and said gravely, "We do not lack those ten‑plus million Gold Shields; we must agree to him."

"Thorgrin, are you afraid Kestajin will remain on Zhigao Shan?" Dan En blurted.

Magnus's complexion changed dramatically, "Dan En, shut up!"

"That's right." Thorgrin did not deny, saying calmly, "I do not wish to kill Kestajin, but if he stays on Zhigao Shan, I fear I might lose control. Kestajin grew up before my eyes; he is still a rune lord, contributing greatly to the clan. Why does he insist on returning to the Iron Beard clan…"

Both dwarf kings fell silent.

After a long while, Magnus reminded, "The quarter‑hour is nearly up. Gentlemen, we must decide."

"I agree," Thorgrin immediately expressed.

Dan En Ironhand, under the two kings' intense stare, hesitated for half a minute before finally nodding, "Fine, I agree as well."

(End of Chapter)