Chapter 741: Mingle as One

Lei En returned to the council hall under the guidance of the dwarf guards.

The three Dwarf Kings were all standing, side by side in the middle of the hall to welcome Lei En's arrival; Magnus said calmly, "Your Countship, we have agreed to the requests you put forward."

Lei En's face showed a faint smile.

He seemed to have anticipated this outcome, stepped forward, extended his hand, and nodded, "Your Majesty is wise. May our cooperation be pleasant."

Snap!

Two equally strong palms clasped together.

"May our cooperation be pleasant." Magnus felt a strong force, a flash of strange hue in his eyes, looked up at the tall young human before him, and exclaimed in surprise, "You don't seem surprised that we would agree?"

Lei En smiled, "It's a win‑win deal; Your Majesty has no reason to refuse."

His words saved face for the Dwarf Kings.

In fact, Lei En knew the dwarves had no choice. In the earlier discussion they fell entirely into his rhythm, step by step raising demands—from the trivial to the crucial; the dwarves agreed to the early demands and could not backtrack later.

It's a simple "cut‑the‑sausage" tactic, unoriginal when named, but the key is that he is the principal party and holds the initiative.

The disparity in chips between the sides was huge, fundamentally unequal.

Lei En knew that if he were harsher, demanding, say, the dwarf legion be raised to ten thousand, or the construction fee cut to thirty percent, even free, the dwarves might still comply.

He only refrained from fully squeezing the dwarves, considering future cooperation.

Magnus also understood this well and could not help but sigh, "Your Countship is the most outstanding young man I have ever seen. We are now in the Age of Humans, heroes abound among them, but someone as formidable as you, I have never encountered before."

"Your Majesty, you flatter me," Lei En replied modestly.

Beside them, Dan En *Iron Hand curled his lip, turned his head in gloom, unwilling to see Lei En's smug demeanor.

He was the youngest of the three kings, under two hundred years old when he rose to King of the Hills and then ascended the throne, the most brilliant dwarf in centuries, full of youthful vigor and combative spirit, yet today he took a harsh rebuff from Lei En, which was extremely painful.

Lei En was fully aware of Dan En's thoughts and simply pretended not to see.

Magnus said, "Your Countship, please stay at the Lava Fortress tonight; I will have Bulestein draft the contract for your review. Tomorrow we will hold a ceremony in the royal palace, and under Maharl's witness, sign the agreement."

"I will follow all of Your Majesty's arrangements," Lei En replied eagerly, giving the other party full face.

This cooperation concerns the entire tribe's future, so it cannot be rushed; it cannot be a private signing by a few, and must be made solemn enough for dwarves of all ranks to take seriously.

Magnus was pleased to see Lei En cooperate so willingly.

He summoned the royal guard corps and escorted Lei En to the finest inn of the Lava Fortress, a grand building not far from the royal palace.

Before leaving the council hall, Lei En glanced at Thorgrin.

This highest‑ranking, most powerful Zhigao Shan King remained silent for most of the day, and after entering he said nothing. The soul‑eye saw a veil of gloom over his heart, as if he worried about something, not as cheerful as King Magnus.

Lei En shook his head inwardly, hoping no further turbulence would arise.

Rest for half a day.

That night, Lei En was invited to the dwarf palace of the Lava Fortress, where Magnus hosted a grand banquet for him; all three kings attended. High‑ranking figures of the Lava Fortress—guild leaders, Rune Masters, dignitaries—were also invited.

The dwarves' banquet differed greatly from a human banquet.

In one word: unrestrained!

The dwarf feast had a single theme: drinking. Barrel after barrel of fine wine was brought out, each person holding a metal cup as big as a head, paired with golden‑roasted beast meat, gulping wine and meat, filling the palace inside and out with the scent of alcohol and meat.

Some dwarves, tipsy, couldn't help but sing loudly and dance.

Other hot‑blooded dwarves, quarrelling over drinking capacity, stripped off clothing and armor to grapple hand‑to‑hand, speaking with their fists.

Winners earned roaring applause; losers could only sulk and drink.

Lei En was also swept up by the atmosphere; under the dwarves' enthusiastic invitation, he downed several large cups of wine, watched a few bouts, cleared his mind, temporarily setting everything aside, feeling a long‑missed relaxation.

Because of his Willpower, he would never be drunk, only slightly tipsy.

"Your Countship."

King Dan En *Iron Hand of the Lone Peak brought his cup over, clinked it with Lei En, tipped his head back and drained it, the wine streaming down his black beard and soaking a large patch on his chest.

He pointed at the Extreme Warriors standing around the palace and said, "Shouldn't your barbarian warriors also join in?"

Two squads of Extreme Warriors stood like statues, motionless.

Since the banquet began, dwarves had repeatedly invited them to drink and eat meat, but the Extreme Warriors gave no response, so the dwarves gave up.

Now Dan En *Iron Hand came to invite again, clearly still unwilling to give up.

Lei En raised his cup in return, seeing that Dan En meant no harm, and that the Extreme Warriors had been standing for two or three hours and deserved a break. Makurag people's temperament is actually similar to dwarves', enjoying such all‑night drinking gatherings; even though the Extreme Warriors said nothing, he sensed the symbionts' inclination.

"I thank Your Majesty Dan En on behalf of the Extreme Warriors," Lei En said, waving toward that side.

The Extreme Warriors received the order.

One squad continued on guard duty, another joined the banquet, rotating later. Twelve Extreme Warriors entered the feast, slinging their Bolt Guns to their waists and removing their helmets.

The dwarves halted their actions, finally seeing the appearance of the Extreme Warriors.

"So they're barbarians!"

"They seem to be Makurag barbarians; I've seen them before," a dwarf exclaimed in surprise, "but why have they grown so tall, almost twice my height!"

After a moment of astonishment, the dwarves gathered around the Extreme Warriors, urging them to drink furiously.

The barbarians welcomed all comers, and soon they blended together.

"Let's spar!"

After a few mugs of ale, dwarves immediately challenged the Extreme Warriors. The combat the dwarves referred to forbade spells or techniques; they stripped weapons and armor, relying solely on raw bodily strength for grappling, though close‑quarter skills were allowed.

The challenged Extreme Warrior looked toward the original body, and Lei En gave a slight nod of consent.

"Good!"

The Extreme Warrior shouted and stood up.

He was one of the two squad leaders this time, named "Wubuman," one of the original thirteen Extreme Warriors who first followed Lei En, whose seniority and strength rank among the best, thus appointed by Lei En as a captain.

Wubuman shed his heavy armor, handing it to his men.

Soon he was left wearing only sturdy trousers, his muscles bulging explosively, chest as broad as a wall, limbs like pillars, skin reflecting a metallic sheen, as if his whole body were forged of metal, exuding terrifying power.

The dwarves, seeing Ubuman's massive frame, involuntarily inhaled a gasp of cold air.

The three kings also showed a slight change in expression.

They are King of the Hills, whose eyesight and experience far surpass ordinary people, and they immediately perceived the terrifying nature of the Extreme Warrior, which no ordinary legendary dwarf warrior could match.

Ubuman walked to the center of the banquet hall.

His opponent was a legendary low-rank barbarian hammer warrior, already half‑drunk, but upon seeing Ubuman's bulk he instantly sobered, feeling regret.

However, the dwarf's pride would not allow him to shy away from battle.

"Begin!"

With a shout, the barbarian hammer warrior roared and swung his fists, charging at his opponent.

Bang!

The dwarf flew back at an even faster speed, toppling a large crowd of onlookers and tables and chairs; instantly chaos erupted, a scene of overturned people and furniture.

Ubuman stood on the field and withdrew his fist.

He ended the fight with a single punch.

Although the dwarf spectators had already anticipated the outcome, seeing Ubuman win so effortlessly still left them in disbelief. The barbarian hammer warrior rolled over, spat blood, and shouted, "I concede! Mahar above, this guy is too tough…"

Buoyed by the alcohol, Ubuman looked around and shouted, "Anyone else?"

The banquet hall fell silent for a few seconds.

"I'll challenge you!"

A legendary mid‑rank dwarf stripped off his armor, bravely stepped forward, and was again punched away. Before his defeat, he had struck Ubuman's waist, leaving a faint fist imprint that vanished within a few breaths as the dwarves watched.

"I'll give it a try…" another dwarf issued a challenge.

Ubuman accepted each challenger, defeating them one by one, each fight ending with a single punch.

This bruised the dwarves' pride, until a legendary high‑rank dwarf stepped in and drew even with Ubuman. With Lei En's instruction, Ubuman used this opening to descend.

Clap—clap—clap…

Thunderous applause rang through the banquet hall, and Ubuman earned the dwarves' approval.

Dan En Ironhand watched Ubuman's battle intently the whole time, and only after Ubuman re‑donned his armor did he look away.

"Count, sir." Dan En's eyes were full of curiosity as he looked at Lei En, seated like a mountain, and couldn't help asking, "How exactly are Extreme Warriors cultivated? Does every Extreme Warrior under your command possess such formidable power?"

Lei En smiled without replying.

An Extreme Warrior is one's own symbiont; the stronger the original body, the more the symbiont's strength rises.

After they reach the legendary stage, the power boost they receive from the original body diminishes, and promotion becomes increasingly difficult; currently only company‑level and squad‑level Extreme Warriors reach the legendary mid‑rank, the rest remain at legendary low‑rank.

Nevertheless, even with reduced boosts, an overly strong original body cannot be restrained.

Lei En possesses fourteen‑level power, a titanium‑golden body, and six lightning forms, portions of which are inherited by the Extreme Warriors.

Even a tiny fraction suffices to forge powerful Extreme Warriors. Over twenty Extreme Warrior captains and company commanders mostly reach legendary mid‑rank, wielding eleven‑level power; ordinary Extreme Warriors have ten‑level power, with defenses comparable to a third‑grade steel body.

Ubuman is one of them; his power is just one level short of advancing the legendary Element, and his defense is terrifyingly strong, so those dwarf warriors are naturally no match.

He knocked one down with a single punch, yet he still showed some mercy.

Seeing Lei En refuse to answer, Dan En Ironhand's curiosity was useless; he could almost write "envy" on his face. Dwarves are unafraid of challenges; even knowing they aren't a match for Extreme Warriors, they still leap forward, merely shifting their target to other Extreme Warriors.

In the end, they lost more than they won.

Ordinary Extreme Warriors are only slightly weaker than Ubuman; in a raw brawl, their advantage is huge, allowing them to easily defeat legendary mid‑rank dwarf warriors.

However, the dwarves grew braver with each fight, repeatedly losing and fighting again, showing no sign of discouragement.

Lei En greatly admired the dwarves' courage.

The banquet didn't end until late night, with both sides having become one.

The next morning, Lei En entered the council hall again; King Magnus handed over a contract written jointly in dwarf language and Empire tongue. Lei En examined it repeatedly; the terms matched exactly those discussed yesterday, and the document had no loopholes, so he nodded in approval.

"We'll hold the signing ceremony immediately, Count—how does that sound?" Magnus asked.

"Fine."

At noon, in the palace of Rongyanbao's king, many dwarves gathered together.

Accompanied by King Magnus, Lei En entered the palace through the main gate and saw many dwarves with white and black beards.

The dwarf clans of the three great kingdoms have distinct appearances, the biggest trait being beard and hair color. The Zhigao Shan kingdom dwarves mainly have white beards, some gray; the Dufeng kingdom dwarves are overwhelmingly black‑bearded; Rongyanbao dwarves have a mixed palette—fiery red, brown, bronze, and so on.

Additionally, beard ornaments differ among the dwarf clans.

Lei En's gaze swept over the dwarves seated on either side of the palace, each row of stone chairs higher than the last, backs against stone statues of dwarf heroes.

These hundreds of dwarves were almost all legendary, with seventy percent being warriors: steel shield guards, barbarian hammer warriors, and the mightiest butchers.

The remaining thirty percent were mages, priests, hunters, and gunmen.

Among them were several powerful King of the Hills!

All the dwarves' gazes converged on Lei En; with so many legends, even Lei En felt a slight pressure. He keenly sensed a trace of extremely hidden hostility, instantly opened his Soul Eye, and located its source.

It was a robust dwarf with steel‑gray beard.

He was about three hundred years old, clad in exquisite yet heavy armor that radiated massive lightning rune aura, sitting there like a mountain; surrounding dwarves felt a vague reverence and instinctively kept their distance.

The dwarf wore no helmet, revealing a rugged face, steady yet with a hint of frenzy.

When Lei En looked over, the dwarf stared at him for a few seconds before expressionlessly turning his head toward Thorgrin seated on the throne, his soul color shifting rapidly.

Without any introduction, Lei En recognized him as Kestajin, and the fact that this fellow had also arrived surprised him.

He couldn't help thinking that today's signing ceremony might not go smoothly.

(End of chapter)