Chapter 744: Earn More Money

"I refuse."

Lei En's words left most dwarves baffled, wondering what he was refusing.

Only Thorgrin fully grasped his own scheme, but Lei En saw through him in an instant, causing him to lose the composure he had before Kestajin; nevertheless, he maintained a calm exterior and said, "Your Excellency, Count, do you not wish to have the loyalty of a King of the Hills?"

"That's not something I'm considering," Lei En replied calmly.

Thorgrin's calculations were precise, his insight sharp, and he even wagered on himself, believing his strength surpassed Kestajin.

As long as Kestajin is defeated, this King of the Hills would have no reason to refuse going to the New Continent.

However, Lei En did not wish to fulfill Thorgrin's desire.

The contract has already been signed, and neither side can back out, but the agreement does not stipulate that the commander of the Three Hammer Legion must be Kestajin.

For Lei En, the dwarves merely need to honor the contract by sending craftsmen to build a city, and the Three Hammer Legion's numbers must be complete. Who holds the commander role, or whether Kestajin is expelled from Thus line: Zhigao Shan, are matters for the Dwarf King, unrelated to him.

Lei En's indifferent attitude finally made Thorgrin anxious.

"Your Excellency, Count, please reconsider the overall cooperation between both sides," Thorgrin lowered his voice, hinting at a threat.

Lei En was unmoved, "Do the dwarves wish to tear up the contract?"

The three kings on the platform all changed expression; Magnus, the most invested in this cooperation and lord of Rongyanbao, hurriedly explained, "We have no such intention."

"Hahaha…"

Kestajin suddenly burst into a hearty laugh.

He pointed a finger at Thorgrin, his eyes teasing, his laugh booming, and his hostility toward Lei En melted away, replaced by a hint of admiration. He shouted, "Your Excellency, Count, your courage and integrity earn my great respect."

The dwarves in the palace also understood what was happening, each looking at one another in bewilderment.

Thorgrin saw his scheme on the brink of collapse, his aged face flickering with rapid expressions; he still dared not turn hostile and urgently asked, "Your Excellency, Count, what must I do to gain your agreement?"

He did not state explicitly what he was agreeing to, but everyone present understood it meant a duel with Kestajin.

The dwarves watched Thorgrin's anxious demeanor and silently shook their heads.

They could not believe Lei En's strength surpassed Kestajin; the Legendary High-rank Wizard and the King of the Hills seemed only one rank apart, but in reality were worlds apart.

Both being legends, perhaps a cross‑rank challenge was possible.

Yet a Legendary challenging a Saint Rank is something that only occurs in dreams.

His Majesty Thorgrin misjudged this time; the young human hero could not possibly agree, lest he court certain death.

Just as the dwarves thought Lei En would refuse again, they heard Lei En say:

"Earn more money."

"What?" the dwarves stared blankly for a few seconds, thinking they misheard, then erupted in a huge gasp, their faces full of disbelief.

Thorgrin's expression also froze, then he felt great joy inside.

He suppressed his true feelings and tentatively asked, "One hundred thousand Gold Shields."

Lei En snorted, "Is this a beggar's fare?" He finally witnessed the dwarves' stinginess in wealth; a dignified Thus line: Zhigao Shan King, the mightiest King of the Hills, a Saint Rank powerhouse possessing vast treasure—could such a price even be uttered?

His disdain made Thorgrin's aged face flush red, though he concealed it well, clenched his teeth, and whispered, "Five hundred thousand Gold Shields, Your Excellency, Count, what do you think?"

Lei En glanced at him, "What a stingy old fellow!"

"Five million Gold Shields." Lei En didn't want to haggle and waste time; he stated outright, "Give me five million Gold Shields and I'll act; if Your Majesty counters, I'll leave at once."

Thorgrin's eyes bulged like copper bells.

"Five million Gold Shields!" he stared at Lei En, his snow‑white beard bristling with anger, seeming even more furious than Kestajin's threat to the Shattered Star clan's throne; disregarding his kingly dignity before the dwarves, he shouted, "Why don't you seize it?"

Hundreds of dwarves in the palace were also dumbfounded.

Even Kestajin was stunned.

Five million Gold Shields, even for dwarves who have spent their lives mining and amassing great wealth, is an astronomically unattainable sum. The dwarves present belong to the kingdom's wealthiest class, yet the vast majority own less than a fraction of five million Gold Shields in personal assets.

Dwarves capable of producing such an amount are few, certainly the three Dwarf Kings among them.

His Majesty Thorgrin has lived over two thousand years, has sat on the throne for nearly seventeen hundred years, making him the longest‑living dwarf alive and the wealthiest dwarf.

No one knows how much wealth Thorgrin possesses, but estimates run into tens of millions of Gold Shields. Yet even with such riches, pulling out five million Gold Shields at once is tantamount to carving a huge chunk of flesh from Thorgrin—practically a death sentence.

The more Thorgrin thought, the angrier he became, a terrifying thunderous aura emanating, as if dark clouds descended, the palace dimming, with countless tiny bolts of lightning dancing in the air.

Beside him, Magnus and Dan En involuntarily stepped back a few paces.

The dwarves below also felt suffocated, as if a massive stone pressed overhead, the immense pressure making their souls tremble and bodies shiver.

Lei En stood amid raging waves, yet remained as steadfast as a reef.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger." Lei En regarded the raging aura with indifference, as light as a breeze, and said calmly, "If Your Majesty is unwilling to accept this price, you may refuse, but I will not lower it."

This human is insane!

The dwarves, seeing Lei En stick to his price, all thought the same thing.

In the crowd, Zuo Ertan was as frantic as an ant on a hot pan, eager to urge Lei En to apologize to the Majesty, but his seat was too forward, and Thorgrin's aura pressed down, making it hard to breathe; he strained to open his mouth, only to find he could not utter a word.

Suddenly, the terrifying massive pressure vanished, and the dark clouds overhead dispersed.

"Fine, but you had better win."

Thorgrin's words reached the dwarves' ears, low but like a thunderclap that made everyone's heads buzz, as he said in a deep voice, "Otherwise, I will let you witness a king's true fury."

The Majesty actually agreed!

The sky‑high five million Gold Shields were offered for Lei En to act once, and His Majesty Thorgrin actually consented!

The dwarves were so shocked they were numb, unable to turn around for a moment.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty." Lei En smiled, bowed slightly, and said confidently, "If I lose, Your Majesty need not give me a copper coin."

Thorgrin nodded, his complexion easing.

"Wow…"

The dwarves in the palace finally erupted in a clamor, chattering wildly, unable to believe what they had witnessed and unable to comprehend the deal. His Majesty Thorgrin, to keep Kestajin away from Thus line: Zhigao Shan, placed his hope on a mere legendary human, willing to spend five million Gold Shields, and the human agreed.

Such a bizarre event, the dwarves had never seen in their lifetimes.

Magnus and Dan En, the two kings, also shook their heads repeatedly.

Only Lei En agreed to Thorgrin's price without any surprise. Dwarves are extremely fanatical about gold and jewels and love wealth; it is their nature, but dwarves are also a complex, intelligent race and political creatures.

In Thorgrin's eyes, the importance of preserving royal authority outweighs the desire to possess wealth.

During the past two days of contact, Lei En used his Soul Eye to discern Thorgrin's character and temper; the opening offer of five million Gold Shields was very precise, falling exactly within Thorgrin's acceptable range, just barely missing his bottom line.

Thorgrin's displayed anger was merely a façade; he released an aura to suppress the whole arena, actually to drive the price down.

Lei En seized on that and would not loosen his grip.

Then Thorgrin realized Lei En wouldn't bite, the price‑pressing failed, and he immediately changed his tone to agree.

Outsiders unaware of the details, Kestajin, one of the protagonists, stared at Lei En for a long while before letting out a cold laugh.

Thorgrin frowned but gave no reply.

Lei En ignored the dwarves' fierce reaction, looked at Kestajin, and shouted in Dwarvish, "Lord Kestajin, I, Ryan Augustus, issue a challenge to you, under the witness of Ge Lin Mu Ni Er, to prove who is the stronger and who the weaker."

Take people's money, relieve people's calamities.

To obtain five million Gold Shields, I must appear more proactive, invoking the dwarf warrior god Ge Lin Mu Ni Er, so Kestajin cannot refuse the challenge.

Sure enough, Kestajin immediately nodded, "I accept your challenge."

Clap—

Kestajin transformed into a bolt of lightning, leapt from his seat to the center of the palace, and shouted, "Your Majesty Magnus, may I borrow the duel arena of Rongyanbao?"

Magnus hesitated for a moment.

He does not have confidence in Lei En; if Lei En and Kestajin clash and an accident leads to Lei En's death, the contract just signed would become a worthless piece of paper.

However, with events having reached this point, it can no longer be stopped.

Magnus sighed, helplessly saying, "Everyone, proceed to the Iron Furnace Arena; I will have it prepared, and the formal duel will begin in half an hour."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Kestajin bowed, and walked out of the palace without looking back.

Hundreds of dwarves stood, saluted the three kings on the stage, then scattered out of the palace, each trying to claim a good spot in the arena.

In the blink of an eye, the palace was empty.

"Count, please follow me," Thorgrin whispered, intending to inform Lei En of Kestajin's strength before the battle, giving Lei En more confidence.

Lei En shook his head, "I would prefer a fair duel."

Thorgrin was taken aback, gave Lei En a deep look, and finally nodded slowly, "Very well."

Within half an hour, news of Lei En and Kestajin's duel spread throughout Rongyanbao, and tens of thousands of dwarves poured into the Iron Furnace Arena on the second level of the underground fortress.

True to its name, the Iron Furnace Arena resembled a furnace magnified countless times. The arena was carved from a massive intact boulder, its interior an irregular circle over three hundred meters in diameter; the floor, seats, and stands were all hewn from rock, forming a seamless, extremely hard structure difficult to damage.

At each of the arena's four directions stood a stone statue of a dwarf deity, each a hundred meters tall.

When Lei En entered the ancient arena, the surrounding seats were already half full, and more dwarves kept streaming in, the place buzzing with voices.

The three dwarf kings appeared on the stands, sparking enthusiastic cheers.

On the vast field stood a dwarf.

He wore a heavy yet exquisite rune‑crafted armor, composed of many pieces; massive shoulder plates were engraved with a war hammer and an axe, and two huge curved horns protruded from the helmet, pointing forward and upward like demonic horns, radiating fierce lightning power.

Iron‑gray beard spilled from beneath the helmet, covering most of his body, yet it could not conceal the raging lightning aura.

Kestajin—Iron Beard!

He stood silently, his gaze piercing through a slit in the helmet and landing on Lei En, making Lei En feel as if a sharp blade was on his back.

Lei En gave the kings a slight nod, his spirit leapt.

In the next instant, he appeared before Kestajin, the two about ten steps apart.

"If you split the money with me half‑and‑half, I can cooperate and let you win," Kestajin's voice rang in Lei En's mind; the implication left him both laughing and crying.

Wealth moves the heart!

You, thick‑browed, big‑eyed fellow, have been blinded by money and even consider a fixed match.

Lei En stared at the imposing Kestajin; his Soul Eye confirmed the other was not deceiving him but truly wanted the money, and he almost agreed.

He employed a transmission technique, questioning, "Lord Kestajin, would you abandon the throne of the Thus line: Zhigao Shan king for money?"

In that case, Thorgrin would have no need to ask me to intervene; he could simply buy off Kestajin with money, without me as a middleman taking a cut.

"Impossible, of course."

Kestajin's voice sounded again, coldly saying, "Thorgrin has always tried to kick me out of the Thus line: Zhigao Shan; I am not his opponent now, so I can only bide my time. That old fellow still has three to four hundred years left; once I reach the New Continent I will have more opportunities, first amass strength, and eventually return to slay the Shi Jie Shan Mai."

Lei En raised an eyebrow; it turned out Kestajin had changed his line of thought.

"How about it?" Kestajin asked again, "The five million Gold Shields, split half each, and you will gain my loyalty."

Lei En decisively refused, "Sorry, I can defeat you without your cooperation."

"Hmph…" Kestajin sneered, "Young human, don't be oblivious. Perhaps your legendary strength is great, or you are a wizard with many tricks, but I am the King of the Hills; you have no chance at all."

"We'll only know after the fight," Lei En replied coolly.

"Don't expect me to hold back in battle; if I kill you, I won't need to go to the New Continent," Kestajin said, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.

This time Lei En gave no reply, finally wearing Kestajin down.

"Then let me see how much strength you have!"

The King of the Hills waved both hands, and two weapons materialized in his grasp—a war hammer and a massive axe—emitting a terrifying aura of power!

One more chapter remains to be written, to be updated late tonight. Tomorrow will be updated as usual, no slackening.

(End of Chapter)