Chapter 968: Pressuring the Dwarves

On the Star Destroyer.

Lei En sat on the central throne of the bridge, opened the phone interface in his view, and allocated the absorbed electricity.

In this battle more than one hundred thousand Demonkin troops were annihilated, their souls almost all absorbed, the soul power pool filled many times; even though he created Thundercast Celestial Soldiers at the fastest speed, it was still insufficient to consume them, most of the energy went into the Main Brain Heart.

A level‑eleven Main Brain Heart can create 8,192 sub‑brain chips, and now some are running short.

Ai Luotixiya has been marching into the Abyss for almost a year.

In March this year, she led the Dark Angels to defeat two Demon lords on the north bank of the Gamma Lan Plain, seized their territories, and her demon army swelled rapidly to nearly two million. Then, in summer she began the assault on the south bank, aiming to achieve her earlier goal of unifying the entire Gamma Lan Plain within a year.

The south bank of the Gamma Lan Plain has five Demon lords; faced with Ai Luotixiya's formidable threat, they unusually united to resist the demon army of Wang Long Fortress.

Ai Luotixiya is very cautious, never pushing the enemy in a single breath.

Because among those five Demon lords, one is the extremely ancient Baro Flame Demon, rumored to be backed by a powerful Abyssal Lord, though its origin remains unverified.

Charm Demons continuously dispatch troops to wear down the enemy, keeping pressure on the south‑bank demon coalition and weakening the enemy's living force.

Along both banks of the Gamma Lan River, the two sides engage in battle almost every day.

Hundreds of thousands of demon troops clash incessantly.

Their souls are all absorbed and converted into electricity.

Lei En devoted the vast majority of the electricity to creating Thundercast Celestial Soldiers; so far their total exceeds six thousand!

With so many Thundercast Celestial Soldiers as tools, and ample funds and materials, it took only three months to equip the entire Extreme Brigade with powered armor.

The Iola Core has produced three; the second Star Destroyer is near completion, and the third Star Destroyer is also more than half finished!

Various weapons and equipment developed for the Imperial Defense Army have begun mass production.

Star Destroyer, Electric Light Cannon, powered armor, new gear—all require sub‑brain chips to control, plus a thousand Dark Angels, dozens of Wizard clones and substitutes; the 8,192 sub‑brain chips are gradually running out.

Thus, Lei En can only upgrade the Main Brain Heart again.

Rising from level eleven to twelve requires a full fifty thousand units of electricity. A lot had already been invested, and with today's absorption, the Main Brain Heart's progress bar finally filled.

A few minutes later.

On the Soul World Tree, the Element leaf of the Main Brain Heart stabilized again and rose to level twelve!

Lei En sensed that the number of sub‑brain chips he can create doubled again to 16,384, with no other changes. The Thundercast Celestial Soldiers' power cap remains Legendary Mid-stage, and he guesses they must reach at least level fourteen to create Legendary High‑rank clones.

"Level fourteen…"

He tried a bit and found that the Main Brain Heart's next upgrade requires two hundred thousand units of electricity, and he clicked his tongue in amazement.

And that's only an upgrade to level thirteen.

If it reaches level fourteen, it will likely require over a million units of electricity, and even killing all the demons on the Gamma Lan Plain wouldn't be enough.

"Next, we increase the Thundercast Celestial Soldiers to ten thousand."

"Then activate 'My World'."

Lei En thought to himself, glanced at the 'My World' icon, its progress bar already past halfway; less than fifty thousand more units of electricity will activate it.

"It's time to meet the dwarves."

He stood up, opened a portal, and stepped through.

On the high platform behind the Cesac city wall, the dwarves watched the portal open before them, their spirits lifted, and then saw a tall, upright youth step out. He wore simple mithril light armor, with a blood‑red great cloak behind him; such attire is now known throughout the Empire, and the dwarves have heard of it—it is exactly Lei En's usual appearance.

"We have seen you, Consul!" the dwarves saluted together.

Although the five kings are of noble status, before the Empire's Consul and Holy Soul Wizard they showed ample respect.

Behind Lei En stands the entire Aurean Empire, his status far higher than the Dwarf Kings.

Not to mention, the terrifying power of the Extreme Brigade and the Thundercast Celestial Soldiers makes the dwarves dare not act rashly toward Lei En; their eyes filled with awe while curiously appraising him, instantly sensing a subtle yet terrifying aura, as if before them stood not a mortal but a great deity walking among mortals, chilling their hearts.

"No need for excessive courtesy, everyone."

Lei En's face showed a faint smile as he said, "His Majesty Thorgrin, His Majesty Magnus, His Majesty Dan En, do we have five?"

"Yes," Thorgrin nodded, sincerely praising, "When the Consul first signed the alliance with the dwarves, I knew your future was limitless, but I never imagined that within a few short years you not only became the Empire's Consul, but also became a Holy Soul Wizard."

"Even when looking across the entire Ai Lun E Si history, few heroes like you can be found!"

Thorgrin offered half‑sincere flattery.

"Your Majesty's praise is mistaken."

Lei En did not respond, but looked at the other two crowned dwarves. Magnus sensed his gaze and immediately said, "Consul, allow me to introduce them to you."

The two dwarves are the kings of "Mithril Palace" and "Nine Peaks Valley".

They are both Kings of the Hills.

These two underground strongholds are slightly smaller in scale and population, yet have long traditions, and their kings are extremely powerful, especially the Mithril Palace king "Bruno*Warhammer", whose strength is second only to the Zhigao Shan king Thorgrin, approaching level thirty.

After the introduction, the two newly‑met kings saluted again, "We have seen you, Consul."

Lei En's gaze fell on Bruno, intrigued both by the unique surname "Warhammer" and by the weapon in his hand. It is a Legend Grade war hammer, entirely silver‑gray; one head of the hammer is cylindrical, the other resembles a beast's fang, etched with intricate lightning‑like runes that pulse with powerful thunder electricity.

"Storm Tooth!" Lei En whispered.

Dwarves are the race most adept at wielding war hammers; the world's strongest war hammers are almost all dwarf‑forged, such as Thunder God's Hammer and this Storm Tooth.

Storm Tooth's power and fame are less than Thunder God's Hammer, but it is already the world's second‑best war hammer.

It has always remained in the hands of the Warhammer clan, never lost.

"I heard the Consul's weapon is also a war hammer?" Bruno, whose surname is Warhammer and who is fond of war hammers, saw Lei En's appearance and knew he also liked war hammers, and generously said, "Would you like to admire it?"

Saying that, he proactively handed over the Storm Tooth.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Lei En smiled, shaking his head, "I can just look at it."

The All‑Seeing Eye had already seen through the Storm Tooth inside and out, so without handling it he knew the war hammer perfectly.

He withdrew his gaze, "Your Majesties, we should get down to business."

The Dwarf Kings all nodded.

Thorgrin looked at the battlefield strewn with corpses and rivers of blood, where dwarf priests were purifying the evil energy contaminating the bodies, and asked the question they most wanted to know: "Consul, why didn't you let your legion eradicate all the Demonkin, and instead let Kurgos escape?"

With Lei En's strength, it is not difficult to kill Kurgos with a single strike.

Moreover, if dozens more Extreme Warriors besiege Kurgos, or if the King of the Hills joins the fight, the Chosen Champion would be almost certain to die today.

"Who do you think is the greatest enemy for the dwarves seeking to develop the Dreweil Peninsula?" Lei En did not answer immediately; instead, he asked.

"Eternal Chosen Aikon?" King Belega Ironhammer of Nine Peaks Valley blurted out.

The other Dwarf Kings understood immediately.

Lei En nodded and said gravely, "Kurgos is no concern; we can eliminate him and his tribe at any time, but once we defeat the immediate enemy, we must face Aiken. Do not forget that west of Kurgos's territory lies Aiken's domain."

Kurgos is the hegemon of the New Continent's eastern coast; his lands lie in the mid‑coastal region, roughly one‑tenth the size of Aiken's domain.

Between the two Eternal Chosen's territories lies the Baleqiya Mountains.

The range is not high but stretches over five thousand li, starting near the Blood Elf's Revenge Island in the north and extending southwest, roughly parallel to the eastern coast.

The narrow strip between the Baleqiya Mountains and the coast was the essence of the Elf Empire on the New Continent during the Third Epoch.

Gotham City, the Dreweil Peninsula, and Tixibiya all lie in the northern part of this area.

A thousand li south of the Dreweil Peninsula belongs to Kurgos; using the Baleqiya Mountains as a natural barrier, he has repelled Eternal Chosen Aikon's assaults for centuries. Aiken still has a route: further south he can bypass the mountains to reach the New Continent's southern coast, but that area is occupied by a tremendously powerful Demon lord.

If Kurgos is slain, his tribe will scatter, and Aiken could send tens of thousands of Abyss Knights lightly across the Baleqiya Mountains to annex the land.

The dwarves can fight Kurgos.

But when facing the Eternal Chosen, they lack confidence.

Lei En spared Kurgos's life; his intention was simple: let Kurgos hold off Aiken. One man alone isn't enough, so the two Chosen Champions were not killed, and half of the Demonkin army was retained, enough to sustain control of the territory.

Magnus Bronze Ring seemed to recall something and asked, "Is the Eternal Chosen nearby?"

At those words, the dwarves' expressions shifted slightly.

"Unclear," Lei En shook his head. "I have not detected any trace of Aiken."

The dwarves breathed a sigh of relief.

"What a pity…" Dan En Iron Hand said with some resentment, "Kurgos and his Demonkin army killed a hundred thousand of our kin; after finally having a chance for revenge, we let him go."

"Your Majesty Dan En, there is no need to rush; the day the Wu Shi Ta is erected will be Kurgos's death day," Lei En comforted.

The kings' eyes brightened.

"How long will it take to complete the Wu Shi Ta?" Dan En Iron Hand asked impatiently.

Lei En replied, "At most two months."

"That fast!"

The dwarves were greatly surprised.

Lei En smiled inwardly; he possessed over six thousand Thundercast Celestial Soldier constructs, the Wu Shi Ta had already been designed, materials were ready, and building a tower was not difficult. Two months was a conservative estimate—if dwarf craftsmen joined, the period would be even shorter.

Once the tower stands, activating the Ten-ring Spell "VijesCui's Magical Torchlight" will make even Kurgos and the Eternal Chosen hard to assault.

The kings and the Kings of the Hills were invigorated.

Thorgrin frowned slightly, somewhat worried, "I fear Kurgos will not allow the tower to be completed. He won't let the Demonkin army attack, but he will certainly send a Grand Mage of the Purgatory to disrupt the construction."

A Grand Mage, fully prepared, will not engage directly; even the most formidable Extreme Warrior units will be affected.

If there is any carelessness, the half‑built tower could be destroyed.

"Rest assured, he will not have that chance."

Lei En said, pulling a Demonkin skull from the Nebula Ring; it was perfectly preserved, its face frozen in terror, evidently having been greatly frightened before death.

"Yuelgen!"

The dwarves let out a startled cry.

The kings and Kings of the Hills present had clashed with this Purgatory Grand Mage over the past months, many times narrowly escaping death, and thousands of their kin had perished under his spells; the hatred was etched deep, never to forget his visage.

They did not expect that upon seeing Yuelgen again, only his head remained!

"Lei En, you killed Yuelgen…" Kestajin said, both shocked and delighted. He, along with two other Kings of the Hills and several legendary mages, had fought Yuelgen, endured countless hardships, dreamed of slaying the Purgatory Grand Mage, yet remained helpless.

"When he unleashed Meteoric Fire Rain, he revealed his position," Lei En said casually, as if he had merely killed a chicken.

In fact, it was Reslin who killed Yuelgen.

The Purgatory Grand Mage's perception was extremely sharp; he had prepared many escape and retention spells, but they were useless during Time Stop.

He was frozen by Time Stop; although his mind and will remained, he could only watch his shield dissolve and then be beheaded by the Rending Sky Sword.

The battle was brief, and no one even noticed Yuelgen's death.

The dwarves once again witnessed Lei En's might and thought, indeed only a Holy Soul wizard can deal with a Purgatory Grand Mage!

They suddenly realized, "No wonder the Meteoric Fire Rain stopped after half its release; Yuelgen never came to aid Kurgos."

Lei En gave a faint smile.

Then he produced the treaty written on parchment and said, "Your Majesties, the terms we discussed are still valid, right?"

The five Dwarf Kings looked at the treaty's contents, their expressions varying.

Some hesitated, some were resigned, and others harbored different thoughts, yet none dared speak. Lei En stood before them, smiling, but his presence pressed upon them like a mountain range; despite their many thoughts, no word could be uttered.

The King of Zhigao Shan, Thorgrin, held the highest rank; after glancing at the other four kings, he clenched his teeth and said solemnly, "Consul, rest assured, the dwarves' pledged promise will never be broken."

"That's good," Lei En nodded satisfactorily.

The atmosphere on the platform suddenly relaxed.

"However…" Thorgrin paused, then quickly added, "We still need to discuss the details of this treaty before formal signing. After all, it concerns the future development of the entire dwarf race and cannot be rushed."

"That is natural," Lei En smiled, "We have two months for negotiations."

The dwarves understood immediately.

Two months later, the tower in Tixibiya was completed; that day became the treaty‑signing date. Once formally signed, it meant the entire dwarf race would owe allegiance to Lei En, becoming his vassals. Though only nominal, it was hard for the once‑glorious dwarves to accept.

Thinking of this, the dwarf kings and the Kings of the Hills felt bitter, yet under the pressure of survival they had to bow their heads.

Lei En sensed the dwarves' low spirits; as the beneficiary, he did not wish to further provoke them, and thus offered his farewell.

Negotiations can wait; let's talk again after the dwarves accept.

The urgent task is to rebuild the tower of Tixibiya. Returning to the Star Destroyer, Lei En immediately piloted the Star Destroyer to activate the transfer, with a boom, appearing above the ruins of a city—this was once the capital of the Elf Empire—Tixibiya!

(End of chapter)