And Yet the Elves Offered More...

One thousand eight hundred.

Ten thousand.

This number, like a silent spell, swept through the entire conference hall.

Even the Goth People present looked incredulous, with expressions that said, "You fucking dare to say that?"

For a moment, the scene was deathly silent.

Kang De, looking completely unconcerned, took a piece of blank paper from in front of Hong San and began to write and draw on it.

Eighteen million gold coins.

Since the currencies of various countries differed in value, weight, and purity, the compensation was demanded to be based on the Sovereign Gold Coin issued by the Dusk Moon Dynasty during the reign of the King of Light. These gold coins were of high purity, exquisitely designed, and made using advanced elven craftsmanship and production concepts. They had serrated edges, were wear-resistant, and could also prevent being exploited. Once introduced, they quickly became popular throughout the continent, thanks to the ever-expanding trade influence of the elves.

A significant portion of the money Kang De borrowed from the Good Family's treasury was these Elven coins.

When he finalized this number, he specifically asked someone to get a Sovereign Gold Coin to weigh. It weighed about six grams. Eighteen million coins would amount to one hundred and eight million grams.

That's 100,800 kilograms.

That is, 108 tons of gold.

What is the national gold reserve of the People's Republic of China?

Approximately two thousand tons.

One-twentieth.

Even if they only demand half the compensation in gold, that's still fifty-four tons!

Fifty-four tons of gold, sold at an incredibly low price, at 400 yuan per gram, that's over 20 billion yuan – pure profit.

If we disregard the vague yet immense cost of advancing with a time anchor, all Kang De paid was a stretch of asphalt road and a line of secondhand cars.

This is outright robbery.

--The premise is that you can actually snag one.

In reality, this is wishful thinking. Asking for money is part of the negotiation process. Then the defending party asks for a lower price, and the two sides keep tug-of-war and bargaining until they finally agree on a number that both sides agree to.

Or, the talks break down.

But that's not the point. The point is that Goth People, knew the ropes of negotiation, yet they still felt the compensation amount was far too... outrageous.

Is that an exaggeration?

Exaggerate.

Kang De calculated a series of numbers on the paper, then exchanged a glance with Hong San.

The elves are the world's overlords, possessing vast territories and colonies, as well as a large population under their rule. Such land and wealth require military force to secure. The annual military expenditure of the Dusk Moon Dynasty is an astronomical figure compared to other countries. The specific amount is a state secret, but it is not unknown.

At least through ten years of continuous observation, speculation, collection and calculation, Hong San's master was able to roughly estimate the fiscal revenue and military expenditure of the Dusk Moon Dynasty over the past ten years.

The average annual military expenditure is approximately 60 million gold coins.

Kang De, like a giant dragon, opened his mouth wide, ready to swallow a third of it.

Ten million eighty thousand gold coins is enough for the Royal Navy to order ten superior capital ships, enough for the Royal Army to build five full-strength new magic combat regiments, and even enough for the Royal Air Force to sign another dragon squadron!

--Of course, the third option is the least cost-effective deal.

The enormous gold coins spent on ordering battleships from shipyards and building army regiments would enter the vast economic system of the Dusk Moon Dynasty, boosting employment and promoting a series of related consumption and economic growth. A large portion of these would then continuously flow back into the government's fiscal revenue. In contrast, the gold coins given to the dragons were purely a one-way street, deeply hated by economists, finance ministers, and bank presidents.

One of the economic principles that prevails on the continent is that signing contracts and hiring dragons to fight will inevitably lead to deflation, and no monarch with any sense should do such a foolish thing.

As economics continues to develop and the national power of various countries continues to rise, life becomes increasingly difficult for the dragon race. When they try to find work, the monarchs of various countries tacitly collude to lower their wages. If they try to rob, they will be caught, killed, and skinned alive. The former suffers a miserable exploitation, while the latter dies without even knowing why, and they cannot even seek justice. If Dragon Cliff were to stand up for this, it would be tantamount to tacitly supporting the dragon race's plunder and attacks on the Civilization world, and then the Long Yi would have to come to an end.

This is an inevitable trend of the times. When the machine called the state expands into a colossal behemoth that blots out the sky, nothing under the sky can stop its progress.

Although the Dragon Kingdom is called the Dragon Kingdom, it is far from being a country. In an era before magic was popular and the land was in chaos, dragons soared through the sky and ruled the land. Their immense power terrified all nations and allowed them to look down upon all living beings. But now, the age of dragons has passed.

Although the dragon race remains powerful, it is merely a race with significant military cooperation with the elves.

As the world's most powerful beings, the proud elves would never bow down to dragons, and would even despise these outdated creatures. If they treated dragons this way, how much less would they treat humans, who are as greedy Long Yi?

Elandil rose abruptly, and then all the elves stood up as well.

"Wishful thinking!" the wise elf exclaimed sternly. "This is greedy and shameless extortion!"

"Don't say that, this is negotiation." Kang De sat calmly in his chair. "If you're not satisfied, or want too much, you can bargain."

Elandil said coldly, "You have no sincerity whatsoever; this negotiation cannot proceed!"

Kang De's smile faded, "Don't want to talk? Then how about a fight? Next time you come, this price will be more than double. Think carefully before you speak."

The elven sage, enraged, slammed his hands on the table and said sharply, "Your Highness Kang De, do not assume that because we have been tolerant and magnanimous, you can extort and blackmail us at will!"

Hong San, standing to the side, said calmly, "If that's the case, why did you elf lords come here?"

He looked at Elandil: "The Elves have lost six legions, and the bones of at least 60,000 soldiers are exposed to the wind and sun every day. It's a complete disgrace. They are clearly the world's hegemon, sweeping all before them on the Goth battlefield, yet they have to humbly come here to pay for corpses. Why don't you come and rob them?"

A murderous glint flashed in Elandil's voice. "The reason we sent envoys instead of troops is out of respect for the strong. Do you think we can't do the same?"

Hong San looked at him and said seriously, "I thought you couldn't do it."

"What should we do?" He said calmly before the other party could speak, "Your Highness can still use the power of destruction three more times. Do you want to send a battle group to harass and raid, forcing Prince Kang De to take action? In any case, it's only a matter of sacrificing three battle groups. It's worth it to lose three opportunities."

The Cathayan's eyes flashed like lightning as he looked at the elf. "Or perhaps you could annihilate Goth in one fell swoop, and then calmly employ your most proficient methods?"

At the same time, Kang De was also observing Tagelise's changing expressions.

But neither he nor Hong San saw the reaction they wanted.

Then Hong San shook his head and sneered, "Not bad, very Elf-like. But if that's what you think, I think you've misunderstood something, and that's the meaning of strategic deterrence."

Kang De naturally picked up where he left off. "So-called strategic deterrence means that I can attack you whenever I want, wherever I want, and I can hit you until you feel pain and cry."

Why did you come here, to back down and compromise? Because you can't afford the risk.

"Send a small corps to harass, plunder, and loot the corpses?"

He slowly stood up, looked at the elves present, and calmly said, "You come, I run. Do whatever you want with this place, I'll go where I belong."

"The expeditionary force's headquarters, a hub for supplies and logistics, a shipbuilding and heavy industry city, an economic center, a financial center, an industrial belt, the most densely populated metropolitan area, the capital city—which one do you prefer?"

"Your defenses are so tight, what about one year, three years, five years, ten years?"

"Are you elves no longer planning to hold national celebration parades? Is the Invincible Fleet no longer going to port for resupply? Is the Royal Navy no longer holding naval reviews? Are you not planning to expand your cities? Are you not going to fight any more wars after the defeat of Goth? Aren't you afraid I'll suddenly cause trouble for you?"

"Let me tell you, don't expect me to consider mercy, integrity, compassion, or kindness for even a second. I guarantee I'll smash all your grand toys and wonders to smithereens. From now on, forget about any large-scale industrial clusters or mega-city belts. I don't know where you'll be hurt the most, but the Empire certainly does. Do you think they'll offer me bombing suggestions?"

His gaze was cold, even fierce and tyrannical, as he stared arrogantly at Elandil: "Go ahead? If you walk out this door today, we won't talk anymore. You go and wipe out the Goth People, and I'll make sure your Dusk Moon Dynasty never has a moment of peace. Let's see who can do it faster, who can kill the most, and who will back down first. How about it?"

The analysis is clear and the thought process is well-defined.

Elandil gritted his teeth, but couldn't utter a word.

Because the concept of strategic deterrence had never appeared in this other world, even the most brilliant sages found it difficult to grasp its significance...

But another world has been studied for decades and maintains relative peace through this mutual deterrence.

Kang De spat on the ground and sneered, "It seems I was too kind. After annihilating those five legions, I should have immediately overthrown your expeditionary force's central command. You would still have come, but not with this arrogant, disgusting demeanor of yours, completely clueless."

"--Damn it, even low-level businessmen and gangsters know that the negotiation tactic is to make an outrageous offer and then try to haggle. If I give you a price, you turn your backs on me like you've been insulted. If you don't like it, you turn on me. Should I send you back for free and then pay you extra to be satisfied?"

Elandil had lived for hundreds of years. When had he ever been so recklessly insulted by a human? He was furious but helpless, and turned away in anger.

With a deafening roar, Kang De slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Look at me!"

Sharp, flamboyant, crazy, ruthless, and brutal.

From the start of yesterday's meeting, Kang De maintained an extremely aggressive and confrontational attitude.

This is also part of the deterrent effect.

A weapon that can be called a strategic deterrent, if in the hands of a cowardly and indecisive person, will not inspire awe in the enemy, and will even be meaningless.

Only by acting insanely, brutally, and ruthlessly will the elves truly feel fear and apprehension, believing that this madman has the ability and determination to launch a relentless revenge against them, never stopping because of his cruelty, and not caring how many lives will be lost as a result.

This is the true meaning of deterrence.

Therefore, Luo Ji was able to protect Earth for 62 years, preventing the Trisolarans from making any rash moves. But when the sword of judgment was handed to a hypocrite, destruction came in the blink of an eye.

Because Luo Ji really dares to destroy both worlds without batting an eye.

Kang De also wanted the elves to think that way.

The goal is to convince the elves that even if the expeditionary force instantly conquered the entire Goth territory, dragged all the Goth People, including Tina, before Kang De, held knives to their throats, and killed them one by one, Kang De would not hesitate to use his spatial abilities to leave without a second glance, then infiltrate the elven territory, wait for a year, five years, or ten years, and then give the elves the greatest surprise when they are completely unprepared.

The meeting room was eerily silent.

The elves who stood up were filled with rage and trembling, but none of them dared to leave.

Because no one can bear this responsibility.

In the dead silence, Tagelise slowly said, "Kang De Highness Kant, I've been listening to you. You've emphasized asking for an exorbitant price and then negotiating, but eighteen million gold coins is far too much. Rather than haggling over the amount, I'm more interested in whether you have a better suggestion?"

Because Kang De emphasized his strategic deterrence capabilities.

This means that even if a settlement is reached and the war continues, the elves will still face the same intimidation... a threat that makes no sense whatsoever.

Kang De gradually composed himself, becoming gentle, quiet, and peaceful once again. This ability to control his emotions is a plus, because people are more afraid of someone who is usually quiet but suddenly goes crazy.

He said, "Yes, I can return all the bodies to you for free, yes, free of charge, without charging a single penny. The condition is that you leave now, then reorganize your delegation, go to Goth's capital for peace negotiations, cease military operations, return all occupied territories, and sign a ten-year peace treaty."

"You can have the envoys of all the nations and peoples notarize this."

"You have ten years to plot against me, assassinate me, and develop a defense system to counter my attack methods. I promise the world that as long as Goth is not invaded, I will not use this power proactively."

"It's settled. You can have all the bodies back, no money required."

Kang De said calmly, "How about it?"

The elves looked at each other, then suddenly thought the suggestion... was pretty good.

Elandil glanced at Tagelise, Duke of Tiling, his expression grave, calmly said, "Thank you for the suggestion, Your Highness. Since you've brought it up, what do you say of my proposal?"

Kang De raised his hand and said, "Please."

The Duke looked at Kang De and said calmly, "We will return all the occupied territories, bear the costs of post-war reconstruction and compensation, provide an interest-free loan of no less than thirty million gold coins, open all-round exchanges between the two countries in culture, military, and magic, lift the blockade of the Goth seas, share all sea and land trade routes with Goth, assist in restoring Goth's connection with Cathay, and support Cathay's resistance activities with more proactive and favorable conditions..."

There was a commotion among the humans, but no one spoke.

Kang De looked at the other person and said, "What are your conditions?"

The conditions are simple.

Tagelise stated decisively, "Goth will join the Dusk Moon Dynasty as a highly autonomous vassal state. We will grant all Cathayan the same treatment as Elven citizens and allow the Taidariel Family to continue their rule, provided that you marry Princess Tina and that your bloodline inherits this country."

"All communication between the Dusk Moon Dynasty and Goth revolves around you. We will invite you to join the Dusk Moon Parliament and the Arcane Council, with the titles of two vice-chairmen to be offered. We will also invite you to join the Royal Army, making you the first human leader in the Twilight Moon military, and granting you the allocation of three Phoenix Banner Legion and five Dragon Banner Legion as battlebands. All personnel command authority will be yours."

"We will act as intermediaries to arrange your marriage to the Empress of the Southern Dynasty of Cathay, assist you in building a navy, and provide all possible help for your return to Cathay and the expulsion of the barbarians, making you a hero of your homeland and allowing you to rightfully take control of the largest empire in the East..."

Duke of Tiling looked at Kang De and calmly asked, "Your Highness Kang De, what do you think of these terms?"

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: Sigh, I went back to my hometown for the Mid-Autumn Festival and only got back tonight... That's all for now, goodnight.

PS2: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival...