Shalin's Respect

"Your Majesty Keosius, please wait a moment."

"Our supreme ruler of the Brass Fortress, who is also my father, will come to greet you."

After leading Keosius and the others to a magnificent Bronze Palace, Green said this.

Serkan stepped forward, looked around nervously, then approached closely and whispered, "Your Majesty."

"We've only ever lived on the outskirts of the Brass Fortress before, but there's no doubt that this city is of great value."

"It could easily become the Empire's stronghold in the Fire Elemental Plane. You're right here, with thousands of Imperial soldiers. Why don't we..."

The Half-Dragon's heart pounded, his eyes filled with ambition.

For the Imperial military, territorial expansion is everything, so it's perfectly normal to have such thoughts.

Keosius gently shook his head.

"No, Serkan."

"The most valuable treasure here is not this Brass Fortress, but the Fire Dwarf within."

"The Empire has no foothold in the Fire Elemental Plane. We need a deeply rooted native race as an ally."

He glanced at Serkan beside him and continued.

"And haven't you read the book ' On Colonialism ' published by the Empire? Controlling a race is not just about force."

"It was my foolishness, Your Majesty."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Serkan's eyes. He lowered his head and pondered carefully what Keosius had said.

Normally, he was not qualified to meet the emperor, but now that he had such a precious opportunity, he naturally seized every second.

"His Majesty."

"They're here."

The adjutant beside him reminded him.

A group of Fire Dwarf dressed in brass skirts were seen approaching from a distance, the leader of whom wore a miniature crown and carried a bronze scepter.

When the leading Fire Dwarf saw Keosius, he merely glanced at him before bowing deeply.

"Shalin Cardozo, greetings to the great His Your Majesty Keosius. Green has explained to me the purpose of your visit."

"It is also a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency Lord of the Brass Fortress."

Keosius nodded in acknowledgment, scrutinizing the Fire Dwarf nobleman, a solemn expression lurking deep within his pale golden pupils.

This Fire Dwarf nobleman was not as frail and simple as he appeared.

As the master of the Brass Fortress, the Fire Dwarf Noble is at least several thousand years old, and his lineage can probably be traced back to the ancient mythological era.

"We must take this seriously."

"The Fire Dwarf are a good 'ally'. If we can control them, they will be of great benefit to the empire."

That's what Keosius thought.

Meanwhile, Shalin was also glancing at the giant dragon that had transformed into human form before him.

What frightened the Fire Dwarf was that even in human form, the dragon exuded an uncontrollable dragon aura.

This even reminded him of the Progenitor Dragon that dominated the world and stirred up the multiverse long ago.

"We must be cautious; his arrival may determine the fate of the Brass Fortress."

Shalin thought to himself.

He secretly rejoiced that he had defied public opinion and accepted those Fighter from the Material Plane who possessed dragon veins.

Otherwise, it would very well be them, not the Fire Giant, who would be bearing the wrath of the dragons now.

Thinking of this, Shalin spoke first, his bronze-faced mangled with a broad smile.

"Your Majesty Keosius, you have once again helped us defeat the Fire Giant ' invasion. I don't know how to thank you enough."

He extended his hand and bowed in a "please" gesture.

"Alright then, we will hold a grand banquet in the palace to thank you for your help, celebrate your arrival, and show you the hospitality of us Fire Dwarf."

"In addition, we Fire Dwarf have prepared tens of thousands of Gold Coin to repay your kindness."

Shalin adopted an exceptionally humble posture, likely because he had dealt with the Red Dragon many times and knew their ambitious, greedy, and avaricious nature.

No matter how peculiar a dragon is, it cannot change its nature. The Fire Dwarf nobles believed that this procedure would satisfy the Dragon Emperor.

However, the other party's answer took him by surprise, causing his pupils to flicker.

"There's no need for that now."

Keosius shook his head slightly and said with a smile.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. You Fire Dwarf and the Fire Giant are sworn enemies, and my family is also wanted by the Fire Giant."

"From this perspective, the Empire and the Fire Dwarf should be considered natural allies."

"Besides, with a formidable enemy at hand, shouldn't we eliminate the Fire Giant blocking our path before considering the banquet and rewards?"

Shalin was stunned for a moment.

This giant dragon doesn't seem to covet Gold Coin? Nor does it seem to crave fame and fortune?

After a moment's thought, the Fire Dwarf nobleman quickly agreed, "You're right."

Keosius continued speaking, his eyes flashing with a fire that sent chills down the Fire Dwarf.

"Besides, my feast is not in your Brass Fortress, but in that City of Pig Iron."

"I see."

The Fire Dwarf swallowed hard.

Keosius comforted him, "Don't worry, Lord Shalin. My anger is directed only at the Fire Giant insulted me, and has nothing to do with you Fire Dwarf."

"Right now, I just want to know information about that ' City of Pig Iron,' which I heard you were in charge of building."

Shalin nodded solemnly and replied, "Long ago, when the Fire Giant were our allies, we helped them build many cities."

"The City of Brass is the greatest masterpiece of our Fire Dwarf race, and the so-called City of Pig Iron, heh heh."

He shook his head and chuckled before continuing, "It's just a poor imitation, full of flaws in my opinion."

"Those Fire Giant are nothing but a band of robbers who plunder our people and seize our works, while the finest craftsmanship will forever remain in the hands of the Fire Dwarf!"

Shalin gripped the scepter tightly and spoke with a firm tone.

A smile spread across Keosius's face. He had long noticed the characteristic of these Fire Dwarf —they would proudly puff out their chests whenever their past glories were mentioned.

He might be able to use this to control the Fire Dwarf of the Brass Fortress.

He would not use such a low-level form as "enslavement," but rather a freer form of labor.

Green, standing nearby, added in a low voice, "The Fire Giant in the City of Pig Iron has just taken office as the ' Emil ' there—that is, the city lord."

"The last celebratory banquet was ruined by Lord Misha, and he should be hosting a new banquet soon."

His meaning was quite clear.

That Fire Giant Noble will definitely be at that banquet, and this is a perfect opportunity.

Keosius chuckled softly.

"Great, I think I've found the 'feast' that's right for me."

The Fire Dwarf present all swallowed hard; if they didn't have flames on their heads, they probably would have been sweating.

——Requesting monthly votes——