Celebration Banquet

Inside the Brass Palace, the Fire Dwarf played brass instruments, while the empire's officers and soldiers drank freely.

"Your Majesty Keosius be victorious!"

"Great Red Dragon!"

"Invincible!"

A lively atmosphere seemed to permeate the air, filled with the aroma of fine wine and the scent of roasted meat. The Fire Dwarf and imperial soldiers sang and danced, celebrating the defeat of their common enemy— the Fire Giant.

Meanwhile, the Fire Dwarf nobleman Shalin stood beside Keosius, raised his wine cup, and whispered:

"Your Majesty Keosius, your power in destroying half of the City of Pig Iron and killing Emil the Fire Giant is truly awe-inspiring."

"Only."

Shalin hesitated for a moment, then gave a wry smile before continuing, "You've done too well; it might attract the attention of that Fire Giant Grand Sultan."

Keosius also raised his glass, took a sip, and replied with a smile, "Shalin Salin, I am not afraid of him."

"No one can defeat me unless the Grand Sultan takes action himself."

"The Holy Flame Prince is still roaming the land. The Grand Sultan will not risk being killed to become my enemy for a mere Emil."

"Since you've brought it up, I'll get straight to the point."

Keosius put down his wine glass, looking down at the Fire Dwarf with his pale golden eyes, his gaze meaningful. "The real danger is you and your Brass Fortress."

Shalin's pupils contracted sharply, and the flames above his head dimmed slightly.

"The Emil sent by the Fire Giant Sultan is dead, which damages his prestige, but he has no way to retaliate against me."

"So, who will become the target of the Sultan's anger?"

"You mean..."

Shalin's hand holding the scepter trembled slightly, and his tone was hesitant.

"Brass Fortress".

Keosius's tone was exceptionally certain.

"You should know that the Imperial army has stationed itself in the Brass Fortress, and we also fought together against the army sent by the Fire Giant."

"The Empire can evacuate from the Fire Elemental Plane at any time, but you cannot. The Brass Fortress is not going anywhere, and the Fire Dwarf cannot leave their homeland either."

"Lord Shalin, I couldn't bear to see the Fire Dwarf enslaved, which is why I came to remind you."

"It's a pity I didn't kill all those Fire Giant back then, otherwise the news wouldn't have reached the ears of that Grand Sultan."

Keosius looked into the Fire Dwarf's eyes, shook his head slightly, and sighed with a "sad" expression.

With his extraordinary charm and Eloquent Speaker, every word he uttered seemed so believable.

"This, this..."

Shalin's bronze-cast body trembled slightly as he seemed to see the future fortress being breached, the Fire Dwarf being enslaved and whipped.

In fact, Shalin had already vaguely guessed this possibility, but hearing the other party say it himself still made him feel terrified.

In fact, in the Fire Elemental Plane, the number of Fire Dwarf enslaved by Fire Giant far exceeds the number of free Fire Dwarf.

But Keosius asked a seemingly unrelated question.

"Lord Shalin, how many Fire Dwarf were in the Brass Fortress a thousand years ago?"

Shalin was somewhat puzzled, but after a moment's thought, he answered truthfully, "About four thousand."

The forging process limited the rate of population growth, so Fire Dwarf were quite rare; there were a lot of Fire Dwarf here.

Keosius pressed on, asking:

"So what about now? How many Fire Dwarf are in the Brass Fortress now?"

Three thousand seven hundred and forty-one.

Shalin answered without hesitation.

Keosius feigned doubt and asked, "You Fire Dwarf have long lifespans. In the past thousand years, have no new people been born?"

"Of course there are, but..."

Shalin looked bitter and continued, "The Fire Giant sends raider armies every now and then to abduct my people."

Keosius stated the harsh truth in a calm tone. "So, Lord Shalin."

"The only reason the Fire Giant allow the Brass Fortress to exist is because you can provide them with Fire Dwarf slaves."

Shalin couldn't help but retort, "The Fire Giant once tried to enslave our entire race, but they failed!"

"Because after you were enslaved, you are no longer willing to create new populations, are you?"

Keosius took a sip of his drink and continued, "They abandoned their enslavement plan because they wanted a continuous supply of slaves, didn't they?"

He chuckled softly.

"Lord Shalin, are you aware of a plant called Leeks in the Material Plane? Human farmers harvest it every time it grows, thus ensuring a continuous supply of food."

The Fire Dwarf nobleman's beard trembled incessantly. He was unwilling to believe it from the bottom of his heart, but what the other party said was incredibly close to reality.

"And now."

"Given the Grand Sultan's wrath, do you think they will allow the Brass Fortress to remain?"

Keosius's voice was like a series of thunderbolts, each word striking Shalin's heart and shattering his psychological defenses.

After a long silence, Shalin finally spoke hesitantly.

"Your Majesty Keosius, what should we do?"

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Keosius's face; he knew he had achieved his goal.

Once the Fire Dwarf nobles are persuaded, everything else will fall into place.

"The Embers of the Burned Empire"

Keosius simply mentioned the name casually.

"You mean..."

The Fire Dwarf lowered his head in thought, his expression hesitant, but he finally raised his head and gritted his teeth. Shalin watched Keosius nervously and said cautiously, "If that's the case, then I can only thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty Keosius."

"Please allow me to refuse. Fire Dwarf will not become anyone's servants or slaves. This was true thousands of years ago, and it will remain true thousands of years from now."

By the end, the flames on his head were flickering and trembling, but his tone remained resolute.

Fire Dwarf are known for their stubbornness, and few can change their minds.

"Smack!"

"How dare you!"

Upon hearing this, Serkan, the Half-Red Dragon who had been listening nearby, slammed his fist on the table and shouted angrily.

"His Majesty has bestowed such a precious opportunity upon the Fire Dwarf, yet you do not know how to cherish it!"

"How dare you refuse His Your Majesty Keosius! That is to be our enemy!"

Immediately, all the Imperial officers and soldiers in the hall stood up, raised their rifles, pointed them at the Fire Dwarf, and looked at them with hostility.

What do you want to do?

"Fire Dwarf will never be slaves!"

The Fire Dwarf also became angry. They picked up bronze hammers and iron shields from the ground and confronted the imperial soldiers.

The air in the hall seemed to be filled with the smell of gunpowder; in such a situation, even the slightest Mars could cause an explosion.

But Keosius waved his hand and calmly ordered, "What are you doing? Put down your guns."

Upon hearing the emperor's order, the imperial officers and soldiers immediately put down their weapons.

He casually patted the Fire Dwarf nobleman on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Lord Shalin, I think you've misunderstood."

"What I mean is that our Embers of the Burned Empire can be a staunch ally of the Fire Dwarf city-states."