New Calendar 346, March.
Dragonspine Mountains The snow has not yet completely melted, and the high peaks still wear white crowns, but sporadic greens and new shoots have emerged stubbornly in the mountains, announcing the approach of spring.
Crimson Flame Royal City back mountain.
The steepest peak, named Starwatch Cliff, Red Iron Dragon stands on the top of the cliff, overlooking the vast territory of the kingdom.
The biting wind blows from the direction of Northern Frontier, bringing with it the chill of late winter.
His broad dragon wings were folded at his sides, and his eyes calmly reflected the mountains, rivers and sea of clouds.
More than two years have passed since Two-Ao War was suspended.
During this period, Aura Kingdom has recovered a lot from the trauma he suffered during the war through recuperation and post-war reconstruction.
After all, due to Red Emperor's own personal expedition, Aura Legion's losses were not serious at all.
Compensation for the fallen, repairs of damaged areas, and preliminary appeasement of newly occupied areas... these tasks are all being carried out in an orderly manner.
The tense nerves throughout the kingdom relaxed slightly.
Crops have grown again in the farmland, regular knocking sounds can be heard from the mines, and the market has returned to its former bustle.
After that, when Theo's compensation is in place and the fruits of victory are digested, the losses caused by the war will be made up in a very short time, and Aura Kingdom will become stronger at a faster speed.
The cold spring wind continues to blow through Starwatch Cliff.
Garos's gaze transcends the boundaries of the kingdom and casts its gaze to the more distant horizon, which is the hinterland of Romanian Plains and the stage where many human kingdoms compete.
"Garos, there is important news coming."
A deep voice sounded in his heart.
Garos's eyes moved slightly, but he didn't turn his head, and he also responded from the bottom of his heart.
"Sorog, speak."
Iron Dragon Sorog's voice was smooth and clear, stating the information he had just received.
"Rybos Kingdom sent an official envoy and arrived at the capital of Lothern yesterday evening."
"The mission is of high standard, led by a prince and the chief court mage. Considering that Ribos suffered consecutive defeats in the Quinn Heights war and the border fortresses fell one after another, they are probably going to surrender this time, well, in the name of "peace talks"."
In this regard, Garos is not surprised.
He was silent for two seconds and said slowly, "Sooner or later, I'm even a little confused as to why Ribos is proposing peace talks now."
After Quinn Heights fell, the door to Ribos's hinterland was opened, and its defeat was fully exposed.
Since they have the courage to cut off their own strength and stop losses in time, they should choose to negotiate earlier and perhaps retain more bargaining chips.
As of now, Lothern's troops have probably reached its core area.
At this time, peace talks will inevitably pay a heavier price.
"Maybe it's the invisible big hand behind Ribos that can no longer provide support to them."
Garos narrowed his eyes slightly and thought in his heart.
It is quite strange that Ribos wins when First Romanian Plains Civil War.
It is reasonable to come up with some secret magical creations or new weapons, but the development, manufacturing and use of strategic weapons that can turn the tide of the war cannot be completed independently in a short time.
Behind it, there must be a larger force supporting it.
As for who it is...
The senior leaders of the countries on the plain actually have some speculations.
Holden Empire, the behemoth that dominates Atlant Continent and focuses on "Abyss Development Project", is the most suspect.
It's just that everyone tacitly agreed and defaulted to not knowing, and they didn't talk about it in detail on the table.
Garos and Sorog have no such taboo.
Iron Dragon Sorog said bluntly, "Holden Empire is focused on their Abyss Development Project, Federation has been disbanded, and that Saint King has also been confirmed to have died."
"Holden Empire's attention and resources may no longer be directed to Romanian Plains."
"So, their support for Ribos is likely to have been discontinued or significantly reduced."
"Otherwise, the war between Ribos and Lothern would not have become one-sided so quickly, and there would at least be a few twists and turns."
Garos pondered for a longer time, the mountain wind whimpering in the gaps between his hard scales.
Then, he suddenly pulled his thoughts back to Aura's country.
He said, "There seems to be no movement in the two Abyssal Rift in our territory recently."
"According to normal rules, Material Plane large-scale wars and deaths will often stimulate Abyss's aura, leading to intensified fissure activities and frequent Magic Tide occurrences."
Iron Dragon Sorog's voice paused, and seemed to be recalling relevant memories and information.
"There's something wrong."
"And, to be precise, Abyssal Rift is not "not moving at all", but "completely calmed down". This abnormally calm state has lasted for several years, but we didn't take it seriously before."
From the time Abyssal Rift first appeared in the territory of Aura, they were like two scars that could not be completely healed.
There are always Demon trying to get through from the other side of the crack, so the garrisoned troops and mages need to be vigilant at all times and clean up regularly.
Now they have calmed down for a long time, which seems to be a good thing at first glance, saving a lot of manpower and material resources.
But Garos felt more cautious because of this.
That is the most chaotic and evil plane among Abyss and Multiverse. It is absolutely insulated from the word "peace".
This abnormal silence is more like the calm before the storm, lurking more dangers.
"Abyssal Rift appears frequently across the mainland. According to intelligence analysis, there is a high probability that it is related to Abyss Development Project promoted by the Holden Empire." Garos sorted out his thoughts, "Now that it has become so quiet, perhaps it is also the impact of the development plan entering a new stage."
"Holden Empire... What on earth did they do in Abyss?"
There is currently no answer to this question.
Garos converged his divergent thoughts and gave Iron Dragon clear instructions. "Notify, strengthen the control and alert level of the two Abyssal Rift, don't be fooled by the superficial calm and take it lightly."
Iron Dragon Sorog responded immediately, "Understood, that's what I meant, and I will issue the order later."
His attitude towards potential threats is highly consistent with Garos.
After a pause, Sorog brought the topic back to the current situation. "The news that Ribos is preparing to surrender has spread. Our long negotiations with Theo should have been finalized and will not be delayed any longer."
"When the first batch of compensation for Theo is received, we can officially launch the first step of "Northern Frontier Development Project"."
"Use this fund to recruit a large number of experienced craftsmen and scholars, systematically train our own people, speed up the construction of roads, establish towns, and improve the fortification system in the newly occupied areas, and at the same time further expand and arm Aura Legion... The gold coins and materials compensated by Theo must be transformed into real power of the kingdom as soon as possible."
After talking about these specific business plans, Iron Dragon was silent for a few seconds.
When he spoke again, there was a hint of emotion in his tone.
"If the peace talks between Lothern and Ribos are successfully concluded, it means that the large-scale war that has swept Romanian Plains for many years will officially come to an end soon."
"An era of chaos is coming to an end."
"Yes, an era is over."
Garos repeated in a low voice, still looking at the distant horizon.
Sorog continued, "Theo was interrupted, Ribos was forced to bow his head and sue for peace... and Aura, we rose from the wilderness, experienced the baptism of blood and fire, and became an important existence that can affect the situation in the entire plain."
"Garos, we did it."
"This is just the beginning, Sorog."
Garos's voice was as calm as ever, without the slightest hint of complacency, "Peace is just the gap between two wars."
"The ambitions of human nations will not disappear because of a peace negotiation, and the development and expansion of Aura will not stop."
"Our enemies, the old ones may be dormant, but new ones will inevitably appear, and they may even become more numerous and more hidden. Strength is our only pass."
After that, the two talked about other things. About half an hour later, the communication ended.
Garos shook his huge head.
He stretched out his strong limbs and wings, then swooped down and began to temper himself in the open space between the mountains.
No matter how the external situation changes.
He always firmly believes that his own strength is the most solid cornerstone of the kingdom.
In the blink of an eye, two weeks have passed.
Garos is Dragonspine Mountains, immersed in in-depth thinking about the field, thinking about how to focus on development.
At this moment, a clear and high-pitched dragon roar came from the sky, from far to near.
He raised his head and saw a bright golden stream of light breaking through the high-altitude clouds, swooping down in a graceful and rapid arc, slowing down sharply as it approached, and finally falling steadily to the ground, stirring up a wave of air mixed with dust and residual snow.
The golden light gradually converged, revealing the figure inside.
It was a female Gold Dragon with a slender and graceful body but also a sense of power.
Her scales sparkled in the afternoon sun, like flowing liquid gold, each one reflecting pure light.
At this moment, on her beautiful dragon face, there was undisguised excitement and pride, and her tail was wagging left and right.
Gold Dragon Nasha, Aura Kingdom's special diplomat.
Since Two-Ao War was suspended and Aura and Theo entered a long and trivial negotiation stage, Nasha has made strong requests many times, hoping to serve Aura Kingdom as an official envoy to Theo and personally participate in the negotiations to strive for the greatest benefits for Aura.
In her words.
"It must be interesting to watch those humans squaring off on terms, racking their brains but unable to come up with a solution, and I can overwhelm them with my wisdom and aura."
Garos finally agreed to her request after careful consideration.
On the one hand, Nasha's identity as pure Gold Dragon represents lawfulness and justice in the eyes of human nations. Her presence can alleviate the vicious image of Aura to a certain extent and weaken hostility.
On the other hand, Garos also made it clear to her in advance the bottom line that she must not give in to, especially the core clauses such as arms restrictions on Theo, and allowed her to communicate with Iron Dragon Sorog in real time during the negotiation process.
"Good news! Good news!"
Nasha Before he could stand completely, he couldn't wait to speak, his voice filled with uncontrollable excitement.
Garos slowly turned his head and looked at her.
"Speak slowly, Nasha, it seems that Theo has some results."
Gold Dragon raised his graceful head. "Agreement! <Nolton Treaty>! Finally signed!"
"It took two years, countless wranglings, and seventeen editions of the draft alone. But at midnight yesterday, in the hall of Silverglow City, King Theo signed his name."
Nasha said quickly, his tail slapped the cliff, and the gravel fell down.
The so-called <Nolton Treaty> is the official treaty named after that decisive battle.
The name was determined after many rounds of discussions between the two parties.
The Aura side hopes to use this to remind Theo not to forget where they are and why they failed, and to remember the power and inviolability of Aura; the Theo side believes that naming the treaty with this shameful place name may stimulate the Chinese people more deeply, remember the lessons of this fiasco, and learn from shame and courage.
"Tell me the specific content and tell me the most important clauses."
Nasha did not answer immediately, but tilted his head and stared at Red Iron Dragon with a pair of bright dragon eyes.
She coughed lightly, raised one front paw, and seemingly casually combed the shining scales on the side of her neck.
Garos was stunned for a moment, then understood, shook his head helplessly, and a deep laugh rolled out of his throat.
"You did a great job, Nasha."
"Aura Kingdom is lucky to have a brave, resourceful and hard-working diplomat like you. Your contribution will be remembered by the kingdom."
Hearing this, Gold Dragon shook his head with satisfaction, and the look of pride on his face became even stronger.
"That's pretty much it! I played an indispensable and key role in the entire signing process of <Nolton Treaty>!"
She declared so.
Although in fact, she mostly serves as the mouthpiece and embodiment of Aura's will, and most of the specific terms and details of the game are completed remotely by Sorog.
However, as a diplomat of a victorious country, it is a wonderful feeling when negotiating with a defeated country.
For Nasha, this experience is second only to a fight that is heart-warming and ultimately victorious.
Immediately, Nasha cleared his throat, straightened his body, and began to report like a treasure trove.
"First, territorial change."
"Formally confirm that all areas north of the Emerald Ridge Mountains and the original Theo Kingdom border, including the entire territory of Essen Province and Aris Province, will be permanently placed under the jurisdiction of the Aura Kingdom. Theo Kingdom must recognize Aura's complete sovereignty over the above-mentioned areas and give up all claims."
"Second, war reparations."
"Theo is required to pay a total of 180 million gold coins in installments within twenty years. The quality and weight of each gold coin must be based on the "Gold Aura" minted by our country. Theo is allowed to partially compensate with magic materials, rare minerals, alchemical products, military equipment, and technical drawings of equivalent value. The first installment of 80 million gold coins must be delivered within three months after the treaty comes into effect."
"Third, trade and commerce."
"Theo must open its domestic trade routes and markets, establish formal trade relations with Aura, must give Aura merchants and goods the most preferential treatment, and the tariff must not exceed five percent, and must not in any way attack or restrict the circulation of Aura goods."
"Fourth, politics and diplomacy."
"Theo Kingdom recognizes Aura Kingdom as a sovereign country and establishes formal diplomatic relations. Theo shall not form an alliance with any country that is explicitly or implicitly hostile to Aura. If Theo wants to form an alliance with other neutral countries, it must consult and reach agreement with the Aura Kingdom in advance."
"Fifth, and most important, arms limitations."
"Theo Kingdom is prohibited from developing and constructing strategic-level weapons, and it is prohibited to invest national-level resources in the cultivation of the Legendary Realm strong men. The number of existing Legendary Realm strong men must maintain the status quo. If Legendary Realm is added E needs to report to Aura, and Aura has the right to send observers to regularly inspect Theo military facilities and magic training institutions to ensure their compliance with this clause."
Nasha finished speaking in one breath and took a deep breath, "There are still a lot of detailed clauses, such as extradition of prisoners of war, development of airspace, etc., but the core are these five clauses."
She paused and added, "I smashed the table at the last minute to get them to sign."
"I said, Theo people, if you think these terms are too harsh, we can let Red Emperor fly twice over Silverglow City. The Theo diplomats did not dare to say a word, and their hands were shaking so much that they could hardly hold their pens, haha! In the end, their king compromised and signed it himself."
Garos listened quietly.
He was not completely unaware of the two-year tug-of-war negotiations.
Iron Dragon Sorog regularly reports on progress, and he has personally given unquestionable instructions on several key terms.
Now, just as he thought, stimulated by the news of Ribos's surrender, the Theo side no longer has any expectations and has completely given up on the saw-saw and delay, and the dust has settled.
Originally, the Theo negotiating team had been adopting a delaying strategy, hoping that Ribos could gain an advantage or even win in the war with Lothern.
In that case, with Ribos's influence at that time, he can completely intervene in the peace talks between Aura and Theo and mediate or amend <Nolton Treaty>.
This can at least reduce the price paid by Theo to an acceptable range.
Unfortunately, Ribos is now unable to protect itself and is preparing to sue for peace. Theo's last hope has been shattered.
They have to face reality.
Bearing the conditions of Aura is the only option.
"Thank you for your hard work, Nasha." Garos said slowly, "You have done a good job in the past two years."
"Go to my treasure house and pick some gems. That is your reward."
Nasha received the compliment and said without humility, "That's right! Don't even look at who I am, I am the noble and powerful Gold Dragon."
"Those Theo old foxes, including their king, their Legendary Realm, were all beaten to the point of losing their temper by me."
As he said that, Gold Dragon straightened his face and looked at the majestic Red Iron Dragon: "However, in the end, they were able to sign it because they were afraid that you would fall from the sky again and attack Silverglow City from space."
Garos exhaled a hot breath and said nothing more.
Aura Kingdom, this country that he founded and rose from the blood and fire, finally won the capital for development and... the qualification to be respected through a tough battle.
But as he and Sorog said, this is just the beginning.