Ball

The day after the war ended.

In a daze, the smell of ozone produced by the burning of massive amounts of electrical arcs still lingered in the air.

Su Ming spent the entire morning embroiled in a complex mess of cleanup. Besides restoring the factory's disrupted production order, he also had to arrange the collection of spoils. Those Stars- like Magic Power crystals were scattered all over the ground at the site of the ambush by the long-range fire.

Although some of them have been scrapped, more than half still maintain normal functionality.

Then came the Crystal Dragon's scales, which were scattered over an even wider area, distributed in many places along the way. Su Ming arranged to deal with these scattered scales first, and then collect the Crystal Dragon's corpse, which resembled a small mountain, last.

Su Ming didn't know what the purpose of the huge mountain of flesh was besides the super dragon bone—but it didn't matter, Quail and Newman did.

Then there was something else Su Ming didn't understand—the dwarves hadn't left yet.

The negotiations the day before were interrupted by the Crystal Dragon's surprise attack, leaving many unresolved matters. Therefore, it is normal to continue the negotiations after the battle. Su Ming even foresaw that finalizing the tedious details of the various agreements and implementing the specific terms would probably take up a week.

The problem is that these tasks can be handled by a few relevant ministers. There's no need for the entire visiting delegation, including King Star Pickaxe himself, to stay here.

In the afternoon, his secretary Ainuobia, reported to him that King Star Pickaxe wished to have a private meeting.

Su Ming put down the tablet in his hand, stood up, and said, "Let's go."

Although it was supposed to be a private meeting, necessary recorders were indispensable, so Su Ming directly instructed Ainuobia to accompany them.

Inside the reception room of the government center, King Star Pickaxe was already waiting, accompanied only by an official dressed as a secretary. Su Ming's gaze swept over the female dwarf, finding her somewhat familiar; he must have seen her in the diplomatic corps.

Ainuobia suddenly leaned closer and whispered, "Guild Master, this is Geruida; Queen Shining Gold."

A hint of surprise flashed across Su Ming's eyes. He knew that the Dwarf Queen was accompanying him, but he didn't expect that the one who had been busy running around in the delegation was her. Moreover, it seemed that she had quite a lot of things to do and her work style was quite efficient.

Star Pickaxe and Geruida stood up at the same time and exchanged brief greetings.

Queen Geruida quietly took her seat below the Star Pickaxe, and pulled out a pen and notebook from her leather folder. Su Ming sat down, his gaze sweeping across the room to confirm that there was no other dwarf present.

"Your Excellency Su Ming need not worry," Geruida said with a smile. "Just treat me as an ordinary stenographer."

King Star Pickaxe also smiled gently, glanced at Geruida, and said, "Geruida will be staying in your territory for a period of time as the kingdom's plenipotentiary representative, responsible for finalizing the details of all agreements with you and ensuring their smooth implementation."

Su Ming nodded in greeting, "Welcome, Your Majesty, it is an honor for us!"

"I have many domestic affairs to attend to, and I will depart for my return tomorrow morning," King Star Pickaxe stated bluntly. "Given the clear standoff between your forces and the Temple of Light, we are willing to sell you Magic Power crystals and alchemy materials totaling twenty million gold coins at market price, provided that you provide a clear security commitment and guarantee."

Unlike conventional transactions, for strategic materials, the larger the purchase volume, the higher the unit price.

Su Ming frowned slightly. Although the finances of the Final Bone Mad Machines had been relatively healthy during this period, most of its production had been converted into military consumption, leaving limited surplus and unable to bear such a huge expense.

But these are precisely the things he really wants.

"Furthermore, regarding our political stance," King Star Pickaxe continued, "This infiltration incident involving the Temple of Light has indeed enraged us. However, this level of friction is not sufficient grounds for hostility between the two major powers."

"So, your country's choice is... neutrality?" Su Ming asked.

"Indeed." King Star Pickaxe nodded firmly. "We will uphold the principles of peace and strongly urge both sides of the conflict to exercise restraint and seek a solution through friendly consultation."

This means simply watching the show without getting involved.

Su Ming pondered for a moment, "Then, if members of Dragon Valley enter your country as 'travelers,' they won't be subject to any restrictions, right?" Star Pickaxe was slightly surprised, "Members of Dragon Valley? Does that refer to humans... or dragons?"

"Two hundred giant dragons," Su Ming said frankly. "Our side hopes to use your country as a transit route to complete a transcontinental crossing."

Cross-border attack?!

King Star Pickaxe's pupils contracted slightly as he spread out a map on the table. He examined it repeatedly for a while, but couldn't understand where Su Ming intended to attack in the Eastern Continent.

The Gray Ridge Dragon Valley, so they don't need to go through the dwarves. The dwarves in the southern corner of the Eastern Continent, however, have to take the sea route there. That leaves only one possible direction: Thousand Cellars, the halflings' homeland!

King Star Pickaxe's expression changed, and his voice turned somber, "Does Your Majesty intend to attack the halflings?"

"No, no!" Su Ming immediately shook his head, "Unfinished Bone Mad Machines has no interest in actively provoking conflict."

He gestured to Queen Geruida to temporarily stop recording, and then partially revealed their battle plan, "We are going to launch a transoceanic attack on the Bright North Road region across the ocean. Brown Gold Island will serve as a forward supply distribution base, so a Dragon Guard needs to be stationed there." Star Pickaxe then understood. Brown Gold Island is located in the center of the vast ocean west of the Dwarf Continent, while Dragon Valley is on the east side of the continent. Supplies would naturally be transported by sea via the Eastern Continent, but it would be very troublesome for two hundred dragons to travel such a long distance by sea.

Su Ming's plan was to send these two hundred dragons across the Dwarf Continent from east to west, to the Dwarf port on the west coast of the continent, and then from there to cross the sea by ship and finally land on Brown Gold Island.

After weighing the options, Star Pickaxe said, "If it's just 'tourist' transit and we abide by our laws, there shouldn't be a problem."

Geruida picked up her pen again and continued writing.

"Since you have laid out your conditions," Su Ming said, "Then please state your kingdom's requirements."

"First, I need to share all the intelligence you currently possess regarding the ' Plundering Clock '!" Star Pickaxe's voice was filled with hatred. "We have confirmed that these despicable bastards stole the late king's remains! This attack by the 'Dragon of Calamity' nearly severed the lifeline of the Dwarf Kingdom!"

Su Ming turned his gaze to Ainuobia beside him.

The secretary immediately leaned forward and quickly reported, "The main intelligence has been communicated with the dwarven intelligence department as you instructed. Only the newly deciphered files containing the ' Eden ' script have not yet been shared."

The work of deciphering the "Eden's Script," which had been stalled due to insufficient resources, was finally completed recently after the "Electricity-Swallowing Beast" array became available. Ainuobia took out a thin booklet from her file box and handed it to Su Ming.

"This is a summary of the deciphered documents compiled by the Intelligence Analysis Department."

Su Ming's gaze quickly swept across the pages. The contents were mostly operation logs, personnel composition, and details of the base's operation. However, there was no mention of the technical aspects of space travel that he and Zijin were most concerned about.

There's no need to keep it a secret then.

"Sure." Su Ming closed the booklet and readily agreed, "We are equally eager to thoroughly understand the background of these enemies and eradicate them completely."

The information gleaned from the documents, combined with further investigation, will undoubtedly uncover more clues pointing to the Plundering Clock. Therefore, the more participants, the better!

"Secondly, we wish to participate in the research on the remains of the 'Calamity Dragon'," Star Pickaxe continued.

This condition made Su Ming hesitate.

The remains of this super Crystal Dragon are undoubtedly of immense value, both in terms of the information they contain and the materials they contain.

However, this requires corresponding investment in research and development. In the morning, Zijin also said that this matter is very complicated and that the Final Bone Mad Machines and the Dragon Race alone cannot achieve full digestion in the short term.

"We will fund the purchase of a portion of the remains," Star Pickaxe finished speaking. "The magical materials worth the twenty million gold coins I just mentioned are the cost we will pay for this."

Twenty million?!

Su Ming was intrigued. This meant they would obtain this batch of magical supplies, enough to influence the course of a battle, without paying any fees. He couldn't help but glance at the Star Pickaxe again. The Dwarf Kingdom truly lived up to its reputation as the second largest country in this other world; such a large-scale strategic resource allocation could be produced so easily.

Su Ming signaled for a brief pause in the negotiations, then got up and left the reception room, taking out his phone to contact Zijin was handling government affairs in the Dragon Race's Central Court.

"Twenty million gold coins?" A gasp came from Zijin other end of the phone, followed by an exclamation, "Dwarves, are they that extravagant?!" Su Ming was actually reminded of certain groups on Earth who wore white cloths on their heads.

"The dwarves are probably worried that the offer they're making isn't strong enough to sway us," Su Ming calmly analyzed.

This is indeed the truth. Before hearing this astronomical figure, Zijin was quite dismissive of Star Pickaxe's attempt to seize the Crystal Dragon's corpse.

"Such a large supply of magical materials will speed up our preparations," Zijin analyzed earnestly. "It will not only advance our window of opportunity to attack the Divine Covenant Faction, but also significantly increase our chances of victory!"

"Indeed, dealing with the Divine Covenant Faction should be done sooner rather than later!" Su Ming agreed, he had had enough of these persistent enemies. After a brief moment of contemplation, Zijin made a decision, "Then let's reluctantly cede some to them. Have Star Pickaxe wait for me in the reception room for a while, I'll personally negotiate the exchange ratio with him!"

"OK."

As the afternoon sunlight gilded the windowpanes and cast long shadows, Zijin finally ended her tug-of-war with Star Pickaxe and pushed open the door to Su Ming's office.

"Star Pickaxe Pick is asking for an exorbitant amount, wanting a quarter of it." Zijin walked to the refrigerator in the corner, took out a chilled drink, and poured herself half a glass. "I negotiated for a long time, and finally managed to get it down to thirty-one percent."

Su Ming nodded, about to say "thank you for your hard work," but then felt something was off.

"What conditions did you add?" he realized.

Zijin extended three slender fingers and waved them, a victor's smile curving her lips. "I've increased the 'Alchemy Material Compensation' to thirty million gold coins, and the Dwarf Kingdom will handle the transportation!"

Su Ming couldn't help but give a thumbs up, "They're planning to annihilate the Divine Covenant Faction!"

Zijin walked to the sofa and sank into the soft cushions. She stretched out a long, unguarded yawn and let out a soft moan of satisfaction mixed with weariness.

The girl's movements were incredibly graceful. Her supple waist bent backward like a fully drawn yew bow. From her swan-like, elegant, and slender neck to her suddenly tapering waist, every curve was on full display.

Su Ming's gaze drifted uncontrollably over there, his fingertips hovering above the keyboard before pausing—he was now 100% certain that Zijin had done it on purpose! He slammed his hands on the table, decisively pushed the monitor aside, and got up to go over. He'd been busy all day, and there were some scores he needed to settle with Zijin!

Knock, knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door, and Ainuobia entered, followed by another secretary. Each of them carried a set of clothes— Ainuobia was holding a light-colored evening gown, while the other secretary was carrying a set of light gray men's tuxedos.

"President, Scholar Bay Owl," Ainuobia reminded them, "You two need to begin preparing for the ball later." She gently gestured forward with the dress in her hand, "These are the clothes I've prepared."

"Wait a minute." Su Ming looked puzzled. "I only arranged a company-wide celebration at the Ruby Base to let everyone rejoice over yesterday's victory—why do Bay Owl and I need to wear formal attire and dance?"

His original plan was simply to give a brief speech at the opening ceremony and then leave.

"It's not a base celebration, President," Ainuobia explained. "It's a diplomatic ball with the Dwarf Kingdom, postponed to today." "Why are these dwarves so obsessed with spinning around and stuff?" Zijin grumbled, propping herself up from the sofa. "After the Crystal Dragon's antics yesterday, I thought we'd gotten away with it!"

Ainuobia's gaze lingered subtly between the president and the scholar for a moment, then she suddenly realized the crux of the problem.

"Ah, that's how it is." She quickly added, "According to diplomatic practice, after two parties reach an important agreement, their top leaders dance at a celebratory ball. It's a public ceremony symbolizing their mutual recognition and solemn declaration of the results of the negotiations."

Su Ming scratched the back of his head in confusion, trying to understand the logic. "So it's equivalent to... signing an agreement?"

"That's exactly what I mean!" Ainuobia affirmed.

A dull knock came from the office door. The door was not closed, and the imposing figure of the Saint Rank priest Wanshi Stone, appeared at the door, followed by a dwarf ceremonial officer with a meticulously trimmed beard.

"President Su!" Wanshi bowed slightly, his voice loud and clear, "We're here to confirm the arrangements for tonight's ball." "Hello, Mr. Wanshi!" Su Ming nodded in response.

The dwarven master of ceremonies behind him unfolded a hardcover book adorned with bronze badges. "President Su, Scholar Bay Owl, tonight's ball will begin with our King Star Pickaxe and Queen Geruida leading the way on the dance floor for the opening dance."

"Our side will begin with the president and Scholar Bay Owl," Ainuobia interjected, then raised the difficulty they encountered, "But the two of them... are probably not very skilled in this area."

The master of ceremonies displayed his extensive experience in handling such situations. "No problem, Your Excellencies! You simply need to walk hand in hand a few steps in the center of the dance floor to create an atmosphere. His Majesty King Star Pickaxe will immediately come forward to exchange dance partners." His tone was relaxed and natural. "Next, everyone just needs to dance a few minutes of the most basic etiquette steps, led and coordinated by the King and Queen, just to go through the motions, and that will complete the ceremony!" Zijin immediately grasped the key point in this sentence, "To exchange dance partners—I actually have to dance with King Star Pickaxe?"

"That's right!" the protocol officer nodded. "This is the standard diplomatic ball etiquette on the mainland."

Zijin rubbed her chin with her fingertips, her eyes darting around for a moment. "What if Queen Geruida accidentally... sprains her ankle before the ball begins? Then could this whole procedure be cancelled?"

The master of ceremonies' eyes widened instantly. He understood every word, but the combined meaning was clearly far beyond his comprehension! In his diplomatic career serving two generations of dwarf kings, he had never encountered anything so inexplicable and audacious!

Fortunately, the dwarf's resilience and professionalism prevented him from being petrified on the spot. A bead of cold sweat trickled down the forehead of the etiquette officer, his mind racing at an unprecedented speed. A few seconds later, he took a deep breath and spoke again.

"Your Excellency, you've reminded me that ballroom rituals are, after all, traditions originating from the upper echelons of human society!" The master of ceremonies forced a smile. "We practical dwarves, of course, also accept... well, more in line with our pragmatic spirit, traditional alternatives!" "Oh?" Zijin's voice rose slightly at the end. "Tell me about it!"

"President Su, Scholar Bay Owl, His Majesty King Star Pickaxe, and Her Queen Geruida, these four esteemed gentlemen, together raise the finest rye liquor and drink it down to the last drop in front of all witnesses!" The master of ceremonies spoke with increasing confidence, a hint of pride even appearing on his face. "This grand gesture symbolizes the unbreakable bond of our agreement and the establishment of our profound friendship!"

"Hmm!" Zijin's eyes lit up instantly, and a genuine smile bloomed on her face. "This plan is indeed excellent!" Before she finished speaking, the Wanshi pastor behind the etiquette officer suddenly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

He strode forward and slammed the protocol officer to the ground with a thud, sending the officer's face crashing to the floor. He held the officer down firmly, preventing him from uttering a single extra word.

Should we make the Bay Owl drink strong ale, or even a full glass?! Does this idiot not have had enough of fighting that Crystal Dragon yesterday?!

Wanshi took a deep breath and looked up at Zijin. "How about we go and visit Queen Geruida... even if we have to be in a sack, it'll do!" he said firmly.