Negotiations Underway

The Duergar were indeed more difficult to deal with than I had imagined.

"No way! No way! No way!"

Upon hearing Li Lin, the old dwarf opposite him shook his head. His large beard swayed back and forth with his movements. The old dwarf extended his severed right hand, on which was embedded a sturdy hoe. Of course, judging from its sharpness, it was probably not only used for mining ore, but also very effective at smashing a hole in someone's head.

"Regardless of what you humans think, we have no intention of fighting alongside those cowardly idiots."

No matter how Li Lin tried to persuade them, it seemed that the Duergar were unwilling to fight on the same side as the dwarves.

"So, what are your thoughts...?"

Li Lin rubbed his forehead. He'd spent half a day negotiating with the Duergar, but no matter what he tried, they wouldn't agree. It seemed Duergar leader fully adhered to the principle of "if the enemy agrees, we will oppose it," and would never attack the dwarves' enemies. In their view, if the dwarves were defeated by humans, it was their own fault for being cowards. Who told them to choose such a sissy dwarf king? They brought this trouble upon themselves!

Moreover, for the Duergar, their relationship with the dwarves is far less tense than that between the Elves and Dark Elf, despite the passage of millennia. The conflict between the Elves and Dark Elf is more like a form of racial hatred. The Duergar, however, do not have this problem. They both worship the same God of Dwarves, albeit with different beliefs. This difference is precisely what makes the Duergar reluctant to fight alongside their relatives. After all, no matter how well the Duergar perform, the credit will be attributed to the dwarves. The Duergar consider the surface dwarves to be nothing more than a bunch of "bearded goblins," refusing to acknowledge them as dwarves. Therefore, even if they were to recruit them into their ranks, the conflict with the dwarves might intensify.

"We're not doing anything! Let them do what they want. Humph, those weak, bearded goblins, let them do whatever they want, it's none of our business!"

The old Duergar's voice was so loud that it even caused dust to fall from the ceiling. Li Lin sighed and shook his head. It seemed that his plan to directly recruit the Duergar wouldn't be so easy to achieve. However, fortunately, he had another trick up his sleeve.

"I heard from the Dark Elf that the weapons forged by the Duergar are of very high quality."

"Of course."

When the topic turned to his profession, the Duergar leader's previously explosive temper cooled considerably. He proudly twitched his mustache, clearly quite pleased with himself.

"We Duergar are absolutely top-notch in this area! If you don't believe me, go ask those black-skinned bamboo poles, and those humans too! Our weapons are truly dwarven craftsmanship, forged through countless trials! How could those bearded goblins possibly make such sharp and high-quality weapons? Hmph! They just take a piece of iron, sharpen it a couple of times, and dare to call it an axe!"

As expected, it's a mortal enemy situation...

Even the most mild-mannered dwarf would probably pick up a weapon and fight to the death after hearing such a comment.

"But that's just your perspective."

The next sentence enraged the Duergar so much that he jumped up from his chair. He placed his foot on the table, raised his right hand, and the sharp pickaxe on it looked ready to smash down into Li Lin's head, leaving an irreparable hole. Mina, standing behind him, immediately tensed up. Her hand went to her sword hilt, and she watched the Duergar warily. The killing intent was real; if he wanted to, he probably would really kill Li Lin. However, Li Lin merely raised his hand to signal Mina to relax and step back. Then, he shrank back in his chair, watching the old Duergar with ease.

"I can't be sure about that; perhaps your distant relatives on the surface are doing a much better job."

That's utter nonsense!

The Duergar was trembling with rage, swinging his sharp hoe wildly. The Dark Elf had been sitting next to him quietly moved away to avoid being used as a punching bag by the hot-tempered Duergar.

"Go and bring me a dwarf right now, and I'll show you how I smash their stubborn bones to pieces!"

It seems he really intends to do that.

"We have a better way."

Li Lin snapped his fingers lightly, and instantly, an invisible magical force pulled the Duergar's body, forcing him to stop his dangerous actions. This might not be difficult for other races, but it seemed incredible when it happened to the Duergar —like their surface relatives, they possessed strong resistance to magic and were not easily affected by it. This was the fundamental reason for the Duergar's survival after entering the Underdark.

The Duergar was forced back into the chair. He tried to get up, but failed completely. The powerful magic suppressed his movements, which infuriated the Duergar leader. However, he had to gradually restrain his impulsive behavior—although the Duergar might be a thousand times more volatile than dwarves, even he could understand what it meant to subdue the Duergar, who were usually highly resistant to magic, under the power of magic.

"Since you put it that way, then we need your proof. When my troops need weapons, you shouldn't refuse such a deal, right? What could better prove your superiority than killing more enemies with weapons made by the Duergar than those dwarves? If your weapons are really as good as you boast, this little thing shouldn't be a problem at all."

"That's natural! What kind of weapons do you want? How many troops do you have?! And, you..."

"Don't rush, I have another condition."

Li Lin crossed his arms and stared at the Duergar leader.

"That is, I hope that starting today, you can reduce your arms trade with foreign countries... especially with the humans of the Kingdom of Kudel. As compensation, the Dark Elf will engage in relatively equal and fair trade with you in exchange."

"... Although I've already learned about you from this dark-skinned, skinny man, mage... however..."

The Duergar turned his head and glanced at the female priest sitting beside him, pretending not to see anything, his expression complicated.

"Consider this a small compensation."

Li Lin casually tossed a bag onto the table, interrupting the Duergar leader's speech. The faint glimmer of beautiful diamonds visible inside was enough to gauge the bag's value—more than enough to buy a city.

The Duergar are irritable, powerful, and greedy.

Stepping out of the conference hall, Li Lin couldn't help but close his eyes and breathe a sigh of relief.

"I'm exhausted. If I had known the Duergar were so difficult to deal with, I probably should have left them to Nia."

Ultimately, under pressure from both money and force, the Duergar leader promised to reduce the amount of weapons supplied to foreign countries. Of course, these Duergar might not be so easy to persuade, so Li Lin handed over the oversight to the Dark Elf. You see, in this Underdark, a powerful but unfamiliar mage has little influence. On the contrary, the Dark Elf's infamy is already well-known, so there's no need to further embellish it.

Sometimes, this is quite useful.

The original plan was to have the Duergar join the alliance in the fight. However, things didn't turn out so complicated, hence the considerable effort required. Currently, although the Duergar haven't agreed to send warriors, acquiring their skills is still a step forward.

Hopefully their skills are really as good as they claim.

Li Lin had seen the weapons the Duergar made for the Dark Elf before, and they were indeed of very high quality. Although the Duergar's nature meant that their weapons wouldn't be as meticulous as the elves', they were still of excellent quality.

"Thank you for your hard work, Master."

The Dark Elf priestess, who had casually stepped out, ignored Mina's warning look and walked forward with a charming laugh.

"I never imagined you would possess such methods when facing these Duergar..."

She didn't finish her sentence, because Li Lin had already turned around, reached out his right hand, grabbed her throat, and pinned her against the wall. Dark, deadly energy had taken shape and could be released at any moment.

"Don't think that just because the Dark Maiden hasn't explicitly objected, you can act recklessly, Dark Elf."

Under Li Lin's gaze, the female pastor couldn't help but shiver.

"Although she is also a deity of the God of Elves, she doesn't appreciate this kind of testing. You are now a priest, and while I haven't asked you to change yourself in such a short time, if you continue to try to manipulate my judgment... then I can tell you, with so many priests, it's easy to find a more obedient one to help me. Because of the current special circumstances, I don't think the Elf Goddess and the Dark Maiden would mind if I killed a few disobedient believers..."

At this point, Li Lin's tone turned cold.

"Don't assume that only evil and dark races like yours choose to kill, while the benevolent gods are a bunch of pacifist idiots."

Feeling the chilling aura emanating from the deadly negative energy, the priestess gasped for breath, clenching her teeth to try and lessen her fear. Then, she slowly nodded.

There won't be a next time.

Li Lin released his grip.

"I have something else I want to ask you, and I hope you can give me a satisfactory answer—not like what you just said."

"Of course, esteemed Master."

"Has the Kudel Empire sealed off their border with Black Road here?"

"Not a complete lockdown."

Perhaps because Li Lin's influence was still felt, the female pastor responded quickly this time.

"Although they made such a proposal before, we rejected it. Since then, the Kingdom of Kudel has never made any similar requests or suggestions. Of course, I don't think they need it; after all, anyone trying to cross the Black Road without the Dark Elf's permission is a fool. Even regular armies must cooperate with us. Otherwise, the Kingdom of Kudel wouldn't need our Dark Elf's assistance. I heard they've sealed off the border, but those merchants who have long-standing business dealings with us are not included in this blockade. Clearly, they understand that if we completely blockade them, we won't treat them well."

"I see."

Li Lin nodded. Just as he was about to say something more, Mina suddenly turned her head in surprise and stared at the end of the passage. There, Fina was rushing in, her face anxious, as if something serious had happened.

"Master, I just received news from Miss Nia... She, she's been found!"