Chapter 135 Trilateral Talks (Part 1) The negotiation location was chosen to be...
The negotiation site was chosen at the junction of the dwarven kingdom, Silvermoon Forest, and human territory.
This place was once the site of an ancient alliance where various tribes swore an oath to resist the darkness. A round table carved from a single massive stone stands on the open plain. Time has left deep marks on the stone's surface, but the ancient runes are still faintly visible, radiating a faint magical glow.
The Dwarf King arrived first. He wore his ancestral runic armor and wielded the Mountain Hammer, flanked by twelve royal guards. Thorek and Stonefist stood behind him; the former wore a serious expression, while the latter curiously surveyed their surroundings.
“It’s been many years since I’ve been here,” the Dwarf King said, stroking the rough surface of the round table. “The last time was when my father was in power. The southern tribes signed a non-aggression pact here to deal with the monster outbreak in the Cursed Land.”
“There haven’t been any large-scale talks like that since then,” Stone Fist said. “I never imagined that a hundred years later, we would sit down together again because of food issues.”
“It’s not just about food,” the Dwarf King corrected, “it’s about the future. The shadow of darkness is growing ever stronger, and the South needs unity, not division. Although only our three races are involved this time, if we can reach an agreement, it might be a good start for the entire continent, allowing us to regain the glory of our ancestors. The orcs are preoccupied with their own problems on the eastern plains, and the sea creatures dwell deep in the ocean and never concern themselves with matters on land, but if our three races can join forces, it will be enough to change the landscape of the South.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a gentle breeze came from the east, and the rustling of leaves grew louder as it approached.
A dozen or so figures appeared around the round table; they were the Silvermoon Forest delegation led by the elven messenger, Elendil. They wore form-fitting, moon-white soft armor, and each carried an exquisite longbow, exuding both elegance and danger.
“Your Majesty the Dwarf King,” Elendil bowed slightly, “after many years, your aura remains as firm as a mountain.”
The dwarf king merely nodded slightly, lightly pounding his chest with his right fist—this was already the greatest courtesy he could bestow upon the elven envoy. As the king of the dwarven kingdom, he had no need to be overly polite to an envoy, even if he was the elven queen's special envoy.
"The archers of Silvermoon Forest remain unparalleled on the continent. Is Her Majesty well?"
"Thank you for your concern, Her Majesty the Queen is well," Elendil said, showing no displeasure at the Dwarf King's attitude. The two races had lived together for hundreds of years and were already accustomed to each other's ways of doing things.
Heavy footsteps and hoofbeats echoed from the south. Ryan von Kaslan rode a tall horse, followed by a well-equipped guard. He wore formal noble attire, with the Kaslan family crest on his chest and the royal seal, symbolizing his status as an envoy, hanging at his waist.
The three parties formed a delicate triangular formation here, with a silent scrutiny and suspicion filling the air. Centuries of estrangement made this moment of silence seem exceptionally long.
"Gentlemen, I apologize for keeping you waiting," Ryan dismounted and spoke first, bowing to the Dwarf King with a standard noble salute. "Your Majesty, thank you for giving us this opportunity to negotiate."
Then he turned to Elendil: "Your Excellency, the human kingdom is deeply honored that Silvermoon Forest is willing to witness this meeting."
Just as Ryan was about to continue speaking, a loud eagle cry suddenly came from the sky.
Everyone looked up and saw a huge griffin swooping down from the clouds, dragging a rickety cart behind it.
"Be on guard!" The dwarf king's guards immediately raised their warhammers and shields.
The elven archer drew his bowstring taut in an instant, the arrow pointing straight to the sky.
“Wait,” Ryan raised his hand to stop him, squinting at the griffin. “That’s… the symbol of Hope Trading Company?”
The griffin landed about fifty meters from the round table, kicking up a cloud of dust. The cart crashed heavily to the ground, and the people on it tumbled off like tattered sacks.
"Enemy attack—" a young dwarf guard shouted.
"Stop!" Stone Fist suddenly rushed out. "They're on our side!"
As the dust settled, everyone could finally see the people who had tumbled off the vehicle. Leading them was Lin Yue, his face deathly pale, clutching his knees and retching uncontrollably.
"Ugh—" Lin Yue covered his mouth and struggled to raise one hand to indicate that he was alright.
Ryan was both surprised and delighted, and rushed forward to hug his old friend, but Lin Yue stopped him with a gesture.
"Wait, wait a minute..." Lin Yue took a few deep breaths, then gagged again, "Let me... gag first—"
He staggered to the grass beside him and finally couldn't hold it in any longer, bending over and vomiting violently. The others in blue vests who were with him weren't in much better shape; they were all lying on the ground, some vomiting, some with their eyes rolled back.
"Lin Yue," Gray stepped out from the human camp, holding a steaming wooden bowl in his hand, a helpless smile on his face, "I knew you would react like this. Here, have some sweet potato porridge to warm your stomach."
Lin Yue took the bowl and gulped down half of it before feeling a little better.
"I swear," Lin Yue said breathlessly, "I'd rather die than ride that thing again. Does that animal trainer have a grudge against me?"
“Who told you to insist on arriving before dawn?” Mia jumped off the cart. Although she was also a little pale, she was obviously in much better condition than Lin Yue. She was carrying a large stack of documents. “The main convoy won’t arrive until the day after tomorrow at the earliest, but you insisted on coming first.”
"I was just worried about delaying things," Lin Yue said, taking a few more sips of sweet potato porridge, his complexion finally returning to normal. "The important documents and samples are all on that cart... By the way, did those things get damaged?"
"Don't worry, they're all wrapped in three layers of cowhide and straw. You guys, on the other hand, look worse off than the cargo," Gray said.
Ryan then stepped forward and patted Lin Yue on the shoulder forcefully: "You madman, why were you in such a hurry? You almost got shot down as an enemy ambushing you."
“It’s all because of your guards,” Lin Yue finally recovered and complained to Ryan, “We could have arrived much earlier, but they took us to your camp. Then they told us the negotiation location was in the Ancient Oath Land, which made us circle around in the sky looking for a way. That beast tamer led us in circles in the sky so many times, I almost threw up!”
Ryan paused for a moment, then smiled awkwardly: "Sorry, I didn't think it through."
"Let's go, don't keep His Majesty the Dwarf King and the envoy waiting." Lin Yue said, subconsciously straightening his wind-blown clothes, a surge of barely suppressed excitement welling up inside him. As someone who had transmigrated from the modern world, the Dwarf King had always been a legendary figure in his mind—a powerful, majestic, and mysterious ruler of the mountains. He desperately wanted to know if the real Dwarf King before him was truly as depicted in the stories. Heh heh, he was finally going to be one of those people who had to meet both the Elf Queen and the Dwarf King.
He followed Ryan toward the ancient stone round table, but his gaze was already eagerly fixed on the dwarf monarch surrounded by his guards, his eyes filled with undisguised inquiry and curiosity.
As Lin Yue approached, his overly focused and intense gaze made even the battle-hardened dwarf king feel slightly uncomfortable. Meeting Lin Yue's gaze, the dwarf king couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"Why is this human boy's gaze so...strange?" Ironbeard VIII stroked his meticulously groomed white beard without batting an eye, his mind racing. "Why is he staring at me like that? Could it be... (an absurd thought flashed through his mind) Could it be that he's heard of the dwarves' superior skills, strong physique, and honest character, and has developed an admiration for them, perhaps even... (he dared not think any further)"
"Hmph!" The Dwarf King snorted inwardly, his face remaining dignified. "While we dwarves do indeed have many merits and it's normal for us to be favored, as a great ruler bearing the future of the entire kingdom, I absolutely cannot respond to this... this strange emotion that transcends race. Absolutely not!"
He slightly raised his chin, shifting his gaze away from Lin Yue, deciding to ignore the human's overly enthusiastic stare and focus on the important matter at hand.
Gray, Mia, and a few other attendants who were finally able to stand up followed behind Lin Yue. They were somewhat puzzled by their town mayor's almost gleaming eyes and the dwarf king's slightly tense posture, but no one dared to ask any questions at the moment.
The Dwarf King looked at Lin Yue as he walked to the table. In the end, he couldn't help but rely on his extraordinary experience and composure to put the little episode behind him and broke the delicate atmosphere with his signature loud laugh: "Stone Fist, is this the Lin Yue you were talking about? I thought someone you admired so much would be some great figure. Turns out he throws up like this as soon as we meet, hahaha!"
“Uncle,” Shi Quan said, both amused and exasperated, “Lin Yue is indeed very capable, but… he’s not well-suited for high-speed flight.”
“I don’t think it’s suitable at all,” Sorek said, speechless. “He looked worse than a drunken dwarf.”
Lin Yue walked to the round table, took a deep breath, and bowed to the Dwarf King: "Your Majesty, I am Lin Yue, the mayor of Hope Town and the founder of Hope Trading Company. I apologize for making you laugh at me; it is our first meeting."
The Dwarf King waved his hand: "It's alright. The fact that you're willing to take that deadly flying machine just to save time shows that you really value this meeting. You're much better than those pretentious human nobles who deliberately arrive late to show off their status."
At this moment, Ilandil stepped forward with a mocking smile on his face: "Lin Yue, we meet again. You weren't this disheveled the last time I saw you. What brings you here this time to put on a show for us?"
Lin Yue rolled his eyes: "Lord Ilandil, please don't make fun of me. That griffin flew like a madman, I'm lucky to have survived."
“Ha,” Elendil chuckled, “We elves never get seasick like you when we fly on eagles. It seems humans are indeed a bit weak in this respect.”
“That’s because you elves are naturally more physique,” Lin Yue said irritably. “We humans don’t have as many talents as you.”
“Alright,” the Dwarf King interrupted the two’s bickering, “Now that everyone is here, let’s begin. Gentlemen, please take your seats.”
Stonefist then stood beside the round table, and the Dwarf King said in a deep voice, "Before we begin, I must solemnly declare one thing. Stonefist Furyhammer is my elder brother's son and a member of the royal family of the Forge Court. He is participating in this meeting as our technical advisor and will travel to human territories as a peace envoy after the meeting to conduct technical exchanges."
These words made Stone Fist the focus of everyone's attention.
Ryan nodded in agreement, and Elandil bowed slightly in return.
As Shi Quan endured these scrutinizing gazes, he suddenly felt an unusually resentful look. Turning his head, he saw Lin Yue staring at him with a resentful expression, his eyes seeming to say, "You betrayed me too."
Shi Quan was completely baffled, assuming that Lin Yue was resentful because he had spent so much time and effort saving him, and now that he had discovered Lin Yue was actually a member of the royal family but hadn't mentioned it. He secretly resolved to make it up to Lin Yue later.
At this moment, Lin Yue's mind was screaming wildly:
"Fine, you're a member of the royal family, Gray is suspected to be the successor to the Silent Elder, and Little Finn has the bloodline of the Wolf God. Fine, fine, so you're all so noble! And I'm just an ordinary person?! How come I, a mere commoner, can get along with you hidden big shots?"
Lin Yue felt increasingly wronged, yet also increasingly proud. He suddenly realized that he, an ordinary person, was now sitting at this round table representing the oath of the northern tribes, discussing important matters with the king, envoys, and members of the royal family.
What an honor that must be!
He felt that he had not disgraced the Chinese people at all, and could even be said to have brought honor to the Chinese people!
Thinking of this, Lin Yue couldn't help but reveal a shy yet slightly lewd smile, his mouth almost stretching to his ears.
"Hehehe..."
The surroundings gradually quieted down.
Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at Lin Yue.
Lin Yue was engrossed in his own fantasy, completely unaware of anything amiss, and was still grinning foolishly.
"Ahem," Ryan finally couldn't help but cough twice.
Lin Yue suddenly snapped out of his daze and realized that everyone was looking at him, making the atmosphere extremely awkward.
"Um..." Lin Yue's mind raced, "I think everyone's suggestions were really good, excellent, so I got a little excited..."
He offered a dry explanation, but it was clearly unconvincing, since no one had been discussing any suggestions at all.
The dwarf king frowned, but said nothing more. He was already used to these strange behaviors of humans.
On the other hand, Ilandil moved aside almost immediately, creating some distance between himself and Lin Yue.
He thought to himself, "I knew Lin Yue wasn't normal. Who would dare to steal vegetables from the elves' sacred tree? Who would suddenly grin like that in such a formal setting? He's definitely up to some wicked scheme again. When we get back, I'll definitely warn the young elves in the forest to stay away from Lin Yue, lest they catch his bad influence."
Lin Yue noticed Ilandil's disdainful look and actions, and felt so embarrassed that he wished he could disappear into the ground.
"Um, shall we continue?" Lin Yue tried to make his expression return to normal.
“Let’s continue,” the dwarf king waved his hand, “Don’t waste time.”
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