While Charlotte and the Earls of the Council of the Round Table "terrorized" the dwarven emissaries, the black-haired wizard led the Silverhelm Mountain Dwarves who followed him to the Dominions promised to them.

After the Battle of Silverhelm Mountain and the Battle of the Centaur Raid, there are no more than one of these dwarves who follow him, and most of them are strong and healthy young men - the wounded, the weak have long since starved to death, and died of exhaustion on the road.

Byrne's army was already fighting on the run, and he couldn't even eat enough food for himself, and when he returned to Thousand Tent City, he had to bring the remnants of the Boi army... Of the tens of thousands of dwarves who left Silverhelm Mountain, there are now less than 20,000 left.

In a way, this is also inevitable... Although it is a good harvest year now, providing food and clothing for one to two years for hundreds of thousands of dwarves in one go means that all of Byrne's reserves will be exhausted, and Byrne will not have the strength to raise troops in five years.

Because of this, 20,000... Just right.

As for the Dominions, it was not a problem, the area of the Red Blood Castle was three to four times the size of the rest of the counties, the arable land and forest land were six to seven times that of theirs, and the population was nearly ten times larger... Without this background, the Turin family would not be able to rule over all of Boi, so that Charlotte could be absolutely respected in a country that does not treat women preferentially.

It's not easy to find a small piece of land for the dwarves to be a dominion.

And the territory that Loren carefully selected for the dwarves of Silverhelm Mountain was a broken wall called "Star Castle".

It was not a remote wasteland, but rather a trade hub, surrounded by manors, villages, and fortresses with knights and armies, and the dwarves could easily get supplies and help, and even set up their own trading posts and trade in the surrounding areas.

But on the other hand, they are locked near the gathering place of the most elite of the Red Blood Castle, and the development space is limited, and they can't hide any trouble;

The possibility of rebellion, collusion with robbers, bandits and even other forces is infinitely close to zero.

As a result, the dwarves of Silver Helmet, who had obtained a "new territory", began to build their new homes with great enthusiasm and unimaginable speed.

The food that had been brought in from the Red Blood Fortress was stored in the first repaired granary, and more than 20,000 dwarves were divided into more than 100 squads, which began to operate like an army, and the supplies distributed to them were not treated as relief, but as "military supplies", and only when each squad completed its work on time could they get a day's rations.

Even in the shanty camps and ruins, they set up so-called "watchposts" to monitor the progress of each dwarf's work, three tents formed the "Doge's Palace", the open space in the middle of the ruins was the "council hall", and several ditches divided the "streets", and the number of potatoes on the plates distinguished the "upper and lower classes".

Occupation, type of work, class, region, system...... It was all in their blood, an innate tradition, and it was almost instinctive for all dwarves from top to bottom.

This is a race that has lived in the "legion" since its endeavors, where parents are not family members but commanders, ombudsmen, orders need to be unconditionally obeyed, institutions need to be unconditionally obeyed, and collectivism is brought into full play in them.

For such a race, the only things that can limit them are a low fertility rate, a rigid and inflexible system, and extreme xenophobia... Even if it was these, Loren was full of jealousy when he thought about it.

The system is a tradition, the community is the part, the bureaucracy is the lubricant, and the law is the control......

"It's called... Machine-like race. ”

With a hint of emotion, the black-haired wizard concluded in a low voice.

"Thank you for your praise. ”

The leader of the dwarves of Silverhelm Mountain, Cesar Mihailo, with his hands behind his back, stood with Loren on the lookout where several dwarves had just finished construction, monitoring the progress of construction throughout the Dominion.

"I'm just evaluating it objectively... Is that a compliment?"

"For the people of Yunling, there will be no higher praise than this. Mihailo nodded with a rigid face: "What's more, now you are my lord and I am one of your vassals." ”

"Under the monarchy system of this generation, it is also one of the jobs of vassals to praise and welcome their own lords, whether they are Baien people or Yunling people. ”

He said it clearly, and his serious attitude seemed to be able to turn flattery into a "job", so that Loren didn't know what to say.

"Can the High King force you to flatter him?"

"Of course, in the territory of the Yunling Kingdom, flattering the Supreme King is one of the important administrative tasks of every fortress leader. Mihailo nodded as a matter of course: "At least one hymn to the High King should be written every month, and it will be handed over to the current Grand Celebrant Officer, and then His Majesty the High King will personally give instructions to set the tone and policy for the next month." ”

"Good hymns are sent to the various fortresses for reference and popularization, for everyone to learn, and the most failed ones are punished, and those responsible are removed from office and fined, and if they are not noble, they are imprisoned. ”

"......" Loren Turin.

"But I'm sure the Duke needs more than our flattery. The dwarf Mihailo changed his words: "What you need is metallurgical technology, refining technology and mining technology of various ores from the Silverhelm Mountain. ”

Loren shrugged: "The steel forged by the Yunling Kingdom... I don't think there is a lord in this world who is not greedy. ”

"Yes, but none of them are as deep as you crave. Mihailo, the dwarf, accentuated: "I had heard before I came, that the whole of Byrne is in full swing and needs a lot of sophisticated weapons to arm your soldiers and knights. ”

"Human metallurgy cannot arm an army of more than 100,000 men in such a short time, and without us, you can only have a native armed force that cannot even unify the specifications of shields and spears, and cannot fight for a long time. ”

The black-haired wizard finally heard it, he was bargaining.

"What exactly do you want to say, Lord Mihailo?"

"I want to say that you didn't exactly follow your promise to give us a territory similar to Silverhelm Mountain. Mikhailo the dwarf said in a deep voice:

"You just threw an abandoned castle to us, in exchange for a piece of abandoned land for our loyalty... Because we already have no choice. ”

"This is not some abandoned wasteland, this is an important transportation hub for the Red Blood Fortress, and once rebuilt, the land beneath your feet will instantly increase in value tenfold. Loren chuckled lightly and said very relaxedly:

"Besides, some of Byrne's biggest mines are in the south, and I can't let my counts cut the land—even the Star Castle was what I asked for from Charlotte... I have to pay this account. ”

"So, theoretically you, Duke of Byrne... Not a single territory other than your own court?"

"No, nothing, the palace is all borrowed, it is the palace of the Earl of the Red Blood Castle. The joking black-haired wizard raised the corners of his mouth: "I'm sorry, but the duke you are loyal to is just a poor bastard with a bright surface!"

"......" Mihailo.

"A piece of land that is enough for your people to live in, food rations for one to two years, all kinds of material aid and political protection... That's the biggest thing I can get. ”

With another chuckle, Loren looked at the dwarf meaningfully: "And I also believe that no one can offer a higher price than me - they will never let more than 20,000 Yunling people live on the same land, and they will definitely break you up and settle you in case of accidents." ”

"They will only treat you as useful slaves, minions, and consumables on the battlefield, and you will work day and night in the mines and workshops, and you will be the first line of the battlefield as a substitute for the dead... It's just because it's not my race. ”

This time the dwarf Mihailo did not refute anything, he knew that Loren was not lying... Because the dwarves do the same.

"But I'm different, I'm not going to let you separate, I'm even going to allow you to be autonomous... Because I know you. Loren said it word by word, and he said it categorically:

"I regard you as one of my vassals, outside of the Thirteen Lords of Byrne, and will never betray my subordinates, as my own people... Even if you don't think about it at all!"

It seemed like a joke, but Loren's face looked very solemn.

"Well, then, noble duke. ”

The expressionless dwarf Mihailo put his right hand behind his back and bowed his waist respectfully, which may not have existed: "May I ask you, as your vassals, what do we want to do for this wasteland that is only in ruins, which is simply not enough to supply 20,000 races, and your political protection of us... At what cost?"

The irony is so thick that it's clearly visible.

"It doesn't take much, just fulfill the obligations of a vassal... It's all my own. Loren smiled like a child, as if he didn't understand the meaning of his words: "Pay taxes on time, provide sufficient supplies of soldiers, and build workshops sufficient to sustain the supply of weapons for 100,000 troops... The last one was said by yourself, I didn't force you!"

The expressionless dwarf Mihailo still held his hands behind his back motionlessly, as if to restrain his incomparably strong urge to punch him in the face.

"There's another quest that I hope you can follow. The black-haired wizard, who didn't realize that he was almost "taken down", continued:

"It's not a big deal, it's just a very ordinary project. ”

"Ordinary engineering?" the dwarf Mihailo's eyes narrowed into slits, and he almost pointed out, "I don't believe it."

"That's right, my wizard advisor... More precisely, my mentor is preparing to build a wizarding academy in Crimson Castle, which requires a lot of manpower and equipment - and more importantly, he is very strict about the quality of the work. ”

Mihailo's gaze looked into the distance, and the president of the United Chamber of Commerce, the little Yod in charge of the dwarves' material aid, was walking towards this side.

"Lord Duke, we are loyal to you, but we hope you can be honest with us as well. Mihailo spoke slowly and solemnly, in the usual tone of an old man:

"This 'wizard academy' should be more than it seems, right? you don't just want us to help build it, but you want to use the various mechanical techniques of Silverhelm Mountain?"

"Don't ask me these technical questions, I'm only responsible for getting you to promise to help build the academy, the head of the project is Ain Rand, and the person who inspects the goods is my mentor, as long as they are satisfied, I can do whatever I want." ”

Loren waved his hand, and the smile on his face resembled that of a disgraced prince: "Only one point... This matter must be kept in absolute secrecy, and it is for this reason that I ask you to take over this project, and for the next three years, this will be the most important thing for Byrne, and I will not compromise on quality or speed. ”

The dwarf Mihailo raised an eyebrow, then snorted coldly.

"Yes, Lord Duke... When the infrastructure is completed on this side of the territory, I'll take someone to report to your mentor and Ain Rand and promise to be the best architect we can be!"

With that, he turned and walked away, passing by little Yod, who had just climbed the watchtower.

"Looks like everything is going well?"

Little Yod's expression was always as if he was mocking: "The great and just Lord Lord Byrne, you have already made the dwarves of Silverhelm Mountain happy in front of you, and kissed your boots with all five bodies?"

"How's the Round Table Council?" Loren ignored his sarcasm.

"What else, everything went well. Little Yod raised his eyebrows, with a treacherous smile like a merchant: "The elegant and arrogant countess of the Red Blood Castle, while intimidating and appeasing, let the messenger of the High King recognize the reality. ”

After all, when a bluffer encounters another person's bluff, he will always suspect that the other person is also bluffing, but when his own bluff is seen as a bluff, he does not know whether the other person is bluffing or just thinking that the other person is also bluffing. ”

A tongue twister-like passage explains the situation at the Round Table Council in detail.

"It's really an outline, it's refreshing... Thank you. Loren twitched the corners of his mouth.

"You're welcome, this is what your humble servant should do. Little Yod accepted unceremoniously: "On your side, is everything going well?"

"Ain Rand has already started discussing the design with Isaac, and the dwarves of Silverhelm Mountain will be able to go over when they are ready, and work will start secretly in about a month. ”

Loren let out a long sigh: "Crown Prince Connod will soon receive information that Duke Byrne is privately building a floating city that combines wizard towers and dwarven technology, and then the spies of the entire empire will focus on... Uh, what's that look on your face?"

"Oh, nothing!" Little Yod was suddenly startled, and the meaningful smile on the corner of his mouth was not concealed at all: "It's just that a word suddenly came to mind to describe your and the honorable Countess Charlotte, who have a tacit understanding and seamless cooperation." ”

“...... Isn't that a good word?"

"My lord, you have a pair of discerning eyes!"