The Imperial Diplomatic Corps, led by Ormond, headed in the direction of Blackhammer Castle. The castle doesn't seem to be located in the center of the town, but rather a bit to the north, near the northeast corner.

They had expected the castle lord to come down to greet him, but he didn't...... According to the guards, Lord Rhodes is busy, and if you want to see him, you still need to make an appointment. However, if it is a diplomatic envoy from the Empire, the lord is willing to put down other work and receive it first.

Ormond's face turned blue, but there was nothing he could do. He led the captain of the garrison through the arches and walls, from the sun to the shadows, and from the shadows to the sun, and as he passed the watermill, Ormond saw that the rushing water was driving the huge watermill to turn, and in the watermill house, it seemed to be a large workshop.

"What's that?"

Ormond gestured to the large house in front of him.

"Arsenal. The lord's own arsenal, powered by a waterwheel, forges armor and weapons. ”

The commander of the garrison replied politely.

"This castle needs so many weapons and armor?"

"I'm sorry, my lord, but that's not something I know. ”

The commander of the garrison replied.

Ten minutes later, Ormond and his party finally arrived at the gate of Blackhammer Castle. Compared to the town construction outside, it looks very rustic. It can be seen that this is a hundred years ago, and the stones that make up the castle have left clear marks after countless battles, like the wounds of a person.

......

"Dear Lord Rhodes, I am Ormond Morifis, chief diplomat from the city of Osterbeck. ”

Upon entering the hall, Rhodes was already waiting inside. The Lord of Blackhammer Castle sat on a rustic stone chair, so simple that it was polished from an ordinary stone, no different from the stone that made up the castle, however, this chair was draped in a huge manticore lion's fur.

"I know, Diplomatic Envoy Your Excellency Ormond. Sorry, there are so many facts here that I can't get out of the way to meet you at the docks. Thank you for your understanding. Sitting on the lord's throne, Rod said with a blank face.

Ormond's face was a little ugly, but he still maintained the proper etiquette - with a smile on his face.

"Your lord, you're polite, I'll just take a few steps by myself. ”

Ormond said this, but he was faintly dissatisfied in his heart. As a diplomat of the Empire, he had never encountered such an encounter. In the past, when they came to Kislev, the local officials and lords would hold themselves like lords, because they had brought them business opportunities, money and wealth. He had thought that Blackhammer was a barbarian land, and even more so it should be. However, what he saw along the way, including what Rhodes did, was something he did not anticipate.

"Well, if you don't care. So, your Excellency Diplomat, do you have anything to talk about after all your journey to my castle?"

Rhodes gets straight to the point. This made Ormond a little uncomfortable, in the past, in the Empire, the two sides did not first politely talk about things, and never opened their mouths to get down to business. But here it is different, and Rhodes gets straight to the point with little extra politeness. But considering that this is the northern border of Kislev, on the border with the Barbarian Lands, it is understandable that the lord is semi-monstrosive. Ormond thought so, reluctantly comforting himself.

"Yes, yes, important things. Something about trade cooperation. ”

Ormond said, observing Rod's eyes and expression. Finding that the other party was still indifferent, this couldn't help but disrupt his plan a little. According to the original plan, as long as you talk about trade cooperation, the other party will definitely attach great importance to it and be very interested. Because it's about money, wealth. In a poor country like Kislev, seeing money is like seeing an ancestor. Eyes glow. When the time comes, he can take advantage of the other party's psychology to raise his own value and lower the other party. But now it seems that this lord of Rhodes has no reaction to the matter of gold. Did he not hear clearly, or did he not understand enough? Ormond wondered......

"Oh. ”

Rod replied "absent-mindedly". While talking to the people around him. It's as if other work is being arranged.

"Your Excellency. I would like to say that Osterling Beck City is willing to negotiate with you about trade cooperation with the Wadling repeater. ”

Ormond deliberately raised his voice and said loudly. He didn't believe that this time the northerner sitting on the lord's throne couldn't hear clearly.

"Oh, cooperation, how to cooperate?"

Rod continued to ask nonchalantly.

"The Imperial Border Guards, Oster Commands the Trade Program of the Military Office, to buy you engineering know-how for the Wadling Repeater. At the same time, we will provide a large amount of financial assistance. Including people's biological resources, various light industrial products and so on. Everyone knows that in the recent Northern Campaign, the Wadrin cannon was extremely powerful, and as an ally of Kislev, we hope to purchase this technology to assist the Imperial army in resisting the northern barbarians. "Ranwen

Ormond couldn't help but give the essence of the matter. This was not his plan originally, he wanted the other party to take the initiative to ask, and then hide and raise himself, so as to ask for a sky-high price. However, the reality is the other way around, and the Lord of Blackhammer seems to care nothing about the trade. This is not logical, it is not logical! Ormond could not understand why for a while, but the negotiations had to continue, and he had come with a shipload of goods and gold, and he could not return empty-handed. Facing the Northern Realm Lord, who was as cold as a stone, he could only bite the bullet and say the purpose of his visit.

"Wait, I don't seem to hear clearly, do you mean to buy the technology of the repeating gun, or the machine itself?"

Rod asked, frowning.

"Technology. The empire has never only bought technology. We will offer a good price. ”

Ormond replied categorically.

"How much?"

"20,000 high-purity gold crowns. ”

Ormond said proudly. This is his last hole card, and even the price is proposed, and there is no way back. Twenty thousand gold crowns, Ormond knew that this money was a huge amount of money for any lord. An ordinary local lord of an empire earns only 20,000 gold crowns a year. For the lords of Kislev, twenty thousand gold crowns are equivalent to three to four years of income. No one will ignore such gains, and normal people will have their eyes lit up.

This time, however, he was wrong again. It seemed that the Lord of Black Hammer Castle in front of him was still unresponsive. A cold face, an expressionless face...... Ormond had the urge to rush up and beat Rhodes, but he couldn't. After all, he is a diplomat, and Black Hammer Fort is someone else's territory.

"Twenty thousand golden crowns?"

"Well, yes. If there is an opportunity, we can increase cooperation, and there are other cooperation to talk about in the future, right?"

"Well, yes. I'm not going to sell you the technology, though. ”

Rod replied suddenly. This stunned not only Ormond, but the entire Imperial Trade Mission. They had been traveling from country to country for decades, and had never met a lord who had a business but did not talk about it. Not even the proud knights of Bretonnia. How could Kislev, a small and impoverished country in the northern frontier, have such an alternative lord?

"My lord, are you sure you don't want to talk about cooperation?"

Ormond was a little incoherent. His eyes widened, no one would have trouble with money, however, the one in front of him was.

"Well, technology doesn't sell. ”

Rod replied again in a calm tone.

"What about the guns? ”

Ormond didn't give up, and continued to ask. Before he set out, he promised the city magistrate himself that he would bring back all the technology and people, but now, he was rejected by Rhodes.

"Machines are not for sale either. ”

Rod continued to answer in a calm tone.

Ormond had a look of surprise on his face. He hadn't even said anything about the price of the machine itself. was rejected by the alternative lord in front of him. Simple and incomprehensible, just like what he saw and heard along the way, it simply exceeded his cognition and subverted his three views. Ormond even couldn't figure out how such a person could defeat the Northern Barbarian Alliance? Could it be because he was the Chosen One? But no matter how powerful the Chosen One was, it was impossible for one person to single-handedly take on tens of thousands of people. And, judging from the rumors, in that battle, Rhodes didn't play in person at all...... Relying on the strength of his soldiers and artillery, he won easily...... But if the information is true, why is that? Is the repeating artillery really so powerful?

Standing in front of Rod, Ormond was simply speechless.

"Is there anything else you would like to talk about?"

Rod calmly continued.

"I ......"

Ormond, on the other hand, was speechless for a while, the purpose of his trip was to send money to buy weapons and technology, but the other party didn't even want money, so what could he talk about?

"I think that in addition to the repeating artillery, we can talk about other, such as what you just said, light industrial products. Or other aspects of knowledge and technology, we can exchange and learn. ”

Rod said with a smile.