In a certain world, if a lawyer specialized in civil disputes, the first thing a lawyer had to learn was how to create traps in the contract and how to avoid the other party's scams, so as to earn more benefits for their employer.
The Devils of this world were experts in scamming contracts. However, if they were to lie from start to finish, their reputation would be ruined sooner or later, and no one would be foolish enough to sign a contract with you.
Thus, with the souls of both parties as a guarantee, as long as one could see through all the traps, the Devil's Contract was the fairest and most effective contract in the world. It was very popular in the various Planes.
The Lower Plane's language written on the contract had magic power. Even residents of the Main Plane who didn't know the Devil's Language of the Lower Plane would be able to understand it at a glance. However, if one were to think that the contract was fair just because they could understand it, they would be making a huge mistake.
Tens of thousands of years ago, the Devils had already studied it as an art. For example, if you were to use a magnifying glass to look at the gorgeous patterns on the contract, you would realize that it was actually a supplementary clause formed by a circle of distorted small words. If you didn't notice it before signing, you could only blame yourself for being unlucky.
That long and complicated chapter that people didn't want to read, perhaps the acrostic poem at the beginning of every sentence was the true crux of the contract. You thought that the contract was meant to be read horizontally, but when it was time to carry out the contract, the Devils would tell you that you should read it vertically or diagonally. Then, the meaning would be completely different.
As for the inverted subject-verb-object, typos, missing words, extra exemptions and other incongruous areas, please don't treat them as accidental mistakes and clerical errors. Those were mostly done intentionally by the scammers. There was definitely a problem within.
Thus, for archmages who had been dealing with the Lower Plane for a long time, the first priority when making a deal with the Devils was not to use the original contract provided by the Devils. Instead, they insisted on drafting the contract on the spot, even if it was destined to be a marathon battle.
Along with the development of time, the hypocritical and cunning human nobles gradually began to use the Devil's Contract as a guarantee for their souls. Of course, the talent of humans in deceit is definitely not inferior to the Devils. Over the millennia, contract scams have also come up with countless new tricks that even the Devil Lords would be shocked by. For example, intentionally raising an orphan, giving him the exact same name as a VIP to sign on behalf of him. Even if it was me, I wouldn't dare to use the original contract provided by others, nor would I dare to let the contract leave my sight.
As expected, at the negotiation table, Dasos didn't hesitate to reject the contract I had proposed. He even invited scholars and law experts from Hermit's residence and requested for a new contract to be drafted on the spot.
And so, we fought against each other on the spot. But very quickly, the initiative to construct the contract slowly returned to my hands.
After all, the expertise of those scholars and law experts couldn't be compared to mine. Putting aside the fact that the Devil's Language in the Lower Plane possessed magic. Stirring up negative emotions was the weakest side effect. What was most fatal was the corruption of the Devil's Language. At the very end, apart from knowledge, it was also a battle of physique and willpower.
Furthermore, I intentionally dragged out the time to argue over the terms of the contract. I also intentionally dictated the Devil's Language to increase the pressure on the other party. When the contract was finally signed, the three scholars, who had relaxed their mental state, immediately fainted on the spot. Looks like they wouldn't be able to recover without a year or so of recuperation.
In the end, I was very satisfied with the final contract. The efforts of the experts were also seen by the other party. Dasos and the others were also very satisfied. Un, at the very least, they should be very satisfied before those loopholes are discovered.
Out of all of them, the one that I am most satisfied with is the condition of 'The two countries are not to launch any military threats or acts of war for the next ten years'. Without a doubt, this reassures the Mist Country. If not for this condition, a few days after we exchange our bargaining chips, the weaker side would have to submit to Darsos's threat and the contract would have been for naught.
Ten years later? I didn't think that he would have the leisure to cause trouble for the Donglan Principality by then. Besides, as long as the plan went smoothly, who knows who would be the one causing trouble for whom.
At the moment, with this secret contract, the Donglan Principality had truly obtained its freedom. That was also the reason why Renée and the others unhesitatingly chose to recognize the God of Law as the national religion after going back to the Mist Country to negotiate and request the Ottoman Empire to hand over the three dwarves.
Without a doubt, this was equivalent to raising the flag of challenge to the authority of Dasos and the Ottoman Empire. Furthermore, it was a vicious stab in the back right after the contract was signed. Furthermore, under the contract that was just signed, the Ottoman Empire wasn't able to do anything about it.
"I just kicked you in the back. What, are you going to bite me?"
"Un? Even with such provocation, the Donglan Principality is still fine. Looks like the rumor that the Ottoman Empire is strong on the outside but weak on the inside is true. Perhaps, that young emperor isn't even able to mobilize the dukes and marquises under him. "
Under the watchful eyes of so many enemies, the first person who jumped out to challenge the authority of the Ottoman Empire and wasn't slapped to death with a single slap would probably follow suit without any hesitation. By then, the authority of the Ottoman Empire would be in danger.
This wasn't my conjecture. The changes in the situation over the past few days had proven everything.
I was indeed the one who spread the lyrics, but I wasn't the one who composed the music. After all, I knew my own limitations. Even though my musical talent was stronger than Gria's, it had only evolved from the Howl of a Banshee to the Howl of a Lich. The effects of killing people were the same. Perhaps, dying slowly would be a form of torture.
Since composing the music wasn't something that I was capable of, there were now several variations of the music, such as a bar tune, an opera, and so on. The evolution of the music was far too quick. Without a doubt, there were people who took this opportunity to take action in the dark, intending to deal a heavy blow to Dasos's reputation.
Dasos had the prestige of ascending to the throne and suppressing the 46 countries. How impressive was that? But this was doubtlessly a huge gamble. If he succeeded, the rewards would be tremendous, but it would also bring about a huge backlash. This backlash included both internal and external.
Judging from how quickly the music was composed and spread, as well as the high quality of the finished product, there was an eighty percent chance that it was the work of the major nobles of the Ottoman Empire. It would be difficult for other factions to find so many local musicians and dramatists to adapt the music. Then, they would use a large number of traveling poets to spread the bad name of "The Foolish King Jealous of the True Gods."
In a feudal country, a powerful ruler was doubtlessly something that the major nobles didn't want to see. The Ottoman Empire had two Grand Dukes, four Dukes, and thirty-seven Marquises. More than seventy percent of them had their own territories and people, and they were the local emperors who ruled over their territories for a long time.
And in the future "history," the powerful Dasos would find an excuse to take back one-third of the nobles' titles and confiscate their territories and wealth, creating a powerful centralized country.
This was also a historical necessity. When royal authority rose, the local nobles would definitely be suppressed. From a certain standpoint, the major nobles of the Ottoman Empire didn't do anything wrong. They had long since seen the ambition of the new king and had been looking for a chance to break out of this situation.
On the other hand, two hours after the Donglan Principality made the request to protect the three people, thirteen countries made the same request. Among them, three countries had even been vassals of the Ottoman Empire for over a hundred years.
Now, the three people didn't matter anymore. The envoys of the various countries didn't even know the names of the three people. However, this didn't stop them from protesting. These "innocent" unlucky people had become the breakthrough point for the smaller countries to challenge the authority of the Ottoman Empire. As the envoys of the various countries received the authorization from the royal families of their countries, the number of people participating in the challenge would probably increase.
This was undoubtedly the retribution of the Ottoman Empire for suppressing the smaller countries. No one was willing to become the subordinate of another country. Not only did they have to pay tribute, but they also had to serve as cannon fodder during the war. Since the situation couldn't get any worse, they might as well take the chance while the new king was on the throne.
There was no doubt that during this period of time, Dasos's royal authority and dignity were being challenged from both inside and outside. However, the way he dealt with it was very memorable.
Facing the provocation, he strangely remained silent. He didn't seem to have any intention of criticizing the Donglan Principality. Instead, he silently fulfilled the requirements of the contract and handed over large amounts of resources and technology to the envoys.
"He's admitting defeat just like that?"
Renée, Kelly, and the others were astonished. This was completely unlike the domineering emperor's style. However, in my eyes, Dasos hadn't changed at all. He was still a typical gambler. Currently, he was remaining silent. He was only throwing more chips into the gamble, intending to make the gamble even bigger.
If he had intended to compromise, he could have simply released the three people. However, he maintained a strange silence towards the three people. He only silently endured the pressure and waited for a chance to make a comeback.
Fulfilling the contract was only a part of it. According to our contract, if the Ottoman Empire fulfilled the conditions of the contract and paid us the resources and technology, then it would be my turn to hand the key to the underwater base to Dasos.
"A chance to make a comeback … the enthronement ceremony? When the time comes, as long as we bring out the floating airships, no, we don't even need the entire airships, just a single airship, this unprecedented weapon of the era, would be enough to greatly boost our reputation and suppress all opposing voices. "
I could already guess how he would change the program for the enthronement ceremony. Military parades were always a good opportunity to show off one's military strength. At the climax of the military strength of all parties, the moment that new airship appeared, it would be able to suppress the restless major nobles and subordinate countries, increasing his authority by another level.
The reason why I said that the emperor was a gambler was because while this plan sounded good, it was also a dangerous gamble filled with uncertainty.
"If the engineers in despair completely destroy their painstakingly created creation, the inside would already be in ruins. Even if the door is opened, if there isn't a single airship that can be completed in time for the enthronement ceremony within three months, it would still end up with nothing to show for it."
However, his early fulfillment of the contract was a good thing for the Donglan Principality, which was in urgent need of resources. But for me, I had to hurry up. After all, I was also very interested in the treasures of the underwater base. At the very least, the technology of the floating airships could be said to be a priceless treasure that all countries would covet.
Logically speaking, there should only be one entrance to the underwater base, which was around the pier of the abandoned bridge. However, that area had long since become the base of the Ottoman Royal Guards. The emperor's most trusted elite troops were stationed there, and there was also the SemiGod "Dragon Hunter" Damos there to hold the fort. Not to mention entering, even getting close to it would cause great trouble.
But at this moment, I was diving in the river in search of something else.
"Got it, it's really here."
Even though I was constantly complaining, the multi-purpose cat was able to emit a faint glow underwater, making it easier for me to find my target.
After two nights of fruitless searching, I finally found my target. It was the emblem of a white wolf on a rock wall. Although it was covered with aquatic plants and much of it had been corroded by the water, the malevolent image of the wolf's head was still vivid and lifelike.
I carefully moved the wolf fang necklace closer to the emblem on the rock wall, but there was no reaction at all.
"As expected, the blood I got from Dasos wasn't enough. Luckily, I was prepared."
In the small pouch on my waist, there was a bottle of fresh blood that I had just obtained. (Dasos's father: Unfilial son, there are blood-sucking rats in the dungeon. Get lost! Smelly rats! Could it be that my illustrious reputation will be lost to the mouths of rats!)
As the blood mixed with the river water, the wolf fang necklace was completely dyed red. Finally, the eyes of the wolf head sculpture emitted a white light. Then, a black hole on the rock wall opened up, causing the water level of the entire river to slightly change.
"As expected, there is an underwater exit."
Finally, I relaxed. This kind of underwater base that was hollowed out from the rock wall should have an emergency exit. Although it was just my personal guess, the opening of the hole after the mechanism was activated proved that my guess was correct.
However, this passage wasn't wide. It shouldn't be a passage for ships as I expected, but an exit for the flow of water or for the migration of people.
I carefully dived into the hole and followed the underwater passage upwards. A few minutes later, I reached the surface of the water.
The moment I poked my head out, I hurriedly dived back down before I could even take a second look.
"No matter how much I thought about it, I still didn't expect this kind of result."
Regardless of whether it was me or Dasos, we didn't have any hope that there would be any survivors in the base. After all, water and food had been cut off for more than a year. Even if they could make do with the river water, if they didn't have food for a year, no matter how I thought about it, they would have all died.
However, with just a glance, I realized that we had guessed wrongly. Not only were there survivors here, the survivors were actually working hard to build ships. At the pier on the side, there were already two medium-sized airships docked.
"They are actually from the same profession. Looking at the number of low-tier undead, there should be an Undead Lord among them."
Yes, although there were survivors, there weren't any living people. Most of the workers at the pier were skeletons and zombies. However, looking at the flesh on the zombies that hadn't completely decomposed yet, they had just become undead not long ago.
"Is it Prince Kalošín? There might be at least a Saint-rank lich among them. That will be difficult to deal with. "
Even if I ignored the undead, the small-sized and medium-sized magic statues at the pier wouldn't be easy to deal with either. As the most important military base of the Ottoman Empire, it would be unimaginable that it didn't have a defense that was armed to the teeth.
Based on the information from the future, the invincible fleet in the future also had a ghost fleet. The commander of the ghost fleet was a high-level lich named Kalošín. It was said that he was the younger brother of the previous emperor and the uncle of Dasos.
Back then, there were people who guessed that a great prince of a large country would become a lich. What was even more ridiculous was that the Winter Wolf King actually gave almost half of the fleet to this undead. But now, it seemed that this prince should have given the fleet to the emperor instead.
Perhaps this time, being separated from the outside world was an opportunity for this archmage to transform into a lich. After all, if he discovered that there wasn't enough food, he definitely wouldn't just sit and wait for death. Transforming into an undead that didn't require food might be the best choice for him to survive.
I silently moved underwater and memorized the situation around me. Then, I unhesitatingly turned around and left.
"Since we aren't strong enough this time, let's bring more men with us next time."
However, the moment I returned to the Church, my plans met with a blow to the head. My current number one fighter, the Moon Knight Diana, was destined to be unable to participate in this plan.
"That … I grew up in the Underground City and water is an important resource. It would be a waste to use it for bathing. If I were to use it for swimming …"
Alright, I didn't need to say anything else. The excuse that the residents of the Underground World couldn't swim was too convincing.
Considering that a Saint Knight is a heavy armor unit that relies heavily on equipment to survive and diving while wearing armor is an impossible challenge, I immediately dispelled the idea of letting her try diving.
Looking around, Beifeng and Casio were looking up at the sky, trying their best to pretend that they didn't hear our discussion. Grimm maintained his silence but just by looking at his heavy armor, it was obvious that he wouldn't be able to enter the water. On the other hand, Momo enthusiastically raised her hand to speak.
"I am the best swimmer among the Town Security. I have practiced in Old Morake's fish pond and I can hold my breath underwater for a minute! I can even swim 30 meters in a single breath. "
Alright, what does this achievement of a 10 year old child mean? As expected, it was too early for me to be happy. In the end, I turned my pleading gaze towards Kolos, but she replied with an apologetic tone.
"Lord Oracle, Wild Elves have never liked water. Due to being in the Underground World for a long time, I didn't even learn how to transform into a seal, so …"
"It won't."
"It rarely rains in the Underground World."
Looking at the bunch of landlubbers in front of me, just as my head was about to explode, the black cat on my shoulder smiled gleefully.
"Idiot, it won't be enough to find a Siren. Their racial talent, Blessing of the Sea God, allows those who can't swim to swim and breathe underwater for a short period of time. It will definitely be enough."
"There is only a river here and no sea. Where can I find a Siren?"
"This."
It was a tattered poster. On it, there was a comical clown, a two-headed Ogre acrobat, a trapeze artist swinging on a swing and a Siren Beast Tamer performing seal training in a huge pond.
"Fire Dragon Circus? I seem to have heard of it somewhere. "
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