The more Tagiv thought about it, the more it was in line with Brando's expectations.
In fact, Brendel only wanted to scare the Subterrane Dweller to prevent it from getting too arrogant. Xu Lande and Dragon's Tongue City were near Tónigel's underground passage. Since the Subterrane Dweller appeared here, Brendel guessed that it must have come from these two places.
These things were secrets to the humans on the surface of this era, but to him, it was not a big deal.
"As far as I know, the Subterrane creatures are not welcomed in the human world!" Brendel said sternly after dealing a blow to Tagiv's arrogance.
"I … … don't want to interfere in your world." Tagiv lowered its tone.
It was not lying. Although Tagiv did have an ambitious plan in the beginning, the humans' weakness gave it an opportunity to take advantage of it. The Subterrane Dweller once wanted to expand its territory to Graudin's territory, but it gave up on that idea when it heard the news from outside the forest.
It gradually understood the unfamiliar world outside, and finally found out that the ancient human kingdom called Erouine had millions of people. It was simply unimaginable.
Even the weak human nobleman outside was called Graudin according to the human language. There were hundreds of thousands of people living in the land under his rule. Even so, he was just a nameless little overlord in this land.
In Tagiv's mind, only the lords of powerful forces in the dark underworld of Jorgendy Ridge could have so many people and slaves. For example, Xu Lande and Dragon's Tongue City, which Brando mentioned.
The terrifying number of humans made Tagiv wake up from its shock. It immediately gave up on its original idea, or else it would not have accepted Graudin's offer to trade with him.
"Is that so?" Brando did not accept its kindness: "But it seems that your words are not consistent with your words. The forest you occupy is the sacred and inseparable land of the humans since ancient times —"
He said it in a very habitual tone, but he immediately realized that there was a problem and changed his words: "No, let me put it another way. These four sawmills are part of my entire wealth, and I don't intend to lend them to you for even a minute."
"Your wealth?" Tagiv was surprised. It had seen Graudin once or twice, and it did not think that this young man was the legendary Count Randner.
The battle outside had stopped, and the Subterrane Dwellers were not idiots. They could sense the change in attitude of their leader. Even though Tagiv did not order them to stop attacking, they knew that if they acted rashly, they would lose their leader.
The two Angels were also difficult to deal with.
"Yes, at least for now," Brando nodded.
"So … what do you want to do now?" The Subterrane Dweller lowered his head to show the blade on his neck as he stuttered.
"I'll give you two choices," Brendel replied: "One, go back to where you came from."
Tagiv shook its head, and the Dinovulture feathers on its body trembled. . was with the Subterrane's, unless it was willing to join its original enemy's territory...... Tagiv's it's's's's's.
"What about the second choice?" It asked.
"You and your Subterrane are considered losers in the Underworld. Even if you succeed, you will only serve the other Dungeon Lords." Brando seemed to be absent-minded. "If that's the case, why don't you change your mindset and become my subjects?"
He paused for a moment: "I know your rules. If you pledge your loyalty to me, I'll guarantee the continuation of your Subterrane."
Tagiv was stunned. It could guess what the young man was thinking, but it was also unexpected.
Brando actually wanted it to become a subordinate of the Subterrane Dwellers and Dungeon Lords. That was equivalent to selling the fate of its entire Subterrane to the young man. Of course, this showed that the young man understood the Subterrane Dwellers well, but it also made it feel ridiculous.
What right did he have to ask the Subterrane Dwellers to pledge their loyalty to him?
Tagiv still looked down on humans, but it realized that if it didn't agree, it would be forced to return to the Subterrane Dwellers to face another choice. This was not something it was willing to accept. It could feel the slight movement of the young man's fingers. Perhaps the young man did not intend to let them return to the Subterrane Dwellers. If it refused, the blade would immediately fall on its body.
It hesitated, and Brando allowed it to hesitate. Scarlett was the only one who did not say a word. She looked at the Subterrane Dweller that was covered in strange feathers, and then looked at her lord who was riding on his horse. Compared to the two of them, she was more worried. She was worried that if the Subterrane Dwellers refused, then what would her lord do?
She knew better than anyone else that if Tagiv refused, Brando would not be able to stop the Subterrane Dwellers from attacking Amandina and the others. Even if they killed it, it would not be of any use. She did not think that Amandina and the mercenaries could last until dawn. Moreover, Brando said that they could last until dawn at most.
Scarlett could not help but take a deep breath. She became a little nervous.
Brando's hand did not move from the hilt of his sword. He did not loosen his grip at all. In fact, Tagiv's guess was not wrong. If it refused, then what awaited it was an unimaginable fate.
He did not have as many worries as Scarlett because he had already planned this from the start. He had already prepared a hundred wealth points in his treasury. If Tagiv refused, then it would be sealed as a card.
Even though it was different in nature, the tribe would still submit to him in the end. Brando knew that he needed this strength. With these Subterrane Dwellers as his surprise troops, Lord Macsen and Lord Palas would no longer be important.
With three thousand Iron-ranked warriors, Tónigel would soon be left with only one voice. This was a story that Count Randner would never be able to predict.
But before that, the only variable was the answer that the Subterrane Dweller was about to give. Brando waited patiently for it to speak, but he was also feeling uneasy.
Just like on this night, on this battlefield, at this moment, Brendel seemed to see a path that extended forward in the darkness. The thorny path became so clear for the first time since he came to this world. It was the first time he felt that he had the ability to change the future and destiny.
[There's still a little bit left.]
The Subterrane Dweller finally raised its trembling head. Its Dino-Vulture feathers quivered as if it had just made up its mind. Tagiv opened its mouth and said, "Let's go.
At that moment, the cool night breeze blew across the battlefield. The pine trees rustled, drowning out the words that could change the fate of Tónigel, and even the whole of Erouine.
The young man's expression softened. He nodded. "As long as you're sure."
Then he added, "Because in fact, you will find that you have gained far more than you have lost."
… …
As the days passed, the city of Abies that had lost its lord after the chaos gradually calmed down. The market gradually regained its former peace.
But in reality, more things had happened under the calm surface. For example, the mercenaries who participated in the battle for the lumber mill. No one could say for sure how they won that night.
Especially the battle that was originally planned to take a week or more to end, but after dawn, it ushered in a dramatic turn of events.
The Subterrane Dwellers not only retreated when they had the absolute advantage in terms of numbers and situation, but they also withdrew from the sawmill that they occupied and handed over their own territory to the Subterrane Dwellers. The only thing that changed about such a miraculous outcome was the impression that all the mercenaries had of the Subterrane Dwellers.
After this battle, Brando became a mysterious and omnipotent figure in the hearts of the mercenaries. As for the other leaders, although they had their own doubts, they all expressed their unconditional allegiance to Brendel.
But Brendel did not immediately split them up and reorganize them. On the contrary, he had more things to do right now. First was the lumber mill in the forest. After the residents of the Green Village moved in, the lumber mill had begun to provide Abies with a steady flow of wood. The restoration of the city walls had been put on the agenda.
Another matter was to restore the life of the barren land of Abies. For example, when he returned to Abies, he made Amandina exempt from all taxes for three years.
This news sounded unbelievable from the start. After all, it was natural for a lord to rely on taxes to support his army. However, Brando did not care about that little bit of profit.
Only he knew what he wanted to do. It was not a problem for him to leisurely be a rich lord, but it was like a cup of water on a burning cart of firewood for the greater scheme. Rather than that, it was better to use it to pacify the people.
Brando was aware of the hidden undercurrents in his territory. Before the battle with Graudin's two retainers, he was afraid that every citizen here would doubt how long he could stay here.
He could not help but smile at the thought of it. He lifted his head from his desk. The desk was naturally Graudin's property, but the former lord spent a lot of time on it every month to deal with Tónigel's affairs.
Perhaps only the heavens would know.
At this moment, Brando heard a commotion outside the window.
… (To be continued, if you want to know what will happen next, please go to www.qidian.com to read more chapters. Support the author, support the original reading!)
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