"It's a white wolf god cloak blessed by Yurick. The cloak is covered in frost and can effectively block most attacks," Boris said in a low voice. "It's made from the best white wolf fur in Midden."
"Thank you very much." This was a pretty good gift. Ryan had heard that only the bravest believers of Yurick could receive such a reward. The White Wolf God's Cape would be given to a champion warrior of Yurick to hunt a white wolf alone in the forest and present to Yurick. Then, the white wolf's skin would be made into the White Wolf God's Cape by the White Wolf Church.
The cape was good for defense, but Laing was worried. If the female knight kept wearing the cape, would she get rheumatism when she got old?
After thinking about it for a while, Laing knew he was worried for nothing. Suria was very talented, so he did not have to worry about her getting a cold. The reason why Suria did not fight with him and needed protection was because she was young. The female knight was only 24 or 25 years old. She was not like Veronica and Teresa, who were older and had more time to grow. They could help Laing.
The reason was that Laing had grown too fast. He was a geno prototype, and not many people could keep up with him.
After the few of them walked for a while, Kurfürst Boris sighed in a low voice. "Sometimes, I envy you, Ryan. Your fief is a new land, and you boast absolute authority. Whatever you say goes. Ever since I became the Kurfürst and the Grand Duke of Midland, I've dealt with too many things. I think you understand, Ryan. Many of the great nobles in White Wolf City can be traced back to the days of Emperor Mandred the Rat Exterminator or even Emperor Charlemagne more than a thousand years ago. It takes me a lot of time to deal with the internal affairs every time."
"I understand." Laing knew how complicated the relationships between the nobles in the Empire were.
They walked a few more steps. It was getting late, so they started to go back.
"Laing, we had a meeting before we came. The Empire wants to trade more wood elven medicine and hybrid elven warhorses from you." After pondering for a while, Boris finally asked tentatively, "What do you think?"
The leader of the White Wolf Knights, Axel, nodded. "We really need elven warhorses. We really need them."
The main source of warhorses for the White Wolf Knights were the mountain horses bred in the north of the Empire. They were good at mountain roads, had great adaptability, and were fast. However, their stamina was not good, and it was easy for them to tire while carrying the fully armed White Wolf Knights.
"I've already exported a lot of wood elven medicine. As for the half-blood elven warhorses … I'll have to wait until the ponies in my stable mature first." Laing knew that Boris was trying to sound him out and beat around the bush.
Here came the main event. Morgiana, the witch of the Lake Goddess, also looked at Laing. Morgiana knew that Boris wouldn't do this for no reason. He must have something to discuss with Laing.
Brittany strictly prohibited the export of pure-blood elven warhorses. This was a national policy, and the Empire naturally wouldn't touch it. However, the knights of the Empire were too desperate for high-quality horse breeds. In the past, when they tried to buy horses from Brittany, they were either crazily extorted or ignored.
It wasn't easy to find a lord like Laing who could trade normally. The Empire naturally wanted to open a gap with him.
The preciousness of the wood elven medicine had already been emphasized before, so it wouldn't be repeated here.
Clayon's wedding was the best venue. In front of this famous human hero of the Old World, the various major factions had an excellent excuse to gather. Even though intense arguments and debates were still unavoidable, bloody conflicts and falling out with each other were forcefully stopped. Many representatives of the two factions that might not meet for decades would sit together and negotiate with each other as amiable as possible.
Without a doubt, from the arrival of the major forces of order to Laing's wedding, this period was filled with behind-the-scenes deals, schemes and extortions. From what Laing knew, several verbal promises and contracts had already been reached.
These deals were all hidden under the joyous occasion of Laing's wedding.
The most important contract was the one signed by Duke Bodrick of Bordero, Count Laing of Glamorgan, Duke François of Vanford, and Archmage Tegris of the High Elves. This contract was estimated to bring Laing at least two thousand crowns a year! It was the same for François as well.
However, this couldn't compare to Duke Bodrick of Bordero's gains. The signing of this trade agreement meant that the High Elves' Inner Circle Kingdom would open up a second stable trading point in addition to Marlin Castle! This would be an epoch-making moment since Bodrick became Duke Bodrick of Bordero!
The trade agreement had been verbally reached. Laing would head to Helenhilde in two days to discuss this matter with François and Bodrick.
The Empire also took the initiative to negotiate. Laing frowned and considered the feasibility of this matter, "Then what can the Empire give me?"
"People! The people you want! "
… …
Two days later, Brittany, capital of the Vanford Duchy, Helenhilde.
"This is Duke François' city? Wow, it's huge, really huge! " Laing's adoptive father, Norman, sighed as he looked at the garden-like city in front of him like a country bumpkin entering a city.
"Yes! Father, this place is indeed huge. "Laing rode on his pure-blooded elven warhorse and smiled at Norman.
Helenhilde was built at the source of the Sinon River, in the middle of the valley. It was autumn, and the refreshing autumn wind blew past the group of people. The clear water of the Sinon River flowed noisily. The majestic castle and the family crest on the tall city gate all told the ancient history of the Aintrey family.
The coat of arms of the "Pure White Pegasus" family was adorned with a Duke's crown, showing off the noble status of Leon's future wife. Norman, a country bumpkin from Nord, only felt a little ashamed of his own inferiority. The lord of Nord only had a small castle, a few dozen servants, and a small territory. Now, Leon's marriage partner was a family full of glory and history. Norman felt very uneasy.
The houses in the city were all made of brick and stone, with white walls and red roofs. The dense crowd and traffic made the city prosperous and full of vitality. It was already autumn, and the city had a special flavor under the fallen leaves.
Laing brought his adoptive parents, Lake Goddess Witch Morgiana, Steward Katzenberg, and Boris to Helenhilde. In addition, the King of Eight Peaks Mountain, Belegar, and the dwarf engineer Dugan Ironman also came. Belegar, who was unwilling to show his face for a long time, heard that Laing was going to Helenhilde, so he put on an act and said that he wanted to meet with Laing again. They could go on a pleasant journey together, and the powerful King of Eight Peaks Mountain could guarantee their safety.
Laing just smiled and agreed without hesitation.
As for Tegris, he continued to stay in Laing's territory to teach the two witches magic. Therefore, Veronica and Teresa also stayed. The little maid Emilia was unwilling to follow Laing, and Laing did not force her.
Laing had already heard about what Belegar was doing in his territory. The King of Eight Peaks Mountain went to watch his army and knights train all day long, and then took a small notebook and kept recording, especially the training of the knights and their squires. Belegar had never missed a single training session, and he even made many plastic figurines for deduction.
According to Dugan, Belegar was quite satisfied with the strength of the Brittany knights. His original words were "barely acceptable".
The group gradually approached the castle. Kurfürst Boris looked at Helenhilde and said in a rough voice, "What I want to say is, White Wolf City has always been the largest and most beautiful city in the old world, but this city is not bad either."
The Duke's castle's towering walls and more than a dozen pointed towers formed the three-story structure of Helenhilde Castle. The square main castle was located in the middle, and there were six huge conical turrets on both sides. In front of the main castle, there was a thirty-meter-tall pure white pegasus statue.
"This ↑ here ↑ ↑ ↑" Laing raised an arm and introduced to the group, "François said that we should go in through the main gate."
"If you ask me, although this castle is built very big and beautiful, its defense is too weak compared to us dwarves. It doesn't look sturdy at all." Belegar chattered, "It pays too much attention to aesthetics, just like the problem of pointy ears."
"I think so too." Axel, the Great Commander of the White Wolf Knights, also agreed. The bearded Great Commander said in a rough voice, "I heard that Ivan is here too?"
"Not only Ivan, but the great alchemist Bayershazer Gelt is also here." Laing said in a low voice, "Let's have a good talk in the afternoon."
"Of course."
The arrival of Laing, Morgiana, Boris, and the others was naturally warmly received by François. Laing also met his Godfather, Ivan. The Griffin Grand Duke patted his shoulder and did not say much. Ivan was also proud of his godson, but now was not the time to catch up. Laing was already a Brittany noble, and Ivan represented the Empire on the other side of the mountain.
As soon as they settled down, the two sides had a negotiation in Helenhilde's conference room.
On the Brittany side, there were Duke Fulcade of Montfort, Duke Casfern of Pallavon, Duke François of Vanford, Duke Berchemund of Bastogne, Count Laing of Glamorgan, Witch of the Lake, Morgiana of Lake, and Duke Bodrick of Bordero who came late.
On the Empire side, there were Duke Ivan of the Griffin Grand Duke, Boris of the White Wolf Knights, Great Commander Axel of the White Wolf Knights, and the great alchemist Bayershazer Gelt.
In addition, the King of Eight Peaks Mountain, Belegar, also participated in the meeting as the special envoy of the Breezy Castle.
The first topic of the negotiation was related to the dwarves. François, who was sitting in the middle, spoke first, "After discussing with Fulcade, Casfern, and Berchemund, we believe that the dwarves' history in the Grey Mountains is much longer than the history of the humans. Therefore, we are willing to acknowledge the existence of the Breezy Castle and its legal status as one of the dwarves' kingdoms. We hope to sit down and negotiate with the dwarves of the Breezy Castle and the Empire to sign an armistice agreement, settle the border, and restore peace."
"The Empire is willing to be fair." Duke Ivan of the Griffin Grand Duke and Boris of the White Wolf both nodded.
"Agreed!" "Agreed!"
Everyone in the meeting raised their hands to vote.
This was a rare opportunity for Brittany to sit down and negotiate with the dwarves of the Breezy Castle.
"Yes, peace. This is also what the dwarves want." As the representative appointed by the King of the Breezy Castle, Belegar, the King of Eight Peaks Mountain, sat on a chair piled with three cushions and nodded. "We are not friends with the Brittany, but we are not enemies either. The dwarves will not have a civil war with the humans, which will give the Green Skins and Chaos an opportunity to take advantage of."
Laing, who was sitting on the right side of François, saw this and whispered to his father-in-law, "Although the dwarves are stubborn, they still understand the general principles."
François's sea blue eyes rolled, and he smiled elegantly. "The dwarves' stubbornness is that they won't give you a chance to meet and propose peace talks!"
"I agree to the peace talks and sign an armistice agreement, but I want to say that the dwarves of the Breezy Castle must admit that the Duchy of Montfort has full legal rights to claim the Axe Bite Pass." Duke Fulcade of Montfort said, "Also, please immediately stop the excessive excavation of the mines under my territory. Many of the mines have gone deep into my territory. This is a violation of the rights of the Duchy of Montfort."
"Lorek has told me about the Axe Bite Pass." Belegar stroked his white beard and first confirmed the ownership of the Axe Bite Pass. "The Brittany have been guarding and patrolling the Axe Bite Pass for a long time, and they have built watchtowers and sentries to defend against the invasion of the Green Skins. The dwarves of the Breezy Castle are willing to admit that the Axe Bite Pass belongs to the Duchy of Montfort."
"Phew …" Duke Fulcade of Montfort felt relieved. The Axebite Pass and its customs duties were his lifeblood, and there was no way he was going to back down. Since the dwarves had admitted this, it would be easier to negotiate later on.
The two sides began to negotiate on many issues. Two hours later, Duke Fulcade, Duke Casfern, and Berchemund signed an armistice agreement with the representative of the Breezy Castle, Belegar. The Brittany acknowledged the existence of the Breezy Castle, and the Breezy Castle acknowledged the Brittany's ownership of the Axe Bite Pass. As for the mines under the mountains, both sides agreed to put aside their disputes and work together to develop them. The Brittany gave the dwarves the right to continue mining, and the dwarves were willing to sell a portion of the ore to the Brittany at a discounted price.
Laing knew that this was a win-win agreement because the Brittany's mining skills were terrible. Even if the dwarves were driven away, they would not be able to mine on their own. The dwarves would be able to mine without worry, and they would not have to worry about not being able to find a market for the ore.
The dukes and Belegar left the meeting room to prepare for the signing of the agreement. Only François, Bodrick, Laing, Morgiana, and the people from the Empire were left in the room.
"The next question is about the Empire's request to further open the export of wood elven medicine and half-blood elven warhorses." Francois continued, "We want to know what the Empire has to offer to make a deal with us."
"We are willing to use an army to make a deal with you." The great alchemist, Belshazzar Galt, spoke in a strange voice filled with the sound of metal rubbing against each other. "An army that you need."
"An army that we need? I can't think of any army that we need in particular. " Laing frowned. The Brittany's heavy cavalry was the best in the old world, and he also had the dwarven cannons. He could not think of any army that he needed in particular.
"We know what you need." The Empire took out a contract and placed it in front of Laing.
"A troop of elite mounted archers from Uguor of Kislev."
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