Chapter 336: Chapter 289: Alina’s Sincerity, Black Oil Crystal

Nearly a month of time slipped by like a silent, busy fish, until today, a day of particularly bright sunshine and a clear sky like a wash.

Burning Steel Castle, fourth floor.

After finishing the daily exercise, the Red Iron Dragon was lying on a dazzling ’treasure bed’ made of countless gold coins, gemstones, and magic items. His dragon tail swept back and forth in the pile of treasures, making a jangling sound of metal and jade colliding.

Finally, the tip of the tail barely scooped up a scant twenty or so magic gemstones.

The quantity was particularly sparse and pitiful, in stark contrast with his massive body.

There are no gemstone mines in the Border Area.

Merely relying on the gemstones previously plundered from various tribes and those obtained through trade couldn’t satisfy Galos’s consumption, the supply wasn’t enough, and now only a few were left.

He wanted to eat a few, but the remaining gemstones were so few that he couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth.

As he struggled with his instincts.

The feeling of his bloodline being lightly tapped arose.

Solrog’s voice immediately sounded in his mind: "Gordon requests to communicate. He says the Crystal Princess has once again expressed the wish to speak with us."

Since the first time through Iron Dragon Gordon, the existence of the Ignas Dragon Group was leaked to Crystal Princess Alina, time quietly slipped away.

In the following days, the Crystal Princess clearly found it increasingly difficult to maintain the composure typical of a royal family member.

The urgency in her heart burned like a continuously pressurized furnace fire, driving her, in a not-so-long timeframe, to earnestly demand twice more for Gordon to contact the powerful Dragon Group far in the Sel Wilderness, attempting to push the progress of cooperation.

However.

Both anticipated communications were dismissively brushed off by Galos with various perfunctory excuses.

Galos was patient, steadily controlling the rhythm of the negotiations, patiently allowing time, the invisible blade, to slowly weaken the psychological defenses of the other party.

Compared to the Dragon Race, most biological races lack patience.

But when this third communication request came from the Crystal Princess.

Deep within the Burning Steel Castle, Galos’s eyes flashed with a thoughtful glimmer, his massive head tilted slightly to one side, and after contemplating for a moment, he made a decision.

——The time was ripe.

He believed it was time to initiate a truly in-depth, decisive dialogue with the Princess of Lotheren, who held rich resources.

Immediately, through Gordon’s relay, via the bloodline connection, Galos formally started the dialogue with the Crystal Princess.

"Good day, the esteemed and mighty Sky-Splitting Wings."

The Crystal Princess’s words were clear and intentionally adjusted to fit the solemnity typical of communication among the Dragon Race, opening with a standard salutation, courteous and complete.

She understood the temperament of the Dragon Race.

Whether it was the inherently fiery and power-revering Red Dragon bloodline or the tough character of the Iron Dragon, they generally favored efficient, straightforward communication, disliking the lengthy, intricate, and hypocritical formalities and pleasantries of human nobles and royalty.

Thus, Alina decisively abandoned the complex etiquette she had been immersed in within the Royal Court for years, choosing the communication style most pleasing to the Dragon Race.

She cut to the chase, saying, "I wonder what the mighty Sky-Splitting Wings thinks of my suggestion regarding establishing a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship at this moment?"

Galos did not immediately answer this question.

He asked, "Before discussing cooperation in depth, Princess Alina, I need to clarify one crucial point—whether future cooperation with me, and the Ignas Dragon Group I represent, will be on behalf of the entire Lothern Royal Court, or merely... a Princess named Alina herself?"

The other end fell into a brief silence.

Clearly, the Crystal Princess was rapidly considering the most appropriate response.

In the end, Alina chose to speak honestly.

She did not attempt to elevate her status by grandly invoking the Lothern Royal Court, but instead, with a pragmatic and clear stance, clearly defined her position: "The answer you need is—merely a Princess named Alina."

This honesty did not imply weakness.

Almost the moment she finished speaking, she immediately put forth a significant promise, like placing a hefty weight on the negotiation table.

"However, I solemnly pledge by my honor and bloodline."

She said, "The sincerity and specific terms I can offer are of a value and weight that will undoubtedly captivate you."

Galos nodded lightly.

"Princess Alina, I appreciate your straightforward honesty; it is more valuable than any ornate rhetoric."

"Then, let’s talk about the specific matters."

"Tell me clearly, what specific types and quantities of rewards can you offer the Ignas Dragon Group? And, what exactly do you want us, the predators of this barbaric land, to do for you?"

At this point, Galos has basically expressed an initial willingness to cooperate.

The key to whether a real cooperation can be achieved lies in whether the Crystal Princess’s offered rewards are tempting enough, and whether her proposed tasks are within the risk-tolerance range of the Dragon Group.

The Crystal Princess, sharp-minded, caught the positive signals in Galos’s words.

She briefly pondered and weighed the options before responding: "Gemstones, gold coins, magic metals... all the treasures that the Dragon Race naturally loves and pursues are all available with me."

To prove that she was not making empty promises, she began to list, sincerely and in detail, the types and quantities of resources she could offer.

For instance, various types of magic gemstones primarily consisting of crystals containing different elemental energies and colors, as well as precious and expensive magic metals such as adamantine, mithril, ironwood, and the straightforward gold and silver.

As for the actions she hopes the Dragon Group would take, they sound quite simple and straightforward.

She hopes that the powerful Ignas Dragon Group can strike and attack specific targets in the Sel Wilderness for her.

——The stronghold of the Abel Duchy in the wilderness, and any other country’s stronghold in the wilderness that might oppose the Lotheren Kingdom in the future.

"As long as there are suitable rewards, I can lead the Dragon Group to attack the duchy’s stronghold."

At this point, Galos shifted the topic, saying: "However, as for which stronghold to attack specifically, the final decision depends on my thoughts and judgment, and as for those stronger kingdom forces, I will not consider actively provoking them for the time being."

At this moment, the kingdoms have not yet stepped in, merely observing the changes in the situation and secretly fanning the flames.

Attacking a kingdom’s base under such circumstances could backfire, with risks far outweighing benefits. However, once the flames of war among the kingdoms ignite, targeting those kingdom strongholds could be reconsidered.

"I completely understand your concerns."

The Crystal Princess said: "Then, according to your wishes, our current cooperation will be limited to the duchy level."

She didn’t foolishly ask for reasons, nor stubbornly tried to persuade Galos to change his stance, but with an exploratory tone, she asked: "Have we reached a consensus on cooperation?"

Galos did not agree immediately.

"The Giant Dragons never engage in bloody battles for hollow promises. I need to see tangible benefits first, ones that I can hold in my claws."

He said: "Produce one unit of high-purity solidified Black Oil Crystal—prove your sincerity to me."

Only forces at the kingdom level or above, relying on their vast, solid, and technically profound alchemy industrial system, have the capability to steadily produce the industrial treasure known as Black Oil Crystal.

These are usually encapsulated as one standard unit, weighing ten pounds.

Their purity grades are strictly classified by the Federation into ten progressive levels, with each grade’s improvement indicating a leap in energy output efficiency and stability.

Among them, crystals that reach the fifth level of purity or above are recognized as high-purity.

And crystals of this grade are the essential core energy source for legendary-grade alchemy golems.

Due to their extremely complex and demanding manufacturing process, requiring precision equipment and skilled craftsmen to an almost perverse extent, and their irreplaceable strategic importance in military fields (such as war golems, floating fortresses) and advanced magical research (such as stable teleportation gates, maintaining giant barriers).

Even the lowest purity first-level Black Oil Crystal, with just one unit, is so valuable that it makes a magic gemstone of the same volume pale in comparison—truly priceless.

More critically, these strategic materials are subject to the strictest control by the Federation at the highest level.

Every unit’s flow and each transaction are recorded and subjected to the most rigorous scrutiny by the kingdom’s security departments.

Trying to purchase them on the regular market? It’s as hard as climbing to the heavens!

This is not a problem that can be solved by mere gold coins.

On the other end, the Crystal Princess fell into a brief silence.

Moments later, she responded: "Every unit of high-purity Black Oil Crystal is subjected to the strictest scrutiny, and I cannot directly provide the level you request."

"However, I can give you ten units of 1st-level purity Black Oil Crystal and one unit of 2nd-level purity Black Oil Crystal, which is the maximum I can offer at one time."

Upon hearing this, Galos’s eyes lit up.

This already surpassed his psychological expectations.

Evidently, this princess’s wealth is far deeper than he imagined.

"I accept your heavy-laden sincerity, and thus our cooperation begins."

The Red Iron Dragon said: "Once the Black Oil Crystals are successfully received, the Ignas Dragon Group will present you with a grand and fiery ’fireworks’ display under the skies of the Sel Wilderness as the first gift to our new ally, as a token of our sincerity."

PS: Too busy taking care of someone in the hospital, and the feeling for writing isn’t as good. The plot has been a bit slow recently, but it’s already confirmed that the day after tomorrow, there will be a discharge, and I can start updating ten thousand words a day, and the progress will be faster then.