Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World-Chapter 627: Negotiations 2

TL: Rui88

Grand Chieftain Abal, Kalem, and Arroyo all frowned in unison.

How did the humans know?

Abal quickly smoothed his brow. He did not want to show the slightest sign of being intimidated by the human boy before him.

“Interesting, Your Highness Antonio. How did you come to know about the matter between us and the dwarves?”

“Haha.” Antonio gave a light and casual laugh. “Our cultivation in Nerodan runs far deeper than you can imagine, and that, of course, includes the nearby mountains.”

He certainly would not reveal the truth…that the dwarven prince eager to reclaim his inheritance had not only approached the orcs. Or rather, the orcs were but one of his bargaining chips with other powers.

“Since you are already aware of this matter, you must also know that as long as our cooperation with the dwarves is secured, we can enter and exit the Nerodan Corridor through the valleys in the Rocky Mountains. Why would we need your help?”

Abal did not want to admit that he needed help from the humans.

“Honorable Grand Chieftain.”

Antonio smiled and said, “Perhaps you have grown accustomed to galloping across the vast, boundless plains on your fine steeds, but surely you do not think that passing through a massive mountain range is as easy as running on the plains?”

“Yes, if the dwarves are willing to cooperate with you, you can indeed deploy your army through their territory. I know you already have such experience…when human settlements in Ordo began to approach dwarven lands, the dwarves would let a small contingent of orc troops pass through to raid the human villages, thereby forcing the humans to leave their newly established settlements. Now, you may be able to reach a deeper level of cooperation with one of the dwarven clans, allowing them to let you deploy a larger force. But I can assure you that even so, the army that can pass through will still be far from sufficient for a war.”

“The Nerodan Corridor is riddled with a network of fortresses that Ordo has operated for hundreds of years. After your army gets through, you will have to gnaw through them one by one. The required supplies will have to be transported through the dwarves’ winding, undulating mountain valleys. They are indeed not impassable mountains, but they are not as easy to traverse as you might imagine.”

Abal narrowed his eyes. The matters the human boy spoke of indeed required careful consideration.

“At that point, if you had two directions of attack to choose from…”

Antonio extended his left and right index fingers and pointed them at each other.

“The situation would be much better.”

“The other direction, are you referring to the eastern exit of the Nerodan Corridor?” Abal laughed heartily.

“Precisely the eastern exit…Watcher’s Fortress.”

Antonio nodded. “I wonder if you agree to this deal?”

Abal just looked at him, his eyes shimmering with a faint light, but he gave no answer.

Antonio did not continue speaking either. In negotiations, if you said too much, the other party would instead think you were anxiously pleading with them.

“How about this? We each go back and consider it for a while.”

It was Abal who spoke first, putting forward his suggestion.

“Oh, of course. You can certainly consider my proposal carefully.”

Antonio agreed to his request.

—

“Father, we must not agree to the Gabellans.”

When Abal returned to his tent and recounted the situation at the meeting to his subordinates, his son, Aguire, impatiently stood up to object.

“That Antonio has not yet secured his position. The lords from all over have great doubts about the legitimacy of his succession to the empire. As long as we properly exploit this point, we can tear a large piece of fat from Gabella. If we just let him go back and consolidate the power of the entire empire, it will be a huge problem for us.” S

“But you have also seen that the army under Antonio’s command is no pushover. Of course, our warriors are undoubtedly the bravest, but if our gains cannot match our sacrifices, we need to consider it carefully.”

Abal looked at Kalem. “My fledgling eagle, what are your thoughts?”

Kalem shrugged his shoulders. “Based on the information I have gathered, Ordo’s Northwest Bay is now a land of gold. And the Nerodan Corridor is the path that merchants from the plains must take to get to the Northwest Bay, so I am eager to control this strategic route.”

Kalem’s mention of a land of gold made the eyes of everyone in the great tent light up.

“Grand Chieftain!” Kalem advised, “If that human boy can truly help us seize the Nerodan Corridor, we might as well let him off this time. If he is deceiving us, he cannot possibly stabilize the entire Gabella Empire overnight, whereas our cavalry can once again be at his borders in an instant.” 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

“Actually, I was thinking…” After hearing Kalem’s words, Abal said, “If we could transport enough troops and supplies solely through the dwarves’ territory, then we would just march south into the Nerodan Corridor ourselves. That way, the next time we attack Gabella, we will not have to care about whatever agreement is reached this time.”

Kalem reminded him, “Grand Chieftain, our warriors are precious. It would be best if we could reduce casualties in war.”

Grand Chieftain Abal thought it over and finally decided, “We will withdraw our troops this time in exchange for Antonio’s support for our entry into Ordo. If he dares to deceive us, hmph…”

A menacing light glinted in Abal’s eyes.

He thought to himself, ‘Antonio, you had better stabilize your country quickly. If I take Nerodan and the situation in Gabella is still unstable, our armies will meet for a second time.’

—

The dwarf Imar Mason carried a shield on his back and wore an axe at his waist as he came to the entrance of the Blackstone Pass.

Behind him were ten followers, all of whom had left with him when he was exiled from his clan.

Imar looked at the familiar terrain nearby, his heart filled with a thousand emotions.

He looked at his followers. “This place is still the same. It seems even every blade of grass is the same as when I left.”

A follower bowed to him. “Lord Imar, because you are the rightful ruler here, everything in this place has been awaiting your return!”

“Yes! You are right!”

The follower’s words ignited a raging fire in Imar’s heart!

“I am the rightful ruler here! The despicable usurper used vile means to deceive my father…that old fool…and had his legitimate heir exiled!”

“My heavens, who has ever heard of anything more absurd than this?”

He suddenly shouted toward the pass, his voice booming like a great bell, “I know you are watching in secret! Come out, all of you, and welcome your true chieftain!”

Before his voice had even faded, the figure of a dwarf appeared on the pass.