Warhammer: Return of the Dragon.

Phoenix agreed immediately, which made Imrick very satisfied. This is the rule of mercenaries, don't ask too many questions to the employer.

"As for the reward, as long as you can prove Carlossi's death, I will give you both the rewards you deserve... Maybe I can make you the Duke of Caledor? You can live as a noble grandfather in the Southern Kingdom."

"You are joking. If what I do is beneficial to the empire, it is worth it."

"That's a good point. I will reconsider the joint agency plan proposed by Carl. If you can't find work in the future, you can always ask the Empire or the Caledor Embassy in Kislev. There are always various challenges waiting for you in the Dragon Court."

During the exchange, it felt like the tavern diplomacy was coming to an end, so Imrik pressed two gold leaf coins on the table and regarded this meeting as a treat from the Phoenix King.

The Phoenix King walked out of the tavern first, followed closely by Phoenix. At the same time, they saw... the street turned into ruins.

The huge port area has sunk into the Rick River in the battle between the Flame Knights and the Butchers. The citizens, who should have retreated in fear, instead stayed in a safe position and watched the battle between the elves and the dwarves with a mentality of watching the fun.

The merchants whose property was destroyed were unwilling to leave in the first place and were demanding huge compensation. This is under the emperor's feet, and you elves and dwarves must pay the price for your mistakes.

Fortunately, the appearance of one person stopped the citizens from pointing their muskets at the fighting elves and dwarves. When Marshal Rick, wearing a winged helmet, appeared on the street, everyone was in awe, and even the noise and cheers slowed down.

Kurt Helberg, Marshal Rick, the highest military commander of the empire besides the emperor...but he is in a bad mood now, just because there are too many troubles in the past few days.

First, the elves and dwarves seemed to be plotting something that they didn't want the empire to know. Then, there were traces of ratmen activities on the border of Reikland. While the emperor focused his energy on the summit, he needed to do his utmost to maintain the stability of the empire and not let any accidents happen.

Altdorf, in particular, has sent out the Reik Guards to warn all gangs, churches, and groups that if unexpected situations arise during the summit, they will face the wrath of the Empire's greatest swordsman.

As for who is the number one swordsman, Kurt thinks it is himself, but many people also think it is the Imperial Champion Ludwig... It actually doesn't matter at all, Kurt thinks so.

When he heard about the fierce fight in the port area, Kurt immediately dropped what he was doing and rushed to the scene. The reason was that the intelligence described a fight between dwarves and elves, and onlookers believed that the two were very powerful and definitely not weaklings like adventurers.

Out of caution, he temporarily believed that there might be some conflicts between the Phoenix King and the Supreme King, and this might be an opportunity for the Empire to mediate... Kurt believed that he needed to prove his ability to the Emperor and that he was definitely not a stick to wipe butts.

So when he saw the elf's face clearly, his serious old face couldn't help but twitch for a long time. The captain of the Caledor Royal Guard, the most trusted guard of the Phoenix King... As for the other dwarf, he also knew him, the infamous dwarf butcher.

"Say it again, they really walked out of the tavern together. Is it possible that dwarves and elves can stay at the same table and drink?!" Kurt's serious voice was like the emperor's declaration. He did not believe in any coincidences. Creon should have stayed in the palace to guard the Phoenix King at this time, instead of getting drunk in the tavern and arguing with the dwarves.

The sound of fighting faintly drowned out the informant's voice: "It's true, they were very restrained when they walked out of the tavern, but they started fighting without saying a word once they got to the open space." Kurt's old face frowned. It seemed that there was only one truth. The Phoenix King, who loved to have fun, brought the captain of the guard to the port area without informing Rick's guards.

The general, not being an experienced politician, did not order anyone to search the tavern. Rick County could still afford the loss of a small port. If they entered the tavern and disturbed the Phoenix King's work, the impact might be far beyond the reach of a small port.

With this in mind, Marshal Rick rarely took down the elves and dwarves fighting in the city immediately. He only ordered the Rick Guards to evacuate the crowd and watch the whole process... and learn a few moves from the elves.

Over the past few months, there have been some exchanges between the Empire and the Phoenix Court, mainly exchanges between the Rick Guards and the Flame Knights. In most cases, the elves engage in arena battles, and after knocking over dozens of humans, they leave with disdainful looks.

Creon was not present during the event, but he only heard from the Flame Knights that the captain of the guard was an extraordinary martial artist.

Kurt, riding on horseback, looked at the elf's agile skills and sharp sword, and gradually forgot his original intention of mediating the conflict. He only felt a surge of blood in his body and wanted to have a fierce fight.

But if I were to confront him head-on, I should first use the cannon to bombard him twice, and then consider the duel... Besides, are cannons really effective against the armor of the Flame Knight?
Kurt was a little skeptical about this. There was a set of Caledo dragon armor that was "luckily" obtained in the Great Holy War in Rick County. After the craftsmen failed completely in their attempts to crack the secret of the dragon armor forging technology, it became a testing tool.

The bullets had little effect on the dragon armor, leaving only an embarrassing layer of shallow grooves on the surface, which was just polished.

Non-physical effects such as flames and dimensional stone flames are even weaker, which makes Kurt very envious. Although the things forged by the dwarves are good, the core technology is meteorite forging. The terrifyingly heavy thing is worn by Rick's guards, which is equivalent to letting a horse carry three people.

Or... let the emperor test the Phoenix King's attitude and see if he can further expand the military?

Thinking this way, Kurt didn't notice the arrival of the smart man, so when Imrick coughed a few times, he emphasized: "If you are sick, go to the doctor. The Rick Guard is not responsible for the health of Altdorf."

"Kurt Helberg."

"Hmm?" Kurt tilted his head and quickly shifted his attention to the elf. Although there were some differences in appearance, he could judge by intuition that this young elf was the Phoenix King.

After three seconds of hesitation, Marshal Rick dismounted from his horse and nodded in greeting: "Phoenix King, you should inform the Rick Guards when you leave the palace. We will not ask the reason, but we do not want any misunderstandings between the two countries."

"Just some private matters. Speaking of which..." Imrick looked at Kurt. He was a well-known figure. He had a championship duel with the Holy Grail Grandpa, but ended up getting beaten in the face with a cannon. This was a rare gem in the diplomatic history of the two countries.

"Are you interested in working for me, Marshal Kurt?" (End of this chapter)