Masked Knight

Originally, the negotiations should have been held in the palace or the Shogun’s office. However, Rody’s battle with the Hakone Serpent had turned both to dust. As a result, they had no choice but to negotiate at a large home with a courtyard.

The course of the negotiation was unusually simple. The Sauron Kingdom had gotten everything they wanted with little to no effort. The only thing that was of value was the ironwood resources. Whoever became Shogun on that piece of land was insignificant.

An agreement was reached within an hour. The Sauron Kingdom would station thirty thousand soldiers to help Kikukawa Yukinari rebuild the Dwarven Kingdom and help him rise to the position of Shogun. In fact, this was not difficult to do. Kumu Yu and his men were utterly routed by the Roland Army earlier. Oda Nobunaga and his elite cavalry had been wiped out by Mouse. The palace was also destroyed. The only person left who was qualified to become Shogun in the Dwarven Kingdom was Yukinari. The only thing the Sauron Kingdom needed to help him with was to build his prestige which was really easy to do. With military power in his hand, there were not many people who would openly oppose him. On top of that, Yukinari would also have the support of the powerful Sauron Kingdom.

The other part of the negotiation was naturally the right to trade ironwood. This was everybody’s main objective. Even though the Sauron Kingdom was the victorious nation, they could not make Yukinari hand over the ironwood for free. The nation, as an organization, could not play a business role to manage the ironwood trade. Nedis had mediated and in the end, Nedis was given the business role. An agreement was signed for Nedis to acquire the rights of trading ironwood. At the same time, Nedis also signed an agreement with the Sauron Kingdom to ensure that the supplies and the sales would prioritize the Sauron Kingdom.

These were the main contents of the agreement between the Sauron Kingdom and Yukinari. However, Nedis, as the one initiating the negotiation, had drafted the agreement to sound more magnificent. There were also clauses concerning military power, people rights, environmental protection, the protection of shipping and many others. A total of twenty-one clauses were signed. The historians of the future in the Dwarven Kingdom would later call this surrender of sovereign rights under humiliating terms as the Twenty-One Demands.

The later generations would treat the treaty dubiously. Some people would believe that the treaty greatly limited the development of the dwarves. It would make the Dwarven Kingdom, thirty years later, become industrially hollow. Another group would also admit that the treaties were harmful to the interests of the dwarves. However, they would believe that if it was not because of the Heroic Great Shogun Yukinari and his capable assistants, the Blood Fox Nedis, Evil Star Sith, and Lone Wolf Rody, the Dwarven Kingdom would have been forced to pay tribute to the Sauron Kingdom even if they were not destroyed. Just like this, the Dwarven Kingdom would become dependent on the Sauron Kingdom. These people would consider Yukinari as the history’s most famous Shogun who had created a lifeline for the dwarves to revive in the future. A contribution like this could not be erased by history.

The two factions debating about Yukinari would have had debated for more than three hundred years and would continue even when a parliament was later formed in the Dwarven Kingdom. They would often fight in the parliament, giving the Emperor a headache.

After signing the treaty, King Sauron no longer demanded anything from Yukinari. He went to the backyard to talk to Rody.

At that moment, Hideyoshi had finally returned. He brought back Nobunaga’s head and presented it to Yukinari, allowing the man that had just become a Shogun to give a final sigh. This time, he no longer had anyone else that would oppose him becoming the Shogun.

Hideyoshi naturally boasted about his pursuit and made himself look heroic. Although Yukinari was an oaf, he understood that Hideyoshi was not a match for Nobunaga. What really happened needed to be verified. However, no matter what, Hideyoshi had brought back Nobunaga’s head. Yukinari also needed personnel and could not be bothered to investigate what happened. Hideyoshi did this to obtain a more revered position. Yukinari also could not find anyone who was capable of taking a high-ranking position. Now that Hideyoshi had brought back Nobunaga’s head, Yukinari also gained a good reason to promote Hideyoshi and win over the masses.

Not long after that, the Royal Family was reestablished. Yukinari casually looked for a person who had a little bit of the royal blood in them. He then appointed that person as Emperor. The Shogunate was also immediately reestablished and Yukinari became the Shogun as expected. Hideyoshi also replaced Nobunaga’s position. It was a new generation of the Thousand Rider General, and he would be responsible for guarding the southern borders of the Dwarven Kingdom.

King Sauron naturally had a lot of things to say to the envoy Rody. Although Rody was dissatisfied with King Sauron’s methods, he was no longer the young man that did not know the relative importance of this. Now, Rody clearly knew how to categorize things based on their priority. He did not mention anything about how King Sauron had deceived him. Instead, he continued to discuss with the King about the exchange of warships and prisoners of war.

A few days later, Yukinari shed tears of gratefulness as he sent off King Sauron. King Sauron took the Roland Army along with Concubine Ruolan and Rody back to the Roland Continent by ship.

After arriving on the Roland Continent, they received a grand welcome from the Sauron Kingdom. News of their victory against the Dwarven Kingdom had long spread throughout the kingdom, so everyone was enthusiastic. Rody looked at the scene with other worries in his mind. He was worried about the Temple and Kara who embodied Prometheus.

Rody had a premonition that Kara would start a counterattack soon. The God’s Record that could fight against the Temple had also gone missing.

Even then, Rody still did not know that Kara had found the God’s Record. If he knew, he would have felt even more worried.

Rody knew he still could not recover his energy. With his strength reduced, he was also less confident. He was unable to predict his own future and could only hope to return to the Radiant Continent and see if Andy had a way to restore his powers.

After staying at the Sauron Kingdom for a few days, Seth had become more well-behaved. He kept quiet and did not say anything when Mouse removed his makeup. He had seemingly given up all hope for this matter. Basically, at that moment, Seth had given up escaping. He planned to honestly follow Rody back to the Radiant Continent to become the Duke of the Tulip Family.

After a few days, Rody had recovered to his maximum limit. On top of that, the agreement with the Sauron Kingdom had been realized. The Sauron Kingdom’s warships had been prepared. Rody planned to end his mission as the envoy and return to the Radiant Empire.

Rody was anxious. His domain powers had not recovered, making him feel uneasy. He wanted to quickly return to the Radiant Continent so that Andy could help restore his strength.

The King pretended to persuade Rody to stay, still fearful of the fake Tulip Duke's powers. He hoped Rody would remain in the Sauron Kingdom. Even if he was unable to get Rody’s help, at the very least Rody would not become an enemy. However, Rody had already decided. When King Sauron saw this, he had no choice but to let Rody go.

On the eve of the departure, King Sauron hosted a banquet at the Royal Palace.

Before the start of the banquet, the King sat at a side hall solemnly. He played with a strangely shaped, sharp dagger in his hands.

"Looks like the plan at the Dwarven Kingdom has failed." The King sighed, looking melancholic.

"Your Majesty." Sith stood there, his face full of wrinkles. His hand was kept behind his sleeves. He slowly said, "The God’s Record has been destroyed. Although this did not bring us any benefit, the plan still had us managed to obtain ironwood."

The King shook his head. The ironwood was a secondary objective to him. He looked at Sith and asked, "You said Rody has lost his Domain Powers. Are you sure about this?"

Sith pondered for a moment and replied, "Until now, I still cannot remain calm when I recall what happened that day…People who possess Domain Powers were truly powerful. I have fully felt that way then. After the battle against the Hakone Serpent, Rody seemed to have really lost his combat effectiveness. Right now, he is simply just a high ranked warrior! I initially thought he would recover but that day when he fought at the dwarves’ River Home, he showed weakness…His power had been lost inexplicably!"

The King squinted as if thinking deeply. His gaze turned cold. "If…" he started in a low tone, "if I want Rody to stay in the Roland Continent, do you any confidence?"

Sith’s expression turned stiff. His voice was dry as he asked, "Have you decided?"

"It is simple!" The King lightly said, "We and the Radiant Empire would not be friends forever! After the prisoners are returned, both sides will have no more reason to cooperate. Now, they also have gained control of Roland warships. The Lightning God’s Whip is not frightening. The frightening one is that this elite troop is controlled by a legendary Commander."

Smiling, the King continued, "You have also obtained information of the civil strife in the Radiant Empire. Their Emperor is currently dependent on the Duke of the Tulip Family. If the Duke dies in the Roland Continent, our powerful enemies in the South would be in confusion for several years.

Sith sighed and replied, "This would certainly be good for us…However, I have two doubts."

"Is the first doubt Rody’s fearsome strength?" The King laughed.

Sith’s expression remained serious as he said, "You did not see what happened that day! Rody was like a monster that could create miracles! I cannot even imagine what other things he cannot do…" Sith recalled the time when Rody was spellbinding. His crazy appearance and the fact that he blew up an entire mountain made Sith feel hopeless and afraid. "Your Majesty, I admit that I have great fear in my heart. However, I can guarantee you that you would be even more afraid than me if you were there!"

The King stopped smiling and replied, "I respect you, Master Sith. I am not laughing at you. I also believe your doubts are justified…but…" The King laughed bitterly. "At present, this is our only opportunity."

His gaze turned cold as he said, "According to our intelligence, the Duke of the Tulip Family, Rody, does not have any descendants. If he dies…the sword above our heads, the future threat of the Tulip Family, will be eradicated!"

Sith sighed as he looked at the King. He immediately replied, "Your Majesty, we are taking risks!"

The King shook his head and asked, "What is your second doubt?"

Sith helplessly said, "That is the reaction of the Radiant Empire!" He paused for a moment and his brow wrinkled as he said, "Right now, our biggest enemy is the Temple! I believe you are also not keen on having the Lightning God’s Whip trying to take revenge from the sea while you fight the Temple. Now they have 800 Roland warships!"

The King narrowed his eyes. He faintly smiled and silently murmured. "An angry Lightning God’s Whip hellbent on revenge. That is truly a terrifying force…but…"

He opened his eyes wide to look at Sith and said, "What if this vengeance was not directed at us but the Temple?"

"What do you mean?"

The King seemed to laugh as he said, "Think of a way to give away the envoy’s position to the Prime Minister. I am sure the Temple would soon receive the news and another assassination would take place. Could the Duke of the Tulip Family deal with a Dragon Paladin without domain powers?" The King then sighed and looked at Sith. "I know you currently have a somewhat good opinion of Rody, but I hope you remember this. Our mission is to revive the ancient Empire! Both of us are under that compulsion! This is also something you need to do…After all, the Black Veil Saint is by Rody’s side!"

Sith sighed and did not say anything as he glanced at the King. The atmosphere at the hall felt constrained.

At the same time, there was a similar atmosphere at the Prime Minister’s house. There was a candlelight swaying in a dark room.

The palm of the old Prime Minister was like a withered tree trunk. That hand slowly stroked the chair as he hesitated, not knowing what to say.

"Just speak directly." There was a tall figure. That figure was Concubine Ruolan. At that moment, her fat face had a disdainful smile.

The Prime Minister finally became resolute and looked at Concubine Ruolan. It was definitely not the kind of look a father would give to his daughter.

"I need you to help me do one thing!" The Prime Minister’s voice sounded earnest.

Ruolan coldly replied, "If I am not wrong, this should be the last time!"

"Yes!" The Prime Minister slowly said, "Once this is done, your family’s promise would be fulfilled! You would no longer need to take orders from me!" After pausing for a while, the Prime Minister said, "If you succeed, I can guarantee that the Temple will withdraw the prohibition of your family that was in place for hundreds of years!"

"In other words, I don’t have to continue pretending to be your daughter?" Ruolan sneered. "I also no longer need to be the concubine?"

The Prime Minister sighed. "I know you are still sore from me marrying you off to the King years ago. But, you also know that the King had just ascended the throne. I also needed to get the rights. Marrying you off to the King was an inevitable necessity!"

"This is nothing." Ruolan’s tone was very flat. "I owe you a debt. Naturally, you have the right to ask me to do anything for you! But, you best remember your words! This is the last time!"

The Prime Minister nodded his head and then said, "The King would not let Rody return from the Roland Continent so easily! I believe he should have also found out about my allegiance with the Temple. So, he would send news through me and have the Temple assassinate the Radiant Empire’s envoy…You…"

"You want me to kill Rody?" Ruolan frowned.

"No," the Prime Minister replied, "someone will come and do that. The Temple will send their own Paladin…The King would also most likely send Sith. They would join forces. The weakened Rody would not be able to ward them off even if he has the Black Veil Saint by his side."

"What do you want me to do?"

The Prime Minister slowly said, "Ensure Rody’s safety! If there is an opportunity, kill that old sorcerer Sith! Or maybe that dispatched Paladin. It doesn’t matter which one you kill."

Ruolan was not surprised at all. She looked very unconcerned about the Prime Minister’s demands. "Is that your request? Then I will promise you that!"

She paused for a while, then looked at the Prime Minister and said, "Kill Sith or the Paladin. Now I am curious. Aren’t you supposed to be on the Temple’s side? Why aren’t you protecting the Temple’s interest wholeheartedly?"

The Prime Minister sneered, "What’s wrong? Are you not certain about this task? Or could it be that you are not confident in dealing with Sith or the Paladin?"

"What a joke!" Ruolan glared and replied, "Who do you think I am? I am Ruolan Sky! The descendant of the most powerful Paladin in the history of the Roland Continent."

"I believe in your strength! After all, you are the only person with the strength of a Paladin other than those in the Temple." The Prime Minister laughed and continued, "I will also keep my promise. After this is over, you are free! You no longer need to take my orders. I will ask the Temple to restore your family’s powers!"

In the raws and literal translations, it would be human rights. However, these people are dwarves. Since the discussion should involve both humans and dwarves, I decided to call it people rights.There is a "Twenty-One Demands" in the real world. It involved Japan giving China a set of demands in 1915.我是若兰.天 in the raws. Ruo Lan.Tian. Tian could mean Sky/Day/Heaven/Season and a few others. The only name worthy word for it would be Sky. Meanwhile, 天烈Tian Lie was translated as Sky, the fat Paladin Rody met many chapters ago. The 'Lie' part could mean strong/violent/staunch. At the time Tian Lie appeared, I named him Sky in accordance with all the English-like names that appeared such as Nicole. On top of that, Chinese surnames are supposed to come first (assuming it is Chinese) This makes Tian Lie ‘right’, but Ruo Lan.Tian ‘wrong’. As this seems to be a one-time thing, I will leave the names as they are.