Chapter 466: Ceasefire
The Sultan fixed his gaze on the red dragon, gritting his teeth as he finally spoke, "Cassius—what exactly do you want?"
Without a doubt, he was at an absolute disadvantage in this negotiation.
He had to admit, the red dragon had chosen the perfect moment to strike.
The fire elemental kingdom was currently facing a crisis, and any external interference could lead to irreparable damage—especially from a dragon.
Cassius nodded slowly, smiling as he said, "Good, Your Majesty. It seems you've accepted my second proposal."
The red dragon flapped his wings and sighed dramatically.
"Ah, see? We could have avoided all this trouble if you'd agreed earlier. I've always believed that matters resolved at the negotiating table don't require unnecessary bloodshed."
He paused for a moment before adding, "Unfortunately, your subordinates don't seem to understand that."
Enhanced by [Silver-Tongued], his words carried a persuasive tone, though beings like the Sultan, with pseudo-divine power, weren't easily influenced by charm.
The Sultan's eyes blazed with fury as he growled, "Enough, Cassius!"
"Your pretense makes me sick! State your terms and leave the fire elemental plane!"
Cassius wasn't offended by the insult; instead, he found it amusing.
Still, he had no intention of truly angering the Sultan. Forcing a being with pseudo-divine power to go all out would be a costly mistake.
The red dragon politely bowed his head before extending a single claw.
"A hundred wishes per year—considering you rule tens of thousands of fire elementals and control most of the fire elemental plane, that shouldn't be an issue, right?"
"Are you joking?!"
The Sultan was first stunned, then enraged.
In his fury, he slammed his ethereal staff into the ground, creating massive craters and fiery cracks radiating outward.
The earth trembled beneath his wrath, and flocks of firebirds scattered in panic.
How dare the dragon make such an outrageous demand!
Not every fire elemental could cast wishes—only those powerful enough to garner the attention of the plane's consciousness had this ability. Even fewer had access to three wishes.
Among the tens of thousands of fire elementals he ruled, only a few thousand Malik-class giants could cast wishes, and they collectively produced around nine hundred wishes per year.
And that was already a terrifying figure.
The fire elementals' ability to grant wishes allowed them to forge alliances with archdevils and elemental princes, cementing their dominance over the elemental planes and earning them the reputation of "demigods" among mortals.
For the Sultan, even these wishes were precious.
And yet this dragon dared to demand a hundred of them annually!
In return, all the dragon offered was a ceasefire and non-interference in the war—a nearly costless exchange.
"Dream on!"
"The Fire elemental Empire will never agree to such unreasonable terms. If you're trying to provoke me, then let's go to war!"
Though furious, the Sultan remained rational. If the dragon joined the fray, he would be forced to sacrifice some key assets.
Cassius remained calm, his expression unchanged. He stroked his chin with his claw as he thought:
"As expected, it's a no."
He had no intention of waging war against the fire elementals.
This was a millennia-old empire, ruled by a being with pseudo-divine power. A full-scale conflict would overwhelm the still-developing Ember Empire.
His initial demand had merely been a ploy to gain more leverage—a classic example of the "door-in-the-face" technique.
First, propose an extreme demand, then follow it with a more reasonable one to increase the chances of acceptance.
With this in mind, Cassius offered a slightly apologetic tone. "My apologies, Your Majesty. Perhaps I was a bit too ambitious."
"Let's adjust that to fifty wishes per year, and I'll also provide you with a shipment of military arms."
"..."
After a long silence, the Sultan finally spoke again. "Red dragon, your greed surpasses even my wildest expectations. Not even an archdevil would dare demand a hundred wishes per year."
"How about this, Your Majesty? I'll present you with just three conditions."
Cassius locked eyes with the Sultan, his tone firm and resolute. "First, provide the Ember Empire with twenty-five wishes annually for at least ten years."
"Second, purchase military arms from the Klaubow Arms Corporation using a substantial amount of elemental ore, generating revenue equivalent to five million gold denars."
"Third, lease the cities of Brass Bastion, Cast Iron City, and Black Iron City as concessions under Ember Empire jurisdiction."
"And that's my final offer."
"If you can't agree to this, it means you have no genuine desire for a ceasefire, and I'll have no choice but to support Prince Zaman Ruhl."
The firelight reflected in Cassius' pale golden eyes, capturing the imposing figure of the Sultan.
"How dare you!"
"Red dragon! How dare you speak to my lord this way!"
Before the Sultan could respond, Ismail stepped forward, angrily berating Cassius.
But Cassius ignored him completely.
He was waiting for the Sultan's decision. From his perspective, the weakened Pasha had no place in these negotiations.
The Sultan remained deep in thought, weighing the pros and cons of the offer.
Meanwhile, Ismail glared at the enemy as he summoned ranks of fire elemental soldiers, who nocked their arrows and aimed at the red dragon.
On the opposite side, the imperial army positioned itself behind Cassius, raising their firearms and silently aiming at the colossal figure of the Sultan.
"..."
The already scorching air grew tense, as if on the verge of exploding.
"Enough."
"I accept your terms."
The Sultan's expression darkened, and he spoke each word with deliberate weight.
At this critical juncture, it wasn't worth risking further losses to provoke an ancient dragon.
Cassius beamed, nodding respectfully toward the massive red giant. "Excellent, Your Majesty."
"Sign this contract, and everything will be settled. All past grievances will be forgotten, and the Fire elemental Kingdom and the Ember Empire will embark on a brighter future together."
Cassius gently waved his claw, and the power he had gained from the elemental plane manifested in midair, forming fiery runes imbued with contractual magic.
Ismail trembled with rage, but he didn't dare speak.
After all, this power originally belonged to him.
"Come, Your Majesty."
Cassius willed the fiery contract to float before the Sultan's projection.
The towering red giant extended a finger and imprinted his will onto the contract.
"Buzz—"
Crimson light pulsed through the runes as the plane itself trembled, bearing witness to the pact's formation.
The Sultan's face was as dark as ever. Through gritted teeth, he said, "In all my thousands of years, I've seen countless dragons. But you are the greediest one I've ever met."
Cassius nodded again and smiled. "Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty. It's simply the nature of a red dragon."