vncnus Page 294
Page 294
There's no need to continue the exchange then. It means the other party is determined to renege on their debt. The rest is up to the kingdom and the diplomatic mission. His Highness is not someone to be trifled with, and he will surely issue a strong condemnation of the dwarves throughout the continent, destroying the reputation the dwarves have built up over thousands of years.
Unexpectedly, Tulu, standing in front of him, nodded quite "sensibly":
"Of course I know that."
“The Kingdom of Kur is behind the Mino Warrior. Since the secret weapon cannot be delivered to the Mino Warrior himself after its development is completed, it is just as good to hand it over to the human kingdom that is of one mind with him. In the end, this is just an order. Once the ‘deposit’ has been paid, there is no reason not to fulfill the contract if the contractor is not present, not to mention that there is a legitimate agent in the process.”
Seeing Erwin's increasingly confused expression, Tulu let out a sneer:
"Don't worry, no matter what, we dwarves would never tarnish our reputation and ruin our biggest livelihood."
“Then I’m a little confused.” Erwin was even more puzzled: “Dwarf King, what is your reason for refusing to fulfill this contract?”
"It's also because of credibility," Turu said casually, watching as the human envoys slowly fell into the trap he had carefully set.
"Credibility?"
Erwin was completely bewildered. If Turu wasn't referring to the dwarves' reputation, then could it be...?
“Of course, it’s the reputation of your human kingdom!” Turu said calmly.
"The contract we made with the Mino Warrior was indeed the most important and unique order for our dwarf race—"
"What's special is that the delivered item is a strategic weapon whose power and destructiveness far exceed the imagination of any living being on the continent, and can even easily destroy the Savage Forest!"
“There’s something you might be misunderstanding: it seems that the main parties to this secret weapon contract are both the hero Mino and the human kingdom.”
"But that's not the case. The dwarves made a pact with the 'human kingdom led by the hero of light, Mino'!"
"You should also know how glorious, righteous, iron-willed, and indomitable that strongest hero in human history was. He was like an eternal day that swallowed the darkness of the earth, carrying a magnificent aura that awes people—the dwarves believed in that kind of hero of light, not the human kingdom!"
"And now, with the hero Mino absent, we're handing over such a terrifying strategic weapon to you... who knows where you'll use it?"
"If a ruler with wicked intentions obtains such a weapon, it will only bring disaster to the entire continent!"
"how come……"
Irwin was shocked. In his panic, he realized that things were far more complicated than he thought.
They initially thought the greater good was on their side, but now it seems that with the Mino Warrior absent, the dwarves have a perfectly legitimate reason to suspend the execution of the contract!
He quickly explained, "King of the Dwarves, our Prince Ota is absolutely a brave and benevolent ruler. He would never misuse strategic weapons, but would only use them in the war against the demons and in saving the Mino heroes—please believe in the kingdom's justice!"
"Moreover, it's not only Lord Mino, the Hero of Light, who deserves the dwarves' trust; there are countless other bright and virtuous high-ranking humans like him in our kingdom:"
For example: the radiant and powerful King of the Kingdom, Chief of the Morning Star, Lak; the benevolent and compassionate Pope Brad, who loved all people during his lifetime; the selfless and dedicated Duke of Moss, who abandoned evil and promoted good; the great nobleman, Grand Duke Radiant, renowned throughout the kingdom for his prestige and justice; and now, the rising light of humanity, the tree of wisdom—the great scholar, Astrid of Royal Gate!
"Each of them is a nemesis of darkness, whose light is in no way inferior to Mino's!!!"
"Moreover, with the leadership of Prince Ota, a great king who is devoted to the people, wise and selfless, and who has transcended the base desires of humanity, the human kingdom will absolutely not go astray!"
"Your Majesty, the Golden King, please grant us your full trust," Erwin pleaded earnestly, racking his brains.
However, these words were exactly what Turu had anticipated. He looked at Erwin with a half-smile and said:
"I can trust the credibility of your human kingdom."
Tulu then pulled out a contract radiating an aura of authority from his robes and waved it in the air:
"But is it really possible for us to trust the credibility of your kingdom?"
Erwin froze, his gaze falling on the contract, and instantly broke out in a cold sweat: "This...this is..."
"Isn't this contract between you and the dragon clan the biggest betrayal you've ever made against the hero Mino? It's full of lies, and even I want to stand up for that innocent hero of light."
“This…” Erwin hesitated.
"Furthermore, isn't the shortage of ironware in your kingdom a direct result of the madness of that Sage of Weapons, which caused chaos in the capital?"
"Uh……"
"Furthermore, I heard that you recently experienced a political upheaval within the palace. The one who acted willfully and almost like a tyrant was none other than the wise and mighty king you spoke of, wasn't he?"
"Moreover, I heard that he even considered making a fictional songstress his queen?"
"No, this..."
"Therefore, I have ample reason to be skeptical."
Looking at the speechless Erwin, Turu posed a question that seemed to come from the depths of his soul:
"—Your king isn't just a simple pervert, is he?"
Chapter 426 Hero x Sister! The Final Battle of the Dwarves!
Under Turu's sharp words, Erwin ultimately suffered a series of defeats.
"This is troublesome..."
Whether the dwarf king is sincere or harbors malicious intentions, it is no longer a simple matter to demand that the dwarves fulfill their contract.
The atmosphere in the arena suddenly became intense, and even Erwin's back was soaked with sweat.
Wait... It's burning hot.
Erwin suddenly raised his head, and the next moment, his eyes bulged out.
In the blink of an eye, Shana had already half-sat up from the ground, her hand on the holy sword, ready to make her move!
"—Hero Shana?!"
Irwin cried out in alarm. Although the negotiations had almost broken down, he could never have come up with such a radical solution.
He could even vaguely guess Shana's thought process: in the heart of the Savage Forest, drawing his sword against the Dwarf King... just thinking about it was so cool.
"Shana, calm down!"
Fortunately, Jenny reacted quickly and grabbed the knife handle firmly.
With a sudden chill, almost instantly, Tulu felt an incredibly terrifying energy and aura lock onto him, causing his expression to change slightly.
What's going on? Shouldn't the strongest title among human heroes be "Light"? How come the power of this Calamity Hero seems even stronger than Mino's from a few years ago?!
Strength is the key to everything. Tulu remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he became wary.
He knew perfectly well that a hero chosen by the kingdom and the goddess could never be a hot-blooded brute; there must be someone like Ota guiding him behind the scenes.
So Turu remained seated, refusing to believe that the brave man before him would actually dare to cleave him in two with a single blow.
Sure enough, the humans in front of them were still putting on their clumsy act:
"Jenny, don't stop me! That secret weapon is my last hope to save my brother, and I can't possibly give up now!" Shana said stubbornly.
"I don't believe you! Your upturned lips and fighting spirit clearly betray you!" Jenny exclaimed in shock.
"Heroine Shana, stop! We can't let your title deteriorate any further!" Erwin cried out in anguish.
Shana turned around and looked back: "Is there really such a good thing?"
Despite her words, Shana still put down the holy sword in her hand, her shattered red eyes turning to Tulu, her words revealing arrogance:
“You are right, King of the Dwarves. The kingdom is indeed not what it used to be without my brother’s holy light. But the gift of fate has already been marked with a price elsewhere. With my brother’s demise, I was born, the crimson hero, the lawless darkness of the kingdom! The root of all chaos… I am worthy of that world-destroying glory. In the name of Rek, I will not fail the trust of the dwarves!”
On the Mithril Plain, Tulu frowned inwardly, not quite understanding what he was hearing.
Fortunately, Manuel, who was behind him, was a competent translator. He leaned close to Toru's ear and said:
"Chief, she means... she can completely replace the Mino Warrior and guarantee the proper use of the weapon."
Tulu's eyes suddenly froze.
Unexpectedly, the hero before me, like Mino, possessed boundless wisdom, so keenly perceiving the key to breaking the deadlock:
That's right.
There was another human among them, who shared the same luminous bloodline as Mino and possessed considerable influence within the kingdom.
The girl before me wasn't boasting out of vanity; she was defying me.
Unfortunately, the kingdom's new hero is the younger sister of Mino, the dwarf benefactor.
She happens to be Mino's younger sister, and she occupies the most respected and beloved position of hero in the kingdom.
Neither of these two identities is particularly significant on its own, but when combined, they become a game-changer!
In a sense, Shana completely replaced Mino's role in the contract, and was even more stable: in order to rescue her brother, this heroine with both strength and prestige would never allow the weapon to be misused, making her arguably the most reliable link in the chain.
"Yes!"
After Manuel and Thuru's insightful explanation, Erwin and Jenny, who were standing nearby, suddenly realized what was going on.
"As expected of the hero, your actions are indeed full of careful consideration!" he praised.
"Shana is amazing, was this all part of your calculations?!" Jenny looked at her with admiration.
Shana fell into deep thought.
“In that case, there is only one way to ensure the contract continues to be fulfilled as scheduled.” In the Mithril Wastes, the voice of the Dwarf King Turu became serious and left no room for argument:
"Regardless of which side is right, the victor possesses the right to interpret and govern the contract: you emissaries of the human kingdom, I need you to demonstrate to me and to the Savage Forest your ample capacity and ability!!!"
"Dwarf King, do you mean...?" Elwin's expression hardened.
"Naturally, a duel will be held, and the outcome of the duel will determine whether the contract continues to be fulfilled!"
Tulu provided the answer:
"Given the current ambiguity of the contracts, I think the only way to resolve our current situation is to add new contracts."
"The victor takes all, the loser bears the consequences—the scales of victory will naturally determine the true ownership of the secret weapon... I think even if the Hero of Light were present, he wouldn't deny the necessity of this battle."
A dazzling golden light shone from Tulu's body, and he suddenly exuded an intense aura, like a battle-hardened warrior!
not good--!
Erwin instinctively wanted to refuse.
You must understand, the man before you is the leader of the entire dwarf race, a powerful warrior with savage blood! It is said that, when clad in powerful armor and weapons, the dwarf king Turu's combat strength rivals that of the Frost Dragon King Calest! He is one of the strongest warriors on the entire continent!!!
Right now, even with Shana's incredibly powerful strike, it's hard to say whether the outcome of a duel against such a formidable opponent is certain.
Not to mention that Shana will be completely incapacitated after that one strike: even if the dwarves are allies, they would never expose such a deadly secret to the other side!
"Wait a minute, Dwarf King!" Erwin rushed forward to try and stop him.
"His Highness the Prince decreed before his departure that no violence should be used on this trip, and strictly forbade Hero Shana from taking action outside the country's borders. Therefore, we cannot easily participate in your duel—"