Chapter 454: Victory Banquet
Inside the Brass Palace, fire dwarves played brass instruments while imperial officers and soldiers drank freely.
"Long live His Majesty Cassius!"
"The great red dragon!"
"Invincible in battle!"
The entire hall seemed to be filled with a lively atmosphere, carrying the scent of fine wine and roasted meat. The fire dwarves and imperial soldiers sang and danced, celebrating their shared victory over their enemy—the fire elementals.
The fire dwarf noble Shalin accompanied Cassius, raising his glass and saying softly:
"Your Majesty Cassius, you destroyed half of the City of Iron and killed the Emir of the fire elementals. Your strength truly amazes me."
"But..."
Shalin hesitated for a moment, revealing a bitter smile before continuing: "You've done so well that you may have drawn the attention of the Fire Elemental Grand Sultan."
Cassius raised his glass, took a sip, and responded with a smile: "Lord Shalin, I do not fear him."
"As long as the Grand Sultan does not act personally, no one can defeat me."
"With the Sacred Flame Prince still roaming the land, the Grand Sultan wouldn't risk being killed over a minor Emir."
"Since you've brought this up, let me speak frankly."
Cassius set down his glass and gazed down at the fire dwarf with his golden eyes, a meaningful look in them: "The ones truly in danger are you and your Brass Fortress."
Shalin's pupils contracted sharply, and the flames atop his head dimmed.
"The Emir sent by the Fire Elemental Sultan is dead. This damages his dignity, but he cannot retaliate against me."
"So... who will become the outlet for the Sultan's wrath?"
"You mean..."
Shalin's hand, gripping his staff, trembled slightly as he spoke hesitantly.
"The Brass Fortress."
Cassius's tone was resolute.
"Keep in mind, the empire's army has stationed itself within the Brass Fortress, and we've jointly fought off the armies sent by the fire elementals."
"The empire can withdraw from the Fire Elemental Plane at any time, but you cannot. The Brass Fortress cannot be moved, and the fire dwarves cannot abandon their homeland."
"Lord Shalin, I don't want to see the fire dwarves enslaved. That's why I'm warning you."
"It's a pity I didn't kill all those fire elementals at the time, or the news wouldn't have reached the Grand Sultan's ears."
Cassius gazed into the fire dwarf's eyes, gently shaking his head and sighing with a "sorrowful" expression.
Under the influence of his extraordinary charisma and persuasive words, every sentence sounded believable.
"This... this..."
Shalin's brass-formed body trembled slightly, as if he could already see a vision of the fortress being breached and his people enslaved and whipped.
Shalin had vaguely suspected this outcome, but hearing it confirmed by Cassius still shook him.
In truth, more fire dwarves were enslaved by the fire elementals than those who lived freely.
But Cassius then asked a seemingly unrelated question.
"Lord Shalin, how many fire dwarves were there in the Brass Fortress a thousand years ago?"
Shalin was confused but, after thinking for a moment, answered truthfully: "Around four thousand."
The slow forging process limited population growth, making fire dwarves relatively scarce. This fortress had already gathered a considerable number.
Cassius continued his questioning:
"And now? How many fire dwarves currently reside in the Brass Fortress?"
"Three thousand seven hundred and forty-one."
Shalin answered without hesitation.
Cassius feigned confusion: "Your kind lives long lives. Have there been no new births in the past thousand years?"
"Of course there have, but..."
Shalin's face turned bitter as he continued: "The fire elementals periodically send raiding parties to abduct my people."
Cassius calmly revealed the harsh truth: "That's exactly my point, Lord Shalin."
"The only reason the fire elementals allow the Brass Fortress to exist is because you supply them with fire dwarf slaves."
Shalin couldn't help but refute: "The fire elementals once tried to enslave our entire race, but they failed!"
"Because once enslaved, you refused to forge new offspring, isn't that right?"
Cassius took another sip of his wine before continuing: "They abandoned the idea of total enslavement because they wanted a steady supply of slaves."
He chuckled softly.
"Lord Shalin, do you know about a plant in the Material Plane called chives? Human farmers harvest it each time it grows, ensuring a continuous food supply."
The fire dwarf noble's beard trembled uncontrollably. He didn't want to believe it, but Cassius's words were dangerously close to reality.
"And now..."
"With the Grand Sultan's fury, do you think they'll still allow the Brass Fortress to stand?"
Cassius's voice was like thunder, each word striking Shalin's heart and breaking down his mental defenses.
Shalin remained silent for a long time before speaking softly.
"Then, Your Majesty Cassius, what should we do?"
A barely noticeable smile appeared on Cassius's face. He knew he had achieved his goal.
As long as he convinced the fire dwarf noble, everything else would fall into place.
"The Ember Empire."
Cassius casually uttered the name.
"You mean..."
The fire dwarf lowered his head, deep in thought, his expression hesitant. But eventually, he raised his head and gritted his teeth.
Shalin watched Cassius nervously and cautiously said: "If that's the case, then thank you for your offer, Your Majesty Cassius."
"But I must decline. The fire dwarves will never become anyone's vassals or slaves. It was true thousands of years ago, and it will remain true thousands of years from now."
By the end, the flames on his head flickered violently, but his tone was resolute.
Fire dwarves were famously stubborn, rarely changing their decisions.
"Bang!"
"How dare you!"
The half-red dragon Serkan, who had been listening nearby, slammed the table and shouted angrily.
"His Majesty is offering the fire dwarves such a precious opportunity, and you dare not cherish it?"
"To reject His Majesty Cassius is to make yourself our enemy!"
Instantly, the imperial officers and soldiers in the hall stood up, aiming their rifles at the fire dwarves with hostile expressions.
"What are you doing?"
"The fire dwarves will never be slaves!"
The fire dwarves grew angry, picking up their copper hammers and iron shields and confronting the imperial soldiers.
The tension in the hall was palpable, as if the smallest spark could trigger an explosion.
But Cassius waved his hand, calmly ordering: "What's all this? Put down your guns."
Hearing the emperor's command, the imperial officers and soldiers quickly lowered their weapons.
Cassius nonchalantly patted the fire dwarf noble's shoulder and said with a smile: "Lord Shalin, I believe you misunderstood me."
"I meant that the Ember Empire could be a steadfast ally of the fire dwarf city-states."