Chapter 455: Alliance with the Fire Dwarves
"Your Majesty Cassius, what do you mean by this?"
Shalin's eyes were filled with confusion, and disbelief spread across his brass face.
The fire dwarf noble had hesitated for a long time before firmly rejecting the proposal, fully prepared to face the red dragon emperor's wrath. But unexpectedly—there was still a turning point.
Cassius nodded slightly.
"That's right—an alliance."
"An equal partnership, a mutually beneficial relationship."
"Rest assured, Lord Shalin, the empire will not be like the fire elementals and go back on its word. I can even sign a contract with you."
"Can you elaborate on that?"
Shalin asked cautiously, his face full of surprise.
An alliance of equals.
A mutually beneficial partnership.
He could hardly believe it—these were terms proposed by a proud dragon emperor.
Cassius responded in a calm tone: "The empire will send troops to help you defend against the fire elementals' invasions."
"Meanwhile, we will sell you advanced weapons and various imperial goods without imposing any taxes."
"But as a foundation for this cooperation, you must allow the empire's army to be stationed in the Brass Fortress and pay a certain military fee."
"You must also allow imperial merchants to summon and hire fire dwarves to forge items, but don't worry—they will pay you adequately in dinars."
"We will need a leased area within the Brass Fortress for the Ember Empire, where we'll establish an imperial embassy to handle affairs between the empire and the fortress."
Cassius waved his hand lightly, and flames gathered mid-air, forming a magical contract. Its terms were clearly laid out, matching exactly what he had just said.
"This..."
"Your Majesty Cassius, are these the only conditions?"
Shalin asked in disbelief.
The reason was simple—
To him, this was a completely fair treaty! The fire dwarves might even gain more benefits!
Opening trade routes, paying for military protection, allowing the empire to hire workers, and establishing a leased area and embassy—
These were new but perfectly normal affairs from his perspective.
There was no forced labor, and most importantly, no infringement on the authority of the fire dwarf nobles or interference with his rule.
Could it be that this seemingly ruthless dragon emperor was truly a peace-loving ruler?
At least for now, the terms seemed entirely favorable for the fire dwarves.
Thinking of this, Shalin lowered his head and spoke with a tone of gratitude and slight guilt:
"I apologize, Your Majesty."
"I misunderstood you earlier, thinking you intended to enslave us. Thank you for your great kindness."
"I must say—you are the most tolerant and benevolent ruler I have ever met."
Shalin raised his staff, signaling the gathered fire dwarves to come behind him. He then solemnly declared:
"Your Majesty Cassius, under these conditions, the fire dwarves of the Brass Fortress are willing to become loyal allies of the empire."
"We will wield our hammers and use our unique craftsmanship to forge the finest items for you and your people."
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Behind him, the fire dwarves struck their shields with their copper hammers, creating crisp echoes.
They cheered loudly, the flames on their heads blazing brightly, making the air in the hall even hotter.
After this discussion, the banquet resumed and continued until the next morning. The excited fire dwarves drank heavily, boasting and playing drinking games with the imperial soldiers.
Thus began the cooperation between the Ember Empire and the fire dwarves.
Fire Elemental Plane, Burning Wasteland.
Cassius lay in his massive dragon form on a hill of dark brown basalt, gazing at the orange-red sky.
The fire elemental energy within him continued to gather, and the dragon crystal on his chest flickered faintly.
The half-red dragon Serkan arrived by Cassius's side and knelt partially.
"Your Majesty, I'm here."
Cassius nodded slightly and praised him: "You did well—there wasn't a trace of pretense."
This was all part of his plan.
One played the "bad cop," the other played the "good cop," leading the fire dwarves to accept the treaty.
But Serkan hesitated for a moment before asking:
"But, Your Majesty, I still don't understand. The terms you offered the fire dwarves were far too generous."
"They only have a few thousand people and occupy a small fortress. Why should they be treated as equals to the empire?"
Cassius simply smiled and asked, "Have you read the empire's officially published "Treatise on Colonization"?"
Serkan's face flushed slightly, but he answered truthfully: "Apologies, Your Majesty. I haven't had the chance to read it yet."
Cassius continued: "If we were truly equals with the Brass Fortress, then yes, this would be a fair treaty—with military collaboration and mutual tax exemptions."
He paused, then grinned and exhaled a breath of sulfurous smoke.
"But when there's a significant power imbalance between the two parties, a so-called 'equal treaty' is nothing but a joke."
"By granting the empire garrison rights, they lose control of their territory. By granting the empire trade rights, they lose control of their economy. By allowing the empire to hire fire dwarves, their people become slaves to imperial capital."
"And those fire dwarf nobles will become loyal puppets of the empire."
"This is what the empire's scholars call 'neo-colonialism.' It's far more effective than direct enslavement. The Brass Fortress will become the empire's first stronghold on the Fire Elemental Plane."
"I see..."
Serkan lowered his head in thought, carefully processing the emperor's words.
On the surface, the treaty granted both parties equal rights, but due to the fire dwarves' underdevelopment, they would never be able to implement those rights equally. Instead, the treaty would open up the entire fortress to the empire.
Cassius stretched his body and slowly stood up from the basalt hill, spreading his broad wings.
"Go now, Serkan. If you wish to become the empire's governor on the Fire Elemental Plane, study these matters thoroughly."
Serkan's spirits soared at Cassius's words, and he quickly knelt and lowered his head.
"Yes, Your Majesty! Thank you!"
"Governor of a colony" was a somewhat unfamiliar term.
The Ember Empire had always managed the Anzeta Wasteland through a vertical governance system, with local officials having limited autonomy.
But now, Serkan had a new goal—to help His Majesty Cassius manage the Fire Elemental Plane!
The red dragon nodded slightly before powerfully flapping his wings, creating a gust filled with ash and embers as his massive body soared into the air.
Subjugating a few thousand fire dwarves was a minor task for him. His true focus lay on the vast, plane-spanning fire elemental empire.