I was a knight in the Middle Ages

Alpha picked up the teacup on the table, took a small sip, and the rising steam blurred his face.

After a moment, Alpha put down his teacup and calmly said, "No, this is the amount of resources I'm selling for 80% of the mining city's profits. If it's only half, then I'll only sell 40%, and so on."

His words were clear and logical, as if he had already considered all possible scenarios.

John Goosestone of the Thames family also spoke up, adjusting his glasses with a shrewd look in his eyes: "Alpha, how should we calculate the excess supplies?"

Alpha's lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident smile. He patiently explained, "Then let's reduce everyone's share proportionally, or I'll give up more shares."

His answer was impeccable, which made everyone even more wary of his business acumen.

Princess Frena, who had been silent all along, finally spoke. Her voice was clear and melodious, yet carried a hint of sharpness: "What rights can we gain if we provide sufficient supplies?"

Alpha looked intently at Princess Freyna and said seriously, "The simplest and most direct way is the priority allocation right to the mining city's products. If you get 30%, then you have priority allocation right to 30% of the output. You can sell it to yourself or to others."

As Alpha spoke, he gestured in the air, as if he could already see the scene after the deal was completed.

In the conference room, everyone fell into deep thought: where would this knightly transaction involving the mining city ultimately lead?

The crystal chandelier cast a cool halo of light on the conference room dome, and Alpha's slender fingers gently tapped the carved handrail.

A deep purple velvet cape slipped off her shoulders with her movements, revealing a dark-colored dress embroidered with silver iris crests.

When Arroni's provocative words stung his ears for the third time, Alpha suddenly chuckled, tucked his emerald-encrusted gold pocket watch into his inner pocket, and stood up, the spurs scraping sharply against the marble floor.

"Please take your time to discuss this." As Alpha turned around, the candlelight outlined the sharp contours of his profile.

"After all, the future of the mining town has never been decided by words alone." The heavy oak door closed behind him, shutting out the Montgomery family heir's suddenly raised voice.

The lounge's floor-to-ceiling windows face the boundless starry sky, and velvet curtains partially block out the moonlight.

Alpha leaned against the low couch covered with a Persian carpet, his fingertips tracing the rim of a crystal goblet, watching the Burgundy wine inside ripple with crimson as it swayed.

The distant clanging of metal from port cranes served as a reminder of the immense wealth this city churned in daily—the very source of the covetous eyes of various powers.

"Lord Alpha, Prince Hales, the Third Prince of Bulgaria, and Cabinet Minister Kabuschi of Romania request an audience." Mashu's hurried footsteps broke the silence; even his breathing was anxious. "Their guard, accompanied by thirty heavily armored knights, is waiting in the West Garden."

Alpha's pupils contracted slightly as he downed the glass of red wine in one gulp.

The mountains along the Bulgarian border are a vital passage connecting trade routes to Greece, while Romania's Danube River ports control the lifeline of maritime trade. The fact that these two powers are visiting together at this moment clearly indicates their unclear intentions.

Alpha rose and adjusted the lace scarf at his collar, the silver brooch gleaming coldly in the shadows: "Tell them to go to the second meeting room, tell the kitchen to prepare chilled Sicilian liqueur, and give them second-class hospitality."

The moment the carved bronze door was pushed open, the scent of roses and cedar wafted out.

Prince Hales of Bulgaria wore a scarlet robe embroidered with gold thread, and the double-headed eagle emblem on his chest almost pierced the silk.

The Romanian minister, Cabuschi, wore a mink cloak, and his eyes behind his glasses were like poisoned daggers.

Alpha bowed slightly, the sapphire hilt of his sword gleaming faintly in the candlelight.

&34;您的屈尊真是让寒舍蓬荜生辉。&34;阿尔法的声音如同裹着蜜糖的利刃，&34;听闻亲王殿下的铁骑上个月刚踏平了马其顿的铁矿？不知这次是否也带着同样的&39;友好&39;？&34;

Hales's leather boots pounded heavily on the Persian carpet: "What kind of bastard dares to talk about etiquette? While your father was kneeling in Constantinople, kissing the Sultan's boot tips, my grandfather's crown had already been passed down for three hundred years!"

The knights behind Hales simultaneously gripped their sword hilts, the metallic scraping sound particularly jarring in the deathly silence.

Alpha slowly straightened his back, his deep gray eyes flashing with icy coldness: "I am a viscount appointed by the Ottoman Empire, a count personally bestowed by the German Emperor, and the guardian of the millions of people in the mining city."

Alpha suddenly approached Hales, its aristocratic, cool fragrance mingled with the stench of blood wafting towards them. "If you two intend to cause trouble on my turf,"

Alpha raised his hand to indicate the densely packed convoy outside the window; "These armored vehicles, laden with weapons, could turn your countries into scorched earth at any moment."

Kabuschi's Adam's apple bobbed, finally breaking the silence: "We've come... regarding our knighthood."

Kabusch's gaze swept over the sword at Alfa's waist. "Perhaps we can sit down and discuss the possibility of cooperation?"

Alpha sat back down and gestured for the waiter to pour him a drink: "Cooperation? I like that word. But before raising my glass..."

Alpha swirled his glass, watching the liquid leave winding trails on the crystal rim. "I'd like to hear your sincerity first, and where your knights are," he said.

Alpha really couldn't understand where these people's so-called knights were.

Thunder roared outside the window, and torrential rain poured down, casting the arguments and conspiracies in the conference room into this long-brewing power struggle.

Kabuschi's trembling fingers traced the red circle on the sheepskin map, where the mining town's former weak points were marked in vermilion.

Alpha leaned back in the gilded, carved chair, his fingertips tapping absently on the lion head relief on the armrest as he listened to the two distinguished guests' stammering explanations.

Outside the window, torrential rain washed over the arrowheads on the city wall, turning the dark red bloodstains into eerie patterns.

"I originally thought your city defenses..." Hales' Adam's apple bobbed. "We've assembled five thousand elite knights, and we originally intended..."

"Want a piece of the pie?" Alpha suddenly chuckled, his voice echoing in the empty conference room.

Alpha rose and walked to the map, his crimson cloak billowing over the hanging Ottoman battle flag. "Now look what's happened," he said, "these five thousand knights have become your death warrant—after all, your treasuries probably can't support an iron cavalry that's been idle for half a year."

Kabusch broke out in a cold sweat, and his eyes behind his glasses darted nervously toward Hales.

Indeed, as this newly rich man said, both countries have devoted half of their military strength to the encirclement and suppression.

Now, not only have they suffered heavy losses, but they also face accountability from the domestic nobility.

If the situation is not handled properly, the shadow of a coup could loom over the palace at any moment.

"However, I have always valued harmony." As Alpha turned around, the candlelight illuminated a faint smile on his lips.

"Starting tomorrow, the two of you can choose knights willing to return home from the prisoner-of-war camp. But let me make this clear beforehand—" Alpha suddenly approached, and Kabusch could clearly see the flames dancing in his pupils, "None of those unwilling to leave can be taken away."

Hales clenched his fists, but when he saw the heavily armored guards that suddenly appeared behind Alpha, he forced himself to suppress his anger.

The Romanian minister bowed repeatedly, saying, "We are extremely grateful! We are willing to offer our eternal friendship!"

"Very good." Alpha sat back in his seat with satisfaction, taking a sip of the Sicilian wine.

"Tonight, I'd like to invite the two of you to the observation deck." Alpha gestured towards the window.

The distant defensive lines trembled under the artillery fire, and fireballs launched from the new catapults streaked across the night sky, illuminating the enemy camp as if it were daytime. "Let the two of you see for yourselves how the iron cavalry of the mining city crushes all invading enemies."

As night fell, on the observation deck, Hales and Kabusch gripped the railing tightly.

They watched as the knightly legions of the mining city surged out of the city gates like a black tide, the volleys of flintlock muskets weaving a net of light in the darkness, and the steam-powered siege engines roaring like monsters.

As the first enemy flag fell, Alpha turned and smiled, his teeth gleaming a chilling white in the firelight: "Remember this scene, you two—to be an enemy of the mining city is to be an enemy of the times."

As the moon hangs high in the sky and night engulfs the earth, undercurrents surge beneath the steel dome of the mining city.

Brigadier General Mu Nai gripped the gilded short gun in his hand, its brass barrel reflecting the cold moonlight.

As the signal flare tore through the night sky, the twelve cast-iron gates of the southern city slammed shut.

Amidst the roar of turning gears, three thousand heavily armored infantrymen stretched out like iron chains across the alleyways, locking all the fleeing enemies into this steel cage.

At the same time, Kuntei's berserk knights surged across the moat like a black tide.

The mechanical spider, crafted by dwarven artisans, rose slowly on steam, its eight steel limbs deftly scaling the ten-zhang-high city wall.

The moment the knights' warhammers smashed through the city walls, fire arrows pierced the sky, setting the watchtowers of the two northwestern cities ablaze.

Crimson flames licked the night sky, and smoke and shouts of battle spread rapidly.

At this moment, the mining city is like a piece of amber that has been split open, and the enemy is divided into three trapped pieces.

The remnants of the northern city army retreated to the armory and stubbornly resisted, relying on the mountains of gunpowder barrels piled up.

The enemy forces in the western city relied on the intricate network of mine tunnels to try and outmaneuver their pursuers.

The most desperate place is the southern part of the city. The once bustling commercial street is now just ruins, with charred beams and pillars lying crookedly on the piles of rubble.

Enemies who have lost their cover are like ants exposed to the light of day under the cover of heavy crossbows, and every struggle they make causes new blood to splatter.

The phosphorescent flames that exploded in the night sky dyed the clouds an eerie crimson-purple, and Mu Nai's gilded short gun spat out a seventh tongue of fire.

With the throat of the last enemy scout bursting, the street fighting in the south of the city was finally coming to an end.

Mu Nai leaped onto the clock tower, stepping on the scorching shell casings. Through his telescope, he saw Kuntai's Knights blasting the North City's gunpowder depot into towering pillars of fire, the scorching blast waves sending metal sheets flying like broken-winged crows across the night sky.

A sickening metallic scraping sound came from deep within the mine, as West City's mechanical spiders tore open the mine tunnel ceiling with their chelicerae.

As the first rays of dawn pierced through the smoke of battle, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from the ground.

The high explosives planted by the engineering battalion turned the entire mine into a boiling pool of lava, and the enemy soldiers who managed to escape were riddled with arrows by the prepared crossbows.

As the morning mist blanketed the scorched earth, the surviving warriors reunited before the ruins of the city lord's mansion.

Kuntai's armor was covered in dark red scabs of blood, yet he still laughed wildly, plunging his blood-stained battle axe into the ground: "These bastards will never imagine that the siege engines forged by the dwarves are actually mobile arsenals!"

Mu Nai wiped his short gun, gazing at the dawn breaking in the east.

Amidst the ruins, a few tenacious wild grasses sprout from the cracks in the scorching hot rubble, their blood-stained leaves swaying gently in the morning breeze.

The meeting room was filled with the acrid smell of gunpowder, and the sounds of debate crashed against the cracked walls.

Alfa pushed open the heavy oak door, the metal wrist guards scraping against the door frame with a harsh sound.

The twelve generals fell silent abruptly as they saw the flintlock pistol with a gear emblem engraved on the commander's waist—its barrel still emitting wisps of smoke.

"The mining city is under our control. You have three days to consider this." Alpha's gaze swept over the ashen-faced people in the conference room.

Suddenly, Alpha grabbed the oil lamp from the table. The flame cast his shadow on the wall, making him look like a giant beast with bared fangs. "Now, I'm going to get rid of those rats hiding in the cellar, gnawing on the corpses."

As the morning light gilded the crenellations of the city wall with silver edges, Alpha's black cloak fluttered in the wind.

Alpha climbed to the highest point in the western city, stepping on the gravel, while the plate armor of the thirty-two personal guards behind him made a series of crisp, rhythmic sounds as it struck the ground.

The mining city beneath our feet is still burning, with molten steel meandering down the streets like dark red streams, but it cannot conceal the crisscrossing giant smelting furnaces and spiderweb-like oil pipelines.

"See those still-cooled blast furnaces?" Alpha suddenly turned around, his finger tracing the towering steel behemoths in the distance.

"We can build an entire city here. The resources hidden in these ruins are enough to rebuild ten more." Alpha's pupils reflected the surging sunrise on the horizon. "Three months! Give me three months and I can rebuild the mining city!"

Before he finished speaking, the sound of hurried horse hooves came from afar.

The messenger dismounted and presented a secret letter sealed with the griffin emblem of the Greek battlefield.

The moment Alpha unfolded the letter, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly—the war in the Balkans had reached a critical juncture.

But Alpha simply tucked the secret letter into his robes, gazed once more at the ravaged city, and slammed his metal gauntlets heavily against the city walls: "Three months from now, this place will be an iron fortress that strikes fear into the hearts of all enemies!"

The morning glow was like blood, and the damp wind carrying the smell of rust swept through the camp.

The stars stumbled and staggered through the broken streets of the mining town, the hem of their cloaks stained with mud.

As Starlight grasped Alpha's black iron wrist guard, her fingertips trembled uncontrollably: "Lord Alpha, Darwin and Princess Frena have emerged from the underground ruins, and they request your presence."

The campfire crackled and popped, sparks illuminating the diamond-shaped mark between Alpha's eyebrows.

Alpha glanced at the guards wiping their weapons in the distance, then lowered his voice and ordered his adjutant: "Keep the news under wraps. No one is allowed to leave or enter the underground ruins area."