Traveling through the game world

"No! Absolutely not!" At this moment, in the Dark Elf Royal Palace, the Dark Elf Grand Elder Shaplen rejected Barn's idea without even thinking.

Barn smiled slightly, not angry, and said calmly, "Shaplin, you should know that it's not me begging you now, but you begging me for help. And these terms were personally stipulated by His Majesty Heinrich III; I have no authority to change them!"

Queen Maya of the Dark Elves was so angry that she rolled her eyes. From the time Lian Yang reported the intelligence that the dwarves were going to attack until now, only a day or two had passed. How could the emperor of the Delos Empire be so capable as to formulate so many terms? It was obvious that they had been formulated in advance, and many of the terms were clearly in the style of Barn himself.

However, Queen Maya of the Dark Elves could not say these words. The crisis of national extinction was imminent, and the Dark Elf Kingdom truly had no leverage to negotiate with Barn under the evil iron heel of the Dwarf Kingdom.

In fact, unlike the completely arrogant and conceited Dark Elf Grand Elder Shaplen, the Dark Elf Queen Maya had begun to worry that if the Delos Empire was not dragged into the abyss of war at the very beginning, then when the Dark Elves and Dwarves fought to the point of mutual destruction, would the greedy Delos Empire come along and become the beneficiary?

However, Queen Maya of the Dark Elves still wanted to try her best, and said with difficulty, "Your Excellency Barn, but your request is really too difficult for us. I hope you can change it!"

Continuing to smile calmly, Barn said lightly, "I really like the zither... This is..."

Before Barn could finish speaking, a report rang out: "Report! The dwarven forces have begun a full-scale advance on Dark City! The city guards have closed the gates."

Upon hearing this news, the Dark Elf Elder Shaplen and the Dark Elf Queen Mea were somewhat dizzy. In fact, they had been engaged in negotiations with Barn and had not had time to mobilize their troops. However, they did not expect the dwarves' attack to be so swift; the dwarves had already launched their attack the day after Lian Yang sent the intelligence.

After his initial shock, Elder Shaplen, the Dark Elf, said in a deep voice, "Issue a kingdom order to recruit adventurers into the army. Meanwhile, the first, second, third, and fourth legions of Dark City are to prepare for battle against the dwarf legion."

Despite the Dark Elf Elder's timely declaration of war, everyone present knew that this could only temporarily halt the dwarven kingdom's advance. Moreover, it was clear that, regardless of their reluctance, the war between the Dark Elves and the Dwarves was about to unfold within Dark City.

Since they couldn't keep the enemy out of the city gates, agreeing to Barn's previous conditions didn't seem so difficult. With that in mind, Queen Maya of the Dark Elves gritted her teeth and said, "We Dark Elves accept the conditions of the Delos Empire!"

“Alright!” Barn nodded and said, “Then I wish the Dark Elf Kingdom and the Delos Empire a lasting friendship! I hope you can hold on, the Empire’s reinforcements will arrive soon!”

In fact, the terms of the Delos Empire to the Dark Elf Kingdom were quite simple. The first one was that the Empire would receive 10% of the Dark Elf's annual tax revenue after the war, and this would be for 30 years. The Dark Elf gritted their teeth and accepted this terms.

The second condition was that the Dark Elf royal family send **** to the Delos Empire for study—in other words, as hostages. However, while enjoying the glory of royalty, they also had to bear certain obligations. Queen Maya of the Dark Elves nodded in agreement before the Dark Elf Grand Elder could even speak, though it was a painful decision.

The third point is even simpler: in order to maintain the lasting friendship with the Dark Elf Kingdom, the Delos Empire requested the establishment of a permanent embassy in Dark City, which was agreed to without much resistance.

However, the fourth clause was something the Dark Elves resolutely resisted. The clause was very benevolent: in order to prevent the evil dwarves from persecuting the kind Dark Elves, the Delos Empire decided to send a million troops to assist the Dark Elves in attacking the Dwarf Kingdom. At the same time, in order to prevent the kind Dark Elves from being invaded by other evil forces again, which would cause the Delos Empire's interests in Dark City to be damaged, the Delos Empire decided to station a million troops in Dark City free of charge.

Damn it, your Delos Empire has a million troops stationed in someone else's capital. No one can agree to that, because if this million-strong army were to break out in Dark City, even if it couldn't shake the rule of the Dark Elves, it would definitely lead to the division of the entire Dark Elf Kingdom.

Therefore, the Dark Elf Grand Elder Shaplen and the Dark Elf Queen Maya really dared not agree to this. Although the Delos Empire did not demand an inch of land from the Dark Elves, if the Delos Empire stationed a million troops in Dark City, the independence of the Dark Elf Kingdom would be completely destroyed, and it would be transformed from an independent kingdom into a vassal kingdom of the Delos Empire.

However, the sudden attack by the dwarven forces shattered the dark elves' illusions, because everyone knew that the million-strong army they could currently mobilize was simply not enough to stop the dwarves from storming Dark City. After all, the dwarves' forging skills were renowned throughout Arad.

The siege weapons of the Dark Elves are no match for those of the Dwarves, not to mention that while both armies number in the millions, the Dwarves have a super elite force of over a million.

Since urban warfare was unavoidable, it was also unavoidable that the Delos Empire's troops would enter Dark City on a large scale. Nobody believed that once the Delos Empire's army entered Dark City and fought, they would obediently leave.

Becoming a vassal kingdom is always better than losing one's country and being wiped out. Besides, the Delos Empire still nominally refers to the Dark Elf Kingdom as an independent kingdom, so it's best not to be too sentimental at this point.

Unlike the pessimistic mood of the Dark Elves, Barn was smug and self-satisfied. He knew the Delos Empire's reputation on the Arad continent was already utterly ruined. Moreover, with the current tense situation, if the Delos Empire attempted to forcefully seize the Dark Elf Kingdom, it would likely face a united attack from other forces and nations on the continent.

Therefore, although the Delos Empire had long coveted the enormous profits of Dark City, it didn't dare to directly send troops to attack the Dark Elves. Meanwhile, the dwarves, who had collectively taken brain-dead pills, had also collectively taken Viagra, and were frantically trying to attack the Dark Elves. This undoubtedly gave Barn and the Delos Empire an opportunity.

After leaving Dark City, Barn quickly located the Iron Wolf Army's base using the concealed markings left by Hyde. Looking at the almost undetectable military seals in the distance, Barn nodded in satisfaction.

The guards did not stop him when they saw that it was Barn, after all, Barn was the real commander of this unit, and Lian Yang was only a temporary one.

Upon meeting, Barn laughed heartily and said, "Good lad, you've got some skills. I didn't even notice the huge army hidden here from a distance."

With a chuckle, Lian Yang said, "The situation is too tense right now. We can't appear in front of the Dark Elves openly, so we have to be very discreet."

Nodding, Barn said, "I knew you were smart, kid. Looks like we're on the same page." It has to be said that Agamemnon admired Lian Yang's talent, while Barn admired Lian Yang's ability. You have to understand that even with Hyde helping out, it's not an easy task for a young man in his twenties to mobilize this million-strong army.

Barn continued, "I know you're quick-witted and full of ideas. What are your thoughts on the current situation in Dark City?"

“I need the latest intelligence on Dark City,” Lian Yang said. “Although I have already sent spies to investigate the situation in Dark City, they are definitely not as quick as you are in terms of information.”

"The dwarves have already begun their attack on Dark City." Barn nodded and said, his speed far exceeding that of ordinary scouts.

After pondering for a moment, Lian Yang said, "Wait! Wait until Dark City urges us to send troops, then seal off all news about the war between the Dark Elves and the Dwarves."

"Good!" Barn looked at Lian Yang with approval and laughed heartily, "I never realized that you, Lian Yang, who have always been helping the residents of Arad, could have such a ruthless side."

"I'll take that as a compliment!" Rolling his eyes, Lian Yang said, "It's not that I'm being sarcastic, it's just that the Empire's strategy towards Dark City cannot be disrupted, and the short-term losses to Dark City will bring long-term stability. It's a worthwhile trade. In the end, Dark City is a big piece of meat, but it's obvious that the Dark Elves can't hold onto it."

Barn said, "That's what I admire about you, kid. You always see further than others. I think you know from seeing this million-strong army that even without the dwarf invasion, our Delos Empire was already preparing to take action against the Dark Elves. It's just that our reputation would be even worse then. And you're right, the faster we resolve the Dark Elf royal family issue, the faster Dark City can return to peace."

"You two sinister bastards!" Hearing Lian Yang and Barn's various schemes and tricks, Hyde, who was outspoken, launched a verbal attack.

"Haha..." Although Baron and the others were not of a high enough level to participate in the discussion of the battle, as the leader of the core members of Lianyang, they were still granted special permission to enter the main tent of the military camp. When they heard Hyde's outspokenness, they couldn't help but laugh.

"Haha..." Led by Baron and the others, all the officers in the camp burst into laughter at the sight of Lian Yang and Barn's embarrassed expressions.

After the laughter subsided, Barn said seriously, "Quiet. I think everyone knows how important this battle for Dark City is, and you have all witnessed Lian Yang's abilities. I hereby appoint Lian Yang as Chief of Staff of the Iron Wolf Army, responsible for the strategic planning of this battle, and appoint Hyde as Deputy Commander of the Iron Wolf Army, responsible for all military operations in this battle."

"Yes!"

Everyone knows Lian Yang's abilities, so no one is jealous of him being given the position of chief of staff. They're also not worried about him causing any problems, since there are many other advisors below him. He's just needed to develop the strategy, while the specific tactics will be devised by the specialized advisors.