Cassius gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.
Yet his gaze swept past the envoy toward the dozens of chests of gold behind him.
Burly ogres hauled the crates with visible strain, loading them onto a waiting steam locomotive nearby—a novel mode of transport that had already seen application across several regions.
Even the ogres felt the ponderous weight of the chests and vaguely guessed they were packed with gold, but the presence of the red dragon crushed any idle thoughts.
"Not bad."
"Two million gold coins indeed. It seems your sincerity exceeds my expectations."
Sahiset pulled out a silk handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead, raised his scepter once more, and bowed.
"Of course. His Majesty attaches the utmost importance to your empire and hopes we can establish peaceful, friendly relations. That is precisely why he dispatched me here."
"This is the sincerity of the Kingdom of Thrace, and the sincerity offered by His Majesty Wilhelm."
Before his voice had even faded, Sahiset drew a pre-prepared parchment scroll from the inner folds of his robe and slowly unfurled it.
Inscribed upon it were lines of magically bound script in Common. The general terms were simple: the Kingdom of Thrace and the Cinder Empire would enter into a peace treaty, agreeing to mutual non-aggression for the duration of one year.
Yet Cassius's eyes darkened, and his Frightful Presence radiated outward like a physical force.
"Playing tricks on a treaty... is hardly wise, is it?"
"As a scion of Aragorn I, does your monarch lack even the most fundamental integrity?"
"Your Majesty, what do you mean by..."
Sahiset's hands trembled like sieves, sweat pouring down his face.
Inwardly, he cursed their king for trying to be clever, resorting to such a scheme to safeguard the kingdom's territory.
"Where are the Katepa Hills I asked for?" Cassius asked point-blank.
Sahiset forced himself upright and answered, "Your Majesty, the Katepa Region is far too barren and desolate, hardly befitting such a momentous treaty. Perhaps we could compensate through other means..."
"Enough," Cassius said coldly.
"You think I care about the land itself?"
"The Cinder Empire will never allow any nation to hold it by the throat."
"If the Kingdom of Thrace is unwilling to surrender the Katepa Region, I would sooner forge a military alliance with the Kingdom of Cassander and seize that land from your hands!"
Cassius paused briefly, slowly raising his massive body from the audience hall floor, a savage grin curling upon his snout.
"When that time comes... you will lose far more than just the Katepa Region. You will lose two-thirds of your territory north of the Radiant Mountains."
"Y-Your Majesty, appease your wrath!"
A gale generated by the dragon's aura surged forward. Sahiset tumbled backward with a heavy thud, and the treaty in his hands dimmed abruptly before instantly disintegrating into ashes.
"Y-You misunderstand! It is truly a misunderstanding! That was not the final treaty, merely one of the proposals offered by the Kingdom of Thrace!"
Flustered and frantic, he fished another parchment scroll from his robes, held it high, and hurriedly unrolled it.
This time, the terms were clearly stated:
"The Kingdom of Thrace cedes the Katepa Region to the Cinder Empire."
"Signatory: Wilhelm Aragorn."
"Your Majesty, this is the true treaty of our Kingdom of Thrace!"
In truth, while Wilhelm and the Thracian ministers placed little value on the barren Katepa Region, neither were they keen on surrendering it lightly.
Doing so would not only damage the kingdom's prestige, but also allow the Cinder Empire to pose an even greater threat to them.
Thus, they had prepared alternative treaties, instructing Sahiset to argue firmly in an attempt to preserve the kingdom's borders and keep hold of the bottleneck leading into the Great Anzetta Waste.
Now, seeing that persuasion was hopeless, Sahiset finally brought out the final draft.
"Your Majesty... what do you think?"
"Not impressive," Cassius sneered.
"Befitting former Fadlanians—arrogance bred right into your bones. Concocting multiple treaties just to dupe me... did you truly believe the empire wouldn't dare wage war against you?"
Sahiset hastily defended himself. "Certainly not, Your Majesty! We have always upheld the principles of peace and good faith toward you and..."
"Heh. Do you really think I know nothing of the situation in the south?"
Cassius cut him off once more, advancing step by step.
"I hear your front lines are in dire straits. Under the assault of General Teymur of the Kingdom of Cassander, your armies have retreated over a hundred kilometers to the north, losing several cities in succession, with even your royal capital under threat."
"So tell me..."
A colossal shadow engulfed Sahiset.
"Thrace is already in such a pathetic state. Who gave you the audacity to bargain with me?"
"..."
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty..."
Sahiset's lips trembled.
It was a long time before he scrambled up from the ground with great effort, straightened his robes, and asked cautiously, "Th-then what further demands do you have, Your Majesty?"
Cassius replied calmly:
"Fortunately for you, your luck is quite good. Dissatisfied as I am with your arrogance, I have no desire to see the Kingdom of Cassander emerge victorious either."
"You should thank me. My demand is actually beneficial to you."
Sahiset was utterly bewildered, but could only hold his tongue and wait.
Finally, Cassius's voice rang out.
"Aside from the sovereignty over the Katepa Region stipulated in the contract, you must also purchase arms from the empire."
"Once the transaction is concluded, I will naturally sign this treaty."
Before his words even settled, the treaty lifted from Sahiset's hand and drifted before the red dragon.
Immediately afterward, under the escort of the tiefling honor guard, Sahiset and his diplomatic delegation were ushered out of the audience hall.
"This way, please. His Majesty has already made arrangements."
Strangely, the guards originally stationed at the altar marched away in orderly formation.
Walking along the road, Sahiset still felt lingering dread over the red dragon's terrifying might and overbearing demeanor.
Yet confusion nagged at him, and he asked Dayev beside him, "Why would he demand that we purchase weapons?"
"I thought... His Majesty would simply demand more gold coins."
Dayev remained silent for a long moment before tentatively venturing:
"Perhaps..."
"...he truly wants us to win?"
*Boom!*
Suddenly, the earth beneath their feet convulsed violently.
A low, rumbling groan tore through the ground as plumes of dust billowed, followed by a long, resonant draconic roar echoing from the sky.
Sahiset spun around instinctively. The area where the Grand Altar of Isdalia had stood was shrouded in dust and soil, yet within that swirling veil loomed an immense dark silhouette.
As the dust slowly parted, an even more unbelievable sight unfolded before their eyes—
The ground in the distance had abruptly surged upward nearly a hundred meters, forming an imposing raised terrace that hoisted the entire grand altar into midair, enabling anyone within Isdalia to look up and behold that great pyramid.
And atop the altar's peak stood Cassius, staring indifferently down at the earth as though he had merely performed a trivial parlor trick.
At this moment, it was nothing short of a miracle.
"Long live Emperor Cassius!"
"Long live the empire!"
"Behold His Majesty's mighty power!"
"Holy crap?! This faction leader can handcraft world wonders from scratch?!"
Across the city of Isdalia, humans, monsters, and players alike gazed up in awe at the wonder of the "floating altar," their voices rising in wave after wave of cheers.
Sahiset stared dumbfoundedly at the spectacular sight, completely paralyzed with shock.
As a wizard, he naturally understood that altering the environment on such a scale was at least a ninth-tier spell—yet that emperor had manifested it with effortless ease, barely expending any energy at all.
This was individual might pushed to its absolute zenith.
"Amaunator above..."
"Thank goodness... thank goodness we concluded a peace treaty..."
After a long silence, Sahiset patted his chest with lingering fear, inwardly thanking his stars that he hadn't acted rashly back there.
Chapter 387