Chapter 370: Compromise

"Are there any particular things I need to be aware of, Master?"

"Just ensure the conflict does not affect any benign intelligent creatures. Apart from that, you have free rein to use any means necessary." Muria stood up and walked to the entrance of the palace he was currently in, looking down at the bustling, flourishing city below.

No matter the ruler, even those from the dark races dwelling underground, they enjoyed building their palaces grand and tall as symbols of their power. From within, they could easily look down upon their subjects and savor the taste of supremacy.

"I understand."

"Start with the city at my feet," Muria said indifferently. "You should sense that this city harbors many of your kindred mixed within. Take control of them all, and kill any who refuse to submit."

"They are but lowly lesser devils, Master. I will not disappoint you." Miles, who had initially thought he was summoned for some arduous task, was visibly pleased.

Regardless of the rank among devils, due to their strict hierarchy, their desire for power is no less than their pursuit of strength. Now, Miles had gained the authority he had long dreamed of.

"Good, I'll introduce you to some people," Muria said as he activated a ring on his palm that he had not worn for more than half a month. By emitting a specific frequency, he sent out a summons.

Quickly, within less than ten breaths of time, one after another translucent silhouette emerged from the air. They were the managers of various intelligence systems established by the Scarlet family's generations of monarchs, maintaining absolute loyalty to the royal house.

For now, Belladian had ordered them to temporarily pledge allegiance to Muria. But Muria did not fully trust these individuals—or, to put it simply, aside from a few special groups, he hardly trusted any humans.

What followed was introducing these intelligence chiefs to Miles to avoid any mix-ups later. After that, Muria would no longer concern himself with the matter; he only wanted results.

Muria trusted deeply in the operational capabilities of a great devil on the verge of becoming legendary. Dealing with intelligent creatures and tricking them into selling themselves and even helping to count the money was a fundamental operation for every great devil.

Meanwhile, as Muria diligently handled governmental affairs, pondering how to eliminate the oppressive policies and miscellaneous taxes in the kingdom of Lohman to foster greater prosperity...

Represented by Elyse, the delegation of Dorel elves had returned to the newly established capital of the kingdom of Medis, meeting with the Dorel Queen Delilah. They reported everything they had seen and heard in the capital, not hiding anything from her and the elves' elders who watched with ill-intent.

Queen Delilah and the former matriarchs of Dorel, now reduced to elders, listened to Elyse's account, their expressions growing increasingly grim.

"After the ceremony, I wanted to leave immediately, but I was stopped by an envoy from the Gold Dragon Duke." Elyse stood in the somber, exquisitely decorated council chamber, her expression composed as she recounted her experiences.

"Then Duke Muria summoned me with ten ancient dragons." As Elyse spoke, an uncontrollable fear appeared in her eyes—fear of being killed by the ancient dragons at any moment, her life hanging by a thread.

The elder, suppressing her resentment towards the black-skinned bitch sitting above, wondered how she could have ended up in such a terrible situation.

And as Elyse narrated with a hint of trepidation, laughter filled with schadenfreude echoed around her. This was typical of Dorel elves: among their own kind, there was only exploitation, enslavement, and oppression; sympathy was superfluous.

"What did he tell you?" Queen Delilah, now sitting up straight, her expression dark, asked.

"Duke Muria asked me to deliver a message to you." Even though Elyse had imagined a thousand and one ways for Delilah to die, she remained extremely respectful on the surface, conveying all of Muria's words and terms, even mimicking his tone perfectly.

"He wants me to tribute fifty thousand elemental water crystals every year? Outrageous," Queen Delilah said, her face already dark, now twisted in fury.

Queen Delilah flew into a rage, her legendary presence bursting forth, causing shockwaves that made the former matriarchs in the great hall look rather unwell, while all elves in the castle who felt this pressure knelt down, trembling.

"To think that ten ancient dragons could make me submit?" Queen Delilah's delicate features twisted slightly as she clenched the arms of her throne, made of high-grade transcendent metal, twisting them out of shape.

Such a scene made the legendary Dorel elves below tremble with fear. Knowing that elves are not known for their strength, if their

 queen was this powerful, how much more formidable must they be in other aspects they truly excel in?

"Queen, it's not just the ancient dragons, but also the fourteen legends that the kingdom of Lockman itself possesses," Elyse added, pulling out a gem that recorded the potentially lifelong nightmare scenario from her perspective.

The magic and mental power simultaneously triggered the engraved image in the gem, recreating that scene in the central council chamber of the Scarlet Palace within this dark subterranean palace.

The black-haired, golden-eyed youth sat high on the throne, with various ancient dragons in human form flanking him on both sides. Below them were the fourteen legends of the original kingdom of Lockman—a total of twenty-four legends, not only lifelike but also carrying a part of their legendary aura, appeared in this dark underground realm.

Whether intentionally or not, the image created by Elyse's magic positioned Duke Muria on the throne, looking directly across at Queen Delilah of the Dorel elves, even slightly higher, with the twenty-four legends forming a semi-circular formation around all the legendary Dorel elven elders.

"Duke Muria!" Queen Delilah stood up, staring intensely at the youth on the throne, who appeared to look down at her with a hint of mockery in his eyes, as if Muria was truly present and looking down on her with that dismissive gaze.

"Elyse, that's enough, put the image away." One of the elven elders, unable to bear the pressure of being surrounded and looked down upon by twenty-four legends, immediately shouted out, finding the sensation unbearable.

"Your Majesty?" Elyse ignored the shouting elder. "If we refuse the tribute, we should prepare our forces now to defend against an attack from the kingdom of Lockman."

"You all go and prepare fifty thousand units of resources, then send them to the surface," Delilah instructed, her gaze sweeping over the many legends around the young duke, taking a deep breath to suppress the humiliation in her heart as she glared hatefully at the illusory Muria. "Let's endure in silence for a few years; he won't be the regent duke for long."

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