This lich needs more money

The dwarf wanted to come to talk to him, which was unexpected by Amber Xiu.

There are only a few days left for the formal negotiations, so why is this Hoffman Iron Fist suddenly coming to visit? He knew that the elves lived here, so he wanted to reach a consensus before the formal talks.

This seems to be correct.

The most feared thing about a negotiation is that it will collapse. When the two parties do not have any tacit understanding, it is easy to get into an argument and say something extremely irreversible and stupid, which will delay the negotiation for a long time.

Hoffman Iron Fist's visit this time must be to confirm the bottom line of both parties with Catherine, so that he can maintain restraint during formal talks.

Probably.

Amberxiu didn't take it too seriously. After preparing Catherine's future as a social animal, he knew that the elf queen would not be in any danger, at least until the end of the war.

In this way, you can relax a little, and the rest can be done step by step, and fate will arrange everything.

Hoffman Ironfist seemed to be in a hurry. After sending the message of his visit, he arrived in front of Amberxiu's castle within a few hours.

Huggie Stone, a vampire, also arrives with Hoffman Ironfist as a middleman.

Amberxiu and Catherine received the group of dwarves politely.

I don’t know if the effect of the weaving of fate is too good. Catherine has now begun to take on the role. She doesn’t look like an elf queen, but like Ambrose’s assistant.

When Hoffman Iron Fist saw Catherine coming out to greet her, his expression changed wonderfully. He whispered to Heki Stone: "Isn't this Elf Queen fake? She is greeting her with your friends. We don’t seem to be following etiquette, right?”

But Huggie Stone shook his head and said: "I don't understand the etiquette of the elves, but you told me that this is a fake elf queen. How beautiful is she really?"

Hoffman Iron Fist couldn't help but look at Catherine a few more times, and could only admit that his old friend was right. Such charm cannot be fake, otherwise the elves would not have to fight at all, and if more elf girls were sent out for a few rounds, the continent would be unified.

But Hoffman Iron Fist was still keenly aware that something was wrong. Queen Catherine was too close to the lich, completely inconsistent with normal social distance. Doesn't it mean that the height of the high elves means the height of arrogance? The undead should be the race they dislike the most, right?

Although full of doubts, Hoffman Ironfist still remembered his purpose.

Find a way to get Catherine to leave this lich castle and let the elves fall into the trap again.

Hoffman Ironfist tried hard to stay calm and followed Amberxiu into the castle.

As always, Amber Xiu brought out boiled water to entertain everyone, saying that the lich usually didn't need to eat or drink, so he didn't prepare anything.

Huggie Stone looked at Amberxiu with great disgust. He originally wanted to get some blood here, but you, a lich, don't prepare drinks and exquisite snacks. You don't even have fresh blood? Is this a trick? !

Amberxiu ignored Heggy Stone's resentful look. It's not like this vampire is the protagonist today. Why is he so disgusted? Doesn't he mind if he doesn't look at the King's Hand or the Elf Queen?

Hoffman Iron Fist took a sip of the tasteless water, and then took the initiative to say: "It's really rude to interrupt today, but the meeting is about to take place, and there was an accident that happened before, so I want to come to see Her Majesty Catherine in advance. On the other hand, I hope that the previous attacks will not affect our subsequent negotiations."

Catherine said calmly: "It was just an accident. Fortunately, with the help of Master Ultraman, the elves did not die. After treatment, they have begun to get better."

Not a single elf died?

Hoffman Iron Fist was a little disappointed. He only knew that Catherine was fine before, but he didn't know any more details.

A Gate of Hell was used as an ambush, but not even a single elf was killed. Isn't this three-headed dog family too useless?

Or... is this lich too strong?

Hoffman Iron Fist looked at Amberxiu who had turned into a human form. It seemed that he needed to reaffirm the true strength of this lich.

Amberxiu saw the deep disappointment hidden on Hoffman Iron Fist's face, but he didn't feel anything was wrong. Although the dwarves and elves have begun peace talks, their positions are actually still hostile. It is normal to be disappointed when they hear that no one from the other side has died.

Just like Ambrose had heard that Lane fought but kept winning, he would be very disappointed.

Amberxiu didn't want to waste time, so he directly suggested: "Mr. Hoffman, you just happened to be here today. Regarding some details of the negotiations, we can actually discuss them in advance. If we can reach a consensus now, by the time of formal negotiations, maybe It will be much smoother, what do you think?"

Hoffmann Iron Fist originally wanted to find an excuse, such as inviting Catherine to see their newly built palace to see if he could get her to leave the castle.

But Amberxiu suddenly said this, and he had no reason to refuse. After all, peace talks are a big deal. If you change the subject abruptly, you will easily be suspected.

"In this case, we can really communicate in advance. I am also curious about why the elves, who have always been indifferent to the world, suddenly sent out troops. The territory of Alchemy City should be of little significance to you, right?"

Facing Hoffman Iron Fist's questions, Catherine was well prepared.

"Actually, it's because the Alchemy City owes the elves a large amount of money. In recent years, the Alchemy City has been lending large amounts to foreign countries. For the sake of our neighbors, we have lent them a large amount of materials and gold. Who would have thought that the Alchemy City It will be destroyed overnight. In order to ensure the interests of our elves, we will take the initiative to send troops to get back what belongs to us from this land."

The secret of addiction cannot be exposed, so a justifiable excuse is needed, which the elves have already prepared.

Anyway, the Alchemy City is gone. It is the elves who have the final say as to whether they really owe money, and there is nothing anyone else can do to verify it.

"Is this the reason?"

Hoffman Iron Fist did not think too deeply about it, but it was a fact that the Alchemy City did experience a severe economic crisis before its destruction.

Although this reason sounds very reasonable, the people who owe money will not be wiped out for the country. It is a very reasonable situation to send troops to rob wealth.

Although the elves' previous actions were a bit strange, there was really nothing wrong with them.

Amberxiu saw that Hoffman Iron Fist seemed to accept this statement, so he agreed: "That's right, so the elves don't actually want to compete for this land, they just want to ensure their interests. I have already talked to Her Majesty Catherine , as long as they can ensure that they can recover their debts, the land elves in the Alchemy City can do without."

Hoffman Iron Fist nodded repeatedly. He didn't feel anything was wrong at first, but after hearing the last sentence, he suddenly became uneasy.

"Wait, what did you say? The elves won't compete with us for land?"

Hoffman Iron Fist really thought he heard wrongly. Isn't this what the dwarf kingdom wants most?

"We elves have always loved peace. War is just a helpless move. If the problem can be solved in other ways, we will not let the elves go to the battlefield. Every elf should live a happy and peaceful life."

Catherine said this with great sincerity, and it was indeed her truth.

If given a choice, the elves really don't like fighting. They would paint, play the piano, plant flowers and drink tea at home every day. That would be so happy, but the damn addiction to magic has ruined everything. Fortunately, a solution was now found, and Catherine almost immediately decided to call a truce.

Hoffman Iron Fist found it unbelievable. Is it really that simple?

So all those previous calculations were in vain?

The dwarf kingdom was afraid that it would not be able to defeat the elves, so it used various means to weaken the elves, hoping to seize more land in advance to facilitate their immigration.

As a result, the elves didn't compete with them at all, they just wanted money?

It's easy to say, the dwarf kingdom lacks everything except money. They can dig out a large amount of gold from the underground civilization ruins every year. The desert dwarves have the most gold on the entire continent.

"If this is the case, Your Majesty Catherine might as well tell you the price. When we occupy the entire Alchemy City, we will consider repaying this amount to the Alchemy City."

Although Hoffman Iron Fist's words sounded very insincere, and what did he mean by considering paying back the money, Amberxiu and Catherine both heard what he really meant. The Hand of the King has moved his heart, and he really wants to use money to solve problems that can be solved with money.

The reason why it is ambiguous is that it is the basic rule of negotiation. Don't say anything to death. Now we are just talking about our intentions. When the contract is officially signed, we will naturally not think about it, but write down the repayment details clearly.

Catherine glanced at Amber Xiu, as if she was asking what the appropriate price would be.

When designing this excuse, the elves casually made up an astronomical number. In fact, they wanted to use this number to silence everyone and prove that it was imperative for the elves to send troops and that this battle would not be possible without fighting.

But it would be inappropriate to reveal that made-up number now, and the talks would probably collapse again.

Therefore, Catherine couldn't help but look at Amber Xiu. This lich was so good at "doing business". He should be able to compile a reasonable number so that this war could be quickly settled.

Hoffman Iron Fist discovered Catherine's little move. The elf queen's behavior was too strange. He didn't know how much money the Alchemy City owed. Look what the lich did.

Amberxiu reacted the fastest in this regard. As soon as he felt Catherine's eyes, he understood her thoughts and said to Hoffman Iron Fist, who was already suspicious: "That's it. In order to quell this war, I I have already persuaded Her Majesty Catherine to lower her demand for repayment. But I didn’t have time to tell you at that time. Now that Her Majesty Hoffman has mentioned it, let me tell Her Majesty Catherine the debt owed by Alchemy City.”

What a liar. This lich is willing to help lower the price in advance. Hoffman Iron Fist doesn't believe it at all. He should act as a middleman to make the difference.

Hoffman Iron Fist said with a slight sarcasm: "Ultraman Master, you have really paid a lot for this peace negotiation."

Amberxiu didn't care about the ridicule at all, and replied seriously: "There is no way, for the sake of peace."

"Okay, tell me a price so I know how much you paid for this?" said Hoffman Iron Fist.

"The City of Alchemy... has borrowed a total of 10 billion gold coins from the elves, and has also owed a large amount of magic materials for many years, almost 100 million per year, which adds up to 10 billion gold coins. They even borrowed money from the elves. The artifacts, and because of the disappearance of the Alchemy City, these artifacts were also lost, and these losses are not insignificant."

The more Catherine listened, the more she felt something was wrong. Isn't this the reward paid to him by the elves? The lich exaggerated the figure ten times and requoted it? Won't it make the dwarves angry? Even the elves cannot accept this price. Who can come up with so much cash?

But after hearing this, Hoffman Iron Fist did not immediately turn his face, he just frowned and thought about it.

If we only count gold, 20 billion gold coins would be a huge thorn in the side of the Dwarf Kingdom, but it’s not impossible to get it out even if you grit your teeth. If this amount of money can really be spent to avoid the war with the elves, this transaction cannot be said to be a loss.

The real problem is the lost artifact of the elves, and this dwarf cannot replace it for them.

Amberxiu seemed to have seen through Hoffman Iron Fist's thoughts, and continued: "I have discussed the loss of the artifact with the elves. I will work for the elves as a legendary mage for a long time, as a countermeasure to the artifact. make up for it."

Although Hoffman Iron Fist was shocked, he couldn't believe it.

"Master Ultraman, although you are a legendary mage, but let me put it bluntly, how many years of work will you have to do before you can compare with the lost artifacts of the elves?"

Amberxiu said confidently: "I have been invited by the president of the Alchemist Council, and he hopes that I can join the Alchemist Council. I also have the title of a famous scholar in the Alchemy City, and my papers have been published many times. Published in "Legendary Curse". I am not an ordinary legend, nor an ordinary lich, I am a research scholar. The elves have recognized my ability and think I can help them create new artifacts. Don't believe it If so, you can ask Her Majesty Catherine for her opinion."

Catherine almost broke her own teeth. She was obviously working as a prostitute, but in this Lich's mouth, it turned out that he had wronged her and worked for the elves.

The key is that I have to cooperate with him in lying.

Seeing the suspicious look in Hoffman Iron Fist's eyes, Catherine could only echo and said: "Yes, Master Ultraman's wisdom is amazing, and we are very confident that we can create a new artifact."

Hoffman Iron Fist was really shocked this time.

He felt that he had overestimated Amber Xiu's strength, but he didn't expect that this lich was even more outrageous than he imagined.

Being able to create an artifact... Even the legends in Alchemy City couldn't create any artifact, so how could this lich do it?

If this lich can be made to work for the dwarves, can it also create an artifact for the dwarf kingdom?

Maybe we can resist the invasion of the Lion Empire!

The death line in the desert is not 100% safe. If the Lion Empire does not give up and breaks through the death line and continues to invade, then the dwarf kingdom will have no way to retreat.

When he thought of this, Hoffman Iron Fist felt a little moved.

Perhaps, we can also strengthen cooperation with this lich.

Still a four thousand word chapter