Chapter 363: Ch

“And what about you, Elder of the Mountain Dwarf Clan?”

The elder, upon hearing this, paled slightly—though outwardly he maintained a neutral expression, hiding his thoughts as he cursed internally.

What is this fool talking about? Asking me to drag my entire clan into a conflict he himself isn’t even sure they can win in the end?

The elder knew this wasn’t worth it at all…

He took a moment to think about what he should say!!

While he knew he couldn’t agree to what Flexi had proposed—even if additional benefits were offered—he also understood what those “benefits” would be. Raising his eyes toward Flexi, he knew they would only speak of the Holy Region in principle!!

And thinking about the Alchemy Association… they might very well accept it!! After all, the Holy Region held more value than anything the Star Empire could offer!!

So even if he agreed, whatever he would be promised was something not yet realized—and only if they succeeded would he or his clan ever receive it!!

And that… was not enough!!

There were too many uncertainties along the way, and he couldn’t see them being resolved easily!! Coming from a clan was very different compared to an empire or the Association!! They had far wider access to resources—something his clan simply didn’t!!

So he knew… this was something he couldn’t accept under any circumstances!!

But at the same time, he also knew he couldn’t just say it bluntly and throw everything away!! Worse, he couldn’t risk angering these two giants… who knew what consequences that might bring upon his clan!!

A bead of sweat rolled down his temple as he felt like he was walking a narrow path—on one side, raging magma… and on the other, a calm surface hiding a violent ocean beneath!! Falling to either side would be dangerous!!

But his stance made the other two—Flexi and the Association representative—frown, both shooting sharp, threatening glares at him!!

The Mountain Dwarf elder felt it clearly… where it was heading towards !!

I should never have come here with these people… led by greed, I made a foolish decision. And now these pieces of scum don’t even hide it… Pushing those thoughts aside, he knew he had to speak now—or things would only get worse!!

But the problem was… he didn’t know what to say…

“A-ah… well…” he stuttered slightly before steadying himself and speaking in a more normal manner, “Just like the Association representative… I will need to consult my clan… discuss this with the other elders… the supreme elders, and the patriarch… before I can say anything about it…” He chose a path similar to the representative—though notably, he didn’t ask for any additional benefits!!

Something both the representative and Flexi immediately noticed!!

And as astute as they were, how could they not understand? Not asking for anything didn’t mean the dwarf had nothing to demand… it meant he had no intention of participating at all!!

As if reading each other’s thoughts, both of them turned to look at one another—and saw the same spark in each other’s eyes!!

Nodding slightly, the representative turned back and spoke, his tone sharp “What is the meaning of this, Elder Dwarf? You are a high-ranking and respected member of your clan… are you not?”

The elder’s face tightened at the blunt tone. He knew exactly where this was heading… but still, he nodded. After all, he stood just below the three supreme elders and the patriarch in authority!!

Raising his eyebrows, the representative continued, “If that is the case… then why can you not make the decision for your clan? Especially when you stand to gain more? What is there to hesitate about… hmm?”

The elder’s face turned grim at those words!! He could clearly feel the force behind that tone…

And he understood what it truly meant— You will make the decision… right now.

Saying that, the representative looked towards Flexy and raised his eyebrow. Flexy, who saw this, though cursed in his mind, got what the representative was beckoning about and quickly said, as a matter of fact:

“Indeed, what is there to hesitate about? Clearly, this would benefit your clan at the end. And here I promise you, and your clan, that you will be rewarded for your effort, for it is not without its own cost!”

Saying that, Flexy tilted his hand and even slammed the table a bit forcefully. “So why the heck are you making such excuses, huh?!”

Even though the dwarf elder wasn’t personally sitting in front of the table himself physically, he could still feel the impact, even though he was in his flagship. Focusing on the matter, his already grim face became a bit red with embarrassment and fury.

But he controlled all of it and said, “It’s not like you all say. There are some rules that we obey in our clan, like your empire, Duke Flexy, or your association, Representative Kendal. Just as both of you have to get in contact with your emperors and superiors, so do I. And just because you say so doesn’t mean I have to.”

Not bothering to hold back as his anger took over his mind, he continued, “I have been giving you all face, but don’t take it for my weakness! You better know this—neither am I weak, nor is my clan beneath either of you. Small as we are, we are far more powerful than our size!”

“So I warn you, better behave with me! For I am not your subordinate, nor do you have any special right against me to speak like that!”

“And as for the rewards you speak of, you Duke of the Star Empire can keep them for yourself. Neither I nor my clan need them. The prospects and rewards of this mission—I leave them to you and the association.”

“This is it for my clan. We are pulling back from your alliance.”

“Have a good day, all of you.” With that, the holographic image of the dwarf elder vanished from there…

Leaving an awkward silence in the meeting room.

are he!!”

After a brief moment of silence, Kendal burst into a fit of anger, completely outraged.

Seeing that, Flexy could only shake his head, thinking that indeed they had pushed the dwarf elder too far. What had happened could only be attributed to both of them being rather stubborn. Though, deep down, he was somehow quite pleased by what had happened…

After all, he knew exactly why the dwarf elder had hesitated, and he himself had those same fears. So the more unstable things became, the better it was for him. With an excuse like this, he could pull away. And even if nothing happened, he knew the emperor would not be turning to him much now. Even if the emperor still wanted the Holy Region, he would have to deploy the empire’s legions, which would be led and commanded by his close aides.

And something told him that this was exactly what would happen.

But he wouldn’t concern himself with that for now. The opportunity was already lost, and even if somehow the Star Empire got it, it would come at a cost he thought wasn’t worth it at all. Rather, it could backfire.

Anyways, he thought, the real point of concern was what the emperor would do next.

He would, not now but eventually, make a move towards him.

“I think I should be prepared for that,” he muttered inwardly. “And if possible, let’s see if I can side with the noble families when the time is right.”

For that, he should start his preparations now. Those old fossils of the great noble clans weren’t fools, after all. They would know his intention of joining them if he approached too readily. Knowing his desperate need, they might ask for concessions he couldn’t give.

Though the situation wasn’t like that yet, nor was he desperate… who knew when that might change?

So he had to be prepared for anything that might happen.

Thinking all that, he turned to look at Kendal.

“Looks like we need to have a deeper discussion about how we proceed now. Now that the dwarf elder has made his intentions clear about pulling away, we need to calculate if this is possible for just the two of our factions. What will the cost be? Who knows what it might become? Whether we can bear it or not needs to be contemplated, Mr. Kendal.”

“So I say we should have discussions with our respective superiors, then rejoin again and see what we can make out of this situation.”

He let out a low sigh, one that showed how unconfident and tired he was now.

Though furious as he was, Kendal still knew how to make sense of the situation. He could only sigh and nod his head before his holographic figure vanished as well.

Meanwhile, the mountain dwarf clan fleet slowly began to pull away from the joint fleet, quickly entering hyperspace and disappearing from the star system.

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