Chapter 187:

As Murphy had predicted earlier, when Marshal Loren, representing the Goldflower Kingdom, engaged in diplomatic talks with him as the lord of Transia, the topic of that batch of Computation Beads was unlikely to be brought up. After all, the means by which Marshal Loren had acquired those beads at the time were not entirely aboveboard. The core bead in Murphy’s possession even had a glaring “Loot” tag on it. Since both parties were thieves, it would have been better to let bygones be bygones. However, unexpectedly, the half-dwarf opposite him mentioned the matter without any concern. This fellow really lacked discretion and had a truly narrow perspective! “It seems the continental legends about dwarves being narrow-minded are all true! Who knows if this guy has a book of grudges in his hands?” After a moment of contemplation, Murphy responded in kind without any courtesy, maintaining a slightly stiff smile: “Hello to you too, shorty!” “?” Marshal Loren, on the other side of the spirit projection, was completely stunned. His eyes widened as if struck by lightning, while Tris, who was maintaining the spirit projection, laughed hysterically, her entire body shaking with the effort to contain her laughter, her enchanting expression contorted. “Hey, hold it steady! Why does the image keep flickering?” Murphy called out with a ventriloquism. Tris rolled her eyes and said, stifling her laughter: “My technique is steady. The problem is on the other side. It seems the destructive power of your joke is truly immense! Oh my, today I finally learned how to make a dwarf hold a grudge against me for a lifetime with a single word.” “What the hell kind of address is that! Take it back!” Marshal Loren shouted, somewhat flustered, his mustache bristling: “You are provoking a dwarf! No, you are provoking all dwarves! You must apologize for the dignity of all dwarves offended by that damned word! You are instigating a war you cannot possibly win!” “You said that word yourself. It has nothing to do with me.” Murphy maintained the iconic posture of a certain commander, with his elbows on the table and his interlaced fingers pressed against his nose. He steadied his mind and said to the other party: “It was your subordinate who warned me in advance not to say that word in front of you. You know, I racked my brains for a long time to come up with a replacement word. So, are we going to continue arguing over some trivial matters, or start discussing business, Marshal?” “You stole 3,000 Computation Beads from me, enough to equip a legion!” The talks began so explosively that Marshal Loren simply dropped all pretense. He took out a pipe, clenched it between his teeth, and assumed the posture of a big shot, saying to Murphy: “And that core bead prototype our country obtained at a tremendous cost, the very thing hanging from your chest. Murphy, you must compensate for this! Until this condition is met, I refuse to engage in any diplomatic negotiations with you. Don’t think that ‘Acting Governor’ title of yours can intimidate anyone. The cost for the Pioneer Army to cross the Transia border and overthrow your little faction is nothing more than a sincere letter of apology written by my subordinates and sent to the Winter Palace. All I need to do is sign it. You! Young but cunning and evil vampire, you need to recognize your current strength. You and your little domain are just a small problem that can be solved with a mere ‘military conflict’.” “You can certainly say that. With your position and the power you wield, you have enough confidence to make such threats to me. Then let’s do this: have your army set out right now!” Murphy waved his hand and said: “I await in Crimson Citadel to become the ‘military conflict’ you speak of. But I hope you are prepared to directly trigger the ‘Third Night War’ before making your decision. Because in addition to being the governor of the Transia region, I am also the first in line to inherit the Blood Vulture Clan and have already reached a strategic cooperation with the Thorn Clan. At the same time, a vanguard of the Blood Pact Knights is crossing the Foul Swamp. If you have heard even a bit of stories related to the blood clans from old Edward, you should know what the combination of these three factions means. Your any irrational act is not only bullying the weak Blood Vulture Clan but also slapping Lord Payne in the face. Of course, I also admit that I am now pretending to be powerful by borrowing the prestige of the lord. The lord may not necessarily fly into a rage over the destruction of Crimson Citadel. Perhaps the Thorn grand duchess will only lament that I inadvertently angered the great Marshal Steelheart, leading to my self-destruction. All of this could happen. But until they truly occur, the hidden danger in your heart cannot be eliminated. So the question is, will you start another war for your king now when the Black Disaster is about to erupt? Are you such a madman who indulges his emotions to the detriment of important affairs?” Murphy spread his hands and said frankly: “If you are, then we don’t need to continue this verbal sparring! See you on the battlefield. Do you know what vampires and barbarians, both abundant in the land of Transia, have in common?” This speech did not conceal Transia’s weakness and even carried a hint of helplessness and tragic desperation. But when it was spoken by Murphy, the acting governor, even the dismissive Marshal Loren had to seriously consider the implications within those words. He puffed out a smoke ring and stared at the excessively young and handsome vampire in the image. The spirit projection maintained by three Spirit Masters had a frighteningly high resolution, allowing the marshal to clearly see Murphy’s eyes, the red glints within the black. Like a dancing flame. This vampire sissy doesn’t seem to be joking, and his decisiveness when issuing threats is more like a genuine dwarf. “Heh, you’ve mastered the art of borrowing the tiger’s prestige, but a fox will always be a fox. Don’t bring out your underhanded cleverness that can’t be presented in public!” The half-dwarf marshal’s aura did not yield in the slightest, but he very smoothly changed the subject, saying: “My friend old Finoch died in your place. This greatly saddens me.” “Who caused his death?” Murphy retorted: “In addition to the 50,000 Pioneer Army troops, there should be an equal number of border guards in East Prussia and the Anju region, right? A large portion of them were ‘puppet troops’ you incorporated during the Ten-Year War. They were originally local legions of the Portia Federation. They were part of the forces used by this country to defend against the Black Disaster. Now, as the governor of Transia, there should be no legal issues with me taking back their command in the Black Disaster war, right? If you are unwilling to let go, I can even sign an agreement with you. After the Black Disaster ends, if you want those puppet troops back, I can return them to you!” “Those newly formed border guard legions are indeed a problem. Their loyalty, will, and combat readiness are no different from refugees. Especially the military discipline problem is as disgusting as a group of gnolls. If you really want them, it’s not impossible to give them to you.” The half-dwarf marshal pondered for a moment and said: “I have a requirement. Those people can be under your control, but I will dispatch a group of professional officers to train and command them. You must not interfere with their wartime command under any pretext and be responsible for their supplies, Murphy. You are not a soldier. It’s best for an outsider like you not to meddle in such professional matters. This is advice from a marshal.” “Agreed!” Murphy agreed to this harsh condition without hesitation, but the next second, he haggled: “My territory lacks various supplies. I need military support, but I know you won’t give me anything too good. So when those border guards are dispatched, bring their weapons along as well. At least don’t make me issue each of them a wooden stick to charge into battle. That would be a bit too unseemly. Even if they are cannon fodder, they shouldn’t be used in such a way. Also, if possible, I need some machine tools, at least enough to satisfy the most basic military supplies like repairing and processing firearms, as well as self-producing bullets and bombs in the rear of the battlefield.” “Ha, has Transia become so poor that you don’t even have these things anymore?” Marshal Loren joked: “Why don’t you pledge allegiance to my king, Murphy? Then you’ll get everything you want.” “We originally had them! Seicob City was Transia’s manufacturing center and the pride of the entire Portia Federation. The firearms they produced were synonymous with excellence even among the halflings of the Genoa Peninsula. Then, you destroyed it with a plague! Just like when you destroyed Kadman City.” Murphy responded in a cold tone: “Do I need to repeat the reasons for Transia’s fall to this state one by one for you? Marshal, I know war is only about victory and defeat. For soldiers like you, victory is justice. Soldiers can abandon all morality for the sake of victory. That is your professional quality. But for a group of plunderers to trample on a poor person who has just been looted and loudly mock their poverty and backwardness, I think even in dwarf social customs, it is not something worth advocating, right? The war has ended, but a new war is about to begin! Regardless of how you personally view Transia and me, this vampire lord, we are comrades-in-arms you can’t shake off in the Black Disaster war. Unless you are willing to destroy us before the gnolls and have the Goldflower Kingdom’s fellows shoulder the responsibility that should have been ours! If you don’t want your citizens to bleed and sacrifice, then please fulfill my request, because the people of Transia are about to shed their blood for your safety. We may still have opportunities to confront each other in the future, Marshal. I swear! At that time, I will return all the arrogance you have inflicted on me and Transia today. But the premise of us being able to confront each other is if we still have a ‘future’ to speak of. Return those production lines you snatched from Seicob City! Those are our things. They can play a far greater role in our hands than being idle in yours.” “Very well!” Marshal Loren nodded and said: “Your current demeanor is much better than the Prime Minister of the Portia Federation who surrendered to me before and had rickets. Keep it up, young but not lacking in courage vampire. The things you want have already fallen into the hands of the Carpe family. They are preparing to build several new factories in East Prussia. You know who to talk to.” After saying that, the marshal was about to end the communication, but Murphy stopped him. “One last thing.” The vampire lord said: “Regarding my identity, I hope King Louis can issue an imperial decree appointing me as the governor of Transia to ensure that Transia better fulfills its role as a strategic buffer zone between the two countries.” “The classic diplomatic flip-flopping of the Portia Federation. Of course, this has already become your tradition. So let’s converse using the traditions left over from the previous Black Disasters.” Marshal Loren picked up a Transia governor appointment letter on the table that had already been stamped with the royal seal. He pointed at the blank name field and said to Murphy: “If you survive the Black Disaster and if the name ‘Transia’ still exists on the continent, this thing is yours. So, it’s a deal?” “Hmm, it’s a deal!”