The Elven Cultivator

”It’s a pleasure to meet you, Anton Clan Leader. My apologies for this sudden visit.”

Inside the Eternal Hall, Ignatius greeted him with a smile and a bow.

”You’re too kind, Ignatius. We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome a renowned Dwarven hero to our Clan.”

Anton smiled as well, exchanging pleasantries with Ignatius.

Eleanor and the two elders, standing behind Anton, had peculiar expressions.

This was the first time they had ever seen such a polite, even refined, Dwarf.

It felt as if they were looking at a Dwarven version of Romance.

Perhaps Romance and the Dwarven hero before them should have swapped races.

After the pleasantries, both parties took their seats around the long table.

Ignatius didn’t beat around the bush, getting straight to the point: ”Anton Clan Leader, I imagine you’ve already guessed the purpose of my visit.”

Anton smiled faintly. ”The allied forces wish to purchase Rune Equipment?”

”Correct,” Ignatius admitted openly. ”I’m here on behalf of the allied forces, hoping to establish a long-term procurement agreement for Rune Equipment with your Clan.”

Anton nodded. ”That’s acceptable. However, all payments for the Rune Equipment must be made with Magic Cores of equivalent value.”

Ignatius only hesitated for a moment before agreeing, ”No problem.”

Eleanor, standing nearby, subconsciously clenched her fists, a hint of joy flashing in her eyes.

’Others might not know, but as the one in charge of the Clan’s affairs, she knew that Magic Cores were essential for crafting all of the Clan’s current Daoist Soldiers.’

’They were, without a doubt, indispensable.’

The Silver Moon Race currently relied on its trade network to purchase Magic Cores from all over, and had even established partnerships with more than ten Dwarven factions like Gray Rock Castle for long-term procurement.

The current volume of Magic Core purchases was enough to satisfy the Clan’s needs, with a considerable amount left over to stockpile each year.

’But it never hurt to be prepared.’

As the Clan grew and developed, the demand for Magic Cores would only increase dramatically. No one knew when these trade deals might be cut off, so it was naturally better to secure another stable channel for purchasing Magic Cores.

And on the Dawn Continent, the faction with the largest production of Magic Cores was the Heart of the Mountains.

Even the Dragon Court couldn’t compete with this group of Dwarves.

After the two sides reached an agreement, Ignatius showed no joy. Instead, he looked hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but was too embarrassed to.

Anton raised an eyebrow slightly. ”If there’s something you wish to say, feel free to speak plainly.”

Ignatius rubbed his hands together and said, ”Anton Clan Leader, to be honest, I’ve studied your Clan’s Rune Equipment before. Its crafting process is completely different from most mainstream alchemical schools on the continent. I’m very curious what kind of secrets are hidden behind this technique.”

He paused, his tone tinged with a hint of awkwardness.

”I know this request is rather presumptuous, but I still have to ask... would your Clan be willing to sell the forging techniques for your Rune Equipment?”

The moment he said this, the expressions on Eleanor and the two elders changed at once.

The rather hot-tempered Third Elder, in particular, furrowed his brow, a hint of anger appearing on his face.

The four pillars of the Silver Moon Race’s current commercial empire were Rune Equipment, potions, Talismans, and metals.

Among them, the importance of Rune Equipment was second only to metals.

This exclusive technique had brought countless profits to the Silver Moon Race.

Anyone with eyes could see how important it was to the Silver Moon Race.

Under these circumstances, Ignatius proposing to buy the forging techniques for Rune Equipment was tantamount to trying to destroy their livelihood.

Noticing the expressions on Eleanor and the two elders, Ignatius became even more embarrassed.

’Of course, he knew just how taboo it was to covet another’s core secrets.’

But the Dwarves’ obsession with forging was carved into their very bones.

This was especially true for Ignatius. As the Guardian of the Myriad Furnaces for the Heart of the Mountains, he had sworn an oath before the Primordial Fire Furnace to devote his life to forging and guardianship.

’Forging was, without a doubt, the most important part of his life.’

Faced with a forging technique he had never seen before, like Rune Equipment, the fact that he had managed to hold back until now was a testament to his considerable self-control.

That being said, Ignatius didn’t actually hold much hope for this.

The only reason he spoke up was with the thought of ’what if?’.

But to the great surprise of everyone present, in response to Ignatius’s request, Anton actually agreed without a second thought.

”That can be done.”

Ignatius was stunned for a moment, then it dawned on him. His eyes lit up, and just as he was about to speak, Anton raised a hand to stop him.

”But not as a sale,” Anton said calmly. ”I hope to cooperate with the Heart of the Mountains in the form of a technology exchange.”

’A technology exchange?’

Ignatius was slightly taken aback. ”What do you mean?”

Anton said, ”It’s simple. You’ll trade the core technology of your Demon Crystal tech.”

Upon hearing this, Ignatius’s eyes widened as he stared at Anton, his gaze filled with unconcealable astonishment.

The Heart of the Mountains had indeed developed Demon Crystal technology long ago.

But due to the Dragon Court’s existence, they had always kept it hidden.

It wasn’t until the allied forces’ battle to attack Darkness Fortress that they finally unleashed various Golems and Magic Crystal Cannons made with Demon Crystal technology, making a stunning debut with combat power and might that far surpassed the ordinary.

But even so, word of Demon Crystal technology had not yet spread far.

Even within the allied forces, only a few high-ranking members knew of its existence.

’Anton is all the way over on the Eldron Plain. How could he possibly know?’

’And from the looks of it, he seems to know quite a lot about Demon Crystal technology.’

In fact, Anton did know a great deal about Demon Crystal technology.

To a certain extent, he even knew more than the Heart of the Mountains.