Chapter 186

Chapter 186: Negotiation

Manufacturing meant mass production.

A single power amplification ring activated by magic crystals could only launch a fireball capable of blasting a small crater a few meters wide.

But if powered by earthly stones, the same ring’s attack could melt a steel shield and carve a massive crater over ten meters wide—its power exceeding tenfold!

Of course, earthly stones were rare treasures, unfit to be treated as mere consumables.

Yet even if impractical for regular battles, an extra combat method still meant another chance at survival or victory.

Take Xena: when hunted by Humanoids, had she possessed a power amplification ring alongside her magic, she could’ve unleashed devastating bursts to break through their siege.

Better yet, with cunning planning, she might’ve lured those Humanoids into a cluster and obliterated them all in one strike, flipping the battle’s outcome.

This was the power amplification ring’s potential in the Sea of Three Towers.

Crucially, this wasn’t Midi’s guesswork—it was battle-tested Experience carved from adventurers’ struggles in his past life!

Drawing on those memories, Midi had tasked Master Norton to forge a batch of power amplification rings before even planning his West Coast expedition. These rings were sturdier and finer than ordinary ones, capable of absorbing pure magic from earthly stones and enduring five or six overloaded uses.

Five or six bursts of catastrophic firepower could reverse circumstances—no wonder the battle-obsessed, picky Dragonkin were instantly hooked after one trial.

Though a reincarnator, Midi hadn’t foreseen this exact scenario.

His original aim was boosting the Hawk Brigade’s firepower for Sky City’s battles. Trading them to the Dragonkin now? A happy accident.

But as the proverb goes: opportunities favor the prepared.

Preparations made long ago let Midi prove his worth the moment he stepped forward.

With his value acknowledged, the next step was simple—

Transaction.

“The Hawk Brigade alone crafts power amplification rings capable of absorbing Sky City’s pure magic,” Midi stated evenly. “If you desire these Magical items, Chieftain, I’ll provide them—under conditions.”

In the Sea of Trees, negotiations demanded bluntness.

Show worth and the strength to guard it, and respect followed. No room for petty haggling.

Thus, Midi cut straight to his terms.

The Dragonkin elders in the hall approved—no tiresome circling.

Lucas, already captivated, dismissed pretense. “Human, speak your demands.”

“Two things.” Midi didn’t hesitate. “First, aid in building a trade passageway between Sky City and Arad. Second, exchange these rings for Sky City’s Aether Stone.”

“Aether Stone?” Lucas rubbed his chin.

Like earthly stones, Aether Stone was Sky City’s specialty.

It floated when tossed, lingering midair like paper. The Sea of Three Towers’ floating islets and meteorite zones brimmed with it.

Humanoids crammed it into their stone seats for transport.

Easier to gather than earthly stones, most races ignored its combat use—except Humanoids.

And since Dragonkin and Humanoids warred endlessly, harvesting Aether Stone required no effort. A battlefield sweep, purifying wrecked stone seats, yielded plenty.

In simple terms, this was a material not particularly useful to the Dragonkin tribe, yet one that accumulated unnoticed over time.

Lucas, the chieftain, mentally calculated the deal and found it acceptable. After exchanging glances with the other Dragonkin elders on the stone platform, he cleared his throat and prepared to accept Midi’s terms.

"Human, your request—"

As the Dragonkin leader began to nod, a towering figure abruptly entered the hall. Heavy footsteps echoed alongside a thunderous shout:

"Hold!"

The voice came from a young Dragonkin whose compact frame resembled solid cast iron. Each step made the floor tremble faintly. Unlike the blue-skinned Lucas and Xena, his scales burned crimson like living flames.

The Lightning Fire Wings tribe derived its name from members wielding either lightning or flame bloodline powers. Observing this, Midi noted the apparent tension between the two factions.

"Tanius! This is an elders’ meeting!" Lucas’s face darkened as Xena shot furious glares.

Honor-bound Dragonkin took grave offense at such interruptions. Yet Tanius had reason for boldness—like the chieftain, he’d reached peak level 50, being the youngest in a century to do so. Backed by fire-type experts and even the head of the guard, he’d been alerted the moment Midi arrived.

Fire-aligned Dragonkin already scorned humans. Midi’s alliance with their lightning faction rivals made him a prime target. Though Tanius couldn’t challenge Lucas or Xena directly, a lone human held no status in the Dragonkin tribe—not even equal to a pet.

Tanius shrugged off Lucas’s rebuke, nostrils flaring as he sneered at Midi. "Disrupting? I merely refuse to stay silent while we coddle weaklings."

"What did you say?" The chieftain’s voice turned dangerous.

"Must we kneel to humans?" Tanius boomed, looming over Midi. "Your pitiful rings won’t buy passage through our lands! Hear my condition—monthly tribute, or I’ll slaughter every human in the Sea of Three Towers!"

Xena’s roar shook the hall. "One more word, Tanius!"

Her spear cracked the floor, its blood-crusted tip rising toward the red-scaled Dragonkin. The atmosphere thickened with impending violence.

A calm voice pierced the tension. "Let me handle this."

"You?" Xena blinked in astonishment.

Even Lucas turned doubtful eyes toward Midi. Elders murmured—what could this rootless human achieve against Dragonkin factions?

Tanius barked laughter. "You dare speak, maggot? What qualification do you possess?"

Midi met the fiery gaze unflinching. "Shall we test that qualification?"