Elven cultivators

Grey Rock Fortress, Council Chamber.

Titus sat behind a long table with an account book spread out in front of him.

The quill pen, dipped in ink, hovered above the paper, having been paused for quite some time.

He sighed, put down his pen, and rubbed his temples.

After catching the coattails of the Silvermoon Clan, Grayrock Keep's business has grown bigger and bigger in recent years, and it is thriving.

However, as a result, the accounts receivable and payable also increased several times over, and the amount of business to be handled increased significantly.

Most of the dwarven stewards who were once capable and reliable are now old and not as energetic as they used to be.

The newly promoted younger generation are either impulsive or lack focus; there are very few who can truly shoulder important responsibilities.

He still oversees all affairs of Grayrock Fortress, and he has to review almost everything, big or small.

Even though he was a Gold-level expert, he felt mentally and physically exhausted after a long time.

"If only Grayrock Keep could produce a young and handsome man like Eleanor of the Silvermoon Clan."

Titus sighed.

The assistant to the chieftain of the Silvermoon Clan is now known to almost everyone in the eastern part of the continent.

At such a young age, he was able to manage the vast internal affairs of the Silvermoon Clan in an orderly manner all by himself.

Foreign trade, resource allocation, personnel appointments and removals... every single matter is handled meticulously.

This ability to coordinate and manage alone is enough to earn one's respect.

Not to mention that she herself is a legendary powerhouse.

Grayrock Keep has had many dealings with the Silvermoon Clan in recent years, and is well aware of the capabilities of this chieftain's assistant.

Over the years, Titus had dealt with him several times in various collaborations and exchanges. Each time, he could feel the other party's meticulousness and organization. He spoke and acted without leaving any room for error and never dragged things out.

If Grayrock Castle could produce such a young man, he wouldn't have to do everything himself.

Just then, the door was pushed open from the outside, and Thorvin strode in.

Titus didn't scold him for not knocking; the rough-and-tumble dwarves weren't usually particular about that. He casually asked, "What's the rush? What's going on?"

"A message has arrived from the Silvermoon Clan."

Tolvin took a letter sealed with sealing wax from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"The Silvermoon Clan wants to quadruple its purchase quota for magic cores starting next month."

Titus paused for a moment, took the letter, opened the seal, and glanced at it.

It was indeed a formal letter from the Silvermoon Clan, politely and thoughtfully worded, but with a very clear meaning.

They want to increase the quantity.

"Four times...what do they need so many magic cores for?"

Titus put down the letter, his brow furrowing slightly.

The Silvermoon Clan did indeed purchase a large number of magic cores from Grayrock Fortress in the past.

However, since they mastered the crafting technique of magic cores themselves, their procurement volume has been decreasing year by year.

In the last two years, the number of orders has dropped to less than half of what it was in the early years.

Now it's suddenly going to increase to four times what it used to be, which is even more than during the period when the two sides cooperated most closely.

This was quite unexpected.

Thorvin scratched his beard and pondered, "Most likely it's for expanding the puppet army."

"When the Silvermoon Clan attacked Blackrock Territory, they used a large number of alchemical golems. Those iron lumps were indeed very useful on the battlefield. Now that their territory is getting bigger and bigger, their golem army is probably also expanding on a large scale, so their demand for magic cores has also increased dramatically."

Titus nodded slowly; that explanation made sense.

But then he frowned. "The fortress's production capacity is already full. Each batch of magic cores has a fixed buyer with long-term agreements. The Silvermoon Clan wants so many at once. Where are we going to find the extra ones to give them?"

Before Thorvin could answer, he asked again, "Did the Silvermoon Clan say what they would use to pay?"

Thorvin nodded and said, "They said they could use refined metal to offset the payment, and the price would be half a percent lower than before."

Upon hearing this, Titus's eyes lit up instantly, all his initial hesitation and difficulty vanished, and he made a decisive decision without a word: "Agree to their terms!"

Tempered metal is a prized possession of the Silvermoon Clan.

Each time they receive a quota from the Silvermoon Clan, they resell it as equipment, and the profit can more than double.

Especially now, with war raging across the mainland, magical equipment is selling better than ever.

The Silvermoon Clan was willing to use tempered metal to offset the payment and even lower the price, so there was no reason not to do this business.

"The insufficient production capacity will be squeezed out from the share of other buyers." Titus waved his hand decisively. "If those buyers have any complaints, I will personally explain."

Thorvin grinned. "Alright, I'll arrange a reply right away."

The importance of quenching metals is self-evident.

He wholeheartedly supported the Elder's decision.

Just as Thorvin was about to turn and walk out, the doors to the council chamber were suddenly pushed open from the outside.

This time, Hagrid rushed in, looking very serious.

He rushed to the table and said in a deep voice, "Something has happened."

Titus and Thorvin both tensed up.

The latter quickly asked, "What is it?"

Hagrid said in a deep voice, "Just now, the Steelmane Clan declared war on the Silvermoon Clan."

Upon hearing this, both Titus and Thorvin stared in astonishment.

The Steelmane Tribe and the Silvermoon Clan live in different regions, one in the Thunder River Basin and the other in the Eldron Plains. They usually keep to themselves and have never been heard of having any conflicts. So why did the Steelmane Tribe suddenly declare war on the Silvermoon Clan?

Coming to his senses, Thorvin quickly asked, "Why did the Steelmane tribe declare war?"

Hagrid said solemnly, "The Steelmane Clan's reason is that the Silvermoon Clan killed one of their core high-ranking members. I don't know the specific details, but I heard that it involves slave hunters and half-elves."

Titus and Thorvin exchanged a glance and immediately understood.

News of the Silvermoon Clan's recent recruitment of half-elves and their extermination of slave-hunting teams has already spread throughout the Eastern Continent.

The Steelmane Tribe has always been one of the biggest backers of the slave-hunting team, which is no secret among the surrounding forces.

If the conflict between the two factions stemmed from the slave-hunting team, it wouldn't be surprising.

"What was the Silvermoon Clan's reaction?" Thorvin asked.

Hagrid shook his head: "I haven't heard of their official response yet, but they most likely won't back down. You know, that Meteor Dragon Sword Saint's temper is not easy to handle."

Thorvin nodded.

Even when the Silvermoon Clan was weaker than Kreetho Dragon City, they still dared to confront the latter head-on.

Not to mention now.

Titus leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the still-open letter on the table. After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Who do you think has the best chance of winning this battle?"

After a moment's consideration, Thorvin slowly said, "The Silvermoon Clan has developed rapidly in recent years and is very powerful, but the Steelmane Tribe is not weak either. If these two forces were to fight... it's really hard to say who would win or lose."

Hagrid nodded in agreement: "This is definitely going to be a tough fight."

Titus remained silent for a moment, offering no further comment.

If possible, he would prefer the Silvermoon Clan to win.

After all, Grayrock Fortress now relies on the Silvermoon Clan for most of its income, so it can be said that it is deeply bound to the Silvermoon Clan.

If the Silvermoon Clan loses, it will be a significant blow to Grayrock Fortress.

However, given the strength of Grayrock Fortress, it wouldn't be able to play a significant role in a war at this level.

All they could do was wait and see who would emerge victorious.

Titus sighed inwardly.

These are turbulent times.