Magic? My Iron Torrent will sweep it all away!

Chapter 171 The Art of Negotiation

That was a very eloquent official statement.

Kyle and Elder Muyu nodded repeatedly, feeling that this matter had potential.

Even Thorin Steelbeard's grumpy face seemed to soften a bit.

However, Lin Mo abruptly changed the subject, letting out a long sigh.

"However... we are powerless to help."

He spread his hands, his expression filled with helplessness and regret.

"To be honest, the primary task of opening the portal this time is to bring back the 25,000 soldiers who are on expedition to Earth."

"The portal will only be open for ten days, and time is already extremely tight just for transporting the warriors and their equipment back."

"If we are to carry out the large-scale arms trade that you all expect, the amount of materials involved is extremely large, and it cannot be completed in just a few days."

"I hope you can understand."

The moment these words were spoken, the air in the conference room froze.

Kyle's smile froze.

Elder Muyu frowned.

"What?!"

A thunderous roar erupted as Thorin Steelbeard slammed his fist on the table, causing the water glasses to bounce.

He stood up from the chair, puffing out his beard and glaring, but unfortunately, he wasn't tall enough, which diminished his imposing presence.

"Understand? No! I can't understand!"

"Your soldiers are tired; they can rest here!"

"We can provide the best ale and barbecue!"

"Once the deal is done, you can take the money and open that broken door whenever you want. There's no need to rush!"

Thorin's words were simple and blunt, yet they hit the nail on the head.

"Elder Steelbeard is right."

A deep voice rang out, and the orc leader Grom stepped forward, his hard hooves striking the metal floor with a crisp "thud".

"Lord Lin Mo, we, the orc race, have come with the utmost sincerity."

He waved his hand behind him.

Four tall, minotaur-like figures carried in four heavy wooden crates, back and forth.

"Clang"

The wooden crate was placed on the ground.

The box was opened, revealing a box full of gold coins that gleamed with a gaudy yet alluring light under the lamp.

The other two boxes were filled with egg-sized magic crystals that emitted a faint blue glow.

The air in the entire conference room was filled with a rich aroma of magic and money.

Grom's gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Lin Mo's face.

"I believe you've already inquired about the situation of our orc race, so I won't waste time with pretense." His expression was extremely grave.

"We have no way out!"

"We orcs need your weapons to reclaim our homeland!"

"This is just a deposit, provided you agree to the transaction."

Good guy!

Lin Mo thought to himself, "Wow!"

The orcs were truly driven to the brink, bringing cash directly to their door, insisting on a cash-on-delivery deal and trying to skip the negotiation process altogether.

I won't go into the risks along the way. Aren't you afraid that the Xia Dynasty will double-cross you?

It seems that Fendona's previous information about the orcs was correct; they are facing internal and external troubles, and the situation is even more serious!

"Holy Child!"

Archbishop Kyle couldn't sit still any longer. He hurriedly spoke up, afraid that these two newly arrived nouveau riche would beat him to it.

"The bravery of the expeditionary force is evident to all."

"But now that the Lostia defenses have achieved a great victory and the City of Emerald Leaf has been recaptured, the demons are unable to mount an effective attack in the short term. It is absolutely safe for the expeditionary force to rest and regroup here!"

"That's right!" Elder Muyu echoed eagerly.

"Mr. Lin Mo, could you perhaps try to persuade your superiors again?"

"This is a great opportunity for exchange and trade for all of us!"

The elves and the Holy Humans, as the first "old customers" to taste the benefits of technological weapons, are more anxious than anyone else at this moment.

They were terrified that Lin Mo would really just leave with his army, and if that happened, wouldn't the glimmer of victory they had just seen be extinguished in an instant?

In an instant, the representatives of the four clans all surrounded Lin Mo, talking all at once.

Some reasoned, some presented facts, some flexed their muscles, and some played the emotional card.

The entire conference room was as noisy as a vegetable market.

Everyone's demands were remarkably consistent:

Don't go back! Stay! Sell weapons!

Lin Mo and Zhao Gang exchanged a glance.

In that fleeting moment when their eyes met, a hint of excitement, understood only by the two of them, flashed by so quickly that no one noticed.

Not only did the fish bite the hook, but it also attracted all the fish in the entire pond.

Leaving them out for a few days yielded remarkable results.

Faced with the almost boiling clamor of pleas in the conference room, Lin Mo raised his hands and gently pressed them down.

The noisy venue fell silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on him.

"Everyone, everyone, please be quiet."

Lin Mo's face was filled with genuine distress. He sighed deeply, his voice carrying a hint of weariness and apology.

"I completely understand how you feel."

"However, please also try to put yourselves in our shoes."

He glanced around, his gaze sweeping over Kyle's anxious face, over Elder Woodwhisper's furrowed brows, over Thorin's agitated expression, and finally landing on the centaur Grom's somber face.

"Those on the expedition are 25,000 living warriors of the Great Xia."

"They are someone's sons, someone's husbands, and someone's fathers."

Back home, their families are eagerly awaiting their safe return.

"Our Great Xia made a promise to every soldier who went into battle."

"When the mission is over, we will definitely take them home and reunite them with their families."

"Put yourself in their shoes. If your people fought bloody battles in another world, and their commander, for the sake of trade and money, broke his promise to let them return home, deceiving them into remaining in this dangerous land..."

"What will they think?"

"What will their families think?"

"How can a country's credibility be rebuilt once it collapses?"

His words silenced the entire conference room so completely that you could hear a pin drop.

Kyle opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Elder Muyu's anxious expression turned into understanding and silence.

Even Thorin, the dwarf who had just been furious, swallowed back the words he was about to shout, and just tugged at his big beard in frustration.

The centaur Grom lowered his head, his hooves pawing the ground nervously.

Yes, they can't refute that reason.

Home, family, promises... empathy is something that every civilized race possesses.

Seeing that the time was almost right, Lin Mo sighed again, as if he had made an extremely difficult decision, and then changed the subject.

"Of course, you don't need to be too discouraged."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked up sharply, their eyes rekindling with hope.

"We also deeply understand the crisis that all intelligent races on Terra are currently facing."

"Therefore, after discussion, we decided..."