Ashen Dragon
Chapter 727 - Chapter 727 Chapter 106 Negotiations with Piere

Chapter 727: Chapter 106: Negotiations with Piere Chapter 727: Chapter 106: Negotiations with Piere Piere’s handsome face revealed a playful expression. “Allies? Tsk, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard such an invitation, especially since I lost the position of Master of Avernus.”

“Lord Piere, to be honest, your reputation across the Multiverse is somewhat poor. You are cunning, cruel, and you betrayed your former mistress without hesitation, taking everything she had…”

Piere bowed again, his expression unchanged, still wearing a polite smile on his face.

“Your Majesty Cassius, for a pure Devil, these would only be considered compliments.”

“I’m sure you’re also aware that for the beings of the Prime Material Plane, these are not good words. But… I don’t care.”

Cassius stretched his wings out from behind and left his throne, strolling through the vast palace, but his eyes remained fixed on the Great Devil.

“In the diplomatic policy of the Empire, we have no permanent allies or enemies, only constant and everlasting interests. The Ashen Empire doesn’t care about the past, camp, or stance of our allies–cooperation depends solely on whether it can bring us sufficient benefits.”

Cassius deliberately paused, fully spreading his wide wings, casting a huge shadow.

He then continued, “Whether it’s the five-colored dragons or the Metal Dragons, Heavenly Mountain or Hell, as long as there are common interests and common enemies, the Empire is willing to collaborate.”

“Your Majesty Cassius, had you lived in Hell, I believe you could have become a wise Lord as well.”

Piere lifted his head, locking eyes with the light gold vertical pupils of the Red Dragon. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, exuding a chilling aura.

He slowly began to speak: “It seems… we do have a common enemy now.”

“You’ve guessed correctly.”

Cassius merely nodded slightly and gave the Ogre Mage beside him a signal with his eyes.

Ramp caught on immediately, taking out the Parchment Scroll from the Dimensional Bag and presenting it before Piere.

Cassius added, “Since we have a common enemy, we naturally need to exchange intelligence, to gain a deeper understanding of our foe.”

Piere only glanced at it, and a barely noticeable loathing flashed in his dark pupils. He scoffed disdainfully.

“Hah, it’s indeed the handiwork of that madwoman–such a crude and hastily made contract. She doesn’t resemble a noble, elegant Devil at all, more like a brainless demon.”

For thousands of years, the grudges between Piere and Zareel ran deep, with Piere even having literally ‘feasted on her flesh’, savoring the taste of his enemy.

Cassius didn’t care about their past grudges; the deeper Piere hated Zareel, the better for him.

The Red Dragon snorted, exhaling sulfur-scented white smoke. “This was stolen by one of my subordinates from the hands of a Thrace noble, and who knows how many such contracts there are within the Thrace Kingdom.

But… compared to this piece of news from the Empire, I believe you, who have been entangled with Zareel in Avernus for thousands of years, should have a better understanding of the situation.”

“Of course, Your Majesty Cassius, I’ve always been supportive towards allies worth cooperating with.”

Piere extended his hand, and a cluster of flames burst forth, forming an image infused with the essence of Purgatory in midair. The exquisite Casting skill even astonished Ramp, who widened his eyes.

Before everyone appeared a rocky wasteland covered with rivers of blood, the night sky pitch black, with the occasional scorching comet falling down, creating smoking craters. The empty battlefield was littered with weapons and skeletons.

Piere said, “I believe you know that Avernus is the first layer of Hell, the battlefield of the Blood War, and the closest to the Prime Material Plane among the Nine Prisons.”

The Devil snapped his fingers, and the scene in the flames drastically changed. A towering basalt castle appeared in view, adorned with some partially charred corpses.

Above in the sky was an Angel clad in tattered robes stained with blood spots, wrapped in flames, her eyes burning with a frenzied white light, as if able to destroy all things.

Cassius murmured while gazing at that fearsome figure, “This is… Zareel.”

Piere replied gravely, “Yes, this woman is Zareel, the current Master of Avernus, a fanatic obsessed with the Blood War, and… nominally my superior.”

Because of his unfavorable performance in the Blood War, disappointing Asmonthy and being demoted, Piere was forced to serve as an advisor to Zareel, thus the term “superior” was not inaccurate.

Piere continued, “Nearly a hundred years ago, Zareel began to send people to infiltrate the Thrace Region, though at that time, it was still part of Fadlan, designated as the base for the Angel Divine Race Army.

You’re surely aware that Zareel is a fallen Blaze Celestial Servant; she took a keen interest in those proud and powerful Angel Divine Descendants with similar blood running in their veins, even successfully luring one to fall into Hell.

However, at that time, the Holy Fardel Empire was at its zenith, and that old Emperor declared war on Zareel without hesitation, leading the Divine Descendants into Avernus, forcing Zareel to surrender the fallen soul and causing her great shame.”

At this point, a smug smile crept onto Piere’s face, despite not having participated in it, Zareel’s failure always brought him joy.

Cassius exclaimed in surprise, “There’s such history, the old Emperor of Fadlan was indeed formidable.”

Piere nodded, but with a disdainful tone, said, “But… in the end, he was just a delusionally arrogant Mortal, thinking he could replace a Deity, utterly ridiculous.

As far as I know, after the great collapse of the Holy Fardel Empire, the Fianso Continent was thrown into chaos, and Zareel, with ambition swelling, wanted to take advantage of the chaos on the Material Plane to gain more benefits.”

The Devil grinned wickedly, “But had I remained in power, I probably would’ve had to stir the pot as well. I must say, the current Material Plane is truly tempting; wars have brought us countless fallen souls…”

“But you were brought down,” Cassius cut in mercilessly, adding coldly, “Otherwise, you might have become an enemy of the Empire.”

Piere replied with an awkward smile, “Of course, Your Majesty Cassius, just as you said – there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests.”

Cassius asked directly, “What is her ultimate goal in collaborating with the Thrace Kingdom? Those souls of the Angel Divine Descendants?”

Piere shook his head, “No, no no, the current Angel Divine Descendants have fallen so much that they cannot be considered pure souls, and Zareel’s plans have become even more frenzied.”

The Devil looked up at the Red Dragon, revealing a mysterious expression. “Her current target… is Thrace. She wants to drag the whole Thrace Kingdom into Hell and turn it into a ‘Land of Souls’ that belongs solely to her.”

“Such a big appetite, truly a… madwoman.”

Even Cassius was somewhat shocked when he heard this. The Thrace Kingdom is a large country comparable to Anzeta and with a population of tens of millions, and yet Zareel wants to drag the entire nation into Hell!

Piere said, “Once plunged into Hell, the numerous souls will be branded and allocated to specific Devils for harvesting; this is the Devil’s Land of Souls.

And if Zareel becomes the ruler of the Thrace Kingdom, she will have an endless stream of a vast army, and her strength will grow to unimaginable levels.”

Hatred and disgust once again flickered in Piere’s black eyes, his handsome face growing increasingly fierce, almost revealing the Devil’s true form.

“That’s why… I cannot let her succeed, or I will never be able to turn the tables.”

Gleams shone from Cassius’s pale golden vertical pupils as he spoke, “Good, then we have reached an agreement.

The Fianso Continent will only become the territory of the Ashen Empire, whether it is Thrace or Cassandra, both will be indispensable parts of the Empire. Any forces that try to stop this process will be ruthlessly crushed.”

The Red Dragon’s tone was resolute and powerful, every word exuding undisguised confidence. Ruling Fianso was just the beginning of the Empire’s great undertakings in his plan.

Piere also said, “To tell you the truth, I’ve been paying attention to you and your Empire for a long time. I predicted that the Ashen Empire had intentions of invading from the south and deemed you capable of defeating Zareel.

Even if you hadn’t summoned me, I would have taken the initiative to contact you and become your loyal ally.”

Suddenly, Cassius asked with a sly smile, “Lord Piere, if I defeat Zareel and you ascend to the throne of Avernus once again, would you still support my unification of Fianso?”

With an innocent shrug, Piere replied, “Your Majesty Cassius, I’d love to give an affirmative answer, but even if I did, would someone as wise as you really believe my words?

As you said, there are no permanent allies. At least at the current stage, I still support you. Common enemies and similar interests are the best guarantees of cooperation, aren’t they?”

Cassius laughed loudly and heartily, “Hahaha, Lord Piere, you are right. Who would trust the word of a Devil?

Now, let’s discuss the details of our cooperation and how to draw up a specific contract.”

Upon hearing the word “contract,” Piere’s eyes lit up with excitement, nothing excited a Devil more. However, Cassius swiftly dashed his hopes.

Cassius said calmly, “Ramp, bring up the contract we prepared in advance.”

“Yes, Master.”

The Ogre Archmage bowed his head in response and then pulled out folders of documents from the Dimensional Bag, each folder containing hundreds of pages filled with dense text.

This was a contract compiled by hundreds of legal professionals from the Empire’s legal department after days of laborious overtime work. Just the annotations comprised tens of thousands of words, nearly closing all loopholes that a Devil could exploit.

Ramp, expressionless, presented the contract: “Lord Piere, this is the contract prepared by the Empire for you. Please review it carefully to prevent any mistakes.”

Piere’s face suddenly stiffened, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Offering lengthy and incomprehensible contracts was a usual tactic of Devils against mortals; now it was being used against him.

He hesitated for a moment but then said, “Your Majesty Cassius, what you are doing is…”

Cassius replied indifferently, “It’s merely a means to ensure cooperation and promote fairness. Lord Piere, forgive my frankness, but I truly cannot trust a contract provided by a Devil–especially one infamous for betrayal.”

Under the shadow of Cassius’s broad wings and massive body, this rationale was especially persuasive.

Piere tried to object, “But this isn’t fair, you must realize that even in Hell…”

“Lord Piere,” Cassius interrupted the Devil calmly, “You should know that the cooperation between us is not equal, which means that the domination of the Ashen Empire is inevitable.

You are not irreplaceable in the eyes of the Empire. Even without cooperating with you, there are countless enemies of Zareel in Hell who also wish to disrupt her plans, and we can always find a Great Devil willing to cooperate at any time. It’s different for you, Lord Piere. Working with us is your only chance to overthrow Zareel and take back Avernus.

The Empire chose you, not for overly complicated reasons, but simply because you know Zareel better and pose a smaller threat than those Hell Lords.”

Cassius’s speech was steady, simply laying out the facts.

“You…”

Instantly, Piere clenched his teeth, a flicker of anger ignited in his profound eyes, but quickly, he realized the truth in the other’s words. For him now, this was the best opportunity to turn things around.

What he needed to do at this moment was to take back the position of Hell Lord as soon as possible. Beyond that, notions of dignity and face were nothing but a joke.