Chapter 157: Heading to the Fairy Realm

Sylvia successfully infiltrated Sloka.

"This hat really works!"

She reached up to press down the brim, following right behind the werewolf army through the excavation tunnel. Then, she slipped away from the battlefield and took the elevator up to the main city of Sloka. Along the way, not a single soul discovered her.

"The little master's aura is coming from..."

Sensing Linley's presence, Sylvia transformed into a hawk and flew toward the dwarven royal palace.

She hadn't seen him for a full day, and she had no idea what his current situation was.

In less than three minutes, Sylvia reached the outer perimeter of the palace. She dared not fly directly inside; every royal palace was saturated with magic, and even with the hat, she wasn't confident she could sneak past the wards.

However, she managed to find a familiar face.

"Eve!"

Sylvia called out telepathically.

The astrologer frowned slightly, glancing to her left and right. "Did any of you hear a voice?"

"No," the elves replied as they carried the cot.

"No?" Eve's ears twitched. She came to a halt. "Take the little prince ahead. I'll step away for a moment."

"Understood."

The elves departed, carrying the soundly sleeping Linley.

Eve walked leisurely outside the palace walls and watched a hawk descend from the sky.

"Welcome back," Eve greeted her with a pleased smile.

The hawk perched on her shoulder, whispering in a low voice, "I cannot reveal my identity. Tell others that I am your summoned beast."

Sylvia still felt it was best to stay by Linley's side.

She had already tested it: the hat not only concealed her form, but while in a transformed state, it also prevented anyone from seeing through her true identity as a druid.

"No problem."

Smiling, Eve brought the hawk back into the palace.

"What were you doing just now?" Sylvia asked curiously. "Why were you carrying the little master?"

"The conference room is in a state of utter chaos," Eve replied as they walked. "He's the principal party involved; we couldn't leave him out."

Sylvia was startled. "Arguing over what?"

"The little prince won the dwarven kingdom in a gamble."

Eve answered with a smile, leaving Sylvia nearly doubting her own ears. Good grief, what on earth had happened today?

As the two approached the conference room, the sound of fierce shouting drifted out to meet them.

"This wager is utterly absurd! It doesn't count, absolutely not!"

A dwarven noble pounded his fist on the table and roared, "Who decides the ownership of a kingdom through such means?!"

"Of course it counts!"

When the two pushed open the doors and entered, the elves looked furious. "How can a spoken promise not count? Your king even signed the contract!"

The dwarves turned red with rage. "How can we dwarves ever acknowledge an elf as our king?!"

"The contract is right here! Whether you like it or not, you will honor it!"

The atmosphere in the conference room was razor-sharp, with dwarves and elves looking ready to come to blows at any second.

Sylvia stared in astonishment at their quarrel, but suddenly, a golden longsword plunged straight down into the table.

"Enough!"

Brook, commander of the Second Knights of Victoria, looked livid. "The werewolf threat hasn't even been lifted yet, and here you are bickering? Is this really the time for internal strife?!"

"I have something to say."

Another voice rang out. Everyone turned to look—it was Reinhardt.

The young Ashenian prince, whose homeland had been seized by the werewolves, stepped forward and mustered his courage to speak. "Our enemy is the werewolves. If we do not drive them out, the dwarven kingdom will belong entirely to them."

Those words fell like a bucket of ice water. The hot-headed assembly quickly cooled down. He was right; if the werewolves weren't expelled, this land would belong to them—it wouldn't belong to the dwarves, nor would it belong to Linley.

The dwarven king, who had remained silent thus far and consumed by regret, suddenly struck upon an inspiration. "Let us renegotiate whether this wager remains valid!"

The dwarves shot him piercing glares. "Your Majesty, you still want to gamble?!"

"There is no need to gamble again," the elves flatly refused. "We can form an alliance first, but once the war is won, the dwarven kingdom must be handed over to His Highness!"

"You are being too extreme..." the dwarven king forced a dry laugh. "My people will never agree, and surely you don't intend to take it by force? How about this: the land is currently in the hands of the werewolves. Whoever drives them out gets to keep it. How does that sound?"

The elves grew angry. This was essentially playing for something with nothing—the dwarven kingdom already belonged to Linley!

However, the king quickly added, "The wager remains valid. If you drive out the werewolves, we will obey the High King's commands without a single voice of dissent."

"However... if we are the ones who drive out the werewolves, then the dwarven kingdom will have been reclaimed by our own hands—the High King cannot take it from us. In exchange, we will pay five million gold coins annually to purchase the land of the dwarven kingdom for a duration of ten years."

The elves began to hesitate. This alternative wasn't entirely unfavorable; even if they lost, they would still secure a massive sum of capital.

"I think this arrangement is excellent!"

Countess Guinevere chimed in. She had been observing the argument between the dwarves and elves all along. "High King, what do your thoughts say?"

Linley had long since been awakened by the commotion. "I agree."

"Little Prince..." The White Lady frowned slightly. "Is this truly wise?"

"For the alliance, this is the best possible outcome," Linley replied.

Brook smiled and nodded, inwardly praising the Prophet of Holy Light for knowing when to advance and when to yield.

This method was indeed optimal. If the elves emerged victorious, the dwarves would be thoroughly convinced, eliminating anyone who opposed him becoming the Dwarven King.

Yet, the probability of the elves winning was exceptionally low—unless they dispatched a massive army from afar.

If the elves reinforced their forces, that would benefit the alliance. If they did not, the dwarves, desperate to regain their freedom, would throw their entire might into fighting the werewolves.

This wager would immensely benefit the alliance's military campaign.

After conferring carefully amongst themselves, the dwarves realized they still retained a chance to win back their kingdom.

"Very well, let it be so!"

"Sign the contract!"

The dwarven king and Linley signed the new contract before the assembly. Being sharp-witted, Linley deliberately added a supplementary clause.

If the werewolves surrendered before the dwarves and elves managed to drive them out of the dwarven kingdom, victory would be awarded to whichever side contributed the most to the war effort.

The dwarven king agreed.

Following the adjournment of the meeting, the king immediately proclaimed the matter to the city of Sloka, creating a massive uproar among the populace.

Nevertheless, the king promptly issued a general mobilization order for all dwarves. Seeking to atone for his mistakes, he even donned his armor personally and marched to the front lines.

"Little Prince," the White Lady said, looking at Linley as the elves abstained from direct combat, "should we petition our homeland for reinforcements?"

"No, there is no need."

Linley shook his head. A nation of dwarves versus a continent of werewolves...

It was already commendable that the dwarves were defending Sloka; trying to drive the werewolves entirely out of the region would be an unimaginably difficult task.

"The dwarves cannot win, and neither can we—even dispatching troops would make victory unlikely." Linley turned his gaze to Countess Guinevere standing in the rear.

"Lady Guinevere spoke up earlier; she must know another path to victory."

The Black Dragon Lady smiled. The little fellow was still very young, but his sharp intellect had not escaped her notice.

If Linley wished to acquire the dwarven kingdom, he would ultimately have to journey to the Faerie Kingdom, which aligned perfectly with her own objective.

"The Faerie Kingdom. I am going there."

Linley spoke directly to the Black Dragon Lady. He had grown thoroughly convinced that remaining here was merely a waste of time; the key to winning the war lay within the Faerie Kingdom.

That was the crucial pivot not just for the dwarven kingdom, but for the entire continent.

"Tell us the way to get there!"