Steel torrents pioneering a different world.

Chapter 321: Expanding Territory by 10 Square Kilometers! A Cooperation Agreement Reached Among the Three Races! (Bonus Chapter)

Negotiations can sometimes end at a speed that is beyond human imagination!

One day later, in the modern world.

Li Weiguo held a cup of scalding hot tea, reviewing the documents in his hand and signing them from time to time. The only sounds in the office were the turning of pages and the scratching of pens on paper.

Although electronic office work is popular now, some important documents still need to be backed up on paper.

Even the documents signed by Li Weiguo may one day be regarded as sacred relics of the pioneering team!

Thump, thump thump.

The familiar knocking rhythm sounded, and Li Weiguo raised an eyebrow.

"Enter."

The door opened, and Wang Kaixuan dragged his weary body in, but his bloodshot eyes gleamed with an almost excited light.

"Xiao Wang?" Li Weiguo was somewhat surprised. "I thought you'd be staying there for at least a month. Why are you back so soon?"

Wang Kaixuan is quite good, and his family background is relatively reliable, but he has the impetuousness of a young man.

The original intention of sending Wang Kaixuan to another world was to let him gain some experience, but unexpectedly, he returned after only a few days.

"President Li, a great victory!" Wang Kaixuan's voice was hoarse, yet filled with barely suppressed excitement. "Things went far more smoothly than any of us could have imagined. I felt I had to report this to you in person!"

"Mr. Li, please take a look at this first. I need to rest for a bit; I haven't had a proper rest for eighteen hours!"

As he spoke, he handed over a document, then seemed to have his bones removed, sinking heavily into the sofa next to him.

"Mr. Li, I need to take a nap for a few minutes, just a few minutes."

"Okay, then you rest for a few minutes while I take a look."

Li Weiguo's curiosity was completely piqued. He picked up the documents and the negotiation hard drive, his eyes first falling on the document titles.

Summary Report on the First Phase of Peace Negotiations with the Elves.

Once opened, begin viewing the mission brief report!

He and his think tank conducted countless simulations, and each time the outcome pointed to a long and arduous tug-of-war.

The arrogance of elves is ingrained in their very bones; getting them to relinquish their own interests is harder than climbing to heaven.

But the summary on the document made his pupils dilate little by little.

Article 1: The Elven race refuses to allow humans to send envoys to reside in the capital, but agrees to establish joint observation stations of the three races in nine sealed forbidden areas in the far north, to jointly deal with potential dangers in the sealed forbidden areas and defend against evil invasions caused by the convergence of nearby celestial bodies.

"That's interesting. Is this a gesture of goodwill? Are they afraid our spirits want to use our power to learn about us?"

Li Weiguo muttered to himself.

He silently looked at other content.

The elves do not allow human exploration teams to set up camps in the capital, nor do they require their bases to establish embassies for normal communication between the two sides. The elves do not allow any lawless areas.

However, the elves are willing to use the newly assigned border city of New Erigian as a communication hub between the two sides.

Newly reassigned?

Li Weiguo's breath hitched for a moment, and he quickly looked down.

Upon seeing the content, I gasped in shock!

The elves are willing to advance 150 kilometers southward, based on the current line of human control, until they reach the Nau River.

This narrow river, stretching 650 kilometers from east to west, will become the new border between the two sides!

Li Weiguo subconsciously glanced at the data maps previously obtained by humans using drones for reconnaissance, tapped his fingers on the table unconsciously, and quickly sketched out a map in his mind.

Upon approaching the southern elven kingdom, the pioneering team halted their advance upon discovering it was the elven border. Instead, they constructed a dense defensive network over a few dozen kilometers ahead to ensure the elves would not attack humans.

This time, the elves voluntarily ceded their territory.

According to the map shown by the other party, this area covers nearly 100,000 square kilometers, and 75% of it is fertile forest land!

This is almost the size of a province!

This vast land is home to approximately 500,000 elves, of whom about 100,000 will be too close to human territory and will be converted into human subjects.

Li Weiguo saw the only decent condition proposed by the elves: humans must not forcibly relocate or slaughter elven civilians, nor plunder the legitimate assets that originally belonged to the elven nobles.

The report was followed by a small note: We have agreed to purchase the assets of the Elven Nobles at fair market price.

When Li Weiguo saw this, he finally couldn't help but grin widely.

Market price?

In that other world, where war and intimidation have just taken place, and the land is completely under human control, what is market price?

That's still up to the pioneering team!

Li Weiguo burst into laughter.

Wandering around the office, he rubbed his cheeks, which were a little sore from smiling, and started opening video files on his hard drive again.

The footage shows a daytime public negotiation.

The elf messenger was deathly pale, his lips pressed tightly together. He sat there, his mind completely broken!

Across from him, Yu Qiwen, with a sorrowful expression, declared righteously, "We disagree! Because we humans love peace, we only like to peacefully farm!"

"We cannot accept the elves ceding their land, much less accept sending half a million of their people to us as slaves. We humans do not engage in such barbaric behavior."

"We came with the intention of peace, not to be robbers! Your proposal is an insult to our rules! It is a blatant trampling on our principles!"

Li Weiguo was drinking tea when he saw this and almost spat out the tea he had just drunk.

What an insult to their rules!

Li Weiguo thought the title didn't look good; the public exchanges between the two during the day were ugly, but the real issue was their private exchanges at night.

The video fast-forwards to footage of their private encounter at night.

The scene shifts to a private reception room, where Ethan, the elven messenger from the daytime, bows with a humble smile on his face and personally pours Yu Qiwen a glass of fragrant fruit wine.

"Friends, please don't misunderstand. Those words spoken during the day were meant for those old fogies in the capital." The elven envoy lowered his voice, his tone full of flattery. "Those pro-war faction always want to stir up trouble to increase their so-called bargaining chips, but deep down they're more afraid than anyone else."

"We sincerely want to embrace peace and human friendship!"

In the video, Yu Qiwen, Bi Shengli, and several other negotiators are holding wine glasses, expressionless, and silent.

The elven messenger then stated bluntly: "We will give you the land, and we will also give you people! Our elven race yearns for peace! Please, you must give us an opportunity to express our sincerity!"

That concludes the video.

Li Weiguo turned off the screen, and the office fell silent once again.

The smile on his face slowly faded, replaced by a deep contemplation.

He knew very well that no matter how eloquent the negotiator was, it was impossible to push the proud elf to this point.

The real reason is that the mysterious man's swift action a couple of days ago frightened the elves!

The most fundamental principle in physics is the one that holds true.

The mysterious figure beheaded several elven commanders who attempted to ambush humans and attacked their extreme temple before finally forcing the elves back to the negotiating table.

That operation even temporarily broke their backbone.

"What a pity—" Li Weiguo picked up his teacup, feeling the warmth of his palm. "This big stick isn't in our own hands!"

Li Weiguo's feelings were complicated.

Because that big stick wasn't one of theirs, he could do things that the pioneering team couldn't.

The mysterious man played the villain, and the elves chose to back down, which saved them a lot of trouble.

However, the other side currently has good relations with humans and can deal with elves. What if, at some point in the future, they turn against us?!

Therefore, the pioneering team can only act according to its own principles and mission.

He looked at Wang Kaixuan, who was almost asleep on the sofa, and called out, "Kaixuan."

"Here!" Wang Kaixuan jumped up and sat up straight instantly.

"You and your negotiating team should finalize the details of the agreement as soon as possible, especially the safety net clauses, which must be solidified."

We need time to consolidate our gains. Financially, we can direct the troops' attention to the celestial convergence!

The overall strength of the otherworld exploration team is increasing monthly, as the human scientist team rapidly absorbs and digests various scientific data from the other world. This not only benefits the modern world but also significantly enhances the exploration team's combat capabilities in the other world.

Based on the knowledge and information that humanity has obtained from the dwarves, it is estimated that within a year, humanity will be able to develop some more powerful energy weapons.

Li Weiguo's fingers tapped lightly on the table.

"They gave us so much during these negotiations, it made me feel uneasy!"

Li Weiguo's fingers stopped tapping on the table, his index finger pointing.

"The dwarves are already calling each other brothers and talking about building an unbreakable alliance! But they have too many vested interests on their side!" Li Weiguo chuckled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Only the truly lowly dwarves are our friends!"

"When you interact with them in the future, never be fooled by the seemingly honest appearance and obsession with fine wine of the dwarven high-ranking officials. Most dwarves are just pretending. How sincere can a race be, one that can monopolize knowledge and exploit information to keep its people firmly pinned down in front of the forge?"

Wang Kaixuan nodded. He had spent a few days there and found that he had indeed become somewhat lax in his interactions with the enthusiastic dwarven leaders.

"Elves are the same," Li Weiguo changed the subject. "Memory magic, mind correction—don't you find these terms chilling? Our philosophy is to make everyone an independent and autonomous individual. Their rule, on the other hand, is to turn everyone into pre-programmed cogs, then control the top of the pyramid. These are two paths, two paths that can never intersect. Conflict between us is absolutely inevitable in the future!"

"The elf was temporarily terrified, but only temporarily!"

"Any idea of ​​equality and freedom that we spread is like digging up the ancestral graves of the Elven ruling class. So don't expect to be able to love them forever; that's impossible."

"Their current show of weakness is merely a reflection of their lack of understanding of us and their unawareness of our absolute strength!"

"We must prepare for a terrible future if they turn against us. Therefore, military security must be taken very seriously."

"clear!"

Li Weiguo stood up, walked up to Wang Kaixuan, and patted him on the shoulder.

"The pioneering team relies on our red ideology to open up new lands in another world, which also determines that we are enemies with most of the rulers of this other world. This war has been going on since we set foot on this land, but it's not time to overturn the table and draw blood yet."

"I understand, Mr. Li!" Wang Kaixuan's eyes brightened completely, all previous fatigue gone, replaced by a sharpness that came from being awakened.

Li Weiguo looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then softened his tone slightly: "Alright, I've explained the reasoning clearly. Go back and get some rest for a day. Don't die of exhaustion in your office. I don't want to write an obituary for someone so young; your parents would kill me!"

Wang Kaixuan smiled slightly, his tense body relaxed, he gave a quick salute, and turned to leave the office.

The office door closed gently, isolating it from the outside world.

Li Weiguo leaned back in his wide chair, as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders, and sank into it deeply.

He rubbed his temples and looked out at the night sky.

The elves and dwarves do not have a large territory or population, but on the map of the entire otherworld continent, they are just two minor figures in the tiny northern land.

The real test is yet to come.

Now, let's keep everyone within the basic framework and then handle the celestial convergence.

This is the real test.

Hopefully, on that day, humanity will have a few trump cards that truly belong to them, instead of always relying on that mysterious figure whose true strength and who is neither friend nor foe.

After all, it's better to rely on yourself than on others.

As Wang Kaixuan stepped out of the office, the night breeze cleared his head completely.

Mr. Li's words still echoed in his ears, each word like a warning bell, sending chills down his spine.

He had indeed been somewhat less wary of the warm and honest dwarves, as well as the elven high-ranking officials who had adopted an extremely humble attitude.

Looking back now, I realize I was too naive.

After Wang Kaixuan returned to the other world with the message, the subsequent detailed exchanges and the demeanor of the entire human negotiation team—

The situation suddenly changed.

When faced with elves, humans are assertive and ruthless.

At the negotiating table, the elf representatives continued to use flowery and empty rhetoric, attempting to obscure their core interests with various flowery words depicting a rosy future.

Bi Shengli shut down the other party's long-winded argument with just one sentence.

"Our troops are nearby. We have neither the time nor the patience to communicate with you. Since you say you want to compensate us for our territory, then just do it."

One sentence silenced the elf representative, who swallowed all his remaining words and turned pale.

Humanity's demands are not harsh; in fact, they can be considered quite merciful. However, this mercy is based on absolute overwhelming power.

The elves knew very well that the humans had already shown restraint by not directly sending out mysterious soldiers again, or deploying a large army to the capital.

Land, population, resources, trade—the Elf Kingdom offered all of these to humankind willingly.

Their posture was shockingly weak.

The agreement was finalized in just three days.

Humans and elves have formed an alliance to jointly address the problem of the confluence of evil celestial bodies that are attempting to exterminate all life forms.

The dwarves will voluntarily withdraw their soldiers from the border between the dwarves and the pioneering teams, and will no longer maintain heavy guard. They will not invade each other's territory, but they will send specialized troops to jointly handle the issue of the celestial convergence.

In terms of economic and trade matters, there is limited openness, but resources can be exchanged.

Most importantly, the Elven royal family must be responsible for appeasing the people of the ceded territories and ensuring their smooth integration into human lands.

Wang Kaixuan knew that these long-eared guys would definitely try something underhanded, but as Boss Li said, humans didn't care.

The true flame must be lit by the elves' own common people.

All the pioneering team needed was an opportunity to intervene.

A single spark can start a prairie fire!

But there's nowhere to ignite a spark, no grasslands to even begin to explore the future.

You have to eat one bite at a time!

Unlike his decisive and efficient approach to negotiating with elves, his interactions with dwarves were characterized by a "gentle and mild" atmosphere.

Due to a series of reasons, the royal family of the dwarves did not send a representative, but the heavyweight elders of the four major clans arrived at Tranquil Harbor in airships.

The leading bearded elder was Gustav Harris, an elder of the Blackrock Clan.

He has a loud voice and is good at socializing.

After downing a glass of ale, he started patting his chest and calling humans brothers.

"Human brother! Come on, bottoms up! All this talk of agreements is trivial!"

Wang Kaixuan had a good alcohol tolerance, and he clinked glasses with him with a smile, but he knew exactly what was going on.

These dwarf leaders are all incredibly shrewd.

When the humans brought out the knowledge books and models of engineering machinery, Elder Gustav's eyes were practically glued to them, and he even forgot to put down his wine glass.

When the dwarves demonstrated their proud navigation skills in the Devil's Sea and their special metal forging techniques, the human technicians were very impressed.

Both sides had things that the other coveted, and with the support of the dwarven ancestor Gazul, and the humans also needing to plan and prepare, cooperation was a natural fit.

The Strategic Agreement on Friendly Development and Mutual Assistance between Dwarves and Humans was successfully signed.

The tranquil harbor and the surrounding thousands of square kilometers of land were allocated to humankind.

In the areas jointly governed by both sides, humans also play a dominant role.

The important evil-sealed land of the dwarves will be jointly managed by the three races!

Agreements were also reached on trade in goods.

Dwarves also have a limited open lifestyle, with trade in clothing and snacks.

Limited trade in staple foods, important mineral resources, and biological resources.

The humans generously granted the dwarves a five-year tax break, and further incentives can be discussed later.

The only clause added to the human agreement was that the dwarven kingdom must not, in any way, obstruct or harm dwarves who come to human territory to study and accept new ideas.

Otherwise, humanity has the right to terminate all cooperation.

When Elder Gustav signed his name, his beard twitched, but he still stamped the seal without hesitation.

Most surprisingly, in a moment of drunken revelry, Elder Gustav generously gifted humanity over 5,000 square kilometers of land south of the Milk River.

"It's gone! This land belongs to you human brothers from now on! It's too much trouble for us dwarves to guard it!"

The members of the negotiating team looked at each other, momentarily stunned.

Based on the dwarf's previous behavior, Wang Kaixuan instantly understood the other party's intentions.

The dwarfs weren't giving a gift; they were showing goodwill and getting rid of a burden.

It should be noted that the dwarf population in the Fang region was already very small and resources were scarce. They had only managed to maintain their defenses in the past in order to defend against the undead scourge from the north.

After the threat of the undead was greatly reduced, the area became a liability due to its poor resources.

The dwarves are using humans to help them deal with their burdens.

However, humans are happy to take on this burden.

The incorporation of this land connected all human outposts in the far north, thus forming a complete defense and early warning system.

Finally, under the leadership of humans, representatives from the human, elf, and dwarf races jointly signed the "Cooperation Agreement on Jointly Responding to the Celestial Convergence Disaster".

At the same time, a special department jointly managed by the three races was established.

The agreement will discuss major events concerning peace and the future of the three races.

Currently, the department is primarily responsible for patrolling and clearing out areas where the celestial spheres converge, working together to handle intrusion crises.

The agreement was signed in three languages.

Looking at the thick stack of documents on the table, Wang Kaixuan felt more than just simple joy.

These terms, word by word, bound the three races together like chains.

The three races appear to be mutually beneficial, but this alliance on paper is ultimately just that—an alliance on paper.

He recalled the deep night outside President Li's office window; the real test was yet to come.

"Who knows what unexpected things might happen in future cooperation and trade!"

With that thought in mind, Wang Kaixuan then took the documents back to Earth.

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