Chapter 480: Peace Talks

With everything arranged, a grand banquet was held on the night before the negotiations as a way to properly entertain these people. Everyone had a good time, and for a while, the rift between the Source of Darkness and the continent was set aside. Without any animosity between them, they sat together. In such an atmosphere, the negotiations gradually moved forward.

The next day, the negotiations began as scheduled. Representatives from various countries and powerful figures from the continent gathered in the palace of Autumn Water City. This day was destined to be recorded in the history of the continent—it was an extraordinary day.

In fact, the outcome of these negotiations had already been decided; today was merely for show, so everyone remained relaxed.

As the negotiations commenced and all parties arrived, to avoid criticism, the Source of Darkness maintained a tough stance. With the cooperation of the Lance Empire and the Meidisi Empire, everything proceeded smoothly, with no unexpected incidents.

Especially the Wolf King—at this moment, he displayed a presence that made others look at him differently. His aura as a ruler, his decisive tone, made it impossible for anyone to resist him. This was the result of years in power.

With the Source of Darkness being so strong and the two most influential nations in agreement, what could the smaller countries do? Naturally, they had nothing to say. Although some countries had complaints, they could only keep them to themselves—none of these parties were worth offending.

Coupled with the intentional or unintentional cooperation of the powerful figures on the continent, everything went exceptionally well. In just one morning, the two sides resolved several details and signed a ceasefire agreement.

The Dark Duchy thus reappeared on the continent. After thousands of years, this vanished kingdom showed up again, inevitably sparking countless emotions and sighs. Once this news spread, the entire continent would surely be in an uproar. This was undoubtedly a historic moment. After years of conflict, the two sides finally shook hands in peace.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, except for those from the Church, whose expressions turned grim. They, who always claimed to fight against evil, now had to coexist peacefully with demons, vampires, and beast clans on the same continent. It felt unnatural to them, but what could they do?

With the ceasefire in place, everyone was in high spirits, and the atmosphere was extremely harmonious.

That day, the Source of Darkness showed its sincerity by lifting the blockade on the duchy. From that moment on, the Dark Duchy became a free trade zone—a place without hierarchical distinctions, where everyone was equal, free from oppressive domination, and enjoyed freedom of speech!
This had always been what Rod hoped to see. From the day he arrived on the continent, he had said that one day this damned hierarchical system would be abolished and an equal society built.
Clearly, the time was not yet ripe. It was impossible to instill this idea in every corner of the continent and get everyone to accept it. First and foremost, those nations would not agree. These rulers had dominated the continent for thousands of years; asking them to relinquish their power would be more painful than killing them. They would resist to the end, as their power was still formidable. Thus, Rod could only start spreading the idea from this place, gradually expanding and promoting it, believing that one day it would reach every corner of the continent.
Once everything was settled, as scheduled, the troops on the continent began to withdraw. These delegations consisted of ministers who ranked just below the kings and nobles in their own countries and held supreme power. Withjust a word from them, the troops could withdraw, and they had already been given this authority before arriving. So everything proceeded smoothly. By nightfall, nearly two-thirds of the hundreds of thousands of troops surrounding the Dark Duchy had withdrawn, bringing a sense of sudden relief.
At the same time, the vampires and werewolves also began to retreat inward toward the Source of Darkness. As agreed, they left only over a thousand people to maintain order, while the rest returned to the Source of Darkness to live in peace. Naturally, the garrison troops here would not remain fixed indefinitely; a rotation system was implemented, with replacements coming at regular intervals to prevent corruption from arising over time.
After years of fighting, the conflict finally came to an end, giving the continent a chance to rest and recover! Everything felt like a dream—what was once a tense atmosphere had suddenly relaxed, making it hard for some to adjust.
Once they realized what had happened, people began to cheer. Everyone took to the streets to celebrate joyfully. The days of blood and fire were over, and they had finally welcomed a peaceful life.
The Dark Duchy, this land, caught everyone’s attention that day. One day, it would become the most dazzling place on the continent.

Starting from the second day, the delegations from various countries began to leave slowly. Within a day, more than half of them had departed, casting a somber atmosphere over the once-noisy City of Autumn Waters. Three days later, almost all delegations had left, with only those from the Meidis Empire and the Lans Empire remaining. During these days, they had gathered to discuss how to establish this trade zone. If the trade zone could indeed be set up, they would undoubtedly benefit greatly, as it would relieve them of many troubles. More importantly, they were interested in the material resources available in the Source of Darkness. The terrifying core crystals of magical beasts had left everyone in awe; just having one at hand could drive anyone crazy, even those powerful figures who had always lived in isolation on the continent were tempted. Divine-grade magical beast cores were not something that could be found everywhere. Even if one had the strength to kill such beasts, they still needed the luck to encounter them! On the continent, such powerful magical beasts were extremely rare, mostly concentrated in the Source of Darkness, with even the Collins Forest being a very uncommon place for them. The Source of Darkness was undoubtedly a place these people could not enter, and since these core crystals were the best materials for crafting weapons and armor, it was no wonder they were desperate for them. Naturally, the two empires would not miss this opportunity—it was a great chance for their development. By obtaining a batch of powerful core crystals, they could arm an entire division or even a legion, elevating the combat strength of their armies by a significant margin. It was like finding a gift from the heavens. They were not short of money; as long as the Source of Darkness set a price, they were willing to pay. Three days later, their smiling faces when they left showed that they had gained a lot. They must be eager to return and mobilize substantial funds. As for the Source of Darkness, it was simply a business deal. They were not short of core crystals; what they lacked now was money. It was only fair that they give money in exchange for the core crystals, so they were also very happy. Even an ordinary sacred-grade magical beast core could fetch a high price here, tempting them even more. Even miserly people like Sognar took out their most precious treasures to trade for those shiny gold coins.

Even the divine-level magic cores are like this; let alone those in the Yin Yellow realm, which people on the continent have hardly ever seen. These are truly rare and unattainable, forcing many powerful individuals to adopt a tough stance to prevent other nations from competing, so they can reap enormous profits and be overjoyed.

“If you have time, go back to the Lance Empire and take a look!” As he was about to leave, Okaz said to Rod with emotion.

“Let’s talk about it later!” When it came to that country, Rod felt conflicted. It was the place where he grew up, his hometown—how could he not want to visit?

“We’re leaving!” Hearing Rod’s words, Okaz forced a wry smile, knowing it would be impossible for Rod to return to the Lance Empire in the future. He was now part of the Source of Darkness; it could only be said that a wrong choice had cost the empire a chance to rise.

Kiro left, Alice left with a complex expression, and Lucia left reluctantly, filled with sorrow.

She knew that she and Rod belonged to different worlds and could no longer be together. With Okaz and Kiro’s persuasion, she finally left. From then on, the two of them were like parallel lines, unlikely to intersect ever again.

As for the Windy Mercenaries, Rod had already received news that they had entered the territory of the Dark Duchy and would likely reach Autumn Water City within a day or two. This was the only thing that made Rod feel a bit excited and hopeful. Thinking of his brothers and former comrades, Rod smiled slightly. He exchanged a glance with Aida; she was also looking forward to it. Back on the continent, the Windy Mercenaries had been her home.

What expression would that guy disguised as a woman have if those people saw her? What would Bit and Cheri think when they met her? Probably just as shocked and incredulous as he had been back then. The thought made Rod chuckle.

Finally, there were the powerful individuals who stayed behind, with even more important tasks ahead of them. Although the delegates were puzzled as to why they hadn’t left, they dared not ask too much. These people had strange temperaments; who knew if asking them might anger them, putting themselves in danger?

Now that the delegates had left, these people relaxed and gathered together to discuss the war between gods and demons, so the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat somber.