As the emperor hesitated, not knowing what to say to persuade them, Rockefeller, who had been watching, stepped forward.
"You're making outrageous claims."
At his words, everyone's eyes were focused on him.
Of course, Orin recognized him as well.
He remembered buying beer from him in the past.
"Ah, you are…"
"It's been a long time."
"Why are you here? You used to be…"
"Back then, yes. Now, I am the Minister of Finance of the empire."
"Minister? That's a high position, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is. It's quite high. And I am also the emperor's only financial advisor."
"Financial advisor?"
Orin tried to recall his name.
'Yes, that's right!'
"Rockefeller Rothsmedici! Yes, that was the name."
Rockefeller sent a deep smile to Orin, who clearly remembered his name.
"I'm glad you still remember my name."
"I could never forget that name. Especially not when you, obsessed with money, are involved. How could I forget you?"
"First, I'd like to thank you for that. It could have been a passing acquaintance, but you still remember my name."
Orin's expression changed as soon as he faced Rockefeller.
There was definitely no good event when they were entangled back then.
'What trick is he trying to pull now?'
"Yes, you would know if you were on that land. That land belongs to us dwarves. It's the land you humans are occupying without permission."
Rockefeller shook his head outright.
"That's not true. On the contrary, it is strictly imperial land, and you are the ones causing trouble by coming to us."
Rockefeller asked.
"Let me ask you one thing. If there was nothing on that land, would you have come this far?"
"No, I wouldn't."
"Then why are you claiming the rights to that land now? Wasn't it abandoned anyway?"
"Well..."
The watching nobles began to whisper again.
Rockefeller was right.
"Why are you making a fuss over abandoned land now? Dwarves are a bit strange. We were taking good care of the land you abandoned, and now that gold is found on that land, you want us to hand it over?"
"It was originally our land."
"Then let me ask you again. Are we idiots?"
Orin was at a loss for words at the direct question.
He himself was a dwarf, so there was no reason not to speak harshly.
That guy was even worse than him.
"What?"
"I'll repeat what I said. Are we some kind of idiots? To be robbed of what we have. Especially when it's a land with gold."
"Ugh..."
When Orin couldn't say anything,
The dwarves who followed him began to whisper in his ear to help.
"If we back down here, it's war. The king will surely do so."
"We need to scare the humans a bit."
"Stand strong. We have nothing to lose, right? No matter what they say, that land is originally ours."
Orin regained his strength and raised his voice.
"Still, the fact that you occupied the land without giving it to us doesn't change."
"Occupying without permission? We simply took the land that had no rightful owner."
"We never gave it up."
"That's what you dwarves think. We absolutely don't think so. And most importantly, we are the ones in effective control, and if you cross that land, we will consider it a challenge to the empire."
The Emperor remained silent, and the Prime Minister did not blink an eye, saying everything he had to say.
Orin, who lost his senses, found the Emperor.
"Is Your Majesty of the same opinion? The Prime Minister keeps talking, but isn't this country ultimately Your Majesty's will?"
However, the Emperor's thoughts were not much different from Rockefeller's.
'I can't just give up such a good land like this.'
Even if the real owner of the land was the Rothsmedici family,
As long as it was imperial land, the royal family was only gaining from collecting taxes.
Moreover, it was a land where gold was found, so the taxes alone would be enormous.
The Emperor had no intention of backing down either.
"I cannot give up that land. My will is the same as that of the Minister, so go and tell your king. The empire will never bow to the threat of the dwarves."
Rockefeller smiled lightly in response.
'It would be strange to just hand over such a valuable land. If the royal family thinks about the taxes that will come from there, they definitely can't give it up, no matter what.'
He knew it all along, but
Rockefeller was able to confirm it here.
War with the dwarves.
It was an inevitable fate that couldn't be avoided.
'Let them come if they will. Everything is prepared anyway.'
"Your Majesty has said so. Do you have anything more to say?"
Orin clenched his teeth.
He had tried to intimidate them, but these humans were not scared.
'It seems that we dwarves are being taken lightly. Have we ever had a major conflict with them before?'
They were the ones who had been active in the Totem War.
'It will be as troublesome as the orcs.'
"Since it's Your Majesty's will, I will go and tell our king. But you must remember this. We dwarves will never yield when it comes to gold."
The Emperor could sense that their relationship with the dwarves would be strained, but he couldn't give up the land easily either.
It was a determination made in this place.
'I never thought we'd be at odds with the dwarves like this.'
What was it about that gold?
'No, gold is important to us too.'
"The empire will never bow to any threat. If you have confirmed our will, go and tell your king. The empire has absolutely no intention of retreating from that land."
Since the Emperor said so, Orin had no choice but to leave empty-handed.
Thus, Orin returned to the Thunder Mountain Range and conveyed to his king, Grom Stark, everything he had heard from the imperial emperor.
Then, with a thunderous roar, Grom Stark, who rose from the throne, informed the start of the Gold Vein War by looking for the other two dwarf kings.
"Go and tell the kings of the two mountain ranges! Our land has been taken by humans. It's time to reclaim what's rightfully ours."
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Ah yes this is what I waiting for! I hope it will not disappoint me...
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