Sylvia's body froze.
She could feel a terrifying power coming from the other's wrist, a force she simply couldn't contend with.
More importantly, she was afraid of harming the hostages.
She could disregard her own life and death, but she couldn't gamble with the lives of the thousands of clansmen behind her.
The fire of anger in her eyes gradually died out, replaced by a deep sense of powerlessness and humiliation.
"What exactly do you want?"
She gave up resisting and asked in a hoarse voice.
"My conditions are very simple."
Wu Liang released her wrist, but the finger lifting her chin did not move away.
"First, the Moon Language Kingdom shall become a vassal to my Black Rock Tribe. You will pay an annual tribute of one-third of your kingdom's output, including but not limited to Magic Crystals, Mithril, elven specialty fruit wine, and artworks."
"Second, open all commercial ports to me, allow my merchant caravans free entry and exit from the Mist Forest, and guarantee their absolute safety."
"Third..."
Wu Liang paused, his gaze sweeping over Sylvia's beautiful face, which was flushed with anger, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"You, Elf Queen Sylvia Moonshadow, will remain in my Tiee Fortress for three months as a guest, serving as a symbol of peace."
The first two conditions, though harsh, were something Sylvia could grit her teeth and accept.
But the third condition was nothing short of blatant humiliation!
Keeping the ruler of a nation as a hostage? What was the difference between that and making her a slave girl?
"You're looking for death!"
Sylvia could no longer hold back. She violently broke free from Wu Liang's hand, and the scepter in her hand instantly lit up with a destructive light. A powerful Forbidden Spell was about to take shape!
However, Wu Liang only gave a disdainful cold laugh.
He snapped his fingers again.
The scene on the magical light screen behind him shifted, clearly showing the dense forest where the elven army was camped.
On the hillsides surrounding the forest, at some unknown point, over a hundred dark heavy cannons had been densely deployed, all their muzzles precisely aimed at the elven camp!
"Try moving if you dare."
Wu Liang's voice became bone-chillingly cold.
"Do you believe that the moment you release this magic, your thousands of clansmen will instantly turn into a field of minced meat?"
The light in Sylvia's hand stagnated.
She looked at the artillery positions on the light screen, capable of destroying everything, and her heart sank to the bottom.
This man... is a devil!
He never intended to negotiate fairly with her from the start!
He had laid out an inescapable net and was just waiting for her to dive right in!
"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you."
As if he felt the provocation wasn't enough, Wu Liang added another sentence.
"To prevent you all from getting thirsty, my people conveniently dropped some good things into the upstream water source of your camp."
"You... you used poison?!"
Sylvia turned pale with fright; this had already crossed the bottom line of the Continental War Convention!
"Don't worry, it's not some lethal poison. It won't kill anyone."
Wu Liang shrugged.
"It's just a potion that can make people have diarrhea until they collapse from exhaustion.
I imagine you noble elves wouldn't want to experience the feeling of having your pants soaked on the battlefield, would you?"
"Shameless! Despicable!"
Sylvia trembled with rage. She had never seen such a brazenly shameless person in her life!
Military intimidation, hostage blackmail, poisoning... this man would stop at nothing to achieve his goals!
All her means of resistance had been calculated to a dead end by the opponent.
She was like a small fish in a net; no matter how she struggled, she couldn't escape the opponent's palm.
Looking at Sylvia's beautiful face, which was a weave of anger, humiliation, resentment, and despair, Wu Liang knew the timing was right.
He dropped his aggressive posture and his tone softened slightly:
"Your Majesty, I'm not negotiating with you; I'm notifying you. Accept my conditions, and your clansmen can return home safe and sound.
If you stay, I will treat you with the respect due to a distinguished guest. After three months, as long as you behave well, I will naturally let you go."
"This is your only choice."
Sylvia closed her eyes, and two lines of clear tears slid down her perfect cheeks.
These were the tears of a queen, and also the helpless tears of a woman.
After a long time, she opened her eyes, the light in them having dimmed.
"I... I promise you."
She used all her strength to say this sentence representing submission.
"Very good." Wu Liang nodded with satisfaction.
He waved his hand behind him.
Soon, Ignis arrived with a squad of personal guards. They were escorting her in name, but in reality, they were guarding a prisoner.
"Your Majesty, please."
Ignis made a gesture of invitation with an expressionless face.
Sylvia took one last look at her bewildered clansmen in the distance, then turned around and walked with heavy steps into the steel castle that felt like hell to her, surrounded by Black Rock soldiers.
When her figure disappeared behind the city gate, Wu Liang shouted toward the distant elven camp:
"Listen, all elves! Your Queen will be a guest here for three months! Now, lay down your weapons and wait where you are to be processed! Any who resist will be shown no mercy!"
His voice spread throughout the valley via the amplification magic array next to the artillery positions.
The elves looked at each other, and finally, in the face of absolute military intimidation and the fact of their Queen's capture, they chose to yield.
*Clang...*
The first elven longbow was thrown to the ground, then the second, the third... soon, the crisp sound of metal clashing rang out in a chorus.
Sylvia was arranged to stay in an extremely luxurious room on the top floor of the Main Keep.
There was soft velvet carpet, a large Simmons mattress, and a separate bathroom tiled in pure white.
Next door lived Lina and her sister, Irene.
When the door opened and she saw Lina and Irene safe and sound, Sylvia could no longer hold it together. She rushed forward and hugged them tightly, and the three elves wept together.
"Sister! How are you? That bastard didn't do anything to you, did he?"
Irene asked anxiously as she checked Sylvia's body.
"I'm fine."
Sylvia shook her head and then looked at Lina.
"Lina, what exactly is going on? Those humans... their weapons..."
A bitter smile appeared on Lina's face. She sighed and said:
"Your Majesty, we were all wrong. We underestimated this human too much. He... he is simply not an existence we can oppose."
Next, Lina told Sylvia everything she had seen and heard over the past few days.
From the inconceivable Steam Locomotive to the Magically Modified Bullets that could mass-produce magic, and then to that world-destroying cannon blast today.
The more she spoke, the paler Sylvia and Irene's faces became.
"Sister, is what Lina said true? Is that man named Wu Liang really that terrifying?"
Irene was still somewhat indignant.
"A hundred times more terrifying than what she said."
Sylvia remembered that dark cannon muzzle, her heart still fluttering with fear.