"This is the only way," Jones continued, "From the beginning, we knew that the war against the Black Dragon would not go smoothly. Heaven and Hell would not want to see the entire continent of Celtics under the control of the Bone Holy Light Holy Church. What we are seeking is justice, and they pursue hegemony. If they give their all, we will be unable to resist. The reason why we can get to this point is actually the hostile relationship between them. If we leave a peace talks for the Black Dragon, we may still have a chance to win in the end, but if not, the Black Dragon will definitely fight us to the end. This will give Heaven and Hell the chance, and they can easily control the Black Dragon clan and make the Black Dragon a powerful weapon to confront us."

Ritchie stared at Jones blankly.

After a pause, Jones said again: "I think it's time for us to reflect. I know that for this period of time, you have fallen into complete anger because of my father's affairs. In fact, it's not just you, but everyone is angry about it. Including me. But we can't continue like this. Black Dragon City was completely destroyed, and no matter whether it is the enemy or us, there were countless casualties and injuries. This is not what we are pursuing, isn't it? Now, the most advantageous way for us should be to negotiate with the Black Dragon alone. Yes, alone, let go of heaven. If we accept the suggestions of heaven, through them and the Black Dragon, while reaching an agreement, the Black Dragon will also be under the protection of heaven and become their puppet. In fact, it is entirely possible for us to complete the peace talks with the Black Dragon alone, and they will agree. As long as our conditions are not too harsh, we will fulfill our father's dream of integrating creatures on the Celtics continent."

"I don't agree." Ritchie replied softly.

Jones slowly opened his eyes wide and looked at Ritchie, a little surprised.

"I don't agree to do this." Ritchie repeated again, shook his head slowly, and stepped back step by step: "I won't use my father as a bargaining chip for negotiation."

"I'm not going to use my father as a bargaining chip for negotiation..."

"You are!" Ritchie roared suddenly: "How can my father's hatred be used as a bargaining chip for negotiation!"

Jones was a little anxious and said quickly: "My father's affairs are irreversible! Revenge cannot solve any problem!"

"No! Revenge can solve many problems!" Grigged his teeth, Ritchie shouted viciously: "No revenge, what do you want to soothe your mother's heart! I have not told my mother this news yet. I even forged my father's handwriting to communicate with her. Do you know what the result will be if my mother learns about her father's death?"

Suddenly, Jones was stunned.

"Or, you only have a father, no mother?" Ritchie continued to question: "Of course I know that my father's death is irreversible, but what about mother? Father is the whole of mother... Do you know what this means? Human life is very fragile."

Jones stared blankly at the angry Richie.

The confined space was quiet, leaving only the fires ignited on the ground burning.

Through the thick layer of soil, they could still hear the ridicule of the black dragon.

"You don't understand your mother, but I understand. Your mother will definitely not forgive the murderer who killed her husband. There is no room for compromise in this matter. As her only son, I cannot accept any conditions for compromise. My father's dream is very important, and of course I agree with it, but nothing is as important as my mother. My father is no longer here, and I am the only one who can protect his mother."

"But……"

Before Jones finished speaking, Ritchie turned his face and shouted, "Salina!"

"I'm here." The inducement demon Salina quietly appeared behind Ricci.

"Can you help me contact the Demon Lord? I need to talk to him."

"I'm very happy to serve." Salina slowly disappeared.

In the confined space, only Ritchie and Jones were left. Ritchie stared at Jones quietly, with some hostility.

...

Bubbles in the lava emerged one by one, bursting, and the swelling heat rose, and everything was reflected in a dim red color.

Salina walked step by step along the hanging trail, knelt down on one knee, and said respectfully: "My Lord, my covenant, the second generation of Lich King Rich Gruglu, I hope to talk to you."

Suddenly, the demons present burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! It's really surprising."

“Is this a request from us?”

"A great news. It seems that our new Lich King is far less determined than his father in his treatment of faith."

"We should really talk to him."

Salina looked up.

The Demon Lord, who was like a black fog, was silent.

"My Lord, your reply is..."

"Agree." The Demon Lord replied softly.

...

Jones walked alone in the long tunnel, and Dora quietly appeared behind him and followed with a small step.

"Ritchie is wrong." Jones suddenly said, "I really didn't think about how much harm the news of my father's accident would cause to my mother, but this should not be a reason to continue fighting with the Black Dragon. It should not be a reason to form an alliance with the demon. I think the demon is waiting for us to come to the door now, which is also a kind of surrender? If we continue to persevere, we will encounter a huge disaster. Not only us, but the entire Celtics will be in disaster. Do you think I'm right?"

"Mr. Jones is definitely right." Dora replied in a low voice.

"No, I don't want compliments, I want to hear the truth." Jones suddenly turned around and stared at Dora and said, "Tell me your true thoughts. If it were you, would you continue to push the war?"

Dora blinked at Jones.

"Tell me, your true thoughts." Jones stared at Dora seriously.

With his eyes flashing, Dora whispered, "I think... maybe Lord Jones can persuade His Highness Ritchie again. Maybe..."

"I can't persuade him." Turning back, Jones continued to move forward dejectedly: "He was already blinded by hatred... Of course, maybe we shouldn't have demanded so much on him. He is just a child, and it's only a few years since he came to this world. But... he is sitting in the position of the Lich King, and it's impossible for us to not ask for him. Negotiate with the demon... Haven't he heard of the saying that he shouldn't trade with the demon? In the past, the agreement between the father and the demon lord could have been considered that they had a common enemy. Now?"

Dora continued to follow quietly and whispered: "Aren't we also a common enemy now?"

"The situation is different." Jones shook his head slowly and continued, "And the situation is completely different. In the past, my father strictly kept the hell out, and the Demon Lord urgently needed an entry point, otherwise he would not be able to intervene. Now, it is Ritchie who takes the initiative to request. Just like doing business, the active party will always obtain less conditions than the passive party. Ritchie will push the entire Celtics into the abyss, although he does not want to do so."

"Maybe..." Dora whispered, "Maybe we can take a look again? Maybe the situation is not as bad as Lord Jones thought. His Highness Ritchie has always been very smart. He will definitely not fall into the devil's trap."

Jones glanced at Dora helplessly.

...

The strong wind carried the wind and snow across the earth.

The army of undead is still restless.

The bone dragon hovered back and forth in the air in the wind, the giant elephant transported the excavated soil, and the spider pulled the rope made of spider silk.

As for the Goblins, they were still digging hard in the tunnel day and night.

In the area occupied by the golden dragon, Elder Ge Jiasitafu stood silently on the cliff in a human form, looking at the direction of the undead army, waiting.

...

In the underground space, Ricci stood quietly, staring at the black flames gradually igniting on the ground ahead.

The black flames seemed to seep out of the gaps in the floor tiles. Under its action, the originally grayish-white floor tiles gradually turned black.

Soon, the black flame condensed a human-like face in front of Ritchie. Because it was still in the state of black flame, it was impossible to see the specific appearance, but you could vaguely see the high nose bridge and pointed chin.

There are also pairs of eyes without pupils.

After gradually taking shape, the face smiled and said to Ritchie, "I'm glad to see you, Ritchie. We are both young and excellent Lich King."

"I'm glad to see you, dear Demon Lord." Ritchie saluted respectfully.

"I heard Salina say you want to talk to me? Well, that surprised me."

"I know you once lent your power to my father."

"Yes. But in fact, your father never summoned me on his own initiative. Rather than lent him the power, I forced him. You know, your father is a stubborn person and is very difficult to communicate with."

"I hope you can lend me strength, as you did to my father."

"What benefits will I get?"

"I will help you fight heaven."

"Um..." The Demon Lord pretended to be contemplative, thought for a while, and then said, "Is that just that?"

"Isn't it enough?" Ritchie hurriedly said, "Your enemies are heaven. Weakening the power of heaven will only benefit you and not harm you. Once the power of heaven becomes stronger, it will put huge pressure on you."

"Yes, you're right. But there's something wrong."

"What are you referring to?"

"This is a transaction, and we should be equal." The Demon Lord said seriously: "If both parties in the transaction cannot get more benefits from the transaction than they originally were, then the transaction will not be reached, right?"

"I don't understand what you mean."

"My question just now was 'What benefits will I get'. I mean more benefits on the existing basis. If we don't reach an agreement, wouldn't you fight against heaven?"

"If you refuse to give me your strength, and don't have enough strength to fight against heaven, I can't fight against them."

"No, you will still fight against them. Otherwise, you won't come to me, right? You and I know that the demons have insight into people's hearts. Please don't lie to the demons. It doesn't make sense."

Suddenly, the atmosphere became a little stiff, and Ricci quietly stared at the demon lord's phantom.

The fire on the oil lamp next to him was burning, and a faint flame reflected on his armor.

After a while, the Demon Lord continued, "Let me tell you what will happen next if I don't support you. You will still fight against heaven. Even if you surrender, it will be temporary. You cannot tolerate the Black Dragon clan continuing to exist in this world. You will be full of hatred for the heaven that prevents you from revenge. But... you do not have enough power to defeat them. In the confrontation, the power of the White Bone Holy Light Holy Church will be compressed. This is also good for us. Your father is too strong. His existence is not only a nightmare for heaven, but also for us. Is that true? You cannot use what I will definitely get as bargaining chips to negotiate with me, which seems very disrespectful to the transaction."

Ricky listened blankly, without answering, and the soul fire in his eyes burned violently.

"Of course, there may be a little problem. The black dragon will completely turn to heaven. This is certainly not good news for us. But while mastering the black dragon, it also means that heaven will become your mortal enemy. This is also not good news for heaven. Even worse. You will concentrate all your strength on fighting heaven, which is no different from being an allies."

"I won't, I will use it to revenge you!" Ritchie roared.

"Hey, Little Rich, I must emphasize again, please don't try to deceive a demon spirit who has lived for hundreds of thousands of years. This doesn't make sense. You can think so indignantly, but you can't do it. First, the hate in your heart will not allow it, and second,... you use hatred to condense the power of the lichs. You need the support of the lichs, and you will not have enough support to fight against hell. If you do this, the power you have mastered will be exhausted little by little in the long time. Don't say such unhappy words. If you really want to reach a certain agreement, then please go back to the real negotiation of interests."

Ritchie was already trembling with anger, but he was helpless: "As far as I know, when you lent my father the strength, you offered extremely generous conditions."

"Yes." The Demon Lord smiled: "This cannot be compared. Little Ritchie. The Demon's contract has never been fixed. For different people, the conditions we offer, and our considerations, may be completely different."

"Am I different from my father?"

"Of course, you are very different. You are smarter than your father. Your father is thinking about how to use my power as little as possible, and you will think about how to use as much as possible. Or, your father is much more determined than you when it comes to faith. Being able to successfully erode your father is a huge victory in itself. The power lent to him can only be regarded as a small bet on the table. As for eroding you... Sorry, I'm not interested. You need to come up with tangible benefits when negotiating with me."

"So, what do you want?" Ritchie asked gritted her teeth.
Chapter completed!