The news of Stonemason Clan's surrender was relayed to Lakeheart Town via a flag signal station and fast horses, taking only thirty-six hours.
Paul Greiman immediately convened an emergency meeting.
On either side of the long table in the Lords Manor conference room sat the most key figures of Lakeheart Town: Old Ford, Hansel, Schroeder, Blade …
Paul pushed the battle report to the center of the table: " Derrick's forces have killed the giant worm known as 'Throat of the Abyss,' and the Stonemason Clan has surrendered immediately. I propose that the entire army be commended, every soldier at Mountain Throat Fortress be promoted one rank, and Derrick be credited with the greatest merit."
Everyone nodded, and no one objected.
But when Paul asked, "What's the next step with the Stonemason Clan?" the two sides of the long table split instantly.
Chief of Staff Schroeder spoke first: " Glaeman dwarves, I believe the Stonemason Clan should no longer exist as an independent force. We should completely annex their territory, their tunnels, mines, and strategic highlands, all of which should belong to Lakeheart Town. I suggest immediately dispatching military and political officials to transform their territory into a mountain fortress, stockpiling gunpowder and provisions. Future attacks on the steppe orcs should begin from the Rocky Mountains."
Blade nodded in agreement, saying, "The dwarf tunnels are natural military passages. We already have explosives, so we're not afraid of their resistance. Let's take this opportunity to bring the entire eastern section of the mountain range under our control and create a spearhead that plunges straight into the heart of the grasslands."
But Old Ford, the director of the Political Affairs Council, slowly shook his head: "While your ideas are tempting, they are very inappropriate. There are other dwarven clans in the Rocky Mountains besides the Stonemason Clan, who remain neutral to this day. If we annex the Stonemason Clan, it would be tantamount to declaring that all dwarven territories are open to us, which could very well lead to them uniting immediately, or even siding with the orcs. We must proceed with caution in this regard."
"Then what do you suggest, Your Excellency?" Schroeder gave a wry smile. "Support them? Give them pensions?"
"Perhaps we can give them some autonomy." Old Ford said firmly, "Humans and dwarves have not lived together for thousands of years. Their cultures are very different, and human rules may not work for them. Perhaps we should let them govern themselves."
The Director of the Political Affairs Council then changed his tone, saying, "Of course, we should send oversight officers to control the tunnel access rights, levy strategic material taxes, and make them vassals. This kind of soft control is more prudent than a direct takeover."
Deson was also summoned to the meeting. He had just returned to Lakeheart Town, and the news of the victory arrived in a few days. Deson was somewhat disappointed that he had not been able to witness it in person.
Then he suddenly spoke, his voice as cold as ice:
"You gentlemen are all discussing how to manage the dwarves, but have you ever considered that these alien species are inherently a threat? The Rocky Mountains are so vast, who knows if there are hidden tunnels harboring a large number of rebellious individuals with ill intentions? Their craftsmen can build siege engines, and their alliance with the orcs can penetrate deep into our territory. Now that we know the potential threat they pose, why not eliminate it once and for all?"
He looked around at the crowd: "I suggest that any dwarves we see be physically eliminated. We will not enslave them, nor will we govern them; we will annihilate them completely—physically. Seal all the tunnels with explosives and make the Stonemason Clan disappear from the map forever. It's outrageous that these guys have made their home on the natural border of Aldor for thousands of years."
Deson's words brought an immediate, deathly silence to the council chamber.
After a long pause, Old Ford stared at him in shock: "Are you crazy? Those are tens of thousands of lives, old people, children, and kids! And dwarves aren't like goblins, which are beast-like creatures. Apart from being shorter and stockier, they're basically the same as us humans. How could we possibly do that?"
Deson remained expressionless. "Sir, war doesn't concern us with such things." "There are only threats and non-threats. We 've demonstrated our strength; now it's time to demonstrate our resolve."
Deson's words were like a red-hot iron thrown into cold water, stirring up a storm of discussion among the crowd.
Paul sat expressionless in the head seat, as if Deson's suggestion of "physical removal" was just a passing breeze outside the window, and he had no intention of paying attention to such an outrageous suggestion.
He simply raised his hand slightly to steer the conversation back on track: " Steward Ford's plan is more secure. Stonemason Clan can retain some autonomy, but they must accept oversight officers, pay strategic taxes, and relinquish control of all main tunnels. We will not annex them, but we must maintain firm control over them."
He swept his gaze across the crowd: "They are not allies, nor subjects, but vassals, just as vines in the mountains can cling to a big tree to grow, but their roots must be cut off by us."
The meeting ultimately adopted this compromise.
Schroeder and Blade were unwilling, but they understood that the all-out war was not over and it was not advisable to make more enemies. Deson said nothing more and turned to leave.
After the meeting, Hansel stayed behind and asked in a low voice, " Marquis, do you really believe that this kind of 'vassal' can last? Dwarves are proud to the core. Won't they betray us in the long run? I think Lord Schroeder's suggestion is better: to completely annex them."
Paul stood by the window, gazing at the distant lights of Lakeheart Town, and spoke softly:
"I don't trust them, and I don't intend to make them one of my own."
His voice was low, tinged with a barely perceptible weariness: " Aldor should be the country of the Aldor people. In my ideal, Aldor has no towns where different races live together, and no fairy tale of multicultural coexistence. The order, language, laws, and beliefs of this land should all be unified. I don't want to turn it into a racial palette or some kind of anthropological museum."
He turned around with a complicated look in his eyes: "But I can't do what Deson said and send an entire race to its grave. I can't do that."
In the reception room of the Mountain Throat Fortress, Imar sat upright in a human-style hardwood chair, his back straight, like a captured stone statue.
He has been "guesting" here for three days, ostensibly to await the final decision of Lakeheart Town, but in reality, he is a hostage.
When the messenger entered with the sealed document, Imar's fingers tightened slightly, his nails digging into his palm. He expected to receive an order of annexation—humans would rename their Anvil Hall "First Fortress of the North," appoint a governor, conscript dwarven miners for hard labor, and send their offspring to Lakeheart Town as "hostages" to receive "indoctrination."
But when he heard the interpreter read it aloud, he froze on the spot.
" The Stonemason Clan may retain its internal autonomy, with Imar Deepjak temporarily continuing to serve as the clan chief. However, it must accept the supervision and guidance of the officials dispatched by Aldor and be responsible for tunnel passage, strategic resource extraction, and diplomatic affairs. If this agreement is violated, the Ausser Army will act in accordance with previous precedents."