Two minutes later, he appeared behind her again, holding a box that was half a meter long and half a meter high.
Elara opened the box. Inside were all kinds of iron weapons she had prepared in advance before this long journey, all made with the same quality iron as that from Lianyi Building.
Elara reached into the box and took out each iron weapon one by one.
"Iron sword, iron shield, iron spear, iron long spear, iron saber, iron halberd, iron dagger, iron arrows, and iron armor."
Elara placed each of these iron weapons in front of Prince Leland, whose expression had completely changed, then looked up at him again. "Prince Leland, which type would you like? As long as it's under thirty thousand, it's all possible."
In the past few months, after several large-scale foundries and smelting plants were newly built in Plumera City, Elara's production speed of iron weapons soared.
Besides completing the orders she had promised to Prince Yu and Dahlia Kingdom's representative, the weapon warehouses in Plumera and Marigold now held a considerable stock of various iron weapons ready for sale.
When Prince Leland saw Elara take out so many different kinds of iron weapons one by one, his slightly cautious expression immediately froze.
The gloomy look on his handsome face had long disappeared. He stared at the table full of weapons with a stunned and indescribable expression.
After picking up one of the iron swords and testing it out, the look on Prince Leland's face grew more intense.
If Elara had only taken out an iron sword, an iron saber, and an iron dagger, he might have suspected she got them from the Tiangong Pavilion. But once she kept going and brought out an iron shield, iron spear, iron arrows, iron armor, and even a modular iron long spear, that last bit of doubt disappeared, leaving only shock and astonishment.
Even now, Tiangong Pavilion only sells iron sabers, iron swords, and iron daggers each year. Iron tools are hard to forge, so these three are all they typically offer.
As for iron spears, iron halberds, iron shields, and iron armor, Tiangong Pavilion has basically never sold those. To obtain these legendary iron weapons, one must have extremely strong connections and resources. Even second-tier powers find it extremely difficult.
And that foldable, modular long spear? This was Prince Leland's first time seeing anything like it.
Prince Leland slowly looked over each of the finely crafted iron weapons.
These were items he couldn't get even after traveling thousands of miles, yet now they were laid out before him in a richer and more varied array than he had ever imagined.
When the shock in his heart finally settled a little, Prince Leland looked back at Prince Yu and Gareth, and sure enough, the two showed no surprise at all, as if they were long used to seeing these weapons that didn't exist anywhere else.
Prince Leland suddenly laughed loudly and stood up. He picked up the half-human-sized iron shield on the table and tried it out, then grabbed the modular long spear, quickly assembling it and giving it a few swings. His smile toward Prince Yu and Gareth grew wider.
"Good! No wonder you both suddenly came to ask me about attacking the Salvia Kingdom and its string of lackey nations. So this is what you've got—divine weapons to aid your campaign!"
Prince Leland couldn't stop playing with the iron weapons and the long spear. But since they were in a guestroom, swinging them around too much would be inappropriate and could damage things. He reluctantly put the shield and spear back on the table. His sharp eyes still couldn't hide his excitement as he stared at Elara.
"This young lady, I must apologize. It was wrong of me not to ask your family name earlier."
Elara said, "Just call me Miss Bai."
"Alright, Miss Bai! Please forgive my earlier rudeness. But I must confirm again. Miss Bai, you really can provide thirty thousand of each kind of iron weapon like those on this table, all of the same quality?"
Prince Leland didn't care why Elara had access to iron-armored weapons that even the Tian Gong Pavilion wouldn't sell. From the way Prince Yu and Gareth acted, they had clearly already done business with her in this area, so there was nothing suspicious.
Right now, he only wanted to get his hands on those divine iron weapons, the very same kind he had failed to seize last year, even after traveling tens of thousands of miles with a fortune in gold, silver, and jewels.
Elara nodded. "Yes, within thirty thousand units each, that's acceptable."
"Good!" Prince Leland was so excited he sat back down. His tall frame once again leaned in toward her without meaning to, until Prince Yu pushed him back with his fan and reminded him he was getting too close. Only then did Prince Leland stop.
He didn't mind the interruption and continued to stare intently at Elara as he said, "Then I can make a promise. I'll buy every type of iron weapon from Miss Bai at double the price she usually sells for."
"And there's no need to wait for all the weapons to be delivered. As long as ten thousand longswords, ten thousand long spears, and ten thousand suits of armor are sent to my Gladiolus Kingdom, once the Hundred Nations Banquet ends, I'll go to war alongside you against the Salvia Kingdom."
Hearing this, Elara smiled and met Prince Leland's gaze. "You mean it?"
"A gentleman never goes back on his word. If you don't believe me, I'll swear on the name of every emperor in Gladiolus history."
With that, the deal was sealed.
The Gladiolus Kingdom got the iron weapons they wanted. Plumera and Dahlia, when facing the Salvia Kingdom and its allies in the future, gained a strong and reliable partner. Elara and her kingdom also earned a major new buyer for their weapons.
All three parties were satisfied. The next step was to discuss the details.
But before Prince Yu could say anything, Prince Leland leaned toward Elara again, his freshly bathed, clean scent surrounding her. With a smile in his eyes, he asked in a low voice, "Miss Bai, you're so young yet already possess such impressive skills and influence. How many husbands have you taken in your household?"
"Do you have an official spouse? Would you be open to an international marriage?"
Elara: "..." Her original words got stuck in her throat thanks to the sudden question.
Just as the words "international marriage" left Prince Leland's mouth and his body leaned even closer to Elara, a wave of strong internal energy dragged him back to his seat.
Prince Yu, who was seated between Elara and Prince Leland, showed a half-smiling expression and glanced at him.
"Prince Leland, your little beads are about to bounce off my face. Miss Bai is a proper businesswoman. You should act proper too, and stop trying to sneak around the side."
Gareth, who had stayed mostly quiet until now, also smiled faintly. His red eyes turned toward Prince Leland.
"His Highness is right. And Miss Bai is not the kind of noblewoman you're thinking of. If she were, you wouldn't be getting this weapon deal from her. You'd best drop those thoughts and tell us the real reason you came to the Hundred Nations Banquet."
Both Prince Yu and Gareth spoke with their usual calm, elegant tones. But their words carried the same meaning.
If Elara were the kind of woman who got swept away by good looks and gave everything to her spouse, she wouldn't be offering anything to someone she'd just met like Prince Leland.
This was the first time Prince Leland had ever been openly shot down by both of these longtime brothers. He paused, wanting badly to argue that what he said wasn't some shady shortcut.
He had only asked casually. Still, their reaction caught him off guard.
Then again, beautiful women were rare in this world. One who was both beautiful and powerful, and had unclear ties to the Tian Gong Pavilion, was even rarer. Who wouldn't want someone like that?
With Gareth and Prince Yu both staring him down, Prince Leland swallowed the retort building in his throat. He lifted his wine cup and took a long drink, then pointed at the two of them and chuckled.
"Fine. Since you're both guarding your prize like that, and we've been brothers for years, I won't say anything more today. But."
Being shut down like that actually made him more fired up. He slammed the wine cup onto the table with a bang.
His richly decorated robe was flung open with flair, revealing two thick, muscular pectorals. The air around him was thick with raw masculine energy.
"A graceful lady deserves a worthy suitor. Hey. If Miss Bai ends up liking me and my Gladiolus Kingdom more, you two better keep your mouths shut next time."
At that, Prince Yu and Gareth both turned to look at Prince Leland again, still smiling gently. But their words, as always, carried a sharp and threatening undertone.