Badri Deepforge fulfilled his promise, and did so quite thoroughly.
He not only assigned a senior dwarf guide familiar with every mountain path and pass, but also supplemented the delegation with ample provisions sufficient to support them all the way to Forgefire Capital.
More importantly, he provided an official transit document stamped with the Deepforge Clan emblem and Forge Ash City lord's seal.
This parchment indeed brought many conveniences during subsequent travel through various dwarf clan territories. After checkpoint guards inspected it, they would usually wave them through, saving considerable trouble from interrogations and negotiations.
Of course, so-called "unobstructed passage" was only relative to human obstruction.
Though dwarf territory wasn't particularly large, the mountain terrain was treacherous with winding roads.
The procession daily trekked along seemingly endless winding mountain stone paths. Hooves and wheels knocked out monotonous sounds on rough stone surfaces. Day after day, it remained a long, arduous journey.
The guide was named Bloom Stoneanvil—a middle-aged dwarf whose beard was braided into several thick plaits with a booming voice and quite talkative personality.
According to him, tomorrow the procession would pass through that Golden Flame City that had suffered great calamity.
This also meant they were less than three days' journey from the destination, Forgefire Capital.
As night fell, the procession camped behind wind-blocking rocks.
The dwarf set up a thick iron pot, pouring in clear water and various dried goods. Before long, "glubglub" bubble sounds came from the pot as a strong fragrance spread.
Even during cooking, Bloom's mouth didn't stop.
"Hey, this is our dwarven treasure—Forge Stew!" Bloom stirred the thick, paste-like food in the pot with a long-handled spoon, quite proudly introducing it. "Throw in wind-dried mountain wolf meat, hard tubers, and over a dozen spices to simmer together. Look at this color! Smell this aroma! After a busy day, have a pot of this, warm in your belly—guaranteed to be full of energy! I'd say this taste isn't much worse than those [Delicious] things!"
A straightforward human female warrior in the delegation curiously ladled a small bowl.
She blew on the steam, carefully tasted a mouthful, chewed a few times, and raised one eyebrow.
"How is it?" Bloom looked at her expectantly.
The female warrior hesitated, but was still honest: "The taste... is quite substantial, but still quite far from [Delicious] level. At least noticeably worse than the delicious mushrooms I've eaten."
Bloom's smiling face stiffened: "That can't be..."
"But delicious mushrooms really are better," the female warrior insisted, ladling another spoonful to taste carefully. "The spice flavor is also a bit strong... Delicious mushrooms have a fresher texture and much softer taste."
Bloom's beard twitched slightly, clearly not very happy, muttering complaints like "outsiders just don't have good taste."
Their dispute actually made Inanna somewhat hungry.
While rubbing No. 4 in her arms, she muttered to herself somewhat regretfully: "Should have brought more delicious mushrooms out."
Who knew, just as she finished speaking, No. 4 in her arms rolled out of her embrace with a "glub."
"Little Four?"
"Pink, there are actually still delicious mushrooms in the procession."
"Where?" Inanna asked in confusion.
Had some delegation member secretly brought some dried delicious mushrooms?
But that was also someone else's thing. Inanna wouldn't do something like making subordinates hand over their own snacks.
However, No. 4 merely left Inanna a dashing back view. (Self-perceived)
Under everyone's shocked gazes, No. 4 rolled up a kitchen knife and, imitating the Sword Saint Puchi on the arena platform, wildly danced before slicing off one of its own tentacles and dumping it into the pot.
Big question marks appeared above everyone's heads.
Inanna even more hurriedly pulled out mana potion, applying it to the slowly self-healing tentacle cross-section, saying with heartache: "Little Four, what are you doing?"
But No. 4 merely took the long spoon from the stunned dwarf's hands, stirred a few times in a proper manner, then presented it before Inanna: "Taste it!"
Regarding its own flavor, No. 4 was quite confident.
Every time that black demon gnawed on it, she would show an expression full of happiness.
Inanna looked at the paste floating with several mycelial tentacle slices, her expression showing difficulty.
Some people around even showed horrified expressions.
For the first time, Inanna wanted to ask—was No. 4's brain not working right?
Who let companions taste their own flavor?
Unfortunately, through the mycelial network, No. 4's expectant intent kept transmitting.
If she didn't eat, Inanna feared hurting Little Four's feelings.
Inanna had no choice but to accept the bowl and take a small bite.
Mm!
Indeed the taste she usually ate—the taste of [Delicious LV10]!
Even slightly chewier than ordinary delicious mushrooms.
Inanna happily drank a large mouthful, immediately feeling like she was back in Mushroom Garden.
Seeing Inanna's satisfied expression, No. 4 stood even more upright.
Not far away, the Sword Saint completely didn't understand what that foolish mushroom that had just placed itself in the reserve food position was so proud about.
"This is delicious mushroom?" Dwarf Bloom was still hung up on the earlier dispute. After Inanna finished eating, he immediately ladled a small bowl for himself too.
He wanted to see just how delicious these delicious mushrooms that, according to the female warrior's account, far exceeded their "Forge Stew" really were!
Several seconds later, watching the dwarf twisted into a ball on the ground, mouth continuously shouting "too blissful" and "lived in vain before," the female warrior sneered disdainfully.
Mountain bumpkin—the appearance upon first tasting delicious mushrooms was too unseemly.
Back when she first tasted delicious mushrooms, though amazed, she hadn't made such a spectacle of herself.
Thinking this, she also stepped forward to ladle a bowl.
Then she chanted "how can it be this delicious?" while twisting into a ball with the dwarf.
Watching the two twisted like maggots on the ground, Ronan looked at his own bowl, momentarily not daring to make any move.
He didn't dare imagine how he could establish authority in the procession in the future if he also became like that...
Others didn't have this concern. After figuring out the two weren't poisoned but simply delicious to the point of losing rationality, no one wanted to miss this experience opportunity.
In the end, a large group of people collapsed beside the pot. Those unaware of the situation, upon seeing this, might even think their group had been poisoned and wiped out.
Can't blame them for such loss of composure.
Inanna didn't have such a strong reaction because in Mushroom Garden, she had [Delicious LV10] to eat every day.
But others—the vast majority had only eaten delicious mushrooms between LV1 to LV3.
Even someone with official position like Ronan had at most only tasted LV4 [Delicious].
However, after everyone crawled back up, the way they looked at No. 4 changed just a little bit.
Of course, No. 4 completely didn't notice this change.
...
The next day, the delegation continued along the mountain road.
Most members' faces still carried somewhat dazed expressions, tongues seemingly still retaining yesterday's taste of delicious Puchi tentacles.
Only Bloom's mood was somewhat low—not because of the delicious mushroom matter, but rather...
"Golden Flame City is ahead. In the past, walking to this bend and looking up, you could see the copper spire of the city's great bell tower, shining bright under the sun. Now though..."
He couldn't continue, only sighing heavily.
Without reaching the city, the trauma left by that elemental rampage from deep underground was already displayed before everyone's eyes.
On both sides of the road, those trees and iron-thorn shrubs from previous sections disappeared, replaced by endless blackened char.
The earth became pockmarked with holes. Hole edges exposed twisted rock shells melted by high temperatures then cooled and congealed.
No birdsong, no beast tracks—even wind sounds scraping across this land seemed hollow. The air permeated with a faint ash smell.
Before advancing much farther, the delegation ran head-on into a team of fully armed dwarf warriors.
(End of Chapter)
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