The political structure of dwarves was distinctly different from that of humans.
The human nations took ducal territories as their core, forming a United Kingdom through alliances.
Dwarves, on the other hand, were rooted in a tighter blood bond—clans.
On the surface, lords of various regions held the administrative and military command rights over their territories, possessing considerable power. However, the true authority deciding the fate of the mountains always remained firmly in the hands of the leaders and councils of elders of the major clans; a single lord was merely a part of the clan.
Nowadays, there were four major dwarven clans controlling the lifeline of the mountains:
The Deepforge Clan, masters of numerous secret forging arts and some ancient war golem technologies.
The Firebeard Clan, inheritors of the God of War's bloodline, the sharpest battle axes of the mountains.
The Blacksteel Clan, controlling nearly half of the kingdom's rare mineral veins, capable of arming even their second-line corps to the teeth from head to toe; their equipment was the finest among dwarves.
And the Zhafa Clan, inheritors of magical arts and wisdom.
Of course, there were not only these four clans in the mountains, but compared to these major clans, the presence of others was much weaker.
Forgefire Capital, the core heartland of the Deepforge Clan's settlement.
Inside a grand mansion built on a foundation of black rock and decorated with bronze, a furnace fire burned quietly in the study, casting flickering light and shadow on the ancient battle axes and forging blueprints hanging on the walls.
Vimark Deepforge stood before the desk, rubbing a letter with slightly curled edges and somewhat messy ink script.
"Are you looking at that letter submitted by the craftsman below again?" The voice of the clan leader came from behind.
Vimark carefully folded the letter, tucked it into his bosom, and turned to face the figure at the door, whose back was slightly hunched but whose dignity remained undiminished: "Father, this is, after all, the only clue that came after Thorin went missing. I have repeatedly compared the handwriting; it was indeed written by him. I plan to send a reliable team to investigate the location mentioned in the letter."
"What is there to investigate? He has merely fallen into the hands of the demons and become bait, using such a laughably clumsy method in a vain attempt to trick our clan's craftsmen into walking right into a trap."
The clan leader walked a few steps closer, the firelight illuminating his deeply furrowed skin.
"As for that good-for-nothing Thorin... falling into human hands last time already made the clan lose enough face. This time falling into demon hands and helping them harm his own kin—just consider him dead inside the dungeon."
Vimark was silent for a moment, but still said: "He is my brother after all, your child. Encountering an elemental riot this time wasn't Thorin's fault either. Let me try."
"Suit yourself," the clan leader huffed. "But don't delay the main business because of this. The negotiations with the human delegation must be prioritized."
He turned around and spoke of the main business at hand: "According to the news sent back from Duvalin, that human named Inanna possesses extremely special abilities. Perhaps she can help us retake the Molten Dungeon faster."
"Since the dungeon's elemental riot, lacking this resource, the clan has had to supply large amounts of equipment for the frontline war while also maintaining its own consumption. The stockpiled magic crystals, ores, and rare materials are constantly being consumed. We cannot let this opportunity pass; we must persuade her!"
"Yes, Father." Vimark nodded slightly. "However, regarding the matter of escorting her into the dungeon, how much force do we expect to send? After all, she will have to face that Fire Elemental Lord directly. If a fight breaks out in the depths..."
"Duvalin's legion will ensure her safety along the way. As for close protection... that Inanna is revered as a 'War Hero' on the human side, isn't she?" The clan leader picked up a bronze wine cup from the table and took a sip of the strong liquor inside. "Coincidentally, don't we also have a 'War Hero' right here? A hero escorting a hero, nothing could be more appropriate."
"That guy..."
...
After Knight Puchi returned, Lin Jun found that the dwarves' reception standard for the delegation was actually quite high. They even brought out the magic golems they were so proud of to serve tea and lead the way for Inanna.
However, in Lin Jun's view, the technological content of this thing was really somewhat awkward.
The magic golem's movements were stiff and rigid. Every action relied on a dwarf operator beside it constantly issuing commands through a control tablet to complete.
Rather than a magic golem, it was more like a remote-controlled toy with a slightly complex structure.
Although Lin Jun couldn't directly peek at the attribute panels of inanimate objects, judging from its sluggish movements and the slightly stagnant magic flow inside, this magic golem's combat attributes probably wouldn't even reach the most basic Copper Rank. Its practicality was quite limited.
Let alone comparing it to those two full-body S-grade high-end goods at the core entrance of the Puchi Dungeon, even compared to those war golems dug out from the Northern Territory ruins, it was more than just one tier worse.
In terms of actual usability, in Lin Jun's opinion, it was probably less convenient than having a Puchi Master directly control an ordinary Puchi.
At least Puchis possessed basic intelligence and could understand and execute relatively complex commands, unlike the scene before him, which required the operator's full concentration to remote-control every decomposed movement. So much so that the dwarf operator, who was forcing himself to maintain his composure, already had beads of sweat faintly visible on his forehead, unable to hide his fatigue.
Clearly, what the Yellow Book said back then about dwarven war golem technology being lost was indeed true.
Just as the delegation, guided by dwarf officials, was preparing to head to the council hall for a new round of talks, a loud and heroic laugh came from afar.
"Hahahaha! Let me see, let me see! Is this that human War Hero? It's actually a woman!"
Accompanying heavy footsteps, a figure blocked the delegation's path like a moving small fortress—or more accurately, blocked Inanna's path.
He was even burlier and more majestic than ordinary dwarves. Muscles filled out his mithril chainmail shirt, and a giant hammer longer than his height was slung diagonally across his back. His crimson, dense beard was braided into several thick, hard plaits. On his bronze-colored face was undisguised curiosity and scrutiny toward Inanna.
"Lord Inanna, right? A pleasure, a pleasure!"
Badul completely ignored the slightly awkward expression of the delegation official beside him. He extended a large hand wrapped in a gauntlet, as if to pat Inanna's shoulder to show friendliness, but at the last moment seemed to remember the other party was a female and changed to patting the air.
"I am Badul Firebeard. In the mountains, people are also used to calling me 'The Crusher,' 'Demon Bane,' or something like that, hahaha! Heard you also fought a few beautiful battles against the demons over there? Good! I just like dealing with true warriors!"
The dwarf official responsible for leading the way cleared his throat and reminded tactfully: "Lord Badul, the delegation still has to attend the negotiation. Do you think..."
"Negotiation? What's the rush for that kind of refined stuff!" Badul waved his big hand, not caring at all. "Just a matter of a few sentences! Let me get to know our human hero first!"
He turned enthusiastically to Inanna and said familiarly: "Let me tell you, Lord Inanna, those demon whelps look like they're baring fangs and brandishing claws, but they're actually very brittle! Just last battle at Blackrock Pass, I took my boys and tore open the defense line of three of their centurion squads with one charge! I personally hacked down their self-righteous commander. That guy was riding an ugly abyss lizard, and I smashed both man and mount into a meat pie with one hammer strike..."
He talked endlessly, describing the details of the battle. Spittle almost sprayed onto the faces of people nearby, his eyes shining with pride in his combat achievements.
Lin Jun didn't know if what he said was true or false, but on the panel, he indeed had the strength of a LV70 Lord-tier.
And his age, at least his beard was still very glossy, presumably wouldn't exceed forty years old.
"Speaking of which, heard the fighting on your human side is also quite lively. In that great battle at Dragonroar Valley... how was your record?" He leaned forward slightly, finally asking the question he was most concerned about. "How many demon whelps did you kill? And did you personally slaughter any officers of sufficient weight?"
Everyone present felt his unconcealable competitive spirit.
Inanna was slightly stunned, and seriously recalled for a moment.
The Battle of Dragonroar Valley... She cast a critical illumination spell, then spent most of the time hiding inside a Heavy Armor Puchi, and finally handed the Sun Stone to the Boss.
If discussing personally killing enemies... the magic released might have taken out one or two ordinary demon soldiers under the automatic tracking of the elemental spirits...
She answered honestly: "Probably one or two."
As her voice fell, the expectation on Badul's face rapidly turned into an undisguised disappointment, even... contempt.
"Oh, so that's how it is." He dragged out his tone, nodding, the enthusiasm in his voice disappearing. "I understand. It's that type... commanding others to charge and kill from the back, hiding in a safe place yourself, but in the end, all the credit counts toward yourself, right?"
He pulled at the corner of his mouth, revealing a nearly mocking expression. All the previous enthusiasm and friendliness seemed to have never existed.
"Tsk," he turned around, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears. "Thought it was a character who could actually lift a hammer."
Sword Saint Puchi's tentacles slowly curled around the sword hilt—he wanted an honor duel.
The sudden fighting intent from behind made Badul delighted. He quickly locked his gaze onto Sword Saint Puchi, not showing any contempt due to Sword Saint Puchi's appearance.
"Heard Little Badri was savagely ravaged by a Mushroom Tribe member using a dagger. Thinking about it, it must be you, right? Looks like you really have some skill!" As he spoke, his hand also went to the hammer handle behind him.
Just when it seemed a fight was about to break out.
"Gentlemen." Vimark Deepforge had appeared between Puchi and Badul at some unknown time. "I think the two of you wouldn't go so far as to want to start fighting just like this in the core area of Forgefire Capital, right?"
He looked at the Dwarf Hero: "Lord Badul, the punishment from the Clan Council for you 'instructing' Master Mark in skills at the public forging area last week, causing him to be bedridden for three days, has not yet been finalized. At this juncture, I think you'd best... temporarily restrain your overly vigorous energy and stop causing trouble."
The excitement on Badul's face was doused with a bucket of cold water. He curled his lips and muttered in a volume only people nearby could hear: "Tsk... that old geezer asked for it."
But he clearly had reservations about the "Clan Council punishment" Vimark mentioned, and ultimately could only turn and leave in disappointment.
Vimark watched him leave, then turned to Inanna and the delegation crowd, a polite smile on his face: "Apologies for the spectacle. Lord Badul has a rather straightforward personality, please don't take it to heart. The meeting is ready, everyone please follow me."
(End of Chapter)
Comments