Chapter 638
637 Dwarf Mission
Chapter 638, Section 637: The Dwarf Mission
Deep in the mountains lies the city of forging.
The High Council Hall is a colossal domed palace carved through the entire Black Iron Rock Mountain, its four walls inlaid with runic molten fire that has been burning continuously since the time of the ancestors and is said to never go out.
At this moment, all four clan seats were occupied.
"Mycelium Bullet Fortress?" The Firebeard Clan Chief stroked his thick, fiery red beard, his tone full of contempt. "What a lousy name. To put it bluntly, it's just the remnants of the demon race from the North who escaped the cold wave, banding together in a camp. Do they even deserve to be called a force? Do they even deserve our attention?"
He leaned back, his massive frame causing the cast-iron chair to groan.
The clan chief of the Zhafa clan, who was leaning on a staff, was the only woman in the council hall, but the thick and meticulously groomed beard on her face was enough to make it impossible for any outsider to tell her gender before she spoke.
She was clearly quite interested in the Fungus Castle in the North: "This time is different. Didn't those mercenaries say that the Fungus Castle is not ruled by demons, but by a mushroom race? Moreover, Master Marco's personal letter clearly states that there are real ancient war puppets there, as well as some still decipherable design fragments. Based on this alone, it is worth sending someone to make contact."
"A stronghold ruled by a mushroom monster? Isn't that even more ridiculous?" Firebeard scoffed, his beard twitching. "Besides, that place is even poaching our blacksmiths. What good could it be? As for the battle puppets... even if you were given those, you'd have to be able to afford them! What? Are you going to dismantle your staff and use it to power them?"
The Deepforge clan chief, Torin's father, nodded slowly, his stance clearly similar to Firebeard's: "Perhaps it's another imperial conspiracy, secretly manipulating these tribes, waiting for us to take the bait."
Of the four clan seats, only the Blacksteel Clan Chief remained silent. He was completely enveloped in a thick, runic iron armor inherited from his ancestors, so heavy that his human form was almost invisible, and even the rise and fall of his breath was barely perceptible.
Those present were already used to this.
After a brief silence,
All eyes turned to the chief.
The dwarf king sat upright on the throne forged from dragon bones and adamantite, not in a hurry to speak.
He slowly unfolded the new intelligence document he was holding, displaying it to the clan leaders, and tapped it twice with his fingers adorned with heavy iron rings.
"These are the recent movements of the two dukes in the north of the empire, Eugene and Dean. Not only have they sent troops to the north, but they have also recently dispatched reinforcements. Scouts have observed them up close, and the fighting... is quite intense."
The patriarch of the Zhafa clan raised an eyebrow: "No wonder that Fungus Castle is so eager to lure blacksmiths, even apprentices. With insufficient weapons and armor, it must be quite difficult for them to be suppressed by the two dukes."
Deep Furnace Clan Chief: "Could this also be a show the Empire is deliberately putting on for us?"
Zha Fa turned his head to the side and chuckled softly: "Who are you putting on a show for in the North? Even sending spies requires three layers of fur before they dare to get close. You might not even have an audience after all this. You're being too suspicious."
The Deep Furnace Clan Chief retorted sharply: "You're too careless! That's a force dominated by demons. Even if they have conflicts with the Empire, it doesn't mean they can become our allies!"
"enough."
The dwarf king's voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the council hall.
He surveyed the four clan chiefs and made his decision: "Send a delegation to make contact. Find out the details of that fungus fortress—its military, resources, and the ruler's intentions. Whether it's ruled by demons, mushrooms, or even a talking goblin is irrelevant. What matters is whether they are truly an enemy of the Empire and capable of tying down the forces of the two dukes. If so, then establishing diplomatic relations and providing appropriate aid and support are worth considering. The only enemy the Mountains have now is the Empire."
In other words, if Fungus Castle lacks the ability to restrain the Empire, then the Dwarf King will simply let it fend for itself. Following the Dwarf King's order, an envoy was quickly assembled.
Normally, when making formal contact with a force whose background is unclear for the first time, the leader of the mission would usually appoint a qualified, but not particularly important, mid-level noble or senior diplomatic official.
In this way, even if something unexpected happens, the losses will be within an acceptable range. However, thanks to the seemingly insignificant mediation and hints of the Deep Furnace Clan Chief, the final selection has drawn the attention of many.
Bardor Firebeard, a dwarven war hero.
When the delegation list was presented, the Firebeard Clan Chief's brows furrowed almost like a red caterpillar.
He opened his mouth, his thick beard twitching as he did so, clearly dissatisfied that his clan's "hero" had been given such a task.
But in the end, he only let out a heavy "humph" through his nose, swallowing back the urge that rose in his throat along with the ale.
The other three clan leaders remained silent; their silence itself was a statement.
After all, everyone present, including the head of the Firebeard clan of the Bardo family, had been publicly contradicted by this brute.
Bardot's popularity among the mountain nobles is quite poor. Most of those who can truly be considered his brothers are on the front lines confronting the demons, rather than staying in the safe city of Forging Fire.
Therefore, when the Deepfire Clan Chief casually placed Bardot in the position of leader of the mission, citing "the importance the Mountains attach to this diplomatic mission," no one objected.
Bardot himself, however, didn't feel anything special about it and treated it as just an ordinary task.
However, when the delegation arrived at the border, they looked at the not-so-spacious tunnel.
Bardot glared at the deputy envoy and demanded, "What are you doing? Are we supposed to crawl through the cave? Isn't that a disgrace to the mountains? What kind of cowardly delegation is this!"
The deputy envoy was also somewhat helpless: "But, Lord Bardot, if we don't go around through the cave, we'll have to cross directly into the Empire's sphere of influence. Although it's the border, what if..."
"What do you mean by 'what if'? If we encounter the Imperial Army, we'll just slaughter them. If we really can't win, I'll cover the rear, and you can all escape first, okay?!"
Since Bardol, as the instigator, had said so, the others had no choice but to follow and travel directly through the surface. However, they were on tenterhooks the whole way and didn't get a good night's sleep for three days.
Fortunately, Dean's attention was now completely drawn to the battle for the magic cores in the North, and with a bit of luck, Bardol and his men managed to cross the border.
Having received word of their arrival, Xinghuo, who was waiting near the cave entrance to greet them, showed a slight surprise when he saw the dwarven delegation crossing the border. However, he quickly regained his composure and led his men to meet them.
This marked the first truly meaningful diplomatic activity undertaken by the Mushroom Castle since its construction.
(End of this chapter)