If we could give everyone a choice, spending the night in a freezing cave would be the last thing they would accept. The howling mountain wind outside was like the roar of an ancient giant beast, making people worry that if they poked their heads out of the cave entrance, their heads would be bitten off by a bloody mouth. The cold air rushed up from all directions, as thin as soft spider silk, penetrating all the way, taking away the remaining heat.
Vincent's spell didn't seem to be able to resist the annoying chill. Even the wall of fire erected at the door only swayed a few times and then went out. The firewood was depleted quickly, but no one could go back down the mountain to find some more. Everyone watched the gradually weakening flames in silence.
Elf biscuits and dwarf spirits have become the most popular items here, and just a small sip can refresh people's spirits, at least temporarily forgetting their surroundings. Knight Mond didn't sleep a wink all night. He checked the physical condition of his teammates from time to time to prevent him from falling into a permanent coma due to hypothermia.
For the first time, everyone was looking forward to seeing the beautiful sun. Even if it only showed its face behind the clouds, it was enough to boost everyone's morale. But there is only violent power in the dark clouds in the sky, where ice, snow, cold and endless winds accumulate.
The group of people had no idea when they set out on the road, but everyone knew in their hearts that quickly entering the dwarf kingdom with sharp ice furnaces was their most urgent task at the moment. Everyone followed closely one after another, advancing in turn through the snowstorm. Snow flakes kept hitting everyone's eyes, and the world became blurred except for a vast expanse of white.
Vincent walked at the end of the team, and his insightful eye was the only one that could still maintain a clear vision. Because of the support of nearly infinite magical power, the mage constantly lit a wall of fire on the side of the road near the abyss to mark the edge of danger and at the same time bring short-term warmth. Lich Hiss watched Mage Vincent's performance silently, not daring to say a word. Originally, I wanted to take advantage of the heavy snow to make some small moves, but since Vincent can see all roads clearly, why can't he detect its moves?
Norton flew around, albeit a little awkwardly in the wind. But it still looks after its companions back and forth. He never tired of reaching out to give a hand or steadying teammates who were faltering.
A rift valley appeared in front of everyone, and a narrow path two people wide split the towering cliff in the middle. The screaming wind was so arrogant here that it whipped the snowflakes wantonly, and then sprayed them out of the canyon without mercy. The dwarf Newton gestured to everyone, his red beard now turned into white ice. "We will reach the entrance soon, everyone, follow closely."
Vincent held up a force field wall with all his strength in front of everyone. Otherwise, Sokka, who has relatively little strength, may be swept away by the strong wind. Lich Hiss chanted the spell, and everyone felt that their muscles began to become stronger, able to firmly grasp the ground on this piece of land. Newton walked stubbornly first, while the others hunched over and dug their fingers into the cracks in the rocks.
As they walked, Newton pointed in the direction to his right, and then half of his body got into the rock. Everyone was stunned for a moment, and then they discovered that there was a passage there. The skilled craftsmen of the dwarves carved the stones there into the same image as the rock walls. It was impossible to find any clues here in such strong wind and heavy snow. Vincent's clairvoyant eyes can see through illusions. But there are no spells here. Even if he sees the passage, it will not attract his brain's attention.
After entering the side road, the environment immediately becomes quiet. The construction direction of the corridor here is very clever. The raging wind and snow outside could not get past the entrance. Everyone shook off the snow flakes easily and could finally stand up straight.
"Welcome, my friends!" Newton's face was rosy and his excitement was palpable: "Welcome to the country of dwarves, my hometown!"
Several familiar friends patted his shoulders, and the group walked forward with reverence. After three turns, the path ended in front of a stone wall. Newton stepped forward and knocked on the hard rock, announcing loudly in Dwarven language. With the sound of heavy rocks sliding, a door leaf opened in front of Vincent's eyes.
Several dwarves came out. When they saw the red-bearded Newton, they were surprised for a moment. Then they hugged each other tightly. "Oh! Newton, you are finally back! It seems you have become stronger again!" Someone said: "When you come back this time, you must tell us about your adventures! I have collected good wine for a long time!"
Newton laughed and hugged his brothers. Fortunately, he didn't forget to introduce Vincent and his party, otherwise the mage and the others would be dumbfounded at the gate of the dwarf country, only admiring the meeting customs of the residents here.
"Welcome." The dwarf's gaze swept over everyone, but stayed on Heath's face for an extra long time: "Why are there evil undead figures among you?"
"That's just a prisoner, a prisoner!" Newton said: "In addition, it is firewood used to start a fire in an emergency!"
The Lich didn't react at all. It stood quietly like a statue. Now those golden pupils were only focused on the mage Vincent . The dwarf guards saw it being so obedient. He believed Newton's words and hurriedly led everyone deeper into the cave.
The deeper you go, the more clearly you can feel the warmth. Ice Furnace Point received its current name precisely because of the energy of lava that is forever emanating from within. The molten cliff at the peak on the other side of the original Roof Mountain range flows out with magma all day long, leaving black marks on the glacier. The dwarves dug a passage on the tip of the ice furnace to guide the heat from the smelting cliff into the cave here, and used this natural furnace to perform excellent casting work. The ingenious design ensures the stability of both mountains. Even if there is a major eruption of the Forge Cliff , it will not affect the peak of the Ice Furnace .
Dwarves have thrived here for generations. Two completely different environments, ice and fire, are their homes. A dwarf who has not passed the test of these two cannot become a real man. All adult dwarves must be able to forge weapons next to lava and patrol in the ice and snow.
"Newton, in the years you have been walking, the excavation work towards the stream has been progressing very smoothly." A dwarf walked at the front of the team and said with a proud voice: "Perhaps in the next few weeks, the engineering team will You can dig to the predetermined depth.”
"Really? That's great!" Newton jumped happily: "I thought I would have to wait until I traveled around the world to see this day. It seems that I came back at the right time, lucky Newton !”
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"We encountered a huge hollow, and a canyon saved us a lot of hard work." The dwarf continued: "It seems that Gunn (the dwarf god) has been blessing us. If we can find the stream, then we can Surpass the brothers in the south. Become the greatest branch of the dwarf race!"
"What exactly is the stream you are talking about?" Vincent said in skilled dwarf language. His voice was low, and there seemed to be an echo resounding in his chest. It was exactly the same as the dwarf's accent.
"Oh, tall young man, you must have been raised by dwarves." one of the dwarves shouted: "I almost thought there was another compatriot left behind, and I forgot to count!" Then his voice became even louder. With excitement, he sang: “There are countless collections hidden in the Roof Mountains.
There is the dragon's lair; there is the mage's treasure house; the ancient kings and emperors placed their treasuries here; even the gods chose this treasure land to pile up treasures from other worlds . "
Newton then sang: "Time flies, the years are like wheels, only the heavy rocks here still retain this memory; it is not left to the dragon wizard or those kings and emperors, even the gods are blocked by the mountains; the dwarves are The owners here, who work hard and are diligent, will eventually discover the shining porch.”
Another dwarf came in at this time. "They are physically strong, full of energy and strength; they have smart minds and know how to discover secrets; they are united. Thousands of arms work together; they work in the mountains. Downward Downward , nothing can stop the power of chisels and pickaxes. The stars in the sky are extremely bright, but they are still not as bright as the streams under the rocks. They are lakes and oceans gathered with gems..."
Immediately afterwards, all the dwarves sang in unison, making a sonorous sound, like the sound of work when digging a cave. They clapped, smacked their bellies, and vibrated by tapping their throats. Finally, they ended the song with high-pitched laughter.
Vincent clapped his hands softly while looking towards the ground. The rock formations here are so thick that nothing can be found except darkness . He recalled the records he had seen in the Mage Association that the Roof Mountains had indeed been a place where some of the gods' attendants stored tributes in the mortal world. Coming here can not only get closer to the gods in heaven, but also prove one's piety in the harsh natural environment. However, those gods have either been replaced by other gods, or they have been eliminated by the great arcane masters of the year .
As a result, these hidden treasures have become the desire of all those who know this period of history. Not only mages, but also many dragons have gone into the mountains to search for them. But they all failed without exception. Many famous archmages fell to death in the cold wind. Those giant dragons also lost their lives inexplicably, leaving only the huge skeletons buried under the ice and snow.
If you can see the emergence of this legendary huge treasure with your own eyes, it will be something that can be remembered for a lifetime. certainly. In the Lich 's mind, it is considering and calculating whether the dwarves are capable enough to protect these possible treasures.
Everyone sloped down along the passage, and the heat in the air allowed them to take off their warm coats. There was a faint smell of sulfur in the air, but it was quickly blown away by the fresh cold wind that seeped through the cracks in the rocks. The group of people walked slowly through the land with the light from Vincent's staff . But strictly speaking, only Mond knights need lighting. Others are either accustomed to living in this environment and have dark vision; or they have the ability to see through the night, either congenitally or acquired.
The dwarves' projects here have been tested for thousands of years. Some dwarves even said that when the world first appeared, the dwarves were the only craftsmen in the world, and it was they who forged the mountains and river valleys. However, the elves insist that they sowed the seeds on this land in the first place, otherwise how could other creatures survive? No matter what kind of myths and legends are followed, they are all telling the long history of the two races. Many human beings have no concept of creation that is more than a thousand years old, so they should really go to this cave to take a look. In addition to the stairs they used, there are also countless arches and passages densely covered here. They go up or down, and some simply turn a corner. If you look at it, the terrain here is more confusing than the most complex maze.
Only dwarves can find the right path in such a place. Perhaps they have an "underground sense of smell" that other races do not have. Even Vincent and Heath gave up trying to imprint all these roads in all directions in their minds after trying several times. They eventually discovered that the echo of "dong-dong" footsteps was the only thing they remembered.
I don’t know how long it took because it’s hard to measure time underground. And there is no time-telling building like the Black Crystal Tower here . When the soles of the mage's feet began to ache, Newton finally turned around and announced the good news: "Oh. Guys, we're here!"
After just a corner, the space ahead suddenly opened up, and a huge underground hole appeared in front of them. The first thing to grab your attention is the lava waterfall falling from the sky. The fiery red lava flow gives the cave an exciting brilliance, and some of the hot sparks flying out are like meteors piercing the night sky in summer. This is the legendary great project that caused the fire.
But the most amazing thing. But it is the appearance of the cave itself. No one can imagine how many crystals are covered on the walls here - pink rhodonite, amethyst and some citrine . Crystals of all sizes completely enveloped the entire dwarf kingdom. The red light is constantly reflected on the surfaces of these crystals, becoming the softest light source here. Over the long geological time, the crystals continued to shrink, turning into hard gems on the outer walls, leaving a huge cavity in the center. The dwarves chiseled through the eggshell of the treasure house and made it their home.
The dwarves happily looked at the surprised expressions of everyone behind them, especially the wide-open mouths that made them feel particularly satisfied. "Gentlemen, please turn your eyes from the rock wall back to the road at your feet." Newton smiled: "As long as you move forward for a while, you can enter a warm house. Relax your hard-working feet. Then have a drink - Of course, our mage had better not drink it! Haha!"
"This cave is much better than I imagined." Shelley said: "Compared with you, the level of gray dwarves is much lower."
"The gray dwarves? Those traitors and plagiarists! They can't even learn the basics!" Newton said: "But. Dear Miss Shelley, this is not a cave! This is a great country! Countless dwarves will miss you in their dreams. Hometown! Cave refers to those dark places, but here is filled with beauty and light."
"Okay, everything you said is right." Shelley sighed and said, "Then take me to the most comfortable place in this 'country'.
"Attention: Norton found a piece of sardonyx! Now he wants to give it to the owner!" Norton picked up a stone from the side of the road, and then quickly flew to Vincent's side.
"There are many gems here, but they all belong to the dwarves." Vincent said: "Give it to the bearded Newton."
"Understood." Norton came to Newton's side, but the dwarf gave this piece to the golem. He said: "Everyone bows down. The first gem picked up is the second gem given to everyone by the dwarf kingdom. A gift. That's our rule."
"I didn't expect the dwarves to be so generous." Heath picked up a piece of chalcedony used to make "anti-dead items" and said in a hoarse voice: "I should have come here to take a look, but I didn't expect the neighbors The wealth has already surpassed those dragon’s lairs.”
"These things do not belong to you, Lich ." Vincent replied: "Don't try to take the things here as your own. If you have any such attempt, I will never let you go."
"Oh, my master, how could I have such thoughts?" Heath bowed , and then said: "I was actually thinking about whether I should give a huge gift to the master."
"Put away your insidious words." Vincent said: "If you think this can help you on the road to freedom, then you are completely wrong." The mage walked to Heath, stared at it and said: "Shut your mouth honestly and follow me!"
"Yes, Master, I will fully comply with your order and will not say another word." Vincent's order was obviously expected by the Lich , and it began to remain silent. Vincent looked at the dancing flames in the Lich's pupils and always felt that this undead creature was hiding something from him.
Shelley patted the Lich on the shoulder, and then said: "Skeleton, I would like a gift. I wonder if you are willing to serve me..."
Heath nodded, then kept rubbing the joints of his hands.
"I want your treasures that you looted from the dragon's lair, just like you just said." Shelley knocked on the Lich 's skull, then took Vincent's arm and walked forward: "Remember, I only want the most. The valuable part.”