Chapter 56: Gray Dwarf Placement Problem

Clausuna stood in the center of the formation. She was slightly smaller than Sakavi, covered in pitch-black scales like night, and sharp bone spurs on her back like swords. She guided the ritual with a low, magnificent, ancient Dragon Tongue prayer that seemed to come from ancient times. Her claws outlined in the air, and powerful shadow and arcane energy obediently gathered, turning into flowing silver runes, beginning to weave the frame of the teleportation gate. The whole process was solemn and solemn, carrying a kind of unquestionable divine authority.

Beside this teleportation gate, which was gradually stabilizing and emitting a blue halo, Sakavi was talking with his Grand Manager of the Internal Affairs Institute, Braga. Sakavi still maintained his majestic Dragonman form, his molten gold vertical pupils calmly watching the huge army in front of him. Braga was fully armed, his huge head slightly lowered to show respect, but his posture was still as firm as a rock.

"Braga, what is your plan regarding Abyss training?"

"Master, the result of my discussion with the legion commanders is that the four legions will complete rotation training this year. Next year, after the Iron-Hoof Legion withdraws, the Garrison troops will temporarily take over the city defense, and the Lizardmen will also practice. After the Iron-Cast Legion's supplementary training is completed, the five legions will go to the Abyss together to conduct a large-scale battle."

"No need. You have to know, we are training, not fighting to the death with anyone. I understand your situation very well. There are many generals who have returned from the Abyss who are putting pressure on you, hoping to have a big battle in the Abyss to satisfy their regrets when they withdraw, or to earn more benefits.

Putting one's own interests first, I can understand, and I am not stingy with that money. However, the Abyss is not our main material plane after all, and there are too many uncertain factors there. If we make too much noise, no one can predict when a demon equivalent to Legendary Rank will appear. All we can do is be cautious."

"Master, I can understand this, but Ryan died so inexplicably. This makes me unable to accept. A Master Rank was brutally dismembered by an unknown force in a canyon ten kilometers away from his own camp. This is a serious provocation to us. How can we just withdraw like this?"

"The opponent is so powerful, at least it is Legendary Rank. Do you think that bringing more people will solve the problem? You have to know, the higher the strength, the more obvious the gap. This is not something that can be solved by bringing a few more people. Besides, the Abyss Throat is just a pass to the Abyss, not a key to a specific plane. We have many other choices."

"Obey, Master. Your will is the direction I move forward. Gem, go and notify Uglu that the Axe Legion of Camp No. 1 will withdraw, and take everything that can be taken away. The Iron-Hoof Legion will no longer participate in the rotation."

"The legion's affairs are left to Uglu and Black Feather. They were both chieftains of their respective tribes before I came here, and I have no doubt about their ability to handle things. Your next step is to prepare to control the Gray Dwarves, as well as the Drow Elf faith change problem."

"Master, Gray Dwarves are notoriously stubborn. After so many years, there are still many Gray Dwarf defectors in the Dragon Spine Mountains. If it were in the Underworld, it would be a very difficult war of attrition. I don't think we need to conquer them."

"You are right. In the past, we pursued making them completely submit. Unless they directly launched a rebellion, we only carried out punishments such as fines and labor, and never killed them without reason, and never pursued the defectors. But this time is different from the past. I plan to clean up the entire management layer and then send Drow Elves to enslave them."

"Master, with all due respect, you are engaged in a massacre. I refuse to execute this order. It was because I didn't want to see endless slaughter on this land that I ignored the opposition of my clan and resolutely followed you, creating order in barbarism with my colleagues. Now you tell me to be that hateful executioner. I can't do it, and I won't sit idly by."

"Braga, I know what you mean, but don't forget, the establishment of order needs blood to irrigate, and the maintenance process of order also needs to cut off those tentacles that reach out. If these Gray Dwarves were willing to identify with us, they would have come to submit long ago. We have never abused any resident who is willing to follow the rules. For these potential threats, we have no need for any mercy."

"If they really launched a war, then hit them. If there is a threat, then expel them. This is the way for order forces to handle things. If we kill all their high-level officials and enslave their people just because they are unwilling to submit, then what is the difference between us and those demons who destroy by slaughter? No, we are even more hateful, because they have never squeezed the last value of others. This is something only devils can do."

"Alright! My Grand Manager, you convinced me. But our weapon gap is really too big, especially magic weapons. You have to know that ordinary weapons cannot kill demons. The only thing we have here with mature craftsmanship is inscription engraving. The demon limbs piled up in the warehouse, who will help us transform them into weapons? Other forces will not give us time to cultivate relevant personnel."

"Does that mean I can avoid bloodshed if I can make this group of Gray Dwarves obedient?"

"That's right, internal affairs are your responsibility, and I will fully cooperate with all your plans. But you might have to be quick, because Claw-Shadow Green-Scale has already started acting. You know, that guy's movements are always very fast. Maybe in less than a month, the Gray Dwarves in the Underworld will have been destroyed."

…………

"You guys be careful, if you beat this old guy to death, I'll smash your brains!" In front of a Gray Dwarf town somewhere in the Underworld, a lizardman commander stood on a high platform, watching five strong lizardmen besieging a Gray Dwarf warrior wearing iron armor. Hundreds of corpses lay on the ground, with limbs scattered everywhere, most of them were Gray Dwarves and some were lizardmen.

The ground was covered with a layer of viscous blood-flesh blanket, and every step Braga took, the soles of his boots would pull up dark red sticky threads. Broken axe handles and chipped scimitars were half-buried in the solidified blood, and long spears with barbs were inserted into the broken Gray Dwarf square shields. The heavy smell of rust and the fishy smell of internal organs mixed together, almost forming a scarlet mist visible to the naked eye.

The surviving Gray Dwarf leaned against a small mountain piled up with the corpses of his clansmen and panted. His originally gorgeous iron armor was now full of dents, and his left shoulder armor was corroded by some kind of acid, sizzling, revealing the scorched flesh underneath.

The night-light stone embedded in the helmet was half-shattered, and the faint blue light reflected his cracked lips and nostrils spitting white gas. The giant hammer that needed to be held with both hands was now dragged behind him by one arm, the hammer head covered with broken bones and brains, drawing deep grooves on the ground.

Five lizardmen approached in a fan shape. Their golden vertical pupils contracted into thin lines in the dim light, and their forked tongues swallowed rapidly, capturing the fear aura remaining in the air. The lizardman on the far left suddenly swung his long tail, sweeping a Gray Dwarf corpse toward the center of the formation. Just as the dwarf's line of sight was blocked, the two companions on the right threw poison-quenched darts at the same time.

The giant hammer set off a fishy wind. The Gray Dwarf didn't dodge at all, letting the poison darts hit the chest armor with a clanging sound, and the hammer head drew a semicircle and smashed the flying corpse into pieces. In the splashing of blood and flesh, he roared and took three steps forward, the hammer momentum not decreasing, smashing the dart-thrower into two pieces at the waist, but the target disappeared in place and appeared in the distance.

A poison-quenched crossbow arrow broke through the air. At the same time, another thief sneaked into the shadows from the flank. The Gray Dwarf warrior didn't dodge or hide, the giant hammer swung and directly hit the arrow, but the arrow suddenly exploded, emitting pungent smoke.

"Small tricks!" The Gray Dwarf roared, closed his eyes, and relied entirely on other senses.

The ranger on the left took the opportunity to advance, and the curved knife in his hand went straight to the throat of the Gray Dwarf warrior. At the moment when the blade was about to hit, the Gray Dwarf dodged sideways precisely, and the blade grazed the armor, splashing a string of sparks. Just then, a mace smashed over from the right. The Gray Dwarf warrior, who had no time to dodge, had his right shoulder instantly sunken.

"All come back, you idiots, didn't I say to keep them alive? Can't you understand?" Shadow-Claw's suffocating voice came, and the five lizardmen quickly retreated into the team, waiting for the next order.

Braga saw that the fight had stopped and stepped forward to mock: "Old partner, I hope you don't tell me that you just received my order now. Regarding the hundreds of corpses on the ground, I need a reasonable explanation."

"Oh, my good brother, this can't blame me. You have to know, my mission is to train soldiers. This is not the Abyss, there are not so many people for them to hack one by one. I can only choose relatively excellent lizardmen to practice with this group of Gray Dwarves."

"Did you go to the Abyss and have something wrong with your brain? The ones lying on the ground are all our boys. How can you do this? Oh, I almost forgot, you lizardmen are natural cold-blooded animals, and you never talk about any reason in doing things. It's really a headache."

"Don't worry, Braga, for the Gray Dwarves who were not hacked to death on the spot, I have treated them, but I am very curious, how do you plan to arrange these Gray Dwarves?"

"I will arrange for Drow Elves to act as supervisors, let them be responsible for weapon forging and processing, and gradually promote management personnel from the Gray Dwarves who are willing to accept order, and finally transition to territory residents.

Then Shadow-Claw, how is the Drow Elf problem handled? On my way here, I heard that you destroyed twelve Gray Dwarf cities. Your method is shockingly rough, actually attacking directly."

"Drow Elves have all been cleaned up. They should be discussing with the Master how to change their faith now. They are very cunning, but I also have ways to deal with them. Various siege facilities and a large number of warlocks left them no space to display their tricks."

"Then how is the success?"

"The effect is not bad. So far, including me, four Master Ranks have been born among the lizardmen, and not many Drow Elf cities have been destroyed." ===== CHAPTER 57 =====