Chapter 13: The Dwarf's Problem, and Traveling with Dwarves

The Dwarves were noisy, expressing their demands in a rather roundabout way.

It was truly difficult for these straightforward Dwarves; in order not to lose face, they used metaphors and accused the Humans of causing trouble to get Jier to grant them more time.

"How is that possible?" Jier looked troubled. "How many days have passed since I left Babotali Valley until now? I have already rescued three hundred Villagers from Changmai Village and brought them back. You are only a few dozen people; even if you only packed one essential item a day, your luggage should be ready by now, right?"

"Do you have decision paralysis?" Jier looked suspicious.

"If you have such a condition, why not let me help you choose? I have rich experience in adventuring, and leading the people on a migration has also been very successful. As you can see, the several hundred people in New Xiwang Town were brought here by me from White Stone Pass. The road was not peaceful; we killed many Bandits blocking the way before we successfully arrived here."

The Dwarves looked at each other. The youngest, 'Xiaoxuezi', did not understand these things; he had only come along to help the old Dwarf move about, and he could not interject in these discussions. So, he watched as the elders exchanged glances, their hands making constant small movements.

They looked like meaningless little gestures, such as stroking a beard, a light cough, touching a nose, or placing a hand on a belt, but he knew that this was a silent, secret means of communication among them.

Jier also watched this 'conspicuous' yet incomprehensible exchange of gestures and chuckled to himself. He spoke up: "How about it? Don't think that me, an outsider, coming over to guide your departure preparations is redundant. After all, think about it, we will have to deal with each other for quite a while on the road ahead; we need to get familiar with each other, and isn't this a suitable start?"

"Or are you planning not to exchange a single word with me during the entire journey? I don't mind, but I wonder, aren't you afraid that I might trick you to death or sell you off? For the sake of a smooth journey ahead, how about I help you with this?"

In the end, the Dwarves present looked at old 'Tiequan', the mine manager who could truly make decisions for all the Dwarves and a member of the great Dwarf family, who finally made a decision on this matter.

He nodded: "Since there are so many benefits, then naturally we should do it. Jier, come with us! Let's go over now."

Jier looked at the night outside and felt a bit troubled: "At this hour?"

Unexpectedly, the Dwarves waved their hands: "It doesn't matter. The upper levels of the Mine where we currently live do not distinguish between day and night; as long as you aren't sleepy, we can go over at any time."

Jier was certainly not sleepy. After Knight Training, he could go several days without sleep without affecting his mental state, and as long as it wasn't continuous combat, Jier would rest well every night.

"Then let's go." Jier shrugged and followed the Dwarves.

He gave instructions to the two Armed Civilians guarding the meeting tent about where he was going, then, under their surprised gazes, walked side-by-side with the old Dwarf toward the entrance of the Mine on the north side of Torito Village where the Dwarves lived.

Along the way, Jier kept replying to the Villagers who greeted him and observed everyone's physical and mental state.

Although the Villagers were travel-worn, their clothes were worn and dirty, and they looked a bit tired, their spirits were all very good. Their eyes were bright, and their faces often carried smiles. Even though it was already night and time for everyone to rest, many people still couldn't stay idle; by the light of the torches, they were either twisting grass ropes or mending clothes.

Villagers with some skills even used the Dagger that everyone possessed to whittle wooden blocks, seemingly making wooden art pieces they were good at and enjoyed.

It was truly great to be able to save these Villagers. Seeing them each having a goal in life and shaking off anxiety and sorrow made Jier feel even more comforted than if he had earned a hundred Gold Coins.

The Dwarves, however, were nitpicking at the various behaviors of the passing Villagers, as if they could find fault with even the smallest things.

However, the Dwarves were communicating in their Dwarven Language, and no Human present could understand what they were saying, so Jier just pretended he didn't hear it.

After walking out of the large camp of New Xiwang Town, the group first followed a new path that had been trodden out toward Torito Village. Originally, there were no roads from Torito Village to Huitou Forest; after all, the Dwarves did not want any Humans to escape from here, so the people of Torito Village had not previously expanded in this direction.

But as this group of Refugees under Jier settled in the area west of Torito Village near Huitou Forest, the people who interacted closely only took a short time to tread out a new path with their own feet.

This reminded him of a quote from the famous writer and revolutionary Xun Ge from his previous life.

Jier said aloud in the Human Common Language of this other world: "In this world, there were originally no roads, but as more people walk, roads appear."

The other Dwarves didn't think Jier's words meant anything, but the old Dwarf was touched, because a seemingly ordinary sentence actually contained astonishing broad-mindedness and Yongqi.

Combined with his life experiences, he understood very well that the vast majority of people are basically mediocre and cowardly.

People only echo the words of loud-mouthed individuals and blindly follow the orders of superiors, just like the stupid Western travel rats that often swarm out of their nests in groups, running west across the land in a seemingly terrifying way, only to eventually throw themselves off the cliffs by the sea without looking back, dying in a most tragic manner.

Every time this happens, it triggers the natural death energy on the coast to rise, causing some bad things to happen.

Yet, what Jier just said about walking out a new road from nothing was something most people wouldn't even dare to imagine.

He wanted to open his mouth to say something to Jier, but his mouth opened and closed a few times, and he didn't know how to start. He knew himself; he was that kind of stupid Western travel rat who, even when seeing a dead end, would still hesitate, often giving up one opportunity after another, and eventually leading his fellow Dwarves toward the sea cliff.

And Jier, a teenager who was exceptionally young—even younger than 'Xiaoxuezi', who in his eyes hadn't even grown up yet and was already several decades old—was a true brave soul.

He thought in a daze, perhaps their long Dwarf lifespan often caused them to lose their Yongqi and drive?

Take the matter of preparing luggage for the journey that everyone was going to solve: was it really difficult for those Dwarves to make decisions about the various necessary items they needed to bring?

Not necessarily. At least the old Dwarf knew clearly in his heart that they weren't having trouble choosing or suffering from decision paralysis; the root cause was simply that everyone was afraid, and their inner cowardice was acting up.

Facing the world outside Huitou Forest, which they hadn't stepped out of for over a hundred years, they were as terrified as goats that had never left their pen, facing a magnificent mountain for the first time.

They were familiar with everything in Babotali Valley; many people could draw the location of every house in Torito Village with their eyes closed, could walk back and forth in the passages under Huitou Forest with their eyes closed, and could walk upside down back and forth, up and down, in the Zhenbao Mine.

But if you asked them to walk out of Huitou Forest, even if he, this old bone, didn't stop them, those Dwarves would definitely find reasons to retreat back into their houses and not come out for the next half month.

Long-term local life had made everyone forget that they were not originally Dwarves born in this place; everyone had come from all over the Kingdom under the call of the Shitai Family to work in this Zhenbao Mine, which was still a border area of the Kingdom over a hundred years ago.

Except for 'Xiaoxuezi', who was a young Dwarf born more than twenty years after they were 'forgotten' in this place.

Even though he had never stepped out of Babotali Valley in his short few decades of life, the old Dwarf had never seen a hint of unease or cowardice toward the outside world on 'Xiaoxuezi's' face or in his eyes.

His eyes were full of curiosity, just like the old Dwarf's own eyes when he was that age, filled with curiosity and fantasies about the whole world.

Walking and thinking about these things, the old Dwarf glanced at 'Xiaoxuezi', who was supporting him on his right, and asked in a kind tone: "'Xiaoxuezi', you have never had the experience of a long journey; have you finished preparing your luggage for the trip?"

The young Dwarf blinked and replied respectfully with a slight smile: "'Tiequan' grandfather, I have long been ready to set off at any time. Instead, it's my mother who is worried all day about whether to bring all the kitchenware from the kitchen."

He said in a teasing tone: "Spare me, please. Seeing that I was already prepared, she actually intends to make me carry an extra Backpack of kitchenware, saying that those kitchenware items are old friends she has used for over a hundred years, and she can't bear to part with a single one."

"Hahaha." The other Dwarves laughed.

The atmosphere suddenly became lively. A Dwarf Soldier walking with them was wearing a set of spare Dwarf garrison soldier equipment, and his weapon was a set of all-metal Single-handed Axe and a metal square shield.

This re-armed Dwarf Soldier, who had gained the trust of the old Dwarf, said: "Me too. I have several sets of armor I forged myself when I was idle. Even though I know I can't take them all, every time I reorganize my luggage, I always want to take them all. Oh, that would require a carriage to carry it all."

Another middle-aged Dwarf stroked his beard and said with a chuckle: "My room has thousands of my paintings. To be honest, if I took apart the frames, thousands of paintings rolled up wouldn't be impossible to take. I can think of a way. But I know, the most troubled one must be Old Bob; his stone carvings and metal art pieces really can't be taken."

"Too heavy."

"His things are too heavy."

Several Dwarves said in unison, and then they laughed again.

Jier shrugged and didn't interject, instead walking silently on the other side of the old Dwarf, quietly listening to the Dwarves discussing things they found interesting in the Human Common Language.

He actually felt that it was quite interesting for these Dwarves to use the Human Common Language for small talk at this time.

He thought about it; indeed, in terms of daily conversation, the Human Common Language was not only very easy to learn, but the pronunciation and sentence structure were much more convenient and faster than the Dwarven Language.

The Dwarven Language had many humming and hawing sounds that required emphasis; this way of speaking might be convenient for talking in a clanging Mine, where it was not easy to mishear or be covered up by noise. But speaking the Dwarven Language required extra effort.

Although the Dwarves had plenty of strength, compared to the Human Common Language, which could be spoken and communicated smoothly without spending effort, the Human language was indeed more useful.

When leaving the camp of New Xiwang Town in the middle of the night, Jier also brought an extra Torch for lighting, which he lit and held up.

The Dwarves thought this was an unnecessary act; after all, Dwarves possessed much better night vision than Humans. On the surface at night, as long as there was starlight in the sky, the Dwarves could see well enough, and if there was a moon providing more light, even if only one moon appeared, the light at night was sufficient for the Dwarves.

If there were more moons, let alone Dwarves, even Humans could see at night and move about freely.

"Do you know why I specifically lit a Torch?"

Nearing Torito Village, Jier suddenly spoke to the few Dwarves accompanying him in a mysterious manner, looking as if he were about to tell a ghost story, though the Dwarves did not notice.

"Heh, what, if an excellent Human Knight doesn't light a Torch, can he not see things at night?" the Dwarf Soldier who had once been defeated by Jier spoke up.

Because the former Dwarf Soldier Captain had previously been captured, surrendered, and helped Jier facilitate negotiations, he no longer held the trust or affection of the old Dwarf and the other Dwarves. After all, defecting to the enemy is a spiritual and social stain, so he is no longer invited to participate in matters among the Dwarf group.

Serving as the new guard and advisor on military matters is this Dwarf Soldier.

Hearing the other's words, Jier did not fiercely refute them, but instead continued mysteriously: "Heh, it is not that I cannot see things at night; I believe you and your companions are very clear on this point. I am actually afraid of something..."

He looked up at the night sky; the sky full of stars made the summer night quite lively, but the lack of nocturnal bird calls in the surroundings made the atmosphere feel a bit lacking.

But such a bright sky did not make Jier feel at ease, and he said mysteriously to the few Dwarves watching him: "Guess, what am I afraid of?"

Xiaoxuezi guessed: "Could it be ghosts that appear at night?"

"Of course not." Jier shook his head.

The old Dwarf stroked his beard and did not speak immediately, instead signaling for the others to guess first.

Another Dwarf guessed: "I think you already have Faith in your heart, so you don't want to clearly see the divine emblems of those powerful gods in the sky? After all, as long as the Torch is lit, no matter how great those gods are, they cannot compete with the brightness of the Torch beside you."

"Ha." Jier was amused; he hadn't expected someone to guess that.

Another Dwarf said: "Obviously you guessed wrong, let me guess. You insist on carrying a Torch, is it because you want others to recognize you, right? After all, your night vision is good, but that doesn't mean other Humans have adequate night vision. In fact, I know that you Humans have really terrible eyesight, especially at night. This is also one of the reasons why Torito Village is clearly very safe, yet there are still few Human Villagers active at night, right?"

But the old Dwarf, through Jier's behavior of occasionally turning his head to look around at the sky, had a guess.

"I think you are worried about some aerial attacks at night? The enemy is afraid of light?" He frowned and asked the other Dwarves beside him: "Are there any birds or Monsters that are active at night and afraid of light?"

The Dwarves all shook their heads, especially the Dwarf Soldier responsible for fighting Monsters, who said with certainty: "I am very sure that in the last hundred years, we haven't encountered the kind of thing you are talking about here."

Jier then gave the answer mysteriously: "Actually, it is a fierce bird called a Tiger-headed Eagle; because it is powerful enough, it can also be considered a type of Monster."

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