Chapter 18: Preparations and Techniques for Dwarf Miners' Long-Distance Travel (Part 1)

Subsequently, Jier persuaded several more difficult Dwarves, either by seeking out the elder Dwarf or using his own silver tongue, successfully resolving the issues of these ordinary Dwarves who were struggling to make choices regarding their personal belongings.

Jier persuaded them, helping them understand that they could not be willful on this journey home; the weight of items each person could carry was strictly limited. Do not think that just because you can lift it, you can ignore the rest; the weight one can lift is vastly different from the weight one can carry for a long time while traveling.

Because when traveling long distances, every bit of weight on your body will be supported by your own feet, legs, and waist. Every extra bit of weight will, moment by moment, press down on everyone's body and spirit as time drags on, eventually crushing them.

In the end, the Dwarves might even discard various items they are carrying as they walk.

That would be a waste of the first day's stamina; wouldn't it be better to leave the things here at the mine early on, as a sort of memento?

After all, most of the Dwarves are only middle-aged. Although everyone says they will never return to this place where they have stayed for over a hundred years after returning home, it is hard to guarantee they won't change their minds.

If they come back here again, secretly taking away and selling these treasures from the mine would likely be a large fortune.

Of course, it is unlikely that individuals could take away the rare minerals in the Zhenbao Mine. For one, there is the weight issue; finished metal ore weighing in tons cannot be easily taken away by a single Dwarf or even a few.

Moreover, before the Zhenbao Mine is sealed, some defensive measures that even the Dwarves themselves find difficult to resolve will be activated.

This is also an important task that the elder "Iron Fist" has been arranging for some of the Dwarves these past few days.

When the underground architectural system of the Zhenbao Mine was first built, various means of sealing it from the inside in an emergency were considered, such as diverting groundwater into certain passages and spreading mineral toxins into the accumulated water. Or, using special methods to relocate the nests of dangerous underground cave creatures to new positions where the Dwarves need them to be; this kind of dangerous creature defense is something the Dwarves are particularly skilled at.

However, what they are most skilled at is naturally mechanical traps.

There are permanent and temporary ways to seal a mine. If it is a permanent seal, the Dwarves simply use solid stones half a person's height to completely block off various ventilation shafts and passages. But for a temporary seal (with the possibility of reopening in the future), the Dwarves will set up many lethal mechanical traps.

These things are difficult for the Dwarves themselves to handle, so naturally, they are not afraid of anyone eyeing the mine after they leave.

Unless the other party is willing to trade human lives for it.

That said, after Jier persuaded a few Dwarf Miners, the elder Dwarf saw that all the Dwarves had arrived, so he stood up to gather everyone.

"Come over here, I have something to say."

The elder Dwarf's voice was resonant; one could not tell at all that he was an elderly Dwarf.

After everyone gathered around, Jier was pushed to the front by the elder Dwarf: "Everyone may have seen him just now, or heard about it when you were notified before coming. Today, I have invited the Human Knight we are all familiar with, Knight Jier."

He paused, and while Jier waved and smiled at the crowd, he continued: "Don't let Knight Jier's young age fool you; he has rich experience in long-distance travel and has been to many places. And as you all may know, he personally led hundreds of Human Villagers to successfully reach us here. So, on the issue of what needs to be carried and what does not need to be carried for a long journey, Knight Jier has great authority to speak."

The elder Dwarf took the lead in applauding: "Let us welcome the help of Knight Jier. Now, he will explain to everyone what needs to be noted when preparing personal luggage for a long journey. If anyone has questions, you may ask them after Jier finishes speaking."

The crowd followed suit and applauded, then whispered among themselves.

Some secretly hated that Jier had injured them earlier and glared at Jier.

Some clapped absent-mindedly, while in their hearts, they did not intend to listen to a Human. Even if this Human had defeated almost all of them single-handedly.

Others had unreadable expressions; they neither liked Jier interfering in their internal Dwarf affairs nor denied Jier's personal ability, just feeling that the elder Dwarf's move damaged their Dwarf face and dignity or something.

Still others were relatively welcoming of Jier's help. Regarding Jier's act of defeating them earlier, these people also recognized Jier's strength, feeling that whoever has the bigger fist should be listened to.

After all, strength represents correctness.

Being looked at by these people with different expressions and gazes, Jier smiled and pressed his hands downward, and the sparse applause quickly vanished.

"Ahem, thank you 'Iron Fist' for thinking highly of my personal skills, because I know that due to the lifespan gap between Humans and Dwarves, Dwarves generally don't think much of our Human experience and skills. Especially a young person like me; to be honest, some of you might have glowing plants you've raised that are older than my age."

Jier's words caused low laughter among some of the Dwarves.

Because the funniest part was that what Jier said was indeed true. Many Dwarf Miners had been pruning and trimming the glowing plants they kept in their rooms for nearly half a century, much older than Jier's age.

"However, in terms of long-distance travel experience, I am confident I can bring some help to everyone. For some time now, some Dwarf friends who have already communicated and exchanged with me must understand what I am talking about. Yes, while others were still hesitating about what to take and what to leave behind, they had already solved this problem."

The few Dwarves who had dealt with Jier before nodded one after another, whispering to their surrounding friends that they had no more problems.

"Therefore, I hope everyone can correctly recognize the help I can bring you. I am helping everyone, helping you solve problems, rather than dealing with my words while carrying preconceptions and prejudices in your hearts."

Jier coughed lightly again, which counted as finishing his words before the formal start, and then he began to formally tell the Dwarves about some precautions for long-distance travel.

"First of all, for a long journey, in a way where everyone needs to rely on their feet to move, the most important thing is to ensure you have a pair, or even several pairs, of comfortable shoes suitable for long-distance walking."

Jier pointed to his own metal boots: "Metal boots like mine won't do. They are suitable for combat, but not for long-distance walking. They will ruin your feet."

"Because I ride a horse, this doesn't matter. But you are different. 'Iron Fist' has obtained some carriages from me and the Villagers for your use, but these carriages are to carry large items needed for the collective journey. For example, various tent equipment, as well as some food and water, armor not being worn, and spare armor, and other heavier items."

"Therefore, all the weight on everyone's body will be transmitted to the ground through your feet and the shoes you are wearing. At this time, a pair of comfortable, sturdy, and wear-resistant shoes—they can be boots or shoes—is very important."

Jier counted on his fingers and analyzed them one by one:

"Common straw sandals are okay to wear, but they aren't wear-resistant. They are fine for working in the fields around the village, but if you want to rely on them for a long journey, you'll be walking barefoot in a day or two."

"Simple boots made by repeatedly wrapping your feet in animal hide are barely acceptable, but they aren't breathable. It is summer now, and the sweat on your feet will make them rot after a day, so they won't work either; though they can be used temporarily in winter."

"Common shoes made of sturdy Linen Cloth and hardened leather are very suitable for long-distance walking if the soles are a bit harder. Because the upper is made of Linen Cloth, which is relatively breathable, it won't be very hot. And the hardened leather sole, which has a certain amount of resilience, can adapt to more complex ground. Of course, wooden soles are also fine, but they are a bit cumbersome; if you are used to wearing them, that's fine too."

"The best ones are common leather boots; they are comfortable and wear-resistant. If you can punch some breathable holes in the upper, it will be even more comfortable in this season."

After hearing Jier's words, the Dwarves looked down at their feet one after another to check if their shoes were suitable for long-distance walking.

The elder Dwarf also listened attentively to Jier's words. Although he would definitely be riding in a carriage for this journey home due to his old age, the walking ability of all his subordinates was still something he needed to take seriously.

At this moment, he said: "Check your shoes, not just the ones you are wearing now, but also how many pairs of suitable shoes you have among your personal belongings. Leave behind all unsuitable shoes. 'Long Tail'! Go and count how many pairs of shoes each person has that are suitable for long-distance travel. If some people have many, share some with those who have none."

The Dwarf Miner nicknamed 'Long Tail' nodded. After coming out of the crowd, he immediately took paper, pen, and ink to register on the spot the number of shoes suitable for long-distance travel that each Dwarf possessed.

Some Dwarves with more shoes spontaneously donated their shoes for the Dwarves who didn't have a single pair of suitable shoes to wear.

Seeing that everyone was busy, Jier found a wooden barrel to sit on and whispered to the elder Dwarf about some trivial matters regarding the upcoming journey.

After a while, the number of suitable shoes for long-distance travel for the registered Dwarves came out, and surprisingly, everyone was allocated two pairs of shoes or boots. Seeing this number, Jier scratched his head a bit.

"What? Is there a problem?" The elder Dwarf asked immediately.

"This quantity is still a bit low, because you need to carry quite a few things, so the wear and tear of the shoes must also be taken into account. And I must say, because you are not Humans, I can only say that it will be somewhat difficult to obtain convenient supplies in Human villages and towns along the way." Jier pointed with his hand at the numbers on the paper brought to him to look at.

Interestingly, because he needed to check it, 'Long Tail' used Human writing when registering, which is why Jier could understand it.

"So that's how it is. It's fine, shoes aren't very complicated things. If we need to add one more pair per person in a short time, some materials left in the warehouse can also be used to make them, or some originally unsuitable shoes can be modified."

Once the elder Dwarf gave the word, he could mobilize the Dwarves to quickly use materials to temporarily make some suitable shoes.

Seeing that this problem was solved, Jier stood up and continued.

"After having good shoes, everyone also needs a pair of leg wraps, which are essential for long-distance travel." Seeing that the Dwarves seemed a bit confused, Jier asked and only then learned that when these Dwarves came here to work a hundred years ago, they all came by riding in carts pulled by Juli Pan-yang.

And in the past, they had basically rarely used, or had never even used, things like leg wraps. Because in the Dwarf Kingdom, the Dwarves had long since established a perfect vehicle transportation network. The Juli Pan-yang, with their astonishing stamina, could run for a day and a night after being fed, far more useful than horses. Except for the trouble that the Juli Pan-yang have fierce temperaments, are not weak in combat power, and will ram anyone they see during their estrus period, there were almost no downsides.

But as for the Juli Pan-yang that can be used to pull carts, only the Dwarves can easily tame them and are not afraid of sudden attacks from the Pan-yang during their estrus period.

It is not that human society did not attempt to domesticate this animal during the process of interacting with the Dwarves, but unfortunately, after incidents resulting in many herdsmen being killed by Panshan Yang, the Western Province confirmed from top to bottom that unless Knights with astonishing strength were sent to domesticate these Dwarf Panshan Yang, no matter how many ordinary Humans there were, they would all die at the hands of these ill-tempered animals.

Returning to the subject of leg wraps, Jier had the old Dwarf provide a piece of Fine Linen on the spot and crafted a pair of long cloth strips for wrapping the calves.

"Don't look at its usage method as ridiculous; in fact, its function is not small at all, it is very important. With its help, an ordinary person's long-distance travel will have more endurance, every step taken will be more effortless, and after walking all day, one's legs will not be extremely sore, which would otherwise lead to being unable to walk the next day. If you want to travel long distances on foot, this thing is indispensable."

The old Dwarf nodded: "The production of this thing is simple, and it is not something that will wear out with use. In a while, I will have a few people go down and make a pair for everyone."

"The key is still its method of use." Jier said seriously: "Its correct binding method can bring benefits, but if it is not tied well, if it is too loose, it will not bring any help, and one will be extremely exhausted after walking all day. And if it is tied too tightly, it will affect the normal blood circulation of the legs and feet; you won't be able to walk for half a day before a person's legs are ruined."

Subsequently, Jier had 'Xiaoxuezi' roll up his pant legs in front of everyone, rolling them up to the knees, and Jier helped him tie the leg wraps securely.

After finishing, 'Xiaoxuezi' walked back and forth in front of everyone with some novelty.

His mother asked with concern: "Xiao'otu, how do you feel?"

'Xiaoxuezi' said excitedly: "Very good, I am very good, Mother. With the help of this thing, I feel that walking is indeed a bit different. After every step is taken, the wobbling of the calves when stepping forward is completely gone. It is as if my pair of legs and feet have become a tool or machine specifically for walking."

The Dwarves burst into laughter: "Idiot, our legs were meant for walking in the first place; they are a kind of tool for movement."

But a Dwarf Soldier retorted: "It can also be used to kick people; do you want to be kicked by me?"

A Dwarf Strength God Believer nearby was also blunt: "Bring it on, do you want to try kicking each other? I guarantee I won't kick you until you are embedded in the wall."

'Shishou', who had been carrying the greatsword he had dug out again, stood up to stop the dispute between the two sides.

In the series of battles triggered by Jier's appearance earlier, the Dwarf 'Shishou' had become the strongest in the entire Dwarf group without dispute due to his powerful strength. Although the massive destructive power he caused offended all the Dwarves and left him owing a large debt to everyone (the massive attack tremors he finally triggered knocked down most of the Dwarf houses in the center of the village), all the Dwarves acknowledged his strength, and no one raised the issue of 'Shishou' paying compensation.

Although 'Shishou' himself was truly embarrassed.

"Stop arguing, focus on learning how to tie the leg wraps." As soon as he spoke, both sides stopped arguing.

Out of respect for his strength.

Jier noticed 'Shishou', and the other party also noticed Jier's gaze. The two locked eyes for a moment; Jier smiled, while 'Shishou' looked away. Unlike Jier's confidence based on his own strength, 'Shishou' had exhausted the favor of the God of Strength during the previous battle, consuming all the power granted by the deity, and had still failed to take down Jier. Therefore, although his strength was still above the others, he had not been able to return to his previous level.

Unless the God of Strength watched over him again.

But it was clear that after Jier defeated 'Shishou', the God of Strength had clearly placed his attention on Jier and forcibly granted Jier a three-fold enhancement in strength.

Even though Jier had clearly expressed his refusal.

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