Chapter 24: Challenges and Conditions, Aoni's Crushing Defeat

The overnight Yingdi became rowdy. The old Dwarf, who had been recording something in a book by the light of an Oil Lamp, looked up and discovered that a small conflict had broken out between his subordinate Dwarves and Jier's Warriors.

He sighed and stood up, intending to go over and stop both sides to resolve the conflict, but he found Jier leaning against a wagon, watching the clashing sides with a smile on his lips. So he walked over and said to Jier, "Aren't you going to manage them? Just let this sort of thing happen?"

Jier shook his head: "You are being too cautious, old man. If you ask me, this is actually a good thing. If your men and mine keep their distance and never interact, it might save some trouble and reduce some conflicts, but while we appear to be traveling together, we would basically be unable to become a force capable of looking out for one another."

Jier spread his hands: "If a battle occurs, would strangers who have no connection fight for each other? Wouldn't they just watch the other side suffer without making a move?"

The old Dwarf thought this made sense, but he pointed to the center of the Yingdi, where the two sides were becoming increasingly heated: "But is it really good for the beginning of communication and exchange to look like this?"

Jier shrugged. For people who make a living by force, isn't this way of interacting quite normal?

"%%￥, don't stop me. Today I want to see what reason you Dwarves have to be so arrogant."

That hot-tempered Warrior used two Single-handed Axes. At this moment, he naturally couldn't use weapons to fight the other side just because of a verbal dispute, so he threw his weapons aside, rubbed his wrists, and walked to the center of the Yingdi. Pointing his finger at the Dwarf opposite him, he shouted: "Come, come, come, it's you! If you have the guts, come over and spar empty-handed! Don't be an ugly jumping frog that only knows how to croak."

The Dwarf who had been called an ugly jumping frog was also furious. He pointed at his own brownish-red beard and shouted loudly: "Ugly? Open your eyes and take a good look. How could such an exquisite, brightly colored, and well-groomed mighty beard be called ugly?"

The Humans burst into laughter: "What is this ugly jumping frog muttering about? Does having a beard like that mean you aren't ugly? Come and spar empty-handed. Let's see if I don't drag your beard across the ground. As it happens, my Boots are a bit dirty; you can use your beard to help me out."

The Dwarves were offended, especially this Dwarf, who absolutely could not accept his beard being insulted. So, this Dwarf pushed aside the companions who had intended to stop him, strode forward, and stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at the Human who was two heads taller than him.

The Dwarf tried hard to look up, which made him extremely dissatisfied: "I must knock you down today. Looking up like this is too much effort. I think the knocked-down Human will have to look up at us Dwarves just the same, right?"

"You can try."

Try it then.

With the two having said this much, the intention to fight was already too obvious. The people around spontaneously shifted their seats and footsteps, leaving enough space for them to fight.

Although it was a spontaneously erupted conflict, the atmosphere among the others around them became heated. Everyone whistled, encouraging the men on their own side.

"Waaah—" The Dwarf made the first move, because talking to a Human while looking up at such close range was truly inconvenient.

This Dwarf yelled and threw a punch at the Human Warrior's abdomen. Neither side was wearing Armor, just the thin clothing worn on a summer night. The Dwarf's fist was heavy and fast; it was the arm muscle strength honed through mining that was exerting force. Even though it was just a simple punch, the impact was very heavy. If it hit a vital spot, the injury would likely be severe.

But this Human Warrior was not a fool, standing blankly in place to let the other side hit him. He stepped back, just dodging the Dwarf's punch. There was no help for it; the Dwarf's height was not great, so their arm span was naturally not long. The Human Warrior could easily dodge by stepping back once.

"Take this kick!" The Human Warrior raised his leg and kicked toward the Dwarf's head. As long as he was hit by this fast and heavy kick, he would inevitably be injured and lose consciousness.

But the Dwarf raised his left arm and used his sturdy arm to block the Human's kick.

Bang! After the kick landed, the Dwarf didn't even sway.

"Hmph, didn't you eat? Such light force."

After mocking him, the Dwarf Warrior threw a punch straight at the Human Warrior's lower vital area. This punch came fast and sneakily, but that is how real fighting is; wherever the vital spot is, one naturally attacks there.

The Human Warrior naturally moved his hands quickly to block his vital area, but after his two open hands caught the punch the Dwarf threw, his whole body was knocked backward by the blow.

First his buttocks hit the ground, then he rolled backward on his back, falling to the ground in quite a disheveled manner. His hands were still trembling, and his palms were red.

Clearly, the force of that punch was not small.

Watching the Human knocked down by his punch, this Dwarf Warrior triumphantly stroked his beard and shouted loudly to the people around: "Now looking down at this person feels much more comfortable, haha."

The Dwarves cheered one after another, clapping their hands.

But before this Dwarf could triumphantly return to the Dwarf side, Aoni stood out. He said loudly: "How about trying with me?"

He strode toward this Dwarf Warrior, his sword and shield also tossed aside, with his friends there to collect them.

After reaching the Dwarf, Aoni looked down at him. His sturdy arms slammed inward, and his fists struck together, making a crisp sound.

Aoni was taller than the Warrior who had been dual-wielding Single-handed Axes just now, and his arms and legs looked even more powerful. Especially in terms of momentum, that confident expression forced the Dwarf side to take him seriously.

Of course, one still couldn't lose in words.

"Ho, another one comes. I guess you won't be so happy when you're beaten to the ground, right?"

The previous fight served as a warm-up, and this Dwarf assumed a fighting stance.

They Dwarves also usually formed combat groups to practice empty-handed fighting in private. Although empty-handed fighting wasn't of much use in real combat, who knew when it might come in handy.

Aoni spread his hands, his arms slightly open, and did not take the initiative to attack. Instead, he circled the opponent while ensuring his own footing was stable.

As he moved, the opponent also had to cautiously rotate along with him.

"Hey! Are you going to fight or not? If not, I'm going back!" The Dwarf Warrior couldn't hold back and clamored.

But just at the moment the other side finished speaking, Aoni had already made his move.

He took a large step forward, and then his left hand reached for the hair on the top of the opponent's head.

Because Humans are tall and long-armed, at this distance, the Dwarf couldn't reach Aoni at all with his hands or kicks, and could only be unilaterally attacked by Aoni.

The Dwarf Warrior forcefully swatted away the palm Aoni reached out with, but Aoni retracted his body, his footsteps circling again to continue closing the distance. The Dwarf continued to swat away Aoni's palm, but this time Aoni wasn't attacking to grab the Dwarf's head. He specifically took advantage of the moment the Dwarf swatted his hand, twisted his wrist, and firmly grabbed the Dwarf Warrior's wrist.

Pulling his body backward, Aoni yanked the Dwarf Warrior and swung him around.

"Let go!" the Dwarf shouted, but Aoni exerted force, directly carrying the Dwarf like a sack of grain, swinging him in circles, and finally using force to throw him, tossing the heavy Dwarf Warrior to the edge of the crowd in an extremely humiliating way.

And it was specifically the edge of the Human crowd.

"Hahaha, look at him, just like a wild dog being thrown out."

"Exactly! You guy, is the dirt on the ground tasty or not?"

The Human Warriors mocked this Dwarf Warrior who had just won a round, and this Dwarf Warrior also climbed up from the ground, dizzy and disoriented. The first thing he did was pat his beard, which was stained with mud and ash.

He also knew he had lost face, so he ignored the Humans' mockery, lowered his head, and walked quickly toward his own group.

Aoni let the other side leave, standing calmly in the center of the open space with his arms crossed, and said to the Dwarf side: "Who else wants to try?"

Many Dwarves were indignant and wanted to go up and spar with the Human Warrior. But they were also worried that if one or two went up and were knocked down, it would be shameful, especially if they lost face for their Dwarf group. So they turned to look at the old Dwarf, but the old Dwarf was currently talking to Jier at the edge of the Yingdi. Jier was looking over here, but his mouth hadn't stopped either; the two seemed to be discussing important matters.

Thus, the Dwarf side looked toward the tough guys among them.

Four Dwarf Soldiers subconsciously looked at the former Dwarf Soldier Captain, but then realized that the other's Captain position had already been dismissed. Now, this squad of Soldiers guarding the mine had no Captain, only five Soldiers of equal rank.

"I'll come." A Dwarf Soldier stood out.

But he was wearing the Dwarf Soldiers' thick Metal Armor. The thick and sturdy Armor parts overlapped and protected each other; except for that small patch on his face, his entire body was covered by the Armor, without even a weak point where a Dagger could be inserted.

Aoni raised his eyebrows and pointed to his own body, which wasn't wearing a single piece of Plate Armor: "Look clearly, I'm not wearing Armor. Even if you beat me while wearing Armor, it won't show that you Dwarves are strong; it will only make people despise you for being sneaky and shameless."

The Dwarf Soldier retreated, looking embarrassed.

If both sides were wearing armor for empty-handed or weapon sparring, then his participation wouldn't be a problem, but for an empty-handed fighting test without armor, his joining in would be too shameless. Because as long as he wore the armor, no matter how the opponent punched or kicked, he wouldn't have a single injury.

With a casual wave of his hand, he could use the protection of his heavy, sturdy armor to deliver a punch heavier than one thrown barehanded.

A soldier wearing heavy armor throwing a punch barehanded has power no less than the armor-piercing strike of a One-handed Hammer; hitting someone with it can easily break their bones.

"Then we'll come."

Following this, five Dwarf followers of the God of Strength wearing sleeveless vests over their armor stepped out. The five of them, led by Shishou, looked at Aoni with an imposing aura: "We are five; you may choose any one of us to challenge."

Aoni raised an eyebrow; he was somewhat surprised that the Dwarves would actually use the word "challenge."

"How arrogant. But if I win, you must honestly follow orders on the road ahead, doing whatever you are told. Can you do that?"

Aoni was not stupid and immediately added conditions to this fight. As the Captain of the Warrior squad, he held the highest status among the Human group, aside from Jier and Xueya Site, and thus had the authority to speak on behalf of the entire group to make such arrangements.

But the Dwarves were different. Although Shishou had gained secret support from many Dwarves after the previous battle, with them considering him the most powerful Dwarf Warrior in the entire group now, Shishou himself did not know this. He felt he had ruined the houses of many companions and owed everyone too much, so he usually kept a low profile.

Hearing the conditions from the Human side, the others looked at Shishou, while Shishou looked at the old Dwarf.

The old Dwarf waved his hand, seemingly not paying attention to this side, yet it also seemed as if he had handed the decision-making power over to Shishou.

This made Shishou purse his lips. Believing he would not lose, he took a step forward and said, "No problem. But accordingly, if you lose, you must have you Humans show us more respect and greet us first when interacting with us."

No one cared anymore how the argument had started in the first place, or why it had turned into this.

Aoni and Shishou came to the middle of the field and stood facing each other at a distance of two meters.

"Who do you think will win?" With his back to the middle of the Yingdi, the old Dwarf did not look at what was happening there at all. But in reality, his ears were pricked up nervously, and he was also asking about the situation on Jier's side.

Jier shrugged: "Who else could it be? Of course, it's that Shishou who wields the greatsword. To say nothing else, just his super strength alone makes it impossible for anyone without special skills to defeat him. When strength reaches a certain level, many methods become ineffective."

And in the short time it took for the old Dwarf and Jier to exchange questions and answers, the fight in the middle of the Yingdi had already ended.

The result was unsightly; the seemingly tall Aoni had previously grabbed and thrown the short Dwarf Warrior, and now it was his turn to enjoy the same treatment.

Aoni, who was at least 1.9 meters tall after wearing his Boot, was grabbed by Shishou after he closed the distance, and then Shishou kicked one of his legs. With just a burst of strength, Shishou threw Aoni into the sky.

At least four meters high.

This unexpectedly thrilling experience made Aoni shout and scream in mid-air, which was very embarrassing.

But what was even more embarrassing was that after he fell, he was caught by Shishou and thrown into the air once again.

Even though he had experience this time, Aoni still subconsciously let out an embarrassing wail, only to be caught again and specifically adjusted in angle so that Aoni would make heavy contact with the ground back-first in a "safe" manner.

Boom—

Aoni slammed hard onto the ground, his back and buttocks making solid, intimate contact with the earth, causing him extreme pain.

But even more painful was Aoni's self-esteem. He clearly knew how embarrassing his performance just now was; if he had been proud after winning his first match, he was just as embarrassed now.

"It's over, it's over..."

He lay on his back on the ground, muttering some words to himself.

As for the Humans, everyone was dumbfounded. To be honest, no one had expected this seemingly unremarkable Dwarf Warrior to have such great strength, possessing power as formidable as the Jier Knight they had seen.

Many people looked at Jier at the edge of the Yingdi, and Jier spoke to everyone at this moment: "This Mr. Shishou is the most powerful one among these Dwarves now. He is deeply favored by the Dwarf God of Strength; in terms of pure strength, even I am no match for him."

The crowd was in an uproar.

But Jier continued to soothe them: "Of course, the magnitude of pure strength is not the key factor in determining the outcome of a battle. Although my strength is not as great as his, I am better than him in other areas."

Shishou also nodded at this time, acknowledging the matter: "Yes, when I fought the Jier Knight before, even when I used all my means, I couldn't hurt the Jier Knight at all."

But the other Dwarves watching did not care about this; they cheered loudly, indicating that they had won this round and that the Humans must honor their bet and abide by the agreement made before the fight: to respect them and greet them before speaking to them.

This was just a small matter of politeness, but who shows respect to whom and who greets whom was a major matter involving face.

The Dwarves valued this exceptionally highly.

Shishou pulled up Aoni, who was still too ashamed to face anyone on the ground, patted the dirt off his back, and then gave him a push: "It's alright, go back and practice your martial arts well. In ten or several decades, you might be able to beat me."

These words were truly cutting and heart-piercing, making Aoni's complexion even worse.

But at least Aoni clearly realized that when facing these opponents who possessed supernatural power, he was still far from being a match for them.

?? Heaven Spirit, Earth Spirit, let the review be error-free and the post be published quickly. The review last night numbed me; fortunately, the time is based on the submission time. However, since I saw the review wasn't passing at the time, I requested a leave note. Although I didn't use it then, there's no harm in using it, so I took a day off yesterday. My apologies to everyone.