Chapter 852: The Dwarfs' Preparations

He continued to walk along the path beneath his feet, heading deep into Huitou Forest.

As the sun rose outside the forest and the daylight shone down, the mist within the woods was dissipating rapidly. At first, Jier could only see the bright Tianguang through the mist above his head, but soon, his line of sight gradually opened up.

The mist overhead gradually dispersed, revealing the tall and straight trees of this forest. In order to compete for sunlight, these trees all branched out and spread their leaves high up, while the ten to twenty meters below were all straight, bare tree trunks.

Sunlight projected down through the clusters of leaves at the canopy level, pulling out pillars of light in this quiet forest that looked like long spears of light; it was very beautiful.

Jier took a deep breath of the air here and discovered that it was slightly cold with a strange bitter taste, as well as a faint smell of rust.

As the mist gradually dissipated, he was also able to gradually see the vast situation around him here.

Actually, there was nothing much to see, just countless reddish-brown tree trunks, layer upon layer from near to far, filling his line of sight and creating a strange sense of spatial dislocation. If not for the Dwarf Road under his feet indicating the direction, it was clear that others would easily lose their sense of direction in this endless and identical forest scenery.

And they would keep wandering in place until they lost their strength.

"It seems those Dwarfs aren't that strange after all." Jier stepped on the Dwarf Road beneath his feet and made this judgment.

However, once he thought about how these roads were not originally built for Humans, but for their own convenience in coming and going, Jier retracted a sliver of his admiration for the Dwarfs. After all, although he knew from the Great Bird Deity that many Human commoners who had mistakenly entered this place lived in the valley past the forest, he could see it from the attack the Dwarf Warrior had just launched on him.

Those commoners were brought to live in the valley either actively or passively and were not allowed to return; it was clearly forced, and it must have been accompanied by a lot of violence.

"Sigh, it feels like I've found myself a lot of trouble again."

Jier scratched his cheek, muttering to himself with a bitter smile. To solve one problem, he ended up triggering new ones, causing more and more things to pile up on him, just like when he played RPG games in his previous life—he accepted many quests, but didn't complete many of them.

"Wish myself good luck."

After cheering himself up, Jier prepared for battle and walked quickly along the forest path where the view was becoming increasingly open.

Seeing that the view around him was opening up, and although the path under his feet was winding and twisting, it was still convenient for riding, he had the idea of riding his warhorse forward.

However, when he turned his head to look at Tianxuecao, he could clearly see the square hammer marks on the warhorse's head Armor.

This made him pat Tianxuecao with pity, causing this loyal warhorse to gently nudge him with its head.

"Forget it, forget it. This forest probably isn't that big. Although the internal environment is complex and there are Dwarf Warriors attacking from the shadows, I suppose if I walk a bit faster, I should be able to pass through here before the mist descends again at night, right?"

Jier had his own judgment. Although he didn't know if the Dwarfs were affected by the mist in the forest, he felt that they were likely affected as well. But one could tell from the winding way this road was forced to be built that the Dwarfs could have originally cut down the trees along the way to build a straight road.

But they didn't.

Why?

It was clear they could have simply built a straight road, yet they insisted on making it so complicated, building unnecessary winding roads for no reason and increasing the workload; it wasn't as if the Dwarfs had nowhere else to use their excess strength.

From this, it could be inferred that these Dwarfs had deliberately built everything to its current state.

He walked, breathing in the moist air in the forest that was slightly rotten and carried a bit of a bitter, rusty taste, and his mind began to turn.

Hey, exploration and adventure and such—one must use their brain!

"There must be something in the valley on the other side of Huitou Forest, and those things are very important."

Jier muttered, and Tianxuecao, walking beside him, nodded, confirming its master's judgment.

"That's why they would rather build an extra road that winds around in the forest, just to increase the difficulty of passing through this road. Hmph hmph, and there's the surveillance and the tunnels under the forest for attacking those who pass through this road!"

The more Jier spoke, the more certain he became, and the expression on his face grew increasingly firm.

"Don't forget, Tianxuecao. Nearly a hundred years ago, all the other Dwarfs withdrew from the Saint Hors Kingdom, but they didn't leave! I don't know if they were forgotten or left behind on purpose, but it's clear that with all the other Dwarfs gone, a group of Dwarfs remained here. They hold this place and forcibly detain Human commoners who mistakenly enter here in the valley. Hmm, they are clearly plotting something."

Jier slammed his fists together, making a loud clashing sound, and said excitedly to his warhorse: "It looks like there's a bitter battle ahead. Buddy, it will be either when we are about to leave the forest or when we officially step into the valley. If I were a Dwarf, I would definitely have to use all my strength to take me down in order to hide my purpose!"

"Can you fight with all your might?"

Seeing its master ask, the combative Tianxuecao nodded excitedly and slightly raised its front hooves, slamming them onto the road on the ground.

"Very good! It looks like I need to get ready for battle."

Jier glanced at the supplies and luggage carried on the horse's back, feeling that this stuff would increase the warhorse's burden and weaken its mobility and impact, so he had to move it somewhere else.

Thinking of it, he did it. Jier picked up the large package on the horse's back, and then it disappeared from where he stood.

The next moment, his figure appeared in the same spot again. Except for the large package in his arms being gone, no one would think he had moved at all.

Jier clapped his hands and said triumphantly to the warhorse: "The silver boxes I crafted in my dream came in handy. With those boxes blocking the way, that damn Spirit won't be able to let its Mushroom partners get their hands on my supplies. Hmph~"

After humming a few times, Jier didn't mount the horse right away, but told Tianxuecao that he hoped it could recover its state as soon as possible, as there would be a battle waiting for them later, and it couldn't slack off then.

Carrying the Metal Double-Edged Long Spear, Jier led the horse and trotted along the Dwarf Road in the forest.

Although he judged that this forest was not very large and he should be able to pass through it normally along the Dwarf Road in the forest within a single day, the previous skirmish and the morning had wasted some time after all. Jier still had to speed up a little, preferably ensuring that the subsequent battle took place outside this forest.

A place that was more spacious.

He had a horse; the more spacious the place, the greater the advantage for his battle.

And for the Dwarf Warriors, Huitou Forest was simply too convenient for their short legs to launch attacks and battles.

The ubiquitous tunnel entrances allowed them to close the distance with enemies before the battle, and retreating was also very convenient. The endless tree trunks in the forest were also excellent cover for battle, and long-range projectile methods were greatly restricted, especially when White Mist appeared in the forest; the Dwarf Warriors' combat advantage would become very great.

Not counting Jier, even if twenty or thirty ordinary Human Soldiers entered here at once, they would be repeatedly attacked by the Dwarf Warriors guarding this place in this seemingly quiet and peaceful, but actually treacherous, place.

Judging from Jier's skirmish, if every Dwarf Warrior wore that kind of combat Armor from before, then it wouldn't take many—just five Dwarf Warriors would be enough to guard the secret behind this forest.

Letting Humans enter but never return, only to be forced to live in the valley after being defeated.

Thinking of this, Jier couldn't help but think more highly of those Dwarf Warriors. They could have killed all the Humans who entered here and buried them under the thick humus layer of the forest. Not to mention avoiding the risk of managing Humans, just the corpses of those who died—over time, they might even turn into some living corpses, or something even more terrifying.

Wouldn't it be better to have these undead wandering in the forest?

Jier couldn't understand, but he at least knew that those Dwarfs wouldn't kill the Humans who mistakenly entered here.

As for the other answers, he would understand once he went over to take a look.

Inside the tunnel beneath Huitou Forest.

Two Dwarfs were walking quickly in the tunnel. The older Dwarf walking in front reached into the Leather Bag at his waist and took out a small bottle of herbal Ointment.

This was a small wooden bottle with a cork stopper, and on the front of the wooden bottle, a wounded Human body and the symbol of a medicine bottle were carefully carved.

On the back of the bottle, the name was carved in the common language of Humans—【Healing Ointment】.

The older Dwarf let out a breath, shook his head slightly, and then turned and threw it to the younger Dwarf behind him who had a wounded nose: "Take it, you've lost quite a bit of blood."

The younger Dwarf behind held his Metal Helmet in one hand, and with his other blood-stained palm, he caught the small medicine bottle. He looked at the 【Healing Ointment】 made by Humans in his hand with disgust, but he didn't want to use it.

"These are two different things, young man, two different things. Put away your stubbornness, fix your broken nose, and apply the Ointment. I don't want your mother to say that I brought her son back with a new broken nose."

Seeing the young Dwarf still looking stubborn, the elder Dwarf angrily raised his palm, which had a Metal Armor Plate on the back, and clenched it into a fist: "What, want to taste the power of the 'Iron Fist'? Want your face to look like your nose? Hmph, when the day comes that we return to our land and clan, not even the shortest, skinniest Dwarf girl will look at you, ha."

Once this was said, whether out of fear of the elder Dwarf's 'Iron Fist' or fear of not being liked by any Dwarf girls, the young Dwarf immediately hung the Helmet he was holding onto his belt, used his left hand to fumble and straighten his continuously bleeding nose, and then used one hand to flick the cork off the Ointment bottle, lifting it up to pour the Ointment inside onto his face.

But it didn't pour out.

"Idiot, shake it before using," the elder Dwarf reminded him with a curse.

The injured young Dwarf curled his lip, not caring at all about the blood flowing from his nose, used his right thumb to plug the bottle opening, shook it vigorously, and then poured it onto his face; the purple, viscous Ointment flowed out, coating most of his face.

"Oh! What a stinging sensation! That's really something, old man!" A bit of Ointment flowed into the young Dwarf's mouth, and he exclaimed as he pursed his lips; the elder Dwarf raised his hand and slapped the fellow on the head: "Talk less, coat your nostrils with the Ointment too, then breathe through your mouth. The wound will heal soon."

The young Dwarf did as told, then said while moving: "This minor injury won't affect me participating in the coming battle, right? That guy is really strong."

The elder Dwarf led the way quickly, his shoulder occasionally brushing against the glowing white Shitou hanging on the side of the tunnel, causing the surrounding light and shadows to flicker; he grunted: "Don't even think about it. In battle, with you looking like that, should you roar or breathe? It's not like there's no one else; leave the coming battle to us adults. You just focus on keeping an eye on him. We need to gather our men and intercept him before that person steps into the Valley."

"Gather how many people?" the young Dwarf asked, though he felt slightly regretful that he couldn't participate in the real battle.

He was over seventy years old and had never experienced a real battle.

Even the mining battles under the Mine were never allowed for him; he was a true Dwarf and also longed to use his own strength to defend the Mine and the settlement.

"All of them! That young Human, if I'm not mistaken, has a high probability of being the Human Knight the Humans in the Cunzi spoke of. Still a bit tricky, even more troublesome than the Stone-Armored Blind Moles in the mine pits. Just don't know how this kind of person compares to the Crystal Giant Ants."

After the elder Dwarf finished speaking, he walked over and casually flipped open a wooden door on the side of the passage, kicking awake a sturdy Dwarf who was dozing inside: "Stop sleeping! A troublesome Human has come into the Forest; arm yourselves and follow!"

The Dwarf who had been suddenly woken up took one look at the young Dwarf, whose face was covered in purple Ointment and whose nose was mangled, and chuckled: "How did our young lad end up like this? If your nose is ruined, your mother is going to be furious at us old guys. If your father were here, he would definitely use a Mining Pick to smash anyone who hurt his son."

"Indeed," the elder Dwarf agreed with a nod.

But the young Dwarf took a deep breath through his mouth and said with a fierce look in his eyes: "Don't mention that man; a weak and dishonest fellow, he doesn't deserve to be my father."

The other two Dwarfs in the small lounge shrugged, clearly not agreeing with the young Dwarf's words.

Then the elder Dwarf didn't entangle himself with the young man, picked up an inverted triangular wooden birdcage hanging on the side of the lounge, and shoved it into the young Dwarf's arms: "Stop talking nonsense, go watch that Human. That person should be by the No. 3 Ancient Tree now. You hurry to the surveillance point by the No. 6 Bridge now; when you see that person come, release a Communication Bat, then go ahead to the next surveillance point, and when you see the person come, release another bat."

"What about you guys?" the young Dwarf asked after taking a deep breath.

The other two Dwarfs glanced at each other; the Dwarf who had just been called up didn't know exactly what had happened, so he just shrugged, following the elder Dwarf's instructions. The elder Dwarf said: "We are setting an ambush at the Shishu, all hands. Remember, just watch the person, don't get exposed."

The young Dwarf nodded, understanding the situation.

That Human was very powerful, and the balance between the Dwarfs and Humans within the Valley was actually very fragile. A small number of people could be accommodated, but that kind of Human would not do; he would easily destroy the relationship that had been maintained for decades.

The balance between the two races in the Valley dominated by the Dwarfs.

So he put on his Helmet, carefully avoiding letting the front of the Helmet touch his injured nose, then carried the cage of Communication Bats, nodded to the other two, and jogged toward the No. 6 Bridge surveillance point mentioned by the elder Dwarf.

Once the young Dwarf left, the Dwarf who had been woken up asked: "What's wrong, we need to call all the Warriors? It's just one Human in the Forest, no need to be so grand, right? Haha, don't look at how tall those Human men and women are; actually, I can knock one flying with one punch, and send one flying with a headbutt."

The elder Dwarf urged his companion to arm himself, saying: "It's different, not an ordinary Human."

Once this was said, the Dwarf who was putting on the Metal Armor he had crafted himself became interested, his beard twitching, and he said mysteriously: "Is it the kind that is rare among Humans and has special strength? Or a Human who can use magical Magic powers? Or perhaps a messenger of the gods?"

"The kind with special strength."

The Dwarf who had put on his upper-body armor breathed a sigh of relief: "Luckily it's not a Human who can use Magic. I heard that kind of Human can control fire and ice and can easily take away the lives of living things, just like our smelters. Wow, they are basically killing machines."

The elder Dwarf waved his hand: "Don't scare yourself, and don't think this Human is easy to deal with. The two of us just fought the opponent; that person wasn't injured, while we..."

The elder Dwarf gestured toward the young Dwarf who had just left, then lifted his own Helmet slightly to let his companion see his blood-covered beard; these were injuries sustained from the Human kicking his back just now.

Seeing such a sight, the Dwarf who was putting on the large Metal Armor Plate Skirt Armor finally put away his contempt. He knew how powerful the elder Dwarf was; at least among the 'forgotten' Dwarfs, he was considered the second most powerful, and even he could be beaten like this.

Thus, he pointed to the various weapons hanging on the wall of the lounge and said: "Then we must go all out in the battle. Pick one; you should put down that hammer for now."

After considering it, the elder Dwarf adopted his companion's suggestion, put down the hammer in his hand, and after picking and choosing, selected several Heavy Throwing Spears. Then, considering that the Human opponent was also wearing a suit of armor—though not as thick as what they Dwarfs wore, it was not something an ordinary sharp blade could easily pierce—he finally chose a Single-handed Axe with a narrow axe blade on the front and a armor-piercing iron spike on the back.

In addition, he took a Single-handed crystal Round Shield; this was a local specialty of the Mine. Although it was just a byproduct of mining excavation, this Six-Prism Hardened Crystal was arranged in a chrysanthemum pattern on the wooden shield surface, and its defensive power was particularly good.

If it weren't for the fact that this Six-Prism Hardened Crystal, as a byproduct, was quite bulky and not easy to arrange on armor that required movement and thus had small parts, the Dwarfs would have long since embedded this stuff on the surface of their armor to increase defense.

"I'm ready here, your armaments should follow my selection," the elder Dwarf said.

The other Dwarf put on his final Helmet, also fully armored, nodded, and quickly took the Heavy Throwing Spears, Single-handed Axe, and reinforced Shield into his hands.

He put the Throwing Spears into a long Leather Bag and carried it on his back, held the shield in his left hand, and didn't rush to take the axe in his hand, but hung it on the animal-hide belt at his waist, then followed behind the elder Dwarf and walked toward another lounge under the Forest.