Chapter 856: The Farmers, the Valley, and the Two Sets of Names for the Cunzi

The suddenly widening view ahead made one instinctively step back, but the moment Jier thought of the many hateful Dwarves in the forest behind him who wanted his life, he stood his ground firmly.

Muttering the Prayer incantation taught to him by the Great Bird deity under his breath, Jier temporarily gained the ability of long-distance vision.

Looking carefully toward the front again, Jier saw the wall at the opposite end of the Valley; it was a tall, sturdy stone wall built from stone blocks. The stair-like ramps for people to move supplies and walk up and down were all on the side Jier was looking at, so he knew this stone wall was meant to guard against the forest that stretched deep into the mountains at the other end of the Valley.

Jier's gaze scrutinized the tall wall at the other end of the Valley, and by comparing its scale of construction with the nearby Cunzi, he immediately spotted something strange and amiss.

Cunzi was too small, while the wall built of stone was too tall and long, spanning both sides of the Valley. Just by a rough mental calculation, he could judge that this was not something the Humans of a settlement of this size could have built intermittently over several decades.

After all, no one could work on an empty stomach; the Cunzi was not large, so naturally, the population was small. How could they have enough labor to build a stone wall of this scale?

There must be other races involved, and the mastermind was likely a Dwarf.

Even though Jier could tell at a glance that the style of the stone wall opposite was common Human architecture.

"Tsk, this is tricky. I thought the Humans here were the ruled and oppressed. Now it seems that in this hidden Valley, the relationship between the two is very hard to say."

Jier spat, directly abandoning his original assumption of being a Human savior.

He swung onto his horse and nudged its belly, making the horse start to run forward.

Tianxuecao had long been unable to suppress its desire to frolic. After carrying its master, it received a signal and quickly moved its hooves, running forward like an unleashed wild dog. Its massive horseshoes crushed the low shrubs and flowers blocking the way, trampled the green grass into the soil, and finally kicked up splashes of loose mud as the hooves moved.

Jier's body rose and fell slightly with the horse's running, his hand cupped over his eyes to shade them from the sun as he gazed at the Cunzi in the distance.

At this look, he frowned.

Because although the Cunzi was not large, the wooden houses clearly inhabited by Humans and another type of stone house with an exotic feel were actually built scattered and intermingled together.

Clearly, the Dwarves and Humans here lived together, which made it even harder for Jier to judge the relationship between the local Dwarves and local Humans.

The simple binary opposition model from before would apparently have to be discarded.

"Is my arrival a good thing or a bad thing for the people here?"

Jier muttered, casually reaching down to snatch a cluster of bright wildflowers as his warhorse galloped past.

He sniffed the fragrant, brightly colored flowers, then crushed them between his Gauntlet. Then, he hardened his heart: "This is a good place, convenient for me to cast off the extra responsibilities I am currently shouldering. Sorry about this, perhaps people who have lived in 'peace' for a long time, I have arrived."

The face beneath Jier's Helmet gradually turned cold. He made up his mind that no matter what, he had to let the Refugee Team of hundreds settle here to avoid disaster. He had already been delayed for too long these days; if he didn't solve the settlement problem for the Refugees, these Refugees would have to follow him to rescue the kidnapped Villagers, and perhaps even have to follow him to catch up with the Kendall army.

What kind of situation is this.

It's simply asking for trouble.

After all, these Refugees were originally just commoners from villages all over the Southern Province; it was not up to a young man from the Northwest Province like him to lead them.

Even if most of the people in the group trusted him.

Jier's gaze swept repeatedly over the Cunzi in the distance. Although he could not judge the specific population of the Dwarves' stone houses in the Cunzi, he did have some understanding of how many people Human houses could accommodate.

After a rough calculation of the Human wooden houses in the Cunzi, Jier judged that the number of Humans here was around two hundred, and they all lived with their families as the basic unit.

The scale of the farmland cultivated around the Cunzi also roughly matched the cultivation of farmland by a male labor force of less than a hundred.

"The total number is not large, but that's perfect. When the Refugees arrive, these people won't have the strength to refuse this matter or oppose the development of events."

The corners of Jier's mouth curled up slightly, then flattened again.

There was nothing to see in a village where two races lived together. Jier shifted his gaze to the left side of the Valley in the direction he was facing. In front of a large, brown, gentle slope at the foot of the mountain, a low, grave-like structure surrounded by a large pile of Suishi and dirt was very conspicuous.

Jier noticed that there was a wide, flat road connecting the grave-like structure to the Cunzi.

Very interesting, because there was only a sloppy dirt road connecting the Cunzi to the Pond on the right side of the Valley. One must know that a water source is the most important place for a settlement. Since there was only one dirt road connecting it, what exactly was this grave-like structure with such a well-connected road for?

Considering that the object was not large in volume, but the surrounding scattered dirt and Suishi were unusually abundant, Jier boldly guessed that this might be the entrance to the Dwarves' underground settlement?

Uh, as for the Dwarf stone houses in the Cunzi, no one could say that Dwarves only have one set of houses located underground, right? Maybe the Dwarves live in them alternately, living in a safe place underground for a day, and then living in the surface Cunzi the next day to bask in the sun and smell the fresh air or something.

Jier guessed as much.

In any case, he would have to get closer to that side to conduct a careful reconnaissance.

As for the Pond on the right side of the Valley, Jier was a bit puzzled. That place was clearly the only, and likely the sole, source of water for the life and production of the Cunzi in the Valley. But how did the river water look so obviously polluted and unclean after flowing into the forest?

With the large trees in the forest withering and turning yellow from absorbing the unclean river water, and that bitter, fishy-smelling river water, how on earth did the people in this village use it to irrigate fields and drink?

Are they not afraid of drinking it and dying from long-term consumption?

This was also a problem that could be intuitively seen through observation.

Jier put his doubts aside for now, because as he moved quickly on horseback, he was approaching the farmland cultivated by the Humans in the Valley.

Mounted on his horse, his height reached nearly three meters, and with Tianxuecao draped in Horse Armor, along with him wearing Metal Armor, he was very conspicuous. At the same time, as the breeze blew through the Valley, outside the Cunzi, only the flowers, grass, and crops rustled slightly in the wind, and these relaxing natural sounds were soon covered by the galloping sound of the warhorse and the clanking of Jier's Armor and weapons.

Several young men at the edge of the farmland noticed the unusual noise and then looked toward the direction of the Huitou Forest. This look was no small matter; seeing a Knight riding a horse gave them a huge fright.

"What is that!"

"A horse! A horse! Is that a horse? Is it the horse from the stories?"

"The person riding the horse, wow, and wearing Armor, holding weapons! Where did they come from?"

"Doesn't look like the Dwarves in the village, did they come from outside?"

"Look! They are charging at us! What do we do? What do we do?"

The several young men working on the outer farmland were at a loss, and the small Iron Shovel they used to hoe weeds and dig up grass slipped from their hands and fell to the ground unconsciously. Several people looked at each other, then shouted in unison and turned to run toward other farmland where others were still working.

They were barefoot, wearing tight-fitting pants made of the hairless hide of some unknown beast, with crude leather belts around their waists, and the belts were oddly decorated with small wooden plaques and colored Stone chips. Their upper bodies were sleeveless hide vests convenient for work, and their heads were wrapped in crude textile headscarves covering their hair.

These young men shouted and yelled as they ran toward the surrounding farmland, shouting wildly as they ran, attracting the attention of more men working with their heads down in the fields.

Following the waving arms of these nervous young men, the people saw the armored Knight approaching on horseback while slowing down. Immediately, some collapsed in the fields in a panic, while others looked blankly at Jier and their agitated companions, holding various farm tools at a loss.

But following the shout of a middle-aged man with some prestige, the surrounding people either actively or subconsciously quickened their pace and gathered together.

Jier naturally noticed all this; he had even deliberately slowed down to approach after being discovered by them so as not to scare these 'missing' people.

At this moment, these people gathering together saved him a lot of effort.

So Jier carefully let Tianxuecao avoid stepping into the fields after approaching the farmland, and slowly circled along the ridges toward where the crowd was gathering.

Of course, Jier did not carelessly dismount to approach. The other party's attitude was unclear, and by staying on the horse, the initiative was in Jier's hands no matter what. Before confirming the specific situation here, it was best for him not to dismount.

As Jier approached the crowd, this group of farmers, all composed of Human males, subconsciously took a few steps back as a whole.

"Please rest assured! I have no malice!"

Jier shouted aloud.

A middle-aged man standing in the center of the group of farmers took the initiative to step out from the crowd, moved forward two steps, carefully avoided the crops in the field, widened his eyes to observe Jier, and spoke at the same time: "May I ask, sir, are you a Human?"

Jier chuckled, lifted his helmet's faceplate, and revealed the young face protected and hidden beneath it.

This face was not only an ordinary young boy's face, but also a face that was as distinctly Human as could be.

"Of course, I am certainly a Human. Haha, I don't think there is any part of me that is different from anyone else."

Jier said this deliberately and cheerfully, but when Tianxuecao was five meters away from the other party, he tugged on the Jiansheng to make his loyal horse stop there. The other party clearly noticed this as well.

"Sir, are you a Knight?"

As soon as these words were spoken, many farmers showed various expressions.

Some excitedly waved at Jier; others looked puzzled, clearly being true 'locals' born and raised here; still others looked at Jier's tall warhorse with worry, muttering something to themselves; more of them turned their heads frequently toward the direction of Huitou Forest, hoping to see the Dwarves who guarded the forest appear and explain the current situation to them.

Hearing the question, Jier naturally patted the Hunting Sword at his waist and the armored neck of his warhorse: "As you can see, I am a Knight."

"Uh, the Knight you speak of, I wonder if it is the kind of Knight I am asking about?"

Jier smiled and replied: "If you are talking about the kind of Noble Knight who possesses territory and military force." He shrugged: "Then I only have the latter; I don't have the former yet. You see, I am still so young, after all."

Seeing that the other party was about to ask again, Jier took the initiative to speak this time, seizing the initiative in the conversation: "Come to think of it, I didn't expect that behind Huitou Forest, there would be such a peaceful and quiet Valley, and a calm Cunzi? Everyone, could you tell me what this Valley is called? And what is your Cunzi not far from here called?"

"As for me, I am a young Apprentice Knight from the distant Northwest Province, Qiao-Jier, from Kendall County, which I assume no one has heard of or seen, and I am a young Knight newly trained by the local Knight Duōde'er-Kelaó."

As Jier spoke, the farmers whispered among themselves. They murmured the name of the Northwest Province, and were even more confused, not knowing where the Kendall County the young Knight spoke of was, or who that Duōde'er-Kelaó was.

However, more farmers looked toward Huitou Forest, whispering about why the Dwarves hadn't appeared yet.

The middle-aged farmer talking to Jier rolled his eyes, absorbed what Jier had said, and then responded: "Sir Knight, young Sir Knight, the Valley beneath our feet has two names, and the Cunzi also has two names."

Jier raised a hand, signaling the other party to continue.

The middle-aged farmer—perhaps this person was not originally a farmer at all. This person carefully observed Jier's expression and continued to speak: "The Human name for the Valley was given by the people who first arrived here..."

This person paused. Jier noticed that while he was speaking, the farmers behind him had various expressions; some were indifferent, some lowered their heads so their expressions couldn't be seen, and others directly stomped their feet in resentment.

"Those people called it—Babotali, which means Jianlao in a certain dialect of the Empire."

Jier reached out and rubbed his chin: "Jianlao, hmm, interesting. The migrants of the Empire were very clear about their situation at the time. Then continue, what is the other name for this 'Jianlao Valley'?"

The middle-aged farmer also glanced in the direction of Huitou Forest, and after finding that no Dwarves had appeared, he said: "The other name, sir, is a name only used by Dwarves, %%￥%##@, which translates to 'Jiaoxiao Zhenbao Kuangkeng' Valley. The Dwarves never call this Valley by its name directly; they only recognize the name of the mine."

While speaking, the middle-aged farmer, with his hands behind his back, kept making gestures to the farmers behind him, gestures meant to tell everyone to be quiet and calm.

All the farmers were quite obedient to this middle-aged farmer, so even though he mentioned the Dwarves, the farmers did not show any unusual changes.

At this moment, even a real fool would realize that something was wrong. The Dwarves, who were the main body and center of the Valley, not only let this mounted Knight pass through Huitou Forest, but had also not appeared until now.

Were they taking a nap?

Or...

Some people thought of something, shivered, glanced cautiously at the weapons and equipment on the mounted Knight, and lowered their heads.

While signaling to the farmers behind him, the middle-aged farmer also paid special attention to the expression on the young Knight's face, especially regarding the part about the Dwarves.

And when Jier heard the name the Dwarves called the Valley, he blinked with some interest and muttered in a low voice: "Jiaoxiao Zhenbao? How is it 'smaller'? The scale? Or the category? And what is the Zhenbao? As for the mine, hmm..."

When he muttered about the mine, he straightened his body and turned to look to the rear left. He finally realized what that low, grave-like building surrounded by piles of Suishi, whose purpose he hadn't known before, was: a Dwarf mine.

Things were becoming troublesome. In other words, ever since Jier had a 'run-in' with the Dwarves in the Mist of Huitou Forest, he knew that this place would definitely be troublesome.

Hopefully, the trouble can be properly resolved, and in the end, it might bring him some surprises; Zhenbao or something would be quite nice.

The middle-aged farmer had high powers of observation; before entering Huitou Forest, he was a guy with some fame and ability. At this moment, just by looking at the expression on Jier's face, he had a judgment in his heart.

Considering that the managing Dwarves in the Valley hadn't appeared yet, he knew that this young Knight must have had a fierce fight with the Dwarves in Huitou Forest.

Who won and who lost?

Was there any need to look? The fact that the young Knight could ride his horse in front of everyone so openly naturally showed the outcome of the situation in Huitou Forest.

Thinking of this, the middle-aged farmer's heart sank. Although life in Jianlao Valley was far from as good as it used to be, there were none of the many disturbances of the outside world here.

And the friendship he had built with the Dwarves over the past two years would likely be wasted.

Sighing to himself, the middle-aged farmer continued: "As for the two names of the Cunzi. Sir, we call it Torito Cunzi. Like the Valley, it also comes from a certain dialect of the Empire, meaning 【a place of freedom】. Please forgive my offense, sir, it is just a name without any specific meaning, please don't mind it."

Jier savored the name. Heh, a place of freedom? Isn't the Valley still a Jianlao? How did it become a place of freedom?

It seems that the early Kingdom migrants who first broke into Huitou Forest and were then detained in the Valley by the Dwarves had their emotions change very quickly!

One could tell from their initial panic and fear, calling the place where the Dwarves detained them a 'Jianlao'. And what is very interesting is that, not knowing exactly what happened, these people soon began to build a Cunzi here and grandly called it 【a place of freedom】.

Very interesting, very interesting.

Jier felt that the story within this could be performed by the amateur actors in the city on the park stage in Kendall City for two whole days!

Ah, a strange land in a newly built Kingdom, an alien race that shouldn't have been there encountered by chance, the entrapment and complex predicament of the migrants, the possible limited resistance, the difficult initial communication, the potential shared overcoming of hardships, the reconciliation agreement between the two races, the newly built Cunzi, the two races living together.

These contents could all be written into scene after scene of brilliant plays.

Thinking of this, the corners of Jier's mouth curled up in excitement.

The middle-aged farmer noticed the curled corners of the young Knight's mouth and was somewhat confused. What is wrong with 【a place of freedom】? What is there to laugh about! Damn it, you muscle-brained brute, you don't understand at all how hard it is for us commoners to find a peaceful place free from the rule and oppression of cruel Nobles!

"Then what do the Dwarves call this Cunzi? I noticed some low stone houses in the Cunzi; those are the Dwarves' residences in the Cunzi, right?"

Jier said.

At this time, Jier no longer hid anything and openly spoke about the fact that there were Dwarves in this Valley.

As soon as these words were spoken, the farmers panicked. Some people in the back bent down and slipped away, while some in the front row secretly burrowed into the crowd behind them.

The middle-aged farmer swallowed hard and put on a smiling face: "Sir, uh, Dwarves, hmm, Dwarves."

He lowered his voice a little: "The Dwarves call the Cunzi @@@#￥%￥, which translates to 【fragile houses with roofs and walls】."

Upon hearing this, Jier raised his eyebrows. Just as he was about to say something, a rapid bell ringing suddenly sounded from the direction of the Cunzi.

Bang bang bang bang, bang bang bang bang, bang bang bang bang, bang bang bang bang.

Rapid, urgent, making one know as soon as they heard it that something bad had happened.

Jier touched his chin: 'Something bad, does it refer to me?' he thought to himself.