Chapter 857: The Comical Battle of the Babotali Valley (Part 1)

After the sharp sound of the alarm bell rang out from Torito Village behind the farmland, Jier noticed the change in the farmers before him.

Many of them subconsciously prepared to lift their feet and run toward the village, but as soon as their feet were raised, they realized there was an outsider Knight on horseback scrutinizing them.

Among the dozens of farmers, those standing in the front row immediately and sensibly put their feet down and lowered their heads. However, some in the back of the crowd could not care about that much; they immediately used their companions in the front as cover, lifted their feet, turned around, and ran.

The farmers seemed exceptionally afraid of Jier, this outsider Knight. They had been at a loss just a moment ago, but now that they heard the village alarm bell, it was as if they had found a push to help them make up their minds.

Seeing many farmers fleeing, Jier gave a soft hum and asked the middle-aged farmer in front of his horse: "What is this bell for? And what about these people running back?"

The middle-aged farmer was covered in cold sweat; just by hearing the sound of many farmers running away barefoot behind him, he knew exactly what had happened.

Turning his head stiffly to glance at everything happening behind him, the middle-aged farmer exchanged a look with the remaining farmers in the front row who dared not flee, then said with a bitter mouth: "Sir Knight, this is the alarm bell for summoning people in the valley to the village."

"An alarm?"

"Uh, yes, an alarm. It, it is for when a danger to the safety of the village, no, a life appears, to summon the people of the village to fight or take refuge."

Because he almost misspoke in the middle, the middle-aged farmer was so scared that his head was covered in sweat, and his usually eloquent mouth became clumsy.

Jier gave a wicked smile and said in a loud voice: "A danger to the safety of the village, hehe. Then, who rings the bell? Who is in command? Let's speak openly; I have fought against the Dwarves guarding the Huitou Forest, and I have broken through that very dangerous forest and am now here."

"And now this village is summoning people to prepare for battle, ha, I guess it is under the leadership of the Dwarves, right? Human farmers, under the leadership of the alien Dwarves, dealing with a human Knight?"

"Hmph! Do you even know what you are doing?"

"Do you really know the consequences of doing this?"

Jier's expression turned cold, and he shouted sternly.

At this questioning, the middle-aged farmer felt a chill all over his body and plopped down onto the ground. Then, with a sweep of Jier's eyes, the thirty-some remaining farmers all knelt in the farmland.

Raising his eyebrows, Jier did not expect this; he had never seen such a scene in both his lives combined. It was a bit awkward, but he could not show it now.

"Hmph, all of you get up! Don't think that just by kneeling on the ground, what happens afterward will have nothing to do with you."

The farmers stood up one after another, but some people's knees seemed to have taken root, sticking to the ground and refusing to rise. With their heads lowered and their backsides stuck up, they were like ostriches, as if by putting on a show of submission, they could avoid any responsibility or obligation.

Jier ignored these farmers who were determined to play the ostrich and said to the middle-aged farmer who had climbed back up: "I ask you, are you a Human?"

The middle-aged farmer was smart; he knew what would follow as soon as he heard the question, but he had no choice. These people could not possibly be a match for the young Knight before them, and even the Dwarves in the valley were likely not his match.

He could only respond: "Sir, I am a Human."

"And them?" Jier pointed to the rest of the farmers present.

The farmers looked at each other; some of the clever ones were already sweating profusely, while some of the dull ones did not know what significance this question held.

"Everyone is Human, Sir Knight," the middle-aged farmer answered bitterly.

"Then, do you know the name of the Kingdom on the land that everyone is treading upon?" Jier asked with a serious face, fiddling with his warhorse's ears.

The middle-aged farmer sighed: "Sir Knight, I entered here by mistake ten years ago out of curiosity; I know the great name of the Kingdom."

Jier looked at this person with surprise and rolled his eyes: "Then do all of you know? I mean not just those present, but also the others in the village."

Many farmers guessed the meaning of the young Knight's question; they whispered to each other, their faces full of conflict.

The middle-aged farmer looked up at Jier's young face: "The people in the village all know."

Jier curled his lips and questioned: "Then, on the land of the Human Saint Hors Kingdom, you actually let alien Dwarves rule and manage it, and intend to use force to attack and expel a Human Knight?"

The middle-aged farmer defended: "Sir Knight, everyone, everyone hasn't done anything yet. Your accusation is unfounded!"

Jier laughed in anger: "Do you dare guarantee that? The ones in the village, and the farmers who just took the initiative to flee back to the village, will they not do so in a while? I hope you understand that the Dwarves—you might think the Dwarves who exist here for some reason are very powerful, but in reality, they are no match for me."

The middle-aged farmer gave a sheepish smile: "Sir, regarding this point, I have actually never doubted it. The Dwarves are very powerful, with thick self-forged armor and strength that three grown men cannot match. The villagers born and raised in the village might not have a reasonable judgment of true strength. But I am not; I only came here ten years ago, and outside the valley, I have also seen and experienced things."

"If you could break out of the Huitou Forest, then you can win. It will just require a difficult battle."

While listening to this person speak, Jier looked at the village not far away, relying on the height of his warhorse.

At this moment, many Dwarves were gathered in the village, each wearing well-fitting black-gray armor, waiting in neat ranks for the human armed forces in the village to assemble. Some farmers who had fled back from the fields were saying something to the Dwarves, and other young men and women in the village were also armed to some extent, currently organizing their equipment and exchanging weapons that felt right.

Jier also saw some people coming down from the Stone Wall opposite the village, carrying bows and arrows to join the assembled team in the village.

It was very lively; the old and young in the village who could not fight had all come out of their respective houses, providing all kinds of help to the assembled team. Some handed over melons and fruits grown at home, others sent weapons passed down in the family. Some even climbed onto the roofs of the village houses, pointing toward Jier and shouting something to the people in the village.

Afterward, many women and children wanted to run to the village entrance, but they were stopped by others in the village.

These farm women and children were likely the families of the farmers currently before Jier, right?

While the people in the village were looking over here, the farmers before Jier were also secretly looking back at their families in the village.

Many farmers sighed and complained about why they hadn't run together just now; although they didn't know what would happen later, at least they could face it together with their families, and they would accept it regardless of whether it was good or bad.

The cleverer farmers in the front, listening to Jier and the middle-aged farmer talk, were even more worried about their families in the village. They considered it this way: if the so-called outsider Knight was really that powerful and eventually won against the Dwarves in the valley after a battle, then their families in the village would face the risks of the battle. After all, if a real fight broke out, the course and losses of the battle would be hard to say.

And if the Dwarves in the village ultimately joined forces with the humans to defeat the outsider Knight, then they would likely not be troubled; after all, they were all companions in the same village, having dealt with so many dangers together for so many years, and they wouldn't really do anything to them, as they were, after all, coerced by the outsider Knight.

Jier pointed to the village: "You see things clearly, but a specific battle is not such an easy thing either. Look, the village is so lively, haha. This is also the first time I've been treated like this, as if I were a Magic Beast from the depths of the mountains. Tell me, am I a Magic Beast?"

Not daring to answer this, the middle-aged farmer shook his head repeatedly.

Jier raised his chin slightly: "This land is Human, and it has been so for a hundred years. And the earliest migrants who entered here by mistake, as well as the ignorant people who later entered here out of curiosity or to find someone, naturally own the land beneath everyone's feet. There is no need to be ruled by an alien race!"

At the end, Jier raised his volume and shouted aloud.

This sudden loud shout not only made the nearby farmers cover their ears, but the people in the distant village heard it too.

The men, women, old, and young in the village looked at each other in confusion, while the Dwarves remained silent.

But soon, before the humans who grew up here could react, the Dwarves gathered in the village shouted in unison with anger, shouting a sentence toward Jier in the farmland outside the village.

Unlike Jier, who had raised his voice with Life Energy, even though there were many Dwarves in the village and they shouted together, the sound became blurry by the time it reached outside the village.

Moreover, although most of the other side could speak Human Common Language, they still shouted in Dwarven Language when their emotions were agitated.

Jier did not understand Dwarven Language, so naturally, he did not know what those Dwarves were shouting.

"Do you know Dwarven Language? What are those dwarves shouting?"

Jier asked the middle-aged farmer in front of him.

The middle-aged farmer scratched his head in distress, thought for a moment, and then said hesitantly: "Sir, I don't know much Dwarven Language; I learned it after coming to the village. They seem to be saying: 'Dwarf territory, unchanged since ancient times.'"

Jier gave a hum after hearing this: "Unchanged since ancient times? That's hilarious; they're just fooling others and even believe it themselves. I could also say that in ancient times, this was the territory of the Elves; back then, the Dwarves didn't even know which remote mountain they were in, herding sheep and pulling grass."

The middle-aged farmer did not understand what Jier meant, but he had no energy to think about anything else, as the Knight on horseback continued: "Those Dwarves are enraged, haha. I must prepare for battle. As for you, although you are all Humans, I demand that you do not participate in this battle. Now, follow my orders and leave, go around this place, and return to the village."

The farmers looked at the young Knight riding on horseback.

"I demand that you inform the others in the Cunzi not to join the Dwarf fighting force. Whoever dares to join them to fight me, I will kill them in battle! And their families too! Do you hear me clearly? This is a battle between two races! Humans should rightfully stand together to contend against the alien Dwarfs."

"Considering you have long been managed by this group of Dwarfs, I do not demand that you turn your swords against those runts, but all of you get back to the Cunzi! Tell my words to the others and keep a close watch on your own families! Finally, lock your doors and windows tight! Wait for me to ride into the Cunzi! Do you understand?"

The farmers looked at each other, feeling incredulous.

Most of the farmers present still did not believe that the young Knight, being only one person, was a match for the Dwarfs in the Valley.

They had grown up here for generations and knew the strength of the Dwarfs all too well.

Those fellows who loved to burrow underground to mine were each as tough and powerful as Mineral Ore; although they were not as tall as them, almost every Dwarf's arm was as thick as a Human's thigh. And the willpower of the Dwarfs was even more solid than metal—er, stubborn; once they set their minds on something, ten people couldn't pull them back.

Let alone the Humans in the Cunzi, even the various strange Monsters and terrifying Magic Beast in the depths of the mountain range outside the Valley were no match for those Dwarfs.

In earlier years, there were Monsters and Magic Beast that broke into the Valley, but after the Dwarfs' constant resistance and counterattacks, no dangerous things from the mountains had broken in for years. Even some ordinary wild beasts knew this Valley was not to be trifled with and would often stop outside the Stone Wall at the end of the Valley, retreating on their own after letting out a few loud roars at most.

To tell the truth, the farmers did not really think the Dwarfs would lose in the upcoming battle.

Therefore, when Jier demanded they detour back to the Cunzi, they did so immediately.

The farmer representative who had been talking to Jier, that middle-aged farmer, also retreated, but he did not go far.

It was not that he was unconcerned about his family in the Cunzi, but he felt that in the upcoming battle, the Dwarfs might actually lose. Thus, he did not go far, merely running to the edge of the farmland and lying prone behind a ridge, exposing only half his head.

He entrusted the task of notifying his family to a few farmers he was familiar with, and specifically urged them not to go out once they got home, no matter what happened, and to wait until things were over before coming out. If the Dwarfs won, no one would care who didn't put in the effort to assist; if the Knight won, then it would be following the other party's requirements.

In the end, everyone could survive.

Jier saw that the Dwarfs seemed to have been provoked by his words just now; without waiting for the Humans in the Cunzi to assist them properly, and without anyone in the lead to manage them, they just rushed out of the Cunzi in groups of three or five along the way.

These fellows formed small squads of three or five who were familiar with each other, rushing out fully armed while loudly cursing things Jier could not understand, their eyes glaring unblinkingly at the young Knight at the edge of the farmland outside the Cunzi.

Jier noticed something and raised an eyebrow.

Although there were about forty of these Dwarfs, each well-equipped, full of strength, and brimming with rage, Jier could tell at a glance that, unlike in the Huitou Forest, they lacked unified command!

Previously, at the dead tree near the exit of the Huitou Forest, although the number of Dwarfs was smaller, those Dwarfs clearly had an ambush plan and were managed and controlled by a command scheme.

So, although there were not many of them, only a dozen or so, the situation and terrain at that time were very dangerous.

Jier was in a situation of being ambushed and semi-surrounded at the time, especially since those Dwarfs all used Heavy Throwing Spear, which posed a great threat to him, as their main weapon.

So, Jier ran away under the unfavorable circumstances of bad terrain and a bad environment.

Even when he fought later, it was only a 'safe' combat engagement with three Dwarfs.

But it was different now; Jier took advantage of the fact that the Dwarfs' short legs could not run fast to carefully observe these Dwarfs who were rushing over to fight him. He discovered that the Dwarfs using the threatening Heavy Throwing Spear were still only a dozen or so, and they were divided into three groups, each huddling together.

As for the other Dwarfs, although they were all wearing thick armor and were very difficult to deal with, the weapons in their hands were a motley collection.

There were Dwarfs in small squads holding wooden Shield like door panels in the front row, embedded with crystals that left a deep impression on Jier as their main defense. There were also Dwarfs holding a Single-handed Axe in each hand, waving them as they ran over while shouting something, their swinging axes forcing the Dwarfs beside them to dodge to avoid accidentally getting their own people's heads chopped by their own axes.

There was also a group of five Dwarfs holding 'long' spears more than two or nearly three meters long, moving in a battle formation with large strides. However, because these fellows kept their steps uniform and maintained a consistent formation, they naturally lagged behind the other companions who were running to kill the Human Knight.

Besides these, there was a group of six Dwarfs who were not wearing the thick armor that all the other Dwarfs wore, but were only 'thinly' dressed in Beast Skin Clothing with extra armor plates to protect their vital parts, each carrying a huge Heavy Weapon in both hands that even a strong Dwarf would find heavy.

The weapons of these few Dwarfs left Jier amazed: a heavy, huge two-handed greatsword over a meter long and as wide as a human head, which was exceptionally large for a Dwarf; a two-handed battle axe half the size of a Dwarf, with the Dwarf carrying it panting and sticking out his tongue from exhaustion; and a two-handed war hammer the size of a washbasin that looked heavy just to behold—this Dwarf didn't even have the strength to lift it while traveling, so he just dragged it behind him as he followed.

There was also a Dwarf hugging a Double-handed Metal Club that was nearly half his size, his face solemn and his chin tilted up, as if the heavy weapon in his arms was as worthy of respect as a Statue of the God. Besides this, the remaining Dwarf carried a two-handed mace that was smaller than the weapons of his other companions, leading the way while loudly cursing Jier, the outsider.

In the middle of this group of five maverick Dwarfs, there was another Dwarf who was also hugging a heavy, bulky iron box, and he was also quite exhausted. The five Dwarfs around him were clearly guarding him, and it was unknown what heavy weapon was contained in the iron box in his arms.

The appearance of this group of people made Jier exceptionally happy; these Dwarfs were truly too strange, messy, and although powerful, they did not look like a specialized fighting force.

"But I cannot underestimate them either."

Jier shrugged and muttered to himself.

Afterward, he put away the smile on his face, glanced at the farmers who had bypassed these Dwarfs to flee back to the Cunzi, then closed the Faceplate of his Helmet and tugged on the Jiansheng to make Tianxuecao turn around.

"Ha, they say Dwarfs have no small amount of strength, and today I have seen it. Then I wonder, can you, fully armed as you are, follow me for a 'stroll' in the Valley?"

Muttering to himself, Jier made an insulting gesture at the approaching Dwarfs and then turned and left.

The approaching Dwarfs immediately shouted and rushed up, pulling out the small short axes tucked at their waists and throwing them at Jier and his warhorse.

It wasn't just small short axes; some Dwarfs also threw out small pickaxes and small hammers they carried with them. The former were small tools for checking the quality of Mineral Ore while mining, and the latter were small tools used by Dwarfs when hammering the metal items they used, specifically for dealing with metals that were not so hard. Of course, whether it was a small pickaxe or a small hammer, they could be used as handy throwing weapons when thrown in battle.