Chapter 875: Torito Cunzi Under the Night (Part 1)

Jier left the central area of Torito Cunzi.

Of course, before leaving, he still watched the Dwarves' subsequent actions for a while from a two-story Dwarf Residence in the distance that had not yet collapsed.

Upon seeing that none of them bypassed the newly appeared large pit to pursue and search for him, but instead focused all their energy on rescuing the few Dwarves who had tumbled to the bottom of the pit, Jier withdrew from here with peace of mind.

It seems these Dwarves will not engage in other activities until the rescue operation is over.

Thinking about it, it makes sense; counting the guys Jier injured during the day, the injured Dwarves account for more than one-third of their total manpower! This scale of loss, although no Dwarf died, still left the remaining Dwarves feeling frustrated, retreating, and afraid due to various light and heavy injuries.

Even if some Dwarf Warriors who had not yet fought him remained stubborn in their words, now, in the middle of the night, fighting a flexible and mobile Human Knight—especially a Human Knight they believed lacked the honor and pride a warrior should have—was truly difficult just to think about.

In broad daylight, everyone had been led around like dogs by the opponent in the valley and wild fields outside the village for most of the day; at this moment, fighting a night battle against the opponent in the village with its more complex terrain, even the Dwarf Miners who had exceptional trust in old "Iron Fist" could not help but shrink back.

Many Dwarves rushed to the edge of the large pit, set up lighting poles, and used the ropes they carried to lower them into the pit, letting people pull from above to lower the rescuers. Others, under the command of old "Iron Fist" who came over later, transferred all the wounded who had been left in the previous location.

Because the surrounding environment had become complex due to the collapse caused by the battle, coupled with the unfavorable environment of insufficient lighting, the Dwarves decided it was safer to gather together.

Some idle Dwarves gathered around old "Iron Fist," whispering about what to do next with heavy expressions.

"Let's just wait until dawn; no matter what, we have to wait until dawn before talking!" a Dwarf said.

"If you ask me, retreating back into the mine is the safest! How about we find a way to lure that Human Knight into the mine? Whether it's the dangerous toxic mine tunnels or places where cave creatures haunt, it will give that guy a good look!" another Dwarf proposed a seemingly useful plan.

But there is never a shortage of guys who tear down plans, especially when the situation is not so good.

After the former finished stating the plan, a Dwarf immediately supported his injured body and retorted: "How could we show the Zhenbao Mine to an alien race? Don't forget, 'Iron Fist', this isn't just an ordinary coal mine or ore pit! It is an important Zhenbao Mine! Letting a Human occupy any of our Dwarf Zhenbao Mines is a truly great crime! The Kingdom will execute us all if they find out!"

After this Dwarf finished speaking, he added in a low voice: "Including our families. Of course, old 'Iron Fist', you might be fine; who told you that you are a member of the Shitai Family? But we and our families, if they are still alive after all these years, will all be executed by the Kingdom!"

After words of such weight were spoken, let alone the grim-faced old "Iron Fist," even the Dwarf who had provided the suggestion shrank his body, though he still retorted: "The Kingdom? If the Kingdom could know the difficulties of us people, where would they leave us alone? One hundred years, we must have been forgotten by people, or..."

"Or they think we are dead?" old "Iron Fist" added.

Other elderly Dwarves shook their heads helplessly; although these words were harsh, they might just be the real reason.

After all, it has been one hundred years; the most optimistic Dwarf in the Kingdom might not believe that these Dwarf Miners working in the Zhenbao Mine are still alive.

The Kingdom didn't even send anyone to take a look!

After all, this is an important Zhenbao Mine; shouldn't they at least send some Refining Qi elites responsible for reconnaissance to take a look?

The Dwarves had been thinking this way for the past few decades.

Clap, clap, clap, the old Dwarf clapped his hands, waking up his companions who were immersed in loss again, and then loudly arranged the work: "No matter what, things have to be done, don't they? We are miners as hard and stubborn as mineral ore! We won't simply bypass it just because we encounter hard rock! Everyone move, move!"

He then commanded: "Lighting must be done well! Give me lighting poles around this large pit! I don't want any stupid guy to walk without looking at his feet and fall down again."

The Dwarf Warrior, who had been stripped of his armor and pulled up from the bottom of the pit with a rope, and had just woken up from a coma, scratched his head and smiled awkwardly.

The old Dwarf glared at these stupid guys, then came to the edge of the pit and shouted to "Shishou," who was injured and exhausted at the bottom of the pit: "Get up here! Treat your wounds and rest for a while."

"Shishou," with a pale face at the bottom of the pit, looked at the mine manager above, pursed his lips, and had no intention of going up.

The old Dwarf supported the injured part of his head and let out a breath: "You are all a bunch of stubborn guys! Come up quickly; you will have plenty of opportunities to compensate for mistakes in the future, but not now! Treat your wounds, eat something, have a good sleep, and then fight that Human Knight fiercely after dawn! How about that? The losses caused by the battle can be discussed later."

The old Dwarf looked left and right and called out to "Xiaoxuezi," a young Dwarf: "Where is the meal I told you to bring him earlier?"

Xiaoxuezi looked embarrassed: "I was just about to send it down, but that outsider Human shot an arrow at me, and the meal rolled down the large pit."

His mother, hearing that her child had been attacked, immediately put down the stupid Dwarf guy with a broken arm she was working on, and regardless of the guy wailing, hurriedly came to Xiaoxuezi's side to check where he was injured.

Watched by the people around, the young Dwarf looked troubled and hurriedly shouted: "I'm fine! I'm fine! His Arrow couldn't pierce the armor; it was just the force that pushed me down at the time."

His mother didn't care whether he was injured or not; after giving him a hard hit on his cheek, which was not protected by a Helmet, she scolded: "So dangerous! So dangerous! I told you to stay in the mine to keep watch, but you insisted on following along. Your nose was hit by that damn Human, and you should have been resting properly!"

Xiaoxuezi painfully supported his nose, which had been applied with Ointment, and whispered in rebuttal: "Oh, Mother! You hit my nose crooked!"

But this could not fool the female Dwarf who knew some treatment methods: "Crooked is just right; leave a crooked nose to let you learn a lesson! Your father often said that fighting is never about acting recklessly, but about responding with caution and calmness."

Her words left many injured Dwarves who heard them speechless.

Jier saw that the Dwarves did not send anyone to search the surroundings, but instead gathered in a group at the edge of the pit and set up more lighting; clearly, these Dwarves did not intend to spar with him tonight.

"Hmph, just as well, then let me see if the Humans in this village have really been domesticated by the Dwarves."

After he retreated far away, he took off the large piece of gray Linen Cloth wrapped around his body, folded it into a square, and tucked it into his belt. Then he returned to the Human Residence on the outer layer of the village, stepped openly, and let the metal soles of his boots strike loudly on the dirt road in the village.

Many villagers hiding in their homes heard this unusual movement and secretly looked out from the windows of their respective houses.

Jier's gaze scanned the various peeking eyes in the shadows of the surrounding houses and generously waved at these peeks.

Seeing no reaction, Jier then remembered that the other side might not necessarily be able to see his movements.

So Jier spoke directly, and he said loudly: "I am a Knight from the outside world!"

"Some people may have seen me during the day, but they don't quite know what I am here for specifically."

Jier said as he walked; he clearly knew through the various rustling sounds in the yards of the houses on the left and right that many people were hiding in the dark listening to him speak.

He pricked up his ears and heard the low voices of people hiding behind doors, heard the uneasy panting of people, and heard people taking the initiative to pinch the mouths of their dogs to prevent accidental barking from attracting his attention.

But he clearly heard every move of the people around him.

Uneasy pacing, the accidental clashing of metal objects, the hateful remarks of young villagers in lowered voices, and the stopping and scolding of older villagers.

He curled his lips and continued: "My name is Jier. I am an Apprentice Knight from the Northwest Province of the Saint Hors Kingdom, which is legal, reasonable, and recognized by the gods beneath your feet."

"I am not here by accident; I am here to save you."

Just as Jier said this, in a two-story house of a Farmer family to his front left, a young voice shouted at him through the window: "We don't need saving! Go back! Go back to where you came from."

Jier snorted, but did not take action; he retorted in the environment that suddenly became even quieter: "That won't do."

He shook his head, but he soon realized that the villagers around him could not see him shaking his head in the middle of the night, so he said with a louder voice: "That won't do!!"

Then he spoke first before the young voice could speak again: "Domesticated livestock don't even realize they are being raised by humans."

"Wrong!" another young person retorted.

"Very right!" Jier spoke eloquently: "In my opinion, the domestication ability of these Dwarves is really good. As far as I know, the migrants from decades ago still dared to argue and resist the Dwarves, fighting for rights for their own survival. But by the time of your previous generation, they learned to accept the status quo and acknowledge the Dwarves' management and rule over you."

"As for you young people who are about the same age as me, tsk tsk, it's a pity that you can't see clearly and actually helped the Dwarves try to deal with me during the day? Do you really think of yourselves as Dwarves? Look at the houses you live in, located on the outside of the village, with seven or eight people from one family squeezed into one house. And the Dwarves you are willing to fight for, they have one house each!"

Jier laughed a few times, and these few sounds seemed unusually harsh in the quiet surroundings.

"You think of yourself as a Dwarf, but they don't think so!"

The young people fell silent, and no one retorted anymore.

"I have come here to save you! Perhaps you have accepted such a peaceful life, but I tell you, such days cannot last. Outside is the Human Kingdom, human society; the other races accept rule and management, not the other way around."

"Do not think that by killing me or driving me away you can return to the life you are familiar with; I tell you, that is impossible!"

"If I can come, others I know will naturally come as well. If I die, there will be new Knights, even more formidable Knights, and it won't just be one person breaking in, but an army—a massive army that would make the Dwarves shrink back into their holes the moment they saw it."

As Jier said this, a farmhouse to his right quickly opened a crack, and a middle-aged voice tentatively asked: "Knight, what exactly do you want us to do?"

Jier looked over, smiled, and said loudly: "If you realize that changes are happening in Torito Cunzi and cannot be stopped, I suggest you this: the brave, please join me, follow behind me, and take the initiative to grasp the changes of the future."

"The cautious, please stay honestly in your homes. Although the changes of the future cannot be grasped, I can guarantee that no matter what the final result is, or who the victor is—the Dwarves or me—neither will make things difficult for those who stay at home."

He heard the sound of relief coming from several neighboring households simultaneously.

"Finally, for the foolish, then please join the Dwarves. They are currently cowering in the middle of the village, huddled together, not daring to patrol the village at night to deal with me. The foolish can walk out the door and join those Dwarves. However, be warned: I accidentally saw earlier that some of the village youths who joined in the pursuit of me during the day didn't seem very welcome among the Dwarves?"

Jier said with feigned regret: "Perhaps those Dwarves are afraid? After all, I alone wounded more than a third of the Dwarves here. Tsk tsk, the Dwarves are nothing more than this; why would humans, who are greater in number, accept their management and rule? I truly cannot understand."

"Or perhaps, those Dwarves never accepted the human residents of the village? It was fine on ordinary days; everyone, whether they liked or disliked humans, could still put on a face. But now it won't do; they cannot even protect themselves, so they cannot look after the humans in the village. Or perhaps they have transferred their fear of me onto some of those young people?"

When Jier reached this point, he heard parents in the surrounding houses questioning their own young children. The words were mostly similar, and the young people's answers were much the same—first offering a few excuses, then, under gentle or stern questioning, confessing the unpleasantness that had occurred earlier between the village youths and the Dwarves at the center of the village.

It was more than just unpleasantness; some had even been beaten.

And for those young people who hadn't been beaten at the time, those beatings felt as if they had landed on them.

Then came the preaching and persuasion, and even the sounds of physical action; Jier estimated that some Farmer households had tied up their disobedient children with rope.

Jier looked left and right, but no one walked out the door to join his ranks.

What a pity; he was perhaps too young, or perhaps his persuasiveness in the conversation was insufficient; in any case, the number of people joining him at this moment was zero.

People chose the conservative approach one after another, shrinking into their homes to wait and see.

'Not bad, at least the Dwarves definitely won't be able to order these people around.' Jier thought to himself.

He continued to walk through the village, using different but similar arguments to tell the previous words to the human residents of the village.

A moon climbed out from the mountaintop on one side of the Valley; to say it that way might be a bit rude, after all, the three Moon Goddesses are all elegant goddesses.

The starry sky overhead shone, and the glowing emblems of the gods crossed the zenith arc just like the moon, allowing the living beings on the entire land to see them when they looked up.

Jier walked a full circle around the outer perimeter of the human Farmer households in Torito Cunzi. As expected, no one joined him at the beginning, and on the subsequent path, the cautious Villagers naturally would not rashly join him either.

But no one openly joined the Dwarves' ranks either.

Everyone was very smart, or rather, no one was that foolish.

After completing the circle, Jier returned to the Farmer household where he had fallen into the roof earlier. With the moonlight of a Moon Goddess shining from the sky, although the moonlight was not strong, it was enough for Jier to barely see at night.

Before he even approached the house, the wooden door of the house opened. Unlike other Villager households that were too careful to light candles, this Farmer household that was already willing to help Jier had lit a fire in the fireplace inside the house and arranged other night-lighting objects.

Before even walking into the house, Jier noticed that quite a few people had gathered on the second floor, the number clearly exceeding the original population of this family.

Although he did not know who was gathered in the house, Jier, despite feeling that someone was peeking from inside, did not feel a sense of danger.

'People joining me? Or just coming to take a look?'

Jier thought for a moment and lowered the Faceplate on his Helmet. He felt that, regardless of anything else, his young and immature face had a counterproductive effect during persuasion. Most people would still find a middle-aged man with a beard, or a face that was either stern or shrewd, more reliable.

"If Bloodtooth were doing this job, he'd probably be better than me. As for Bata'er Jiaoshi persuading these people, I guess it would be even easier? Sigh, the human mind, the human mind."

Jier shook his head and walked in through the wooden door that had been opened for him.

The first floor of the Farmer's house was a place for storing farm tools and for livestock to live; as soon as he entered, he stepped up the stairs to the second floor. As he expected, the second floor of the farmhouse, which was more than enough for seven or eight people to live in, now seemed somewhat crowded.

At least a dozen Villagers were gathered here; inside the room lit with many lighting objects, every visitor stared at him with bright eyes.

People stood close together, and many held weapons in their hands, though none looked like they were in a state of battle. There were teenagers and people in their twenties and thirties, but what surprised Jier most was that he actually saw an archer carrying a Large Bow on his back.

The three archers in the village who used Large Bows had left a deep impression on him; he hadn't expected to see one at this time. He didn't know where the other two were; Jier hadn't seen the other two outside, that was for sure.

And the master of this household, that middle-aged Farmer, came up to greet him, rubbing his hands excitedly.

"Knight, I have called everyone here! Everyone wants to come and see you and hear you talk about your plans!" The middle-aged Farmer had a happy face, clearly not having expected his efforts to go so smoothly, finding so many fellow villagers who shared his thoughts.

At this moment, the archer carrying the Large Bow, who was standing in the middle of the crowd, said with dissatisfaction: "I didn't come here to join this Knight's team; I'm just curious."

Jier stood firmly in the middle of the crowd, his left hand raised to accompany his speech, while his right hand rested on his metal belt: "Curious about what?"

He said to the archer.

The archer observed the visiting Knight from a close distance and said: "Curious about what the guy who has been giving those Dwarves in the village such a hard time actually looks like."