Chapter 880: The Torito Cunzi Under the Night (VI)

Some rustling sounds soon came from inside the Dwarf Residence, followed by the faint tearing sound of a sharp blade cutting through fabric.

It was unclear how Zhongtusi had entered the Dwarf Residence through the locked door on the second floor, but when he came out, he walked straight out through the main door of the dwarf's house.

He looked perfectly at ease, as if he were just stepping out of his own house for a stroll. If it weren't for the low ceiling of the dwarf's house and the fact that the main door wasn't tall enough, it would have been quite convincing.

He held a large piece of fine Linen Cloth in his hand. After walking closer, he measured it twice and then used his own Short Sword to cut it into two pieces again.

"My lord, I still have two ropes here. Just wrap the cloth around your feet and tie it to your Boots with the ropes," Zhongtusi said, pulling out two thin ropes of different lengths.

Jier took them and, following his instructions, wrapped the Linen Cloth from the bottom of his Boots around his entire foot, gathered it at the ankle, and finally tied it securely with the rope.

After finishing both feet, he tried walking a bit. The 'bang-bang-bang' sound of walking was indeed gone. When walking normally, there was only a faint sound similar to an ordinary person's footsteps. Although this was still quite noticeable in the quiet night, it was much better than before. As long as he was a little more careful when walking later, the sound of his footsteps would basically be gone.

"Very good, let's go." Jier patted Zhongtusi lightly, then led the two of them forward.

After walking only a few steps, the Dwarf Residences on both sides changed from being relatively intact to half-collapsed or even completely ruined, and the dirt road in the Cunzi was naturally filled with ruins and debris.

Jier signaled the two people behind him to slow down, then, using the not-so-bright moonlight in the sky, carefully avoided the various things on the ground and crept forward with his body hunched low.

His movements were neither fast nor very agile, as he was wearing armor, but the two archer brothers behind him moved with agility and lightness, making almost no sound as they followed him, even though they both carried Large Bows of astonishing length and quivers of arrows.

After passing through most of the collapsed Dwarf Residences, Jier was able to use the last few broken walls as cover to see the dwarves in the open area at the center of the Cunzi.

The three of them hid in the shadows, and since the dwarves were all in a well-lit open space, it was easy to see exactly what they were doing.

'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven...' Jier counted the dwarves in the open space silently in his heart and found that the number was less than thirty, which was at least ten fewer than the total.

Just as he was frowning and feeling anxious, his cloak was tugged from behind. Jier turned his head to look, and Datus carefully pointed to the areas amidst the ruins on the left and right, roughly drawing a circle with his finger.

Jier looked carefully to the left and right, and only then did he see two clusters of cold light moving faintly amidst the surrounding ruins of the Dwarf Residences. The cold light shone on the walls of the ruins, casting all sorts of strange and bizarre shadows around.

After observing carefully for a while, Jier confirmed that these were two small squads of dwarves on alert patrol. Each patrol squad had five dwarves, and adding these people together roughly matched the total number of dwarves, so he felt relieved.

He turned his head and nodded at the Tusi Brothers, and was just about to leave without attracting attention when he heard the dwarves who hadn't rested in the center of the Cunzi gathering, which soon escalated into an argument.

The Tusi Brothers also noticed it immediately and reminded him; Jier waved his hand to indicate that he had also noticed.

The three of them lay behind the ruins, and Jier tilted his head and pricked up his ears. His hearing, which had become sensitive after Knight Training, soon captured the dwarves' argument, but unfortunately, he could not understand what the dwarves were specifically saying. He could only tell that both sides of the argument were very stubborn and unwilling to yield to each other.

Clearly, when the dwarves were discussing and arguing internally, they were using their own language, not the common language of Humans.

Jier turned his head and whispered to Datus, who was also lying down: "Do you know the Dwarven Language?"

In the cluttered ruins, Datus looked helpless and responded in an extremely low voice: "We brothers are not locals, so of course we don't."

Zhongtusi followed up with a whisper: "Before we were trapped here, no one had ever seen a real dwarf; we had only heard about them in stories."

Jier frowned and continued to ask in a low voice: "Then is there anyone else in the Cunzi who knows the Dwarven Language? For example, that Herbalist we saw earlier?"

"Hmm, let me think. As far as I know, it seems no one knows this alien language," Datus whispered in reply. "Dwarves are very cunning. They all know our Human language. When communicating in the Cunzi, they use the common language and almost never speak their own."

Jier nodded helplessly, giving up on trying to understand why the dwarves were arguing.

But peeking to see the dwarves' movements was still possible.

Jier saw that among a group of dwarves who looked tired and sleepy, five dwarves in armor and holding spears were shouting something loudly. The leader among them was even pointing his finger at the bright area on the south side of the Cunzi, saying something alarmist.

There were a few other uninjured dwarves standing on their side, but more dwarves did not share their thoughts and did not stand with them.

Many of them had been injured during the day's battle and were now helping each other over or simply lying on the ground to watch the excitement, expressing no opinion on what the shouting dwarves were saying. It seemed that no matter what these people said, they would not take any action or risks this night.

As for the remaining dwarves who were uninjured or only slightly injured, they gathered on the other side, deadlocked and arguing with the former group. Most of them did not express any opinion, just uniformly turning their heads to look at an old dwarf who was leading them.

A few hot-tempered dwarves on the old dwarf's side stood at the front, arguing with the dwarves opposite, maintaining his status and dignity before the old dwarf expressed any opinion.

The old dwarf had not expressed any opinion, just standing in the center of the crowd watching the spear-wielding dwarves talk and argue. After a while, those agitated dwarves shut their mouths one after another under this gaze, though it wasn't because they were truly afraid of anything; perhaps they just realized that arguing like this was not a solution.

Seeing this, the dwarves who were sitting on the ground to rest continued to sit, and those who were sleeping continued to sleep.

The leading spear-wielding dwarf waved his hand in anger and left the center of the Cunzi with those who stood on his side.

Jier's eyes narrowed, and his left hand subconsciously gripped the hilt of his Long Sword. But fortunately, these few dwarves were not heading straight for the gathering place on the south side of the Cunzi; instead, after taking a few lighting objects used at night, they took the initiative to replace a squad of dwarves who had returned from patrol and alert duty.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Jier gestured for the Tusi Brothers to leave.

After walking a little further away, Datus spoke up: "Sir Knight, did you figure out what those dwarves were arguing about just now?"

Jier responded: "They should have been arguing about whether to send people to check on the situation at our gathering." He shrugged: "But clearly, most of the dwarves, as well as the dwarf leader, did not want to take the risk, so some of the dwarves argued? But in the end, those people gave up, well, at least it looked like they gave up."

Zhongtusi chimed in: "They must have given up because they saw no one supporting them. After all, if these dwarves really went over to scout, a fight would definitely break out. If no one went to support them then, wouldn't those adventurous dwarves be finished? If it were me, I would also give up on risky scouting."

But Datus gave a light snort: "That's hard to say. You might think and judge that way, but dwarves might be a bit different."

"What's different? Don't they all have two arms, two legs, one head, and one mouth? They're just shorter and stronger. If an accident happens, they'll still bleed all over the ground, roll their eyes, and die!" Zhongtusi sneered, disparaging the dwarves.

Clearly, this guy hadn't been unhappy with the dwarves for just a day or two. Perhaps when he was detained here by the dwarves a few years ago, he had already extremely disliked them in his heart, but he had no choice before, so he kept these words bottled up.

Datus just pointed at his brother with his finger but did not speak to refute him. Clearly, this eldest brother who led the three of them also had some resentment toward the dwarves in his heart. Or perhaps, the words and attitudes of these two brothers at this moment were just put on for Jier to see?

After all, now that Jier had arrived and was leading the resistance against the local dwarves, the Tusi Brothers, who had just joined, had to make some kind of stance as soon as possible? Disparaging the dwarves to show loyalty?

These thoughts flashed through Jier's mind, and he didn't pay them any mind, instead noticing the last sentence Zhongtusi had said casually.

"You just said dwarves die? Have you seen them die? Seen it with your own eyes? You know, dwarves have very long lifespans, several times that of us Humans. In stories passed down everywhere, even in a human's entire lifetime, one rarely sees a dwarf's age change significantly."

Zhongtusi was about to speak, but Datus took over: "Yes, my lord. When we three brothers first came here in our second year, we happened to encounter a dwarf die. Not from old age, haha. After all, I heard from the villagers that the dwarf leader had looked aged a long time ago, but even after decades, he still looked aged. Yet, among the first batch of migrants in the Cunzi, some had changed from young men to old men and then died of old age."

"Get to the point. I want to hear about the incident where the dwarf 'did not' die of old age."

Datus touched his short beard, paused, and then said: "Alright, let me think. That was a few years ago, the second year after we brothers arrived here. At that time, we three brothers had already been ordered by the dwarves to assist in the defense on the stone wall behind the Cunzi, so I can be sure that the dwarf was not killed by the Monsters and wild beasts in the mountains and forests outside."

"Not old age, not killed by the Monsters in the mountains, could it be a life accident? Or murder?" Jier guessed.

Both Tusi Brothers shook their heads. Datus said: "Not murder, but it wasn't an accidental death either. I asked around and heard that the dwarf died quite miserably; half of his body was gone. The incident happened quite suddenly at the time. All the dwarves here returned to their mine, and for a long time afterward, they handled the deceased's funeral and various memorial ceremonies, and their tempers were not very good during that time."

Zhongtusi added: "For several months afterward, those dwarves would collect pale-colored flowers, pin them on themselves, or offer them outside the deceased's house. They even used the deceased's name to name their personal tools? It's absurd! The dwarves also moved many glowing plants into the deceased's home, as if they were mourning their dead companion. And as long as you talked to them, most of the time after two sentences, these dwarf fellows would say how pitiful that dead dwarf was, dying so suddenly. To be honest, I really thought these dwarves were sissies at the time. It was just one person dying; why would they have such a big reaction!"

Jier frowned, his mind constantly thinking: "Perhaps that dwarf had a special status among the dwarf group? Just like today, I wounded their leader, that old dwarf, and as a result, all the dwarves were desperately chasing me during the day? Ha, like a group of stubborn mad dogs, they are actually easy to break."

But Jier's guess was wrong. The Tusi Brothers shook their heads, and Datus explained: "It's not like that, my lord. That dwarf was just an ordinary dwarf Miner who didn't usually move around much in the Cunzi and only worked in the dwarves' mine."

"I see," Jier muttered to himself. He suddenly stood still, as if thinking about something.

Soon, he turned his head and asked the Tusi Brothers: "Let me ask, you were arranged by the dwarves to defend the stone wall behind the Cunzi, right?"

"Yes, my lord." The two brothers nodded, and Datus responded.

"Then you must have fought alongside the dwarves against the wild beasts and Monsters in the mountains and forests?"

"Yes, my lord, but because of our brothers' skills, we mostly just use the Large Bow to provide support by firing arrows from the wall from afar. After all, those Dwarf wear thick armor, and we can't be of much help in close-quarters combat against the Monster." Datus explained.

Jier also turned his body around and asked the Tusi Brothers: "Then, have you ever encountered situations where the battle was dangerous or at a stalemate? How did those Dwarf handle it?"

Zhongtusi immediately replied: "I know, they would organize a retreat, let our brothers fire continuously to force the Monster back, or let a reserve squad of Dwarf enter the battle to cover the retreat of the Dwarf in front."

Datus added: "The Dwarf are very cautious; they are unwilling to let even a little more injury or a little more danger occur while fighting the Monster. If the Monster are strong, they retreat, use the stone wall to defend, and wear the Monster down. Once the Monster's stamina is insufficient or they are hungry, they will retreat into the mountain forest on their own. After this happens many times, those familiar-faced Monster will no longer approach here, because they know this place cannot fill their stomachs and will also consume a large amount of stamina."

"A very conservative, cautious, and one could even say passive, way of fighting." Jier curled the corner of his mouth and commented.

"But they weren't like that when they fought me today, right? You all saw it, heh, all the Dwarf wished they could beat me to death right here. It is completely different from the fighting style you described."

The Tusi Brothers looked at each other, as if they had suddenly realized this point.

"Perhaps it is because you can speak?" Zhongtusi guessed, but was stared at by Jier.

"Does it have to do with you wounding their leader?" Datus also guessed. Jier nodded, but then shook his head.

"It has to do with both, but it's not the same. That is not the point either. My meaning is, when the Dwarf fought the Monster invading here in the past, they were always very cautious and careful. They should pay special attention to the casualties of their own personnel. The reason is simple: there are not enough of them! And besides you brothers, the Dwarf almost never use or conscript the Human of Torito Village to fight."

Zhongtusi interjected: "They are afraid of letting the village's martial power rise! That way they wouldn't be able to control this place!"

"That's right, the key is that their numbers are too few, totaling only forty-some people; if one is lost, they can hardly be replaced. And because of this, when a Dwarf dies, the Dwarf here will spend several months mourning and grieving for them, using all sorts of methods! Even if the Dwarf are a long-lived race, this is not right. Because this sadness for the dead is not for the deceased, but for themselves."

Jier said while shaking his finger.

"They are trapped here. In fact, it is not just the Human here who are trapped, but also these Dwarf who look powerful and seem to manage this place." Jier's eyes brightened, and the corner of his mouth curled up: "This place is a Jianlao, trapping all the intelligent beings here."

Jier pointed his finger at the Tusi Brothers opposite him, and also pointed at the Dwarf in the center of the Cunzi.

"So?" Datus asked in confusion. He had understood this point long ago, but did not know what this young Knight meant by saying these things at this time.

Jier smiled confidently: "Like this, Mr. Kangniersi, please return to the gathering place one step ahead."

Zhongtusi was a bit surprised, because this meant his older brother and the young Knight had other plans: "What am I going back for?"

Jier gave Zhongtusi some instructions, patted his shoulder, and signaled for the other to pick up the pace.

Afterwards, once Zhongtusi had left, he said to Datus: "You go to the place where you live now and call your other brother over. I need the assistance of you three brothers here."

Datus smiled: "I thought you would wait until tomorrow morning."

Jier also smiled: "Because I suddenly discovered that this night is a truly good opportunity. I originally intended to lead the Villager, who have the advantage in numbers, to confront the Dwarf during the day, but who would have thought that because of your few words, I found the fatal weakness of the Dwarf in this area."

Datus's eyes lit up, and he asked curiously: "My lord, can you tell me?"

Jier waved his hand: "Go call the others quickly, you will understand in a moment anyway. The better we carry out the operation tonight, the higher our chances of winning tomorrow!"