Chapter 894: After Dawn, Before the Battle

The sky gradually brightened, the morning star slowly faded into the yet-unseen sunlight, and only the emblems of the various great gods were visible to the naked eye, sliding slowly across the not-so-vast sky.

The villagers of Torito Village who were preparing to resist the Dwarves had, at this moment, gathered together, save for the men Jier had already sent out in advance to lie in ambush; many looked at Jier with eager and fervent gazes, which put Jier in a bit of a difficult position.

For although the people said nothing, it was clear they wanted to hear something from Jier, the foreign Knight who was willing to lead them in resistance, before they set off.

Reckoning that saying anything would do, Jier hopped onto a wooden table and waved his hand vigorously at everyone.

Immediately, he was met with a deafening roar of noise!

Half-grown children jumped about, adults waved their fists excitedly, holding high the metal farm tools they used as weapons, and the women either cheered along or pressed their palms together, offering a Prayer to the Human gods passed down by word of mouth from the elders.

Although, in the past, everyone had never prayed to these gods.

"Many years!" Jier shouted loudly.

"Roar..." the villagers cried out, disorganized.

"Many years! It is time for a change!" He waved his fist.

"It is time..." the people shouted, gradually becoming uniform.

"Follow me!" He drew his sword.

"Oh..." men and women responded in unison.

"Face it!" The Long Sword was also brandished, emitting a bright white light.

"Face..." the villagers also held high their respective issued or self-prepared makeshift weapons.

"Strive for it!" Controlled by Jier, the tip of the Hunting Sword projected a powerful white beam of light that pierced straight into the firmament.

Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps Jier had long since gauged the timing, but the first ray of sunlight today emerged from the mountain peak in the east, piercing through the morning mist in the mountain forest, shining upon Jier, and shining upon all the nearby villagers as well.

"Woo..." the people were astonished, immediately and excitedly shouting along: "Strive! Strive! Strive..."

Jier spun around in place, his Long Sword also sweeping in a circle like a wing; he said no more and shouted, "Go!"

He then jumped off the wooden table, his right hand holding the Luminous Longsword high like a raised Battle Flag, guiding all the villagers to follow. His left hand pushed forward, brushing aside the villagers who had subconsciously crowded around, squeezing through the crowd, and walking toward the dirt road in the village that led to the center of the Village.

The people crowded together, following behind the white-glowing Long Sword like a flock of sheep or a herd of cattle, shouting "Strive, strive" incessantly, continuously attracting other villagers who were huddled in their homes, making these villagers watch the large crowd passing below with a mix of curiosity, worry, and surprise.

Humans are naturally curious and conformist; even in the homes of those villagers who did not want to get involved in the rebellion against the Dwarves, there were still many who could not suppress the itch they had felt all night. They either snuck out of their homes or forcefully pushed aside the Liege of the house who was blocking them, striding to catch up with the crowd and joining them.

When Jier's Long Sword projected a beam of white light into the sky, the Dwarves at the center of the Village discovered the situation.

Not to mention the firelight from the south of the Village that had burned all night, and the various noises emitted after the crowd gathered, all of which forced the Dwarves to pay attention to any changes there.

The leader of the Dwarves, the old Dwarf "Iron Fist" Sike-Aobosi-Shitai, frowned deeply; the injury he sustained yesterday had yet to heal, and even with the Healing Ointment applied, waves of pain kept coming, especially since he had not slept all night.

Around him, several other middle-aged Dwarves who held some prestige among the Dwarf community arrived immediately; as soon as they arrived, someone shouted: "It's bad! It's bad! This situation feels just like the Human rebellions from decades ago!"

But a Dwarf beside him immediately retorted: "Impossible! Back then, the Village was newly built, and everyone didn't understand each other, which is why conflict happened, but how many years have passed since then? You can't tell me you don't know how good the relationship is between us Dwarves and the Humans in the village! We smelt metal and make necessary tools, and they are responsible for farming and animal husbandry. Together, we built this beautiful and safe Village!"

Subsequently, this Dwarf muttered on and on, constantly repeating words like "impossible."

Other Dwarves of some standing watched this fellow in silence; some turned their faces away in disdain, others wore mocking smiles on their lips, and just as they were about to open their mouths to mock their old Shop Assistant of many years, "Iron Fist" spoke.

"Assemble everyone! Regardless of gender, all wear armor, hold weapons, and organize into battle formations. No matter the situation, even if it is the worst-case scenario, we can still crush them as we did decades ago and make the bewitched Human villagers Huitou."

After the old Dwarf finished speaking, he stood up, and a young Dwarf nearby immediately came over to try to support him, but was pushed away by the old Dwarf's arm: "No need, Xiaoxuezi, the people of the Shitai family have never been unable to stand when danger arrives. You go prepare too, and join the fight; do not fear the large-scale bloodshed caused by conflict, for this is something a Dwarf must face if he wishes to mature."

The old Dwarf then stood in place, shouting with a loud and clear voice, commanding the rest of the Dwarves whose morale was low.

The Dwarves were in groups of five, and he deployed a group of defensive personnel in each of the four directions right where they stood. The Dwarves who had sustained minor injuries fighting the foreign Human Knight yesterday also picked up their weapons and stood in the inner ranks on the south side, forming the fifth battle reserve squad with the most personnel. Meanwhile, the Dwarf Priest holding the Metal Box led three subordinates who could still fight as the only remaining core combat force of the Dwarves, standing to the right hand of the old Dwarf.

To the old Dwarf's left hand were two female Dwarves equipped with healing items; Xiaoxuezi's mother was among them, looking at her child in the left squad with worried eyes.

The five ordinary Dwarf Warriors with the best physical strength and combat skills were arranged in the south, the direction from which the noisy sounds came, and all the others also turned their gazes in this direction. Because just as the Dwarves were preparing, the clamor from the direction of the village in the south was getting closer and closer.

Everyone was a bit nervous, and since the old Dwarf did not immediately scold or object, the discussion about the current situation had not stopped since the beginning.

"It must be that detestable foreign Human; it's that guy who lured and deceived the people in the village, making the villagers cause trouble together at this time!" Someone stroked his big beard and guessed so.

"I don't think it's that easy. They only met for the first time yesterday; how could they risk their lives to follow along and cause trouble? Would you do that if it were you? No, right? So I think it's because we couldn't handle that foreign guy yesterday that the rebellious hearts of the villagers were ignited. They've wanted to do this for a long time, they just found an opportunity."

The Dwarves' minds were restless, and many secretly supported this speculation, so they couldn't help but curse the Humans in the village.

"By the way, where are the Soldiers guarding the Zhenbao Mine? I haven't seen them since last night? Where did they go?" There were also Dwarves who were unclear about the situation and loudly searched for the location of the Dwarf Soldiers who were the main combat force.

The Dwarves looked left and right; they were not in the ranks, nor were they by the old Dwarf's side.

So someone turned and asked the old Dwarf loudly: "'Iron Fist', did you arrange for the Soldiers to guard the mine overnight? I don't think it's necessary; although the mine is important as a final retreat, this is the key! Hurry and call them back; although many of us were injured yesterday, as long as we crush the rebellious Humans in one wave today, there is still a good chance to deal with that foreign Human."

The old Dwarf frowned, a pair of slightly turbid eyes revealing a trace of sadness, but his tightly pursed lips represented the only explanation he could give at this moment.

"The Zhenbao Mine is the most critical place; it cannot be lost to the Humans! That is the property of the Kingdom, not just my family, or any common citizen." The old Dwarf said this firmly.

He continued: "I have already made the decision; they will guard the mine entrance. If we fail here, they can cover us. If we win, which is a high probability, having a few more people won't make a difference."

"Hahahaha..." the Dwarves burst into laughter.

"What high probability! It's that we will definitely win. Who doesn't know the level of the Humans in the village? One concentrated charge at them, and we can crush them!"

"We won't fail, and we don't need those few Soldiers to help us guard our backs, haha, they can only guard everyone's backs! Haha." Someone joked.

Immediately, someone retorted: "You'd only say that when they aren't here. If you have the Yongqi, will you say it to those Soldiers' faces later?"

The Dwarf who had joked earlier immediately deflated and said no more.

The banter among the companions greatly eased the previous tension, but the old Dwarf knew that he had not ordered the mine-guarding Soldier squad back to the mine for defense last night; instead, the entire squad, along with a few reckless fellows, had simply vanished during the first night patrol.

The ominous potential outcome had been circling in the old man's mind, entangling him fiercely for the entire night.

He had thought those radical Dwarves had violated his orders and gone out alone under the cover of night to search for and capture the foreign Human Knight, but they had not returned even until dawn, so the result was self-evident.

Therefore, he lied, but he had to lie; otherwise, the remaining morale of the Dwarves would be like paper thrown into a furnace, instantly turning into a wisp of smoke and vanishing into thin air.

Panic would only destroy the Dwarves' minds at that time, causing the little organizational strength they had now to disappear rapidly.

Dwarves are very capable of fighting, especially compared to the Humans in the village; they are much more powerful. But "Iron Fist" was not an ordinary Dwarf who only knew how to work hard at mining, nor was he a general Dwarf who raised sheep and cattle; he knew that without organizational strength, it is difficult to resist the power of a group relying only on individual strength.

Especially given how few Dwarves he had at his side now.

"Someone is coming! Look at the ruins in the south!" A sharp-eyed Dwarf suddenly shouted.

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the ruins of a house that used to belong to a Dwarf in the south.

It was a young Human wearing armor and holding a Luminous Longsword high.

"Damn it!" someone shouted in frustration.

"It's that damned guy!" someone gritted their teeth and began to curse in a low voice.

The old Dwarf sighed imperceptibly and looked at the Wild Priest of the God of Strength beside him: "How is it? Can you still hold that guy off from your end?"

The Wild Priest was a bit troubled while holding the Metal Box; he did not reply to the old Dwarf immediately, but instead discussed it with his three companions.

The two Dwarf Warriors holding Double-handed Heavy Weapons and the Wild Priest all looked together at 'Shishou', who had casually grabbed a One-handed Hammer and a Crystal Shield. "How about this, 'Shishou', you should just use my gear? Even if you aren't familiar with it or it doesn't fit well, you have to recover your combat strength as soon as possible, otherwise who can stop that Human?"

One of the Double-handed Dwarf Warriors suggested.

But 'Shishou' shook his head: "You should keep your own gear. I won't hide it from everyone, but the power the gods bestowed upon me, I'm sorry, I recklessly squandered it all yesterday."

"The gods favor you; it shouldn't take long to accumulate power again, right?" the Wild Priest asked calmly.

No one had ever dared to ask 'Shishou' such a question before, but at this very moment, in a critical situation, it was 'quite appropriate' to ask, and it truly needed to be asked.

Moreover, 'Tiequan' the old man was right there, so 'Shishou' had no reason to refuse to answer.

Therefore, 'Shishou' had no choice but to tell the truth: "At the very least, it will take half a month of daily Prayer and strength training to recover half of my accumulated Divine Power."

The Wild Priest narrowed his eyes and said no more, while another Double-handed Dwarf Warrior on the side let out a strange cry: "Half a month? Half? Then we're done for!"

'Tiequan' glared at this babbling Dwarf Warrior and turned to the Wild Priest: "Then you should focus your power on the two warriors who still have weapons. Two people are barely enough; they can hold off that Human, as long as I arrange for other Dwarves to support you."

"Don't, right? The support of others will only hinder us."

"We have only ever practiced coordinating with each other; we haven't trained in methods for fighting alongside others, have we?"

The two Dwarf Warriors holding Double-handed Heavy Weapons complained, but complaining was useless; 'Tiequan' had already made the arrangement, and the Wild Priest nodded in agreement.

'Shishou' lowered his head, and after hearing the old leader's combat arrangement, he spontaneously left the leader's right side and stood in the team on the south side facing the Human.

As soon as he came over, he was mocked: "'Shishou'! Watch your strength; don't smash us along with the Human later. Just like my poor house—damn it, I didn't even get to clean it up properly before it turned into ruins."

"Sorry, but I can't do that even if I wanted to now," 'Shishou' replied apologetically.

Another Dwarf said: "So, the champion of the God of Strength who can move giant rocks is only willing to fight in a group with us now, isn't he? Pay attention, hurry up and forget your previous fighting style, and recall the 'general' Dwarf combat techniques you learned in the past!"

'Shishou' caught the faint sarcasm in those words, but what the other party said was indeed important, so he had to nod in agreement, bracing the Crystal Shield with his left arm while resting the One-handed Hammer on his shoulder with his right.

He twisted his body uncomfortably; having not worn thick Dwarf armor for many years, he actually felt that the armor brought him not protection and safety, but rather a sense of restriction and unease.

Perhaps it was because this borrowed armor didn't fit him well, or perhaps he had long since adapted to streamlined sleeveless gear. He didn't know if wearing armor at this time was the right choice after all.

The Dwarves were ready for battle, while the Humans were in high spirits.

The distance from the south side of the Cunzi to the center of the Cunzi was actually not long; one could get there in a short while by jogging. But Jier walked exceptionally slowly; with every step he took, he would shout loudly, letting the countless Villagers behind him echo him to maintain high morale.

And in this state of high morale, as more and more attracted Villagers joined in, Jier's pace became even slower.

But no matter how slow the pace, the short distance was still covered quickly.

Jier did not know how many opportunistic Villagers had joined the team in this short while; he looked back at the Villagers crowding the road and estimated that at the very least, about fifty people had been added.

When approaching the center of the Cunzi, the collapsed Dwarf Residence caused quite a bit of trouble for the team.

The village road originally built next to the Dwarf Residence was buried by collapsed walls; everyone, including Jier, had to step on the ruins and rely on their memory of the road to pass through them.

Not only that, but there were also many of the Dwarves' personal belongings in the collapsed Dwarf Residence; many Villagers clearly had automatically acquired the skill of automatic looting, and as they walked, they would somehow end up running into the ruins of the Dwarf Residence, excitedly moving small bricks and stones to pick up the Dwarves' furniture and property from the ruins.

Jier saw it when he turned his head, but he had no good way to deal with it at this moment.

Fortunately, an elder in the Cunzi within the team replaced him in maintaining order, using a cane that supported his body to fiercely whip those muddle-headed brats a few times.

When they finally turned past a ruin of a Dwarf Residence, Jier arrived at the southern edge of the center of the Cunzi.

He held his glowing weapon high, and before him were the Dwarves waiting in battle formation at the edge of the large pit.

He scanned the Dwarf team and was not afraid, because behind him, more and more Human Villagers were walking out.

Everyone was full of enthusiasm, holding simple weapons, and they were not afraid when facing the Dwarves opposite them.

Or rather, Jier and the Villagers provided each other with the most important thing in battle—Yongqi.

Because of Jier's leadership, the Villagers had the Yongqi to fight the Dwarves.

Because of the support of the two hundred or so Villagers behind him, Jier also dared to fight on foot against dozens of Dwarves.