Chapter 895: Releasing the Captives and the Soldier Captain's Debate with the Scholars (Not Really)

Jier took the lead, with the brave villagers who had joined him in resisting the Dwarf rule and management following closely behind. He first stepped over the last collapsed ruin adjacent to the village square, then extended his left hand to guide the villagers behind him, having them spread out their formation along the square.

The crowd following Jier quickly spread out to both sides, instantly and significantly outnumbering the Dwarf contingent across the square.

The formation spread ten meters to the left and right, and the Dwarves began to whisper.

The formation spread twenty meters to the left and right, and the Dwarves began to curse.

The formation spread thirty meters to each side, and the Dwarves' combat formation became slightly unstable.

The Dwarf contingents on the left and right sides subconsciously retreated toward the center where the most Dwarves were; even if they had no such intention, their feet moved bit by bit instinctively.

Some Dwarves frequently turned their heads to look at the old Dwarf in the very center. Seeing the old Dwarf wearing yesterday's Dwarf armor, motionless with a serious and earnest expression, they quieted down as well, fixing their eyes with anger and hostility on the rebellious Human villagers who far outnumbered them.

Jier did not let the formation behind him spread too far apart. Seeing that about fifty people could stand in a single row in front, he put away the Long Sword he had been holding high in his right hand, signaling the formation to stand still and prepare for battle.

His eyesight was excellent. After daybreak, and because the center of the village was quite open, his gaze passed over the Dwarves opposite him, and he saw the three Tusi brothers half-leaning out to look over from the rooftops of the villagers' houses to the left and right behind the Dwarves in the north.

Clearly, having set out earlier, they had already followed Jier's instructions and led people to lie in ambush on the roads in other directions within the village. With them leading people to block the roads, it would be best if these Dwarves were sensible and admitted defeat today; if they were not sensible and a battle broke out, he could also lead his men to fight a bloody battle and annihilate them, not letting these dozens of Dwarves escape.

Of course, if one were to go by his previous analysis of the Dwarves, it would certainly be best if there were no battle today.

In short, it was better to be prepared than sorry.

The morning in the Valley was still quite chilly, even in the days of late spring and early summer; mist appeared every night in the Huitou Forest leading to the Valley, indicating that the temperature here was usually not very high.

But today was different. Each Dwarf was clad in iron armor, their formation was relatively orderly, and their breathing was heavy. Behind Jier, the crowd was boisterous, and the remaining Torches held by people brought extra light and heat; combined with the body heat of nearly three hundred people, the hot air they exhaled, and the tightness of their positioning, Jier could feel the waves of hot air brought by the hundreds of people behind him even while wearing armor.

This was a very special feeling; Jier had never had such an experience before. Personally leading a group of people who believed in him, standing together to face the enemy, and providing each other with support and strength.

This made him feel good.

He raised his left hand, and the people behind him immediately stopped their whispering, their gazes focusing one after another on the young Knight standing in the front row.

"Bring up that Dwarf I mentioned earlier."

Jier spoke. His voice was not loud, young and crisp, but it spread throughout the entire square in the center of the village.

The Dwarves naturally heard it too, feeling slightly puzzled, not knowing which unlucky Dwarf the Human foreign Knight was talking about. The old Dwarf subconsciously frowned, a bad premonition arising.

The formation behind Jier quickly cleared a path, and two sturdy farmers came over, each holding one arm of the tightly bound Dwarf. Although the Dwarf, stripped of his heavy armor, was sturdy and short, like a heavy meat stump, the middle-aged farmers who had done hard farm work all their lives had no small amount of strength in their hands, and the two of them could still manage to drag the Dwarf over without his feet touching the ground with some effort.

Being dragged all the way from the back of the formation, with the villagers on the left and right whispering and accompanied by soft laughter, the face of the Dwarf Soldier Captain being dragged gradually turned red—it was a red born of anger.

Although he had been prepared for the communication messenger task forcibly assigned to him after being captured in battle, being watched, mocked, and looked down upon by so many people at this time and in this place still made him, who prided himself on being a Warrior, feel great humiliation.

Especially when he was dragged to the front row and thrown onto the ground like an insignificant object, only to be finally seen by his Dwarf companions opposite.

The Soldier Captain lowered his head tightly, trying to hide himself, although he knew it was useless. The Human Knight would release him here, and he would return to the Dwarf formation in a dejected manner under the gaze of everyone on both sides; with his status and the fact that he had been defeated and captured, it was impossible for him to be ignored.

"%%%, I have some regrets..." the Soldier Captain finally squeezed these words through his teeth, full of unwillingness. Everything he had was destroyed: reputation, dignity, interpersonal relationships, and so on.

Perhaps, from the moment he was defeated and captured, these had already left him? Or perhaps, from the moment he recklessly led people on patrol, it had already been this way?

"Who is that?"

Among the Dwarves across the square, someone asked.

"Can't see clearly, he keeps his head down. Who could it be? So unlucky."

"I guess he must have been caught by that Human Knight when he snuck away from the team last night to go home and pack his things."

The old Dwarf felt his premonition becoming more and more obvious; a bad premonition was warning him. He had to do something, otherwise, it would definitely be terrible later.

But he himself did not know who the person opposite was; the distance was too far, and that person kept his head down, making it impossible for anyone to see his face clearly.

"What am I thinking about," he muttered to himself in a low voice.

He knew better than the surrounding Dwarves who that unlucky captured person would be. Who else could it be? It must be the soldiers who went missing last night, as well as a few hot-headed, reckless Dwarves.

It had only been a few minutes since he had told lies to appease his companions, and now, after just this short while, there was a possibility that the lies would be exposed.

"Gods, I really shouldn't have lied. Are you watching us? If so, please bless us. I am old, and death may beckon to me at any time, but please give the young ones a chance! I beg you."

The old Dwarf slightly raised his head, and in a tone that no one around could hear clearly, he whispered a Prayer to the gods who might be watching and the gods who would respond to his plea.

After repeating the Prayer several times, the old Dwarf let out a breath and looked at the opposite side again.

On the old Dwarf's right hand side, the Wild Priest suddenly felt that the Metal Box in his arms had inexplicably become a bit heavier? He slightly bounced the heavy Metal Box in his arms, and felt that it was just an illusion caused by being too nervous just now.

"Go on, do I need to say the word 'please'?"

Jier leaned over slightly and patted the shoulder of the Soldier Captain who was keeping his head down beside him, speaking in a teasing tone.

The Dwarf Soldier Captain crushed a clod of dirt at his feet with his foot, and responded in a hesitant and dissatisfied voice: "Can you help me untie the Rope binding my arms?"

Jier rolled his eyes: "No." He gave the other party a clear reply.

He didn't expect that this Dwarf, who had seemed quite forthright and straightforward before, would dawdle at this moment. After a pause, he kept his head down and said: "Then can you find me something to drape over my shoulders? If I go over tied up by you like this, I'll have lost all my face."

Jier laughed "ha," and without saying a word, he suddenly pushed the Soldier Captain, who was keeping his head down, from behind, making him stumble forward: "I can see it now, you're scared at this moment. Hey, you're not afraid of death, but you're afraid of losing face. Don't dawdle, go over quickly and convey my words and thoughts to your leader."

The Dwarf Soldier Captain had no choice; he had already been pushed out, and he couldn't stop moving forward even if he wanted to.

Thus, he went hesitantly, dawdling, and stopping every three steps; it took him quite a while to cross the distance of several tens of meters and arrive in front of the Dwarf battle formation.

As soon as he arrived, he was protected within the formation by his own people, and a Dwarf immediately took out a Dagger to cut the Rope binding him, loosening his arms. But he still kept his head down tightly, trying to hide his identity in this pitiful way.

The Dwarves had no doubts; no one suspected the possibility that this captured guy was an assassin or killer prepared by the Human side. After all, in Torito Village, or rather the Zhenbao Mine, there were only these dozens of Dwarf Miners; there was no possibility of an extra Dwarf they didn't know.

Rather, if the Humans could conjure up a Dwarf they didn't know at this time, it would actually be a huge, life-changing surprise for these abandoned miners.

Pushed and shoved, the Soldier Captain, with his head kept low, was thus sent to the front of the old Dwarf in the center position.

Before, when they were far away, the old Dwarf hadn't recognized who the captured person was, but now that the person was right in front of him, even though the other party kept his head down so his face couldn't be seen, the old Dwarf recognized at a glance that the other party was the Soldier Captain he was familiar with.

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva bitterly to soothe his throat, which was dry from nervousness.

The old Dwarf asked tremblingly: "What about the others? Are they dead, or are they like you?"

The Soldier Captain, who was keeping his head down, trembled all over, his knees feeling weak, but in the end, his dignity as a Warrior allowed him to stand firm without falling or kneeling. He suddenly raised his head, and his hands, now relaxed, pushed the hair hanging over his face to the back of his head, revealing an expression with pursed lips that was half-embarrassed and half-ashamed.

"Answer me! What about the others? What about your soldier brothers? What about the other few miner companions who trusted you?"

The old Dwarf opened his eyes wide, staring straight at the Soldier Captain, one hand subconsciously about to raise into a fist, as if it were lightning that would fall at any moment. The words in his mouth were like the rolling, muffled sound before a thunderclap, shaking the other Dwarves around him.

Instantly, except for the Dwarf Warriors in the front row who needed to be on guard, the attention of all the Dwarves in the battle formation was attracted.

When they saw that it was the Soldier Captain who had been captured and then released, they were all surprised beyond measure.

Some sharp-witted fellows felt that something was amiss, and when they associated this with the fact that they hadn't seen the soldiers from the Zhenbao Mine since dark last night, and the old Dwarf's statement just now that they had been deployed inside the mine, they all felt the situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse.

"They..."

The Captain of the soldiers was flushed with shame; he felt that his life from here on out was over. Regardless of whether the Dwarves of the Zhenbao Mine could successfully save themselves and return to the Dwarf Kingdom in the future, his life had already come to a complete end right here.

"They, they were also captured."

The softer he spoke, the more he closed his eyes tight by the end, because he was too afraid to see the accusatory expressions of the old Dwarf and the other companions around him. If only his ears could close just like his eyelids, he thought to himself.

"Captured? Are they all still alive? I am asking you, are they all still alive? No one was killed?" the old Dwarf asked hurriedly.

The Captain nodded, and fearing he hadn't expressed himself clearly, he quickly added: "They are all alive. While patrolling last night, we were lured by that Human Knight, and while fighting, we were led far away, resulting in us falling into an ambush and all being captured."

"Then why were you the only one released at this time? What do the Humans want?"

The Captain opened one eye slightly, then closed it tight again, because before him was still the old Dwarf with a face full of rage, although the old Dwarf's expression was not as terrifying now that he had heard no Dwarves had died.

"That Human Knight, after he captured me and disarmed me, discussed some things with me."

"What things?" the old Dwarf asked hurriedly, as if he had sensed something.

The Captain finally dared to open his eyes at this moment. He glanced around and discovered that all his Dwarf companions were looking at him, which made him incredibly nervous: "That Human Knight told me that he saw our predicament. And he said that if we don't make changes to our current predicament, we have no future. And he, he has the intention to help us, and starting from yesterday, he has been showing goodwill, wanting to properly resolve the predicament between the Dwarves and the Humans in the Valley."

Just as he finished speaking, a Dwarf nearby shouted with explosive anger: "￥%, have you lost your mind? Or was your head bashed in when you were captured? Huh? You can't believe a single word from that damned Human Knight!"

Another injured Dwarf Warrior on the side also shouted: "Exactly! If that Human is showing goodwill, then how did I get my injury?"

"And what about my collapsed house?"

"Are those Villagers resisting us on the other side also part of his goodwill? Bah! You traitor!"

Similar words increased all at once, pouring down like a rainstorm onto the Captain, who was the only one present without armor. The Captain gritted his teeth, enduring it at first, but then he couldn't help but retort: "I am not a traitor, I, I was just persuaded by him. This is not betraying everyone, nor is it betraying our Dwarves. I dare to fight, I am not even afraid of death, so what else could I fear from the enemy?"

"I don't believe it!" a Dwarf clamored.

"I stake my guarantee on my more than one hundred years of service as a Zhenbao Mine guard soldier, I stake my guarantee on the decades I have spent leading soldier squads to kill off invading Monsters and Magic Beasts! I stake my guarantee on my family's reputation and my dignity! I am not a traitor; I just saw a possibility from the other side, a possibility we have been searching for all along."

The old Dwarf, however, ignored the chaotic argument at this moment, nor did he care about the people pointing fingers at him or whispering accusations about the lies he had told to deceive everyone earlier. He unconsciously tapped his metal armor at his thigh with his fingers, and amidst a slight headache, he began to recall from now, looking back, especially the entire experience of yesterday during the day.

What he had experienced, what he had been reported, what he had seen, and what he had guessed. These things swirled in his mind, analyzing and judging, and from them, he tried to guess the behavior and thoughts of that foreign Human Knight.

At the same time, the old Dwarf's gaze also crossed over the arguing Dwarves in front of him, looking toward the south side of the Cunzi, at the very front of the crowd on the other side of the open space in the center of the Cunzi, at that so conspicuous young Human Knight.

As if he had been paying attention to the situation of the Dwarves here all along, or perhaps he had noticed the old Dwarf's gaze, the old Dwarf saw that young Human Knight wave at him from far away, showing some superficial friendliness.

"What about my house? I don't care about others, but the collapse of my house must have something to do with that Human Knight, right? It had been standing there perfectly fine for decades, and just yesterday, after that damned Human arrived, it collapsed." A Dwarf was taking the opportunity to vent his dissatisfaction.

The Captain argued: "What does that have to do with that young Human? Everyone knows the house was shaken down during the fight with Shishou; you should go find Shishou to resolve it for you."

Shishou, who was holding a Shield in the front row and acting as a wallflower, shrank his neck immediately upon hearing this. He also understood that, on this point, he really couldn't blame anyone else; it was all because of his recklessness and his lack of understanding of his own combat power that he had shaken down the houses of everyone in the circle near the center of the Cunzi. Of course, some houses weren't brought down by him, but were collapsed due to the collateral damage from his companions and the Human Knight during the previous battle.

But all of this was now pinned on him, and he had no way to argue or shirk the responsibility.

"Forget about the house, just look at the wounds on my body. Look, you traitor, the wounds on my body were caused by that Human Knight! What explanation do you have for this?" Another Dwarf interjected, pulling at the people around him and shouting loudly while pointing at the wounds on his own body.

The Dwarves couldn't care less about the Human Villagers on the other side at this moment; the resentment and anger they had accumulated since yesterday finally had a visible, tangible target to vent on, so they all turned on the Dwarf Captain.

They gathered into a circle, with the red-faced, arguing Captain in the very center, and another circle of relatively calmer Dwarves around them. Even the few Dwarves in the front row were still relatively professional, maintaining the formation, but their frequent turning of their heads to look back and their pricked-up ears betrayed them, exposing that their attention was not on the hundreds of Human Villagers opposite them, but on the argument behind them.

"If you ask me, that young Knight should have just stabbed you to death with a Spear yesterday, saving me from having to be sprayed with your spit today." The Captain was also gradually entering the state of arguing, and the firepower of his words was gradually increasing.

"What did you say? Traitor!" the injured Dwarf Warrior said with a look of surprise.

"You are the traitor, traitor, traitor, traitor! Use that stubborn, rigid brain of yours that can only mine Mineral Ore with a wooden handle to think carefully. Yesterday, in the battle on the grass outside the Cunzi, with all of us unable to do anything to the other side, did he have the skill to ride a horse and stab you to death with a Spear? So shouldn't you have died yesterday, right? You all think about it, if he really didn't hold goodwill, half of us should have died yesterday!"

The Captain crossed his arms, his eyes wide open, and his mouth then spewed out Dwarf vocabulary like a crack in a mine shaft leaking water: "You all know my stance. I am a staunch member of the combat faction. In the past few decades, which Monster invasion wasn't resolved by me and my brothers together with the believers of the God of Strength? I myself have even personally stabbed dozens of troublesome Monsters to death with a Spear."

"Yesterday I fought as I always do, but including me, our soldiers, and three familiar companions, we were all captured by the other side. I wouldn't hold back in battle, and my men are the same; we used our full strength, but we were still captured after the other side set an ambush."

"Use your brains, which are as small as moles, to think: why would the other side capture us? It adds more danger and difficulty for no reason, and it took too much effort to capture us. Why was he able to capture us, instead of just killing us all easily and happily? Kill half during the day, and kill the other half at night! We wouldn't have even escaped back to the mine, and everyone would be dead! Where would there be any need for this scene today, right?"

With a series of blows, the Dwarves were stunned. Although most Dwarves still wouldn't admit it, there was one thing the Captain wasn't wrong about: the other side's combat level was truly very high, and it was strange in itself that they were only injured yesterday and not a single person had died.