Chapter 896: Negotiations (Part 1)

The Dwarf Soldier Captain gradually got into the zone; his mouth never stopped, aggressive and overbearing, circling around to force the surrounding Dwarves back: "You, that injury on your body, I remember you got that from falling into that big pit nearby yourself, right? What does that have to do with outsiders? And you, after decades of inhaling too much Mineral Ore dust in the Mine, you ruined your lungs—what are you trying to do by squeezing up here now?"

When it came to the next injured Dwarf, this Dwarf spoke up loudly first: "My injury was caused by that Human himself! What do you have to explain about that? Huh?"

The Soldier Captain frowned, but quickly gave a cold snort: "Not training your Duanbing properly in peacetime, getting knocked down and injured by others in two moves, and you're proud of it? If you came every time I gathered everyone to practice Duanbing each month, I doubt you'd be injured, would you? Hmph, all you know is how to spend all day in the Mine fiddling with and raising those ugly Blind Moles; you don't want to do a lick of work in the Mine, but you spend every spare moment on private Mole fighting, don't you!"

This Dwarf's momentum suddenly weakened, muttering something about how everyone likes to watch Mole gambling, and quickly shrank back into the crowd, because old "Iron Fist" glared fiercely at this Dwarf when he heard this.

"So, is there anyone else who wants to have their say?" The Soldier Captain looked around, and seeing no one else step forward to refute him, he changed his expression, explaining in an earnest manner: "That is why, that young Knight from outside bears us goodwill; this is an opportunity! An opportunity some of us have waited decades for and couldn't get."

Seeing someone about to open their mouth, the Soldier Captain said in advance: "I know, I know someone will say, 'Placing the hope of escape on an outsider, that's not reliable, is it?' Right? You definitely want to say that, don't you?"

The Dwarf who had just been about to speak in rebuttal nodded and said nothing more; after all, the Soldier Captain had already said it all.

"I know, many people don't trust outsiders, even though many have decent relationships with the Human Villagers in the Cunzi, but everyone has always been on guard against them. We are few, they are many, so being on guard is only right. And the lands outside the Valley are all covered with Humans, and the Kingdom lands that once belonged to the Dwarves have all turned into Human lands. This makes us hold even more resistant and defensive thoughts and views toward everything outside."

The Soldier Captain waved a hand and said loudly: "But, if we keep holding onto these thoughts, this matter of our escape will never change. Phew, I know this all too well. We have already wasted decades on this; many people just say: 'This won't work, this isn't safe, I don't agree, let's wait and see,' and so on. Since that one unsuccessful adventure we tried decades ago, many people have lost their true Yongqi."

When the last sentence was spoken, the Soldier Captain first nodded toward Xiaoxuezi's mother, then looked at the old Dwarf in the center of the crowd at the end.

Their gazes met; the old Dwarf frowned, while the Soldier Captain kept staring fixedly at him.

The two stared at each other for a while; it was not just a contest, but a way to let the surrounding Dwarves hear and understand clearly who the Soldier Captain's final "accusation" was specifically directed at.

Some Dwarves wanted to uphold the dignity of the Mine leader, but they couldn't open their mouths. Because those who saw this point, and those who hadn't seen it but now understood, all had to acknowledge one thing.

They had truly lost their Yongqi over these decades.

Dwarves who realized this would always complain in their daily lives, or secretly curse old "Iron Fist" to their hearts' content in their own houses after drinking. And the duller Dwarves who didn't quite understand this, even if they didn't realize or notice it, would unconsciously manifest the consequences of losing Yongqi in every aspect of their lives.

For example—Blind Mole fighting, or putting their energy into tending various glowing plants, or brewing Dwarf ale personally, and so on and so forth.

"Lost their Yongqi."

In the silence, the old Dwarf in the center of the crowd finally spoke.

This aged Dwarf had lived through hundreds of winters, and just in the position of manager of this Zhenbao Mine, he had served for no less than one hundred and fifty years. Yet today, this was extremely rare: being accused in public of having lost his Yongqi.

And the accuser who leveled the charge against him was actually a subordinate he usually valued very much. The last person to say this to him seemed to have been a Soldier Captain too, but that one was a formal Soldier Captain sent by the Kingdom, while this one had been elected by the crowd and confirmed by him after the former went missing while searching for hope outside the Valley.

"I have indeed lost my Yongqi," the old Dwarf said.

"But you..."

He raised a hand and pointed, aiming right at the Soldier Captain standing in the center of the crowd. The other's form-fitting clothing looked truly out of place amidst the fully armed crowd.

Being pointed at by the old Dwarf, the Soldier Captain suddenly felt it was bad; the words just now seemed to have been too heavy. It might have been okay to say it, as the old guy wasn't the type to be extremely stubborn, but to make such an accusation with so many Dwarves present, the old Dwarf wouldn't just let it slide as a joke.

"But you, a fellow captured by an outsider in battle and subsequently released alone. At this critical moment when a battle is about to happen, you publicly accuse me, the manager of this Mine, a formal Mine manager granted administrative legal authority by the Kingdom, a member of an important Kingdom family—the Shitai Family, of having lost my Yongqi."

"Are you really saying those words for the rights of all the Dwarves present? You have always been a staunch Dwarf Warrior, yet now you speak for a Human Knight; is there really no hidden interest exchange behind you being released? No one else saw the battle you led last night, and according to you, the others were all captured by Humans; who can verify this?"

The old Dwarf asked one question after another, his momentum rising with every sentence; although aged, his sense of oppression at this moment made the Soldier Captain feel several times greater than the Human Knight.

"I didn't betray anyone, everything I said is the truth!" He defended himself this way.

"Perhaps," the old Dwarf lowered his eyelids, then said: "But it is hard to verify."

"I... I..." The Soldier Captain wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by the old Dwarf: "Plug his mouth, tie him up, and wait until later to judge the truth of his stance and words."

Once the old Dwarf spoke, Dwarves immediately untied the Rope from their belts, took out the animal fur used for wiping weapons, and prepared to bind the Soldier Captain.

The Soldier Captain was just about to struggle, but met the old Dwarf's gaze and saw something in the other's eyes. So he gave up struggling, obediently let himself be tied up, and had his mouth stuffed.

He wasn't even held in another place; the Dwarves had nowhere else to go at this time, so they just moved the Soldier Captain further back to avoid causing any obstruction to the battle formation in the front.

After all, with such a large Dwarf left on the ground, it would inevitably trip others during the battle.

Once the Soldier Captain was tied up and placed at the back of the line, the originally chaotic Dwarf formation was quickly rearranged again. Before the Dwarves received any instructions on whether to fight or retreat, the old Dwarf actually took the initiative to leave his central position. He first waved away the good intentions of those next to him trying to support him, then pushed aside the blocking Dwarf Warrior, and stopped the others from following.

"Everyone stay where you are for now, and be ready to fight at any time. I am going to talk to that Human Knight."

That was what the old Dwarf said, which instantly left the surrounding Dwarves stunned.

Talk to the Human—wasn't that what the Soldier Captain just meant? How could you tie him up one moment and then go risk negotiating with the Human yourself the next?

What does this mean?

Perhaps understanding the thoughts of the surrounding Dwarves, the old Dwarf took the initiative to explain: "Our Soldier Captain might still have questions regarding his loyalty that need to be verified later. But I heard everything he said. That accusation might have been aimed at me, but it might also refer to everyone present."

The old Dwarf pulled a Single-handed Axe from his belt, then held it high for everyone to see—especially for the Humans on the opposite side of the clearing to see—and then discarded it on the ground.

He then refused the Crystal Shield handed to him by "Shishou" in the front row of the formation, and just like that, empty-handed, he removed his Helmet with both hands.

Revealing his graying hair under the Helmet and the place where he had been bandaged after being injured yesterday.

"We have indeed lost the most important quality of Dwarves for a very long time—Yongqi." The old Dwarf stood at the very front of the battle formation, no, outside the battle formation, and turned to face the dozens of Dwarves before him.

"Ever since our previous Soldier Captain, that lad from the Warboot family, the Soldier Captain nicknamed 'Tie Xigai', walked out of the Mine and Valley representing everyone, especially when he exceeded the agreed-upon years and still didn't return. Sigh, I knew then that many people had lost their Yongqi."

"They didn't dare turn their necks toward the outside of the Valley, and didn't even dare look up to see the sun overhead. In the past, some people always asked the newly arrived Humans about things happening outside; after that incident, many people never asked about these things again. Everyone then began to slack off; the Mine no longer opened new Mine tunnels, and the refining of minerals was no longer done with care—after all, no matter how much metal was smelted, it seemed there would never be a day to hand it over to the Kingdom?"

The old Dwarf's expression was unreadable, with some regret and also a look of relief: "Have I also seemed to have lost my Yongqi? Always telling everyone to wait a bit longer, wait a bit longer—wait for what? I might not even know myself; I just used these words to put everyone off and block the mouths of some companions who wanted to venture out. Or perhaps, I was just saying what everyone wanted to say but didn't dare to, and only I could say, on behalf of many Dwarves who had lost their Yongqi."

"Such a peaceful life led by us Dwarves, closed off in a tiny Valley, perhaps it's not bad? Right?"

Many Dwarves lowered their heads in shame.

"But this world is determined by the gods; how much can a small handful of us Dwarves decide? This world, it is like the boiling, surging molten iron in the Furnace; it doesn't stop for even an instant. Even in this remote place, this remote Valley, all kinds of accidents will happen. Eternal peace perhaps does not exist? I might have thought it could exist before, but it actually doesn't."

"Yesterday, just yesterday, when I first tried to block that outsider Human Knight, I had a premonition that the moment of change we might want, or might not want, had perhaps already arrived."

"It came just as I had envisioned in every nightmare, and yet it exceeded the imagination of my nightmares, arriving completely in a way that spilled blood and brought intense pain. To be honest, it made me feel afraid; I was afraid we would all die at the hands of that young Human Knight. Especially when I saw our excellent Miners and Miner Warriors getting injured, defeated, and toyed with. Even more powerful Warriors smashed the center of the Cunzi and still couldn't do anything to that guy."

"But fortunately, although our Soldier Captain is reckless and stupid, he at least let me see one thing through his safe return. Dwarf blood was spilled in this great change, but it didn't cost any lives. That Human Knight who brought the change, he might be well-intentioned."

Speaking to this point, the old Dwarf paused, then said solemnly: "Perhaps, this is already the best ending arranged by the great gods for us poor forgotten fellows. If, by this time, we still don't have the Yongqi to take the golden branch handed to us by the gods, then perhaps we cowards will only have the result of drowning in the water."

The Dwarves fell silent. With the old leader having spoken to this extent, naturally, no one would stop the old Dwarf from going to negotiate and make contact. After all, the change everyone was looking forward to was right before their eyes, and there was no possibility of refusal; they could only try.

Some Dwarves immediately proposed wanting to go in the old leader's stead to negotiate with the Humans, especially with that outsider Knight. But the old Dwarf refused these good intentions: "Things have reached this point; yesterday we hunted the other party, and today they have brought more Humans to kill their way here; there must be someone of sufficient weight to conduct the negotiations. If I am captured or killed, then fight—fight them, no need for mercy."

He made arrangements: "The front row blocks, the back row throws small war hammers together to remotely rout those Human farmers who haven't undergone combat, then ignore that Human Knight and launch an all-out assault to rout the Human team head-on. The Human Knight will be entangled by the followers of the God of Strength who use Double-handed Heavy Weapons; capture and rout the majority of the Human Villagers, and use this as a Chip to force the Human Knight to surrender—this is the best possible outcome for the battle."

"If the battle doesn't go well, then retreat as a whole, withdraw back into the Zhenbao Mine, drop the Mine gate, and use mineral slag to block the Mine tunnel behind the gate, and activate the Mine's defensive measures. First, endure for a year in the Mine against the other side; food is already stored and enough to eat. After a year, see how the Humans are; by then, no matter what, the remaining companions must be prepared to evacuate from here. That will be an adventure like a high-stakes gamble; many people might die, perhaps everyone will die on the way home, but by then, no one will ever say we lacked Yongqi."

The Dwarves pursed their lips tightly; no one cried or showed sadness, they just tapped their respective Helmets with their hands or weapons to indicate they would keep the other's words and face in their minds and would not forget.

After saying their final goodbyes, the old Dwarf straightened his armor, confirming that he was only wearing a suit of armor at this time, was not wearing a Helmet, and had no dangerous weapons on his person.

Only then did he walk step by step, with a powerful stride that a Dwarf of his age should not have, toward the opposite side of the clearing—the large group of Humans occupying a small half of the clearing's edge.

"I have come for the sake of negotiation and peace."

The old Dwarf said this after he approached the Human group.

Jier stepped forward, spreading his hands open to show he was not holding any weapons. Of course, unlike the Dwarves, it did not matter if he carried weapons at his waist; after all, he held the upper hand, and it was the Dwarves who needed to negotiate, not him.

"Ha, I've been waiting for you for a long time. Seeing you tie up the Dwarf I sent back just now, I thought you had no intention of negotiating."

Jier sized up the approaching old Dwarf leader; he still remembered the wound on the other's head, which seemed to have been left by him.

"Your skills are not bad, young Human Knight. One man, one horse, and it took less than two days to defeat us." The old Dwarf also carefully sized up the young Human before him; they had crossed paths during the previous battle, but only now did he have the time and opportunity to carefully understand and judge the person in front of him.

The Human Knight had not closed the Faceplate of his Metal Helmet, so he could see a plain-looking, yet exceptionally young and immature Human face.

Too young; he hadn't even grown a few whiskers yet.

This made the old Dwarf feel worried, wondering if the decision he had made was truly correct. Were they, these Miners who had lived for hundreds of years and mined every day, defeated by such a young Human who hadn't even grown much of a beard?

Looking down, there was the Human's thin Metal Armor, with poor craftsmanship and even worse materials. But the Metal belt at Jier's waist, with a belt buckle decorated with a square Dwarf metal coin, made the old Dwarf narrow his eyes, lost in thought.

'Coins made and used by the Iron Peak Clan of Bei Mian?' He could not help but think a little more in his heart.

"Old man, it hasn't been two days! It's only just dawn today!" Jier pointed his finger at the sun that had barely cleared the mountaintop, looking proud. The Dwarves' performance today was much better than their attitude yesterday, by more than just a little.

What did this mean? It meant that Jier had at least beaten these Dwarves into submission.

For guys who were consistently tough, the only language they could understand was an attitude and strength even tougher than their own.

"Hmph, dawn counts as one day. Don't say these witty remarks, young man; I might have guessed some of your goodwill and its possible origin. Let's speak plainly. Please answer me honestly: why on earth did you come here? What urged you to come to this unknown, remote place? Or perhaps, who guided you here?"

The old Dwarf asked solemnly.

Jier glanced up at the sky and saw a tiny black dot hovering above; he wondered if it was appropriate to mention that one.