Chapter 62: First Commission Wanted: The Ambushed Convoy

A few days later, outside Degeng City.

A convoy marched along a country road.

Ke Lan Jiating, clad in a Cold Iron armor can, impatiently sat on the carriage and hammered his own armor.

The sunlight on the ground was too glaring; for a Gray Dwarf accustomed to darkness, the sun was not a welcoming presence.

"Damn it, why do I have to go," Ke Lan Jiating complained, snapping his whip hard at a worker trying to slack off.

"No slacking!" the Gray Dwarf shouted.

The worker winced under the whip, gritting his teeth, and glared resentfully at the dwarf perched on the carriage.

Next to Ke Lan Jiating were only human workers from Degeng City, hired by Ke Liti to transport the Cold Iron weapons that had long been placed on the forest floor back to the city.

And Ke Lan Jiating was the unlucky one among the Dependents chosen by Ke Liti to oversee the convoy.

To prevent Degeng City from discovering his collusion with the evil races of the Underdark, Ke Liti had to spend heavily to hire human workers and guards.

The Gray Dwarf hid himself inside a metal can, partly fearing the sun would cause cancer to his UV‑never‑exposed skin, and partly to conceal his identity.

"That damned Tie Xiu is having a blast—Goblin City fell, and he hides in his domain all day doing nothing!"

"And me, poor old Ke Lan Jiating, am busy for the master every day and never have time to touch my beloved ore!"

The Gray Dwarf wallowed in self‑pity; everything on the surface made him loathe.

Especially when he was busy, his most hated nemesis relaxed and enjoyed himself.

Originally Tie Xiu was responsible for governing Goblin City, but the iron hooves of Menzoberranzan swept across the central‑north region, forcing Goblin City to surrender.

Tie Xiu thus found himself with idle time.

"Master, master, when will you open your eyes and let poor Ke Lan Jiating rest?"

Just as he complained, a sudden throb of Psychic Ability flashed.

It was his Psychic Ability warning him that danger was imminent! In the next instant, a hail of arrows shot from the bushes on both sides of the road; the weapon‑bearing workers, lacking any cloth armor, were instantly killed by the sharp bolts.

"Ambush! Ambush!" the guards shouted in chaos.

Ke Lan Jiating's eyes flashed coldly; he swiftly drew a sharp Cold Iron Axe, and silver Mana lit his body.

Second Ring Transmutation Ability—Control Air! He swung the axe, and a powerful airflow spiraled around him, instantly diverting the incoming arrows.

Having also received dragon‑blood blessings, Ke Lan Jiating not only advanced to Level 7 Warrior, but also greatly amplified his Mana talent.

Now Ke Lan Jiating holds a Level 4 Psychic Sorcerer class.

"Damn surface dweller, you stole right onto your grandfather's head?!"

The Gray Dwarf leapt from the carriage, angrily scanning the surroundings as a group of armored professionals charged out of the bushes.

Ke Lan Jiating suddenly launched an attack, rushing toward one Warrior and slashing his chest hard with the axe.

The professional hurriedly raised a longsword to block, producing a dull thud.

But Ke Lan Jiating's massive force smashed him to the ground; he then leapt, swinging the axe downward, cutting the Warrior's chest open, and blood spurted out.

"Ha, you useless pretty boys! That's all you can do!"

The bandits tangled with the other guards, seeing this dwarf's bravery, began to fear. Ke Lan Jiating spat, about to continue his attack, when a white blur flashed by, racing toward him at extreme speed!

He tried to raise the axe in defense, but it was too late; a massive hammer struck his back, hurling him dozens of meters away.

Ke Lan Jiating, hidden in his metal helmet, spat a mouthful of blood; dizzy, he knew it was not time to rest.

He cleanly rose from the ground and stared at his ambushers.

It was a knight clad in white armor, wielding a black iron hammer.

He leisurely traced circles in the air with his hammer hand, looking at Ke Lan Jiating and saying, "Not bad, you survived. Where did that little slut Ke Liti find such a formidable dwarf?"

"Who are you?" Ke Lan Jiating asked in a low voice.

"Who am I? Didn't Ke Liti tell you? To do business in Degeng City with her, you must first pass me, Tok!"

The white knight slammed the hammer onto the ground, releasing a powerful aura; Ke Lan Jiating's complexion darkened, as the opponent's class was at least two tiers higher than his.

Tok glanced at the abundant Cold Iron gear in the convoy, a flash of greed in his eyes.

"Tch."

The Gray Dwarf spat, confirming that the despicable surface dweller had brought trouble; none of the surface folk are good!

Tok surged toward Ke Lan Jiating, his swift form leaving a white afterimage in the air, and the refined iron hammer in his hand hammered down on him.

Ke Lan Jiating's face changed; the hammer excelled at blunt strikes over the axe, and his strength was far inferior to his opponent's.

So he quickly leaned down, sweeping the axe horizontally, attempting to cut the opponent's ankle.

Tok remained unhurried, sneering; his iron armor was forged from white‑sand ore iron and enchanted by a Mage, its physical defense far beyond what a Cold Iron Axe could breach.

The hammer swung through empty air as Ke Lan Jiating crouched, and his axe struck the armor with a crisp metallic clang, achieving little effect.

Tok raised the hammer again, intending to crush the dwarf's skull and helmet, while Ke Lan Jiating hurriedly exhausted all his Mana and activated his Psychic Ability.

Second Ring Transmutation Ability—Crystal Storm! Star Matter instantly turned into a dozen sharp crystals, propelled with massive kinetic energy toward Tok. Ke Lan Jiating's desperate strike pierced deep into Tok's armor.

Tok let out a muffled grunt, a flash of ferocity in his eyes, forcing himself to endure the pain and continue hammering down.

Ke Lan Jiating barely raised his hands to defend before being slammed away violently.

"Ah!!! Damn surface dweller, damn surface dweller!!"

Ke Lan Jiating's hand bones were shattered by Tok's terrifying force, his arms hanging limp at his shoulders.

He struggled to his feet, only to find his opponent staring at him with a shocked expression.

"Gray Dwarf!" Tok shouted.

Ke Lan Jiating froze, realizing his helmet had vanished somewhere during the fight.

"Damn," the Gray Dwarf decided instantly, turning and fleeing; he had no chance to kill the opponent, and his identity was already exposed.

If captured alive, it would likely harm the master's Cold Iron business.

The white knight stood silently, watching the Gray Dwarf's retreating silhouette, his thoughts unknown.

"Gray Dwarf is interesting, colluding with the Underdark, Ke Lite, looks like you're dead this time."

(End of chapter)