Chapter 343: The Secret Within the Volcanic Ash

Chapter 343: The Secret Within the Volcanic Ash

The Sea Demon Clan's status as a civilization was not solely due to their intelligence but also the cultural and moral system they had developed over time.

It was this 'civilization' trait that allowed different civilizations to communicate and understand each other, avoiding friction and conflict.

Of course, this was assuming there were no conflicting interests between the two civilizations.

Humans and the Sea Demon Clan belonged to different worlds, and there were no irreconcilable conflicts of interest between them.

Therefore, in terms of living space, there was no reason for hostility to arise between humans and the Sea Demons.

As long as there was no hostility, there was a possibility of communication.

Moreover, with the appearance of Liu Haiyang and his five companions, who had helped the Sea Demons by killing the crazed Sea Beasts, they had already gained recognition from some Sea Demons.

This was a good start.

Without conflicting interests, a civilization that received help from another would be grateful, even if it was just a little, and that was enough.

Thus, Liu Haiyang and his group received the Sea Demons' hospitality and were invited as guests to the Sea Demon Temple.

This connection softened the Sea Demons' attitude considerably.

The Sea Demon High Priestess Sona ordered the guards to take Friggus away and lock him up, then invited Lu Heng and his ten companions to the reception hall.

Finally, with the opportunity to sit down, they could discuss the main issue.

"High Priestess, for the Sea Demons, killing a few Black Iron Dwarves is easy, but purifying the seawater is difficult. Wouldn't it be better if, through negotiations, the Black Iron Dwarves could be persuaded to stop dumping volcanic ash into the Tidal Sea?"

High Priestess Sona sighed and ordered her people to serve wine in seashell cups, saying, "If things were that simple, it wouldn't have escalated to this point."

Lu Heng pondered and asked, "Do you know why the Black Iron Dwarves are dumping volcanic ash into the sea? The Black Iron Kingdom is far away in the Crown of Magma, and it's a long way to dump volcanic ash into the Tidal Sea. It's clearly a thankless task, and it doesn't make sense."

The Sea Demon Elder, who was accompanying them, slammed his fist on the table and hummed, "These Black Iron Dwarves are deliberately polluting our territory's seawater. They must be controlled by the Deep Sea Monsters."

This statement seemed to have some merit.

If the Black Iron Dwarves were controlled by the Deep Sea, dumping pollutants into the Tidal Sea seemed plausible.

But was it really that simple?

Moreover, Captain Friggus didn't appear to be under the control of the Deep Sea.

Lu Heng pressed, "Is there any evidence to prove that the Black Iron Dwarves are controlled by the Deep Sea?"

In response to this question, the Sea Demons in the room fell silent.

They had indeed not found any evidence of the Black Iron Dwarves being controlled by the Deep Sea, so it was just a speculation.

Lu Heng carefully recalled in his mind, searching for relevant information, but in his previous life, he had not learned the true reason for the enmity between the Sea Demons and the Black Iron Dwarves.

He only knew that the Sea Demons and the Black Iron Dwarves were indeed enemies, and this enmity would persist.

Although the two races were enemies, there had never been a large-scale conflict.

The reason was simple; one lived on land, while the other inhabited the deep sea.

Their non-overlapping living spaces meant that their enmity was limited to localized conflicts on the surface.

The most severe consequence was the Sea Demons blocking the sea area and prohibiting the Black Iron Dwarves from sailing.

Therefore, in Lu Heng's previous life, the relationship between the two races remained in this non-threatening, stagnant enmity without any further developments.

Connecting this to the main challenge mission of this summoning, Lu Heng felt that things were not as simple as they seemed.

The challenge mission of this summoning required helping the Black Iron Dwarves and the Sea Demons reconcile, and according to the summoning pattern, the first group of Ability Users summoned in his previous life should have received the same mission.

However, the summoned Ability Users in his previous life had failed to reconcile the two races, leading to their continued enmity.

If he wanted to change this outcome, the key was to find the root of their conflict.

The root of this conflict was why the Black Iron Dwarves were dumping volcanic ash into the Tidal Sea.

Lu Heng stood up and said, "High Priestess, I'd like to meet Friggus and try to find out from him why the Black Iron Dwarves are dumping volcanic ash into the sea. Only by finding the cause can we find a solution."

The Sea Demon Elder, Onatu, scoffed, "These Black Iron Dwarves are a barbaric race. Do they even need a reason to dump trash?"

High Priestess Sona raised her hand to stop Elder Onatu and, after a moment of thought, agreed, "Very well, I choose to believe in you once. I hope you can find out why the Black Iron Dwarves are doing this."

…

After that, Liu Haiyang and the others were taken to the guest area of the Mermaid Clan's territory to rest.

Lu Heng, on the other hand, went to the underwater prison to meet Frigus.

Although it was called an underwater prison, the cells were one of the few places in the deep sea with air.

Since the prisoners were Black Iron Dwarves, the cells had to have air, or they would have drowned long ago.

At this moment, Frigus was locked up in the underwater prison, his lower body soaked in seawater, and his hands and feet shackled, making a loud clanging sound with every movement.

Lu Heng walked up to the cell, leaned against the iron door, and sat down, now at eye level with Frigus.

Upon seeing Lu Heng, Frigus scowled and grunted angrily, "Go tell those damned Mermaids to let me out, or else kill me!"

Lu Heng observed him for a moment and smiled, "Black Iron Dwarves are indeed hot-tempered."

Frigus frowned and glared at Lu Heng, grunting, "How many Black Iron Dwarves have you met? Why do you say we're hot-tempered?"

Lu Heng took out the Tempering Castle's badge, rubbed it, and held it up, waving it in front of Frigus. "Do you recognize this?"

Frigus saw the Tempering Castle badge, and his face showed surprise, "This is... the legendary Tempering Castle?"

He wasn't entirely sure because the Black Iron Dwarves had been migrating for several centuries to escape the Abyss, splitting into many branches.

Some branches had disappeared during the migration, while others, like the Dakville clan, had found suitable habitats, built Blackstone City, and established new homes.

Frigus' Black Iron Dwarf tribe was another branch, inhabiting the Crown of Magma on the Dragon's Rest continent and establishing a Black Iron Dwarf kingdom.

Tempering Castle used to be a landmark building for the Black Iron Dwarves, but after centuries of migration, very few Black Iron Dwarves had actually seen it. However, those with higher status among the Black Iron Dwarves had heard of the legends of Tempering Castle to some extent.

Seeing that Frigus recognized the Tempering Castle badge, Lu Heng's task became simpler.

"I was entrusted by the Master Forger of Tempering Castle to come and assist the various Black Iron Dwarf tribes. In the future, if the opportunity arises, Master Forger Gulu will meet with you," Lu Heng said, causing Frigus' expression to soften, no longer looking so angry.

Frigus grabbed the iron door with both hands and asked eagerly, "Does Tempering Castle still exist?"

Lu Heng nodded and replied, "It does still exist, but currently, Tempering Castle is trapped in overlapping spaces, and its situation isn't too good either. You should understand what it's like in a world invaded by the Abyss."

In fact, Tempering Castle was relatively safe at the moment.

However, this safety was only temporary.

After all, the human world was also suffering from the Abyssal invasion, and no one knew what the future would bring.

If one day, the human world was also swallowed by the Abyss, Tempering Castle's situation would indeed become dire, a real dilemma.

So, in the long run, Tempering Castle's situation wasn't too good.

Frigus glanced at the Mermaid guards at the door and whispered, "Then you should help me escape, and we can deal with these damned Mermaids together."

Lu Heng frowned but didn't try to persuade him.

It was impossible to change someone's mind in a short time, and the urgent task at hand was to clearly ask why the Black Iron Dwarves were dumping volcanic ash into the Tidal Sea.

"I'll ask you a few questions first, and then we'll figure out a way. You should also understand that this is the Mermaid Clan's territory, and it's not easy to get out," Lu Heng said.

Frigus nodded in agreement, "Yes, it doesn't matter if we can't get out. I'll fight these Mermaids!"

Lu Heng quickly changed the subject and asked, "I want to know why you're dumping volcanic ash into the Tidal Sea?"

Frigus looked puzzled and asked, "Is there a need to explain? The Tidal Sea is so vast, and it's not all Mermaid territory."

Lu Heng soothed, "I understand, but now you need to tell me the reason."

Frigus suddenly realized something and questioned, "I get it. You were sent by the Mermaids to interrogate me, right? You're lying to me."

Lu Heng rolled his eyes and said, exasperated, "Do you want me to be locked up like you? Then who will save us?"

Frigus suddenly understood and nodded in agreement, "That's true. If you were also captured, it would be more troublesome. Since you have the Tempering Castle badge, I'll trust you once. Ask whatever you want."

"Why are you dumping volcanic ash into the Tidal Sea?" Lu Heng hurriedly asked, fearing that Frigus would become suspicious again.

"There's no special reason. I just have a mission to regularly transport volcanic ash to the deepest part of the Tidal Sea.

Frigus didn't know the real reason and could only answer what he knew.

Lu Heng heard that the volcanic ash was to be dumped into the deepest part of the Tidal Sea, and he felt the matter was even more bizarre.

If the Black Iron Dwarves were merely disposing of garbage, why go through the trouble of transporting it to the deepest part of the ocean?

Wouldn't it be simpler to dump the volcanic ash into the nearby sea?

The volcanic ash dumped into the sea would eventually be pushed away by the seawater, so why dump it into the deepest part of the Tidal Sea?

Lu Heng pressed further, "Didn't anyone tell you the reason for dumping the volcanic ash? Can't the ash be buried by digging a hole somewhere? Wouldn't digging a hole and burying it be simpler than dumping it into the deep sea?"

For the Black Iron Dwarves, mining and digging were their specialties, while navigation was not their forte.

Therefore, if it was just a matter of disposing of the volcanic ash, they could simply dig a hole and bury it.

There was another strange question: why were the Black Iron Dwarves handling the volcanic ash? Were they concerned about pollution of the atmosphere?

Given the number of Black Iron Dwarves in Dragon's Rest World, it hadn't reached a level where they needed to worry about environmental pollution from volcanic ash.

Moreover, Black Iron Dwarves typically lived in areas rich in geothermal energy, and "eating" volcanic ash was already part of their daily lives.

This matter was suspicious from every angle.

Lu Heng asked further, "Who assigned you this task?"

Frigus furrowed his brows and thought for a while before answering, "It was arranged by the Grand Wizard, who also said that this was for the future of the Black Iron Clan."

Lu Heng asked a few more questions but didn't obtain any more useful information.

After leaving the water prison, Lu Heng went to see the High Priestess Sona of the Mermaid Clan and exchanged the information he had gathered, raising new questions.

This High Priestess Sona had indeed earned her position with her capabilities, and she quickly understood the key points, agreeing to Lu Heng's continued investigation.

Lu Heng thought for a moment and asked, "Was the attack on the Frigus by the deep sea behemoth the doing of the Mermaid Clan?"

High Priestess Sona slowly shook her head, "No."

For this High Priestess of the Mermaid Clan, there was no need to lie. If they had done it, they would have admitted it directly.

"I need to go and check the location of the shipwreck to see if there's anything special about the volcanic ash there," Lu Heng requested.

"Alright, I'll send a team of guards to take you there. Land creatures can breathe underwater with gill grass," High Priestess Sona said and called a Mermaid guard to convey the order.

...

Subsequently, Lu Heng gathered Liu Haiyang and the others, and a group of ten followed the Mermaid Clan's guards to the site where the Frigus had sunk.

Jiang Shaoran used her Tide Summoner ability to create a bubble for Lu Heng and the other three, allowing them to breathe and speak normally underwater.

Lu Heng pointed at the sunken ship and said, "Everyone spread out and check the ship for anything unusual."

"Yes!" The group agreed and spread out, entering the ship to inspect various areas.

The ship had only been sunk for half a day, and already some marine life had entered, making it their habitat.

Lu Heng swam into the interior of the sunken ship. In some cabins that hadn't been completely swallowed by seawater, there was still a small amount of air.

Su Muyu followed behind, releasing a Bright Sunbird to lead the way and drive away the marine life that had entered.

Many of the creatures in the deep sea were venomous. Whether it was a sea snake or a jellyfish, if stung, it could be very troublesome.

Lu Heng swam to the bottom cargo hold of the ship and finally saw the volcanic ash that the ship had been transporting.

The cabin containing the volcanic ash hadn't been completely submerged yet.

As soon as he stepped into the cabin, he felt the temperature around him rise slightly.

It was probably a rise of one or two degrees, but it felt very noticeable.

Lu Heng walked over, reached out and touched the damp volcanic ash, and immediately felt the heat on it.

This situation was strange. Normally, after cooling, volcanic ash wouldn't retain heat and should have been the same temperature as the surrounding environment.

But here, the volcanic ash, already dampened by seawater, was still warm.

Lu Heng picked up a handful and examined it carefully. The more he looked, the more peculiar it seemed. He turned and handed it to Su Muyu, saying, "Put a flame to it and see if there's any change."

Su Muyu released a flame, scorching the pinch of volcanic ash.

The volcanic ash began to absorb the flame and then burned into a ball of fire, which started to flicker as if it had a life of its own.

Seeing this, Lu Heng's eyes widened, and he had already guessed what it was—Gross's Ashes.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end