Chapter 346: The Black Iron Dwarf Kingdom

Chapter 346: The Black Iron Dwarf Kingdom

A sailboat glided across the sea, heading towards the western coast.

Three hundred kilometers away from the western coast of the Tidal Sea, there stood a volcano named Crown of Magma.

The volcano resembled a crown, with magma flowing from its peak, forming a river of lava along its ridges.

This was the territory of the Copperforge Clan, a branch of the Black Iron Dwarves.

Lu Heng and his companions had sailed for a day and a night to reach the Black Iron Dwarf Kingdom.

The Copperforge Clan had established three cities and a port around the Crown of Magma, transforming their clan into a kingdom.

Among the three cities, their capital, Crown of Magma, was the most prosperous.

Five days ago, the news of Captain Frigus' "sacrifice" had spread throughout the kingdom after the Summoner rescued the Black Iron Dwarf.

For the Black Iron Dwarves, being captured by the vicious Sea Demons was as good as a death sentence.

So, when Frigus returned to Crown of Magma, it caused quite a stir among the Black Iron Dwarves.

Upon hearing the news, the crew of the Frigates rushed to see him, surrounding Frigus and crying as they recounted their story.

With Frigus' introduction, Lu Heng and his companions were quickly recognized as Summoners by the Black Iron Dwarves.

These hot-tempered dwarves were not only impulsive but also straightforward.

When they heard that Lu Heng had saved Frigus, a large group of Black Iron Dwarves dragged Lu Heng and his companions to their bonfire party, where they sang, danced, and drank around the campfire.

Frigus, who was already drunk, poured a cup of strong liquor on his foot and then placed it in the fire to warm it up, as his feet had swollen from being soaked in seawater for several days.

The alcohol on his foot caught fire, and his foot was engulfed in a flame that was blue on the inside and red on the outside.

A human would have panicked in such a situation.

However, Frigus seemed unaffected, enjoying the warmth of the alcohol flame.

The flame produced by burning alcohol doesn't get too hot initially during the evaporation stage.

Combined with the Black Iron Dwarves' natural resistance to fire, even if they were burned, it wasn't a significant issue.

Frigus, on the contrary, enjoyed this warmth, hoping to dry his swollen feet.

After the bonfire party, Frigus returned home, packed up his collection of valuable jewels and other treasures, and brought them to Lu Heng, stuffing them into his hands.

"Thank you for saving me. These are for you," he said.

Lu Heng took a look and saw that they were indeed jewels, gold, and silver items, which were undoubtedly valuable. However, even if he brought them back to Bluesphere, they wouldn't be enough to cover the cost of Divine Energy consumption.

"No need. I don't want these jewels. Just take me to see your king," Lu Heng replied.

"No problem. I'll take you to see our king tomorrow," Frigus agreed without hesitation.

...

The following day, the news of Frigus' escape from the Sea Demons spread throughout the entire Dwarf Kingdom.

Even the current Dwarf King, Sorvill Copperforge, wanted to meet Frigus. When Frigus brought Lu Heng and his companions to the Crown of Magma Palace, they were escorted by the guards to meet the king.

They passed through the magnificent architecture of the Crown of Magma and arrived at the Hall of Governance, where they met the Dwarf King Sorvill Copperforge in the grand hall.

Sorvill Copperforge was the third Dwarf King of the Copperforge Clan since they established their kingdom at the Crown of Magma, and he was also the grandson of Emperor Sorenthal.

Sorvill inherited his grandfather's robust physique, standing tall among the dwarves at nearly 1.4 meters, half a head taller than his fellow clansmen.

When he saw Frigus enter, Sorvill stepped down from his throne and walked forward, patting Frigus' arms and praising him, "Excellent! Our brave warrior has returned. Tell us, how did you defeat the Sea Demons?"

Frigus felt embarrassed because he hadn't defeated the Sea Demons to escape.

Since yesterday, rumors of his "defeat" of the Sea Demons and his triumphant return had been spreading like wildfire throughout the kingdom.

He could only smile awkwardly and tried to explain, "Your Majesty, I..."

Not knowing how to continue, he turned to Lu Heng, who stood by his side, and said, "It was this Summoner who saved me."

Dwarf King Sorvill Copperforge looked surprised and turned to Lu Heng, asking, "I heard from the guards that you are a Summoner?"

Lu Heng nodded and replied, "Yes, I am a Summoner."

"Was it you who saved Frigus?"

"To be precise, it was after I spoke with High Priestess Sona of the Sea Demon clan that she agreed to release Captain Frigus."

Upon hearing this answer, Dwarf King Sorvill Copperforge frowned and asked, "What scheme do the Sea Demons have?"

Lu Heng sighed and explained the situation, expressing his willingness to help the Black Iron Dwarves and the Sea Demons reach a reconciliation.

Upon hearing this, King Sorvill Copperforge of the Black Iron Dwarves immediately waved his hand in anger, "Impossible! The Merfolk attacked our ships, and I will not reconcile with such despicable underwater monsters."

Lu Heng didn't bother persuading him and directly brought up the matter of Groth's Ashes, "The ashes poured into the Tidal Sea have already melted the underwater glacier, and the temperature of the nearby waters continues to rise."

"I don't know how much of Groth's Ashes were poured into the Tidal Sea, but even the seawater temperature has increased. This method cannot stop the resurrection of Flame Demon Groth."

Upon hearing this, King Sorvill Copperforge and the Grand Wizard Hogre beside him both changed their expressions in shock.

Even within the Black Iron Dwarf Kingdom, few knew the secret of Groth's Ashes.

"How do you know this?" Sorvill asked in surprise.

"Let me be frank. My recruitment mission is to help the Black Iron Dwarves and the Merfolk reconcile and investigate the reason for Flame Demon Groth's resurrection. If you want the crisis of Flame Demon Groth to be resolved, follow my advice. If you feel you don't need help, that's fine too. I'll take my leave." Lu Heng directly stated his position.

In this recruitment's main quest line, only the first task was related to the Black Iron Dwarves, which was to protect the Black Iron Dwarves on the Frigates.

This task had already been completed.

In other words, the remaining main quests had nothing to do with the Black Iron Dwarves.

Only the third challenge task remained, which required helping the Black Iron Dwarves and the Merfolk reconcile.

However, the challenge task didn't have to be completed forcefully.

In other words, it would be best to help them reconcile, but if time was an issue, they could choose to abandon the task.

If King Sorvill Copperforge was smart enough, he should know what choice to make.

If he still chose to continue the hostility with the Merfolk, there was no need to waste time here.

If a ruler of a kingdom lacked the ability to see the situation clearly, any help would be a waste of time.

The hostility between the Black Iron Dwarves and the Merfolk had no positive benefits.

The Merfolk wouldn't come ashore, and the Black Iron Dwarves couldn't possibly dive into the sea to wage war with the Merfolk.

If the two races continued their hostility, the result would be endless minor conflicts, and the Black Iron Dwarves would lose their right to sail.

Lu Heng added, "Also, if the Black Iron Clan agrees to reconcile, I will convince the Merfolk to join in finding a solution to the crisis of Flame Demon Groth."

King Sorvill Copperforge fell into deep thought and didn't immediately agree.

Reconciliation with the Merfolk wasn't just his decision; it concerned the entire Black Iron Dwarf Kingdom.

He had a lot to consider and couldn't just agree casually; he also had to consider the feelings of his clan.

Seeing him in deep thought, Lu Heng mentally gave him a positive evaluation.

The ability to think indicated he wasn't too foolish.

So, Lu Heng took out the Tempering Castle emblem, "There's one more thing. I come on behalf of Tempering Castle. The master forger Grumble sends his regards to the Black Iron Dwarf Kingdom."

Upon hearing the name Tempering Castle, Sorvill Copperforge was taken aback and asked in surprise, "You're from Tempering Castle?"

"Yes, I'm a close friend of Master Grumble from Tempering Castle. Master Grumble hopes to meet his fellow clansmen in the future." Lu Heng nodded in response.

"Where is Tempering Castle located?" Sorvill Copperforge asked hurriedly.

"It's in the overlapping space between the Abyssal World and the Human World, temporarily safe, but we don't know how long it can be maintained." Lu Heng replied.

The legend of Tempering Castle was ancient to the Black Iron Dwarves.

Therefore, Sorvill Copperforge couldn't immediately believe Lu Heng's words and turned to look at the Grand Wizard Hogre beside him.

Regarding the ancient legends of the Black Iron Dwarves, it was clear that this elderly Grand Wizard was more familiar.

The Grand Wizard Hogre, unlike the robust physique of the Dwarf King, wore a wizard's robe, held a staff, had a long beard, and his eyes were filled with wisdom.

Grand Wizard Hogre descended the steps and approached Lu Heng, asking, "You say you're from Tempering Castle. Apart from this emblem, do you have other proof?"

Lu Heng drew the Aurora Blade and showed it to the two, "This is Master Grumble's work. I believe you've seen Black Iron Dwarf forging craftsmanship."

King Sorvill Copperforge and Grand Wizard Hogre saw the sword and simultaneously showed surprised expressions, "This is... a divine weapon!"

The Brass Forge Kingdom also had master forgers who could forge high-level weapons and equipment, but Infernal Wyrm-level forging materials weren't easily obtainable.

Even within the Brass Forge Kingdom, divine weapons like the Aurora Blade were extremely rare and considered national treasures.

"It's true that this is the craftsmanship of the Black Iron Dwarves, but that only proves that this sword was forged by a master blacksmith of the Black Iron Dwarves. It doesn't prove that you're from Tempering Castle." The Grand Wizard Hogre was cautious and raised his doubts again.

Lu Heng spread his hands and asked, "Then how do you think I can prove my connection to Tempering Castle?"

Hogre pondered for a moment, and a glint flashed in his eyes. "I'll take you to the Hall of Ancestors and try to establish contact with Tempering Castle. Are you willing to go?"

Lu Heng furrowed his brows and asked, "How do you plan to contact Tempering Castle?"

Hogre waved his hand and said, "You don't need to worry about that. I have my ways."

Lu Heng nodded in agreement. "Alright, but what if we can't make contact?"

Hogre hummed for a moment. "In that case, we won't be able to verify your claims, and we'll need to approach this with caution."

Since Lu Heng and his group came from the territory of the Merfolk Clan, Hogre needed to be vigilant and ensure they weren't spies sent by the Merfolk.

To the other Black Iron Dwarves, Lu Heng's group was instinctively considered friends because he had saved Frigus.

However, someone in the Black Iron Dwarf Kingdom needed to remain vigilant, and that person was the Grand Wizard Hogre.

"Let's give it a try," Lu Heng said, unsure if he could make it work.

If he could indeed contact Tempering Castle as he claimed, many things would become simpler.

...

Led by the Grand Wizard Hogre and King Sorvill Copperforge, the group left the Administration Hall and headed for the Hall of Ancestors.

The Hall of Ancestors was a place in the Black Iron Dwarf Kingdom dedicated to honoring their ancestors.

The Hall of Ancestors was originally envisioned to be grand, with a ten-meter-tall statue of the first king of the Brass Forge Kingdom, Emperor Sorenthal Copperforge, standing in the center.

The group first paid their respects to Emperor Sorenthal's statue.

Then, Grand Wizard Hogre approached an altar in the Hall of Ancestors, took out a crystal core, held it in his palm, and said, "Place the Tempering Castle emblem on the altar."

Lu Heng thought for a moment and, feeling there shouldn't be any issues, placed the emblem on the altar.

Grand Wizard Hogre began chanting incantations, awakening the souls of ancestors and searching for the location of Tempering Castle through its emblem.

This process took quite some time.

Ten minutes passed, and nothing happened.

Twenty minutes went by, and there was still no change.

Half an hour later, there was still no sign of anything happening.

Everyone present exchanged glances, and doubts about the ceremony began to surface.

However, Grand Wizard Hogre continued chanting without any intention of stopping, so the group had no choice but to wait patiently.

After an hour had passed, Lu Heng was getting impatient and even started to question whether the Grand Wizard of the Black Iron Dwarf Kingdom truly had the ability to contact Tempering Castle.

After all, Tempering Castle had hidden itself in the overlapping space between the Abyssal World and the Human World, separate from Dragon's Rest World, making contact with it an unimaginable challenge.

Just as everyone was losing hope, Grand Wizard Hogre suddenly widened his eyes, and a burst of brilliance flashed in them. He shouted and pointed his staff forward.

A burst of magical energy shot out, creating a magic screen in front of them.

An image gradually appeared on the screen, followed by a coarse voice.

"What's going on here?"

This voice was unmistakably that of Master Grumble.

Hearing this voice, Lu Heng quickly spoke up, "Master, it's me. I'm currently in the Black Iron Dwarf Kingdom."

Master Grumble's delighted voice immediately came through the magic screen, "Lu Heng, is that you? I was wondering why this brass mirror was glowing. Have you really found the kingdom of the Black Iron Dwarves?"

Lu Heng hurriedly replied, "Yes, I'm in the kingdom established by the Copperforge Clan, located at the Crown of Magma in Dragon's Rest World. It was the Grand Wizard Hogre who contacted Tempering Castle through the souls of ancestors."

"I'm not sure how long this conversation will last, so let's get straight to the point.

"There are two things you need to clarify with the king of the Copperforge Clan. First is my identity, and second, I hope you can convince the Brass Forge Kingdom to follow my advice."

Master Grumble agreed to these requests without hesitation, "Who's the king of the dwarves? From now on, listen to Lu Heng's arrangements. He will help us."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end