Path of Light.

Chapter 958, Section 957: Compensation
Roy learned from the grey dwarf prisoners of war that the grey dwarves native to Durag's Knee had been driven to the Villaria Valley on the west coast by the Dark Legion, which was the grey dwarves' last sanctuary in Durag's Knee.

The Black Riders of Nakhmar planted the banner of the Abyss across most of the territory of Drag's Knee.

Currently, approximately two million grey dwarves live in the Valley of Villalia, a narrow valley formed by the Gangdise Mountains and the Padesles Mountains, which converge in the interior of the Drag Knee to form a rugged mountain range.

This rugged mountain range is now the last line of defense for the Grey Dwarves against the Nakmar demons, the forces of the Abyss.

The city of Pristis, built by the Grey Dwarves at the pass where the Gangdise Mountains and the Padesles Mountains meet, is currently home to more than 400,000 Grey Dwarves. It is the Grey Dwarves of Pristis who have kept the Nakma Witches firmly at bay outside the mountains.

However, the mountain city has become dilapidated and ruined due to the Nakma demons' continuous attacks, and the walls built on the cliff may collapse at any time.

At that time, this mountain city will be directly exposed to the black knights of the Nakma demons...

Currently, nearly two million grey dwarves remain trapped in the Valley of Villalia. Of these two million grey dwarves, 400,000 live in the city of Presity, nearly 800,000 grey dwarves are gathered in the coastal city of Boles, and the remaining 800,000 grey dwarves are scattered throughout the narrow valley that stretches for more than 400 kilometers.

Some of the grey dwarves fled to the Frozen Isles and the Black Gold Mountains.

The Grey Dwarves' territory now consists only of the Villaria Valley, nestled between these two mountain ranges.

Throughout the entire Dragk's Knee, except for the Villaria Valley on the west coast, the dwarf and orc alliance constructed a defensive line on the eastern side of the Montenz Valley, protecting the eastern Gatian Plains behind them.

On the Gatian Plain, the gray dwarves are rarely seen anymore; it is said that the entire plain has been reduced to ruins.

Currently, only the combined forces of dwarves and orcs are stationed on the eastern side of the Montenegrin Rift. The dwarves have built a wall along the edge of the rift, and they are facing off against the Nakmar demons, with the rift serving as the boundary.

The dwarf and orc alliance has given up on the idea of ​​repelling the Dark Legion. They now hope that the Grey Dwarves can rally and form a pincer movement with the alliance to trap the Nakhmar demons in the heart of Drag's Knee. Additionally, they hope that third-tier warriors will go to the Great Rift to destroy the Abyss Gate deep within it.

Only these Nakhmal demons have a chance of successfully retreating from Durag's knees...

For many years, the Grey Dwarves have committed numerous atrocities on the west coast of the Eastern Continent, and their enmity with the Elves is not a recent phenomenon.

Therefore, the elves did not want to get involved in the war over the Knee of Dragagr. The elves felt that it would be just as difficult for the Nakmar demons to take the Knee of Dragagr from the grey dwarves as it would be for them to take Darnassus from the elves.

Even if the Dark Legion does conquer Durrag, there are still the Orc tribes on the vast Mensa Plains to resist the Dark Legion's forces.

If the Dark Legion were to breach the northern region of the Eastern Continent, there would be a defensive line with the Evernight Forest as the first line of defense, the Veranosz Mountains as the second line of defense, and Darnassus, the World Tree inhabited by the Wood Elves, as the third line of defense.

If the Dark Legion were to enter Darnassus under the World Tree, it would mean the entire Eastern Continent was about to fall.

The Grey Dwarves, though no match for the Nakhmar Demons, control the entire west coast of the Eastern Continent.

The fact that the waters around Quel'Thalas and the Straits of Mensa are now occupied by the hybrid elves, completely cutting off their southward migration route, is the most fatal blow to the grey dwarves.

Yesterday, two Poseidon warships rushed down from the strobosphere and launched a probing attack on the Nantali Islands, but were forced back by the Griffin Cavalry.

This made the high command of the Northern Fleet realize one thing: the half-elf mine guards, with their numerous magic airships and griffon cavalry regiments, had become an insurmountable barrier on their southward migration route.

……

The Frozen Isle is an island located northwest of Drag's Knee, within the Frozen Sea.

The entire frozen island covers an area of ​​approximately ninety square kilometers, and its shape resembles a spoon with the handle pointing southwest.

This area serves as the rear base for the Northern Fleet. The entire southern coastline of the island is formed by a 15-kilometer-long seawall, where most of the Northern Fleet's ships are anchored.

Often, the high command of the Northern Fleet issues orders from here.

They are also the biggest backers of all the grey dwarf bandits on the west coast of the entire eastern continent. As long as the grey dwarf bandits send some resources to the frozen island, they can exchange them for anything they need, including but not limited to three-masted sailing ships, ballistae, and various military equipment.

For a long time, the gray dwarf bandits on the west coast and the Northern Army fleet have had a symbiotic relationship. They need the gray dwarf bandits to bring back a constant stream of various supplies, and the gray dwarf bandits also need the Northern Army fleet to provide various military support.

However, this good cooperative relationship gradually changed a decade ago. As the gray dwarf bandits on the west coast of the eastern continent grew stronger, they gradually began to break free from the control of the northern army fleet.

These grey dwarf bandits extended their reach to the elven continent and the Endless Sea, and began to devote their energy to the slave trade...

They even began plotting to wage war year after year on the Queen Evanni Islands, which the Silvermoon Elf Kingdom had always occupied. Unbeknownst to many, at least half of the more than 500,000 gray dwarf bandits who were originally active on the west coast of the eastern continent have now vanished.

The most crucial waterway for the southward migration, the Elven Kingdom, is now completely in the hands of the mixed-blood elves.

This is what's giving the Northern Fleet the biggest headache. The southward migration plan, which was originally scheduled to be implemented at the beginning of 2589 in the Green Empire calendar, had to be temporarily shelved because the mixed-blood elves had occupied the waters around Que Island.

When it will reopen depends on when the Northern Fleet can deal with these hybrid elves.

"Look! What did I tell you? Those half-elves suddenly appeared on Quel'Thalas. Actually, we first saw signs of this during the Battle of Queen Evanni Islands... And now look at them. They've brought back a griffin cavalry regiment and are blocking the way. They also have dozens of airships, and now they've joined forces with the orc tribes of Mensa Plains."

Standing at the head of the table, Field Marshal Kane, the supreme commander of the Northern Fleet, roared angrily at his officers gathered around the long conference table:
"They have seized our Nouyun Fortress and the Gulf of Aden Fortress, and now our fleet cannot even enter the Mensa Strait."

He pounded the conference table so hard that the veins on his forehead almost popped out.

"I repeatedly emphasized from the beginning that when opening up the sea route, it would be best to bypass the Elf World if possible. The Elf World has a powerful flying force, from the earliest Emerald Dragon Legion to the later Dragon Eagle Legion and Elf Dragon Legion, and then to the Silver Pegasus Legion. Which legion is easy to mess with?"

"Although the three elven races have gradually declined, their foundation is still there! Now the Griffin Cavalry has emerged. Tell me, how should we deal with this? How should we deal with this!"

"Should we send out the last seven Poseidon warships on the island at the same time, taking all the magic crystals, and risk exhausting all our resources to turn these half-elf warriors into cannon fodder?"

A grey dwarf officer immediately stood up, interrupting Marshal Kane's speech, and shouted:
"Marshal Kane, I disagree with your point of view. I don't believe that depleting all the magic crystal reserves will completely eliminate this half-elf army!"

A group of gray dwarf officers stared at him as if he were a fool, unable to understand where this unfamiliar face had come from.

"You sit down right now and shut your mouth before I finish speaking, you unruly wretch!" Marshal Kane roared, pointing his golden cane at the young grey dwarf officer.

He then addressed all the officers present:

"I've gathered everyone here today to hear your opinions. The situation in Presites City is very bad right now. We still have about two million gray dwarves in the Villalia Valley, and they need to be evacuated from the Villalia Valley as soon as possible."

"Our two Poseidon warships just returned to port yesterday. They encountered resistance from the half-elf flying army as soon as they arrived at the Nantali Islands..."

"What do you all think about how we should fight this battle?"

After saying this, Marshal Kane sat back down in the main seat.

The grey dwarf officers whispered amongst themselves, each with their own thoughts and an attempt to guess what the others were thinking.

A grey dwarf officer in a captain's uniform stood up and said irritably:
"If you ask me, we should send our entire fleet to the Mensa Strait. With so many ships and seven Poseidon warships, as long as we work together, we can definitely repel this half-elf fleet..."

Marshal Kane stared coldly at him and asked in a deep voice:

"And then what? Putting aside the predicament the grey dwarves stranded in the Valley of Veralia will face after the defeat, even if we can engage in a tug-of-war with the half-elves in the Strait of Mensa... how much time do we have left for the terrible situation at Durag's Knee?"

The grey dwarf official blushed slightly and stammered in response:
"If the gray dwarves of the Villalia Valley organize another group of warriors to garrison the city of Precitus, they should be able to hold out for a few more years without any problem."

"Then I appoint you as the supreme military commander of this support force, and lead your new army to reinforce Pristis," Marshal Kane said firmly, pointing at the gray dwarf official without any mercy.

The gray dwarf official dared not argue, shrinking his neck like a red-faced quail.

“I think… we can try to make contact with these half-elf people. It would be best if we all sat down together and had a serious talk about what price we would have to pay to safely pass through the Mensa Strait and the waters around Quetzalcoatl!”

"Those half-elf people won't ask for exorbitant prices. Compared to the resources that will be consumed in the war, the compensation might not be that terrifying!"

An elderly grey dwarf sitting to Marshal Kane's right spoke up.

At this moment, the meeting hall suddenly fell silent, and more than half of the gray dwarf officers stared at him with incredulous eyes.

At the same time, some of the grey dwarf officers suddenly realized that this method might not be entirely unfeasible...

If the goal of migrating south can be achieved at a relatively low cost, it might be worth a try.

However, this is a matter that is easier said than done, as they represent the Northern Fleet.

They have no shame at all, going to negotiate with those half-elf people on their own initiative.
……

Roy never expected that he would receive such a letter one day.

The letter came from Field Marshal Kane, the Supreme Commander of the Northern Fleet, and its main message was that the Northern Fleet hoped both sides could cease hostilities.

Furthermore, the mine guards were willing to clear a sea route for the grey dwarves of Durag to migrate south by ship, and the Northern Fleet was willing to pay a certain amount of compensation for this.

"The negotiators from the Grey Dwarves have arrived at the Nantali Islands and are currently under our surveillance."

Captain Rodhart reported to Roy.

"Should we call him over now?"

Roy was in a cabin on the main island of Nantali, which was temporarily serving as the command center for the mine guards. Roy was comparing the hand-drawn nautical chart by Abbott with the nautical chart seized from the gray dwarves.

Currently, the warehouses on Nantali Island are filled with various supplies. They have become the largest supplier of supplies to the orcs of the Mensa Plains. So far, the cooperation with the orcs has been quite pleasant.

Almost all of the superior weapons Roy sold to the Horde orcs were sent to the northern battlefields.

It is said that the fighting there is extremely intense, with the orcish and dwarven alliance currently bearing the brunt of the Nak'mar demon army's pressure...

"Let him wait a couple of days. There's no rush for these things. Besides, they're the ones who've come to us for talks, so we should keep them in suspense..."

As Roy finished speaking, he casually planted a small flag on the frozen island on the map.

"Boss, do you think we should give up this sea route?"

Captain Rodhart asked Roy curiously.

"We should give way when necessary, otherwise what will happen to all those gray dwarves who are determined to leave?" Roy said with a smile.

He just didn't expect that the Northern Fleet was a paper tiger.

They usually act tough and seem very intimidating, but after a head-on confrontation, you realize that these guys are all bark and no bite, and have absolutely no guts.

"Since they've offered us some compensation, let's see what good stuff we can get from them..."

"Boss, weren't you still thinking about capturing two Sea Emperor warships? You can definitely mention it to them this time!"

Captain Rodhart said with a grin.

Roy patted his forehead and said:
“If you hadn’t mentioned it… I would have completely forgotten! That makes sense. Don’t forget to remind me when we’re discussing compensation.”

(End of this chapter)