Path of Light.

Chapter 966, Section 961: Boles

Roy stood at the bow of the boat, one hand on the ram's horn, staring at the biting north wind and looking down at the black mountains and white waters...

This is the northernmost point of the Eastern Continent, the settlement of the Grey Dwarves for thousands of years—Dragg's Knee.

Although the vast Mensa Plain in the central part of the eastern continent is still in autumn, and the entire plain is painted with gold, there is a wide plain to the south of the Black Gold Mountains, while to the north are endless black mountain ranges.

Further north lies a landscape of black mountains and white waters, with virtually no other colors visible, as if the ground beneath your feet is a colorless black and white world.

The Black Gold Mountain Range not only runs east to west across the entire eastern continent, but its width from north to south also exceeds several thousand kilometers. The entire Black Gold Mountain Range is formed by countless tiny, caterpillar-like towering mountains...

Beyond the steep Black Gold Mountains lies the Drag's Knee to the north.

Durag is the god worshipped by the Grey Dwarves, and this black land can be translated as the knee of the god Durag in the Dwarven language, indicating that this is a hard land.

The grey dwarves have lived here for thousands of years, and every mountain and river has a name in their language.

What Roy couldn't understand was why the grey dwarves would rather become bandits in the Endless Sea than fight to the death against the Nakhmar demons at the Knee of Drag. Did those dark legions that came out of the Abyss really terrify the grey dwarves and make them run away in terror?
In recent decades, the influence of Grey Dwarf bandits on the west coast of the Elven world has been rampant. They possess three-masted sailing ships that are faster than flying fish ships and medium-sized sailing ships. A large number of Grey Dwarf bandits have been plundering Elven slaves on the west coast, which has caused the relationship between Grey Dwarfs and Elves to deteriorate to an extreme point.

Two years ago, Roy would never have imagined that he would one day arrive at Durag's Knee in a magic airship.

At that time, his understanding of Durag was limited to the geography he had learned at the Elf Academy; he only knew that to the north of the Mensa Plain lay vast expanses of white mountains and black waters…

Perhaps because the magic airship was too high off the land, even after crossing the Black Gold Mountains, Roy still couldn't see any cities belonging to the Grey Dwarves among the crisscrossing black mountain ranges below; all he saw were snow-capped peaks.

Several snow geese glided through the turbulent layer behind the sail. Although these snow geese are not much bigger than ordinary ducks, their north-south migration route can almost traverse the entire eastern continent.

They aren't even considered low-level magical beasts, but they are the most common birds in the Wind Stream Layer, and you can find more and more of them the further north you go.

In fact, some flying magical beasts had appeared in the sky along the way through the Black Gold Mountains. However, the magic airship was not only escorted by griffin riders, but also had a magic cannon mounted on the bow. After smelling the danger, those flying magical beasts immediately spread their wings and fled.

After crossing the Black Gold Mountains, these flying magical beasts disappeared without a trace...

The half-elf crew members on the Black Pearl magic airship took turns standing guard on the lookout tower. In such cold weather, even those wrapped in fur coats were chilled to the bone by the cold wind.

The sea to the west had turned from azure to black, with only the white crests visible in the surging waves, and some huge icebergs floating in the sea.

Flying further north, we will enter the Frozen Sea, where the ocean is said to be buried under a huge ice shell, and many walrus people live in that icy world.

Roy withdrew his gaze and turned his head, just in time to see a snow-white arm leaning out of the ship's window, the arm outstretched against the cold wind.

Then Moira poked her head out of the window and saw Roy standing at the bow of the ship, flashing him a sweet smile, her chestnut hair fluttering in the wind...

……

The elves do not want to live in the icy and snowy environment because the Tree of Life cannot grow in such an environment.

Only in evergreen forests can the Tree of Life possibly grow...

Looking down from the magic airship at the black land of Durag's Knee, every mountain peak was covered with snow, and the world seemed to consist only of black and white.

Even the distant sea was pitch black, with only the icebergs floating in the sea showing a few specks of white.

Seeing the land beneath her feet completely shrouded in black, Moira couldn't help but frown, craning her neck to peer down, and said to Roy with some distress:
"There doesn't seem to be a forest here."

She was wearing a tight-fitting leather armor and when she came out of the cabin, she was draped in a black cloak.

At this moment, her face was still flushed red from the biting cold wind in the high sky. Although she had already stepped halfway into the realm of a second-level expert, her body still could not resist the piercing cold wind in the Wind Flow Layer.

Roy stayed by Moira's side, holding her hand, and explained to her:
"This is the northernmost point of the eastern continent. The forests here are mainly composed of pine, cypress, birch and oak trees. You can't see the forest from the ship because it is autumn in Dulag now, and most of the trees have lost their leaves. These trees blend into the color of the mountains, and you can't see the forest at all unless you look carefully."

At this moment, the grey dwarf thought of slowly climbing down from the mainmast lookout tower, and he also imitated the way the other half-elf crew members addressed Roy:
"Boss Roy, the city of Boles is just ahead. Fly a little further and the magic airship will leave the gale layer and begin its descent."

“Rodhart, you go and discuss the next voyage route with this guide.”

Roy called out to Rodhart in the captain's cabin.

"Alright, sir. This grey dwarf guide, please have a seat in the captain's cabin. There's hot lemon tea here, and I also have a few bottles of very rare orange liqueur in my personal collection..."

Captain Rodhart shouted at the grey dwarf guide.

Roy continued to stand with Moira at the bow of the ship. Moira rarely came out of the cabin, but Sabrina, who often fed her white griffin, was frequently seen on the ship. At this moment, she was next to the griffin's nest in the flower bed on the roof of the ship, throwing small fish to the white griffin.

Soon the half-elf turned off the four levitation devices on both sides of the magic airship. The upward buoyancy of the levitation devices could not support the entire ship, and the magic airship began to fall. The two magic airships behind it also fell with the Black Pearl.

At this point, the three magic airships need to maintain close communication...

If not careful, the three airships could get separated in the complex air currents.

Most of the half-elf crew members on deck had taken refuge in the cabins, leaving only a few crew members who had to stand guard by the levitation device. These half-elf crew members had their safety ropes tightly tied to their bodies, but even so, they were still blown about by the unpredictable wind.

Roy did not retreat into the ship's deck; he remained standing at the bow, one hand gripping the handrail behind the bronze ram's horn, the other arm around Moira's slender waist.

Moira nestled in Roy's arms, fascinated by the scenery of the mountains below. She leaned out of the ship's railing and peered down...

At this moment, Sabrina also came down from the top of the ship's deck.

As a sword dancer who has entered the second job advancement, this strong wind is not so fierce for her. It can't even make her bend over. The fierce wind blows her cloak high, but she walks step by step to the bow of the ship.

Why are you still standing here?

Sabrina didn't quite understand why Moira and Roy insisted on standing at the bow of the ship at this time.

"I want to see what's down there..."

Moira said somewhat willfully.

"The mountains near the Black Gold Mountains are covered with a large number of magical beast forests. The further south you go, the fewer magical beasts there are. Do you see that dark green? That's the Villaria Valley. There are still more than a million gray dwarves living in that valley." Sabrina said to Moira, pointing north while holding onto the ship's railing with one hand.

Moira looked at her sister with some admiration:

"Oh, how do you know so much detail?"

“If you go to the captain’s cabin every day, it’s impossible not to know. These guys are always talking about these things around the map!” Sabrina said calmly.

"It's too cold outside. Let's go back into the cabin to warm up. Once the magic airship descends from the clouds, we'll be able to see the mountains below..."

Roy had one arm around Moira's slender waist and the other hand holding Sabrina's hand.

At first, Sabrina tried to struggle, but Roy held her tightly.

Sabrina hesitated for a moment, then looked into the distance, no longer resisting...

The boy who bravely lifted her skirt back then finally won her heart. He matured little by little from his naivety, but the only thing that remained unchanged was his sincere and kind eyes.

He squatted under the tree counting ants with Moira, he ran with Moira on the beach, he secretly grilled fish for Moira to eat. It seemed that in Sabrina's memory, the two of them had never been apart, but she did not know that she, as an observer, was also always in these scenes.

……

The magic airship began its descent, leaving the airspace.

The half-elf crew not only had to lower the sails, but also maintain a constant angle between the ship and the wind...

More than an hour later, the magic airship finally broke free from the wind layer and returned to the clouds.

At this moment, the magic airship became exceptionally stable. There was no strong wind, and the magic airship could only rely on the stern propulsion device to continue moving forward.

Above the clouds, the clouds beneath your feet are like thick cotton wool, giving you an irresistible urge to leap into this boundless cotton wool.

Soon, the three magic airships converged above the clouds. The crew members on the lookout towers of the three airships signaled that everything was normal, and Captain Rodhart took the lead in piloting the Black Pearl down from the clouds.

The other two magic airships followed closely behind, disappearing into the thick clouds.

As the magic airship emerged from the thick clouds, the land beneath our feet instantly became clear in our view, and the mountains and rivers took on even more vivid colors.

Pushing open the round window, Moira struggled to stick her head out.

Although there was still a cold wind outside, compared to the strong winds in the lacustrine layer, it was like a gentle warm current...

Enduring the messy wind-blown hair, Moira looked down and saw the glaciers and snow on the mountain peaks. Connected to the snow and ice were large areas of dark rocks. Further down the mountainside, a vast black forest came into Moira's view.

These forests extend downwards, their color gradually lightening, with pale yellow and tender green appearing deep in some valleys...

Not every valley has a river; only most valleys have rivers.

As the magic airship descended, it slowly traversed these mountains and rivers. Moira's gaze fell upon the deep, frozen sea in the distance, where a light-colored coastline appeared where the Black Sea met the land.

Right at the edge of this coastline, Moira saw some shipyards where large sailing ships were moored.

She finally saw the seaside city—Boles.

The city's most distinctive feature is its harbor, which stretches for several kilometers along the coastline, where a row of ships far larger than imperial merchant vessels are moored.

The docks were also packed with densely packed grey dwarves, who were arranged into countless long lines by the organizers. They carried huge knapsacks on their backs and some luggage in their hands, and most of the grey dwarves were accompanied by some children.

They are gradually converging on these large ships...

Looking around, there were at least a hundred large ships on the entire dock, all constantly absorbing these gray dwarves.

The docks were arguably the liveliest place in Borles.

The city itself presented a stark contrast; it was a scene of utter devastation, littered with makeshift tents. Though teeming with grey dwarves, the city was utterly lifeless.

On the main roads leading in all directions outside the city, tens of thousands of gray dwarves are converging on the city of Boles along the valley...

Everywhere there were scenes of mass migration, with large numbers of damaged vehicles and wooden crates abandoned on both sides of the road.

"Have they already started migrating south?"

Moira turned to Roy behind her and asked.

"Yes, it started more than two weeks ago!"

Moira found it somewhat strange, after all, this was the homeland of the gray dwarves:
"Are they really going to abandon this place?"

Roy squeezed next to Moira, looking at the chaotic scene below, and became even more determined in his mind. He said to her:
"Yes, otherwise they wouldn't have spent such a huge sum just to buy this section of the southward migration route from us. If it weren't for the time pressure, they probably would have fought several more tough battles with us."

"This is the city of the Grey Dwarves!" Moira exclaimed in surprise.

Roy's gaze also fell on the city of Boles.

Compared to the forest cities of the elves, the cities built by the grey dwarves are more in line with Roy's understanding of the word 'city'.

Despite having a pier several kilometers long, the city of Boles was built against this narrow pier, with magnificent city walls nearly thirty meters high, equivalent to a twelve-story building, completely surrounding the entire city...

The city is filled with crowded buildings, with the long streets almost all connected, and each building has its own unique characteristics.

The entire city was built of white-gray rock blocks. There was no moat at the base of the city walls, only some iron spikes a few meters long extending outwards from the base of the walls...

Roy hadn't expected Boles to be such a formidable city, yet the grey dwarves showed absolutely no intention of defending it against the black cavalry of the Nakhma demons. Upon closer examination, the answer sent a chill down Roy's spine.

(End of this chapter)