Path of Light.

Chapter 971, Section 966: Outside the City
The large influx of grey dwarves into Boles City has caused severe congestion on the road leading from Boles City to the city of Pristis.

These grey dwarves had to stand on both sides of the road for the giant carriage to move slowly forward...

This resulted in the carriage taking half a day to travel only thirty kilometers. Roy, sitting in the carriage, could still see the vague outline of the city of Precitus when he looked back.

Roy felt that at this slow pace, he didn't know when they would reach Pristis, so he asked his lieutenant Luke to ride back to Boles City and have Captain Rodhart send someone to bring the Black Pearl over. Even if the Black Pearl was propelled by a propulsion device to fly at low altitude, it would be much faster than traveling by carriage.

It's just burning more magic crystals. The mine guards intercepted so many imperial merchant ships in the Mensa Strait, and their vaults are overflowing with magic crystals. It's not unreasonable to splurge a little now and then.

Luke rode the argali sheep he had borrowed from the gray dwarf warriors and sped toward the city of Boles.

The giant carriage broke down again on the slippery, muddy downhill road. The hillside, covered with withered yellow moss, was filled with gray dwarves heading towards the city of Boles.

Roy stepped out of the carriage. The black mud and ice water on the road mixed together, covering the wheels and axles of the giant carriage with mud. The gray dwarf coachman, wrapped in a tattered old fur coat, was lying under the carriage floor cleaning the mud.

"The second axle was broken by a protruding rock on the road. The giant carriage will need to replace the axle to continue its journey."

The grey dwarf official leaned closer to Roy and explained.

"Then I'll just wander around the neighborhood."

Roy didn't say anything.

He looked at the flat, mossy slope on the hillside, wondering why everyone insisted on squeezing onto this muddy road. He left the muddy main road and stepped onto the soft, thick moss. The gray dwarf official behind him stared wide-eyed, his mouth agape in an "O" shape.

Roy's left leg, below the knee, was completely swallowed by moss. His boots sank into the soft, cold mud, and he lost his balance, almost falling into the seemingly flat mossy ground.

Sabrina, who was following behind Roy, quickly reached out and pulled Roy to steady his center of gravity.

Roy had no idea that beneath the thick, carpet-like moss lay a swamp. He hadn't noticed this, completely misled by the gray dwarves slowly moving across the mossy ground.

In fact, many gray dwarves were also carrying heavy loads on the mossy slopes. Roy only stepped on the mossy ground without hesitation after seeing that they were able to stand steadily on it.

When he finally managed to pull his feet out of the mud, his boots were covered in mud.

"The Villaria Valley is full of this kind of muddy tundra. Unless you are an experienced gatherer who can avoid most of the mud pits in the tundra, you'd better just wait by the roadside."

The grey dwarf official following Roy then added a comment.

The giant wagons had caused congestion, forcing the grey dwarves heading to Boles to detour around them.

Roy then noticed that the gray dwarves who were able to walk slowly across the tundra were all stepping on something that looked like door panels.

They didn't wander around randomly; instead, they obediently followed behind the leader, tracing a winding, undulating path across the swampy tundra.

The great mage Graemus also stepped out of the carriage. He didn't chant any spells; instead, a faint ring of ice crystals surrounded his body. As he stepped onto the tundra, a pale blue halo appeared from the toe of his left foot. After the halo dissipated, ice began to rapidly form beneath Graemus's feet, spreading outwards to form a circular ice sheet more than a meter in diameter...

He didn't stop walking, but kept moving forward until an icy path appeared beneath his feet.

"I've been telling you to learn magic for a long time, but you prefer divine magic. Now you know the benefits of magic, don't you?"

Graemes walked ahead, speaking somewhat smugly to Roy who was following behind him.

Elves don't need to awaken to learn magic; they are born with the ability to control elemental power. If they want to learn magic, they can go directly to the Elf Academy. After graduation, they can join the Magic Guild, which is a very large organization in the Elf world.

Elf magicians are scattered throughout the cities, and their numbers are vast.

Roy's mine guards, in conjunction with the Siren Legion from the Partington plane, were able to defeat the Dark Faceless Legion, and these magical weapons were one of the factors in their victory.

I shook the mud off my boots, but it wouldn't come off.

"The roads here are really bad."

Roy muttered something to himself.

Moira followed behind Roy, one hand clutching the back of his shirt, watching the group of gray dwarves in the distance with curiosity.

The people standing next to the carriage followed Roy down the mossy slope.

High Chief Grop, accompanied by a group of orc chieftains, followed at the very back. Instead of walking on the icy path, they hung their boots around their necks and walked barefoot on the cold, muddy tundra.

The orcs didn't care that the tundra was swallowing their calves; they just waded through it, creating a path. The black mud that emerged was exceptionally conspicuous on the tundra.

Those dwarves had too short legs; they couldn't walk like orcs...

"This is not a suitable place for elves to live."

Graemes looked at the vast tundra in the valley and turned to Roy.

Roy shrugged, sighed, and replied:

"I know, but something is better than nothing!"

Following behind Graemus, Opeia's gaze fell on Roy's face, her eyes always filled with burning emotion. Her beautiful face was like a delicate, vibrant red rose, perfectly showcasing the alluring beauty of a Silver Moon Elf woman...

"Are you planning to have the mine guards face the Dark Legion's Nakhmar Black Riders head-on?" Opea asked Roy.

This time, she came to Drag with her team not because she was worried that the Nakhmar demons would sweep across the entire eastern continent and rush into the elven kingdom from the north, but because she wanted to see the actual situation here.

She came here on the magic airship, wanting only to see with her own eyes what the young half-elf she had taken a liking to was up to.

If he gets into danger, I can open a portal immediately and take him to safety.

However, when Opea set foot on this land of white mountains and black waters and saw large numbers of disheveled gray dwarves converging on the port of Boles like refugees, her thoughts began to slowly change...

Just how brutal were the Nakhmar demons to drive the equally ferocious, cunning, and bloodthirsty Grey Dwarves from their homeland where they had lived for thousands of years?
It's clear that the grey dwarves in the Villaria Valley live a miserable life...

That's why Opeia asked Roy that question.

Roy knew that Opeia's question was actually meant to say to him: 'The Nakhmar's Black Riders have already decimated the Grey Dwarves, and you're still planning to bring the Half-Elves' army?' Roy smiled faintly and casually replied:

"Not only did the army of the half-elfs enter Durrag, but the orcish allies also joined the war."

All along, information between Durag and the Elf World has been completely cut off, and the Elf World probably has no idea that the situation on Durag's side has deteriorated to such a state.

However, if the Nakhmar are allowed to occupy Drag's Knee, they will soon cross the Black Gold Mountains and launch a full-scale war against the Mensa Plains.

At this time, half of the entire eastern continent will be engulfed in the flames of war waged by the Dark Legion of the Abyss.

Ultimately, the Elf World will inevitably be drawn into this war. Don't assume that just because the natural barrier of the Eternal Night Forest is indestructible, there are no indestructible barriers in this world...

As for what I did, it was to make all the elves truly take this invasion of the Dark Legion's alien races seriously!
It's better to prepare now than to scramble to prepare for battle when the Nakma demon army is already at our doorstep...

Resisting the Nak'mar Black Riders is not just the responsibility of the half-elves and Aries orcs; all races inhabiting the Eastern Continent must participate.

Roy paused briefly, then said:

"Of course, I also want to give it a try. If the half-elf can really gain a foothold in the Valley of Villaria this time and acquire such a large piece of land, it will be a sure thing for us."

When Roy said this, a strong sense of confidence shone on his face.

In fact, Roy was never alone. Supporting the mine guards was the entire Partington plane, the millions of magic enchanters in the Elf World Magic Guild, and the hundreds of thousands of Naga sea creatures living in the western seas...

Roy's greatest advantage was his nearly fifty magical airships equipped with magic cannons and giant whaling crossbows.

Hearing Roy say this, Chief Grop, who had caught up from the back of the group, was filled with pride and puffed out his chest, saying:

“Boss Roy is right. Resisting the invasion of the Nachmar Black Riders is the shared responsibility of all races living on the Eastern Continent! After the Grey Dwarves were defeated, we, who live on the southern slopes of the Black Gold Mountains, were the first to bear the brunt of the Nachmar army.”

"This time, our Aries clan will send an elite battle group to garrison the Villaria Valley..."

Roy told Grand Chief Grop, "I will station a fleet at the port of Boles. Even if the Nakhma demons storm the Villaria Valley, our warriors will have enough warships to retreat back to the sea..."

……

Below the hillside lies a low-lying area, where moss-covered land is dotted with puddles of all sizes, making it resemble a swamp.

Many grey dwarves have set up camp here, and some grey dwarf women are squatting by the waterhole washing clothes. They spread the washed clothes on their tents to dry.

Some Grey Dwarf males search for a type of aquatic plant called saber-toothed mustard in these swamps. This aquatic plant, which usually grows in the puddles of the swamp, is a unique aquatic plant of the north. The roots of this plant contain a lot of starch and a little bit of toxins, but to the Grey Dwarfs, this tiny bit of toxin is nothing.

Eating these raw saber-toothed kale buds will at most cause your face to swell up and drool to keep flowing down your chin...

The swelling will subside after a good night's sleep. In the face of extreme food scarcity, this swampy area east of Boles is one of the few places where some food can still be found.

That's why there are so many tents crowded around the swamp. Vidalo lay lazily on a stiff wolf fur rug outside the tent. Unfortunately, the September sun wasn't very strong, and he could only feel a faint warmth on his body.

He raised his somewhat ulcerated right leg slightly to maximize its exposure to sunlight.

His leg was still recovering from an old injury. A few days ago, he went into a cold mud pit to pick saber-toothed mustard greens. Soaked in the muddy water, the wound on his leg began to fester.

Thanks to the unique physique of dwarves, he didn't pay much attention at first. But when he noticed that his entire leg was swollen, Vidalor decided to rest for a few days. His way of resting was to lie outside the tent and sunbathe.

It's a pity there was no ale...

Wei Dalu thought with some regret.

His heavy chainmail, covered in mud, lay piled up like rags in the corner of the tent, while the saber-toothed mustard greens were neatly arranged on the blanket; he would rely on these to fill his empty stomach in the coming days.

Although his stomach was already growling, Vidalo didn't plan to eat. He wanted to wait until after sunset to eat a piece of hard-won kale.

His wife took their two children out to gather firewood. In this kind of unlucky weather, if you don't light a bonfire at night, the cold wind can wake you up in the middle of the night.

He didn't want his family to get sick before boarding the ship. Their boarding spot was something he had fought for almost a month on the battlefield to earn. With his eyes squinted, Vidal tightened his leather armor to try and conserve his body heat.

In a daze, Vidal suddenly heard someone say to him:
"If you don't get treatment for this leg, it will have to be amputated."

He suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the gray dwarf who had spoken, somewhat flustered. The gray dwarf was wearing rhinoceros hide armor and had no expression on his face.

A young Imperial was squatting next to him. When Vidalo looked at the fair-skinned Imperial, he wondered if the delicate-skinned Imperial would be tender and delicious on the barbecue grill. Just thinking about it for a moment made his mouth water.

The young imperial man pressed his fingers around the wound on Vidarlo's leg, but Vidarlo felt nothing.

The young imperial man actually spoke a word in Elvish that Vidaror couldn't understand.

The gray dwarf in rhinoceros hide armor then spoke:
"Your leg injury is more serious than we thought. Now you have a chance to get treatment... Do you need it?"

"Treat my leg? That's wonderful! Of course I need it, I really need it, I desperately need it!"

Vidalo lay there, responding somewhat impatiently.

"Of course, this treatment is not free. You need to answer a few questions for us truthfully. It won't involve your privacy. They are basically about the Black Riders outside Presidius City. Are you willing to answer our questions?"

Just as Vidalor thought he had won the lottery, a beautiful elven woman appeared on the other side of the grey dwarf and asked him in fluent dwarven language.

"Sure, you can ask me anything. As long as it's something I know, I'll tell you the truth..."

Vidalo immediately agreed.

He felt that if he could receive treatment simply by answering a few questions, what reason did he have to disagree?
just now……

How much is this news worth?

(End of this chapter)