Knight and Wand

Chapter 212 Steelforge

The ancient mountains stand on the earth like silent giants, and the crisscrossing mountain ridges stretch out to the horizon in twists and turns.

The barren mountains and desolate cliffs are the primitive beauty carefully carved by nature.

North of Orland's northern border is also north of the Hektova Plains.

This is the edge of the western continent.

It's like the end of the world.

The rubble rolled down the slope of the mountainside and fell into the deep canyon, breaking the silence here.

The sound of short footsteps, one after another, passed through this mountain path that had not been set foot on for thousands of years.

Several prospectors carrying luggage, with their three steel legs greased with grease, clattered as they followed their masters in front of them over the mountains.

There were about forty short and stocky figures, their cloaks blown by the wind blowing through the mountain stream.

They carried round shields and weapons on their backs and held short staffs in their hands, marching in silence, like a group of stubborn stones moving their bodies unswervingly.

Climbing to the top of the mountain, Hem scratched his beard and looked at the Black Ridge Volcano in the distance.

Although a thousand years is a long time, it is still not enough to completely change the eternal landform.

With the active volcano in the distance as a landmark, Captain Furnace Guard can always find the correct path and direction.

The proud son of Omroth will not lose his way among the mountains.

Hem turned his head and looked at the dozens of companions who were crossing the mountain beside him, checking whether anyone had accidentally fallen behind, and at the same time looking at the prospecting machine behind them.

These things were not so precious in the past, but now if one is broken, there is one less.

After carefully counting the number of people in the team and making sure all the machines were complete, he continued to move forward.

After crossing thousands of miles and leaving the border of the country of Feru, which is called "Orland" by the people of today, Hem sent back the guide who helped them lead the way.

Considering that the accompanying horses and carriages could no longer be brought into the mountains, he simply gave away all the horse and carriage frames that he had bought with the money he earned from his craft along the way as a thank you for the help of these Feru people along the way.

He activated the prospector to replace the carriage to carry the luggage and food, and continued to lead his companions deep into the north to search for traces of his compatriots.

We have been crossing mountains and rivers for several days, but unfortunately the few strongholds in our memory have long since turned into wind-eroded ruins, and there is no sign that the tribesmen once lived there.

What they saw and heard in Feru society and witnessed the abandoned fortress of their own people made everyone in the team feel inevitably lost.

Unable to see any trace of their people in the hustle and bustle of the world, they felt as if they were a group of remnants abandoned by time, with nowhere to go.

But Hem did not give up, and the team did not waver in its faith.

Although we no longer see our compatriots on the surface, that doesn't mean there are none underground.

Perhaps the tribesmen were tired of the worldly life on the surface and all retreated to live underground.

Hem knew that even if they were cut off from the world above ground, their own race could survive and reproduce in a self-sufficient manner underground, relying on the underground crops and mushroom gardens cultivated by their race.

Those people on the surface don't know how huge and complex the tunnel network under the continent is after thousands of years of excavation and construction by the Helan people.
After a difficult trek, Hem and his party turned back for the countless times on the dead-end road that had collapsed due to weathering and no one maintaining it. They gradually moved towards the location of "Steelforge Castle", which was the largest Heraen city in their memory.

Fortunately, apart from the steep mountain road, the only danger to these sons of the earth was a wild scorpion-tailed lion that mistook everyone for a herd of goats.

Hem was surprised that these beasts living in the mountains and wilderness were so stupid as to regard a group of Heran people traveling together as prey after only a thousand years of absence.

When the dwarves saw the danger coming, they naturally raised their molten pistols and opened fire without hesitation.

Blood splattered and after being hit by several bullets, the scorpion-tailed lion flapped its bat wings in pain and retreated, turning away from those strange "goats" that could breathe fire and howl.

".You blind bastard, if it's not that I don't have time, I'll raid your nest and cook you."

Hem put the pistol back into his belt, carried the battle axe, and spat fiercely at the fleeing manticore.

Continuing on their journey, they finally arrived the next day, where the ancient magnificent structure of the ancient city of Heraen could still be seen.

Looking around the deserted city area that made people sigh at the changes of time, the dwarves entered the ruins. With their previous experience, they did not waste time and went straight across the avenue to the ancient giant gate embedded in the mountain leading to the underground.

But halfway through the journey, everyone made an exciting discovery.

All of them were craftsmen with meticulous eyes and hands, and the dwarves had extremely sharp observation skills. Seeing the collapsed statues that had obviously been cleaned and moved to the side, as well as the traces of people passing by on the avenue, Hem and the others were overjoyed. They ran all the way to the giant gate with their short legs, and everyone looked up at the towering mountain gate that was carved with the ancestors of the dwarves.

The degree of dust is quite different from other places, and there is considerable wear and tear on the edge of the entrance, indicating that even in today's era, it has been opened and closed again!

"Haha!! There must be some members of our tribe still here!"

More than a month of loneliness was gone, and every dwarf raised his arms and laughed out loud, hugged each other tightly, and the sense of belonging to family filled his heart.

But after the cheers and celebrations, when the laughter gradually died down, they stared at Ju Men with wide eyes, and the big beards on their faces could not hide their embarrassment.

I have found it, but what should I do next?
They never thought that after finding the trace of their tribesmen, they would have to face the situation of the mountain gate being closed.

Generally speaking, the entrances and exits connecting the surface urban areas and underground urban areas as well as the underground network will not be easily closed unless facing unfavorable conditions in war.

As the second line of defense against surface dangers in the dwarf fortress, no one knows better than themselves how difficult it is to open from the outside a Heraen Gate that is closed from the inside.

This massive gate seemed like part of the mountain. Even the Heran people's own siege artillery was like a tickle when firing at it. The anti-magic structure behind the gate was immune to most destructive spells.

Not to mention their team of dozens of miners, even if a complete army came, they would only leave in disgrace.

Hem remembered that he used to brag to outsiders when he was drunk, like playing the harp.

No one knows how to defend better than the Herans!

Okay, now it’s my turn to be anxious and stare blankly.

"Let's set up camp nearby. We still have plenty of food and water. Maybe we can wait until someone from Steelforge comes up and opens the door." He said helplessly, unable to think of any other solution.

But if they can't wait for the tribe members to go out, they can only try to look around to see if there are any uncollapsed mine tunnels, and find a way to Steelforge Castle through the tunnels.

Even if the gate of the underground city is closed, there must be a secret passage leading to the surface for internal reconnaissance of the enemy. But that is the secret of every Helan fortress. They, who are outsiders, will definitely not be able to find the way, and even if they find it, they will not be able to open it from the outside.

"The mountains are really too full of rocks. There's no one living in this mountain area now, and there's no war. Why close the mountain gate?" Everyone puffed their beards and complained.

A thousand years ago, as far as they could remember, the last time the gates of the fortresses were closed for a long time was when the evil dragon was born several hundred years ago.

However, when everyone was talking, they just unloaded the luggage from the body of the prospector.

The ground suddenly began to shake, and the huge dwarf mountain gate opened inward with a rumble.

The dwarves quickly put down the bags in their hands, turned their heads, and their eyes and noses exposed outside their beards showed enthusiastic expressions.

Hem clapped his hands, grinned, and suddenly understood.

It must be that when they entered the ruins, they were discovered by the secret sentry in the dungeon.

Everyone couldn't wait to walk into the slowly opening gap of the mountain gate, wanting to reunite with their long-lost tribesmen.

But when they saw the scene behind the door, they couldn't help but be shocked by the sight of torches lighting up the tunnel.

Indeed, they are their compatriots.

But the scene in front of them welcoming these unknown people was too grand.

In the huge tunnel behind the door, a quick look at the Heran army lined up on the left and right showed that there were nearly a thousand dwarf warriors wearing fine steel armor and mane crowns on their heads.

A huge molten dragon beast stood on all fours in the center of the dwarf army, its terrifying dragon head staring at everyone. On its back, which was covered with scales, fins and horns, sat an old man named Heraen, wearing robes and armor of a king.

Hem looked at the other person. Although he recognized the attire of the King of Heraen, he was also sure that the man on the back of the Molten Dragon was definitely not "Ulfgard".

“Welcome to you from afar, fellow strangers.

I am Gorim Riske, the Barbarian Slayer, the sixth Lord of Steelforge.

Tell me, where are you from?
My hateful cousin from the Wilderness Mountain would definitely not be able to produce the ancestral creations you brought with you."

Gorim, with a voice as loud as a bell, looked at the three-legged machine reported by the sentry behind the team.

He suppressed his slight excitement, stood up holding the handle of his battle axe, and asked dignifiedly but enthusiastically: "Could it be that in these hundreds of years, there is still a remnant on the continent that has not been in contact with us?"

(End of this chapter)