Don't call me evil god

Chapter 401 Clan Card
The Stone Castle Dwarves are almost a blind spot for people like Pete and Gale who were born and raised in the Ceylon Territory.

Both are short.

Dwarves don't like to run around the continent like the green-skinned goblins do.

in contrast.

Most of the time, dwarves are considered a half-troglodytic race.

I like to live in the mountains, especially those rich in minerals.

They build their homes by boring holes in the mountains or expanding natural caves.

He is good at casting and likes fine wine.

This is the stereotype and perception of most dwarves.

Miranda knew a little more about dwarves.

Because she is from the capital of Reyak.

After the advent of the evil god, the Spirit Wing Wetlands that originally led from the north of the Kingdom of Reyak to the dwarf city of Stone Castle became unsafe and land transportation was hindered.

The dwarves, who seemed to be born with a specialization in excavation, spent more than ten years to complete a feat with the help of engineering machinery provided by the goblins:
They dug an underground tunnel from the capital of Reyak directly to the stone fortress!

This tunnel is buried deep underground and cannot be penetrated by monsters.

Thanks to this tunnel, dwarves have become one of the common races in the Reyak King Dustarosh.

Miranda, who grew up in the royal capital, learned more about the characteristics of the dwarf race.

"The clan card is something unique to the Stone Castle dwarves."

"Dwarves value their family and surname very much, and they even consider them more important than their own lives."

"If a dwarf does not receive the approval of his family during his coming-of-age ceremony at the age of 45, he will not be able to obtain the family's surname."

Pete clicked his tongue.

Although not as long-lived as immortal species like dragons, the lifespan of dwarves is much more exaggerated than that of humans.

Normal humans, even professionals blessed by gods, will usually die of old age in their early 100s, and the life span of ordinary people is generally only in their 60s.

The average lifespan of dwarves is over 240 years old, and a few long-lived ones can even live to 300 years old!
Miranda continued:

"Dwarves without surnames will be expelled from their families, laughed at, and rejected by others, because it represents their cowardice and incompetence."

"Such dwarves will receive clan cards."

"If their offspring perform in accordance with the family's standards, they can use the family card to prove their offspring's belonging and let them have the family name again."

"Of course, this is a minority of cases."

"In most cases, they will die alone, and only after death can they use the family tablet to prove their belonging, be buried in the family cemetery, and return to the family."

Gail smacked his lips as he listened.

"Is this necessary? Family is more important than anything else?"

Miranda explained: "Because the dwarves are very united, or rather, they protect their shortcomings and bear grudges."

"If a family member is bullied outside, the whole family will rush forward to fight them to the death."

"They don't even care about right or wrong, as long as their family members don't suffer any loss."

"The dwarves' families often have hundreds of members, so they are quite large."

"Even goblins don't dare to easily come into conflict with dwarves."

Gale imagined the scene in his mind and shuddered.

Dwarves have a vulgar nickname called "muscle dudes", and some people also call them "stone spirits".

These names mean that they are physically strong, much tougher than ordinary humans, and their thick and rough skin also provides a certain resistance to magic and divine arts.

He was almost born to be a warrior.

It is indeed scary to be circled and kicked to death by hundreds of soldiers.

Pater realized the importance of the clue provided by the Countess.

If we can determine the family the other person belongs to and find the list of those who did not get a surname and were expelled from the family, we should be able to find the owner of this family card!
"Was the clan plate lost by those men in black robes?" The Countess of Ceylon nodded, then shook her head.

"It is indeed something they lost, but it is not the real clan card."

"This was dropped from one of the black-robed men once."

“He picked it up quickly.”

"I just took a glimpse of what was on it."

"I copied this wooden sign based on my memory."

"Unfortunately, I couldn't see all of it, so the other side of the clan card is blank."

The Countess turned the plaque over and showed it.

It's exactly what she said.

The other side of the wooden sign looks like it has been cut smoothly and has no content.

Pete scratched his head in annoyance.

He wanted to use [Language Proficiency] to understand the meaning of the words engraved on the clan card. If nothing unexpected happened, it should be the Dwarven language.

But he didn't bring the corresponding materials, so he couldn't release it.

The clues are right in front of you but you don’t know how to interpret them.

The countess seemed to see what he was thinking:
"I checked."

"The Dwarven language on this side still uses ancient grammar and words. If translated into Common Language, it means:"

"May our ancestors bless the eternal Iron-blooded Warriors and the glorious family of excavators—"

Pete asked, "And then?"

"That's all." The Countess said simply, "This side of the wooden plaque contains these words. You can even make a copy of the words and find other scholars who know the Dwarven language to identify them."

"Dwarf families all have a similar habit of adding a string of titles before their family names."

Pete's mentality collapsed.

The most important last name is missing!
The family name card only contains adjectives that describe the family!

Even more troublesome is that.

"This prefix is ​​not special. Many dwarf families have similar or even identical descriptions. They just like it this way."

"And their family titles are not static. They are changed every once in a while, such as 'The Great Torion Bloodline', with the names of their ancestors."

Miranda reluctantly added:
"I can only go to Stone Castle in person and check each family one by one to see how each family has issued family cards in the past 200 years."

Pete thought, "So, if we want to follow this clue, we have to go to Stone Castle."

"If you don't consider the cost, the fastest way would be to take the goblin airship."

"First fly from Ceylon City to the capital, then transfer to a direct route from Starosh to Stone Castle."

Countess Ceylon heard this and said: "If you want to go to Stone Castle, I can introduce a friend to you."

"Bron Freeman of the Freeman family."

The countess paused slightly when she said the name.

"He is now a famous forging master among the dwarves. He has a good relationship with me and was once my companion."

"I'll write a letter for you to take. He should be able to help you over there."

Pete and Gail suddenly realized.

It has never been a secret that Countess Ceylon was a well-known adventurer in her youth. Everyone knows that she was once a close companion of a powerful dwarf warrior.

Obviously it's Bron Freeman.

……

(End of this chapter)