Chapter 313: Chapter 213: Beset on All Sides (Part 3)
"The greedy gaze of the Elf Gods once again fell upon this place, due to the ascension of the Elariya Plane and the resurgence of the Skanis Continent.
"They covet not only the Skanis Continent and its mountainous pastures but also the mountains beneath our feet and the minerals within them.
"Don’t naively think they will stop there. They are no longer the Elves who fought alongside us against the Beastmen a millennium ago, only to betray our covenant. They are a group from another plane, ten thousand times more despicable and shameless than those Dewensen Elves!
"Can we permit such beings to devour our homeland step by step, eventually relegating us and our children to living like rats in the crevices of the earth?"
HUFF! The Dwarves present finally stood up in righteous indignation, pounding their chests with their fists to convey their anger.
The Tisay Lords, after witnessing solid ’evidence,’ had begun to establish a consensus for resistance, rather than endlessly quarreling as they had in past years. Seeing this, the Supreme King finally nodded in satisfaction, his lips pursed. He then lifted the broken arrow and addressed David Uthos,
"David Uthos, we Dwarves thank fate for causing us and the Chromatic Dragons to meet again in this manner. Thank you for bringing this gift, which opened my people’s eyes to the harsh reality. Next, please accept the hospitality of us Lonemountain Dwarves."
With that, the Dwarf King clapped his hands.
"Feast!"
At the call of the Dwarf Herald, prepared Dwarves streamed in, bringing food served in metal cauldrons to lay before the group of Dragons.
The Dragons had depleted much of their energy in their recent skirmish with the Elves. They began to feel that these Dwarves might not be as reclusive and unsociable as legends suggested; they were actually quite hospitable. They even thought they might be the first generation of Chromatic Dragons from Elariya to partake in Dwarf-prepared food.
Mofei immediately indulged in the cauldron’s aromatic contents. Lizrite was the second to dig in, clueless about what they were eating. This continued until the fastidious Green Dragon, Shadila, picked something up with the tip of her tail, brought it close to inspect, and uttered a low exclamation,
"Insects?"
She would have flung them away if not for basic etiquette.
However, the exclamation elicited various reactions from the assembled Dragons.
"Insects?" Lizrite, who had never eaten Volcano Worms, almost vomited on the spot. Meanwhile, Viola, a Black Dragon, dived in as if smelling ’mother’s cooking from childhood.’
Mofei saw Lizrite’s reaction, which was akin to morning sickness, and instinctively wanted to follow suit. However, the sight of Viola relishing the meal restored Mofei’s appetite.
Only David casually rolled some up and popped them into his mouth as if savoring street food, his eyes narrowing slightly,
"Hmm, tastes like chicken, high-quality protein."
It was not just insects but also smoked mushrooms, plant tubers similar to potatoes, and spices—a distinctive flavor.
David, with his high perception of 41, soon noticed watchful eyes from the darkness behind him. He turned his head and saw several Dwarf children covered in mine dust, gazing at the insects coiled around his tail with longing and envy.
David looked down at the insect feast before him, then at the eager children. He immediately understood: with the Elves encroaching on the surrounding meadows and woodlands, the Dwarves had been reduced to subsisting on such fare. Furthermore, to prepare enough food for seven great Dragons like them, they must have scraped it from the scant rations of all the Dwarves.
Perhaps reminded of something, the Red Dragon—typically associated in the subconscious of the Dwarves with brutality, evil, chaos, and being domineering—surprisingly used the Mage’s Claw. He grabbed a large handful of worms and passed them to the children, piling them into a small heap.
The group of Dwarf children, famished, immediately began stuffing the worms into their mouths, not forgetting to flash David a fawning yet genuinely grateful smile.
This scene instantly made the food tasteless to the Dwarves present, filling them with shame.
The Dwarves who initially wanted to stop the children emerging from the tunnel gaps were held back by Supreme King Temur. He then addressed David,
"I apologize for letting you witness such a sight. Nowadays, we Skanis Dwarves are beset on all sides, and this humble fare is all we have to offer you as hospitality."
But the words of Dwarf King Temur stunned David and the rest of the Dragons.
Beset on all sides?
Other than the Moon Elves, was there another force at play?