Chapter 317 - 215: Fighting Too?

Chapter 317: Chapter 215: Fighting Too?


It has to be said, fortunately the Skanis Dwarves have the custom of wearing armor and helmets on formal occasions, and their physiques are as hard as stone. If an ordinary human were caught off guard by such an impact, they’d likely have their brains smeared across the floor.


When this Dwarf King was pulled down from the ceiling by a group of his worried and anxious kin, he not only emerged without a scratch but seemed to relish the powerful flavor of the Anger Potion.


He didn’t even suggest removing this ’side effect’ as the Drow had years ago, leaving David with his well-prepared promotional pitch for the ’Dragon Breath effect’ unspoken.


An alliance that seemed doomed due to major differences was settled in such an absurd scene that the cluster of dragons, who had braced themselves to be driven out of the fortress by enraged Dwarves, looked somewhat dazed.


The dragons weren’t the only ones dazed; the Dwarves were too. Moments after signing the wartime alliance treaty and the related commercial proposal to lease Dwarven labor for constructing a ’Green Iron Fortress’—and after escorting David’s contingent of dragons out of the stronghold—the Dwarves could no longer suppress their doubts and dissatisfaction. The hot-headed Rune Lord directly questioned Supreme King Temur:


"Your Majesty, are we really going to give up our Eight Peaks Mountain fortress, just as the Chromatic Dragons proposed?"


All the Dwarf lords present turned to look, apparently unable to accept that the fate of their race was being so absurdly and hastily decided by a Chromatic Dragon.


Yet after drinking the Anger Potion, King Temur looked at the Rune Lord with an unusually calm face, showing no sign of joy or anger:


"This is... divine guidance from the Supreme Gods."


The unsettled Dwarves became respectful and serious upon hearing this, but inside, they were overwhelmed by shock, and a growing doubt began to surface:


Could that young Red Dragon named David Uthos, with only a mother of recently ascended and minor divine power, really have such extensive influence?


So much so that a single visit could attract the attention of the Supreme Gods.


Regardless, even if this was guidance from the gods of Modingsaman, the decree to leave the Eight Peaks Mountain fortress they had inhabited for thousands of years still left them feeling disheartened.


Then they heard King Temur’s deep voice, firm and resolute:


"My Dwarven brethren and subjects, I wish to say that we are not abandoning our ancestral lands out of cowardice. We are choosing to leave temporarily for the continuation of our race.


"The Spider Goddess’s plan to seek revenge on the Elven gods is clear to all. If we stubbornly remain here, we will be nothing but cannon fodder on the eve of the Elven civil war.


"Our Dwarven lives should not be sacrificed so meaninglessly. Our children should not become slaves to the Drow. And our fate should not become a plaything manipulated by the whims of the gods’ Greed.


"I, Temur, in the name of the third Supreme King of the Skanis Dwarves, hereby order you to withdraw from the Eight Peaks Mountain fortress next spring."


"What?" A group of Dwarves was instantly stupefied.


Wasn’t it supposed to be about twelve years, according to the plan discussed with that Red Dragon?



And now we’re to withdraw immediately?


Then they saw King Temur’s usually resolute face break into a grim smile:


"Since we’ve already decided to leave, why should we incur further pointless casualties in the Elves’ civil war? Let’s just clear the way and let the Moon Elves and the Drow fight it out directly."


The lord of the Black Rock fortress immediately grimaced. "Even so, after nearly thirty years of attrition, we are severely lacking in both food reserves and armaments. If we withdraw hastily, I fear many of our people may starve..."


But King Temur seemed to have anticipated this. "Didn’t David Uthos agree to hire a group of our Dwarven craftsmen to go to the Luwalden Kingdom on the New Continent to build a ’Green Iron Fortress’ for some ’Ring’?"


The Supreme King rose from his throne, gesturing with a short hand. "In that case, gather all the children to serve as smithing apprentices. They will follow the master smiths to the New Continent. After all, that dragon surely won’t mind if we send him more Dwarves than agreed upon."


"Ah, this..." Faced with this outrageous decision, all the Dwarves were flabbergasted. For a moment, they couldn’t even muster the words to protest.


Because after thinking hard, they realized they didn’t know what to argue against. What could they even argue? This decision, which seemed reckless and irresponsible, would normally have them dragging their king to the ancestral tombs in protest. But in the current circumstances... this was nothing short of a stroke of genius...


As neighbors to the Crimson Calamity, they naturally needed to keep all information about that dragon constantly updated.


Based on what they knew, although David Uthos, this Red Dragon, could be considered a second Crimson Calamity, his record showed brutality towards outsiders. However, to his own, he could definitely be considered a benevolent and wise ruler.


Just the act of him using his own treasures to adopt hatchlings from other mother dragons was enough to make the entire Skanis contingent of Chromatic Dragons treat him differently.


In any world with civilized beings, it’s often the same. One can be ruthless, callous, and unfeeling, yet irrationally hope for more of those ’stupid heroes who act for the greater good at personal loss’ to appear, no matter how much one might verbally disdain them.