The grandfather and grandson walked down the long staircase, the heavy door slowly closing behind them, barely making a sound. In the flickering firelight, their shadows dragged to the ground, and the piles of gems around them were dazzling and dazzling.

This is the treasure room of Charlenhall, and only the king and his chosen heir hold the key to open the door.

Unlike Black Rock, the Silvertooth Mountains are rich in gemstones, but they are not rich in metals, and the treasures of the Silvertooth Dwarves are dominated by a variety of gemstones. The Bronze Flame Dwarves also trade far less with humans than the Black Rock Dwarves. They cherish what they dig and create, and trade a small amount of money just to exchange the goods they need to survive and the metals they need.

In the center of the huge stone chamber, the stone statue of Anduhe, one of the gods worshipped by the dwarves, who guarded the mountain, sat silently on his throne, and two braziers made of gold were placed on either side of his throne, in which an unquenchable flame burned. The dwarves believed that Anduch created the dwarves and bestowed them with wealth, while Hawke, the god of fire and forging, also known as the god of the dwarves, gave them the skill to transform the wealth buried in the mountains into various objects. They carved Hawke's emblem, a hammer surrounded by flaming flames, on their proudly creations, while humbly offering all that they had at the feet of Andukh.

Mock and Kogan got down on one knee together and gave Anduch a brief salute, but when he stood up, Kogan fell to his stomach.

The old king removed a jewel set under the throne, between Anduhe's feet, and replaced it with another jewel that glowed like a pearl, which had hung from his neck.

Beneath Kogan, in an open space in front of the throne, soft light flowed through invisible lines, and the image of an ice dragon quickly appeared and disappeared. Kogan scrambled to his feet, took a few steps back, and pronounced a word.

To Mork's surprise, it was the Elven word for "Silver Fang".

The small piece of ground in front of them suddenly sunk downward, forming a dark and narrow dark staircase that led to the throne of Andukh.

Mock didn't say a word, realizing that truth was more complicated than he had imagined. He frequented the treasure room, but he never knew that Anduhy was hiding such a secret at his feet. If it weren't for these recent events...... Kogan would probably keep the secret until he died.

The old king was unusually quiet, and he stared at the dark entrance for a long time, as if there was some devouring monster inside, and at last he shook his head, lit a torch on the brazier, beckoned to Mork, and grunted down.

The space below isn't huge, almost crammed with various boxes.

Kogan walked to the left and opened one of the chests.

"It used to be here. ”

He stared at the empty box in a trance, and then he came back to his senses and spread his hands to Mock with a pretended lightheartedness: "That's it!"

“...... What is that?" Mork asked patiently.

"Treasure!" cried the old king, as if that would hide his uneasiness, "the treasure that once belonged to a dragon! ”

He stole a glance at Mock. His grandson, the heir of his kingdom, touched his beard expressionlessly.

“...... Say something!" he yelled, "Ask us how we got these!"

"Silverfang, the dead ice dragon. The dwarves of the Bronze Flame Clan drove it away when they arrived, took its treasures for themselves, and used the treasures in exchange to establish Charin Hall, our home. Mock said. He had already learned from the elves about the name of the Silver Tooth Mountains, and when he looked at everything in front of him, the truth seemed to be coming out.

“...... Good guess. "But if that's all there is to it, what is there to hide? We will engrave that great battle on the gates of Morinhall, so that all future generations will remember our former glory, and even proudly bear the title of dragon slayer in front of their own name—the dwarves are never humble about their victories." ”

That's what puzzled Mock.

"Silverfang says we're hiding this secret out of fear, fearing that a dragon's treasure will attract too many greedy eyes. But it's wrong, it's not that we're afraid of, our fear stems from shame. Kogan sighed deeply, "Six hundred years, and that day all the dwarves swore that they would keep this secret in their hearts, until now...... I'm the only one left alive. ”

His voice lowered, and his shoulders plummeted, looking old and tired. That secret turned all of their victories into shame, leaving him with shame when facing Silverfang, and a story of another ice dragon. He couldn't believe that being born a dragon didn't mean evil, and that would make the mistakes they had made even more unforgivable.

"I wanted to take this secret to the grave instead of letting you live forever in its shadow like me, but I never thought Silver Fang would come back, and I never thought ...... Mock, my child, you don't want to know how we defeated the Silver Fang and how we got its treasures......".

Mock didn't know how much time had passed, or how long he had been silent.

He would rather never ask about it himself, and would rather the secret be buried forever under the rock, rotting into ashes in the dark. He felt disgusted, ashamed, and ashamed, unable to believe that the heroes of the legend, who had built this kingdom, his ancestors, would commit such bloody and despicable crimes.

Even if it is out of control under the outburst, it is still unforgivable.

The internal organs were boiling, but the blood was cold. If you can turn into a statue like this, maybe you will be much happier. But his old grandfather was still standing there, looking at him with an almost pleading gaze, and he had no power to escape reality.

"This will never be talked about again, no one will ever know about it again. He straightened up, taking on the burden that would not be lightened by the passage of time.

The old king hung his head heavily, not feeling much lighter by this.

"Let's get out of here. "I'm running out of breath." ”

But Mock stood still, looking at him calmly, "Have you forgotten anything? grandfather?"

Kogan reluctantly stopped walking towards the exit, tempting to pretend he didn't understand, but from Mork's tone, he knew he couldn't afford to go through it any more.

"Alright," he snorted, turning back and standing in front of the empty box again, with a look of chagrin, "I should have left it here!"