From the moment he received the crown and scepter, Mork pondered the purpose of the Black Rock Dwarves in giving him this symbol of power. When he learned that there were three other Black Rock Dwarves heading southwest, he had a vague guess of what kind of gifts the Bolt Dwarves would receive.

"Power and power cannot be concentrated in the hands of one person. "Many years ago, our ancestors practiced this balance. Dwarves are stubborn and impulsive by nature, and a ruler with absolute power and power that no one can check and balance can usually only be a source of disaster. Hundreds of years ago, the reason why the Bronze Flame Dwarves and the Bolt Dwarves split from Black Rock was because the king at that time wanted to control everything in his own hands. ”

He has actually done it. Realizing that resistance would only lead to war, blood, and even destruction, the two dwarves chose to leave Black Rock, and when the ancient dwarven kingdom gradually recovered from the chaos, it was no longer able to attack their distant kinds.

"But when we left, we didn't really take anything with us. Mock recalled, the old king's voice in his mind with anger and a little grievance:

"That's what the gods give to all the dwarves...... Heart of the Mountains, Hammer of Fire, and Eternal Fire. ”

The most precious of the Heart of the Mountains was lost before the Black Rock Kingdom was founded, and Mork didn't know its whereabouts until now...... After it has ceased to exist completely. The Flame Hammer was smuggled away by the Bolt dwarves at that time.

"But the most powerful and dangerous of them all is the Eternal Flame. "It is the flame that fell from the sky and burned deep underground, the flame that forged the hammer of flame and gave shape to the heart of the mountains, the flame that destroys everything and creates everything...... It's just that, long ago, it had been sealed in a strange piece of metal, and only the Hammer of Fire could free it from it. ”

"Do you think what they want to take to the southwest is the Eternal Flame?" Ed's eyes lit up like a child listening to legends by candlelight at night—the first thing he felt before he realized the unpredictable future they represented, it was the grandeur of their birth.

"There is a good chance that something irreparable has happened in the Black Rock. Mork's voice was dry, remembering the creepy feeling he had as he wandered outside the gates of the Black Rock Kingdom, "So the living dwarves put their hopes in the people who left hundreds of years ago. I don't know how they chosen, but if the crown and scepter were in my hands, what they brought to the Bolt dwarves with the hammer of flames, most likely, was the Eternal Flame. ”

“...... Well, I probably know why they came to Grivar. Payne sighed softly, "The hammer of flame in the hands of the Bolt dwarves is incomplete - a gem set on it, which was acquired by the elves in a battle thousands of years ago...... They were originally kept separately, otherwise the dwarves would not have been able to control a hammer created and manipulated by the gods. ”

He paused for a moment, looked at the dwarf, and finally confessed: "And that gem, I ...... now." Can't give it to you anyway. ”

Ed's brows knotted, and the moment he figured it out, he couldn't help but feel chills all over his body.

"Is it ...... 'that' jewel?" he stammered.

Payne smiled wryly and nodded silently.

Ed was speechless.

If Mock and Payne can't be honest with each other...... If they couldn't trust each other, Grivar would have to deal with not only the uneasy and easily provoked people of the Dragonthorn Glade, but also the angry dwarves who had reason enough to believe that the elves had killed the Black Rock Messenger for a gem that didn't belong to them in the first place.

The shadow that hides behind it...... He seems to know everything. He manipulated the black threads in his hands, intertwined them, woven into bewildering patterns, waiting for the life trapped in them, becoming the prey of his powerless struggle.

Who, exactly, is that?

While he was in a cold sweat, Payne had already taken out the gem.

"My father's soul dwells in it. He told Mock frankly, "He made a mistake...... He may have deserved it, but he is still my father. I haven't found any other way to keep it from taking any damage, or fading away, than this gem, at least for now...... I need it. ”

Mock was silent for a long time with mixed emotions - he really didn't know what to say.

"It's not something I can make a decision on my own. Finally, he said, "The most important thing now is the whereabouts of the three Black Rock Dwarves. ”

If he couldn't get into Black Rock, probably only the three dwarves could tell him what was going on there. Even though the Black Rock Dwarves had given up on themselves, he had no intention of giving up on them.

Payne bowed his head gratefully. The dwarf didn't give him an answer...... But gave him time.

Ed, who was sitting on the side, almost couldn't help but want to cover his ears at the moment. He could hear the roar of the soul in the gem...... Payne's father, the elven king who had killed one of his own sons, was almost cursed by the accusations of his other son, who was trying to protect him.

The imprisoned elf must have gone mad.

Ed involuntarily glanced at Payne, wishing he hadn't heard the vicious words.

Nothing could be seen on Payne's pale but calm face...... But Nana woke up.

Like a woke dragon, he let out a cry of discontent and fluffed out of Is's arms, his golden eyes glaring angrily at Payne's clenched right hand.

The expletives stopped. It stopped abruptly as if it had been cut off by a sharp blade.

When Payne looked at Nana in surprise, Ed realized that he might be able to hear it...... Maybe I've endured it for so long that I've long since become numb.

"This is ......," he finally couldn't help but ask where the little dragon came from.

Is, however, only told him his name.

"Nana. He said, "Her name is Nana." ”

“...... Hello, Nana. The Elf King bowed slightly and smiled at the little dragon that had shifted his attention and began to lick his paws.

He didn't even recognize what it was, though he knew what each dragon looked like. But if Iss had no intention of explaining, he wouldn't ask again.

As he leaned over, his long silver hair slid down his shoulders, pouring out a watery silver glow in the soft light that enveloped the room.

Nana tilted her head, staring curiously at his hair—the color of which was almost exactly the same as its scales.

It loves the color.

The little dragon stood up crookedly on its hind legs, and stretched out its two front paws to the Elven King.