The vegetation on the high mountain against which Histangarh rests has been cleared by the dwarves, and there are only countless large and small mine openings on the bare mountain.

In the center of all the mine entrances is a large mine mouth more than eight meters high, and it is this main mine that the steel hammer is targeting.

It doesn't look dark in the mines.

Dozens of miner's lamps hung from the walls, illuminating the minecart tracks beneath their feet.

"Try the Dwarven Minecart?" Steelhammer lifted a minecart like a tin box from the side of the track and placed it on the track.

The minecart is three meters long, and when facing each other, it can seat just four dwarves.

But now that there are two humans, Leo has no choice but to squeeze with the steel hammer.

Seeing that Leo and the others were seated, the steel hammer pressed the button on the inner wall of the minecart.

The minecart "buzzed", and the four wheels under it began to rotate slowly, and the minecart accelerated forward little by little.

After gradually accelerating to a speed of fifty kilometers per hour, the minecart stabilized.

Looking at the countless forks in the road that flew past on both sides, Leo couldn't help but ask.

"How big is this mine?"

"How big?" Steelhammer scratched his head and said with a look of embarrassment, "Although we dug the entire mine, we only found out a part of it. The dwarves are always so excited when they dig for veins that they forget everything behind their heads. They will also report the larger mines, and the smaller ones are often excavated by themselves. ”

Leo nodded silently.

No wonder outsiders are forbidden to enter here, if someone with ulterior motives hides here, even if all the dwarves are dispatched, without a year's effort, they don't want to arrest this person.

The minecart traveled for twenty minutes.

Along the way, the sound of excavation and explosions came from time to time in the branch tunnel, making the huge mine not so deserted.

Leo estimated that in the distance of more than ten kilometers, there were at least six medium-sized mines and more than a dozen small mines, and the scale was amazing.

After another two kilometres, Leo finally saw a dim circle of light at the end of the tunnel.

"Sit down. Brass said excitedly, "Soon you will be able to see the miracle of the dwarves!"

The minecart swept past the aura.

The light in Leo's eyes dimmed for a moment.

After a few seconds, Leo's eyes quickly adjusted to the light in front of him.

Leo, who saw what he was seeing, couldn't help but open his mouth wide.

It's a hollow mine that's so huge that it's exaggerated.

At a height of more than 1,000 meters, dense ropes hang down from the wall next to the mine and lead to the solid ground of the mine.

In addition to its frightening height, the area of the mine is about ten square kilometers. Dozens of thick pillars are held up in the mine to ensure that the huge project will not collapse suddenly.

The ice cave where the ice dragon stays is like a small toilet in front of the dwarves' magnificent work.

In addition to the main mine, which leads from the outside, there are four or five other mine-runs of the same size that lead deeper into the mountain, as well as numerous medium-sized and small-sized mines.

In the center of the giant cavern is a dwarven palace made of dark red ore, and dozens of minecart tracks extend from the middle and above mine tunnels and converge on the palace.

The palace is full of dwarf style, with huge and exaggerated porticoes, rough and uncarved walls, gold and black decorations, and a huge melting pot.

In the deepest part of the palace, three huge dwarf statues can be seen in an open-air plaza within a palace.

Leo and the others came out at a height of about two hundred meters above the ground, and the minecart track was supported by the bracket and slowly slid towards the palace at the bottom.

"How's it going?" said Steelhammer, looking at Leo's shocked face, rather expectantly.

Looking at the steel hammer waiting for a compliment, Leo couldn't help but laugh.

Then Leo said solemnly: "This is the miracle of the wisdom of life, perseverance, and love, and the building that has taken the longest effort of mankind is not even one percent of your shock." ”

The steel hammer grinned.

More than 400 years after the mine was built, and it was continuously excavated and expanded during this time, which has led to its current size, and is the brainchild of all dwarves.

Unfortunately, because of Istanbul's isolation, the dwarves rarely share their joy and pride with others.

Hammer led Leo through the wide passages of the palace to the main hall.

In the main hall, seven dwarves gathered around a square table, the one with the shortest beard dragging down to the abdomen.

And in the chairs next to them, Isenas and they were already sitting there waiting.

After greeting the party, Hammerhammer shouted at the whitest and longest bearded dwarf in the middle, "Father." ”

The dwarf turned around and saw Leo and Nana.

"You're all here. ”

The lord of the castle waved off the rest of the dwarves.

"Teklin, you go out too. ”

He walked steadily up to Leo and them, and opened his arms to them.

"It's an honor to meet you, Dragon Adventurers. ”

"Introduce yourself. The dwarf let go of little Paul in his last embrace and said to the party, "My name is Sekrin Hammer, the father of Teklin Hammer, and the current lord of Istanbul. ”

"Sit down, friends. The news you have brought has been mixed, but there is no doubt that we need your help. ”

Seklin sat at the head of the square table, watched Leo and the others awkwardly stand in front of the table just a few centimeters above their knees, and said helplessly: "Okay, it's okay to sit on the table." ”

Seklin knocked on the table, cleared his throat, and said, "There are many things to say, but we dwarves like to have fun in time, so we always say good news first. ”

"First of all, the ice crystal deep sea, its thawing has helped us a lot. Histangarh built too close to the deep sea of ice crystals, which caused us a lot of trouble in the cold climate, and there was not enough temperature to reduce the yield of food. Over the past 70 years, Histangal's grain reserves have gradually decreased, and by this year, more than half of our granaries are empty. Coupled with the fact that we dwarves like to drink alcohol, this is even more serious about the loss of food. Worst of all, our awkward position and ethnicity resulted in us being almost an island where we had no one to turn to. ”

Speaking of this, Seklin sighed: "If such a cold winter continues for another ten years, Histangarh, which no one can break, will become a city of the dead that has fallen from the inside." ”

Seklin lamented the fate of the Dwarves of Istanbul, but Isenas couldn't help but interrupt him.

"I'm sorry, but I shouldn't have asked, but I'm curious why don't you limit dwarves to drinking? As far as I can see, the dwarves consume far more alcohol than food, and if such a measure is implemented, I believe that Istangal can last for more than a hundred and fifty years, right?"

Seklin shook his head and said, "We have indeed thought about your proposal, and even implemented it for a few days. But we quickly vetoed the initiative. ”

Surprised by Secklin's answer, Esenas asked, "Why is that?"

"I'm not just a city lord, I'm the spiritual leader of these dwarves on an isolated island. Seklin looked at the wall, and seemed to see through the thick mountain the dwarves who were reveling all the time outside. "Although the prohibition of alcohol allows the dwarves to breathe in the land for longer, are the dwarves who have lost their wine still dwarves? Without wine, all dwarves will be exhausted, their limbs will be sore, and they will lose their optimism. In such a decadent atmosphere, the dwarves couldn't even hold out for three months, let alone hold on for seventy years. ”

Leo was thoughtful.

Isenus nodded in the same way: "Taught." ”

"There's nothing to teach, it's just a lesson learned from our failures, nothing to boast about. Seklin said sullenly.

"Let's talk about the bad news. ”

"As for the connection between the god of light and the dragon, as well as the origin of the dark power, we dwarven elders will feel it. ”

Seklin rested his chin on his folded hands, letting his beard cover his palms, and looked at the party solemnly.

"Quite possibly!"

Leo and Esenas exchanged a knowing look.

Leo stood up from the table and asked, "So what is your attitude towards this matter?"

"Resolute confrontation!"

Seklin replied firmly.

"Brandwieson is a man we know a lot about. Secklin put down his palm, flipped through the information in his hand, and said, "He has an almost paranoid fanaticism about the reputation of the church, and after this unexpected conflict with him, we are sure that he will come for revenge." Although we can avoid the flames of war under the protection of the Ancestral Spirits, with the help of the Church of Light and the dragons, we dare not determine whether the Ancestral Spirits can withstand the invasion of unknown forces. Rather than praying not to be defeated by new changes, we dwarves prefer to rise to the occasion. ”

"And for some reason, the god of light has some grudges with us, and we have no reason to sit idly by. ”

"So, is the Dragon Expedition willing to form an alliance with the dwarves of Istanbul?"

Sekrin looked at the group with burning eyes.

Alliance?

Esenus glanced at Leo.

Seeing Leo nod slightly, Esenas took over the topic.

It was Leo who decided the general direction of the adventure group, and Isenas planned and strategized the specific steps, which was already a tacit step in the adventure group.

"I wonder what the dwarves can give to the Alliance, and what do they want us to do for the Alliance?"

Isenus had already acquiesced in the progress of the alliance in his words, which made Seklin's face slightly happy.

"Weapons, mounts, armies, the strong. Seklin said dryly, his tone crisp and decisive, not at all like an elderly dwarf.

Isennus's face was slightly serious.

These are the core resources of a force. The Dwarves of Istangall's determination to form an alliance was even stronger than Isenas had imagined.

"Why these?"

"Because you're self-financed, individual adventuring parties. Sekrin pointed out the nature of the Dragon's Adventure Party: "Even if your Adventure Party is powerful, it is still a small group with an imperfect system and a focus on interests. You are freer than those who are backed by dukes, churches, or large corporations, but you also lack the help of a large power behind the scenes. ”

Isenus nodded silently.

Although the adventure party seems to have a lot of scenery along the way, in reality, it is difficult for them to find a suitable force willing to buy the treasure in their hands.

And those adventure groups on a large scale only need to go to the places they are interested in. The rest of the personnel are recruited, the goods are sold, and the security of the capital chain is all done by the forces behind them.

"And there is always something that personal bravery cannot be taken into account, and if you have an army at your disposal, your troubles will be much less. Seeing that Esenas did not explicitly refuse, Seklin struck while the iron was hot and continued to talk about the benefits of the alliance.

Seklin's lobbying was very effective, especially the army, which made Leo a little excited.

(If I could have had an army a few years ago...) ）

Leo shook his head secretly, and then clapped his head: "Okay, we accept your request for alliance. So what do we need to give?"

Seklin's joy could barely be suppressed, his body stood slightly erect, and he said, "As the first ally of the Dwarves of Istanbul, in addition to helping us gather intelligence, we hope that you can help us find suitable allies of other forces as much as possible. Humanity's perception of dwarves has changed a lot over the years, and perhaps we can change our previous perceptions and integrate into the current world. If Istangel can truly get out of the war four hundred years ago, then I, the lord of the city, will have no regrets. ”

"No problem, is there anything else?" said Leo.

Compared to what the party gets, these requirements of the dwarves are almost nothing to mention, and they are all things that can be done easily. So Leo felt that Seklin must have something else to ask.

"Yes, this matter is especially important to us dwarves in Istanbul. ”

Seklin looked solemnly at the group.

"I heard you have a godhead in your hand, can you let me take a look?"

"Of course. Leo nodded, motioning for Omoni to take the godhead out.

The emerald green Godhead floated on the table, emitting a faint light, and a warmth centered on the Godhead spread throughout the main hall.

Seklin looked at the godhead obsessively, his lips opening and closing slightly.

“... That's right, that's the feeling, the harmony and rhythm of nature. ”

The adventuring group waited patiently for Seklin.

It was a long time before Seklin came to his senses.

"I'm sorry, it's too important," Seklin was a little embarrassed.

Throwing future allies at the negotiating table is not the behavior of a bold dwarf.

Leo waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care about the minutiae.

"Is there anything wrong with this godhead?" asked Leo.

"There's no problem at all, but the owner of this godhead has a lot to do with us. ”

Secklin's short and thick fingers touched the godhead, and a green ripple rippled from the godhead and sank into Seklin's body.

Seklin's body immediately reverberated in a circle of ripples.

Ent's expression was surprised: "This response, are you..."

Seklin sighed and said sadly, "That's right, the entire dwarves of Istanbul are all followers of the goddess of nature on the verge of falling. ”

"Since we were trapped here 400 years ago, our food has become a big problem. Luckily, following the guidance of the goddess of nature, we found mushrooms underground, fruit trees and animals in captivity in the mountains, and grains in the hollows. ”

"Although the goddess of nature is a god sublimated from human beings, she does not exclude other races, and is a rare neutral god, and we sincerely praise her. ”

"Seventy years ago, the ice dragon suddenly appeared and single-handedly changed the celestial phenomena along the coast, and the goddess of nature, who took the balance of nature as the core of her teachings, suffered heavy damage to her followers, and her divine power was severely damaged. ”

"When the god of harvest and commerce heard this message, they secretly plotted for three years and launched a divine war against the goddess of nature sixty-seven years ago. The goddess of nature is powerful, but under the damage of her divine power, she is no match for the other two main gods. In this battle, not only the followers of the goddess of nature were slaughtered, but even the divinity of the goddess of nature was taken away. ”

Seklin's eyes showed sadness, but he quickly came to his senses.

"Although the situation of the Goddess of Nature is terrible, it is fortunate that our Dwarves of Istanbul have not been eliminated. According to the rules of the god war, as long as the faithful believers under the command of the god are still channeling faith and providing power to his god, then the god's priesthood cannot be occupied by other gods, and the god still has a chance to recover. ”

Leo suddenly said: "I heard that after the defeat of the Goddess of Nature God War, she turned into a secret sect and began to follow the rules of secret mission, and it turned out that you were providing faith. The god of harvest and the god of commerce are the main gods of the god of light, right?

The old dwarf bowed his head and looked at the adventure group with some pleading: "As an alliance, we hope that you can hand over this godhead to us, so that we can complete the resurrection ritual for the goddess." ”

"Good. Leo replied without hesitation. "To strengthen your allies is to strengthen your own. How is the resuscitation ritual going to work?"

Sekrin was overjoyed and said, "The ritual is a bit complicated. I first need to find the place where the goddess of nature's body fell, then awaken the divinity of the goddess of nature in the body, and then reshape her sanity with her godhead. ”

"It doesn't sound very difficult. ”

"But the 'guardians' of the goddess's body are dangerous. ”

For the believers under the command of these two main gods, Seklin was a little jealous.

"So that's when the role of allies comes in. Leo didn't care. "We've faced the true gods twice, and if they want to add another merit to our party's resume, we can't refuse. ”

Seklin was a little stunned.

"You're going too?"

"Then what if you have all your allies, let's go collect your bodies? Leo raised an eyebrow.

Leo's words were obviously concerned, but how did Seklin hear and think that the subconscious meaning of Leo's words was that they dwarves were all sent to death?

Seklin couldn't help but say, "You really don't have any resemblance to the humans I used to know. ”

"How?"

"Poisonous tongue and hot blood. ”

"Thanks for the compliment. ”

Leo can be shameless, but the little Paul next to him couldn't help but complain: "Please, this is not a positive evaluation, and you are the only one in the whole team who has so many mouths, right?"

Seklin smiled and said, "Your team's relationship is so good. ”

Then Seklin said, "Since the allies intend to help, we will not refuse." I will send the mighty warriors of the dwarves to accompany you. ”

"Of course, this is your right as believers. Who are you going to send? Hammer?"

"No, I'm coming. ”

"You?" Leo was taken aback.

"That's right, me. Secklin's face was serious. "Teklin is the hope for the future of the Dwarves of Istanbul, and I can't let him take that risk. And a legendary pressure formation is always a little safer. ”

"I didn't expect you to think so highly of him. ”

Leo was very surprised by this, judging by the performance of the Hammers against Brandwisson, his combat power did not stand out in particular, and it did not seem to deserve such attention from a legend.

"Maybe even more so. Seklin got up from his chair and took two steps around the table with his head down.

He suddenly raised his head and asked, "What do you think of the dwarves of Istanbul?"

"The production structure is single, and the ideological differentiation between the new and old generations is serious, and outsiders are excluded. Leo didn't think about it and said these three fatal flaws.

"yes. Seklin sighed. "The problems of this generation of dwarves have a lot to do with my stubborn thinking for so many years. While I have succeeded in changing the way the dwarves fight and their beliefs, I have led them to the brink of war, making them closed. ”

"If it weren't for Teklin, who proposed to erase the past hatred with humanity and get out of Istanbul, perhaps in the future history books I would have been the sinner who made this dwarf disappear. ”

There was some remorse and guilt on Sekerin's face.

"It's none of your business. Isenas stopped him from this dangerous thought and explained. "It's just a normal alternation of ideas from the old and new generations. ”

"Alternating thoughts?" Secklin repeated.

Despite his experience as a leader, Seckerin was still puzzled.

Isenus asked, "How many generations have the leaders of this dwarf been from four hundred years ago to the present?"

"Counting Teklin is the third generation. ”

"What about the elves?"

"Still the King of the Broad Sea. ”

"The King of the Broad Sea?" cried Paul in a low voice. "The one who made the heart of the sea the royal inland sea?"

"That's the one. Seklin nodded. "That one is a legend of legends. ”

"Didn't he live for almost a thousand years?"

"It's 1,200 years. Seklin added. "Elves are notoriously long-lived. ”

"Do you know how many popes of the God of Light have changed in four hundred years?" asked Isenus as he continued.

Seklin shook his head. Where do they have the energy to learn about the outside world?

"As a candidate for the pontificy, every cardinal is over fifty years old. Based on the average life expectancy of 70 years, at least 20 popes have changed in these 400 years. ”

Seklin vaguely grasped something, but it was still vague.

"That's the problem. Esenas asserted.

"Look at the elves, they have been active for three thousand years to stand at the top of countless races, but the dwarves have been active for fourteen hundred years before catching up with the elves. And it only took eight hundred years for humanity to drive all the races to another land. ”

"Because of the change of thought?" asked Secklin, who had a clue, tentatively.

"Yes, it's because of the change of thinking. Esennaston paused, giving Secklin a moment to think. "After a long period of growth, an intelligent life has almost fixed its way of thinking, and it rarely changes until its later years. The way of thinking and thinking mode of each generation will be different because of the environment and growth experience of the previous generation, and after the growth environment of the previous generation is changed by them, the next generation will have a new growth environment. Therefore, there will be a clear difference in the thinking patterns of generations of life. ”

"But the ideas of each generation have their shelf life, a hundred years at most, and the original advanced and avant-garde ideas will become a stumbling block to the progress of the race. ”

"It's because the elves maintain the old thinking of three thousand years ago and have no progress that they will be chased by the rest of the races little by little. ”

Seklin's brows furrowed, and he said, "So, it's too late for my old bone to abdicate to Teklin." ”

"It's not too late. Isenus shook his head.

"Now that I know what the problem is, I'll make adjustments as soon as possible. ”

After learning that he was not stubborn to the point of being bad, Seklin pointed to the Bugati on Leo's waist and said, "The one on your waist is the Excalibur Bugatti, can you show me?"

"Of course. Leo relieved Bugati and handed it into Sekerin's hands. "Do you know this sword?"

"Don't just know. Seklin pulled out the Bugati, and the cold light shone on his face. "My father has fought with this sword more than once. ”

"Your father?" said Leo in surprise. "Nochlyn Hammer?"

"It's the one behind me. Sekrin gestured to a dwarven statue behind him.

Seklin poured his fighting spirit into Bugatti. Unlike Leo's cyan, Bugatti's sword floated in a fiery red lava body, more powerful than in Leo's hands.

But Seklin still said regretfully: "It's a pity, this divine sword is seriously damaged, even if it has a scabbard to recuperate, I don't know when it will be able to restore its former glory." ”

After a few strokes, Sekrin said to Leo, "If you want, we dwarves are willing to help you restore this Excalibur a little bit as a symbol of our alliance." ”

Leo was overjoyed.

With the continuous rise of the combat level and the increase of the battle mode, the way this Excalibur is used has become a bit monotonous, and if he can add some new functions, this will be a big killer weapon in his hands.

"Then I'm bothering you. ”

"Minor problem, and that kid's hand. Seckerin pointed to little Paul again. "Show me the dragon bow in your hand, too. ”

"I, can this bow be improved!" Paul pointed to himself, and then excitedly removed the huge dragon bow from his back and handed it to Seckerin.

"It's not an improvement. Sekrin tugged at the bowstring, and the bow responded with a slight dragon groan.

Little Paul was startled and hurriedly asked, "What is this? ”

Seklin put the dragon bow on the table, looked at little Paul, and said, "This is a common trait of epic weapons. If a weapon is powerful enough, we dwarves will praise it as a good piece of equipment. On top of sophistication, if a weapon has certain attributes, such as frozen, burning, etc., we will think that the weapon will survive in epic poems. ”

"There is no doubt that this bow is definitely an epic piece of equipment. Put it away, you haven't developed it enough. ”

Suddenly getting the advanced practice direction of the weapon in his hand, little Paul was a little happy.

Little Paul picked up his weapon and asked, "Is the epic equipment the best?"

"Epic gear is just the beginning of cherishing weapons. There are also dozens of epic weapons that our Istangal dwarves have built over the past four hundred years. ”

Little Paul couldn't hide his disappointment, and asked curiously, "What about above the epic?"

"It's a legend. Esenas took over. "This rating is the same as the Legend of the Cultivation Rank. The epic is still just a realistic depiction of history, but the legend has taken on an exaggerated meaning, which is also the honorific name we feel about the incredible power of the weapon in this rating. The Bugati in Leo's hand turned out to be the top of the legendary weapon. ”

"And above the legend, there is mythology, an artifact. The power of these weapons is ethereal, and even their form and function are just a concept, but they are as powerful as the mythical creation gods. ”

Seeing that little Paul was fascinated, Seklin smiled and asked, "I don't know who made this weapon, do you know it?"

"Of course, his name is Samiha, and he is also a dwarf. He now serves as a forging advisor to the Council of Five under the Goddess of Wisdom. ”

Leo looked at the look on Seklin's face and asked, "Do you know him?"

"Samiha Firepot. Secklin recalled. "He was the only dwarf from the Dwarves of Istanbul to leave the city in the past two hundred years, and he didn't expect him to be an important member of the True God's command. It seems that my thoughts over the years have been wrong, and that it is indeed time for the dwarves to make contact with the outside. ”

Seklin put away his memories and said to the adventure group: "Winter is coming soon, and the harsh environment is beneficial to an elite team like you. Plus Bugatti's improvement will take about a week, so in ten days, I will come to meet you. ”

"Go revive the goddess of nature!"

p.s Yesterday I really didn't expect this chapter to be almost 8000 words, no wonder I couldn't write it. It's not realistic to do so many things in 4,000 words.