"Compared to what you have in your hand, can you tell me first, my old master is in good health lately. ”

Looking at Gong De's eager expression, I couldn't bear to lie to him. I could only tell him truthfully, "Speaking of which, it's been a few years since I last saw him. If I were to tell him how he was doing, I wouldn't be able to say. ”

"Ah, that's right! I'm sorry, but I was abrupt. ”

Having said that, Gong De's face was full of disappointment.

Seeing Gong De's somewhat lost expression, I hurriedly continued, "However, the last time I saw him, he opened a tavern in Hemalton in the western part of the empire, and I was impressed that he was still very strong. ”

In fact, I'm not sure if the dwarf I've encountered is the same dwarf that Gong De is talking about. So I could only talk while secretly observing Gong De's expression. After making sure that his expression didn't fluctuate too much, I continued, "If things don't change much, I think you should be able to find him there. ”

"As long as you know him or, it's already good. Thank you very much for bringing the news of the old master back to the kingdom, and the king would be glad to know that his old man is still alive. ”

Gong De once again expressed his heartfelt thanks to me in a dwarven manner.

"Let's go! I think you're interested in what's behind me. I just happened to stop by and I can show you around. ”

"I ...... Is it really possible?"

As I pointed to the building behind Gong De with a dumbfounded expression, I thought to myself - I didn't expect things to go so smoothly.

"Of course! because you have that qualification. ”

.

Ironforge, the future capital of the Dwarven Kingdom.

And where I am now - the Great Crack.

It was a natural hill that existed at the beginning of the establishment of the Ironforge Fort, and after the dwarves discovered it, they continued to excavate and expand its interior, and also built its outer fortress into a thick enough fortress. From now on, the interior stretches for tens of kilometers, and even the narrowest place is more than 100 meters wide, and the depth has not been measured so far. However, judging from the lava flowing slowly below, it may be here until it reaches the center of the earth.

As the dwarves gradually migrated here, dozens of town streets were expanded outside the fortress. Over time, most of the complexes have taken shape, allowing them to defend themselves or to work with each other.

After crossing the suspension bridge, we first took the train to the transfer station of the Great Fissure.

It's like a large dispatching platform for a train station, and the railroad leads like a spider's web to all corners of the inside of the big crack.

To be honest, if no one leads you, even if you can sneak in, you can't find the place you want in ten days and half a month. In the meantime, you have to pray that you don't get lost.

Gong De said hello to the dispatcher in charge of the transfer, and then chose one of the vehicles parked on the platform.

"It's the last car we can catch right now, and the next one will probably be tomorrow morning. ”

"Huh?"

After the car started, Gong De told me the destination of the car and the time of duty. I shouted "Oops" as the car drove off the platform.

(Ahhh...... It's over! I feel like I'm on a thief ship. Uh-no, it's a thief. ）

The car was headed for the smelting area, the lowest level of the Great Rift that the dwarves could currently reach.

Along the way, Gong De told me a lot of things, such as why the smelting area of Ironforge Fort was on the lower level.

The dwarven steelmaking furnaces here are not made of magic flames or whistle coal, but instead melt the ore directly from the lava flowing from the ground. You must know that no matter how sophisticated the steelmaking furnace is, it cannot reach the temperature of lava, so at present, only the various metal ingots produced here are of the highest purity.

It's a long furnace, and there's nothing on either side of the railroad except for a natural insect that can be used for lighting every 10 meters or so. It felt like we were on a night train or a train through a tunnel.

According to Gong De, the bugs that flickered like torches came from the lower part of the chasm. It is said to be a species that can devour lava, and when they feel the vibrations around them, they will make their bodies glow like "fireflies", and when the vibrations dissipate, they will return to darkness.

Therefore, human wisdom is powerful. Only human beings will think of this natural pollution-free, energy-saving and trouble-saving method.

The temperature is gradually rising, and the air is filled with a pungent smell of sulfur.

I knew we were almost at the end of our trip.

.

After getting out of the car, Gong De found me something similar to a filtering gas mask and a pair of earplugs. In my puzzled look, he pointed to his ear, "You'll see what's going to work in a minute." ”

After putting on the mask, the smell that irritated the throat finally disappeared.

Most of the people here move topless. Because of the lava, even if you stay here for a short time, you can't stand the heat, let alone the workers who are doing the work.

The number of soldiers stationed here is not as large as I have seen above, in addition to the fact that the total strength of the dwarven army is already small, and perhaps they feel that there is not much need to invest in defense here.

Overhead is full of gear machines of various models, which make a "Karma Karma" sound when they work. At this time, I finally understood why Gong De gave me earplugs. Noise, absolute noise. The noise generated by the operation of the machine itself is not unbearable, but this is a cave, and when the noise reaches a certain frequency, it will resonate with the walls around the cave, and if you don't pay attention to it, you will become deaf.

The gears are connected to a thick iron chain, and at the other end of the chain is a huge steelmaking furnace. When the furnace is full of ore, the dwarves will operate the machine to sink the furnace into the lava.

This is followed by repeated melting, filtering out the residue. This process is basically controlled by experienced old dwarf craftsmen, and only they can judge the smelting of metal with experience.

Like furnace workers in steel mills, dwarven craftsmen generally wear once-high-density sunglasses. That's to protect your eyes from heat and bright light.

When the molten steel is up to the mark, the dwarves will immediately pour it into the prepared model. After cooling, it becomes the ingredient used to craft various weapons.

Compared to the family-workshop blacksmith furnace, the steelmaking furnace I saw in front of me was completely capable of mass-producing all kinds of weapons. Moreover, it can achieve purity that cannot be achieved in blacksmith furnaces.

"Raise the furnace!"

"Repeat the song!

The huge gears began to turn, and the earth felt like it was humming. The furnace slowly rises and is completely free from the magma, and the iron door with a lid on top is opened.

The molten steel was poured into the prepared model, and dozens of dwarves in anti-scald suits stirred back and forth with their usual iron rods to ensure that the molten steel was in the best condition when it condensed.

Occasionally, molten steel would splash up and hit the dwarf, and then there would be a burnt smell. The dwarven craftsmen didn't care, though, and their attention was all focused on the iron rods in their hands and the molten steel poured into the model.