Chapter 498 - 497: The Assembling Dwarves

Chapter 498: Chapter 497: The Assembling Dwarves

"I don’t think this is a very smart move," Kase chimed in, which was rare for him. "You don’t have enough people to scare off most monsters, nor do you have that many who can actually fight. Besides, a larger group is just easier for monsters to spot and track."

Kase wasn’t belittling them.

Colin glanced at the Dwarves in the hall. They were wearing either Long Chain Armor or Plate Armor with a distinct dwarven style. Each of them held a weapon like a Battle Axe, a war pick, or a crossbow.

Judging by their gear alone, they looked the part. But looking at the individuals wearing it, something felt off.

This group of Dwarves were clearly not Warriors who could face monsters head-on.

"That’s why we’re paying to hire you." A deep voice sounded. Turning around, Colin saw the speaker was the leader of this group of dwarves, Durkin-Shadow Anvil.

He was wearing a suit of exquisitely crafted Half-plate Armor.

This set of Plate Armor had a very dwarven style. The entire suit of Armor was shockingly thick. The knees and shoulders were carved with the heads of roaring dwarves, the chest was inscribed with the Divine Emblem of Moradin, and the surface of the Armor was etched with golden dwarven Runes.

The pauldrons and Chest Armor of this Half-plate Armor were so exceptionally thick they seemed almost unreal, likely to defend against attacks from above and the front—though it was also possible that from Colin’s perspective, he could only see the shoulder and chest plates.

Langgrin stood right beside Durkin.

He was fully encased in a suit of Full Plate Armor, with a Round Shield and a Battle Axe slung across his back.

The style of the Armor was largely the same as Durkin’s. Even his beard was covered by a thick iron plate, making him look more like a miniature Golem than a living Dwarf.

"I need you to escort this group of Dwarves safely to the sixth level of the Undercity. We need to establish an outpost there," Durkin said. "Once we reach the sixth level, I will pay each of you one hundred Gold Coins. If there’s anything else to be done, I will commission you for other tasks. How about it?"

One hundred Gold Coins per person, which meant this was a five-hundred-Gold-Coin job.

They were undertaking this mission with Donkexes and his people, so the difficulty probably wouldn’t be too high. The price was fairly reasonable.

Colin sighed internally. The reward they’d gotten from Albert a while back was so large that hearing this number now left him feeling a bit underwhelmed.

’I guess it’s just that Donkexes and his people are too poor.’

"How many have arrived?" Durkin asked, looking at Donkexes.

The latter replied, "There are thirty-two of us here now. Balende hasn’t arrived yet, but he should be here soon..."

Just as he was speaking, someone suddenly shouted from the doorway, "Let me see how many fools are still clinging to the pipe dream of reclaiming our homeland!"

Colin turned to look. A Dwarf about the same age as Donkexes was standing in the doorway.

Unlike the other fully armed Dwarves, this fellow wore only a thick woolen tunic and carried no weapon at all.

"It seems the loyalist faction is larger than I thought, little prince." He swaggered up to Durkin, then glanced at Colin’s group. "Where did you find these freaks? Are they really capable of escorting us into the Dungeon? Or are you planning to feed us to the monsters?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the White-bearded Dwarf’s eyes swept over Colin’s Chest Armor, then to the other members of the party.

He coughed twice and said, "You all look strange, but I suppose you can fight. Alright, when are we leaving?"

"Now." Durkin immediately headed toward a corner of the hall, and the other Dwarves, seeing this, quickened their pace to follow him.

Just as Colin was about to follow, Dorn walked over.

At the same time, his voice rang out in Colin’s mind. ’Donkexes told me to tell you not to worry about what just happened. That Old Guy has recognized who you are. His grandfather was a Shield Dwarf, and northern tradition makes them greatly respect anyone who can slay a White Dragon.’

Colin replied in his mind, ’I don’t really mind. By the way, who are all these Dwarves?’

’This is great, I’m a mouthpiece again,’ Dorn complained mentally, before relaying Donkexes’s words. ’These are Shadow Anvil Clan Dwarves, scattered all around Thousand Masts City. They work in various trades, but they’ve all answered Durkin’s call to reclaim their homeland.’

’They’re planning to retake the Undercity with just over thirty Dwarves? None of them look like they can fight.’

’This is just a trial run. If we can successfully get this group to the sixth level, others from the clan will lend their aid. Balende, the one who just arrived, is a member of the Blacksmith’s Guild. If he can be persuaded, we’ll secure a major investment.’

After a moment, Dorn’s voice came again. ’It’s just... these wealthy folks aren’t really cut out for a fight. We might run into some trouble on our way there.’

Colin replied, ’We just finished a job adventuring with a rich guy, so you could say we have some experience in that department.’

Colin recalled hearing that these Dwarves were being targeted by the guilds in the city. He figured that probably included some of the disheartened Shadow Anvil Clan Dwarves.

Durkin led them out of the hall and to a corner of the corridor. Then, with practiced ease, he found a specific stone brick on the wall and pressed it.

Immediately after, a section of the brick wall about two meters long suddenly shuddered.

With a grinding sound of rock on rock, the entire wall began to slowly descend until it disappeared completely.

’The sewers of Thousand Masts City really have everything,’ Colin grumbled to himself.

Beyond the secret stone-brick door was a narrow corridor about ten-odd meters long, which ended in a large hall.

The hall was completely empty. Although Colin was no Dwarf, he could tell from the condition of the stone bricks on the surrounding walls that this hall had likely existed for a very long time.

Set into the four walls of the hall were several large stone doors. A quick count revealed about six of them.

Dorn nudged Colin’s thigh with his elbow and explained, "Just like how humans build secret passages in their castles, Dwarves aren’t so rigid."

"Look, these Teleport gates have complex magical encryptions. Only members of the Shadow Anvil Clan’s royal family can open them. To this day, no one has been able to decipher the magical encryption on them," Dorn continued to explain. Even Kase could probably detect the pride in his tone.

Colin asked, "What’s behind the doors?"

"Just you watch," Dorn said, crossing his arms.

At that moment, Durkin walked up to the stone door closest to the entrance.

Just as Colin thought he was about to open the door, the Dwarf slowly turned around.