Chapter 1700 Strange Phenomena
Sun Hao, leading his party, also encountered another snowy Dwarf village.
When red-nosed Dwarves, reeking of alcohol and staggering drunkenly, waved their hand axes and charged out, Sun Hao also got quite a shock. Was this the rhythm where Warriors just started hacking at the slightest disagreement?
Within the party, Tai'er Tong and several other small Dwarves also cheered and rushed forward.
Right in front of Sun Hao, not far away, the two groups of Dwarves clashed, their small axes clinking together several times enthusiastically. Tai'er Tong bellowed, "Furnace! Red Nosed Furnace! Hiccup! Soaked with booze! Haha, you guys are drunk as usual! Copper Hammer Tai'er Tong seeks passage to eradicate the vile Undead Warriors! Behind us is the Sacred Witch Little Lan Brigade!"
The leader, Furnace, rested his hand axe against Tai'er Tong's broad axe, saying, "Brother Tai'er Tong, I am Shan'er Hong! You blabbering Copper Hammer bunch are the chit-chattiest! And you've actually become someone else's..."
As he spoke, he looked towards Sun Hao and Gerlane.
Sun Hao stood with arms crossed. Gerlane widened her eyes, looking at the group of Dwarves who seemed to be fighting but were actually enacting a peculiar ritual.
Warriors who had attained a certain cultivation level could sense the glow of the Ancient God radiating above Sun Hao’s head. In the Lower Realm, specifically the Battle Realm, strong races and Warriors of sufficient strength could generally perceive clearly the immense benefit this divine light offered them.
Shan'er Hong was initially mocking Tai'er Tong for becoming someone’s follower, but the moment he caught sight of the Ancient God's glow, his tone seamlessly shifted. "The Sacred Witch Little Lan Brigade! I am so honored! I’ve long admired your renown! Would you perhaps also take the brave Furnace Warrior Shan'er Hong..."
This Dwarf village had only twenty-some Warriors, and only Shan'er Hong met the base requirements to join Sun Hao's party.
Before Sun Hao could speak, Gerlane was already grinning from ear to ear. "Accepted! Accepted! Indeed, Xiaoshan is right! The Sacred Witch Little Lan Brigade is famed far and wide, that name isn’t changing!"
After accepting Shan'er Hong, Sun Hao and Gerlane gradually learned more about the Eversnow Forest.
The Furnace Dwarves were scattered throughout the forest in small villages. Each village had its own relatively fixed hunting or activity territory. Typically, a small village housed about five hundred Dwarves, and only about twenty possessed the capability to cultivate Dwarf battle energy.
Furnace Dwarves and Copper Hammer Dwarves actually had quite similar customs, evident from their naming. For instance, Dwarf settlements progressed from Small Village, to Big Village, and finally Sacred Big Village...
Sun Hao veered away from the direction Grefni's main force was taking. Guided by Shan'er Hong, he began advancing into the Eversnow Forest steadily and unhurriedly.
As they traveled, more and more red-nosed Dwarves gathered behind Gerlane. Her contingent grew ever longer.
With so many drunkards, things became quite boisterous. They slung arms over each other's shoulders, blustered loudly, some even pulled out ale, shouting and whooping, filling the air with the aroma of liquor.
Small Village, Big Village, Sacred Big Village.
Walking this path, the number of Dwarves following Sun Hao grew to ten.
The initially weaker Warriors like Shan'er Hong and the others who joined from small villages along the way were left behind in the Sacred Big Village – which was actually a vast Dwarf city.
Only three additional red-nosed Dwarves traveled alongside Sun Hao now. The leader was fascinatingly named Tai'er Hong; just by the name, one might think he was Tai'er Tong's twin brother.
The Dwarf Warriors were hearty, easygoing, and straightforward to the extreme.
Sun Hao sensed they seemed to trust him completely, utterly without guile. Moreover, they had a natural camaraderie with Gerlane.
Gerlane, missing a screw or two and lacking in sophistication, got along splendidly with these Dwarves.
After traveling for quite some time, she outright refused to let Sun Hao carry her anymore. Instead, surrounded and supported by ten little Dwarves, she marched onward through the Eversnow Forest.
Truth be told, significantly taller than the Dwarves, with skin like white jade and long hair, Gerlane stood amongst the Dwarf throng like a Princess: noble, beautiful, and deeply cherished and respected by the Dwarves from the core of their hearts.
Sun Hao also noticed that the Dwarves held him mainly in respect. But, similar to the Half-Elf Warriors, they harbored some lingering doubt about him. Gerlane's attitude – complete trust, lack of defensiveness, and treating them as equals – subtly won the recognition of these straightforward, crude individuals.
Tai'er Hong even volunteered and summoned two more brothers to join the group.
Thus, the number of little Dwarves behind Gerlane reached ten. The final three Furnace Dwarves each commanded two thousand Dwarf Warriors.
Unnoticed, should battle erupt, Sun Hao could instantly mobilize fifteen thousand Dwarf Warriors, plus five thousand Half-Elf archers. Such strength was formidable.
In contrast to Sun Hao and Gerlane, Grefni was not faring well.
Even as Sun Hao advanced swiftly, recruiting Furnace Dwarves left and right, Grefni's Dragon Tooth Legion found itself surrounded by large numbers of Dwarf Warriors converging from afar, slowly tightening a circle.
Anyone not friendly was an enemy.
The Eversnow Forest was their home. They would defend it, unafraid to fight formidable foes.
In the past, the Eversnow Forest had faced Upper Realm Hero Cultivators, engaging in numerous battles. Each time, the Upper Realm Hero Warriors inflicted heavy losses on the Dwarf tribes, plundering many resources. If it weren’t for these Upper Realm Warriors often clashing with Undead Race Warriors, the Dwarves might already view them as sworn enemies.
This time, the arriving Upper Realm Hero Warriors were barbaric, refusing appreciation and misconstruing goodwill as a tactical weakness to exploit. Truly unreasonable and intolerable.
A Small Village sent up smoke signals. Warriors from many villages began to converge. Sacred Big Villages were stirred. The true elite Furnace Dwarves started gathering.
Increasing obstacles blocked Grefni's path. The Dwarf Warriors encountered grew stronger and stronger.
The party was forced to slow down. Finally, they could only make camp on the spot, entering a standoff with the Dwarf Race Warriors.
For now, both sides remained restrained. No significant conflict erupted. The Dwarf Race only wished to expel the outsiders; Grefni just wanted safe passage. There hadn’t yet been a definitive clash.
But just as both sides attempted communication, several Dwarf Warriors suddenly vanished into thin air.
The baffled Dwarf tribes naturally assumed this was the enemy’s doing and demanded an explanation, or else force would be met with force.
Grefni never anticipated such an outcome.
Peaceful passage through the Eversnow Forest was growing increasingly difficult.
Wu Kai advocated forcefully pushing through, crushing their way forward.
Danyu Bai argued against slaughter. Starting to spill blood likely meant facing constant unrest from Dwarves behind them unless every village was eradicated.
On hillsides, in the snow, atop tall trees.
Countless little Dwarves appeared, encircling Grefni’s troops layer upon layer. They stared intensely, poised to charge at any moment.
Conflict was unavoidable.
Within Grefni’s heart, the final decision remained unmade.
Should they annihilate their way through regardless of cost? Or proceed carefully, passing through under mutual restraint?
Tension drew taut like a bowstring, the spark might fly at any second.
Grefni gritted her teeth, saying, "If they attack first, then we’ll strike back with force. Break through here, focused on escaping encirclement. Minimize casualties if possible. A fight to the bitter end would be troublesome."
Danyu Bai added, "There are truly many Dwarf Warriors in this forest. A life-or-death struggle would be pointless effort."
Just as the blocking Dwarves prepared for battle, even bringing out hefty crossbows aimed at the Dragon Tooth Legion from atop a hill, Sun Hao and Gerlane's force caught up from behind the legion.
On the verge of erupting, Miss Gerlane actually managed to rejoin the team. Grefni felt dizzy.
From afar, Gerlane's clear voice carried: "Sister Grefni! I'm here! Little Lan is here! Giggles… good thing we came in time, avoided a huge mess."
Wu Kai asked in surprise, "How did you get in? Plus, why come running over now? Aren’t you just making trouble for us?"
Gerlane looked at Sun Hao: "This big mud pie speaks too cryptically, I don’t understand."
Grefni rubbed her forehead helplessly: "Little Lan, alright. The most important thing for you now is to rest properly and watch carefully. Don’t move recklessly. Otherwise, the Mirror Image breaking is inevitable."
Gerlane glanced at Sun Hao, saying, "Sister Grefni, don’t worry yet. I wonder if the Dwarves ahead admire my Sacred Witch Little Lan Brigade..."