69novels Chapter 114 The Gray Dwarfs
Chapter 114 The Gray Dwarfs
A black-feathered, red-beaked eagle circled in the air, its sharp eyes scrutinizing the rolling hills below.
Judging from the footprints extending from the cave, there must have been a considerable number of dwarves. Logically, they would have left behind a lot of traces, and as long as they hadn't gone far, they would definitely not have escaped the eyes of the eagles.
Sure enough, not long after, Thor spotted wisps of smoke rising from the foot of a mountain about 20 kilometers away. He immediately steered the Black Feather Eagle toward that spot.
On this relatively open and flat area, rows of animal skin tents had been erected at some point, and dozens or even hundreds of dwarves with stone-gray skin were busy weaving ropes from animal skins and vines.
Thor used the eyes of the Black Feathered Eagle to carefully examine the dwarves from the ground below.
He saw among them grey dwarf seekers and wanderers dressed in leather armor and cloaks, completely wrapped up;
They saw a gray dwarf monk who was bare-chested and barefoot, wearing only a pair of linen trousers;
They saw a grey dwarf priest clad in elaborate robes and wielding a mace in both hands;
And then there were the largest groups, the grey dwarf warriors clad in full plate armor and wielding two-handed great axes and massive warhammers.
However, what interested Thor the most were the two creatures that were perched next to the tent—giant beetles that were nearly two meters tall, almost four meters long, and completely black, resembling rhinoceros beetles.
The dragon heritage in his mind told him that this was a creature called the Black Foam Beetle, one of the two creatures most favored by the gray dwarf insect controllers.
These giant creatures are not only the mounts and means of transportation for the Grey Dwarves, but also powerful tools for attacking strongholds and are indispensable members of the Grey Dwarves' slave-hunting teams.
Could these gray dwarves also be a slave-hunting team that came to the surface?
After careful observation, Thor felt it was unlikely, because there was no need to bring a relatively noble priest to such an event, and he didn't see any other races around.
Looking at the vast majority of the gray dwarves, their clothes were stained with blood, and some even had obvious wounds. It was more like they had been driven out than that they had gone to the surface to capture slaves.
Is it because they couldn't stay underground any longer that they came to the surface, hoping to rely on their ancestors' wealth to make a comeback?
His thoughts raced through his mind, and Thor's vision returned to his body. At high speed, he was now close by.
A crimson meteor streaked across the sky, leaving a long trail of flame behind it. Soon, the tents at the foot of the mountain were right in front of him, but he showed no sign of stopping. In the horrified and astonished eyes of the gray dwarves, he crashed down like a meteorite.
boom--!!!
A deafening collision suddenly erupted, and rubble mixed with flames spread outwards like a storm.
Several tents that were close together were immediately uprooted from the ground, and some unlucky gray dwarves were even hit by sparks, their thick beards and hair on their heads instantly ignited, and they hurriedly and frantically tried to pat themselves off.
"What happened? What's going on?"
"Was it a meteorite that hit us?"
"A dragon! It's a red dragon! I see it, it must be a red dragon!"
The entire camp of dwarves was alarmed; some were at a loss, while others gripped their weapons tightly with tense expressions.
The dwarf priest, clad in a magnificent robe, with a white beard and hair, and wielding two one-handed hammers, cast a cold, sharp glance around and whispered a command.
"Silence! Everyone prepare for battle!"
The large group of dwarven warriors immediately pressed forward with their shields, while the wanderers and seekers raised their crossbows.
However, amidst the dust rising from their poised and ready lineup, only a mocking voice could be heard:
"You vermin from the ground, who gave you the audacity to trespass on my territory!"
Heavy footsteps echoed, and orange flames rose. Under the watchful eyes of all the gray dwarves, Thor strode out from the dissipating dust, leaving behind charred footprints on the ground.
What kind of monster is this?! Its massive body, over 14 meters tall, was ablaze with flames, its scales gleaming crimson, constantly radiating intense heat.
Even the grey dwarves, who were used to being around furnaces, found it hard to bear the scorching heat emanating from Thor and involuntarily retreated.
Looking at the creature, which resembled a red-hot iron, their rich forging experience instinctively led them to assess its temperature and metal properties, after which they felt a deep sense of despair.
This is a creature that no ordinary creature can deal with. The air three meters away from its body is probably already several hundred degrees Celsius, and the blue flames burning on its body are at least 3000 degrees Celsius.
Ordinary creatures would be burned just by getting close to it, let alone touching it. Even a steel weapon would be quickly turned into molten iron if it landed on it.
Despite the extremely high temperature, the metallic scales on the red dragon's body showed no signs of softening. With each step, its knife-like claws left clear claw marks on the rocks, demonstrating its incredible hardness.
He looks no bigger than a teenager, so why does he exude such terrifying power?
The dwarf priest gripped his mace tightly, sweat beading on his forehead, but dared not give the order to attack.
The dwarven warriors facing Thor were even more helpless. As the terrifying beast drew closer, their hands, which had remained steadfast even when pursued by the night elves, began to tremble slightly.
Thor held his head high, his slightly outstretched wings casting large shadows as he looked down at the dwarves.
Speaking of which, these guys are all natural-born blacksmiths and architects. I happen to be building a giant arena, so maybe...
Looking at these free laborers, a sinister smile crept across his face as he growled in a low voice.
"Grey dwarves, you now have two choices: either submit to me, or..."
"Yes! We're willing!"
"Great Red Dragon, we are willing to pledge our loyalty to you!"
"Please grant us a place to stay!"
Before Thor could finish speaking, a chorus of surrenders erupted. Looking at the earnest faces of the grey dwarves, he was somewhat bewildered.
Why didn't they even struggle? He had planned to kill half of them first, and then further coerce the rest! But before he even started, they knelt down.
Ultimately, however, Thor simply doesn't understand the habits and social structure of the Grey Dwarves.
As a race that was enslaved by drow elves and mind flayers for a very long time, enslavement and being enslaved are almost ingrained in the bones of the grey dwarves.
Many grey dwarves, while possessing slaves, were themselves slaves, submitting to a red dragon, and they saw nothing shameful about it.
More importantly, when you, as an ordinary person, see a metallic construct made entirely of titanium alloy, capable of flying and diving, engulfed in raging flames, and possessing widespread destructive power charging towards you,
To rebel would probably require the courage of Don Quixote.