Yeah, that's right. Dwarves. I wasn't surprised that dwarves existed because we had fairy spirits and elves, so it was only a matter of time before I encountered real dwarves. I just didn't expect to see them in the Celestial Labyrinth. Then again, where else was I supposed to find dwarves? The fantasy cliché was that they tended to live underground or in subterranean environments, especially those close to mines full of ores and other precious minerals for smithing.
And the Celestial Labyrinth was underground.
The dwarves in front of me looked like the typical ones you would find in fantasy movies, with beards and mustaches that covered half their faces. They wore chainmail and spiked helmets, reminiscent of Vikings, carrying huge hammers and axes that they rested on their pauldrons. Their figures were squat and muscular, which explained why they were able to heft such heavy metallic weapons with astonishing ease. Their pale skin was grimy, with ruddy complexions and huge eyes that probably allowed them to navigate the dim caverns, despite the light afforded by the bioluminescent moss growing all over the Celestial Labyrinth.
About a dozen of them formed the current delegation, though Raquel had mentioned that they were an expeditionary force. This wasn't much of an "expeditionary force," though. More like a scouting squad. I also caught sight of my Phantom Stumps, Ghost Pumpkins and a couple of Round Owlets lurking nearby, the ones who Raquel had requisitioned for her scouting squad. Of course, they would return with her.
"Yes, I am the owner of this dungeon," I said, staring down the dwarf. He must have sensed the strength behind my words, for he dropped to his knees.
"We're from the Hel-Moran Combine," he said, his head lowered humbly. "I apologize for my audacity. We're a protectorate of dwarven kingdoms who have allied together for mutual protection. Currently, we consist of two dungeons who are interconnected by a series of mining tunnels, and we share profits through mining and smithing activities."
Like all dwarves. Right. Seemed like fantasy stories had their basis in reality.
"Um, okay. It's an honor to meet you. I assume you have a reason for coming all the way here to visit my dungeon?"
"That's right. Our leaders have dispatched us to first ascertain your intentions…following which, I hope we can discuss the possibility of an alliance."
I exchanged a glance with Raquel, Long Wang, Sylvie and Silvia. Jun Hai was present as well, but he didn't seem to care. This was my dungeon, not his, so he left everything to me. On the other hand, Raquel, Long Wang, Sylvie and Silvia were clearly part of my dungeon, having made this place their home. I couldn't ignore their opinions.
"I suggest that we invite them into the palace and listen to them, Master," Raquel said.
"No objections," Long Wang said. Sylvie and Silvia nodded as well.
"We agree."
"Okay." I then gestured for the delegation of dwarves to follow us into the main hall of the palace. "Please come in. Make yourselves comfortable, and we'll discuss this in detail."
Once everyone was seated around the guest table that I had procured for the massive hall of my palace, we could finally open dialogue with the dwarves. I began by first asking the lead dwarf to introduce himself.
"Um, greetings, uh…Grimly?"
"Who the hell is Grimly!? Don't just assume my name based off what you watched from the Lord of the Rings trilogy!"
"Um, okay. So what's your name, uh, dude?"
The dwarf rolled his eyes before settling back onto his chair and puffing his broad chest out. "I'm Einhard Ubisoft. I'm the leader of this diplomatic delegation, and…well, let's get straight to the point. As I said earlier, we are here to ascertain your intentions."
"And what exactly do you mean by my intentions?" I asked with a frown. "Not to sound rude or anything, I don't think how I govern my dungeon is any business of yours. Unless you wish to trade, then I'm more than open to negotiations, but quite frankly, I didn't even know about you guys until you showed up, so I've been doing most of my business with the Merchants."
"Oh, that's not what I meant." Einhard Ubisoft squirmed. "I apologize if I have offended you. I certainly didn't mean to ask about your intentions regarding your own dungeon and whatever policies you plan to implement for it. Perhaps I should have worded it in a clearer manner. I meant to ask if you have any intention to…uh, aggressively expand your territory. And what is your attitude toward other dungeons, especially the smaller ones."
"Ah." Now I understood what they were so concerned about. The Hel-Moran Combine, or whatever the dwarven protectorate called itself, was worried that I might invade their dual dungeons and seize their territory for my own. Being smaller dungeons, they lacked the strength to defend themselves. Or they could, but they knew the cost would be steep and they would suffer irrecoverable casualties. Pushing my glasses up my nose, I sighed and shook my head reassuringly. "Don't worry. I have no intention of aggressively expanding my territory. I am open to trading with other dungeons, but that's it. Unless they attack me first, I have no intention of provoking them."
Einhard looked extremely relieved, as did his companions. They were breathing a collective sigh of relief and relaxing, though there were a few who were skeptical. They wisely didn't voice their doubts, though. It would absurdly dumb of them to come all the way to question me about my intentions, only to outright refuse to believe me when I replied. Otherwise, why bother coming all the way here and asking me?
"I'm afraid we will have to send a separate delegation if you want to discuss trade, but if you're willing, then when I return to the Hel-Moran Combine, I will inform the Council and request that they dispatch the appropriate party. Or you are more than welcome to visit us personally, and I will guarantee that we will treat you with utmost hospitality." Einhard beamed. "I'm sure you'll be impressed by the range of treasure weapons, ore and minerals we have in our dungeons. I believe I can even talk them into selling them to you at a discount."
"Thanks. I will think about it."
"Excellent." Einhard exhaled excitedly. "And for the second reason why we are here…as I mentioned before, we wish to propose an alliance."
"An alliance?" I leaned closer and waited for Einhard to elaborate. The elder dwarf nodded wearily, suddenly looking deflated.
"That's correct. We are facing threats of our own at the moment. Our dungeons are pretty small, and we have survived thus far by banding together…hence, our Hel-Moran Combine consists of two dungeons merging for mutual protection. Even so, we still do not have a strong enough military force to repel invaders. Especially with recent events and an emerging enemy."
"An emerging enemy?" I repeated with a raised eyebrow. I had a suspicion I knew who Einhard was referring to, especially after what had happened with the were-beasts. I should have called Lionel Jonson here to join us. This surely couldn't be a coincidence.
"That's right. They call themselves demonic cultivators." Einhard swallowed, clenching his fists. "They have already subjugated a few lesser dungeons and enslaved their populations…or worse."
"They didn't just enslave the dungeon masters and their people!" Another dwarf blurted out, slamming his hands against the table. His usually ruddy face was pale from horror. I had requested that some of my spirit beasts bring some wine or drinks to the table, and the Collector Crabs were crawling into the hall now, bearing trays and cups. A couple flinched from his sudden show of anger.
"Calm down, Angus," another dwarf chided him, allowing the Collector Crabs to finally serve the drinks and hastily scuttle away. I nodded at them apologetically, but they waved dismissively at me, telling me it was all right.
"You heard the rumors," Angus snarled, taking a swig from his wine glass. Wiping the drink from his damp beard, he glared at his fellow dwarves. "Those…those demons aren't just enslaving people. They are slaughtering them, exterminating entire populations, and…conducting some sort of ritual. We don't have the details, but apparently, they were sucking mana or the lifeforce out of their victims, in some twisted attempt to empower themselves. Like vampires, they are. Except that they're not sucking blood, but pure vitality."
"It's just rumors," the other dwarf muttered. "We haven't confirmed them yet."
"Yeah? That's because no one has survived an encounter with them to confirm the truth!"
"I can affirm that," I said. "I know demonic cultivators, and that is definitely their modus operandi. They massacre entire villages and towns on the surface to drain their victims of their qi. Essentially mana in your terms. But yes, they do it in order to get stronger. It's a shortcut with lots of side effects, as well as sacrifices, but it does significantly boost their strength in the short term."
"How cruel…" Sylvie whispered, horrified. Silvia made a face and shook her head in disgust.
"We have to stop them."
"Yes," Einhard agreed with a heavy sigh. "And that's why we have turned to you, lord. We do not have the strength to resist such nightmarish foes. But we have heard of your strength. How you succeeded in defeating the Flood Dragon Dungeon, which boasts of a force that was ancient, prestigious and powerful…one that had not suffered defeat in centuries. And then, just yesterday, we received news that you even succeeded in rescuing the were-beasts from the clutches of the demonic cultivators. If there's anyone who has any chance of defeating the demonic cultivators, it is you."
"We'll definitely repay you, of course. We're not asking you to protect us for free." Angus cut in this time, his red hair almost resembling an angry inferno. "We'll give you weapons, armor and equipment from our armory – the Hel-Moran Combine is renowned for the armaments we smith. We are the greatest blacksmiths in the Celestial Labyrinth."
"That's why the demonic cultivators are aiming for our dungeons," another dwarf piped up solemnly. "They want our treasure weapons and equipment. They want to plunder our armory and resources to expand their war machine. We cannot allow our weapons and armor to fall into the hands of such monsters!"
"We also have plenty of spirit stones," Einhard added. "As you can probably guess, our mines full of precious minerals and ores are also filled to the brim with high grade spirit stones. So if it's not weapons and equipment that you desire, then perhaps spirit stones to upgrade and maintain your dungeon would be more to your liking? We can pay those upfront too."
"We can negotiate the payment later, but yes, you have my sword." I rose from my seat and pledged myself to their cause. "We can't allow the demonic cultivators to run rampant any longer. If they threaten you, then I will ride out and go to war along your side."
"Agreed," Long Wang said. "If the armory of the Hel-Moran Combine falls into the hands of the demonic cultivators, as well as their skilled blacksmiths and rich mines…I dread to think what would happen. They will become an extremely formidable force in the Celestial Labyrinth, indeed. Soon, there will be no one who can stop them…and they might annihilate everything in the Celestial Labyrinth and conquer almost every dungeon in here."
"We can't allow that to happen!" Silvia shouted.
"And we can't leave these people to their mercy too," Sylvie agreed quietly. "We have to help them."
Raquel nodded when I glanced at her, silently signaling to me that the dwarves were genuine and that everything spoken so far was the truth, as far as she could tell. I trusted her because she had access to an information network equal to the Merchants. If she said they could be trusted, then most likely they would. I would ask her to provide me more information after the dwarves leave, but for now, it seemed safe to work on the assumption that they were telling the truth. For her part, Raquel also acquiesced.
"I believe forming an alliance with the Hel-Moran Combine would be a wise move, Master. Not just in terms of a mutual threat that will eventually reach our territory, but also because they will be a great trading partner."
"Yeah." I nodded, glad that my friends had the same opinion that I did. "Then it's agreed. We will march out to help the Hel-Moran Combine."
"Thank you very much!" Einhard was delighted. "You won't regret this decision. I swear, we'll definitely repay this debt!"
"Yeah!" Angus joined in, pumping his fist into the air, his messy red hair fluttering from the movement. "Let's kick the asses of this Mystic Demon whatever dungeon! We'll make them rue the day they ever dared to turn their greedy eyes toward our mines and armory!"
"Wait, what?" I held up a hand, having heard a very familiar name. "The demonic cultivators who were attacking you…did you say they are the Mystic Demon Sect?"
"Yeah, I think that's what they called themselves," Angus affirmed with a nod. "Our scouts confirmed that information too. Some…scary sounding name that's half intimidating but half edgy."
"Oh…" I couldn't help but grin. "Seems like the saying, enemies are bound to meet on a narrow road, is true after all."