Chapter 174 - 174: 172 Underground Tunnel and the Mysterious Train 1
Red Copper Castle had been completely taken over by the Soaring Dragon Legion and the Black Iron Dwarves.
Under the bloody crackdown, only a few Red Copper Dwarves were able to survive and escape from the Red Copper Castle.
Most of them were the forces left behind by Red Copper King Sorin to deal with the remnants of Lait’s army, led by Sorin’s second-in-command, Worf.
Upon realizing that something was wrong, this Copper Dwarf, who was previously only concerned with minor matters, immediately led a thousand others to break through and flee towards the territory of the Mountain Dwarves.
These guys were too quick on their feet, and before the Soaring Dragon Legion could react, they took advantage of their familiarity with the terrain and disappeared down a small path.
However, it was just a few Red Copper Dwarves who escaped, so it was unlikely they could make any big waves.
Now, King of Black Iron Ebik was a guest in the Land of the Soaring Dragon.
This dark-skinned fellow, whose face was almost bursting with laughter, seemed to have gained a lot from this operation.
Moreover, the main force in the attack on Red Copper Castle was the Land of the Soaring Dragon; the Black Iron Dwarves only blocked the Red Copper Dwarves’ retreat nearby, barely suffering any losses.
When Otto hinted at this, Black Iron King Ebik laughed heartily and said, “From now on, whatever the Land of the Soaring Dragon needs, as long as we have it, we can provide it!”
Furthermore, Ebik promised that Red Copper Castle was a shared victory between the Black Iron Dwarves and the Land of the Soaring Dragon, and both parties had ownership of the place.
However, it was clear that most monsters within the Land of the Soaring Dragon wouldn’t be particularly interested in that city, which was no different from a larger mine.
So, essentially, Red Copper Castle would be handed over entirely to the Black Iron Dwarves for their use.
Regarding the future development direction of Red Copper Castle, Ebik chuckled and said, “I plan to dig a subterranean tunnel between Red Copper Castle and Black Iron Field!”
“A subterranean tunnel?”
While gnawing on a roasted whole pig, Otto finally heard a topic that piqued his interest.
“Yes, a subterranean tunnel!”
At this point, Ebik gulped down a cup of strong alcohol, his face flushed and full of pride.
Then, his brother Dain explained, “This is also a new invention proposed by several highly respected elders in recent centuries.
You know, we dwarves love mines the most, but as they dig deeper and deeper, it’s really a waste of time to transport the ores back and forth on foot.
So we tried using magic cars as mine carts, but they couldn’t adapt to the complex conditions inside the mine. In order to compensate for this, we laid tracks along the mine cart’s path.
The results were surprisingly good, so it quickly spread to all the mines for use.”
Hearing this, Otto looked at the two Black Iron Dwarves in surprise, thinking that this was not unlike a train.
It seemed that even without advanced technology, this world had many remarkable things.
For example, the Floating City he had heard of was not something that could be easily produced with the technology level of his old world.
King of Black Iron continued Dain’s topic, laughing, “The distance between Red Copper Castle and Black Iron Field is not short, and it would take too much time to walk the distance on foot.
So, building a subterranean tunnel between the two, laying tracks and forging a huge mine cart for easy round trips would be much simpler.”
Otto nodded and then said, “The Land of the Soaring Dragon can provide you with a large number of Kobolds. Although their strength is not very impressive, they are experts in tunneling.”
“Really?”
Ebik laughed happily, “Always taking from friends is not something Black Iron Dwarves like to do. Tell me, my friend, what can the Black Iron Dwarves do for you?”
“It’s simple. I’m also very interested in the underground tunnel you mentioned.”
Otto laughed, “Maybe, we can also build a subterranean tunnel between the Land of the Soaring Dragon and Red Copper Castle!”
“Great idea!”
The Black Iron Dwarf nodded, “This way, in the future, I can also easily visit the Land of the Soaring Dragon through these connected tunnels!”
“I also have a field in Northland of Nolan Forest. Since we’re building subterranean tunnels, I think it’s best to include that place as well.”
“Oh! That way, it will be much easier to do business with the human merchants in Dragon Bone Wasteland!”
King of Black Iron seemed very interested in this as well. He poured himself another cup of strong alcohol, and after belching, he shook his head.
Then, he continued, “Although those humans are very cunning… *hic*… it must be said that with them around, it indeed brings a great deal of convenience!”
“You’re right…”
Otto nodded and smiled.
But at the same time, he was thinking about his relationship with these black-bearded dwarf winter melons.
Although they were currently getting along very well, this was just because their interests were aligned.
If they ever parted ways one day, it might be too late to think about how to deal with these Black Iron Dwarves then.
For now, the Blood Covenant seemed to be the best choice.
However, since they were still in the honeymoon phase, in order to prevent any excessive actions from causing any bad effects, some precautions would have to wait until the right time.
King of Black Iron Ebik got drunk and was eventually helped to the guest room in Blackstone Castle by his fellow brother Dain.
His current state wouldn’t allow him to ride a griffin; if he fell off and died while flying, he would be infamous for eternity.
After sending off the seemingly straightforward Black Iron Dwarves, Otto lay down on the Blackstone Platform in the Council Chamber and summoned Saru.
“During the time I was away, there were no issues in the Land of the Soaring Dragon, right?”
The old Lizardman knelt respectfully before Otto and said, “Your Majesty, I don’t think there’s anything worth worrying about.”
“Very good…”
Otto nodded, as the old Lizardman had never let him down and managed the increasingly large Land of the Soaring Dragon very well.
“Let me think…”
Otto stared at Saru and asked, “How are the slaves we sent back to the human countries?”
“Most of them send intelligence to the Land of the Soaring Dragon periodically through special agents, but some have become untraceable and only a few individuals have been confirmed dead.’
Hearing this answer, Otto frowned and asked, “Dead?”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Saru explained, “The cause of death of some of the human slaves has been identified and can be learned through the intelligence passed back by the other slaves.
Some of them tried to leak information about the Land of the Soaring Dragon and triggered the Blood Covenant mechanism, causing their entire bodies to explode from the inside out.
Some of the others were forcibly conscripted by King Lait and died on the battlefield or from the side effects of Frenzy Pills..”