Chapter 736: Forgefire Dwarves
After Leon finished speaking, he led everyone back into the forest, opened the Death Tome, and uttered a rune. The Death Tome emitted a faint glow, enveloping Leon and his group completely. In an instant, Beta could no longer see Leon and the others, nor could he sense their presence.
Beta stood up, terrified, and touched his stomach. He could already feel a faint, throbbing pain from within, so much that his teeth began to chatter in fear.
Looking up, he saw the two wyverns nearly upon him. Beta gritted his teeth and resigned himself to his fate.
He hurried forward, walking dozens of meters before the two wyverns in the sky descended, blocking Beta's path.
"Beta? What are you doing here?"
An Orc Wind Rider, who happened to know Beta, gave him a disdainful glare.
Beta's eyes darted about, and he quickly pulled out two crystals, tossing them to the two Orc Wind Riders.
"Mighty Wind Riders, I am here to seek an audience with the most powerful Flame Dragon Warlord of the Ashen Orc Tribe. Would you kindly show me the way?"
Beta wore a fawning smile, rubbing his hands together obsequiously.
One of the Wind Riders glanced at the crystal in his hand, stuffed it casually into his tunic, and looked at Beta with utter disdain.
I remember you were supposed to be out on patrol. Why are you here alone? Did something happen? What do you want with our Warlord?
Beta grinned obsequiously, his back hunched as he hurriedly replied, "Nothing at all, really. It's just too boring out there. That fool Joan has a rotten temper, and I can't stand being around him. So I thought, maybe the mighty Flame Dragon Warlord could let me serve here instead—even if it's just leading the Kodo Beasts for you..."
One of the Wind Riders lashed his whip hard, sending Beta rolling across the ground. He laughed and cursed, "Get lost! You think you belong here? If I see you again, I'll twist your head off!"
The other Wind Rider shook his head and sneered, "Scram, idiot. You think you could lead the Warlord's Kodo Beasts? You're barely fit to be their feed."
Having pocketed their bribe, the two Wind Riders whipped Beta a few more times, then mounted their wyverns and soared off.
Beta endured two more lashes, watching the Wind Riders depart. He secretly let out a sigh of relief, hurried back to where Leon and the others had been, but couldn't find any trace of them.
Just as Beta grew anxious, a few figures appeared silently around him. Hubert swaggered over, slapped Beta on the shoulder, and said, "Well done, you didn't embarrass Lord Hubert. Don't worry, when I get a chance, I'll rip those two bastards' heads off for you."
Leon tossed him a glass vial. "That's half the antidote. It'll keep you safe for at least a month. The rest depends on your performance."
Beta cradled the glass vial as if it were his lifeline, immediately dropping to his knees in gratitude. "Thank you, great Lord Merlin! Your brilliance shines like the sun, your wisdom and mercy surpass even the prophets of the Ashen Orc Tribe..."
Beta laid on the flattery thick, only stopping when Hubert kicked him. He hurriedly gulped down the potion, then, as if remembering something, checked for any residue in the vial, gritted his teeth, and swallowed the glass bottle whole.
For now, they'd managed to bluff their way through. Beta led the group, skirting the Ashen Orc army as they hurried away.
Sure enough, before long, a squadron of Orc Wind Riders flew over where Leon's group had just been, probing the area. Wolf Riders rampaged through the forest, searching frantically for any trace.
But every trace, scent, and aura had been wiped clean by Leon. There was nothing for them to track.
Having evaded the orc army's pursuit, it wasn't long before they encountered three Dark Elf wraiths.
Elsa immediately began to explain to everyone.
"These three died defending the tribe. That time, an earth dragon broke into the enclave. They were the captains on duty—one was an eighth-rank Title Archmage, the other two were seventh-rank. They fell unexpectedly while buying time. I never thought they'd be here as wraiths..."
The group prepared for battle, but Leon didn't join in. The three wraiths, two at level thirty-six and one at thirty-seven, didn't warrant his intervention.
Andefa led a squad to assault the wraiths, while Leon focused on his Arcane Engine, tracking every stray aura in the air, constantly deducing and searching.
The two weaker Dark Elf wraiths were the first to be overwhelmed by a torrent of spells. Yet even then, Leon hadn't found anything useful.
Only when the last Dark Elf wraith was pierced by seven or eight spears of flame, and its essence faded, did Leon's Arcane Engine finally catch a trace of something unusual.
Suddenly, Leon's Arcane Engine whirred at full power, data streaming through its circuits. Everything around him—the growth of plants, the movement of air, the flow of magic—had its veil torn away, revealing the tiniest shifts.
After a long moment, Leon opened his eyes and pointed. "What's over there?"
Beta answered quickly, "Great Lord Merlin, you already know? The ruins are in that direction."
A look of realization crossed Leon's face.
So that's it. Curis Quinn's notes did mention something about ruins, and now Leon had finally caught a whiff of the artifact avatar. According to his Arcane Engine's deductions, the avatar was deep within the forest.
But the result was still hazy—it really was inside those ruins!
Ruins like these are almost always protected by powerful alchemical arrays, and most are hidden within pocket dimensions. Until the protective energies are depleted, the ruins won't emerge. In the vastness of the ether, without coordinates, not even gods or demons could find something that's been hidden away.
Now that the ruins had appeared, some lingering power still operated within, enough to interfere with Leon's deductions.
But deducing that it's inside the ruins is good enough!
With a definite direction at last, Elsa was the most elated; even Leon allowed himself a faint smile.
If they could find the artifact avatar, they'd be able to use the Dark Elf tribe's path to reach the summit of the Tree of Wisdom directly!
This time, the group moved much faster. Whenever they encountered Dark Elf wraiths, Leon would personally deal with them, pushing forward as quickly as possible.
But when they finally reached the outskirts of the ruins, they discovered something unexpected.
The entrance to the ruins was a massive stone gate embedded in the trunk of the Tree of Wisdom.
Outside the stone gate, there were already many constructions and large, complex tools scattered about. Several tents had been set up—clearly, people had been here for some time.
The stone gate was scarred by the passage of time, towering over ten meters high and thirty wide. But what caught their attention were the unexpected figures gathered before it.
A group of dwarves, none taller than a meter and a half but with thick, powerful limbs. Their skin was dark red, etched with cracks like dried rock—Forgefire Dwarves.
Elsa sidled up to Leon, whispering in his ear.
"These are the Forgefire Dwarves. Born smiths and craftsmen, their skin turned dark red and cracked from years beside the forge. But their strength is unmatched—even the Ashen Orcs may not be stronger than these dwarves.
Their gear is the best among the three great races of the God-Demon Dominion. Both Dark Elves and Ashen Orcs covet weapons and armor forged by Forgefire Dwarves, but these dwarves rarely sell their work.
They're almost only interested in forging and building, seldom joining the struggles of the Dominion. Our Dark Elf tribe and the Ashen Orcs have frequent skirmishes, but the Forgefire Dwarves rarely get involved. Over the years, they've become the strongest tribe, growing ever more powerful, yet still rarely meddling in conflicts."
Beta quickly added, "Great Lord Merlin, I swear I had no idea these red-skinned dwarves had started digging here..."
Leon said nothing, but a faint smile curled his lips.
Apparently, the Ashen Orcs only learned of it later—the Forgefire Dwarves had already started excavating, and it looked like they'd made some progress.
If the Ashen Orcs were digging here, things would be tricky. But with Forgefire Dwarves, the odds are much better.
Leon knew the Forgefire Dwarves all too well.
This race is born to be smiths and builders. When an entire people devote themselves to a craft, it's inevitable that some of them become masters beyond what any other race could hope to match.
In the future, Forgefire Dwarves will be in high demand. The best among them hold status equal to Sky Rank mages; even the most powerful spellcasters treat them with respect.
During the apocalypse, the main builders of the Sanctuary Tower were the Forgefire Dwarves!
During the Great Excavation Era, countless ruins were lost because the wrong methods were used to dig them up, destroying valuable relics and records.
What truly sets the Forgefire Dwarves apart is their skill at excavating ruins. They can unearth entire sites with minimal damage—sometimes not harming a single stone.