Chapter 26: The Underground World
Humans are creatures that crave warmth and cling to fire.
The towering mountains of the southern Northern lands were perpetually covered in white snow, and today was naturally no exception.
Amidst the howling of the cold wind, the chill sweeping in from the distant Sea of Bewilderment had frozen the earth. White flying snow, gray overcast clouds, and black forests were all the colors one could see here—a monotonous and gloomy landscape that wore down one's spirit, while the harsh, freezing weather tortured the body.
For humans, this vast, desolate icy plain was an absolute forbidden zone. If one were to step in here without adequate preparation, they would undoubtedly be reduced to a pile of bleached bones under the erosion of wind and snow. Even though the temperature had recently eased slightly, it did not change the essence of this place.
Of course, not everyone feared this kind of weather.
Year 832 of the Falling Stars Era, February 26th, noon. Among the many snow-capped mountains stretching for hundreds of miles south of the Great Aias Mountains, a small squad of knights was galloping through the wind and snow, holding aloft fluttering banners.
The snow-capped mountains of the Northern lands were the source of all the surrounding rivers. Winding glacial rivers cascaded down from the high mountain peaks, flowing over cliffs and rocks, through dense black forests, and then along valleys toward the distance. At this moment, the squad of knights was following a slightly flatter path beside the river, racing toward their target—a clearly visible column of black smoke rising straight into the sky.
Horses' hooves rose and fell, crushing the long-settled ice and snow beneath them. The warhorses, infused with dragon blood, possessed terrifying endurance, granting them formidable strength and stamina that the frost could not hinder. Before long, led by the rider of a black warhorse, the squad arrived at a small hill.
Hidden within his beard, from Joshua's experienced perspective, those present could already be considered of noble status.
"It's nothing. In fact, seeing such a large group of dwarves on the surface has already surprised me enough."
Joshua naturally wouldn't have any thoughts about such trivial matters. A warrior never cared about pomp; as long as someone guided him, that was enough. However, upon hearing the other's name, Joshua couldn't help but feel a spark of interest. He said directly, "Mr. Tania, I'll call you that. Your name seems to be the same as Master Moria's."
"That's correct."
With his hand pressed to the center of his chest, Tania bowed slightly to one side, as if paying respects to someone not present. "Iron Body Moria is my father... Lord, if you don't mind, you can leave the horses to my assistants, and I will lead you underground. Father is waiting for you in the underground forging area."
After handing over the horses to the dwarves in the square, the warrior and his knights followed Tania onward.
Behind an archway at the rear of the square lay the passage leading underground. Led by Joshua, the group followed Tania and several young dwarves inside. After traversing several corridors illuminated by Glowstone Lamps, what unfolded before everyone's eyes was a vast underground world.
Bright passageways stretched in all directions, like a spider's web—complex yet orderly, connecting various important regions. The walls of the passageways were made of a special alchemical product crafted by the dwarves. In his past life, Joshua and other players habitually called it "dwarf cement," while its original name had long been forgotten.
On both sides of the passageways, exquisite statues and bold murals could be seen from time to time. Some stone pillars, seemingly made of raw metal ore, stood in the center of the corridors. This was also a dwarven custom—when excavating underground passages, encountering raw metal ore signified luck, and they would never destroy such pillars.
Joshua was well-traveled and had seen much. In his past life, he had visited countless dwarven underground fortresses and was familiar with their architectural styles and customs. But the knights following behind him were completely different.
After passing through another passageway, they arrived at a naturally formed, massive cavern. On the dome, countless red crystals condensed from fire elements shimmered brightly like a forest. Not to mention Claire, who had been silent from the start, even Lin, who had been closely following the warrior, had her eyes wide open, holding her breath, quietly taking in everything around her. The other knights couldn't help but slow their pace, stunned by the sheer scale of this underground world.
Tania, leading the way ahead, naturally noticed the silent gasps and admiration from the group. While feeling a secret pride, he also couldn't help but feel a trace of admiration for the warrior's calm demeanor.
"So, he truly deserves to be our nominal lord."
The dwarf thought to himself, "This composed temperament sets him apart from others."
Time passed as they observed the underground world. After a while, Joshua and his group had gradually delved deep beneath the earth. Under the thick layers of rock, the earth's heat rose once more, and everyone could even hear the pulse of magma. Yet, surprisingly, no one felt very hot—all the heat seemed to be absorbed by the pale gray dwarf cement.
Joshua mentally modeled the passageways he had traversed and the caverns he had seen. Squinting his eyes, he roughly estimated that they had passed through at least three layers of underground defenses and taken four detours. Moreover, the dwarves had dug a dense network of passageways that branched out in all directions, like a maze. Ordinary invaders wouldn't even need the dwarves to act; they would likely starve to death, lost and confused in the complex tunnels.
"Quite cautious. Even though they call me lord verbally, they don't actually want me to know the correct path."
The warrior thought to himself, but he didn't mind. Such thinking was only human nature; he understood and didn't find it a big deal.
After all, it couldn't fool him.
But even after taking many detours, they were now close to their destination. With the leading Tania announcing, "We're here," Joshua and his group stopped.
They had finally arrived at the underground living area of the Rune Dwarves.