Mage Legend

Lynch pieced together the events and suddenly cast his gaze upon the Witch Demon's face. Heiss's golden pupils met the mage's eyes, the two spellcasters silently gauging each other's thoughts in a battle of wits conducted through their gaze. Lynch ultimately said nothing to the Witch Demon, instead turning back to face the Old Dwarf.

"I think there are still some dwarves who don't trust these foreign Snake-men and don't like them wandering the beautiful streets of this city," Lynch said. "Are you among those dwarves?"

"Yes, young human," Old Weite did not hide his thoughts. "I'm old now and don't like too many changes. I was keen on unearthing treasures in the Ridge Mountains when I was younger, but now I just want to peacefully live out my remaining years. If I were still the Dwarf King, I would halt the excavation of that cave and carefully investigate the Snake-men."

"Oh, Elder, how much time has been wasted just investigating and investigating?" Morgan said angrily. "Why not catch a couple of them and see if they can't confess honestly!"

"Sir, do you mean to say that the Dark Elves were primarily wiped out by Snake-men? Did any dwarf witness this?" Lynch asked. "Did any dwarf see the battle between Snake-men and Drow with their own eyes?"

"Hmm... I think not," the Old Dwarf thought for a moment before answering. "However, those Dark Elf heads are as genuine as can be, just as real as me sitting here in this room now."

Lynch's doubts mirrored those in Zilvra's heart. She knew that the Ridge Mountains were quite some distance from the Dark Elf World, and the Drow didn't frequent these parts. The mage knew that the Snake-men, with their skilled excavators like Purple Worms working day and night, could easily find a path to penetrate into the Underdark. Apart from Ratris City, there were many Drow settlements beneath the plains south of the Ridge Mountains. If the Snake-men were using their former spoils as a ruse to gain the trust of the Dwarf Alliance, it was indeed possible.

With the dwarves' assistance, the Snake-men could easily wait for the spoils of victory. Lynch did not believe anyone could resist greed in the face of such a massive treasure. If the Snake-men observed the dwarves' actions, they should be able to deduce that Barrend already had precise intelligence on the treasure's location. To avoid wasting time, forming an alliance with the dwarves was the best option.

Moreover, if that tunnel was the result of the Snake-men's past work, it would easily explain why the dwarves, "guided by the Snake-men," were able to shorten the construction period.

"Sir, can you tell me where they're digging the tunnel?" Lynch asked. "I'd like to see what those guys are up to."

"I think Morgan would know that place very well," Old Weite smiled. "I remember he found his first good ore there."

"But now there are scaled creatures active there," Morgan gritted his teeth. "These damn Snake-men came all the way from Moon Harbor City to work alongside the great dwarves. The stones they step on are the world we've excavated, and they walk atop it without a hint of self-awareness, thinking their power is immeasurably strong after becoming Strong Snake People. I will teach them a lesson, let them know not to think the Dwarf Kingdom lacks warriors!"

"Do you want a full-blown war between the two sides?" Lynch said. "I agree with the Elder's view, let's go take a look first."

After Morgan assured multiple times that he would behave, Lynch agreed to let a dwarf accompany him. That night, the mage left with Zilvra and the dwarf. Knight Macken unexpectedly refused Lynch's invitation, opting to stay with Soka. However, this way, none of the three needed an additional light source, as they could all see the paths around them in the dark, saving quite a bit of trouble.

Along the way, the trio essentially had a complete tour of the dwarven miners' craftsmanship. Here, the hard rocks served as natural supports, with plants transplanted by the dwarves as decoration throughout. Every fork in the path was marked, along with several resting miners chatting and resting against stone pillars.

Morgan greeted these dwarves, and so the mage's journey proceeded without a hitch, not alerting any Snake-men. Despite outsiders thinking at first glance that all dwarves looked nearly identical, Morgan never called anyone by the wrong name. With a bit of recall, he could find the relevant information in his mind.

The mage gradually slowed his pace because the distinctive sounds of chiseling echoed from the depths of the mine, indicating they were nearing their destination. Morgan sniffed the air, then lowered his voice and said, "I smell the stench of the Snake-men. It can't be mistaken. It was me who found that body in Moon Harbor City. Ugh! It nearly made me faint!"

"Everyone be quiet, I'm going to cast a spell now," Lynch placed the magic wand on the ground. "We will be able to see each other, but others won't be able to see us, and if you leave more than five steps from my magic wand, it'll lose effect and expose your presence."

"I don't need such magic; stealth is a piece of cake for me," Zilvra said. "But dwarf, can you hide? Though your height is conducive to this skill, I suspect your red beard is brighter than any bonfire!"

"Oh, Zilvra, I won't argue with you!" Morgan stood close to Lynch. "But I have other strengths, like smashing a Beastman's knee! Your sneaky way means nothing! If you don't believe it, let's have a contest!"

"I wouldn't compete with a dwarf; that would only bore me," Zilvra drew her thin sword and leapt forward, "I'll go ahead. Remember not to be discovered by the Snake-men; their sense of smell is very keen!"

After casting his spell, Lynch followed closely behind Zilvra, while Morgan, wielding his warhammer, stuck closely to the mage. At the end of this tunnel lay the tunnel marked by the Snake-men, where dwarf craftsmen and Snake-man miners never stopped working. They toiled in the vast mine, each spark that flared, akin to stars adorning the vertical, hell-like entrance, painted their wonder on the black canvas of the sky.

"Just how deep are they going to dig before it's considered the end?" Lynch whispered to the dwarf, "The land here is so thick it's like the dwarves are about to tunnel down to the earth's core. Without efforts from powerful corrosive creatures like the Purple Worm, how could they excavate this tunnel?"

Morgan nodded, saying nothing. His gaze lingered on the complex scaffolding, which clearly was not dwarf craftsmanship, appearing crude instead. But the dwarves used such temporary ladders to continually delve downward. Only the Snake-men didn't need such things, as the scales on their backs allowed them to stand on vertical walls.

If dwarves had excavated this tunnel, the staircase would inevitably have appeared in this place. Lynch pulled out two scrolls, glanced into the depths of the mine, then grabbed Morgan and jumped down together.

Zilvra, seeing nothing suspicious around, took Morgan's brief exclamation as notification of the direction the other two were heading. Since her levitation was still effective, she chose jumping as the most effortless method as well.