Chapter 529: Visit to the Dwarf Village

The only thing that is out of proportion to the huge caravan is the driver, who is not a giant who is one size larger than a human, but a dwarf who is one size smaller than a human.

This contrast makes these dwarves look more delicate and the vehicles look bigger.

Dwarves and halflings are known as the two small and intelligent races in Faerun. The former has the world's best inventions and creativity, while the latter has the wisdom to adapt to survival.

In terms of size, halflings are smaller, just like their racial name. Not only is their height half that of humans, but their dimensions in all aspects are also reduced in proportion to humans, just like humans who have performed shrinking magic.

Dwarves are taller, with an average height of more than one meter, but rarely more than one meter and two meters.

Unlike the halflings who are reduced in proportion, dwarves do not have the same height as humans, but have heads, hands and feet that are larger than humans, and the rest of their bodies can only be wrinkled and squeezed in a relatively small size, which makes them look like deformed short humans, which is the origin of the name of dwarves.

Dwarves are an absolutely long-lived species. Although their life span is not as long as that of elves, it is comparable to that of dwarves. Ordinary dwarves can live for at least three centuries.

The human scholars of Candlekeep call dwarves the forgotten race, because they always deliberately avoid wars in the history of Faerun, or disasters that make other races shine. Although they have been enslaved by powerful empires such as Netheril and Calimshan, they have never been conquered.

The entire dwarf race has the characteristics of seclusion. They live in those uninhabited forests and mountains, away from humans, elves and dwarves who are also intelligent races. In their eyes, the danger level of these intelligent races is far higher than those monster tribes.

The reason why they can survive in an environment surrounded by monsters is related to another racial characteristic of theirs. They are born experts in using illusions. They will use a lot of illusions to protect their villages, settlements and farms, away from the harassment of those monster tribes.

Many of them are believers of the god of invention, Gond, and they respect him as much as their own god of race, Gar*Shinegold. They not only inherited Gond's love of invention, but also inherited his nature of hating to join large groups. They like to form small groups with common ideas and inventions, rather than using their own inventions to change the whole society.

This characteristic has caused serious internal consumption of the dwarves' inventiveness and creativity, because many inventions are thrown into the warehouse to gather dust after they are invented, rather than being promoted and used. Many are lost in the dust of history due to the death of the inventors. Some dwarves in other places will follow the old path and continue to invent creations that have been created countless times in this world.

The alchemical shooting weapons such as the dwarf bombardment cannon and dwarf hand cannon of Lantan Island are prominent representatives in this regard. They are also one of the few places in the world where a large number of dwarves gather. Dwarves in other places live a relatively hidden and secluded life.

This dwarf convoy came from a dwarf village called Quirosa, which is very close to the Dwarf Statue City, less than 30 kilometers away. The gigantic farm that Bloodclaw mentioned belongs to this village.

It is not defenseless there, but it is shrouded by many illusions. What Bloodclaw and his men saw is not necessarily the real body of the dwarf farm, but the phantom reflected by the illusion. If they really rush over, they may get nothing.

When Gavin occupied the Dwarf Statue City, it was not them who went to Quirosa Village, but the dwarf village sent envoys to express goodwill to them, and sent a team of envoys to take the initiative to send gifts for the city.

Establishing friendly relations with local powerful forces, especially those close to their own villages and towns, is also one of their means of survival. I believe that before this, their relationship with the Howling Dwarf Kingdom of the Trolls was also ambiguous. The fact that they can maintain this huge gigantic farm at the door of the trolls is a clear proof.

Even though Gavin and his men had destroyed the troll kingdom, in fact, thinking about it afterwards, I still feel scared. The danger here cannot withstand careful analysis.

If Gavin hadn't done things at an amazing speed, he would have done enough things in Tethyr in just one month to accumulate more power for himself and postpone the migration. If it weren't for the accidental transfer of the Blood Claw Legion... all these conditions would have been missing.

Even if the entire migrating army was not involved, it would have suffered heavy losses.

The two moves of the noble two-headed troll named King Cody Corey were both brutal and cruel, a typical lion fighting a rabbit with all its strength.

Without knowing the strength of the migrating army, they used the most brutal demon blood sacrifice, used monster vassals to consume them, then used the demon army to counter them, and finally let the troll army harvest them. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this tactic. Not to mention a civilian army, even an elite army would find it difficult to withstand it. It can only be said that Gavin and his team have an absolute combat power advantage, which is not a crime of conspiracy.

In the Kingdom of the Howling Dwarves, the ultimate killing trap set by King Cody Corey is also the same. If Gavin had not had a special ability to transform the former enemy Six-Armed Snake Demon into Night Shadow, even if it was a legendary team that rushed in, it would probably suffer heavy losses.

How could such a person allow other forces to exist in his kingdom, unless it was beneficial to them and could continuously provide food for his kingdom? The trolls in the Kingdom of the Howling Dwarves were fat and strong, and the dwarves in Quirosa Village had made great contributions.

The trolls in the Kingdom of the Howling Dwarves had become a thing of the past, and the dwarves in Quirosa Village did not directly attack the migrating army. Gavin would not delve into the ambiguous relationship between them, but accepted the goodwill of these dwarves.

A stable source of food is very important for the establishment of a city.

What's more, the city that Gavin is going to build now is no longer one, but two. The population will exceed tens of thousands in a short period of time, and more survival supplies are needed.

The hobgoblins in Blood Gorge City can also maintain themselves for a short period of time by collecting tribute from the monster tribes in the Giant Plains.

This is not the case with the Dwarf Statue City. The main focus of the kobolds is mining, and most of the food must be solved from outside. These dwarves took the initiative to deliver it to the door, saving Gavin a lot of trouble.

As soon as Gavin showed up, a dwarf wizard from the dwarf convoy flew up into the air and flew towards him. He showed an exaggerated and funny smile like a clown on his face and said, "You are Baron Gavin, the Troll Destroyer, right? It is my greatest honor to meet you. I am Jinbao*Querosa, the village chief of Quirosa Village. You can just call me Jinbao."

Dwarves have another characteristic that is also very famous. They have a personality similar to that of copper dragons. They are obsessed with verbal games such as jokes, puzzles and stories. Many of them are masters of them. It is not uncommon for some dwarf villages to be neighbors with copper dragons and live in harmony.

The dwarf in front of him is a typical dwarf, with a big head and thick neck, short legs and big feet. The whole person looks funny, and his clothes are even funnier.

Black tight breeches, orange vest, white wizard peaked hat, orange clown hook shoes, clean chin, and exaggerated expression, people who don't know the truth may think he is a circus clown.

"Village Chief Jinbao, welcome to you. I didn't expect you to be so efficient. Your messenger left three days ago, and you came today." The efficiency of these dwarves was indeed a bit beyond Gavin's expectations. He thought they needed to wait until the migration army was on the road, and then they would visit the dwarf village to reach an agreement.

"We have such a high efficiency, thanks to the Baron." Jinbao had a sincere smile on his face.

"Thank me? How?" Gavin didn't react for a while.

"You are an extraordinary road construction team. You built a wide road directly to the gate of our farm. We have never seen such a wide, flat and solid road. Our vehicles can drive on it without the animals having to use any strength. It just moves forward by themselves. It usually takes at least one or two days to drive on this road, but it only took us less than three hours." The dwarf village chief was beaming with joy, his expression was extremely exaggerated, and he even used body movements.

Those who knew him knew that what he said was true, while those who didn't thought he was bragging. This guy is also a talent for achieving such a unique counter-effect.

"It is our greatest honor to be recognized by you." Gavin said with a smile, "After a few days, when our team is ready, we will continue to go north. This road will directly run through the entire Giant Plains and reach Avanso on the Dragon Coast. At that time, you will go directly to the Dwarf Statue City or Blood Gorge City along this road. Not only is the road easy to travel, but safety is also guaranteed. Since any attack on merchants on this road is a declaration of war against us and the Blood Claw Legion, we will make them pay the price of their stupidity in blood."

Behind the plainness, there is a strong confidence.

The humorous smile on the face of the village chief Jinbao couldn't help but freeze for a moment. When he smiled again, he said a little dryly, "I believe that in the short term, there will be no such idiots in the Giant Plains."

Because such idiots have long been used as fertilizers by the Blood Claw Legion to nourish the plants in the Giant Plains.

It has been more than a century since their family moved to the Giant Plains. They have experienced ups and downs here, but the turmoil witnessed in the previous century has not been more than a month.

Ever since that hobgoblin army came out of nowhere, at least when they first appeared, no one knew where they came from.

Originally, everyone thought it was a wandering hobgoblin army, a passer-by in the Giant Plains, and it would not be long before they would be reported back that they were wiped out by human forces.

Who would have thought that they would come back again after just a few days, equipped with better equipment, going from south to north, and then from north to south, and repeatedly killing, and their strength not only did not weaken with each battle, but became stronger with each battle.

Then their master also came, turned around, waved his hand, and destroyed the most powerful force in the Troll Mountains and Giant Plains, the Howling Dwarf Kingdom, which had existed longer than Quirozhe Village.

Now, which force or tribe in the Giant Plains would not tremble when hearing their names, let alone looking for trouble with them, they would like to hide as far away as possible so that the other party would never find them.

"Don't worry, Village Chief. Although the main body of Dwarf Statue City will be kobolds and the main body of Blood Gorge City will be hobgoblins, I guarantee that they will abide by the most basic moral laws of mankind and uphold the principles of peaceful coexistence, equality and mutual benefit." Gavin patted his chest and promised, "So, I want to establish a long-term food purchase agreement with you. The price is 30% higher than the daily price in Ritawen City. What do you think?"

Gavin did not try to use force to overpower others, and offered a fair and reasonable price. The 30% higher price was the cost of transporting it from Ritawen City to this place.

"There is no need to increase the price by 30%, just follow the normal price of Ruitawen." The village chief Jinbao took the initiative to give up the profit, because for them, the grain transaction is just incidental, not the biggest source of profit. They still have greater profits. point.

"Oh? Are there any other conditions attached?" Gavin didn't believe in free lunches. There must be a bigger conspiracy behind this kind of initiative.

"There is really a little thing that requires trouble, Lord Baron, but it should be easy for you. Our village of Querosa is still some distance away from your migration route. We hope that you can help us fix it when the time comes. Not much, about ten kilometers," Village Chief Jinbao said with a smile.

"It's simple. We can just plan it in advance." Gavin readily agreed. For them, the ten-kilometer journey was really a drop in the bucket, but for these dwarfs, it would cost a lot of money. It’s a matter of time and energy. This is a preliminary test by the other party.

"Thank you, Lord Baron, for your generosity... Hiss, with so many kobolds and such a large scale, the number must be more than two thousand, right? Your action efficiency is really too fast. In just a few days, you have gathered together With so many kobolds, wouldn’t all the kobolds in the Troll Mountains come to you?”

While Gavin was communicating with Chief Jinbao, the dwarf convoy was not idle and was still heading towards the dwarf statue city.

When they arrived here, the Dragon Ascension Conference here was coming to an end. Shanobah had already transformed back into the dragon girl state, while the kobolds were reluctant to disperse and were digesting what they had gained this time.

The scene of thousands of kobolds gathering together is very spectacular. What really shocked the village chief Jinbao was not this big scene, but the speed at which they gathered the kobolds. Especially the appearance of many kobolds, which was somewhat different from what they knew. It's different. Those big kobolds with black dragon wings on their backs don't look like kobolds, but more like powerful dragonborns.

After seeing Gavin return, the black dragon girl Shanobah immediately came up to him excitedly, her brows filled with excitement and reverence.

The man in front of her was truly amazing. A random suggestion made her abilities undergo a qualitative transformation. In the blink of an eye, she unlocked three new special abilities and found an unprecedented path for herself. , collecting kobolds from all over the world will be her main job in the future. She wants to see how far this dragon-dog mutual assistance can go. Is it possible that she can really transform herself into a real dragon?

After introducing the two parties, Gavin smiled and said: "Gathering all the kobolds in the Troll Mountains is our initial goal. After that, it will be the Giants Run Mountains or the Snowflake Mountains. From all kobolds, we will We are not going to let it go, so, Village Chief Jinbao, the farm in your village can be expanded to try to grow more food."

"It is a good thing to have ideals, but many kobolds are not ownerless, especially in the mountains, where there are often giant dragons active." Village Chief Jinbao put away the smile on his face, "The reason why there are no weak people in the Troll Mountains The reason why giant dragons appear is because this is the territory of an ancient red dragon nicknamed Feiyan. He is famous for being hot-tempered and irritable and cannot tolerate the slightest provocation. Once he appears, he will bring endless destruction to Feiyan. I I heard that the trolls in the Wailing Dwarf Kingdom maintain a close relationship with him. Every time he appears, the trolls will take the initiative to pay tribute in exchange for peace. If you are making such a big move here, if he knows about it, he will definitely not let it go. , once he appears, it will be a disaster for a city purely composed of kobolds. "

"Thank you, village chief, for reminding me. I already know about this matter." Gavin did not show any surprise.

Not only did the kobolds in the Troll Mountains report this matter to him, but he knew the news in his previous life.

Every ancient dragon is capable of destroying cities and countries. His every move will be watched by people, let alone the location of one of his lairs.

Gavin has even almost touched the location of his lair on the Troll Mountains.

This is not to attack this dragon's nest, but to better avoid it and avoid waking up this sleeping behemoth.

Gavin has indeed killed a red dragon, plus a swift roc, but that doesn't mean he has the strength to provoke an ancient red dragon. Let alone an ancient red dragon, even if he encounters one in his prime, the best way is not to kill him, but to kill him. Just avoid him and don't provoke him.

Dragons use age groups to divide their strength. Different age groups have huge differences in strength.

The dragons currently known in Faerûn are divided into twelve stages - young dragon, young dragon, boy, teenager, youth, adult, prime, old, very old, ancient dragon, ancient dragon, ancient dragon.

So far, the oldest age group of dragons that Gavin has come into contact with is only the youth stage.

The adult white dragon of the Frost Giant White Dragon Rider was only seen briefly, so it is not included.

Even so, the Hit Dice of a young red dragon is close to legendary. Once they reach adulthood, most dragons will have legendary Hit Dice, which is one of the reasons why they are called legendary species.