After Moreby Ironmountain's explanation, Unas roughly understood the situation; this was indeed the place he had previously speculated—the Blackrock Depths Dark Iron Dwarves.
Holder Blackbeard was a large slave owner who owned several large, lucrative mines and specialized in the ore trade.
"Black Furnace" is a rich mine discovered deep underground a few months ago. Because it is located at the intersection of the territories of four major mine owners, the ownership of the mine immediately fell into fierce competition, which broke out into a large-scale armed conflict. In the end, it even alarmed Emperor Thaurissan. None of the major wealthy people could afford to offend any of them. Even the Dark Iron King could only try to smooth things over and let the four of them jointly manage it. However, joint management meant that no one could really control it.
The situation there was chaotic and dangerous, with extremely harsh living conditions. Blackbeard often threw disobedient slaves in there for "training." Tieshan had heard that it was the mine with the highest mortality rate.
Lord Rendaen, the Hill Lord, was a Dark Iron nobleman who refused to submit to the Firelord. He led a group of Dwarves who supported him to break away from Emperor Thaurissan's rule and occupied a mountain peak in Searing Gorge as their base. As a result, they often faced attacks from the Blackrock Dwarves. This time, Tieshan was ambushed while leading a patrol and ended up being defeated and captured.
"Although I hate humans, we're both prisoners now, so let's not be so racially divided," Tieshan advised incessantly. "Black Furnace isn't a good place; we can help each other once we're inside."
As expected of an officer, he immediately started doing the united front work. Unas replied, "I don't dislike Dwarves at all. I have quite a few Dwarf friends, so having one more won't be a problem. I know nothing about this place, so I'll need Brother Tieshan to give me some pointers."
"Anyone willing to befriend humans must be a brainless Bronzebeard Dwarves," Tieshan said, completely unaware that he had inadvertently insulted himself. "As long as you obey and follow me, I guarantee your safety."
This is the prelude to taking on underlings. Unas immediately changed his address. "Boss Tieshan, do you know why I feel so weak all over?"
Hearing "boss" made Tieshan feel very comfortable, and he naturally answered all his questions, "Me too, it's Softbone Agent, don't worry, it will wear off on its own. After all, they want us to do heavy work, how can we be all soft and weak?"
Unas did feel his strength slowly returning, but it wasn't enough to twist open the iron cage. He tried to take out his Firekiss to see if he could cut it open, but he found nothing. He searched his entire Spatial Bag but couldn't find it. To his even greater surprise, his left middle finger was also empty, and his Fire Ring was missing as well. He was completely naked except for a small piece of cloth covering his lower body.
These Dark Iron Dwarves are truly greedy; they even stole such an insignificant Ring. The Firekiss and the Fire Ring are Gordon's family heirlooms. How can he face Gordon after losing them?
Moreover, these were also powerful weapons that had helped him kill countless enemies, and he absolutely could not afford to lose them. Unas instantly became agitated. What was the point of escaping if he didn't retrieve the two treasures?
"They took everything from me, Boss Tieshan, do you know how to get it back?" Unas could only turn to the Dwarf beside him for help.
"Find it back? Are you dreaming? Slaves don't have personal belongings. We are all Blackbeard's property, do you understand?" Tieshan sneered. "You sound quite anxious. What good stuff have you lost?"
"A precious sword and an unassuming Ring were entrusted to me by my most important friend; I would rather die than lose them!"
"Looks like you've entrusted your friend to the wrong person," Tieshan said sarcastically. "I wonder who has my beloved armor and battle axe ended up with, but they're just slightly better standard-issues anyway, nothing to be too heartbroken about..."
"Do you know who is most likely to get it?" Unas asked, ignoring his attitude.
Seeing his anxiety, Tieshan finally felt a pang of pity and replied, "If it were a true treasured sword, it would eventually end up in the hands of a limited number of weapon collectors. Of course, it might even be offered to the treasury by someone trying to curry favor with Emperor Thaurissan. In short, a treasured sword will never go unnoticed among the Dark Iron Dwarves, but as for this inconspicuous Ring, only heaven knows. Anyone who has handled it could take it."
Unas cursed inwardly. The Fire Ring looked unremarkable and was probably just a useless piece of junk to others, who might just throw it away.
Before he could think further, with a loud crash, the thick iron door of the Cave was opened, and a group of short figures carrying torches walked in.
Finally, a sliver of light appeared, Unas could see the Cave clearly. The small rectangular space contained more than a dozen iron cages, most of which were empty. Tieshan was in one of the cages on the left. His disheveled black hair, scarlet eyes, and grayish-black skin confirmed that he was indeed a Dark Iron Dwarves. In the distance, there was a wounded Orcs lying in a cage, seemingly dead.
The fully armed Dark Iron soldiers silently carried the three cages onto a trolley and, through a maze of underground passages, arrived at a Cave hall. In the center of the hall was a well about two meters in diameter, sealed off by a circular iron gate.
The well was surrounded by many other Dark Iron soldiers, dressed in different clothes and clearly divided into three camps. They were all escorting iron cages, which naturally contained slaves of various races, with Dwarves being the most numerous.
When Unas saw them, he remembered his ordeal in the torture chamber. He hurriedly touched his forehead, and the uneven texture indicated that, like these slaves, his forehead had been branded with the slave owner's mark by a branding iron.
"The Blackbeards are late again!" a Dwarf in dark red armor jeering. "I suggest we throw them all down!"
"Throw it down! Throw it down!..." This sparked outrage among the crowd, and the other Dwarf soldiers shouted and rushed over, wanting to take the opportunity to avenge their previous blood feud.
The soldiers escorting Unas and his companions, along with the Blackbeard soldiers, all drew their weapons. The leader roared, "Have you forgotten the King's orders? You dare attack us? I will personally throw you all down!"
These words immediately put the atmosphere somewhat tense. Emperor Thaurissan had previously issued a very stern warning during his mediation, forbidding any further bloodshed among the soldiers under the four mine owners. Any aggressor who violated the ban would be demoted to the other side's slave.
The Dark Iron soldiers knew best the miserable lives of slaves, and none of them wanted to become one of them. No one dared to make the first move, and after a while, they had no choice but to gradually retreat to their original positions.