Torbjorn quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Lord Rendaen, do you remember me? I am Torbjorn, we've met before..."
Rendaen scrutinized him for a moment, then exclaimed, "I remember now, you're one of that ruthless merchant Ezio's henchmen!"
Ezio was a smuggler with no bottom line. He would do business with anyone as long as there was profit to be made. People like Rendaen and the Blackrock Orcs were his customers. This angered Emperor Thaurissan, and all members of his merchant guild were reduced to slavery. Torbjorn, who was in charge of weapons manufacturing, was naturally implicated as well.
"That doesn't surprise me at all. It's only natural that a heartless merchant's men would tolerate their own people being cooked and eaten by alien giants!" The furious Rendaen returned to the previous topic.
Having been repeatedly insulted, Lincoln finally couldn't help but say, "Even when it comes to food, you Dwarves are really tough to chew. You can't eat it without cooking it, and even when you do cook it, it doesn't taste very good, hehe."
The provocative laughter instantly enraged his opponent. Rendaen clashed his twin hammers together in mid-air, sending sparks flying. He was ready to fight at the slightest provocation. "You bastard! Come on, I challenge you!"
Lincoln brandished his massive, blood-stained iron club and stepped forward defiantly, declaring, "I've been wanting to taste what's so special about the flesh of Dwarf lord!"
"Stop!" Unas quickly stepped between the two. "You can duel, but not now— Thaurissan's army could arrive at any moment. Don't let our common enemy benefit!"
Seeing that the two men's expressions had softened somewhat, he continued, "As long as our lord is willing to provide us with enough food, I think Chief Lincoln will also manage his men well and give the Dwarf Warriors a dignified rest. As for this fortress, it will naturally belong to you, our lord, after we leave."
"When are you leaving?" Rendaen calmed down slightly, lowering his weapon. "My food supplies are limited; I can't afford to feed so many hungry people."
"When we feel safe," Unas gestured, "Only Your Majesty can provide us with that sense of security now. Please bring your Warriors in."
Rendaen had launched several attacks in the past, trying to take down the Backdoor Fortress, but all had failed. Now the gate was wide open in front of him, and Unas had been very humble, giving him plenty of face. There was no reason for Lundan not to go in.
He grunted twice, jumped off his Lizard Mount, and dismounted as he entered the gate—a small courtesy. Lincoln, seeing this, also grunted and made way for him.
The fortress, which was originally quite spacious, became incredibly crowded after adding two thousand more people, but at the same time, it also made everyone feel much more at ease.
Lincoln and Rendaen each backed down. The Dwarves who had already been chopped up and cooked were spared, while the intact corpses were immediately buried in the ground. The Dwarf lord made up for the Ogres' lost food supplies, and the conflict was temporarily resolved.
As the group continued their journey, they encountered Ogre pots and eating meat. The Dwarf lord's anger continued to flare. Fearing another conflict, Unas quickly asked, "Lord, do you know why corpses rot?"
"The soul and the body cannot exist separately, naturally."
"So why does it decompose faster in hot climates and slower in cold climates?"
The Dwarf lord was baffled by his question. "Why do you ask?"
"Because in decaying matter, tiny, invisible insects are actually feeding on the corpse, and these insects are more likely to grow and reproduce in warmer environments."
"This is the first time I've heard of such a thing," the Dwarf quickly realized, "What do you mean?"
"What I'm trying to say is that even if the corpse isn't eaten by Ogres, it will be eaten by insects. My lord, you don't really need to take this to heart."
"Hmph, you make it sound so easy. You wouldn't think that way if they were eating humans!"
Unas nodded in agreement, "Maybe so, but thinking about it this way might make me feel a little better."
"You've got a way with words," Rendaen seemed to have calmed down a bit. "The little bugs you're talking about really exist?"
"Of course, why would I lie to you, sir...?"
Unas was explaining bacteria to him when a commotion suddenly broke out ahead. The group quickened their pace, and they heard someone shouting "Good news!" as they ran towards them.
It turned out to be several Dwarves under Torbjorn's command. They ran up to Unas, panting, "Bosses, we have some great news!"
Torbjorn grabbed the other man's collar impatiently. "What good news? Tell me quickly!"
"A massive riot! The slaves throughout Blackrock Depths have rioted! The city is in complete chaos, and the city guards and Ironrage Army are too busy to deal with us!" The Dwarf raised his hands, almost jumping for joy.
"Are you serious?" Rendaen lunged forward and grabbed the other's shoulder. Receiving an affirmative answer, he suppressed the urge to burst into laughter and exclaimed excitedly, "An opportunity! A once-in-a-century opportunity!"
Unexpectedly, the riots in the arena and the Black Furnace directly triggered a massive riot among the city's slaves. Even Unas had not anticipated this outcome and was unsure how things would develop.
"Tieshan, you return to Iron Summit immediately and bring me the two remaining thousand-man squads!" Rendaen began issuing orders to his men. "Notify the entire army to prepare for a battle Charge!"
"My lord, what are you going to do...?" Unas asked hesitantly.
"Counterattack! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I will seize this chance to overthrow Thaurissan and liberate the Dark Iron Clan from the enslavement of the Firelord!" Rendaen was bursting with excitement and began to make grand promises. "If you are willing to help me, I will definitely make you lords once I become king."
The roles of the supplicant and the supplicant suddenly reversed, catching Unas and Lincoln off guard. Torbjorn, however, immediately knelt on one knee, declaring, "I will fight to the death for Your Majesty!"
That damned Dwarf's flattery was too much for him. Rendaen helped Torbjorn to his feet, patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction, and said, "You will surely be a pillar of our nation's future."
The conflict between Lincoln and Rendaen is quite significant. If the Dwarves were to truly ascend the throne, they might not forgive the Ogres, and fighting for them could be suicidal. Lincoln, however, is no fool. He calmly replied, "My Ogres and the Orcs of Keira are willing to help you defend the Backdoor Fortress, my lord."
With their escape route controlled by these unreliable individuals, Rendaen wouldn't stand for it. "No, this fortress must be in the hands of the Dwarves."
"As long as our lord gives us enough food to last until we reach the Badlands, we can leave immediately." Blackrock Depths will be in chaos soon, and they certainly won't have the energy to hunt down the fugitives. Lincoln wants to escape again and also wants to extort some money.
Rendaen's anger surged to its maximum again. "If you're going to get out, then get out of here! I have plenty of food, but not a single grain will be wasted on you!"
"You shorty, if you don't want to give it to us, we'll just go get it ourselves!"