On the way back, Dana said indignantly, "Ang, how did those dwarves end up like this?"
Ang's gaze remained calm as he slowly replied, "It's normal. After so many years, many things change."
"But they're all dwarves. How can they watch their own kind suffer?" Dana frowned, clearly unable to accept that reality.
Ang shook his head. "They merely belong to the dwarven race. They aren't from the same clan. Similar bloodlines don't mean the same fate."
A stubborn glint appeared in Dana's eyes. "Ang, think of a way to help them!"
Linya sighed softly from the side. "This isn't a simple matter."
"Why not?" Dana pressed.
"Giving them food and wine may solve their immediate troubles, but it won't change their situation." Linya looked serious. "Their real problem is that they've lost the skills to support themselves and their place in the world."
Dana pondered for a moment before an idea suddenly struck him. "What if we send them out? There are more resources in the outside world. Maybe they can find somewhere suitable to develop."
Linya shook her head. "The dwarves aren't Ang's people. Why should they listen to him?"
"That's right, Dana." Ang lightly patted Dana's shoulder, his tone steady but somewhat helpless. "This is their own fate. The final choice has to be made by them."
Still unwilling to give up, Dana turned to Ang. "Are you waiting for the Dwarf Great Elder's decision?"
Ang nodded. "Mm, but I don't know whether they'll be willing."
"I think they'll choose it," Dana said with certainty. "Staying on the World Tree is nothing more than barely clinging to life."
Linya gave a light laugh. "Have you forgotten how worried the Great Elder was about the lizardmen? If he were willing to take risks so easily, he wouldn't have