Dark Road

The Gray Dwarf Dashel had clearly anticipated what Roy was going to say, and showed no surprise upon hearing Roy's words.

He subtly backed away, placing one hand on the barrel, and said loudly to Roy, "Mine Owners, if you have any complaints, we can discuss them. You can't deny us even one chance! This is unreasonable..."

The Gray Dwarf continued to approach the low mine shaft behind him. This time, Dashel was too careless and went beyond the safe distance of the mine shaft. He wanted to make up for the distance without making a sound, but the Dark Moon Elf Warrior lurking in the shadows had already reached Dashel's back first.

When a dagger was pressed against Dashel's throat, Dashel had no intention of struggling.

An arm tightly gripped Dashel's neck, but Dashel was Gray Dwarf, who was born with little neck, and the muscles on his shoulders were as hard as iron. This chokehold was not very effective against a strong Gray Dwarf.

The two Half-Elf standing behind Roy ran up and tied Dashel's wrists with rope.

Meanwhile, the brothers Malanduo and Maigedi were also held to the necks by Dark Moon Elf Warrior with longswords, and the three Gray Dwarf obediently allowed themselves to be tied up by the Elf Warrior.

"Take us in," Roy said to Dashel, pointing to the dwarven Mine Road full of traps ahead.

A struggle appeared on Dashel's face, but the pain from the sharp weapon on his neck immediately brought him to his senses. He cursed, "You're a devil," and then fell silent.

Roy walked over and patted Dashel's rough cheeks twice.

"Don't be so impulsive. It won't help your bad situation at all, and it might even make it worse." After Roy finished speaking, he gestured for Dashel to walk ahead.

Upon entering the dwarven Mine Road, various traps were indeed set up inside.

The Gray Dwarf had all gone out to mine for Gemstone Mine, and many traps and mechanisms required the dwarves to operate them inside the Mine Road. However, the control positions inside the Mine Road were now empty. Roy, along with the Dark Moon Elf and Half-Elf Warrior, easily fought their way to the end of the mine, in front of a bunker.

It's hard to imagine that the Gray Dwarf would suddenly have the idea to build a bunker in the mine, and it actually looks quite impressive.

Elder Ampton stood at the entrance to the bunker, with a group of gray Dwarf Warrior behind him, only a dozen or so.

They were shirtless, holding pickaxes and Stone Hammer, but the Half-Elf Warrior opposite them drew their Alloy Bow, the sharp arrowheads gleaming in the light of the Carbide Lamp.

The dwarven Mine Road were only 1.5 meters high, Roy had to crouch to get through. Once he reached the front of the bunker, the area became a bit more spacious.

Elder Ampton didn't do anything foolish after all; instead of letting the Gray Dwarf behind him fight to the death, he chose to surrender.

The Half-Elf Warrior rushed forward and bound all the Gray Dwarf with ropes.

Roy wandered around the dwarf bunker and found that it was decorated quite exquisitely, with stone tables, stone chairs, stone beds, and fireplaces, all in the style of the dwarves, rugged yet with a rustic feel.

The plate on the table was piled high with dried mushrooms, and there was a faint smell of alcohol in the glass.

Once all the Gray Dwarf in the bunker had surrendered, Roy sat down on a stone chair and said to Captain Timothy, "You can move out now."

Timothy hurriedly led all the Dark Moon Elf Warrior away from the dwarven bunker. The Dark Moon Elf in the second mine were already prepared. The Dark Moon Elf overseers who were secretly supervising the Gray Dwarf mining for Gemstone Mine, together with the Dark Moon Elf Warrior, easily captured all the Gray Dwarf mining for Gemstone Mine.

Roy's operation took less than an hour from start to finish.

Nearly 160 Gray Dwarf were gathered in the natural cave, surrounded by dozens of Carbide Lamp that illuminated the entire cave hall.

A group of Gray Dwarf wore expressions of humiliation and anger, with some even shouting, "Damn it, you untrustworthy elves!"

Roy stared at the Gray Dwarf, who remained defiant even after being captured, with a stern face.

They possess both the dwarves' reckless, irritable, and easily angered temperament, and the Gray Dwarf ' cunning, greed, and opportunism. Even with their hands bound, they still dared to shout and curse loudly.

The Half-Elf Warrior standing behind them kicked down the restless Gray Dwarf, and the cave finally quieted down a bit.

Roy rubbed his face. At this moment, he could not back down, nor could he show any pity.

He needed to establish a new system at the Second Mine, and he absolutely had to take that step...

Roy jumped onto a large rock and shouted to a group of Gray Dwarf prisoners, "This place has always been a place without any laws."

The cave reverberated with the sound of his voice, which drowned out everyone else, even the noisy Gray Dwarf captives fell silent.

Roy continued, "As I walk through this mine filled with darkness, the first thing that comes to mind is the elves who suffered so much at your hands."

"I know that many of you come from the Empress Ivini Islands. You robbed merchant ships of Janna, elves and humans in those waters. After becoming prisoners of war, you were sent here. You need to spend the rest of your lives redeeming the sins you committed in the first half of your lives."

"But you're still restless in this mine. I've made a deal with you: I'll exchange Gemstone Mine for rum."

"I gave you the utmost trust and respect, allowing you to mine for Gemstone Mine anywhere in the mine. You traded my Gemstone Mine for my rum, paying only a little physical effort in return. And what did you do?"

"... passing off inferior goods as superior ones?"

"... They tricked me by mixing in waste ore?"

"Is this how you treat a new mine owner who fully trusts you and is even willing to offer you fine wine?"

"You must have been instructed to do such a thing."

"This time... I will publicly execute this dishonest Gray Dwarf right here!"

"Bring Elder Ampton here..."

As Roy finished speaking, Elder Ampton, bound hand and foot, was pushed in front of Roy, and two Dark Moon Elf Warrior kicked Elder Ampton in the back of the knees.

With a 'thud,' Elder Ampton knelt on the rock, his eyes wide as he struggled to his feet.

The Gray Dwarf immediately became excited and tried to rush forward. Although they were bound by ropes, they still struggled fiercely like bulls.

Many of the Gray Dwarf had bulging veins on their necks, and their faces were flushed red.

Roy shouted:

"I will not hold all the Gray Dwarf accountable for this, but if you wish to rush up and be punished alongside your Elder Ampton, then take three steps forward. You may kneel below the platform and go with Elder Ampton to meet your ancestors."

Roy's voice was somewhat sharp.

The Gray Dwarf who was struggling the most had already rushed in front of Elder Ampton. Vice Captain Tennyson followed behind him, and without hesitation, he slashed the Gray Dwarf's neck with his Horn Dagger, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

The Gray Dwarf didn't even cry out in pain; he simply clutched his wound and collapsed to the ground.

Someone died, Gray Dwarf immediately stopped in their tracks, staring in horror at their comrade lying in a pool of blood.

It was as noisy as it used to be, and now it's as quiet.

Roy said to Captain Timothy, "Execute him!"

Captain Timothy, expressionless, drew his Elf Long Sword from his waist, approached Elder Ampton, and pressed the tip of the sword against Elder Ampton's throat.

Elder Ampton's skin had a rock-like sheen.

It is said that the older a dwarf is, the tougher his or her skin becomes.

But at this moment, his face had turned a deep purple, his body was trembling uncontrollably, and all the stubbornness, irritability, and strength on his face had vanished, replaced by a pitiful and pleading expression.

Captain Timothy glanced up at Roy, then turned to look at the Gray Dwarf behind him. With a slight twist of his wrist, the tip of his sword pierced Elder Ampton's throat, then plunged into his chest, severing several of his heart tubes. A large amount of blood spurted out from the neck wound.

Elder Ampton's face was contorted with pain and fear; his eyes were wide open, and blood and foam gushed from his mouth and nose.

He collapsed onto the stone platform, twitched a few times, and then remained motionless; his blood almost completely stained the platform.

Roy jumped down from the stone platform and strode toward the Gray Dwarf. "Anyone else who wants to publicly oppose this execution, step forward now, and I will give you the most basic dignity!"

Faced with Roy's aggressive approach, the Gray Dwarf Gray Dwarf snapped out of their fear and all of them took two steps back. None of Gray Dwarf had the courage to calmly face their death.

Roy stopped in his tracks and shouted at the dark mass of Gray Dwarf in front of him:

"Very good, since everyone has shown their agreement with my decision through their actions, then..."

"From now on, everyone! As the Mine Owners of the Second Mine, I require you to fully comply with the mine's management system: ten hours of mining per day, one day of rest per six working days, and each person must hand over no less than six pieces of ore per day..."

"Of course, if you fail to complete the daily task, you will receive a warning the first time and a whipping the second time. I estimate that no one wants to experience the punishment a third time."

The group of Gray Dwarf remained completely silent.

They knew clearly that their freest time in the mine was over.

After dealing with the Gray Dwarf Bandit, Roy had the Half-Elf Warrior keep watch over them for a while, and then summoned the Dark Moon Elf overseers in the second mine, gathering all the overseers together.

Roy counted them and found there were nearly fifty Dark Moon Elf overseers.

On average, one in three Gray Dwarf miners is a Dark Moon Elf overseer.

Roy instructed the Dark Moon Elf overseers:

"You should manage these Gray Dwarf separately as much as possible. You can start by dividing them into three camps. The basic necessities I provide for them must not be withheld. They are miners, and they need physical strength to mine..."

"... As overseers of the Gray Dwarf, you must be intimately familiar with the physical condition of these Gray Dwarf miners. I estimate that each of you will be assigned three dwarf miners. If they accidentally die, it means that you will also lose your jobs."

In short, Roy made many demands of the Dark Moon Elves.

"Knew."

These Dark Moon Elf are trapped in the mines. If they don't act as overseers, they can only pick up pickaxes and mine. Nobody likes mining...