The Ambition of the Dwarven Race

Iver and the dwarf Magnetic Hammer got along very well and quickly became sworn brothers.

Hai Na's father and Iver were both Third Level, but one was a blacksmith and the other a priest. Being on the same Dedication Path and having similar personalities, they had some common ground.

Iver didn't know much about the dwarves. It was only through the conversations with Magnetic Hammer that he gradually understood why the conflict between the dwarves and elves was so intense.

Both elves and dwarves are races that prioritize the Dedication Path and practice polytheism, which is why they have such intense and irreconcilable racial conflicts—just like the Avalon and giants, or the Child of the Moon and werewolves.

However, the Candle Master is the oldest Pillar God in the Dedication Path, unlike the Path of Authority and Path of Love, which have changed leaders.

Even so, following the same path but at the end of that path following different gods... heretics are more hateful than pagans.

Blacksmiths Dedication Path are a profession belonging to the Flame Angel, just as the Fallen Angel control Demon Scholar. Demon Scholar scholars whose power comes from the Fallen Angel naturally harbor hostility towards Ritual Mage whose power comes from the Serpent Father.

The Flame Angel is the second most powerful deity on the Dedication Path, ruling over the realms of fire, steel, and forging. His power is like fire, and he continues to grow stronger.

Because with the development of the times and the Industrial Revolution, she is constantly and actively devouring—or rather, assimilating—other celestial beings and apostles on the Dedication Path. The scale of her domain continues to expand.

Iver remembered that she would soon gain the power of "steam" and continue her journey towards "firearms" and "machinery" in about four or five years. By Version 6.0 —the version where his adoptive father was the boss—the dwarves, who had been dormant for many years, would step onto the world stage on a large scale.

Flames can spread and rise, Flame Angel also possesses power that Path of Transcendence.

Because the former Crowned Angel, who possessed the power of transcendence, defeated the Supreme Heaven and became the Silver Crowned Dragon... even though the Candle and the elves were involved in this process, the Flame Angel was also feared by the elves.

This is something that has already happened, a path that has already been proven. Nothing is impossible.

From the perspective of the older generation of elves, those celestial beings who possessed transcendent power were extremely dangerous.

Since the Beast Lord "resigned" and the Supreme Heaven "left office," the world has become much more peaceful.

There are no longer dangerous monsters roaming the wilderness, attacking everyone and even directly assaulting towns. The world is also free of those madmen who disregard laws and morals and kill, eat, and injure people at will simply to demonstrate their military might.

Despite ongoing wars, the world has generally become a much better place.

The elves now only wish to maintain the status quo—unlike the Beast Lord and the Supreme Heaven, the current nine Pillar God are relatively friendly. Therefore, in a stable environment, any change would be detrimental.

—This is the source of the elves' strong hostility toward the dwarves.

Because the dwarves don't just worship the Flame Angel. They collectively worship six gods, including the Shadow Angel of the Path of Love, the Rock Angel of the Path of Twilight, and the Ring Angel of the Path of Transcendence... all of them are gods, not a single Pillar God.

Judging from what the Magnetic Hammer guy said, Iver noticed that the dwarves were very enthusiastic about strengthening their gods and took pride in it.

It's quite strange, and very curly.

Because in this world, faith does not bring power. Whether it's an apostle, a celestial being, or Pillar God... these Greater Phantom Demon do not need believers.

If they respond to rituals or bestow power, it's because they are interested in it and willing to help mortals. Therefore, faith is essentially a matter of personal freedom...which is why the elves worship Nine Pillar Gods simultaneously.

Because everyone naturally has their own inclinations, preferences and needs, and the Nine Pillar Gods are equal.

There is no one path that is more powerful or more sacred—promoting this concept would only incite pointless wars among believers, who would act entirely on their own initiative and receive no approval or help from their superiors.

They were like fans who had gone out of control.

The situation would be different if the Supreme Heaven still existed. He embodied the concept of "ruling by strength" and "doing whatever He wants because He is the strongest," which is why the giants ate all other races, including elves.

But dwarves are different from all other races.

"Our faith is aimed at receiving a reward."

The Magnetic Hammer, without any shame or even pride, declared, "Because what we give to the gods is not just respect and glory, but real power! That's far more substantial than those long-eared creatures!"

Dwarves have a strong sense of racial identity.

They would consciously spread their faith to those celestial officials or apostles who were not part of the Nine Pillar Gods, especially those with fewer followers or weaker power, and then do their utmost to help them ascend to higher levels over thousands of years or even longer.

Their purpose is to obtain better returns and clearer favoritism.

Wise King will one day leave them, and powerful military strength and technology will be surpassed by other countries. Even if they rule many territories, they will eventually split internally; even if they have a glorious history, it may be gradually forgotten by unworthy descendants in the future.

Over the vast expanse of time, everything can vanish into nothingness. No legacy can necessarily be passed down.

"But only the gods are immortal."

The dwarf solemnly raised his fist in salute to the void.

While faith won't make gods stronger, there are always ways to help them.

For example, holding extremely complex and spectacular ceremonies in the Material Realm, or making certain concepts flourish or disappear, to strengthen or weaken such concepts.

This is useless to the Nine Pillar Gods, but it is useful to the Celestial Masters and Apostles.

The Greater Phantom Demon are all intelligent.

Even if the dwarves are somewhat obsequious, after thousands of years of such obsequiousness, they will eventually react—they certainly won't be able to adapt once they are separated from them.

Some were grateful, some were deeply moved, some were engaging in fair trade... but in any case, the dwarves really got what they wanted. The gods they now revere clearly favor the dwarves. And the dwarves are simply waiting for one of them to be promoted to Pillar God.

—Dad, I don't want to work hard to become a self-made millionaire anymore. Why don't you work hard and let me become a second-generation rich kid?

... That's one way to think about it.

To maintain the purity of its stance, there are not many temples dedicated to the Nine Pillar Gods within the Eternal Frost Empire —and even those that exist are "Specialized Temple." These are utilitarian temples that worship a single god for a specific purpose.

Because it's so profit-driven, it's less about faith and more about working... and even more so about working with faith. It's the kind of family-run business that employees are "proud of."

Iver finally understood why the elves considered the dwarves an "evil race." Because of the extraordinary nature of these celestial beings, the stronger they became, the more anxious the elves became; while the dwarves remained steadfast and persistent in helping their leaders grow—their purpose was self-evident.

Other races may also seek the protection of the celestial beings to some extent, but they certainly don't go to such extremes or with such utilitarianism as the dwarves—they are not simply worshipping these celestial beings, but rather "investing" in them.

They didn't want to become Avalon, they wanted to become griffins.

They are not the people of the Pillar God Pillar God, but his favorites.

... And according to Iver's glimpse into the future, the dwarves' plan actually succeeded.

In the current version, many elves will even turn around and leave immediately when they see dwarves on the road.

Therefore, if a region has a significant number of dwarves, it's highly unlikely that any elves will travel there or spend money there. Furthermore, because elves are generally wealthy, this indirectly leads to many dwarves facing discrimination from other races.

When this hatred spreads back, it leads to many dwarves also disliking the elves.

Although this mutual dislike cannot be called hatred, and no inter-ethnic war has been launched, there is already a high degree of regional discrimination between them.

Although there are blacksmiths among the elves, they do not forbid borrowing the power of the Celestials. They merely require that the Nine Pillar Gods be given the highest priority of respect.

To the dwarves who have not yet risen to power, this is the arrogance of the elves and their disdain for their race's beliefs—but in truth, the dwarves also acknowledge the elves' strength and nobility.

Therefore, these elves who walk the same path as the dwarves are considered by the dwarves to be "rare normal people among elves," and "good elves who are approachable and easy to talk to." Consequently, human blacksmiths whose skills were passed down by elven blacksmiths also become "one of their own" in the eyes of the dwarves.

"That's why you raised Hai Na and Jack..."

Iver suddenly realized. "That's why you passed on your skills to Jack —and didn't want Hai Na to go to the capital?"

"Not really, brother."

Magnetic Hammer stroked his beard and replied sincerely, "I really don't have a wife or children. She saved my life, so I have an obligation to help her."

"But I really don't want Hai Na to go to the capital—even if she doesn't inherit her father's adaptability to the Dedication Path, can't she just be an ordinary person? Or I also have a profession of the Path of Twilight here... It's rare to find such a strong power of the Path of Twilight here."

The dwarf said angrily.

Iver casually asked, "Speaking of which, what's Hai Na's mother's name?"

The dwarf looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Isn't that Hai Na's mother?"

...Um?

Iver paused for a moment.

The dwarf then realized what was happening and explained, "Many villagers in this village don't have names... except for the children born in recent years."

"No... name?"

Iver was completely taken aback this time.