The Fire Dwarves' Brass Fortress

Keosius slowly flapped his wings, creating a scorching hurricane, and in just a few breaths, he arrived above the Brass Fortress.

He looked down at the imperial army and the Fire Dwarf, his pale golden vertical pupils gleaming with fire.

Serkan then realized what was happening. He quickly walked to the Red Dragon, knelt on the scorching ground, and exclaimed excitedly:

"Your Majesty Keosius!"

"This subordinate truly did not expect that you would personally descend upon this place!"

The adjutant stammered, his expression fervent, "This, this is the supreme honor of the entire Fire Elemental Plane vanguard!"

No wonder they lost their composure.

Although they were all Dragon Blood Noble of the empire, they could only admire the majestic figure of the Red Dragon from afar on the battlefield. The Awarding Ceremony was the closest they had ever come to the emperor.

Now, however, the emperor himself has come to their battlefield, and they may even have close conversations and interactions.

This is something that countless Dragon Blood Noble can only dream of! Even the emperor's dog can't compare; this isn't just an empty phrase, but a real phenomenon.

Keosius glanced at the kneeling Half-Dragon and suddenly remembered that he should have seen this man at that Awarding Ceremony, and had even granted him the title of viscount—his name seemed to be Serkan.

Keosius now has a good memory, and his intelligence of 17 points makes him more clear-headed than most mages.

Then he said, "You must be Serkan Wood, the viscount of the Embers of the Burned Empire."

His Majesty remembers me! He even remembered my name! Kneeling on the ground, Serkan was overwhelmed with emotion, feeling both excited and flattered.

Not everyone is qualified to gain the emperor's attention!

The Red Dragon in the air looked around, its gaze sweeping over the soldiers, before speaking again.

"You are all great! I am proud of you."

Keosius's voice was loud and firm, echoing Fire Elemental Plane, as if it could dispel the rolling heat waves on this scorching land.

"By daring to come to such a dangerous place Fire Elemental Plane, you have not only demonstrated your courage and determination, but also shown your loyalty and responsibility to the Empire."

"The Empire needs warriors like you! Your existence is the Empire's most valuable asset."

Keosius flapped his wings again and slowly descended from the sky, kicking up clouds of dust.

"On this challenging land, you will use your swords and your strength to write a glorious chapter for the empire."

Remember, no matter what difficulties and challenges you face, the Empire will stand with you, welcoming every dawn and victory together!

"Rise up, my warriors."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the thousands of elite soldiers of the Imperial Vanguard around him immediately surged with a fervent and unwavering strength.

Serkan was the first to get up from the ground. He drew the Imperial Silver Sword from his waist, raised it, and shouted loudly.

"Fight for the Empire!"

"Fight for His Your Majesty Keosius!"

"Long Live the Empire! Long live the invincible Your Majesty Keosius!"

The cheers and shouts of the soldiers rose and fell, like waves crashing and echoing across the scorching wasteland.

Their faces were filled with fervor and excitement, and their eyes even showed something called "faith".

Looking at the cheering soldiers, Green was surprised and even felt a little scared.

"Moradin above"

"They are just like those fanatical Fire Giant Fighter their Sultan."

As a race that adheres extremely to order and tradition, such Fighter are rare among the Fire Dwarf.

Meanwhile, Keosius looked down at the Imperial soldiers on the ground, a smile appearing on his face as he gazed at their fanatical expressions.

"As the empire expands, the Imperial People's faith in me grows stronger every day."

"Perhaps, the deification of gods is no longer a pipe dream, but just a not-too-distant future."

He thought to himself.

As temporary military allies, the Fire Dwarf were terrified of Keosius's arrival.

They were both delighted by the arrival of reinforcements and worried about what terrible things this powerful dragon might do.

After some discussion, however, they decided to welcome this monarch from the Material Plane, and many Fire Dwarf nobles greeted him at the gates of the Brass Fortress.

Under the watchful eyes of the Imperial soldiers, Green stood before the Red Dragon, trying his best to remain calm, and he forced a smile as he extended his hand.

"Your Majesty Keosius, please come with me."

"On behalf of all the Fire Dwarf, I welcome you to Brass Fortress. It is a great honor for us."

"Good."

Keosius nodded slightly, his scales shimmering with tiny magical lights.

Polymorph

The enormous dragon body suddenly shrank, eventually transforming into a young man with black hair, golden eyes, and wearing a magnificent robe.

The Fire Dwarf Green led the way, while Serkan and other imperial officers followed respectfully beside him.

Keosius casually asked, "Serkan, how did you manage to take over the Brass Fortress?"

Serkan quickly replied, "Six months ago, Lady Misha made a sudden move, and Emil, the Fire Giant of the City of Pig Iron, issued a warrant for our arrest."

"So we fled to the territory of the Fire Dwarf, who had a long-standing feud with the Fire Giant."

"It was at this moment that we discovered the Fire Lizard Raider force sent by the Fire Giant was attacking the Brass Fortress, so we stepped in to help."

Keosius praised, "You've done a great job."

"Setting foot on uncharted territory, we certainly need the help of the local residents. The advance team in the south needs to learn from you."

Green turned around and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, this is the entrance to the Brass Fortress."

Before me was a building made of brass, like a hemisphere placed on the ground, looking exceptionally sturdy.

Its thick, shiny brass casing is covered with scratches and traces of magical bombardment, suggesting it has been attacked many times.

Green's proud voice rang out. "Our Fire Dwarf ' skills have always been the most superb—even those Fire Giant cannot breach the fortresses we have built."

However, the entrance was only six feet high, which was spacious enough for the Fire Dwarf, but extremely narrow for Keosius and his group of imperial soldiers.

Green was the first to enter.

However, Keosius took a step forward, piercing through space and arriving directly inside the fortress.

Serkan, on the other hand, bent down and laboriously entered it.

"This place is quite large; it's no wonder that the Fire Dwarf spent thousands of years building this fortress."

Keosius looked around and was somewhat surprised by the scene before him.

This Brass Fortress is not conspicuous from the ground, and is even somewhat short, but it is a hidden world inside.

The underground section is vast, a huge cavern with spiraling paths extending downwards.

From the ground at the bottom to the ceiling at the top of the rock face, it must be nearly a hundred meters high.

Looking ahead, the view stretches endlessly, filled with exquisitely crafted buildings by the Fire Dwarf.

According to Keosius's estimate, the area occupied by this Brass Fortress is no smaller than that of the North cities such as North Wind Fortress and Strasbourg.

Exquisite little houses made of terracotta or metal, and lifelike bronze sculptures.

The rock walls on both sides are covered with mine tunnels of all sizes.

Everywhere you look, there are Fire Dwarf miners carrying copper hammers and ore.

They moved between the mine shafts and roads, working tirelessly and appearing extremely busy.

"Clang! Clang!"

"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!"

A crisp tapping sound rang out, mixed with gasps of breath.

In those houses, the Fire Dwarf blacksmiths swung their bronze hammers, slamming them heavily onto their anvils, creating bursts of Mars.

In the center of the fortress in the distance, a colossal bronze statue of Dwarf, hundreds of meters tall, stands majestically.

The statue has a solemn and dignified expression. It raises its Great Hammer high, pressing the hammerhead against the ceiling, as if supporting this vast Underdark.

That was Moradin, the guardian deity of the Dwarf and the original forger of the Fire Dwarf.

Further away, one can see towering palaces cast in brass, which are probably the residences of the Fire Dwarf nobles.

This is hardly a fortress.

This is clearly the city of the Fire Dwarf! It's the culmination of their civilization!