A Dwarven Feast

"Whoosh—"

With a slight noise, space gradually distorted, and the portal suddenly opened. Two Golden Dragon, one large and one small, emerged one after the other. Aurora, supporting the heavily injured Titus, appeared in the Dwarf palace.

The Dwarf sat on either side of a long table laden with delicacies, rare and exotic foods, and Dwarf favorite spirits, which emitted a rich aroma.

The palace of Avendell Dan is a wonder built by the first High Mountain King thousands of years ago. It is exceptionally spacious for the Dwarf, but somewhat cramped for the Ancient Gold Dragon that is over thirty meters long.

"It's the Dawn Wing!"

"Lord Titus, Aurora, you've finally arrived!"

"Good day, Lord Titus. I am so happy to see you. I have been looking forward to this day for a long time."

Upon seeing the arrival of the Golden Dragon, the Dwarf generals and officials in the hall quickly stood up and warmly greeted them, almost surrounding the two Golden Dragon, and the hall immediately became noisy.

Although they were unfamiliar with etiquette and their bowing movements were rough and uneven, their rugged faces covered with thick beards still showed sincere respect and gratitude.

Dwarf are known for their forthright and stubborn nature, and their clear likes and dislikes. They almost never hide their thoughts and always wear their hearts on their sleeves.

To the Dwarf, this "Dragon of Dawn" Titus was their great benefactor. He stepped forward at the critical moment when the orc army was besieging the city, and he helped the Dwarf withstand several surging attacks. He also killed the orc Great Chieftain.

For this reason, the Dwarf, who are good at singing and dancing, created many popular songs such as "Golden Wings," "The Dragon That Brings Dawn," and "Flames on Blackstone Mountain," and danced and sang loudly around the campfire during their celebrations after drinking.

In this enthusiastic atmosphere, even young Dwarf children would hum a few lines of songs while playing, such as "He swung his claws and flattened the orcs" and "He breathed fire and burned the army."

"Good day, Your Titus, Your Aurora, my rude subjects have truly made you laugh." A familiar voice came from afar.

Titus nodded slightly and replied, "Good day, Your Majesty Ed, it's been a long time."

The surrounding Dwarf quickly made way for him, and in the distance, Ed of the Dwarf stepped down from his throne and walked forward with steady steps. He looked radiant, a stark contrast to his severely injured state just days before.

The Dwarf King gazed at the Ancient Gold Dragon's battered body and asked with concern, "Titus, I have heard of your heroic deeds in fighting the Embers of the Burned Emperor. I wonder about the extent of your injuries—"

Titus shook his head and said softly, "It's nothing serious, just some superficial wounds." He looked the Dwarf king up and down, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "But what happened to your body?"

Through constant True Sight, he could see that although the Dwarf King looked energetic, a far cry from his previous dying appearance, the Furnace Fire within him, the symbol of Dwarf life, was dying and dim.

"Hahahaha!" Ed laughed heartily, patted his chest heavily, and said with great pride, "This is all thanks to our ancestors. The greatest advantage of us Dwarf is our tenacious Life Force and perseverance!"

Titus remained silent for a moment, not revealing his intentions, but he had already guessed them. Meanwhile, the Dwarf generals and ministers around them crowded together, arms around each other, laughing loudly, their emotions running high.

"Haha, these are Dwarf!"

"Yes, we were worried before, but His Majesty Ed recovered in just a few days and even became stronger than before!"

"His Majesty Ed told us that he would sit on this throne for at least two hundred years! To make the High Mountain Kingdom great again!"

A smile also appeared on Ed's rugged face. He stroked his beard and extended his hand. "Titus, please take a seat. The main reason for inviting you to this banquet is to celebrate the victory in the war."

Three days ago, our cavalry discovered that the orcish legion had completely withdrawn north of Fuller Mountain. Gruumsh's plot has been utterly foiled!

At this point, the Dwarf King's tone became excited, and the Dwarf around him cheered, creating a lively atmosphere.

"Let the High Mountain Kingdom be great again!"

A Dwarf raised his wine cup, raised his arm and shouted. His face was particularly red, his body swayed and his steps were unsteady. He had obviously drunk a lot of strong liquor and was drunk.

"My ally, this is indeed something to celebrate." Titus nodded calmly and sat down in the large seat that the Dwarf had specially prepared for him, with Aurora sitting beside him.

"Long live the High Mountain Kingdom! Long live His Majesty Ed! The Shield Dwarves will never surrender!"

"Cheers!"

"Hahaha, congratulations on victory!"

The Dwarf cheered in varying degrees, their frenzied shouts and the clinking of wine glasses filling the hall.

Looking around, Titus asked with some curiosity, "Since it's a victory celebration, why aren't our Elf allies here?"

Ed replied, "After the orcs retreated north, Lady Rhea led her personal guards back to Serenia at top speed and must have been summoned by Her Majesty the Queen."

Golden Dragon nodded and stopped asking questions, but he secretly calculated in his heart that after the trajectory of fate changed, the time of Serenia's coup would probably be brought forward by a lot.

And he should carefully consider when to get involved so that he can obtain something he desires in the Elven Kingdom. Just then, Ed stood up, raised his glass towards Titus, and shouted, "To our noble and great Golden Dragon ally— Titus Dawn Wing!"

"Homage to Lord Titus!"

"Dawn Wing! Dawn Wing!"

"The dragon that brings the dawn, he swung his claws and flattened the orcs! The Dragon That Brings Dawn— "

The Dwarf shouted in unison again, calling out the name of Titus, and even excitedly singing songs they had made up on the spot.

In this festive atmosphere, the usually stern and serious Golden Dragon seemed a little uncomfortable, but he still stretched out his claws, carefully pinched the wooden barrel that was taller than Dwarf, and drank the strong liquor inside in one gulp.

"I only did what I was supposed to do. Respect to the Dwarf, it is your courage that has brought peace and victory to Evander—" Titus said solemnly.

"Long live Titus!"

"Praise the Golden Dragon!"

Hearing Titus's praise, the Dwarf responded even more enthusiastically. They disregarded the huge difference in size and jumped up to clink glasses with the Golden Dragon dragon.

As the banquet progressed, the Dwarf drank heavily, their faces growing increasingly ruddy, and the strong smell of alcohol permeated the palace.

These guys didn't care about their image at all, celebrating wildly as they feasted at the table and held hands, circling around the Golden Dragon dragon.

There were even drunken Dwarf who stood on the dining table, singing and dancing, causing everyone to laugh and make a ruckus, and making the silver cups and plates clatter and fall to the ground.

Long live the Golden Dragon!

"Dragon of Dawn, you are the savior of Avendell Dan!"

Although Titus and Aurora were also caught up in the atmosphere, they dared not join in at all—after all, given their size and strength, if they really started celebrating, they would probably overturn the palace.

The banquet lasted until midnight. The Dwarf got drunk and lay sprawled on the ground, leaving the palace in a mess, littered with wine glasses and plates.

Ed, sitting at the end of the long table, unusually didn't drink much. He just smiled and looked at the Golden Dragon from afar before standing up.

"Your Excellency Titus, please excuse my subjects. The palace is too dirty and noisy to be a quiet place. Why don't we go outside and catch up?"

Ancient Gold Dragon seemed to understand what the other party meant, nodded slightly, and then instructed Aurora beside him, "Aurora, wait here for a moment, I will be there in a while."

Aurora looked worried and stammered, "Senior Titus, is it your injury?"

Titus stretched out his paw and patted the young Golden Dragon's head with a gentle smile, "Aurora, my injuries are not that serious. I won't collapse if I leave you even for a moment."

Hearing this, and looking up at Ancient Gold Dragon's smiling face, Aurora could only nod and obediently wait in place.

"Titus, please come with me." Ed extended his hand, gesturing for him to come.

The palace gates slowly opened, and the Dwarf king walked steadily ahead, with the Ancient Gold Dragon following closely behind. Although he was injured in Limbs and walked with a limp, he still kept up with the Dwarf's pace with ease.

They walked through the garden, crawled into a hidden mine, went through a long tunnel, and finally arrived at a secret room deep in Blackstone Mountain.

Looking around at the lifelike Dwarf reliefs and the ancient Dwarf script, Titus said, "Your Majesty Ed, you brought me to a place like this not just to reminisce, were you?"

"Of course, I won't waste your time."

Titus folded his wings and lay down on the ground, trying to keep his eyes level with the Dwarf's. Then he sighed and said, "Let's talk, Your Majesty Ed, for example... about your body."

Ed gave a wry smile, "It seems I still can't hide anything from you, Titus. Your magical skills are still so unfathomable."

The Dwarf took the warhammer from his waist. "This warhammer is Sacred Relic of our High Mountain Kingdom. Whenever a Dwarf with royal blood dies, he melts himself into this warhammer, becoming the power of his descendants."

Several months ago, I forcibly fused my body and soul with it, and although I temporarily gained great power, I also paid an irreparable price.

As time passes, within three years, the flame of my life will be drained by it, and I will become a part of this warhammer.

Ed stroked the patterns on it and said softly, "However, as you can see, I used a secret technique to retrieve a portion of the flame, which temporarily restored my strength, but I only have less than a year left to live."

Titus frowned and asked seriously, "There are still ways to prolong life in this world, so why are you in such a hurry to restore your strength?"

Ed turned his head and gazed intently toward the southwest. "I've lived long enough. In my opinion, dying on the battlefield is far better than lingering on in this world, neither alive nor dead."

As for why we are so eager to restore our strength, I believe you understand the reason better than I do.

Ancient Gold Dragon suddenly froze, as if remembering something, and his voice trembled slightly. "You mean the Embers of the Burned Empire?"

Ed nodded heavily. "You should know that the Embers of the Burned Empire has completely occupied North Aisel, and the High Mountain Kingdom is to their northeast. That Red Dragon Emperor could send troops to invade at any time."

I've seen the intelligence from the Harpers; the military strength of the Embers of the Burned Empire is far too great. If I haven't recovered to my full strength..."

The Dwarf king lowered his head and smiled bitterly again, "I'm afraid that before the Red Dragon Emperor even makes a move, Avendell Dan will be completely lost."

Ignoring Limbs injuries, Titus struggled to his feet and stood up abruptly, gritting his teeth and shouting, "I will help you! I will never stand by and watch that dragon conquer Avendell Dan! I will never again see my allies killed by a dragon!"

Ed glanced gratefully at Ancient Gold Dragon, but shook his head solemnly and said, "Titus, I formally refuse your assistance."

"Why? Am I not your ally?" Titus asked fiercely.

"Excuse my bluntness, but your injuries are far too severe. You fought to the death against the Embers of the Burned Empire's invasion; you have already done so much for us Dwarf and for this continent."

"Moreover," Ed gave a bitter laugh before continuing, "This is almost an unwinnable war. And people like you should be an important force in resisting aggression and play a greater role in the future, not just throw your lives away with us now."

"But."

Ancient Gold Dragon lowered his head and fell silent. The Dwarf king was right; with his current injuries, he was simply no match for the invasion of the Embers of the Burned Empire.

He was powerless to refute it.

Rather than engaging in a war that cannot be won, it is better to make longer-term plans, unite allies in various regions, and eventually possess the strength to rival the enemy.

Of course, this is from the perspective of the identity of "Titus". Now, Keosius has perfectly entered the role and is completely immersed in the emotion of being powerless to resist the invasion.

After a long silence, Titus finally looked at the Dwarf king and slowly spoke, "Your Majesty Ed, so... what do you want me to do?"

Ed raised his head and met the gaze of the Ancient Gold Dragon, then said firmly, "I would like to ask you to protect the last bloodline of the High Mountain Kingdom for me. If Avendell Dan falls, I hope you can take everything I have entrusted to you and leave this place."

In this way, even if the High Mountain Kingdom perishes, in the not-too-distant future, our descendants will rise again, continue our civilization, and reclaim the former glory of the Shield Dwarves.