The Lord of the High Mountains' Entrustment

"Father, how... how is your body like this?" Zane stood frozen in place, staring in shock at his father, the Lord of the High Mountains had protected Avendell Dan for centuries.

When Ed removed his armor and outer garments, revealing his chest, what was exposed was not rock-solid muscles, but real rock—a mixture of metallic ores, mica, and quartz! "We Shield Dwarves are beings born from hard rock. To die in this way is not so bad," Ed said self-deprecatingly, looking down at his own body.

"Father, why is this happening? Haven't you already recovered?" Zane asked anxiously, his voice urgent.

Ed calmly replied, "In the battle months ago, I sacrificed my life to the Rock Hammer to kill the Orc Chieftain. The me you see now is barely surviving because of it."

He looked down at the warhammer in his hand and continued, "After leaving this warhammer, I will gradually turn into a stone statue and continue to guard Blackstone Mountain and Avendell Dan."

"And you, my child." Ed raised his head, looking into Zane's eyes, and said firmly, "You will become the new Lord of the High Mountains, the new King of the Shield Dwarves. You will carry on tens of thousands of years of glorious history and lead your people to a new future."

Having said that, Ed strode forward and solemnly handed the Rock Hammer to Zane.

"Father, you..."

Zane's hands trembled as he felt the heavy warhammer in his hands, engraved with ancient patterns, its weight seemingly heavier than the entire Blackstone Mountain.

—Because this is a symbol of the Lord of the High Mountains, it carries the glorious history of the High Mountain Kingdom for thousands of years, and also the civilization passed down from generation to generation by the Shield Dwarves.

As the warhammer slipped from his hand, Ed smiled with relief. In Zane's eyes, his father's body looked more like rock, and the aura of "life" emanating from him had diminished considerably.

Zane handed over the warhammer, saying in a heavy voice, "No, Father, I cannot accept it; it will cost you your life!"

Ed shook his head firmly, forcefully pushed the warhammer back, and slowly said, "This was my own choice. The moment I gave my life to the Rock Hammer, I was already dead."

"Zane Klein, the future of the High Mountain Kingdom is yours. Carry on the hopes of our ancestors and me. Besides, I might not necessarily lose."

The Dwarf king grinned, laughed heartily, patted his chest which had turned to stone, and said with great pride, "That evil dragon may not be a match for me. Although the Rock Hammer has been given to you, don't forget—I am the strongest Fighter in the High Mountain Kingdom!"

"Father."

Zane lowered his head and remained silent; he had already seen Ed's determination.

He knew his father well; once Ed made up his mind, he would never change it easily, he was more stubborn and hard than a diamond.

After a long while, Zane knelt down in Ed's direction, then raised his head and met Ed's gaze with unwavering eyes.

He gripped the warhammer in his hand, placed it against his chest, and declared with a resounding voice, "Father, in the name of the High Mountain Kingdom, in the name of Father God Moradin, I will fulfill everything you have entrusted to me, even unto death."

Dwarf are a race known for keeping their promises, and are famous for their courage and loyalty. When they swear an oath to their Father God, it means that the promise is more important than their lives.

"Hahaha, good, this is my son, this is how the Lord of the High Mountains should be!" Ed laughed as he stepped forward and patted Zane on the back.

Zane said solemnly, "Father, if you die and Avendell Dan is occupied, I will spend the rest of my life avenging you."

Ed shook his head and said, "I'm already a dying man. Dying on the battlefield with my Old Pal is what I want to see."

"Zane, your most important goal is to preserve the royal bloodline and the kingdom's civilization; you must not act rashly."

Seeing that Zane was still keeping his head down and remaining silent, Ed had no choice but to say, "Take your people to Lonely Mountain. Titus is waiting for you there."

"Yes, Father."

Watching Zane's retreating figure, Ed sighed deeply.

He knew that although his son seemed aloof and taciturn, he was exactly like him in some ways—for example, he never changed his mind after making a decision and was more stubborn than a rock.

If it really comes to that, we can only hope that Titus can dissuade them and save the Dwarf ' lives, Ed thought.

"Your Majesty, have you finished speaking with Prince Zane?" Bjorn, leaning on his cane, walked slowly from the other end of the corridor.

Ed nodded slightly. "Hmm, but this kid might not listen to me, and he might do something stupid."

Bjorn coughed twice, then said with a smile, "Why should you worry about these things, Your Majesty?"

"I watched His Prince Zane grow up. When he was this age, he was much calmer than you were back then. You single-handedly stormed into a Green Dragon's lair and stole the kingdom's treasure."

"Of course! Back in the day, I was known as the number one warrior of the High Mountain Kingdom!" Ed said with a big laugh. He subconsciously reached for his waist, but found nothing. This made him feel a little empty inside – the Rock Hammer had been taken away by Zane.

Bjorn immediately noticed Ed's disappointment and quickly said, "Your Majesty, I will have the craftsmen forge you the finest warhammer right away."

"No need." Ed waved his hand and said with a hint of pride, "Back then, I made several handy weapons in the shape of the Rock Hammer, and I was just worried about where to use them."

"Oh, Your Majesty, there is one more important matter."

"What's up?"

"Our scouts have discovered traces of Wyvern Knight around the Kareid Mountain Range, and the Harpers and the Arcane Hermit Order also warned us that the army of the Embers of the Burned Empire has assembled and is heading northeast—towards our High Mountain Kingdom."

Upon hearing Bjorn's words, Ed was neither surprised nor afraid; he simply walked to the balcony of the room.

Ed sighed, "I really didn't expect the Embers of the Burned Empire to arrive so quickly. I thought it would take them at least half a year to completely control North Aisel."

Bjorn also sighed, "Yes, with such a hasty military mobilization, aren't they worried about rebellions in the occupied territories?"

Gazing at the distant mountains, Ed slowly spoke, "Tsk tsk, no wonder it's an empire ruled by Red Dragon. Just like their emperor, so greedy, eager to devour everything in the world, but..."

Ed reached out his hand, and with a "humming" sound, a metal hammer, almost identical in design to the Rock Hammer, flew out of a box in the distance and was grasped by the Dwarf king.

Ed then continued, "I wonder how many teeth that greedy dragon will break if it takes on the tough nut of the High Mountain Kingdom?"

In the open space in front of the palace, the Dwarf generals and soldiers, having received the news, were fully armed, wearing the heaviest armor and carrying the finest weapons, and gathered there.

"We are the children of the earth and the mountains!"

Long live the Dwarf!

"For the glory of our Father God Moradin!"

"Avendell Dan will never fall! Long live the High Mountain Kingdom!"

Their battle cries were like a mountain roar and a tsunami, echoing through the sky. These Dwarf were unaware of the kind of opponent they were about to face, but in any case, these tenacious fellows would never give in easily.

Hearing the battle cries and shouts from afar, the Dwarf prince Zane turned around, unable to help but clench his Rock Hammer, suppressing all sorts of emotions in his heart.

"War is about to begin, but I can only stand by and watch," he lamented.

But Zane knew very well that he had an even more important responsibility at this moment, and he absolutely could not go back rashly, as that would be disrespectful to his father.

He looked down at the foot of Lonely Mountain, where tens of thousands of Dwarf were gathered, mostly women and children, as well as hundreds of young and spirited Dwarf Fighter like Zane.

—They are the future of the High Mountain Kingdom that Ed entrusted to Zane. Together they will escape to the Golden Dragon's sanctuary and carry on the kingdom's millennia-old civilization.

His Dwarf attendant cried out in bewilderment, "Your Prince Zane, we cannot leave when the battle begins! This is cowardice! We should fight alongside His Majesty Ed and the others to protect Avendell Dan!"

Zane shook his head. "Toke, this is Father's order. He has sacrificed a lot for this, and we cannot let him down."

"But His Majesty..." Toke wanted to argue, but Zane didn't respond, only shook his head to indicate that they had arrived at the Lonely Mountain Treasure Vault.

"Toke, you and your men wait outside. I'll go in myself."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Toke and his Dwarf guards stood watch outside the passage, watching as Zane disappeared into the hidden cave and into the depths of Lonely Mountain.

After passing through a narrow valley, the view suddenly opened up before us.

"This is the Lonely Mountain Treasure Vault," Zane murmured to himself.

Standing before the massive iron gate of the treasure vault, which was over thirty meters high, Zane still felt somewhat excited, his heart pounding.

After all, this is the Lonely Mountain Treasure Vault, and only Shield Dwarves with royal blood can enter. It is said that it contains the kingdom's most precious treasures from thousands of years ago.

However, Ed had told him that Titus would be waiting for him at the Lonely Mountain Treasure Vault, so Zane figured that his Golden Dragon ally should have gone in as well.

He pressed his hand firmly against the door.

"Boom--"

With a dull thud, the massive iron gate slowly opened, but the inside was empty; there was no gold Silver Sea or glittering gemstone as one had imagined.

"Why is this happening?" Zane frowned subconsciously and looked around.

"Stop searching. I've already moved your treasure to Demiplane. These things are too valuable and could be discovered by spies from the Embers of the Burned Empire at any time." A familiar voice came from the depths of the treasure vault.

Zane quickly looked toward the source of the sound and saw a huge Golden Dragon stepping out of the darkness.

His posture was quite elegant, and his scales shimmered in the dim light, though they were covered with many wounds.

Zane's face lit up with joy, and he greeted him, "Titus! You've arrived. My father sent me to see you."

Although Zane had only a brief acquaintance with this "Dawn Wing" and had barely exchanged a few words with him, the golden Golden Dragon was a recognized ally of the Dwarf and the greatest dragon in their eyes.

"Is this Prince Zane? You've finally arrived. We don't have much time left; we need to complete the relocation as soon as possible."

Titus nodded slightly in greeting, then pointed with his claws into the depths of the treasure vault. "I have moved your treasures to Demiplane, where it is very safe and will never be discovered by the people of the Embers of the Burned Empire."

However, His Majesty Ed and I agreed that there is one more thing that only you can take with you.

Zane asked curiously, "What is that?"

"Your Prince Zane, please follow me." Titus did not answer immediately, but instead moved his strong forelimbs toward the depths of the treasury.

Zane followed closely behind the Ancient Gold Dragon, looking around curiously. The rock walls were carved with exquisite craftsmanship, depicting scenes from the history of the High Mountain Kingdom and statues of Dwarf kings, exuding a strong sense of history.

Although the treasure has been moved, the Lonely Mountain Treasure Vault cannot be taken away, and the murals will remain here.

At this moment, Zane wished he could keep all of this in his mind and tell his descendants about the Dwarf ' glory. He finally understood what his father had entrusted to him.

This is civilization.

At this moment, Titus's words interrupted Zane's thoughts.

"This is it."

Zane found that they had reached the end of the treasure vault and stopped in front of an inconspicuous wall.

"Smear your blood here." Ancient Gold Dragon tapped a spot on the wall with the tip of his claw.

"Okay." Zane bit his finger and smeared the blood on the wall.

Ancient Gold Dragon manipulated the blood, drawing the Dwarf symbols he had recorded, then commanded in a deep voice, "Repeat after me: In the name of the Lord of the High Mountains, the Ruler of the Shield Dwarves, and the Bloodline of Blackstone Mountain."

"Moradin above, Lord of the High Mountains," Zane followed suit.

The symbols drawn in blood suddenly lit up, the runes emitted a faint glow, and the Dwarf relief roared.

"Boom--"

A pillar made of black iron slowly rose from the ground, with half a stone exuding an evil aura embedded on it, seemingly bound by some kind of chain.

Titus continued, "Drip blood onto this table."

Zane did as he was told, placing his finger on it. As the blood of the Shield Dwarves royal dripped down, the surrounding seal suddenly broke, and thick black mist gushed out from the stone.

"Roar—Let me out! I'll destroy you all!"

A beastly war cry resounded, and an aura of evil, chaos, and rage filled the secret chamber, forming an incredibly terrifying orc phantom that seemed poised to devour the Ancient Gold Dragon and the Dwarf.

Having been sealed for a long time, this half of the "Eye of Gruumsh" has developed its own consciousness. If it were to be completely released, it would probably become Quasi-divinity- like evil entity.

Zane gripped the Rock Hammer, his face grave, ready to step forward and meet the challenge.

But Titus stopped him. The enormous Ancient Gold Dragon, radiating golden light, plunged its giant claws into the black mist, where angry roars, hisses, and struggles immediately erupted.

After a moment of searching, Ancient Gold Dragon grasped the half-stone in his claws, thick black energy emanating from between his fingers.

"Titus, what is this?" Zane asked with a grave expression.

"The Eye of Gruumsh".

Titus frowned and said, "What an evil creation. You probably can't seal it away right now, so I'll keep it safe for you."

"Yes, Your Titus."

Zane was extremely shocked, never expecting that such an evil object would be sealed in the Lonely Mountain Treasure Vault.

But Titus, or rather Keosius, was secretly overjoyed. Since that was the case, let him keep the Dwarf ' treasure and this half of the Eye of Gruumsh forever!