The Drunken Dwarf [Seeking Favorites and Recommendations]

"Let's pursue!"

Zong Shen pointed toward the path down the mountain!

The Old Travel Horse was, after all, a large beast; on this kind of mountain trail, it would leave behind very obvious hoofprints.

At the same time, Zong Shen began to call out to the Strategy Guide in his mind.

"I need to find my horse, please guide me in the right direction."

(Follow the arrow.)

(A drunken little dwarf stole your horse; you need to be careful, that guy has great strength.)

A golden arrow appeared in Zong Shen's field of vision.

It also pointed in the direction of the mountain base.

Zong Shen did not dawdle, taking Tie Zhu with him as they began to sprint.

They pursued toward the foot of the mountain.

While on foot, the speed advantage of Tie Zhu became apparent.

After merging into the shadows, his speed was astonishing; he was like a black silhouette, moving rapidly beneath the shade of the trees.

The two of them sprinted to the bottom of the mountain.

Before them lay that Land of Buried Bones and the vast pasture.

Zong Shen came to a halt.

The arrow in front of him pointed directly at the pasture ahead.

Not far from the edge of the mountain stood a few sparse, large trees.

By the trees, two shadows—one large and one small—were lingering.

"Huff... huff..."

"Good grief, he actually dared to stop and rest!"

"When I catch him, I'm definitely going to give him a good beating!"

Zong Shen panted, cursing as he rolled up his sleeves.

"Keep chasing!"

He beckoned to Tie Zhu.

The two of them sprinted rapidly toward the location of those few trees.

The pair ran wildly the entire way.

If it weren't for the fact that Zong Shen's physical constitution had been strengthened by his four major attributes and skills, he would not have been able to sustain such intense Athletics.

As the saying goes, "the mountain looks close but the horse dies running," and it took the two of them over ten minutes to cover roughly three kilometers before they finally arrived beneath those trees.

A Dwarf with a thick, bushy beard and wearing simple light armor was lying under a tree, fast asleep and snoring loudly.

The Old Travel Horse had been left to wander freely to the side, leisurely munching on green grass.

As soon as Zong Shen and Tie Zhu approached within a few meters, they smelled a pungent scent of alcohol radiating from the Dwarf.

Just smelling it was enough to make one choke.

This was an open pasture with wind blowing from all sides, yet they could still smell such a heavy scent of alcohol; could this Dwarf before them have been soaking in a barrel of booze for a year?

After Zong Shen walked up, a name appeared above this guy's head.

[Bronzebeard???]

[Race: Dwarf]

[???]

[???]

(This guy is drunk, you can easily subdue him. He possesses Advanced Blacksmithing skills; perhaps he could play a role in your territory.)

A pile of question marks appeared after his name.

It didn't seem like he belonged to the category of hostile monsters; he appeared to be some mysterious indigenous member of the Dwarf Race.

The large cluster of question marks seemed to indirectly indicate the strength of this drunken Dwarf.

However, this guy had stolen his horse, so he couldn't just let it slide.

Zong Shen walked over, crouched down beside him, and reached out to gently pat his face, which had turned bright red from intoxication.

This guy's skin was very rough, and it seemed as though even his face was made of solid muscle; it didn't feel soft to the touch at all.

"Hey, hey, hey!"

"Wake up!"

"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."

The only response he received was the sound of rhythmic snoring and the rising and falling of a sturdy chest.

Zong Shen's face darkened; he really wanted to draw his sword and give this careless drunkard a slash.

But he was worried about provoking some formidable existence.

Suddenly, he thought of a way.

He first used the hemp he had scavenged from the storage chest of that unlucky lord in his inventory to craft several sturdy Hemp Ropes on the spot.

Next, he summoned Tie Zhu and had him hoist the dwarf up directly.

He stripped off all the light armor from the dwarf's body and the exaggeratedly large iron hammer at his waist.

He left him with nothing but a pair of large, red-striped boxers.

Watching the chest hair flutter in the breeze.

Zong Shen felt a sense of satisfaction.

He then used the Hemp Rope to bind him to the tree, layer upon layer, until his legs were dangling in the air and he was tied up tight.

To be on the safe side.

He had practically wrapped the dwarf up like a rice dumpling.

After finishing all this.

Zong Shen took a large wooden bucket filled with water out of his personal inventory.

This was the backup water he had brought when he left this morning.

He stood up, lifted the bucket, and splashed nearly half of it directly onto the drunken dwarf's head.

"Gurgle..."

"Cough, cough..."

"Which bastard dares to disturb my sleep!"

"I'll smash his dog head with my hammer!"

The drunken dwarf jolted awake, cursing and swearing, and reached out to draw his hammer, only to find himself tied to a tree with his legs dangling in the air.

Even with his astonishing strength, he couldn't exert it at this moment.

"Human brat, why did you tie me up?"

"Are you some kind of marauder or bandit?"

"I'm a penniless wretch; other than the tavern, no one can squeeze a single copper out of me!"

He regained a bit of his sobriety.

He began to take the initiative to communicate with Zong Shen.

However, Zong Shen just smiled.

He reached out and led over the Old Travel Horse.

"You stole my horse."

"That is why I tied you up."

Hearing Zong Shen say this, the drunken dwarf revealed a look of sudden realization.

Immediately after, he felt a bit embarrassed.

Being poor with words, he simply chose to remain silent.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you speaking?"

"The entire continent tells legends of the dwarf race being brave, resolute, unrestrained, and hardworking, yet I never expected the dwarf race to be so skilled at thievery."

"I would like to know, how does your dwarf race deal with thieves?"

Zong Shen said this deliberately, attempting to provoke him.

Sure enough, upon hearing Zong Shen say this, the drunken dwarf's face instantly turned beet red again.

"Bullshit! You damned human brat!"

"I am not a thief!"

Seeing this expression on the drunken dwarf, the smile on Zong Shen's face grew even wider.

"Then why is my horse here?"

"This is an old horse passed down to me by my elders; I have a very deep bond with it."

Zong Shen put on an act, even pretending to be sad as he stroked the head of the Old Travel Horse.

The Old Travel Horse was also quite clever, affectionately rubbing its head against Zong Shen's arm.

Such a display made the drunken dwarf feel even more ashamed.

"I... I..."

"I'm sorry, human brat, I was drunk..."

The drunken Dwarf realized he couldn't argue his way out of this and chose to apologize in shame.

"I accept your apology."

Zong Shen raised his head and spoke with a serious expression.

He then took the opportunity to extend an invitation.

"I am a lord currently building a great territory, and right now, my territory is lacking a skilled blacksmith."

"Are you willing to help me?"

Taking advantage of the drunken Dwarf's sense of guilt, Zong Shen decisively offered an olive branch.

This was a Dwarf covered in question marks who possessed high-level blacksmithing skills.

It is said that the Dwarf Race excels at forging.

If a territory wants to develop, it cannot rely solely on warriors skilled in combat.

It also requires construction talent in every aspect.

Blacksmiths, tailors, urban planners, administrators, and even those for farming and education.

These are all indispensable aspects of territorial development.

This guy is a real talent!

Zong Shen had already decided to use a mix of coaxing and trickery to lure him back to the territory.

Upon hearing this, however, the drunken Dwarf began to hesitate.