Savior?

Savior?

Dwarves and Elves were intelligent races born in the same era.

The era of their birth could no longer be traced, but the two races had once joined forces to overthrow the Dragon rule of the First Era.

Although Elves had always excelled in every attribute, possessed formidable individual combat strength, long legs, great height, and handsome looks...

The Dwarves' skill at crafting equipment was even more superb. During the First Era, they could use their talent for forging equipment to make their individual combat strength only slightly inferior to that of the Elves, or even evenly matched.

The Elves and Dwarves had also been the main force behind overthrowing the Dragon Era.

The Second Era was the age of Elven rule.

As the former allies of the Elves, the Dwarves were still given ample living space and vast territories.

But their enthusiasm for digging holes was something even gods could not stop...

Through all sorts of suicidal antics, they dug out creatures from the undocumented Gods Era—the Flame Demons...

After defeating countless Flame Demons, the surviving Dwarves were already on their last legs.

After many years of reproduction, the Dwarves prospered once more near the end of the Second Era. But they started digging again, and that period happened to be the crucial time when humans overthrew Elven rule.

They dug through the spatial barrier, and the Dark Creatures of the Abyss emerged, attacking the Dwarf Race without mercy.

In the end, both the Dwarves and Elves suffered devastating losses and withdrew from the prosperous regions of the Legendary Continent. The Elves built ancient castle-cities in Blackleaf Forest, while the Dwarves gathered at Lonely Mountain on the Endless Grasslands.

But several thousand years ago, when Lonely Mountain's last emperor fell...

The Dwarf Empire, which had endured for ten thousand years, collapsed. The bloodline heirs of the Dwarf Imperial Family were either dead or wounded, while the seven Dwarf Royal Houses divided countless treasures and clansmen among themselves, each establishing a new kingdom.

"In short, those seven little Dwarves all have terrible tempers!" William had played this game for a full ten years, and its history was something many players loved to dig into.

Because only by understanding history could one feel a sense of glory, even an Epic feeling, when taking part in certain storylines during the middle and later stages of the game!

During the late game, players often remained within one faction for a long time. That sense of belonging, that glory of fighting for one's king, that feeling of having read the history before facing off against old enemies—those were what truly made players' blood boil!

So William was also quite familiar with these historical events that had changed the landscape of the Gods Continent.

Siya walked over. Hearing her footsteps, William turned around and saw her covering her mouth as she wiped her red lips, which were coated in a thin, glistening layer of grease. Who knew what she had just been eating.

"Burp! My lord, do we need Mages accompanying us for this expedition?" Siya blushed. She had just been eating a roasted bear paw.

Of course, it had not come from a Frenzied Giant Bear. But for some reason, ever since the lord had refused to provide frenzied beasts as magic materials, she had been unable to stop herself from craving bear meat...

William shifted his gaze away from her rosy, delicate lips, nodded, and asked, "We need to bring five Mages. How were those Dragon Scales I gave you a few days ago?"

"Mm, they weren't particularly useful. They can be enchanted onto weapons to increase their power somewhat. If there were more of them, they could even be used to make armor!" Siya waved her dagger. A Dragon Scale was firmly fused to its blade, faint red light flickering from it.

William blinked, unsure what to say. He merely patted Siya's shoulder as she tried to dodge away. "Go on. Study magic more. You can eat bear meat—it does improve your physique—but don't set your sights on my pet."

"..." Siya pursed her lips, wondering whether the lord had the nose of a dog to know she had been eating bear meat.

But as Siya watched the lord's departing back, she felt that he seemed to be worried about something.

Border Town once again sent out three hundred troops toward Blackleaf Forest.

William received another quest as well.

[Third Stage: A Dwarf settlement has appeared near Border Town? A large number of Orcs are even besieging the Dwarves. There must be some conspiracy behind this. Eliminate the Orcs, save the Dwarves, and obtain a rare mineral vein]

[Reward: 50,000 experience]

[Reward: Unknown rare mineral vein]

Lotner remained at William's side without leaving even a single step. This battle differed from the previous ones. According to the scouts, the Orc force numbered as many as a thousand, and reinforcements seemed to be arriving continuously. They had already blocked the Dwarves' cave entrances and were attacking with all their might.

Once he considered that, along with the approximate location of the Orc attack...

William more or less understood. The cave where the Dwarves lived should be the mineral vein containing Mithril.

In his previous life, William had been able to control that mineral vein largely because the Dwarves and Orcs had fought each other to the death, while he, the little fisherman, had ultimately reaped the greatest reward.

"Time is pressing. We cannot stand by and watch our Dwarf companions be brutally slaughtered by the Orcs!" William shouted and led the troops forward in great strides. The other Elves followed closely behind. Running through the depths of the forest would exhaust many races to death, but Elves were definitely not among them.

Lotner had something on his mind, so he spoke without hesitation. "Does my lord intend to bring them under his command by saving the Dwarves?"

"That's right. What do you think?" William raised a brow. Dwarves were strong-willed, but they valued friendship and gratitude immensely. When he had still been a player, every Dwarf quest had earned him a great deal of favorability. Therefore, he was quite confident he could bring them into his territory.

Lotner narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, "The goal is good, and so is the method. But we need to be more patient!"

"Understood!" William's mouth twitched, but he still nodded.

Being more patient meant allowing the Orcs to force the Dwarves into Desolation, letting them suffer heavy casualties, and waiting until they felt that all hope was lost before decisively acting.

When that time came...

William would appear before them in the majestic guise of a savior. It would be like a miracle descending from the heavens, more than enough to deeply move the despairing Dwarves and earn tremendous favorability—perhaps even make them kneel directly before him...

As for why Lotner had said such a thing?

It was not surprising at all.

Because every Elf, including him and even those Mages, was loyal to William Blackleaf!

They had once been his mother's personal soldiers.

As a member of the Elven Royal Family...

Every royal had their own personal soldiers.

And now that they served him, Lotner had to secure the greatest benefits for his lord. His lord was his god, his guiding light. He only needed to strike wherever William pointed; he did not need to argue or refuse.

Speaking of loyalty...

There was no race in the world more loyal than the Elves. Or rather, in the ancient times of any history, the Warriors chosen as personal guards generally possessed absolute loyalty.

What was more, the elegance, pride, kindness, and all the rest buried in the Elves' bones were things they only displayed in times of peace.

In wartime...

They would use their centuries, even millennia, of intelligence and experience to weave all manner of intricate schemes against you.

But every era had its protagonist.

The current protagonist was humanity!

It was more like an unstoppable tide of fate.

But who would the future belong to?

No one knew.

William led his troops over mountains and ridges until they reached the Dwarves' cave. They silently and nimbly climbed into the trees, quietly watching the brutal slaughter unfold directly beneath their eyes. Their gazes held pity, but the sight did not shake their resolve.