Gulp Gulp Gulp

To be honest, the journey here had not been easy.

Since he had no idea where the main roads were, Li Wei had followed locations he remembered seeing, forcing his way in a straight line through forests and mountains.

He had quite literally been taking the wild road.

In some places, the terrain had been so rugged that his horse had nearly failed to clear the jumps.

Now that he had finally found a proper road leading to the Dwarves' settlement, Li Wei was overwhelmed with emotion. He immediately urged his horse into a mad dash toward the source of the light.

Only when he neared the towering gates embedded in the mountainside did he slow down and approach at a leisurely pace.

Before the massive structure, Li Wei raised his head and looked up.

It had to be said that although Dwarves were not tall, their architecture was grand and majestic. Li Wei had to keep craning his neck until he was practically bent backward just to take in the entire building at once.

Even the gates were this huge. The whole mountain had probably been hollowed out, and the space inside could only be even larger.

"Ha, marvel at our architecture, human."

As he was staring, a voice suddenly came from behind him. Turning around, he found a Dwarf by the roadside looking him up and down.

"You don't look like a traveling merchant. What brings you here?" he asked.

Li Wei dismounted and greeted the Dwarf, who looked rather advanced in years.

"My greetings. This is my first time in Dwarf territory. I heard that Dwarven forging is unmatched, so I came to see it for myself."

The moment Li Wei said that, the Dwarf's face filled with pride.

"Hahaha, then you came to the right place. Dwarven craftsmanship is nothing those outsiders can compare to. Fine armor, sharp weapons... as long as you have enough silver coins, you can take them all with you."

"Though we usually don't do business with strangers, you seem like a decent sort. I can tell you've seen battle before. If it were up to me, I'd be happy to sell you some good stuff."

The Dwarf was exceedingly warm and friendly. After chatting with Li Wei for a while, he saw that Li Wei was unfamiliar with the place and even pointed him in the right direction.

"If you're looking for an inn, turn right after you go in. If you want to buy something, go left. There are several smithies there, along with a merchant caravan that only recently returned."

"Thank you."

After bidding farewell to the friendly Dwarf, Li Wei led his horse onward, sighing to himself as he walked.

Who said Dwarves were crude and rude? Lies. They were perfectly polite—and very welcoming, too.

Before long, Li Wei passed through the enormous gates and entered the mountain hall where the Dwarves gathered.

The Dwarves generally lived and worked inside the mountain, and aside from merchant caravans, few of them traveled far from home.

After Lonely Mountain fell, this hall had become the place where Thorin and his people settled.

Though he had prepared himself mentally, the sight within still left Li Wei utterly amazed.

The moment he entered, Li Wei's eyes widened. The cavernous interior looked far larger than the outside, with a dome stretching beyond sight, chandeliers suspended by thick iron chains, glowing stones embedded in the walls, all manner of houses and bridges built along the valley, magnificent statues, and towering walls that rose from the underground river until he had to crane his neck just to glimpse their upper edges.

The clanging of metal echoed through the vast space, accompanied by a faint bustle of noise.

Following the Dwarf's directions, Li Wei looked to the right and immediately spotted a several-story building, with many Dwarves coming and going within.

This was the inn.

"Welcome! Find a seat wherever you like!"

The innkeeper, his belly protruding, greeted Li Wei as he entered.

"Oh, but it looks like you need to settle your mount first. Get moving, lad! Find a place for our guest's horse!"

The owner called out to a young Dwarf nearby. Before long, both Li Wei and his horse had been properly taken care of, and soon Li Wei was seated at a table, waiting for some Dwarven specialties.

Strong liquor, roasted meat... fragrant food was quickly brought to his table.

Li Wei had brought plenty of silver coins with him this time—all of them taken from the Trolls' lair. It was enough for him to spend freely for quite a while.

Perhaps because it was mealtime, more and more Dwarves gathered around. The first-floor dining hall, which had seemed somewhat quiet before, grew lively, with quite a few choosing to eat here.

However, with so many Dwarves around, Li Wei's presence became rather conspicuous.

"A human? Haven't seen one in a long time. What a rarity."

"Doesn't look like he's here for business. Maybe he's traveling."

"Still, he's rather slim."

"He may have a fine figure, but he doesn't have a fine beard."

"Wonder where he came from."

Li Wei took a deep breath and withdrew his earlier assessment that all Dwarves were polite.

These chattering Dwarves really could be noisy sometimes.

"Oh, my beard, it's my first time seeing a human! Hey, brother over there, let's have a drink!"

A very young-looking Dwarf suddenly raised a cup full of Malt Liquor toward Li Wei.

Li Wei raised an eyebrow and could only lift his own cup in response.

"Hahahaha!" The Dwarf burst into loud laughter, then gulped down the beer in his cup in one go. He let out a burp, wiped the foam from his beard, and gave a satisfied groan.

Li Wei naturally would not back down. He drained his cup in one breath without changing expression, then raised his brows at the Dwarf to show that his own cup was empty as well.

Whoosh, whoosh—

Some Dwarves immediately started whistling and egging them on.

"Drink him under the table!"

"Drink him under the table!"

Before long, the Dwarves gathered around, all eager for a spectacle, started making a ruckus.

Li Wei helplessly shot the owner a pleading look, only to find that the owner was joining in on the heckling too.

Come on, man.

"Fine, let's do it!" Li Wei slapped the table and accepted the challenge on the spot.

"Now that's the spirit! If you can drink me under the table today, I'll cover your whole bill!"

The young Dwarf made his bold declaration and immediately had the owner bring over two huge barrels of alcohol.

With a clatter, the two tables were pushed together.

Gulp, gulp, gulp...

Chug, chug, chug—

"Ha—"

The two simply began drinking, not even bothering with any side dishes.

The Dwarf grinned. There were few people in these parts who could outdrink him. This human was destined to lose today.

Li Wei grinned as well, because drunkenness was merely a buff to him, and he had several barrels of milk in his inventory.

As for capacity... although alcohol could increase fullness, it seemed that even after he was full, he could keep drinking. Only, the duration of the drunkenness buff would increase along with it.

"This toast, this toast should be to something... to our meeting, I guess... hic!"

The Dwarf raised his cup and tipped it back, draining it mouthful by mouthful.

"Alright, thank you very much, but this is already the fifth time you've toasted our meeting."

Li Wei kept chugging.

By now, the tables before them were piled high with empty cups. Judging by their size, each one held at least over a pound of alcohol.

The two of them had each drunk nearly twenty cups.

"I'm telling you, y-you're not allowed to throw up..." Foam floated at the corner of the Dwarf's mouth as he pointed at Li Wei, his eyes already struggling to focus.

Li Wei set down his empty cup and said easily, "Ah, alright. Come to think of it, I think I'm starting to feel something. Is this what being drunk feels like?"

Thud!

Li Wei spoke softly, his eyes clear, without the slightest sign that he was forcing himself to endure.

Yet to the young Dwarf, those words sounded like the whisper of a demon. His eyes rolled back, and he immediately collapsed onto the table, falling unconscious, alcohol foam seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Li Wei's one sentence had utterly shattered his resolve.

"The winner, the human traveler!"

Standing on a stool, the owner raised Li Wei's arm and declared his victory.

"Woooh!!!"

Blue Mountains Dwarf Reputation +10

The ground-based castle had its own unique uses. As for the floating city, that would be mentioned later.

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