The tavern was filled with cheer.
Only after hearing the story did Thorin realize that the thing called a tank had wheels.
That was more like it. Otherwise, pushing a little mountain of steel would have been far too ridiculous.
Still, he was speechless.
Those knights... was there something wrong with their heads?
Pushing war machines around? And racing them?
This wasn't even a question of how good the weapons were anymore. This was simply a bunch of lunatics fighting a war!
The bard continued his "creation":
"After this battle, Knight Brian's fame spread far and wide! Some enthusiasts have already given him a resounding nickname-"
He deliberately drew out his voice, looked around, then roared with all his might:
"Holy Light Engine, Brian!!!"
"Holy Light Engine! Holy Light Engine!"
The tavern's drunks seemed to catch fire, raising their mugs and feverishly chanting the newly minted title.
Thorin: "..."
He silently raised his mug and drained the remaining ale.
He grabbed a slightly more sober young knight beside him and asked in a rumbling voice:
"Hey, lad. Where exactly did these 'Great Xia people' you've been talking about come from?"
The young knight had clearly drunk quite a bit too, but he still recognized the dwarf master smith and answered respectfully:
"Master Steelbeard! They're visitors from another world, reinforcements invited by the Elves!"
"A while ago, His Majesty the Pope personally ordered an Astral Portal opened for them over in Emerald Leaf City!"
"What do they look like?" Thorin pressed.
"I heard they have black hair, black eyes, and yellow skin." The knight gestured as he spoke,
"Completely different from us with our blond hair and blue eyes. They're easy to recognize!"
Black hair... black eyes...
Thorin's head buzzed, and a forgotten scene instantly became clear.
About a dozen days