The welcoming feast was held in the great stone hall of Chief Gordan Redbeard.

A whole tundra rhino was roasting sizzlingly on a bonfire in the center of the hall.

When Mark was invited to come forward and use his special hot sauce and compound spices to give the roasted beast meat the final processing, the overbearing and strange aroma instantly conquered the sense of smell of all the dwarves present.

The atmosphere of the banquet became extremely warm under the catalysis of delicious food and liquor.

Enzo was like a fish in water. His rough style and his love of beer quickly won the favor of the Redbeard Clan warriors, who sang the off-tune dwarf war song with their arms around each other.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Enzo casually approached an elder who looked the oldest and had a gentle look in his eyes, handed him a large glass of liquor, and asked in a rough voice in Dwarven:

"Elder, I have a question for you. Do you know the Graybeard Clan? My father is from there, and I haven't heard from him in many years."

The elder named Bruno took the wine glass and paused for a moment, his happy smile slightly fading.

He carefully looked at Enzo's face and figure, especially his slightly special skin which was darker than that of ordinary dwarves. A hint of surprise and complex emotions flashed in his eyes.

"Graybeard..." Elder Bruno lowered his voice and pulled Enzo closer to the stone pillar where there were fewer people. "Son, you're asking about Graybeard now, are you here specifically to look for your relatives?"

Enzo's heart tightened and he nodded quickly. From the inner pocket of his leather armor, he carefully took out an iron plate with slightly worn edges, engraved with unique mountain patterns and hammered emblems. This was the only token of his family's inheritance.

Seeing this emblem, Elder Bruno's expression became completely solemn.

He glanced warily at the noisy hall, especially the main seat. Seeing that the patriarch, Gordan, was laughing loudly at Mark's exotic experiences, he breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his voice to almost a whisper:

"Child, listen to my advice. If they are just distant relatives, forget it. Graybeard... their situation is very bad right now, like a dying fire in a snowstorm."

Enzo's heart sank. He eagerly grabbed the elder's arm and said, "Elder, please tell me! My father wanted to come back and see me all his life! He missed me until his death!"

Although Enzo is not even considered a young man in the dwarf clan, he is smart and knows what to say and what not to say.

So he did not reveal his true origins.

After all, being chosen by the Dark God and sleeping in a mine for hundreds of years is considered a betrayal of the Dwarf God in the Dwarf clan.

Elder Bruno looked at the unfaithful anxiety and stubbornness in Enzo's eyes and sighed again, his cloudy eyes filled with pity and helplessness.

"Alas... it's all because of that 'Asteroid Disaster'. Your Graybeard generation is able to communicate deeply with the earth and minerals. This is a gift from the Lord Mornlock..."

His tone became heavy and subdued. "But it was this very gift that harmed you. Two hundred and forty years ago, in the north of the Central Continent, near the homeland of your Graybeard Clan, a meteorite fell from the sky...

"Originally this was a good thing, as meteorites from outer space always bring some special minerals and treasures.

"However, those mystical people in the Star-Moon Church claim that the meteorite came from heaven, a trophy left behind by the Star-Moon Goddess in her fight against the evil god. You, the Graybeard Clan, have stolen the power of the stars sinking into the earth. This is blasphemy!"

"But in reality, after the meteorite fell, almost all living things within a hundred miles were wiped out. The dwarven clans had already received the oracle from Lord Mornlock and migrated to the Arctic Icefields...

"Just a few decades ago, a group of believers from the Church of the Star and the Moon arrived in the Arctic Icefields, claiming to reclaim the goddess's spoils. They have already launched several purification wars against the Graybeard Clan...

"And the Dark Church, those maggots hiding in the shadows are even more disgusting! They specifically kidnap your clan's craftsmen and scholars when the Star-Moon Church is on a military expedition!"

The elder's voice was tinged with fear. "There are terrible rumors...that the Dark Church intends to convert the Graybeard Clan to the Dark God's faith, thereby fundamentally eroding the devout followers of Lord Mornlock!"

Enzo's breathing suddenly became heavy, his eyes instantly became bloodshot, and the fingers holding the emblem turned white due to the force.

He always thought that the dwarf clans migrated to the Arctic ice field to avoid the war between humans and orcs and to seek a peaceful and tranquil life.

But I never thought that there might be such cruel pursuit and plundering hidden behind it.

He fell asleep in the Falling Star Lake and woke up in the Falling Star Lake. The moment he heard Elder Bruno's description, he guessed the possible reason for the above incident.

Perhaps the Star-Moon Church and the Dark Church are causing trouble for the Graybeard Clan just for what they have in their hands.

If it’s not the Dark Rune Forging Hammer, then what else could it be?

This is made from a meteorite that can transform many ordinary creatures into powerful monsters!

To this day, Enzo has not even developed one ten-thousandth of its capabilities.

"To survive, the Graybeard clan split long ago," Elder Bruno continued, his voice quickening. "Now, there may be only three remaining on the glacier: Black Anvil, Silent Stone, and Deephearth. Like frightened snow rabbits, they're hiding in the most remote and dangerous ice rifts and deep in abandoned mines. No one knows their exact locations, and they no longer dare to trust outsiders, including our other clans."

He patted Enzo's tense arm and said bitterly, "This is no longer the Central Continent shrouded in holy light, child. The ice field is a lawless place, a nest of losers and the persecuted.

"There are numerous savage orc tribes, frost trolls, and lost races that worship ancient evil... The situation is complex and dangerous. Finding them will be extremely difficult, and it may even drag you into a deadly vortex."

After saying this, Elder Bruno seemed to have unloaded a heavy burden, and as if he was afraid of getting into trouble, he hurriedly picked up his wine glass and blended into the noisy crowd.

Only Enzo was left standing there frozen, his face changing in the light of the fire.

Later, when Mark and the other two were arranged to rest in the guest room, they found that Enzo had already returned.

He was sitting on a stone bench in silence, stroking the emblem of the Graybeard Clan over and over again, his eyes fixed on the shadows jumping on the ground.

"What's wrong, Enzo? I didn't see you just now." Mark noticed that the atmosphere was wrong and asked.

Enzo suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with bloodshot and an unprecedented confusion and pain.

His voice was hoarse as he repeated Elder Bruno's words with difficulty.