Chapter 469: Daughter, I don’t want it anymore!

The next day, in the atrium world.

The colorful light of the Rainbow Bridge was flowing, and a group of figures with short and thick limbs, overgrown beards like weeds, and rough faces came to the Heather Island.

Behind them were more than thirty trucks pulled by camels, leaving deep ruts.

A dwarven caravan?

Several priests who were responsible for maintaining the operation of the Rainbow Bridge were stunned and couldn't help but murmur in their hearts.

What were these underground creatures who only liked to mine and forge iron doing in the atrium? And why were they bringing so many things with them?

Just as the soldiers on the periphery wanted to step forward for the usual inspection, the dwarf firmly protected the vehicle behind him, glared at them fiercely, and looked like he refused to cooperate.

Amid the continuous pushing and shoving and cursing, the tension between the two sides gradually increased.

Seeing that a conflict was about to break out, a deep and magnetic voice came from behind:

"No need to check, everyone please leave, they are guests of the temple."

Hearing the familiar voice, the leading officer turned around to look at the figure walking towards him in the boulevard and breathed a sigh of relief.

It’s that adult. It seems everything is fine.

Just as the officer waved his hand and ordered the soldiers to go, an angry roar broke out among the dwarves:

"I remember this voice. This is the bastard who kidnapped my daughter!"

"Well, we finally bumped into each other!"

"Brothers, grab your weapons!"

Indignant shouts echoed, and the dwarves in the caravan immediately tore off their loose robes, revealing the armor hidden inside. At the same time, they reached out from under the carriage and pulled out weapons such as axes, forging hammers, and daggers that they had prepared in advance, and rushed towards a heinous kidnapper.

The officer at the sentry post was very anxious and gave a decisive order:

"Protect the adults!"

The soldiers drew their swords and axes in unison, trying to intercept these criminals from the Dwarf Kingdom.

Seeing that a friendly exchange to clarify a misunderstanding was about to turn into a confusing and bloody conflict, Lorne's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot and he shouted coldly.

“Stop it!”

The thunderous sound shocked the brains of the dwarves and humans present, and the gushing golden divinity brought a strong sense of confinement, making both sides unable to move.

Seeing that both sides were intimidated by his momentum, Luo En slightly withdrew some of his divine power and spoke to ease the atmosphere:

"Calm down and listen to me..."

"This idea is difficult, let's do it together!"

But as soon as Loen relaxed some of the restraints and regained some mobility, the dwarves began to shout urgently.

Okay, okay, you don’t want to listen, right?

Then try this!

Loen gritted his teeth, showed his fist, and leaped towards the dozens of dwarves who were rushing towards him.

After dozens of breaths, this group of ferocious dwarves completely calmed down, lying on the ground in a mess, all of them with bruised faces and noses, and the only strength left in their bodies was to groan and gasp.

On the contrary, Loen looked refreshed, as if his years of constipation had suddenly been relieved.

"Remove their weapons and equipment and escort them all to the Temple of Plenty!"

Hearing this order from above, the officer who had been worried about the situation also breathed a sigh of relief and immediately ordered his soldiers to do so.

The soldiers, who were filled with anger, naturally had no good face towards these dwarves who suddenly jumped up, and there were bound to be bumps and bumps during the arrest and escort process.

Therefore, when the dwarves, who were already bruised and battered, were sent to the Temple of Plenty, they were almost unrecognizable.

The little girl Eden, who was eating melon with Holo and Hela in the temple, looked for a long time but couldn't find her old father in the crowd.

"Idun?"

Finally, an indistinct voice sounded among the dwarves, and the dwarf with a red beard raised his head tremblingly.

Lorne remembered that this dwarf seemed to be the one with the loudest voice and the strongest physique.

Therefore, he was beaten the hardest.

At this time, the dwarf named Ivald stepped forward and looked at his lively daughter in astonishment:

"Are you okay?"

Eden nodded and answered dully:

"No, I'm fine."

During the process, the little girl did not forget to lower her head and take a bite of the melon.

Unlike his daughter's calmness, Ivald was a little mad:

"Then why do you say someone is going to die?"

"It's Hela and Holo. They made a mistake and are about to be beaten to death."

"What about the ransom?"

"I broke something, I have to pay for it."

“…”

After listening to this, Ivald remained silent for a long time, then forced a smile that was uglier than crying towards Lorne standing beside him.

"This seems to be a misunderstanding, sir. Can we reconcile?"

At this moment, he clearly understood that this was a complete misunderstanding from the beginning to the end.

His precious daughter failed to convey the message correctly and ended up ruining him badly.

Of course, it’s also because the dwarves are naturally hot-tempered.

As for Ivald's initiative to make peace, Loen smiled slightly:

"It's okay to have a misunderstanding. I'm not a stingy person. Let's make things clear, and then those who should apologize should apologize, and those who should pay should pay. But it's wrong for you to steal weapons, right?"

Upon hearing this, Ivald blushed and felt a little embarrassed:

"Safety is for safety. Please forgive me if I offend you."

How could he get thirty carts of gold by himself? He had to look for all his fellow tribesmen and talk his mouth off before he borrowed it.

But due to the inexplicable craze for gold in their blood, almost all dwarves are misers.

Therefore, they naturally did not want to let their treasure out of sight easily, so they came to the Heath Island in the courtyard with Ivald to redeem the person.

Of course, although they said they were ransoming someone, judging from the fact that these dwarves were fully armed and their skillful way of grabbing weapons, they had no intention of actually paying the money.

And now, the reason these bad-tempered dwarves are so easy to talk to is only because the other party has a bigger fist.

After a few punches, their eyes immediately became clear, their hot tempers subsided, they no longer spoke loudly, and they were eager to reason with you.

This is the charm of classical mechanics.

Lorne understood this, so he took the opportunity to give these bad-tempered dwarves a good beating:

"I don't mind if you offend me, we can handle it privately. But you just attacked the military fortress in the courtyard in public. If I, as the commander, take it easy, I will not be able to explain to the people below."

Commander in chief of the court?

Upon hearing this, Ivald's heart skipped a beat. He raised his swollen old face and asked cautiously:

"May I ask who you are?"

"Loki."

When Ivald heard the handsome young man in front of him introduce himself with a smile, he felt as if he had lost his parents.

The Æsir god of fire and trickery, and current master of Midgard.

Legend has it that he is the most brutal and terrifying god among the nine kingdoms. Countless frost giants, mountain giants, demon beasts, and Vanir warriors have died directly or indirectly at his hands.

How did I run into such an evil star?

At this moment, Loen also raised a question:

"I see you don't look familiar. Which of the seven dwarf clans are you from?"

"We are the Durin tribe,"

"Are you the clan leader?"

"yes."

Ivald answered honestly, with a very proper attitude, and even a hint of fear.

Lorne nodded, thinking about something.

The dwarves of the Dwarf Kingdom are not a whole, but are divided into seven families based on differences in region and appearance. They are the Durin family (long-bearded dwarves), the Firebeard family, the Broadbeam family, the Hardbeard family, the Ironfist family, the Blackhair family and the Stonefoot family.

Like the elves with light and dark camps, not all of the seven dwarf clans obey the leadership of the Aesir. Only four of them are relatively honest.

Among the remaining three groups, one group is used to being free and undisciplined and just wants to live their own lives;

One group mixed with the dark elves and exchanged what they had;

The last group is the Durin tribe. Because they are close to Jotunheim, they flirt with the giants.

The characteristics of Durin people are extremely short stature and slightly pointed ears. Adult Durin people are sometimes mistaken for children among dwarves... These characteristics are exactly in line with what Lorne saw and heard.

Closer to the Giants.

Mountain Giant King Shaki?

Youth goddess Eden?

Could it be that in the future, Shaki turned into a falcon and captured Eden not only because he coveted the beauty of this young goddess?

More importantly, the Durin dwarves, who were originally attached to Jotunheim, turned to the Aesir, which greatly angered the mountain giant king. So he took advantage of the situation and captured Iden to destroy the alliance between the Aesir and Durin dwarves?

That should be correct...

Loen's eyes swept across the trace of fear hidden on Ivald's face, and he couldn't help but confirm his guess.

As dwarves, they were actually afraid of him, the "Giant Killer", and showed such great hostility and vigilance when entering the world of Midgard. This was probably because the Durin clan had a close relationship with the giants, and was not close to Asgard and humans.

Unexpectedly, those two troublemakers, Hela and Holo, just kidnapped a dwarf princess and ended up involving a power struggle among the nine kingdoms.

What a nice unexpected bonus!

Realizing this, Luo En's expression turned even colder:

"You brought so many people to the courtyard and hid weapons. What's the matter? Do you want to assassinate me for the giant?"

Hearing such a huge blame being thrown on him, Ivald was immediately in tears and tried his best to defend himself:

"My lord, this is such a misunderstanding! We have no other intentions, we just came here to compensate... yes, for your losses!"

The Dwarves of Durin were just a small clan. They could not afford to offend either the Giants or the Aesir. They usually did not even have time to hide from them, so how could they risk their lives for the Giants and assassinate the Aesir commander in Midgard?

Besides, even if they wanted to, they would have to have the ability to do so.

But Lorne, who wanted to take advantage of the situation, continued to ask:

"Where are the weapons?"

"The money is not enough, they are used to offset the compensation!"

Ivald suddenly had an idea and answered quickly.

Lorne suddenly realized what was going on, patted the dwarf leader on the shoulder, and a warm and friendly smile returned to his face:

"So that's what's going on? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Mine! It's my fault!"

Ewald nodded hurriedly, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and was very proud of his quick wit.

Anyway, this stage is passed.

but……

Glancing at the group of uncles, relatives and friends behind him who were glaring at him, Ivald felt his scalp tingling again.

Not only did he borrow the gold coins, he also had to give away weapons and equipment. This time he really offended his family.

When he thought of the miserable future after returning home, Ivald was almost in tears. He looked up at Eden who was still eating melon in front of him with relish, his old face full of resentment.

My daughter, aren’t you betraying your father?

At this moment, Luo En changed the subject and smiled with kindness:

"Since it's just a misunderstanding, there's no need to dwell on it. I'll take the compensation, and forget about the weapons. However, bringing so many dangerous items in is too sensitive. When you're ready to leave, you can go to the priest at the Temple of Plenty to collect them."

Seeing the unexpected turn of events and the big loss turned into a small one, the dwarves who thought they had made a good deal immediately smiled and praised the generosity and tolerance of the God of Midgard. They couldn't help but have some good feelings towards the Aesir.

However, Ivald, the leader, was not so happy.

Although the weapons were recovered, the thirty carts of gold were actually swallowed up, and will basically be blamed on him from now on.

I don’t know how long it will take to pay off this huge debt.

Moreover, asking for money from the dwarves is even more painful than killing them.

Looking at his daughter who was still eating melon in the corner, Ivald's face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. He then made up his mind and pulled Lorne to the corner:

"I won't redeem my daughter. Can I give her to you?"

Luo En was stunned when he heard this, and then his face darkened:

"Which is more important, a daughter or gold?"

“All are important!”

"Then you won't suffer any loss if you exchange one for the other, right?"

"There's not enough money. Nine of the cars are mine, and the rest are all borrowed."

In order to avoid bleeding, Ivald simply exposed his weakness.

Hearing that the other party didn't even want his daughter, Loen finally realized the miserly nature of the dwarf and could not help but sneer and roll his eyes:

"You can get the gold back, but you need to redeem it with something else."

Upon hearing this, Ivald's eyes lit up and he couldn't wait to ask:

"What?"

"I heard that you dwarves are good at mining and forging, so let's use materials and craftsmanship to offset it."

Lorne replied calmly, and then in order to prevent the dwarves from having any other thoughts, he added faintly,

"This is my bottom line. If you try to bargain with me again, you won't be able to take any of my weapons, gold, or your daughter away!"

Ivald was startled and went back to discuss with his tribesmen.

After a lot of discussion, the dwarves unanimously agreed to use materials and craftsmanship to offset the compensation.

After all, they are a race that excels at mining and forging. If they just forge something for the God of Midgard to make up for the losses, they can get thirty carts of gold. This deal is simply a huge profit!

"I have a large piece of Uru steel here!"

"Mythril ore, I still have three pieces!"

"I'll provide the refined gold!"

“…”

Soon, the dwarves' mentality changed from big losses, small losses, to big profits, and they readily contributed the precious ores in their hands.

Due to their natural hot temper and impatience, as soon as they made up their minds, they rushed out of the temple in groups of three or five, built a foundry on the spot, and prepared to complete the transaction as soon as possible.

But as the preparations were completed, the dwarves who started working encountered new difficulties.

The temperature of the flame is not high enough, and many materials are difficult to melt, especially the Uru sacred steel that serves as the main embryo of the artifact. It is extremely hard and requires a temperature close to that of the earth's core magma and the surface of the sun to shape it.

Only the Dwarf Kingdom has a furnace of this level.

Just when everyone was at a loss, Lorne walked out of the temple with a smile:

"The flame isn't hot enough? Let me try!"

As the God of the Atrium raised his hand slightly, a majestic white horse galloped down from the sky, neighing into the forge, and instantly ignited golden flames.

Suddenly, the Uru Sacred Steel, which had been motionless, began to heat up, turn red, and melt, blending into one with the other metal materials.

"Quick! Turn on the stove!"

"Shaping! Quenching!"

The eyes of the Durin dwarves on the side lit up, and they decisively followed the orders of their chief Ivald, opened the furnace, and let the dark red molten metal flow into the mold prepared in advance.

When the metal began to solidify, they would use the forging hammer to forge out impurities and prototypes, correct deviations according to the blueprint, or carve runes on the metal blocks to reinforce them...

It has to be said that although the dwarves are greedy for money, they are also quite rigorous in their pursuit of forging technology.

Especially when the success or failure of this forging is related to the gains and losses of their respective small treasuries, their work enthusiasm and work attitude are impeccable.

The fire burned brightly for seven days in a row.

Loen was responsible for maintaining the temperature, while hundreds of Durin dwarves gathered around the forge and pounded on it day and night.

"when!"

Finally, at dawn on the eighth day, Ivald used up all his strength to land the last hammer, then collapsed to the ground, handing over the finished product that made him extremely proud.

“Buzz!”

Two pitch-black swords, as deep as the night sky, flew out of the forging table and fell into Hela's hands, making a pleasant sound.

Hila casually swung her hand, and a sword light as thick as ink flashed. The several-meter-long stone pillar in the square broke with a sound, and the cut was as smooth as a mirror.

Seeing how powerful this artifact was, and how it perfectly suited her divinity and divine power, Hela's tense little face couldn't help but break into an excited smile:

“Thank you, teacher!”

Lorne lowered his arms in front of the furnace and looked back at Hela, who was reluctant to let go of the new weapon. A trace of relief appeared on his tired face:

"Just like it, give it a name."

"Night sky, sword of the night sky!"

Hela raised the two dark night-colored long swords in her hands and answered proudly,

"I will use it to bring victory to you and Asa!"

Loen, who was standing in front of the stove, trembled slightly. Looking at Hela, who was full of vigor and vitality, he felt inexplicably complicated.

He seemed to have pushed his destiny one step further.

(End of this chapter)