Lan, who had used the power of a strange seal, was surrounded by excited dwarves, who asked him all kinds of questions excitedly.
As an ancient and long-lived race, the dwarves must have seen magic before, but the battle scenes of those spellcasters were not as exciting as Lann's.
After confirming that these dwarves would not harm his lord the Duke, House turned his attention to the ice sculpture of Sharma that was frozen by the [Alder Seal: Bone-piercing].
Outsiders might be intimidated by the Duke's power and dare not think too much about it, but House, who was very familiar with Lane, knew that Sharma, who had become like an ice sculpture, was not actually dead yet.
With the help of the snowy mountain environment, the Duke's unique seal can freeze the monster, but it won't kill it completely. The Sharma just lost consciousness due to the sudden cold, which is commonly known as freezing. It was also because the Duke didn't use his full strength and didn't burst out the powerful force he used to deal with the sirens in Skellige, otherwise the Sharma wouldn't even have a complete body, and would be broken into pieces on the spot.
[But this monster is really not worthy of dying at the hands of the Duke now. Just subduing it is already an honor for it.] House thought so, [After that, I will put an end to it and turn it into alchemical material...]
However, before House could get close, with a loud bang, Sharma's ice sculpture was suddenly shattered by a huge force.
Saskia swung a huge axe and smashed the monster. The handle of the axe was as thick as her arm, and the blade was bigger than her head. Even a dwarf would have difficulty wielding such an axe, but in Saskia's hand it was as light as a wooden pole.
The dwarf who lent the axe to Saskia had his eyes wide open, but when he thought about how this girl had won the arm wrestling match against dozens of dwarves, he felt relieved.
Feeling House's surprised look, Saskia gave a friendly smile.
"Well... you're welcome." The lake-like blue eyes blinked twice. "If you have just joined the team, fighting side by side will help you integrate better and gain friendship, right?"
Saskia looked at the Sharmas who were killed by the lightning-fast attack and showed an apologetic look: "I wanted to charge together to deal with them. But your movements were too fast. I just borrowed an axe and the enemies were all killed. So I can only help clean up the battlefield."
"So." Saskia kicked the corpse at her feet, "This is what I should do."
…
House thought the woman in front of him was very strange.
She has a rare tall figure, a decent appearance, even mature and majestic, and a calm temperament. However, what she said was too straightforward and even childish, which formed a sharp contrast with her personal temperament.
And this power...House glanced at Sharma's body on the ground.
Such strength was difficult to achieve even for the members of the Lion Group who had undergone several reinforcements. Although this woman had a strong body, the shape and size of her muscles definitely did not look like she could produce such strength.
There is no such thing as "the power of the strong" or "the perception of murderous intent" in this world. If a master who can defeat ten people is stripped of his fine equipment, he will not appear to be stronger than a veteran.
Therefore, mercenaries often provoke lone strongmen, villagers dare to attack demon hunters with pitchforks, and warlocks may be harassed by landlords for defaulting on rent. Such plots may even be suspected of "forcing conflicts" when written into novels, and readers may criticize them for highlighting absurdity and outrageousness.
That is, after House became a "lion group", he upgraded and strengthened his perception. After a long period of traveling, he has trained his eyesight to some extent. When Saskia first appeared, he felt uncomfortable as if he was facing a monster. He thought it was an illusion at the time.
Now it seems that there is indeed something worth pondering.
House took a deep breath. He didn't know when strange guys always appeared around the Duke. You know, when he first met Mr. Geralt, he just felt that poetry was being performed in front of him. The witcher was the most amazing person he had ever met.
But since even the Duke has accepted the other party's existence, then I should open my heart as well and spend more time paying attention to the other party.
So House looked at the smashed body of Sharma, thought for a moment and said, "Uh...thank you."
As if her theory had been verified, Saskia, feeling that she had gained friendship, smiled with satisfaction.
…
The attendants and the new members were communicating in a friendly manner.
On the other side, Lan was also talking to Gabo and Leila.
When fighting alongside human soldiers, Lann would deliberately restrain his sigils and fight with swords to show his bravery, which would make it easier for him to gain recognition and accumulate power.
But facing an ancient race like the dwarves, the power of the supernatural realm is easier to gain respect. That is why Lann used his magic power without hesitation and wiped out the Sharma tribe in front of him with thunder.
Judging from the attitude that Gabo and the other dwarves showed towards him at this moment, this muscle display was very successful.
"I'm really sorry, Lord Lannister. This has never happened in Mahakam before. A big cleanup is enough to keep these monsters quiet for a whole year. I just don't know what's going on now..."
Gabor said worriedly, "Besides that, there is Kertulis... If what the Demon Hunter Master sensed is true, then something must have angered her. I must tell the Great Elder this information."
Lann didn't know the reason for the abnormality displayed by the red dragon, but if Sharma and other underground monsters abnormally reached the surface, Lann could explain it a little.
It’s all the fault of the Ancient Blood… No, it’s all the fault of Master Mirror.
Lan thought for a moment and said relatively tactfully, "In fact, it's not just Mahakam. Similar situations have occurred in many other places in the North. Many monsters have behaved contrary to their usual habits, and many monsters hidden deep in the forests and mountains have appeared near human gathering places."
"Perhaps because Mahakam is deep in the mountains, the impact on it was not significant before, but it still cannot be ignored."
After hearing what Lann said, Helela showed a look of approval and said affirmatively: "Similar situations also occurred in Aedirn. Many soldiers who went deep into the woods to search for the Scoia'tael were eventually killed by monsters."
Gabo's expression became more serious: "Is that so? Thank you very much for the information, Your Excellency the Duke. I need to tell this to the Great Elder as well. Many of the traditions that have been passed down may need to be changed to a certain extent. At least the spring cleaning needs to be intensified..."
This gathering place is just a transit point, and since there were no losses in the battle, there is no need for any rest time.
The group quickly decided to continue deeper into Mahakam and visit the dwarf elder before sunset.
Yarpan stayed and continued to wait for his family to arrive and to reunite with Ryan and his group after they came out.
Sakia followed Ran's team and finally entered the real Mahakam territory.
After the great performance of Lann's team just now, Leila became worried and stopped talking to Geralt. Instead, Saskia talked to Geralt with great interest.
"My father once mentioned you to me, Mr. White Wolf." Saskia said happily, "He praised you for having great love in your heart and for valuing life more than money and honor. I have always wanted to meet you in person!"
But when Geralt asked Saskia about her father's name, the woman hesitated and didn't say anything.
The white wolf was very concerned, but due to the journey he didn't dare to ask too much.
…
There was not much wind and snow in the mountains in early spring, and everyone left shallow footprints along the way that lasted for a long time.
Without Yarpan's singing, the atmosphere of the whole team became much quieter, and the marching speed also increased.
Soon, an exaggerated city appeared in front of everyone.
In human society, even the capital of a country has a city wall no more than seven or eight meters high. Only the four major countries in the north have a wall of ten meters, and the thickness of the wall does not exceed three meters.
However, the wall of the "city" in front of us is more than 20 meters high, and its thickness is even more immeasurable.
Rather than calling it a "city", it is better to call it a hollowed-out "mountain". The dwarves used the magic of nature to dig out a city gate at the foot of the mountain based on the structure of the mountain, and carved out densely packed towers and sentries on the mountainside. The steel and rock have achieved the most perfect fusion on this "city wall".
"Welcome to the capital of Mahakam - Tanshan!" Gabo puffed out his chest and proudly introduced to everyone.
Kolgrim opened his mouth wide and nudged Cohen with his elbow: "Do you think it is more difficult to carve such a high wall from the mountain, or to build such a high wall from the flat ground?"
Cohen shook his head in admiration: "I don't understand architecture, but I know you can never see such a magnificent city anywhere else."
Leila had been here several times, and she was barely able to pull her eyes and mind away from this man-made wonder. Her eyes accidentally met Geralt's.
White Wolf said to her with conviction: "Now I understand why you said that if Temeria sent troops, they would definitely return home in defeat at Mahakam. Unless they have a flying army, this city is definitely not something that can be conquered by manpower alone."
At the city gate carved out at the foot of the mountain, stood a team of fully armed dwarf soldiers. They were the Mahakam heavy infantry that Lan had been coveting for a long time.
Dwarves are less than half the height of humans, but weigh almost as much, which means they have thicker and harder bones, more muscle, and greater strength.
Similarly, when wearing full armor, dwarves can also wear heavier armor than humans and hold thicker shields than humans. From a distance, these heavy infantrymen look like a lump of iron. Lann estimated that their plate armor is half the thickness of a thumb.
In the future, a well-organized dwarf heavy infantry will shine in the North-South War. They will withstand the charge of the Nilfgaardian heavy cavalry head-on, not only consuming all the impact of the heavy horses, but even advancing against them!
Until the end of the battle, the phalanx of this dwarf heavy infantry was not broken once.
You must know that the Nilfgaardian heavy cavalry is the absolute trump card that the Black Sun Empire has invested heavily in. If they are allowed to break into the northern camp, the northern human army will not be able to match them.
But at this moment, all humans did not know that the dwarven heavy infantry could have such strength. In fact, there had not been a single recorded appearance of a dwarven army on a battlefield so far.
Besides the dwarves themselves, only Lann knew how powerful they were.
"This is a token from the Great Elder." Gabo strode forward to the infantrymen that Lann was extremely envious of and began to talk to them.
Gabo used to be one of these heavy infantrymen, and now he is well-known for his diplomatic position. The guards at the city gate recognized him at a glance.
"These are the guests of the Great Elder." But even though they looked familiar, Gabo still had to show the complete process and documents, because this was Mahakam - a place that attached great importance to traditions, procedures, and rules.
They soon arrived at the place where the great elder was. From a distance, they could hear a voice as loud as Yarpan's, or even louder than his.
The Great Elder was not in the reception room, but in an arsenal. From time to time, the sound of hammers hitting steel billets could be heard, but it still could not cover the roar of the Great Elder.
"Damn it, what's with this year's 'spring cleaning'? Did you guys stay in the mines for too long, so even your eyes are covered with stones like Sharma's!"
"Why are all the clans reporting to me that they are being attacked by monsters? Even that giant lizard can't stop those monsters!"
Everyone followed the sound and saw a dwarf with gray hair and skin wrinkled like tree bark.
He looked old, but his body was as strong as a rock. He raised a huge double-edged battle axe and smashed it with clangs. The sparks splashed on the face of the dwarf officer in front of him who was being scolded by him.
"Barclay! Tell me, are your eyes covered with stones?"
"...No, Great Elder."
"Then tell me why this year's 'spring cleaning' is like this!"
Gabo watched from a distance, his face pale. No one wanted to offend such an angry elder.
However, before Gabor could hide away and wait for the Great Elder to calm down, the old dwarf holding the battle axe turned around as if he had sensed something, and saw Lann, who stood out from the crowd, and the Cintra troops behind him.
It was visibly that the Great Elder became even angrier.
"Damn it! The filthy monsters in the cave are already enough of a headache, why are there humans here? Are they here to ask for money or for people? Humans will never come to the dwarves unless they are at their wits' end!"
Lan raised his eyebrows. The great elder in front of him, Brovar Hog, was said to have been the ruler of Mahakam for centuries, and he even wore a crown.
But it was obvious that time did not extinguish his temper, but instead became dry fuel that made it burn more and more fiercely.
Garber couldn't hide this time. He hurried forward to prevent the Great Elder from saying anything that might cause a diplomatic incident. He explained hastily, "Great Elder, this is Lann Lannister Rhaanron, the Duke of Lannister from Cintra. He is the one who brought the lost equipment blueprints through Carlo and hopes to have a meeting with you."
Carlo Varese is the real name of "The Machete" who is now in Novigrad.
The Great Elder's anger was choked. He had sent Gabor out some time ago, and now it was indeed time for the people of Cintra to arrive.
In just a breath of time, the Great Elder's face, which was originally as red as a furnace, turned as rosy as if he had drunk a glass of fine Mahakam beer.
"Haha, Lannister, the Lion of Cintra, you are finally here!"
Seeing the Great Elder's extremely fast expression change, Geralt behind Lann couldn't help but think of Leila's words:
[Broval Hogg is very cunning, and seems to be more proficient in politics than most of the majesties in the North.]
[I also hope that you can remind Duke Lannister in time, telling him not to be fooled by the stereotype of dwarves and to be careful during negotiations.]