A normal dwarf with blood might ignore such a warning and pass on the news of the enemy attack even if it meant death. However, Gabor kept silent after being frightened by an arrow piercing his foot.

In Mahakam, where traditions are valued and honor is cherished, Gabo's reaction would cause contempt among all dwarves, even the dwarf archers who left Mahakam and joined the Scoia'tael.

"But he's a smart guy, so it should be easy to communicate with him. Have a good chat with him." The archer dwarf kept drawing his bow, glanced at Saskia who fell to the ground, and complained, "This human is wearing really thick armor!"

Gabo led his men to surround the fallen Saskia and looked at the attackers warily. Most of them were decorated with squirrel tails, but more of them were fellow tribesmen that Gabo was familiar with.

At this moment, Gabo's eyes were fixed on the man who was communicating with the dwarf archer.

"Chief." Gabo called out the old title softly, without changing it.

"Gabo." Chief Sieglin looked a little weak, as he had been locked up in the dungeon for too long, but his voice was still loud.

"I originally planned to check on you all before leaving, but I didn't expect you to find me first." Gabo tightened the axe in his hand and glanced at Sakia who was lying on the ground.

"There's more you haven't thought of, Gabor." Chief Ziglin shook his head, "Your choice tonight will determine the fate of you and the entire Ziglin clan."

Gabor did not respond to Chief Ziglin's words. He looked at the team in front of him and found that there were only about twenty Ziglin dwarves in it, and the rest were all Scoia'tael. You know, Ziglin is one of the largest tribes in Mahakam, and they can gather about 1,500 qualified heavy infantry.

"Why are there only so few people around you, Chief?" Gabo asked, "Where are the others? What is your plan?"

Chief Sieglin remained silent, and the dwarf archer sneered at this.

"Zeglin had already been sent to the mines to do hard labor. The rest either became gifts to humans like you, or were unlucky people like your clan leader who were to be publicly tried to intimidate other clans."

The dwarf archer pointed at the dozen Sieglins in the team and said, "Look, Gabor Sieglin. Look at what Brovar Hog has done to you. You are Sieglins, the famous Sieglins! But now you have become like this. This is how Brovar Hog has always treated us!"

Gabor was silent, as he already knew what would happen to Sieglin.

"So what do you think, fellow countryman?" Gabor asked.

The dwarf archer shook his head. "I've heard of you, Gabor Sieglin. You're a big shot who made a name for yourself in human society but returned to build your hometown. During your time in Mahakam, you've received countless kings and diplomats. Your vision should be higher than mine, so you should be able to see the problems in Mahakam."

"Broval Hogg's methods are cruel to the dwarves! He is called the Great Elder, but in reality he is an emperor above the king! He has detailed rules for us, such as which hand we should use to drink soup, but he doesn't care about the difficulties of the dwarves in society. It's time to change this situation."

"We want to overthrow him, liberate our people, fight for the respect we dwarves deserve, and build a country with more say." The dwarf archer stretched out his hand to Gabor, "So we need the help of all capable dwarves. We are compatriots, and dwarves should help dwarves."

"You have been planning for a long time, and you have great ambitions," Gabor concluded, "but I guess your plans have now gone wrong."

"That's right." The dwarf archer nodded decisively. "Those humans with lion emblems were indeed unexpected, and the monsters they brought were even more unexpected. So we need your help to help us add this to the monster's food to ensure that it won't really cause us any surprises."

Gabo watched the dwarf archer take out a huge leather bag. He knew what was inside without having to guess. His thoughts quickly began to sort out and a name uttered from his mouth.

"Ferenz?" Gabor sneered, "You really have torn Mahakam apart."

"This is a sign of recognition for our cause. We hope you will join us. This is your chance, Gabor Zieglin, and you must know that our plans can go on just fine without you."

The mockery in Gabo's smile became even stronger. He took a step back and raised the weapon in his hand to show his attitude.

The dwarf archer's eyes turned cold. He shook his head and raised his right hand, preparing to let the Squirrel Party behind him attack, but Chief Sieglin put his hand on his shoulder.

"Let me do it."

Chief Zieglin stood in front of the dwarf archer and asked in a voice as loud as a bell: "I agreed to their request and came here because I wanted to ask you the next question in person outside the cage, Gabo - why did you betray your clan?"

Gabo remained silent, as if ready to fight to the death. It was not until Chief Zieglin asked the same question again that his eyes finally began to waver.

"I have already told you what I think, Chief." Gabor hid his face behind the shield. "Your decision will only lead Sieglin astray. The dispute with Fuchs will only harm the entire Mahakam. In the end, there will be no winner between our two clans."

“Even in this position now.” Clan Sieglin gestured to Gabor’s situation where he was outnumbered by his enemies. “Do you still insist on your idea?”

"Yes."

The dwarf archer was already getting a little impatient. He glanced at Chief Sieglin and had no hope of succeeding against Gabor's stubbornness.

"Gabo, everything I did was for Zieglin." Chief Zieglin said solemnly, "I have been thinking a lot in the dungeon during this period of time."

"If you still insist on your idea, then keep going. I believe that everything you do is for Sieglin... maybe it's more correct than me."

The dwarf archer was startled and suddenly realized that something was wrong.

But it was too late now, Chief Ziglin was standing right in front of him. When he finished speaking, he felt a splitting pain in his head.

Chief Sieglin pulled the axe out of the dwarf archer's head in front of the horrified eyes of the Scoia'tael, bringing up a handful of red and white sticky liquid, and the sound like a loud bell echoed in the corridor.

"Then Gabo, from today on, you are the leader of the Sieglin clan!" the old leader said loudly, "The Sieglin clan of Mahakam is doomed to decline. I want you to bring the glory of the new Sieglin clan to Cintra, to the North, and to human society!"

"Go and warn your loyal leader of the danger. Leave this to us old Sieglins!" Chief Sieglin turned to face the Scoia'tael and roared, "You are a bunch of ignorant young people. You have suffered for two years outside and think you know everything. You even brazenly talk about establishing a new country. You don't understand Mahakam at all!"

The dozen or so Sieglin dwarves in the Scoia'tael team had anticipated this and turned around and swung their weapons to attack, causing chaos in the enemy team for a while.

Gabor felt a surge of anger in his brain. Even if the Sieglin dwarves suddenly defected, they would still be facing enemies that were several times their number. The old patriarch used the Squirrel Party to leave the cage just to hold a handover ceremony for himself, and now he was ready to pave the way for himself, the new patriarch, with his life!

No, it was not just for the sake of this group of new Sieglins who were going to Cintra. The old patriarch also wanted to use his life to give an explanation to the great elder and to buy a chance for those Sieglins who were facing indefinite labor in the mines.

He had thought about it from the beginning!

Gabo's eyes turned red instantly, and the only three words left in his mind were "Ziegrin".

"Gabo, go, go!"

The young Sieglin behind him pulled Gabor, not wanting to waste the rare opportunity created for him by the tribesmen in front of him, but he couldn't pull the new Sieglin chief.

It was at this time that Sakia, who had been lying on the ground "silently", suddenly moved.

…

The first ray of sunshine from Mahakam finally covered the mountain top. The snow that never melted absorbed the warm golden light and spread it throughout the entire mountain range.

The Great Elder finally returned to Tanshan at this moment. Without stopping, he immediately ordered someone to knock on Lan En's door.

"I never thought you would be so anxious and take Cintra so seriously, Great Elder."

Although he was woken up in the early morning, Lan was in high spirits, neatly dressed, and looked well prepared.

"The first thing I did when I returned to Carbon Hill was to come to you, Lannister. It's not because I care about you. I just want to get your affairs settled quickly, then go back and drink a barrel of ale and sleep well."

The great elder Brovar was covered in dust, and his cloak, which he had not yet taken off, was wrapped in the chill of Mahakam, but his explosive temper was enough to protect him from the cold.

"Lann Lannister Rhaanron." Brovar muttered the name, "You really caused me a lot of trouble. You just went around Mahakam a few times, but you destroyed my Clan Sieglin, took away a small part of Clan Fuchs, and made our Mahakam lose its iconic red dragon!"

"Why is it that wherever you go, there is trouble, Lannister?"

"At least I left most of Fuchs and Sieglin for you, didn't I? Without me, there would be no one left of these two clans." Lann was not disturbed by the hostility in the words of the great elder. "As for Keltulis, she had already had an irreconcilable conflict with Mahakam at that time."

Brovar scratched his beard in annoyance: "Ferencz... I'll deal with them later!"

"You have obtained more soldiers than expected, as well as sufficient weapons and metal ore. Are you satisfied now, Lannister?"

"Thank you for your generosity, Great Elder." Lann thanked Brovar sincerely, "But if possible, we also hope to become true friends with Mahakam and establish a long-term trade channel."

This was something that House and Mahakam's quartermaster had already discussed, and without the permission of the Great Elder, Mahakam's quartermaster had absolutely no right to act on his own.

"Lannister, son of the ancient blood..." Brovar shook his head. "I don't like you, but even so, I have to abide by the traditions of Mahakam. I can't refuse the request for trade, and in order to sign this agreement with you, we have to go to Mount Carbon and sign the agreement under the witness of our ancestors and the goddess."

Lann was very understanding: "In fact, we can also complete the signing of the agreement right now in Tanshan."

"This is tradition. The agreement must be signed at Mount Carbon. Even I cannot go against this tradition." Broval's eyes widened. "Damn it, I don't want to do this, but this is tradition! So gather your retainers and men and follow me to Mount Carbon. Let's end our relationship as soon as possible so I can go back and have a good sleep!"

"Don't think I don't know. Your servants have already started packing their baggage overnight. They can set off at any time!"

…

Tradition is the foundation of Brouvar's rule over Mahakam, and even he himself cannot violate it; and his explosive personality is the hallmark of Brouvar. Even in the early morning, he does not want to rest at all. He just wants to complete the traditional process quickly and let Lan and his party leave Mahakam.

Broval didn't like Lane, and Lane didn't like Broval either, so they didn't talk along the way.

They were on their way in the early morning, with only a long bridge connecting Mount Carbon and Mount Carbon.

The dwarves have shown amazing creativity in many aspects such as architecture, metallurgy, and engineering, but there is one thing they really don't care about - that is naming. The bridge connecting the Carbon Mountain River and the Carbon Mountain River was simply and crudely named "Long Bridge" by them.

"Lannister, I don't like you, and you know why." Lann walked side by side with the Great Elder, and the Great Elder suddenly broke the silence.

"I'm sorry," Lane replied.

"You don't. But now that things have come to this, we have to tolerate each other and help each other. I do this for Mahakam, and you do this for your Cintra."

Perhaps the silence on the road softened the Great Elder's temper, and his voice became deeper.

"I hurriedly called you over to go through the traditional process. On the one hand, I really wanted to get you out as soon as possible, and on the other hand, it's because you really need to leave quickly."

Lan En was startled. Hearing the hidden meaning of the elder's words, his expression suddenly became serious: "You mean, the war in the north?"

The great elder nodded: "Mahakan is not a secluded place. We are more informed than anyone else..."

But before the great elder could finish his words, everyone suddenly heard an urgent and shrill warning:

"Stop, stop, don't go any further!"