Chapter 198: The Steel Behemoth of the Cemetery

The port area of ​​Leiming City has been particularly lively these days, especially the several large auction houses located in the core area of ​​the port area. The boiling atmosphere almost blew the ceiling off.

Nobles and merchants from all over the Whirlpool Sea came in droves, and even magicians from the northern academy came. The auction hall was packed with people, not only was it hard to get a ticket, but also required a capital verification. Even the streets outside were crowded with civilians who came to watch the fun and adventurers who had nothing to do.

A diamond-centric frenzy swept across the harbor.

Inside the auction house, dazzling diamonds were placed on velvet trays and presented to the public.

Under the light, these fifty to one hundred carat diamonds are not as gorgeous as the one at the dinner, but they are still breathtaking.

These diamonds are at least grade A and will only appear at the top auction venues.

The auctioneer, dressed in a formal suit, held the gavel and, with passion in his voice, pushed the breathtaking price to a climax again and again.

"Seven thousand gold coins!"

"Eight thousand!"

"Nine thousand five hundred——!"

The treasure lying on the velvet tray easily surpassed Irene Campbell's pocket watch and left it far behind on the fast-paced road.

In the fanatical atmosphere, the eyes of the nobles present were burning. Finally, an earl sitting in the front row stood up and shouted out the final high price in a resolute tone.

“Fifty thousand gold coins!”

Fifty thousand gold coins!

Andor, who was sitting in the corner watching, almost fainted.

He thought he was already a well-known figure in this city, but he didn't expect that the little money in his pocket was nothing in front of the real big shots.

The hall became quiet for a moment, and then became bustling and noisy.

The Earl stood in the crowd with a faint smile on his face, enjoying the admiring and jealous gazes of the crowd, while waiting for the auctioneer's third hammer drop.

There is no suspense.

After he struck the gavel for the third time, the auctioneer's face was filled with smiles. He dropped the gavel and led the applause.

"Congratulations to this distinguished gentleman for successfully bidding for this 95-carat 'Blue Star'! Let us give him a round of applause!"

Looking at the diamond that was sold at a sky-high price of 50,000 gold coins, Socdo, who was sitting in the corner like Andorra, sighed heartfeltly.

“…It’s really crazy.”

Thunder City has apparently become Diamond City.

Stories about wealth were circulating in the streets and alleys. No one listened to the boasting of adventurers or the poems written by bards anymore. People were either discussing the wealth of Colin's family or that mysterious family... He even felt that the Demon King's territory was more humane.

Not only the nobles of the Duchy of Campbell, but even the nobles and businessmen from overseas were attracted by the Colin family's wealth myth.

However, until now, no one has been able to accurately point out on the nautical chart where the Chao Continent is. We only know that it is further west of the New World.

Out of fear of unknown dangers in the deep sea, Socdo never went out to sea in his life and only did "business on land."

However, there was a guard in his caravan who used to be a sailor, and he vaguely remembered hearing that man talk about things further west in the New World.

It is said that it is a sea that is more vast than the vast ocean and is endless.

All those who tried to cross that sea disappeared, let alone open up a new route, so much so that some people even suggested that it was the end of the world.

Sokodo didn't know why the Colin family was able to successfully cross that sea, but if their story was true, it could only mean that their strength was far beyond his imagination.

"It would be great if we could get involved as well." Standing behind Sokdo, his apprentice couldn't help but sigh.

"Don't even think about it. That kind of business is not something that ordinary people can do," Suokeduo replied casually, and then paused and said, "Let's just focus on the areas we are good at."

…

Just as the citizens of Thunder City were going crazy for the specialties of the Stone Soul Tribe, a special guest arrived at the cemetery far to the north of Silver Pine Forest.

"Gron Cyborg, the King of Calamitous Castle, brings greetings to the monarch of the Necropolis! Where is your Demon King? Let him come out! I have something important to see him about!"

At the entrance to the labyrinth of Beifeng Mountain, a loud voice echoed in the hall, and a dwarf who looked like a wine barrel with steel nails made a rude shout.

He was wearing heavy lava-colored armor and carrying a sledgehammer on his back. His beard was three fingers long and tied into two thick braids. However, the most impressive thing was not his chin, but his bald forehead that looked like a boiled egg.

Seeing this guy's funny appearance, the players passing by laughed in a tasteless manner.

Fortunately, these newbies can't afford translation crystals, otherwise the creaking sound of bones rubbing against each other might have broken the defense of this messenger who came from afar.

Hearing the shouting, Arakdo stepped out from the shadows on eight legs, with a sinister light flashing in his scarlet eyes.

"…Stop making so much noise. Where did this little dwarf come from? Can you see our Demon King whenever you want?"

Looking at the crypt spider walking out of the shadows, the bald-headed dwarf narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke in the same vicious tone.

"Watch your words, you stinky spider! If you don't want me to rip off all eight of your legs and stuff them in your mouth!"

The atmosphere between the two sides was tense, as if a fight might break out at any time.

Different from the upper class of humans on the surface.

Violence and violence are the norm in the underground world.

Especially for the dwarves and crypt spiders who often get along well with each other, this is the friendliest greeting between the two sides.

Just as the man and the spider were confronting each other, a lazy voice suddenly floated from not far away.

"The Demon King isn't here these days. Do you have anything to do with him?"

Hearing the sound behind him, the hell dwarf immediately turned around and saw a little demon with flapping wings floating in the air.

Those scarlet eyes were filled with indifference, and it was obvious that the lady was not in a good mood.

And the most important thing is that her strength far exceeds that of the stupid spider in front of her.

Reading a hint of danger in that warning look, the messenger from the Castle of Disaster immediately shrank his neck and suppressed the defiant expression on his face.

Being violent and aggressive is the norm for creatures in hell, but so is bullying the weak and fearing the strong. The two things are not contradictory.

The hell dwarf cleared his throat, changed his tone, and muttered.

"My name is Doko Brownbeard, and I'm the messenger of His Majesty Steelbone! The Fortress of Disaster needs food, and we want to buy some from you. We can pay with goblin or ratman slaves, or do you need furs and iron tools? Your Demon King promised to help us... You can't break your promise."

Hearing the vague sarcasm, Sissi narrowed her eyes slightly and a mocking smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"Oh? This is the first time I've heard of this agreement... But if that's true, why didn't you come when we were facing the threat of Chaos?"

The hell dwarf was speechless for a moment and began to stammer.

"Well, we also have various difficulties... including the threat from Chaos. As you know, the Brass Pass is closer to us, and we have recently taken in a lot of dwarf refugees who escaped from there, so..."

Looking at the Hell Dwarf Messenger who couldn't utter a complete sentence, Sissi didn't continue to make things difficult for him. She just yawned and said.

"We are only here to help the Demon King look after his house, so we cannot answer your question on his behalf. However, if your goal is just to buy some food, I think the market in Beifeng City should be able to meet your needs. You don't need to bother the Demon King for such a small matter."

"Beifeng City?" The Hell Dwarf's eyes lit up and he asked quickly, "Excuse me, how do I get there? Is it far from here?"

"Far? It's on the surface, just go out of the mine. Hmm... the roasted sweet potatoes there are delicious. I personally recommend it."

As she spoke, Sissi looked at Arakdo and spoke in an ordering tone.

"Go find a place for this messenger to stay."

Arakdo really dislikes this bat, especially since this guy has recently treated this place as his own home, coming here to eat and drink at any time, and even calling it the Demon King asking her to help look after the house.

This is ridiculous!

It’s obvious that having only one guard dog is enough!

However, he had no choice but to swallow his anger as he knew his fist was not as big as this guy's and hell is a place where fists matter.

"yes."

After saying this, Arakdo turned around and walked towards the stairs leading to the North Peak Mine with his huge butt twisted.

"Come with me, messenger from the Castle of Calamity. The terrain here is more complicated than you think. Don't take the wrong path or be mistaken for a wild monster by the nearby guards."

Brownbeard sneered when he heard this.

"Haha, don't worry, our dwarves' sense of direction is definitely better than your bunch of spiders who can only dig holes underground!"

"Yeah?"

Arakdo sneered, but had other ideas in his mind, so he deliberately did not take the main road, but took a detour through the intricate mines in Beifeng Mountain and turned to the "Undead Miners' Experimental Field."

The terror there is well-known throughout the Demon Lord's territory.

Although he had never been there in person, he had heard from the engineering spiders under his command that whenever a rumbling sound was heard, a pitch-black magic fog would fill the entire cave, leaving no grass or grass growing wherever it passed.

If he died there by accident, the hell dwarves in the Castle of Disaster would probably not be able to say anything.

This kind of thing may sound a little outrageous in the human society on the surface, but in the underground world it is as common as burping after eating.

Brownbeard followed Arakdo for a while, but as they walked he realized something was wrong and muttered to himself.

"Why do I feel like you're taking a detour?"

"How come? We're almost to the surface."

Arakdo chuckled, figuring that the time was almost up, and quickened his pace to crawl forward.

Just as Brownbeard was catching up with him, a loud thunderous sound was heard in the cave.

Hearing the earth-shaking noise, Brownbeard's face changed instantly and he yelled at the subterranean spider leading the way.

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"What did you do?"

"We're almost at the exit." Arakdo threw down a sentence, and then flew through the entire tunnel at a speed almost like a sprint, climbing over eaves and walls.

He wasn't lying, he was indeed close to the exit.

However, this is not the exit for ordinary people, but the passage for the undead miners of the cemetery to enter and exit, and almost no living people approach it.

Before Brownbeard could react, the boiling smoke filled the entire cave, choking him and making him scream.

Just as he was cursing, coughing, and searching for a exit in the dark cave, he suddenly tripped over something under his feet and fell to the ground like a fallen wine barrel.

"Damn it! Who left the pickaxe here?"

He got up from the ground cursing, but saw that what was lying on the ground was not a pickaxe, but a long piece of cast iron.

The moment he touched the cast iron block, Brownbeard was slightly stunned, then he knocked it with his thick knuckles, and the expression on his face instantly turned into shock.

Such good steel is just thrown here? !

The greed in his heart overcame the fear of the unknown. He coughed and reached out to pick it up in his pocket, but found that the steel ingot was welded to the ground motionlessly.

Only then did he barely see through the black smoke. This thing was not one as he imagined, but two long ones that stretched as far as the eye could see! The two steel ingots were fixed on the horizontal wooden boards, extending into the depths of the mine like a paved road.

Brownbeard was shocked.

Such good steel is not used to make weapons, but to pave roads!

Isn't this a waste of natural resources? !

Monsters never share the same joys and sorrows. The dwarves' obsession with steel is no less than humans' obsession with silver...

As for why not gold, it's because dwarves like that stuff too.

Just as Brownbeard was shocked by the extravagance of the Demon Lord, a light suddenly lit up at the end of the passage, and a rumbling sound gradually approached him.

The howling wind blew away the thick smoke in the mine, but the smoke seemed to be spewing out from the mouth and nose of the steel monster!

Brownbeard stood there in a daze, his jaw dropped as he looked at the beam of light. His astonished expression was as if he had seen the Demon God himself.

What is this?!

At the same time he was stunned, a shrill whistle suddenly came from the noisy roar, almost making his ears bleed.

“Woo——!”

With the roar of the whistle and a teeth-grinding crackling sound, the huge steel monster finally stopped before colliding with him.

Brownbeard looked up blankly, and saw that the huge steel monster was pulling a long string of carriages that were two people wide, and several undead wearing miners' hats were sitting on the front carriage.

I'll form the head: "Damn it! Why is there a human here? How the hell did you get in?!"

I'll form the legs: "Not human! Looks like a dwarf!"

I'll form the crotch: "Hahahaha! Why doesn't this dwarf have hair on his head?"

I'll form the head: "MMP! Luckily I managed to stop! Otherwise I'd be on the honor roll again!"

It’s actually okay to be on the honor roll, but if you turn a living person into an undead, you will have to stay in a small dark room.

Currently, this game is in the early stages of development, and the professional players in Beifeng City are busy as coal and steel are in short supply. One can earn several thousand dollars by mining for a day!

Although you can mine coal in real life, it is obviously more respectable to mine in the game, and you don’t have to risk your life.

If you accidentally break a bone, you can just change your body and get another one. Anyway, the cost of resurrecting skeleton soldiers is cheap, and the boss will reimburse them.

Brownbeard stared blankly at the undead spirits and blurted out.

"What are you doing?!"

I'll form the head, he said impatiently.

"What are you doing? It's obvious that they are digging coal!"

"Coal mining?"

Brownbeard was stunned for a moment, looked towards the strange machine next to him, and the expression on his face suddenly became strange.

"Use this thing?"

He really couldn't imagine how such a big creature could move in the complex coal seams.

Of course, rather than how this thing worked, the fact that it could move was enough to make him drop his jaw.

Is this the elemental puppet summoned by the Demon King?

But isn’t this too big?

Just as Brownbeard was shocked, several skeleton soldiers sitting on the back of the steel monster became impatient and patted the head of the "steel monster" and urged him.

"How can you possibly use this thing! Are you blind? It's obviously for hauling coal!"

"that is!"

"Stop talking nonsense. If you don't want to turn into a zombie, get in the car. We'll take you out first!"

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the mine exceeds the standard, and there is also a lot of carbon monoxide. If it were the "delicate" night elves, they would probably have passed out, but the dwarves seem to be more resilient?

But no matter what, the players are not willing to risk being locked up in a small dark room and talking nonsense with this guy in the mine. After all, it would be a big loss if they can't go online to mine coal!

Hearing the urging of several undead, Brownbeard nodded quickly, looked at the steel ingot on the ground reluctantly, and finally climbed up the steel monster carefully.

He originally thought that this would take some effort, after all, this monster looked like a bad-tempered guy. However, when he climbed up, he found that this guy's temper was much more gentle than he thought.

But the more incredible things are yet to come.

The undead scooped up a pile of coal with a shovel and threw it into the furnace at the back of the steel giant.

It was only then that he realized that this thing actually burned coal! "Is this... a steam engine?!" Brownbeard looked as if he had seen a ghost, and he screamed, "How did you do that!"

It is not unfamiliar with the steam engine, as it is everywhere in the mines of the Hell Dwarves, but they all use it to pump water.

He heard that humans installed this thing on ships, which could allow sailboats to sail at full speed in waters against the wind, but he had only heard of it and had never actually seen it.

As for this steam engine that can run on the ground, he had never heard of it!

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he simply couldn't believe it was real! Facing the stunned dwarf, the skeleton soldiers looked at each other, bewilderment written in their flickering soul flames.

"What do you mean by how did you do it..."

"Well, isn't that a given?"

How else can a steam engine be used if not in this way? Just as Brownbeard and the servants of the Demon Lord were staring at each other, Arakdo, who was crawling on the roof of the mine, let out a soft sound.

What a pity that this rude dwarf got his life back.

For the Demon King's sake, let's let him go this time.

I hope he learns his lesson and is more respectful with his words next time.

(End of this chapter)