Chapter 487 Loki, Take the Blame
Dwarves have always had an extremely fanatical pursuit of rare minerals such as gold.
Since the formation of the nine kingdoms, they have been constantly using their blood talents to dig up all kinds of rare minerals in the mountains and underground to fill their treasure houses.
With the end of the war between the two great gods, the Vanir and the Aesir, the nine realms entered a long period of peace, and the population of the dwarves experienced a surge.
At the same time, due to the huge demand for fine wine and delicious food, the dwarves have long maintained a trade deficit with the Midgard world, which has also led to a large outflow of local gold.
As a result, the gold on the market became less and less, but the number of dwarves thirsting for gold increased.
However, due to the uncontrolled mining in the past, most of the mineral veins in the Dwarf Kingdom have been emptied, and most dwarves don't know where to start if they want to obtain gold.
Until a few months ago, news came from the northern border of the Dwarf Kingdom that a new gold vein had been discovered.
The gold reserves there are extremely rich and of very high quality.
In addition, there are a large number of precious mineral deposits such as mithril, refined gold, mountain copper, uru sacred steel, etc., which are simply a treasure trove bestowed by the goddess of luck to the dwarves.
The craze for gold attracted a large number of dwarves to the North to pan for gold.
At first, there was news coming from there, and many dwarves would send the gold and various precious minerals they collected back home to improve their family's life.
But as time went on, things became more complicated.
First, the dwarves saw strange shadows or heard some terrifying screams while mining.
Soon after, people disappeared frequently in various mines, causing riots.
But due to their thirst for gold, the dwarves who went to pan for gold were still unwilling to leave and give up this opportunity to get rich.
And this endless greed finally brought about terrible consequences.
A month ago, thousands of dragons flew out from the depths of the earth.
They first killed the dwarf miners who were panning for gold in the North and occupied the gold mines there. Then they appeared in various parts of the Dwarf Kingdom through the mines dug by the dwarves underground, frantically attacked cities, and looted treasures, causing a "dragon disaster" that swept across the entire Dwarf Kingdom!
Some say that this catastrophe was caused by the dwarves exhausting their resources, cutting off the mineral veins and awakening the monsters that had been sleeping deep in the earth.
Some say that it is because the wealth accumulated by the dwarves over generations attracted the dragon army, which also loves to collect treasures.
Some people also said that the dwarves' excavation disturbed the underground goddess of death Hela, who transformed the souls of the dead dwarves into evil dragons to punish the dwarves for their greed...
In short, there are many different opinions about the causes of the disaster.
After listening to the old man's story, Xili frowned and asked:
"Is there no one taking care of this matter?"
As far as she knew, the dwarves were endowed with supernatural powers and were good at forging, so they had the best heavy infantry and mechanical equipment in the nine kingdoms.
Since the dragon disaster has developed to such an extent, the dwarves should launch a conquest and resistance.
"Of course I do."
The old dwarf answered with a wry smile on his face.
"Half a month ago, the Durin clan stationed in the north united with the dwarves from the other six clans, including the Firebeard clan, the Broadbeard clan, the Hardbeard clan, the Ironfist clan, the Blackhair clan, and the Stonefoot clan, to jointly fight against the dragons, trying to take back the gold mine and quell the disaster. But this dragon disaster was far more powerful than they expected.
Not only did the seven dwarf clans fail to exterminate all dragons, they also suffered heavy losses."
"That shouldn't be the case." Galadriel questioned, "We have just seen these so-called dragon species, and their strength is not that great. A team of well-trained soldiers combined with your dwarven people's powerful siege equipment can easily solve them. How could they be defeated so thoroughly?"
"Because what you have seen are only the lowest-ranking soldiers in the dragon group. A large number of elite ones are still entrenched in the gold mines in the north." The old man sighed and added faintly, "Among the dragon group, there are three upper-level dragons! Each of them has strength comparable to that of gods!"
After hearing this, Galadriel couldn't help but gasp.
Dragons are a powerful species in the nine kingdoms, on par with giants, and their individual strength is second only to the two great gods, the Aesir and the Vanir.
Not only do they have powerful magical defenses, but their physical resistance is also very strong, making them a group of creatures almost at the top of the food chain.
A superior dragon with a true name can even compete with the gods with divine powers in the two major clans.
The most famous black dragon king Nidhogg can even pose a direct threat to the world tree. The twelve main gods of Asgard dare not provoke this doomsday monster easily.
In this dragon disaster that is sweeping across the Dwarf Kingdom, three powerful dragons have appeared at once. No wonder the seven major clans of the Dwarfs were defeated even when they joined forces.
In this situation, even if the light elves were to take over, there might not be any good results.
In the dull atmosphere, the dwarf elder continued to answer with a hint of pride:
"If the dragon disaster is only this serious, we dwarves can still deal with it by constantly trying to find a winning strategy. After all, no matter how strong the defense is, there are weaknesses, and dragons are not invincible."
As a veteran who had experienced the War of Gods, he had followed the God of Fire Loki and together they had fought off the giants of Muspelheim and Jotunheim. He had also obeyed the call of the God-King Odin and fought against the warriors of the Vanir, so he did not have any strong fear of the dragons themselves.
"But the key is that the Dragon Plague also brought Dragon Disease." The old man's expression dimmed, and he continued, "This disease is very strange. Once the dwarves are infected, strange changes will occur. At first, they will have a crazy desire for gold and jewelry, and then their skin will harden and scales will grow on their bodies. In the final stage, they will be transformed into dragon species and become monsters that have lost their mind."
Luo En's eyes flashed, and he seemed to be thinking:
"So, the previous defeat of the seven dwarf clans in their expedition against the dragons was due to the widespread prevalence of Dragon Disease in the army?"
"That's right. I heard from those who escaped that 30% of the dwarf warriors were infected with dragon disease and turned into mad dragons, attacking the dwarves around them crazily, which led to the complete defeat of the coalition forces."
The old dwarf nodded, his wrinkled face full of distress and helplessness.
"So far, there is no antidote or cure for Dragon Disease. It is mainly prevalent among dwarves, and we don't know the specific cause. Once the disease begins, the patient's symptoms are difficult to reverse, and he will gradually become a dragon that madly pursues treasure. This is simply a curse specifically for dwarves."
After listening to the story, Luo En's doubts were resolved:
"I see. You have no way of breaking this [Dragon Disease] that targets dwarves, and you are in urgent need of solving the increasingly severe [Dragon Disaster], so you can only seek help from adventurers of other races through the [Guild of Commerce]."
"That's right."
The old dwarf responded with a wry smile and apologized again for his compatriots' disrespect.
"Don't blame them for what happened in the evening. Many of their relatives and friends went to the North to pan for gold or participated in the expedition. Although there is no guarantee that the dragons that attacked the town were all transformed from dwarves, it is likely that their relatives were among them. Seeing the dragons that might be their compatriots and relatives die in front of them, they couldn't force themselves to smile and express their gratitude to you."
"I see."
Luo En nodded to show his understanding. While comforting the old man, his thoughts were secretly churning in his heart.
There is no guarantee that the dragons that attacked the town were all transformed from dwarves?
Maybe not.
Perhaps the dwarves themselves are the source of this dragon disaster.
Because this "Dragon Disease" that turns dwarves into dragons is mentioned in the Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda, and the heroic epic "Volsung Saga".
Moreover, this story is also related to "Loki".
Legend has it that the dwarf Hreidmar had three sons, the eldest son Fafnir, the second son Ott, and the youngest son Regin.
One day, his second son Ott was accidentally killed by Loki while fishing in the water in the form of an otter. Loki, who was unaware of this, brought Odin to Hreidmar's house, hoping that he would help cook the otter he had hunted.
Seeing his son's body, Hreidmar, as a father, was naturally furious and asked Loki to find treasure that could cover the otter skin as compensation. This was a difficult request because the otter skin left after Otto's death was cast under a spell and could be infinitely extended.
With the help of the sea god's wife, Loki found a dwarf named Andvari who lived in the water. Andvari had the largest treasure among all the dwarves. Loki mercilessly robbed him of his treasure, including a ring: Andvari Ranot. Andvari was so angry that he cursed that anyone who held the ring would suffer endless disasters.
When Andvari was paid in compensation, his treasures covered the entire otter skin, leaving only the nose uncovered. But Hreidmar was still not satisfied, so Loki gave the dwarf the ring as well.
However, Hreidmar's greed also brought bad consequences.
Although he obtained a huge treasure and a ring, he was killed by his eldest son Fafnir, who also coveted the treasure.
Soon after, the youngest son Regin was also bewitched by the treasure with the evil curse. He instigated the great Nordic hero Sigurd to slay the dragon. He tried to kill Sigurd afterwards and keep the treasure for himself.
But Sigurd was blessed by dragon blood during the dragon slaying process and understood the language of birds. He then knew Regin's intention to murder him, so he killed him...
This case is enough to prove that the spread of [Dragon Disease] among the dwarves is not accidental.
This incident is most likely related to the legendary evil dragon Fafnir.
Because according to some legends, Fafnir does not refer to a single evil dragon, but a special phenomenon of "dragonization", which coincides with the "dragon disease" mentioned by the dwarves.
Thinking of this, Luo En pretended to be nonchalant and asked:
"By the way, do you know the names of the three superior dragons?"
"Glaurun the Greedy Worm, Smaug the Golden, and Ancalagon the Black... these are what the northern troops and the miners who escaped back called them."
The old man answered truthfully, but the content disappointed Loen a little.
No Fafnir?
So what is the source of [Dragon Disaster] and [Dragon Disease]?
Luo En thought for a moment and continued to ask:
"Do you know the dwarf named Hreidmar? He has three sons named Fafnir, Ott, and Regin. I have something to ask him."
The old man shook his head, somewhat helpless:
"I haven't been out and about for a long time. There are so many dwarves from the seven clans. How can I possibly recognize them all? I'm afraid I can't help you."
But then the old dwarf gave some feasible suggestions:
"However, you can go to the North and ask. The Durin clan there has the most comprehensive personnel files in the Dwarf Kingdom."
As they had the right to trade in fine wine and had the support of the Midgard world behind them, the Durin dwarves grew rapidly over the past few hundred years and became the leader of the seven major dwarf clans and, in a sense, the rulers of the dwarf kingdom.
The gathering of the seven dwarf clans to jointly fight the dragons is a manifestation of the Durin dwarves' control of the royal power.
After listening to this, Luo En couldn't help but sigh at the changes in the world.
Unexpectedly, what he did casually back then would actually push the Durin dwarf to the throne.
However, a tall tree attracts the wind, and standing too high is not always a good thing.
Perhaps, this sudden dragon disaster in the north was aimed at Durin's clan.
Thinking of his adopted daughter Holo, who was doing business with the Durin dwarves, and the little loli Eden, with whom he once had a good relationship, Loen's eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice to the old dwarf:
"Old man, we have to rush to the northern border as soon as possible, so we won't bother you tonight."
"It's getting so late, there's no need to rush."
The old dwarf began to persuade and try to retain the four alien heroes who helped them kill the dragon.
"Forget it. Even though we may sound nice, the people in this town may not welcome us to stay."
Rose, who was standing by, was playing with the dagger in her hand and sneered.
The old dwarf couldn't help but look embarrassed when he heard this.
Although they looked down upon the heroes who had just rescued them and seemed somewhat ungrateful, most dwarves still held on to their relatives and friends who had not received any news, hoping that they could return safely, or that there really was a way to cure the [Dragon Syndrome] and restore the dragon-transformed dwarves to normal.
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, the old dwarf took out a bulging small bag from his waist and handed it to everyone:
"In that case, I won't try to keep you here. This is a small gift from the town to thank you for your help this evening. If it weren't for you, who knows how many people would have died here. Please accept it."
Loen took the cloth bag and opened it, and found that it was filled with gold nuggets and gold sand, which seemed to be newly mined minerals.
After a careful inspection, he did not detect any unusual smell.
However, to be on the safe side, Loen still gave serious advice:
"Old man, listen to my advice. Try not to deal with gold and jewelry during this period, especially don't accept gold from unknown sources."
The old dwarf understood the hidden meaning and his expression froze:
"You mean, gold is likely the source of Dragon Disease?"
"I'm not sure, but given these dragons' obsession with gold, it's always better to be careful," Ron replied.
There is too little information at the moment, so he cannot judge whether [Gold] and [Dragon Syndrome] are necessarily related. He can only give the old man a reminder out of his kindness.
Fortunately, the old dwarf was a man who listened to advice and took these words to heart.
As they were about to part, he waved and called his granddaughter over, who brought some food supplies to the four of them.
The moment Rose bent down to take it, the dwarf girl holding the basket suddenly stood on tiptoe and kissed the spider goddess on the face, waving goodbye vigorously:
"Big sister, you are all good people. Thank you for saving so many uncles and aunts. Be careful on the road!"
As the town gradually moved away in the night, Rose, who was on horseback, couldn't help but raise her hand to touch her slightly wet cheek.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
