Chapter 565, Section 564: Dagger
The circular stone platform in the central square of Ash City was crowded with dwarven residents who had come after hearing the news, with a few human figures mixed in among them.
However, these humans either stood on the very edge or crouched down and squeezed into the crowd. There was no way around it; if they stood up straight, they would block the dwarves' view and cause arguments.
The people below were talking amongst themselves.
“How could young Master Badley be dueling with a…puji?” A young dwarf craftsman craned his neck and muttered in confusion.
“Those aren’t your average Puji,” a dwarf dressed as an adventurer said mysteriously. “They’re the ‘Mushroom Clan’ created by humans. They look like Puji, but they’re intelligent and good at fighting!”
"What mushroom tribe? Aren't they just Puji?"
"Does having a brain mean you can block Little Badley's axe?"
Clearly, no one among the dwarves had high hopes for Puji.
Suddenly someone asked, "How did this duel come about? Why is the young master picking a fight with a mushroom?"
Several versions immediately emerged from the crowd.
"I heard that the young master took a fancy to that human young lady in the delegation, the one with pink hair, she's very pretty! But she ignored him, so the young master got angry and wouldn't let the delegation leave!"
"So this is what Little Badley is like?"
"No, no, my cousin is on duty at the city gate. He said there are demon spies hidden in the delegation. Young Master wants to investigate, but they won't let him!"
"Hey, what spies? I think it's just an excuse! Humans are cunning; they must have started it!"
"Why would someone who stirs up trouble send a nobody out to die?"
Opinions vary.
The duel for honor was arranged too hastily, before the truth could be spread. And since there were plenty of dwarves who loved to embellish and boast about their experiences in taverns and around the fire, all sorts of bizarre speculations began to emerge one after another.
On the stone platform, Little Badley, clad in inlaid armor forged from fine steel, held his heavy battle axe, but his face grew increasingly dark.
The snippets of conversation that drifted into his ears made his eyes twitch.
What does it mean to become angry and ashamed after being rejected in love?
We can't let these stupid things continue to spread!
He took a sudden step forward, slamming his battle axe into the ground with a dull thud that drowned out the commotion from the crowd.
"Silence!" His voice boomed like a drumbeat, his angry glare sweeping across the crowd before finally pointing at Inanna in front of the delegation. "Citizens of Ash City! I am not causing trouble for no reason! These human delegations are passing through my city, and according to wartime regulations, I should be checking their ranks to prevent demonic spies from infiltrating! This is my responsibility to protect the safety of the mountains!"
"But they made all sorts of excuses and refused to cooperate! They even thought that our Ash City was deliberately making things difficult for us, and they actually proposed an honor duel!" He sneered, swung the huge battle axe in his hand in a circle, and pointed it at Inanna and the Sword Saint Puji below the stage, "If you want to fight, then fight! But I really didn't expect that cowardly humans would only dare to send a Puji to his death!"
These words were powerful and decisive, instantly changing the tide of public opinion.
"So it was to prevent espionage!"
"Isn't inspection a given? Why shouldn't humans cooperate?"
"Young Master Badley is right, a real man goes on stage himself!"
In the dwarves' mind, personally participating in a duel of honor is a display of courage, naturally superior to hiring a substitute, not to mention sending a mere pug to their doom.
Amidst the deafening shouts and cheers, little Badley took a deep breath and stared defiantly at Inanna.
Old Badley, acting as both a witness and referee, nodded silently, clearly satisfied with his son's impromptu speech.
On the other side.
"How dare you look down on us! Let me go! I'm going to blow them up!"
Inanna held tightly to Number Four, whose tentacles were flailing wildly. She skillfully slipped her fingertips under the edge of its mushroom cap and gently flicked it. Number Four immediately went limp like a deflated balloon, with only a few mycelia still swaying unwillingly.
There's no other way; if we let it out, the situation will likely become unmanageable.
Soothing the little one in her arms, Inanna's hands continued moving, while her gaze turned worriedly to Sword Saint Puji:
"Little Fourteen... are you really okay?"
Although she knew that Fourteenth Brother was quite strong, she had never seen Sword Saint Puji go all out.
Each time, Fourteen would follow the cult's trail alone, and upon returning, she would only casually mention that she had dealt with a few of them, without knowing the specifics of the process or the strength of the enemies.
Ronan has done his best to find out about Badley Jr.'s background: a diamond-level warrior, and one of the best among diamond-level warriors.
Add to that the fine heavy armor gleaming with enchanted light and the battle axe...
Inanna was really worried.
Before Sword Saint could answer, Number Four, who was slumped in her arms, spoke up in a muffled voice: "Don't worry... Fourteen is a little stronger than me, so dealing with that tin can will definitely be no problem. Besides, it's not a big deal if he really dies."
Inanna nodded with a slightly strange expression upon hearing this. Although she knew that the Mushroom Clan could be reborn, she still couldn't fully adapt to their almost casual concept of life and death.
At this moment, Sword Saint Puji had slowly walked to the edge of the stone platform under the watchful eyes of everyone.
He glanced at the steps that required him to do the splits to climb, hesitated for a moment, then lightly leaped and landed on the platform.
Old Badley, who was acting as the referee, was about to speak when he saw the little creature turn around and jump down again.
The Sword Saint's tentacles retracted, and he put down the four swords he was carrying on his back.
"Those swords are just for decoration?" Little Badley scoffed, knowing these mushroom tribes could understand his language. "Or are you only now realizing you're afraid and want to admit defeat?"
Elwayne felt incredibly suffocated at that moment!
He used to never lose an argument, but now he can only listen to the other person's rambling without being able to say anything back. It's incredibly frustrating!
Even the most fragile body has its flaws!
Elwayne was very annoyed, so he put down the four skill weapons and switched to... a dagger.
A simple dagger made of refined iron, without any special effects.
He grasped it, leaped back onto the platform, and with a slight twist of his wrist, the blade traced an arc in the air.
Seeing the Sword Saint playfully twirling his dagger as he walked back, Little Badley could easily tell that the other was mocking him!
"A dagger? You're asking for death, so I'll grant your wish!"
Old Badley frowned and quietly reminded him, "Calm down and proceed cautiously. Don't get provoked and give them an opening!"
As a veteran who had fought on the battlefield in his early years and had a lot of practical experience, Old Badley had seen too many examples of people being killed by enemies who were far weaker than themselves because of anger, fear, panic, and other emotions.
Alerted by his warning, Little Badley took two deep breaths, suppressing his boiling anger, and slowly raised his battle axe, assuming a proper starting stance.
Both duelists stood on the stone platform, and seeing this, old Badley stood between them.
"With the stones of the mountains and the fire of the ancestral furnace as witness!" Old Badley's deep voice echoed across the square. "This is a duel of honor, sacred and inviolable. The victor wins glory and claims, the loser pays the price and dignity."
He paused slightly to make sure every word was clearly audible to the crowd below.
"The challenger, Inanna St. Clair, leader of the human delegation, demands that Ash City apologize and grant passage with due courtesy, and refrain from further obstruction."
"The respondent, the guardian of Ashhill, Bardley Deepfire, demands: to defend the right of inspection, to expel Inanna, and to never allow her to set foot in the mountains again."
His gaze swept over the duelists one last time: "The fight will not end until one side concedes defeat, falls down and is unable to continue, or falls off the stage. If injuries or deaths occur as a duel for honor, they shall not be pursued in the future. Do either side have any objections?"
Little Badley slammed his tomahawk down heavily to indicate that he had no objection.
Sword Saint Puji merely tilted his mushroom hat slightly.
"good!"
Old Badley stepped back a few paces until he reached the edge of the table, then took a deep breath and swung his arm down.
"The duel begins!"
Little Badley stepped forward, his tomahawk about to swing!
But the enemy has vanished from sight!
At the same time, a "plop" sound came from behind.
Immediately afterwards, my hand felt suddenly light.
He looked down in astonishment and saw that the battle axe had broken off from the handle, and the front half had slammed heavily onto the stone platform with a dull thud.
This isn't over yet.
A series of sounds—metal breaking, locks snapping, and armor plates falling to the ground—erupted simultaneously on him, like a blacksmith's shelf being overturned!
The heavy metal protective gear on his body clattered off and fell to his feet.
A mountain breeze brushed against Little Badley's exposed skin, giving him a slight chill.
In just a moment, little Badley was left with only a pair of shorts and half an axe handle.
"ah?"
(End of this chapter)
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