Chapter 268: Claws in the Shadows

In this season where even breathing seemed to freeze, it became difficult for ordinary people to even go out. Fortunately, this dry, cold weather seemed to go against the territory’s usual climate; this winter, no rain or snow had fallen. However, this made things convenient for the merchants who had to travel for long periods; the roads, hardened by the cold weather, were truly suitable for the movement of Wagons.

“In less than half a month, the equipment needed for this army refitting has already been produced. Moreover, for an order like this, even after paying the high wages to the Dwarves and deducting the cost and loss of raw materials, the price is still only about seventy-five percent of what it was in the past. And in terms of quality, it is even better than before.” George stroked the weapon s lined up before him and sighed with such emotion.

The reason George sighed like this was that through this single transaction, he had gained a more direct and objective understanding of the value of the Dwarves. Of course, the price here would not be the high price found in weapon shops that ruthlessly ripped off Adventurers. Therefore, an overall cost reduction of nearly twenty-five percent was an astonishing figure!

“But no matter how much the cost drops, a Masterwork is still a Masterwork!” George recalled the bill he had signed earlier with emotion—the tax revenue of Poitou Port for this busy winter month had easily transferred into the pockets of those Dwarves, as well as the iron ore and coal merchants. It could be said that this sum of money had merely passed through his hands before being given to others.

As for where this money would flow next, a considerable portion of it would enter the purse of Baron West. As the closest iron ore support point to the Bolerum Territory, the Baron West’s territory was currently the best source of raw materials. Moreover, after George became engaged to the young lady of that family, it somewhat carried the meaning of keeping the benefits within the family.

However, after the Dwarves went into full production, the iron ore provided by Baron West’s territory alone was somewhat unable to keep up. Therefore, George had to find other sources as a supplement so as not to affect this refitting work.

As for those Dwarves, the wages they earned this time were enough for them to spend for quite a long time. However, judging by the news just received, the price of distilled liquor in the territory had reached a new high. It was very likely that these greedy Dwarves had started their unique carnival the moment they received their payment. It could be said that a considerable portion of the Gold Coins flowed back into George’s hands.

However, regarding the Dwarves’ lack of planning in their spending, although George had some minor complaints in his heart, the Dwarves had indeed been suppressed for such a long time and really needed to relax properly. Moreover, according to George’s understanding during this time, those Dwarves did not seem like the type to just live for the moment. Since this was likely a special case, George decided not to hold it against them for the sake of the huge demand they created; after all, such large orders were not encountered often.

In fact, they had been in the Bolerum Territory for about half a year, but this could be considered the first time these Dwarves had really started work. Although the housing issues, even including the later decoration projects, only took a little over a month, settling more than a thousand people completely was not something that could be solved just with houses and daily necessities. Just barely adapting to the pace of life in the Bolerum Territory took quite some time.

It was like in some novels where, as long as talents were recruited, the factory could operate normally within a few days; that was complete fantasy. Just the establishment of the not-so-large workshop in the city was not something that could be done overnight. Whether it was the preparation of tools and equipment or the planning and construction of the site, which one did not require a large amount of time and energy?

Of course, with the craftsmanship level of this era, it logically should not have dragged on for four months. However, many of the Dwarves’ specialized tools could only be made by themselves. This was a craft secret of the Dwarf race and absolutely did not allow outsiders to interfere. Just the production process of those graphite clay crucibles took three months, so one could imagine the time needed for the entire process.

However, looking at the final result, George felt that everything he had paid beforehand was worth it. According to the Contract he established with these Dwarves, besides the large order for the army for which they only charged the basic labor cost, the materials George advanced and the venue he provided were also discounted by thirty percent as shares in the workshop—of course, taxes still had to be paid.

Originally, George could have taken more shares, but he wisely chose to give them up. In George’s view, choices that squeezed employees too much were not good for the development of the territory. The mistakes shown in the development process of East Germany told people that ordinary people needed to have enough purchasing power to digest products.

Just as George was enjoying this alternative joy of harvest, different changes appeared in the gloomy Underground. After more than half a year of continuous exploration, what appeared here was no longer just scattered Adventurers. Even those large Mercenary Companies had established camps of various sizes in the Underground. After all, although the Underdark was dangerous, its rich resources were even more tempting.

But today, the originally relatively stable scene here was about to be broken. In the shadows where it was pitch dark everywhere, the bats flying around and the moving mist invisible to the naked eye all showed a meaning different from the past.

Suddenly, behind a dozing Adventurer, a ball of mist gradually condensed into a human shape. Immediately after, the other party covered the Adventurer’s mouth and nose, and made a clean cut at the trachea. That Adventurer only struggled instinctively for a moment before losing all movement.

“What a waste! Such fresh blood food is getting harder and harder to get now. But as long as this plan succeeds, I think I can get a few blood slaves!” The pale-faced attacker licked his lips, revealing a pair of sharp fangs at the same time—all of which explained his identity as a Vampire.

The appearance of a Vampire was like that of their life, except that their features became cold and savage, giving them wolf-like predator characteristics. Similar to a Lich, they were vain and decadent, and might consider themselves nobles. Although they had human features, Vampires were still easily recognizable; they did not cast shadows, nor did they leave reflections in mirrors.

It was said that the earliest Vampires were a product of Mages in their pursuit of eternal life—compared to becoming a Lich, the risk of such a transformation was much smaller. Most importantly, they retained their senses and would not lose the pleasures of life other than spell research. However, by now, these test subjects had long become a new race, escaping the control of the Mages.

Similar situations occurred constantly near this underground camp organized spontaneously by Adventurers. Mist, bats, and even rats could be the avatars of those Vampires.

However, not all the Vampires who took action completed their tasks successfully; the more detailed and precise the plan, the more likely accidents were to happen. A firework shooting into the sky successfully conveyed the message of an enemy attack to the Adventurers.

Seeing that the situation was no longer tenable, the true masterminds of this attack had to show themselves personally. Dark Elves surged from the crisscrossing caves, riding their lizard mounts and launching an attack towards the camp.

Unexpectedly, just when they thought they were about to succeed, several huge crossbow bolts shot towards the Dark Elf team a hundred steps away, carrying the sound of wind. Seeing the arrival of the crossbow bolts, even the well-trained troops caused a commotion. The charging formation instantly showed an unnatural fluctuation.

However, an iron-clad vanguard officer among the Dark Elves stood his ground and used the Greatsword in his hand to deflect a crossbow bolt from the side, sparking a trail of fire, and the bolt stuck into the ground. Fortunately, several other Crossbow Bolts successfully pinned multiple Dark Elf riders to the ground.

Of course, as real battle formation mercenaries, the founders of this camp were not to be trifled with. By the time the Dark Elves reached contact distance, the mercenaries had already formed their formation. Shield warriors in the front row, archers in the back, spearmen in the middle, and some elite warriors wearing armor and holding swords were all ready to meet the surprise attack at any time.

Two people in the middle of the team were particularly conspicuous: a warrior and an archer. The warrior was wearing exquisite armor, and the weapon in his hand was no ordinary item; he was clearly a high-level warrior. The archer was wearing leather armor, and the Longbow in his hand shimmered with light; at a glance, it was truly a rare treasure.

The clash between the two sides began thus. The chevaux-de-frise outside the camp successfully slowed the charge of the Dark Elf cavalry. The soldiers on both sides officially engaged. With the buffer time provided by the Mercenary Company, the originally somewhat chaotic Adventurers in the camp began to spontaneously organize resistance. If there were no cavalry among this group of Dark Elves, they might have chosen to flee. But the current situation made them dare not entrust their lives to illusory luck.

Three Magic Missiles just flew out from the somewhat chaotic crowd, rushing straight towards the stalemate battle line. The Dark Elves’ equipment seemed to have special Magic attached to it. However, whether by coincidence or because the Spellcaster had anticipated this situation, the three Magic Missiles all flew in the same direction, hitting the shield of a Dark Elf warrior in the front row.

After offsetting two missiles in a row, the magic light attached to the shield dissipated, and then a Magic Missile hit him. Hit by this impact, he had no chance to adjust his posture, and the surrounding mercenaries immediately seized this opportunity to attack him with swords and axes.

By the time the Dark Elves started to pay attention to the Spellcasters among the humans, those Mages had already retreated to the back. Surrounded by a small number of warriors, they began to prepare a new round of spells. The archers drew enchanted arrows that had just been blessed by the Spellcasters, and the weapons in the hands of the warriors in front also flashed with the light of Magic; they were truly a group of skilled elites.

None of the Adventurers who could still survive in the Underdark half a year after the tunnels appeared were not elites in this group. After all, exploration of the Underdark was not a spring outing; the piles of white bones in the caves were informing latecomers of the danger here. Skilled cooperation was the key for these warriors and Spellcasters to preserve themselves in an environment full of crises.

Although the reason was unknown, the lack of powerful figures in this Dark Elf vanguard was an indisputable fact. Even with the help of Vampires hiding in the dark, their attack was still progressing slowly.

But at this moment, the Dark Elves’ reinforcements arrived at the battlefield. Under broad dragon wings, these kings of the shadows in the Prime Material Plane descended.

The Shadow Dragon was an untrustworthy monster wandering in the darkest corners of the Plane of Shadow. Whether lurking in the depths of the Underdark of this Plane or commanding armies from ancient cities filled with undead, the Shadow Dragon was a terrible force in this Plane.

At first glance, the Shadow Dragon did not seem to have a physical body. Its black skin and translucent scales could help it blend into the dim environment. Even to other dragons, the Shadow Dragon was a mystery; the origins of these selfish creatures were still obscured, just like the darkness around them.

Their preference for insidious behavior was often no less than their green relatives living in the forest, and their translucent black bodies often caused them to be mistaken for some kind of hybrid Black Dragon. But its head had distinctive rows of horns pointing backward. The back of this dragon’s neck had a long fringe of spines, and its powerful tail featured fins for swimming.

Their habit of nesting in ancient ruins and similar underground places only reinforced their sinister reputation, as these environments were perfectly suited to their shadow forms. It seemed that the Dark Elves had paid enough chips to move these big guys, exchanging for their support.

The survival laws of the Underdark were much crueler than those of the Prime Material Plane, and this also made the dragons here spend more time exercising themselves—rather than just eating and waiting to die like their counterparts on the Surface, waiting for their strength to naturally increase with age.

Of course, there were also dragons in the Prime Material Plane who strove for strength, but in terms of numbers, they were always the minority. And for creatures like White Dragons that were closer to beasts, the vast majority preferred to act on instinct. Otherwise, in the Battle of Brandenburg, Knight Val would not have achieved such results so easily.

Facing the arrival of this giant dragon, even the Dark Elf team produced a slight chaos. However, it quickly subsided; if they were not existences they had known about beforehand, even the well-trained Dark Elves would not have been able to do this in such a short time. Taking advantage of the preemptive opportunity they seized, the Dark Elves instantly suppressed the humans who were originally evenly matched.

But as an impassioned song sounded, the Adventurers who regained control replied to the Shadow Dragon with twenty or so arrows; the force was very fierce. After being deflected and weakened by the protection against arrows, there were still a few that hit the Shadow Dragon. Although they did not cause damage to the Shadow Dragon, the Shadow Dragon could not just wait without fighting back. Dodging the weapons constantly projected from the camp, the Shadow Dragon rushed into the crowd.

The Shadow Dragon dived suddenly, avoiding the arrows; the Shadow Dragon did not want to feel the power of magic arrows at such a close distance. It was too late to reapply protective magic on itself, and the warriors on the other side impatiently rushed up.

The timing selected by the Adventurers was really good. The Shadow Dragon that rushed into the warrior group could not take off again. Weapons hit the Shadow Dragon’s scales one after another, sparking bursts of sparks.

At such a close distance, the Shadow Dragon’s energy absorption effect was equally powerful; one breath could kill a batch of people. However, archers at such a distance posed an equally huge threat to the Shadow Dragon. To relieve this pressure, the Shadow Dragon began to break through towards the archers’ position.

However, due to the desperate resistance of the warriors, the Shadow Dragon could be said to be moving with difficulty. Although the Shadow Dragon had been focusing on protecting its soft abdomen and fragile eyes, in order to break through the warriors’ blockade and eliminate the danger of the archers, the Shadow Dragon was still somewhat impatient.

Suddenly, two cold lights rushed towards the Shadow Dragon, one towards the Shadow Dragon’s eyes, and the other aiming at the Shadow Dragon’s abdomen. One had to know that the Dragon clan’s abdomen was the softest, without thick scale protection; it seemed this was their killer move. That Shadow Dragon immediately activated the Magic Item on its horn, causing the opponent’s attack to be affected by a deflection Force Field.

Even so, the opponent still injured the Shadow Dragon’s abdomen. Although it was only a skin injury, the Dragon’s recovery power did not make the wound heal. It seemed that either a weapon with damage bonus against the Dragon clan was used, or it contained a virulent poison that a young dragon could not exempt.

However, the Shadow Dragon present was not just the one that had just appeared. With a “boom,” a ball of intense fire element suddenly exploded. It seemed that the reason for the spell invisibility caused insufficient accumulated energy, and the power of the explosion was not as good as the estimated effect. Any Spellcaster of the Red Iron Rank could comment on the damage of this Fireball strike—provided that the opponent’s metamagic effects were not considered.

However, it was enough to kill the Mages and warriors within that range. Except for five lucky Mages who timely activated Magic Items and teleported out of the explosion range, all the rest fell to the ground, their lives unknown. It seemed that they, who suffered a sudden attack, did not have time to buff themselves! The few who luckily escaped with their lives were now busy hiding everywhere; no matter what, Mages still cherished their lives quite a bit.

It seemed long to say, but in fact, things happened in an instant. While the warriors in the front row were desperately waving their weapons at the Shadow Dragon, the Mages in the rear were already dead, hiding, or unconscious—temporarily having no combat power.

But immediately, the archers among the Adventurers began to draw their bows and nock arrows, aiming at the Shadow Dragon. With good eyesight, that Shadow Dragon could see the magic light flashing on the arrowheads—still enchanted arrows. It seemed that even though most Mages had already fallen, their preparations beforehand were really sufficient.

Although the Shadow Dragon was confident that it would not be harmed by its dragon scales and protective magic, it secretly reminded itself that it was better not to take risks. It just flew in the air, preparing to use its own magic to continuously influence the battle situation below.

Suddenly, an arrow shot straight at the face of the Shadow Dragon in the air. This guy subconsciously spurted out a Dragon Breath and hurriedly turned its head. However, it seemed to have forgotten that its Negative Energy Dragon Breath really had no effect on dead objects.

The long arrow passed through its Dragon Breath, and the several layers of protection on its body only blocked it for a moment. However, fortunately, after the obstruction of several barriers, the force of the arrow began to weaken. The final deflection arrow still played a role; the arrow just shot a through hole in the membrane of the dragon wing and then flew away to who knows where.

When it roared angrily and rushed towards the place where the arrow came from, that archer who stood out from the crowd had already fallen to the ground and was being carried to the back. Thinking about it, with such a powerful attack, if he didn’t pay a price, his strength would be too amazing.

With such strength, I’m afraid few people would still stay in a Mercenary Company! Maybe they would have long been able to accept a title and mix into the ruling class. Even in the Duchy of Nohan, he could be selected as a sergeant major commanding at least 200 archers, and in other countries, it would be even more so.