Chapter 271: New Life, Old Life

To be honest, after arriving on the Surface, most Gnomes found their current situation to be a bit subtle. It wasn’t that things were bad; in fact, both the living conditions and the external environment here were far superior to the Underdark.

The golden fireball in the sky brought light and warmth to the earth. However, the most common light sources underground were cold-light plants, but only a very small number of species of lichen, fungi, and moss were capable of glowing.

In places where they gathered in large numbers, these plants could even illuminate large caverns. However, this was not enough for a creature without Darkvision to travel without a light source.

The light from most glowing plants was very dim, so the brightness in a cave lit by moss or fungi was usually like starlight. Yet, there were certain specific areas that were brighter, like moonlight.

However, these rare areas were often occupied by powerful creatures and were very difficult to transplant or cultivate. Therefore, they were not suitable for use by most intelligent races.

At the same time, areas with exposed lava pools or lava flows were illuminated by the dim, deep-red light emitted by the lava. The intensity of this light usually ranged from being as bright as moonlight within a certain limit.

However, living around lava inevitably came with scorching heat that was hard for ordinary people to bear. In fact, apart from Stone Giants and Magma Giants, very few people lived in such places even underground. Nevertheless, lava always contained high-quality liquid metal ores, and occasionally, some bubbling gems would emerge.

However, only Magma Giants in the Underdark had the ability to extract these resources from the vast lava flows. Blindstone City had once purchased large amounts of raw iron and other materials from them.

The mysterious Flame unique to the Underdark was the rarest and most amazing natural light source. It consisted of layers of dancing low-light, resembling the aurora of the Surface world. Although its intensity was only equal to starlight, the mysterious Flame was eerie and beautiful. Some Mage research results suggested that this unique phenomenon was actually a manifestation of ley line radiation.

The only light sources that could truly be used by people were glowing crystals and reflective stones.

Certain rare rocks in the Underdark naturally glowed, so they were called glowing crystals. Their intensity ranged from starlight to sunlight, though sunlight-level crystals were extremely rare. The massive dome of Blindstone City possessed a glowing crystal whose intensity was like the sunlight at dusk.

This could be considered a rare treasure in the Underdark. No race other than the Dark Elves did not desire such an item. This was because the Dark Elves were a race abandoned by light.

Reflective stones, although they did not glow naturally, could make small light sources shine much brighter than usual in caves partially constructed from them. Reflective stones could quadruple the illumination radius of any light source. They could be described as an excellent transmission medium similar to optical fibers.

The combination of these two materials was the main lighting method for many Underground cities that were not inhabited by Dark Elves. Although most Underground races had evolved Darkvision, this black-and-white-like feeling could not be said to be satisfactory. Besides, there were also a minority of compatriots from the Surface living in the cities.

Moreover, as long as an organism was not cold-blooded, it needed warmth. Therefore, heating in the Underground was a major problem. Large-scale heating not only consumed astronomical amounts of fuel but also made the air in the cities filled with dust and strange smells.

The uppermost layer of the Underdark was connected to the Surface via ventilation shafts, which kept the air in the tunnels circulating and relatively fresh. Therefore, air quality was basically not a problem here. However, the middle layer where Blindstone City was located did not have such good luck. Many residents there did not breathe truly clean air until after they had to flee.

Furthermore, although the water sources in the Underdark could not be said to be scarce, they were a key point of contention among many factions. Although Blindstone City was quite powerful, truly drinkable water was still rationed. Just like in the Northwest before liberation, taking a bath was even more of a luxury. Even bitter spring water had to be prioritized for industrial needs.

Although he did not know what his Surface compatriots thought about this lifestyle, for these people who had just emerged from the Underground, saying this place was paradise was not an exaggeration.

If the comparison in this aspect did not feel like much of a change to some people, after all, some were used to the Underground environment, hating light and loving darkness. Then, in terms of eating, it was truly a world of change.

To be honest, when George first learned about the dietary structure of the Underdark, he could never imagine how he would survive if he had transmigrated there in the first place.

Apart from the food on the first layer, which was worse than on the Surface but still relatively abundant, the situation below, while not exactly a wasteland, was not far off. Although there were many kinds of wild fungi that were edible, the actual natural yield was truly despairing.

Fortunately, many small creatures produced in the Underdark, such as rats, dire rats, lizards, and giant insects, could be easily found. There were also quite a few examples of domesticated creatures, the most famous of which was the Loxo.

Fish at water sources were also an option for supplementation, of course, where danger often lurked. Since fish in caves also needed to eat, an isolated lake could hardly support fish unless it was large enough to grow plants within it. Under the siege of fierce beasts on both land and water, the Loxo, a herbivorous muskrat-like creature, was very suitable for life deep underground. They fed on fungi, moss, lichen, and all plants that could grow in the Underdark. For most races in the Underdark, they were of very high value and were usually raised in large grazing caverns.

In fact, there was no agriculture in the Underdark, but this required extremely powerful strength as a guarantee. Unfortunately, Blindstone City’s own strength could not yet fully achieve this. Even in the cities of the Dark Elves, only a few could bear the burden of guarding agricultural bases.

The most famous was the enviable agricultural system of Menzoberranzan. In the gentlest, lowest point of the caves in this city, there was a natural lake or pond named Tonlith.

Its cold waters not only nurtured fish and eels that Goblin slave fishermen caught from the water but also flowed to carefully irrigate manure fields and nourished two moss nurseries. In these manure fields, Orcs cared for mushrooms and other edible fungi, using manure brought by carts from the city to restore and expand the fields. All of this provided the Drow with crucial food.

The vast mosslands on the lake shore were delicious delicacies for the Drow to eat. The second moss nursery covered a small island where a group of Underground Loxo, isolated by the pond’s waters, were kept. They were tended to by hardworking slave Orc herders, and this moss was their feed.

On this Loxo island, the Loxo were raised as food for Menzoberranzan. A few enclosures near the lake were allowed to be tended by Orcs for other livestock, especially delicious treats captured or bought from the Surface world. Such as goats or edible monsters brought back by Dark Elf hunting parties, which were also used to provide the Loxo with a breeding ground away from the crowded island.

However, even such a place was not absolutely safe. Slaves ferried around the pond on rafts. They were allowed to swim, and in urgent need of fish, they were even allowed to dive with spears and drag nets, but exploring the dark, muddy bottom of the pond was forbidden. This was because Treants and even more terrifying creatures lived in the water appearing regularly. If one did not wish to die, it was better not to be too curious. This seemed to be an agreement reached between the Dark Elves and these creatures at the beginning of the city’s founding.

Even this somewhat unstable food supply base was something Dwarves and Gnomes could not even hope for. They ate withered mushrooms as their staple food from morning until night, with only a few pieces of meat occasionally to treat themselves. Grains? What was that? Many Dwarves had not seen such food in their long lives.

As one of the first Humans George encountered after they arrived on the Surface, George, who had quite a reputation in internal affairs, participated in their aid. George had seen the bewildered expressions on the faces of those Dwarven Gnomes when they first received Black Bread. He also saw the tears left on their faces as they chewed the Black Bread after he demonstrated how to eat it.

Although it was merely crude Black Bread, the fragrance of the grain and the fermented texture stimulated their taste buds, which had never touched any other vegetarian food besides mushrooms and moss. George could not judge exactly what their tears represented, but they were certainly not bitter.

And after arriving in the Territory, the interest of the Dwarves and Gnomes in various foods was even comparable to that of the Halflings. During this time, there was even an incident where a large number of Dwarves and Gnomes suffered from mass diarrhea due to overeating seafood. Even with the help of Herbalists, the construction schedule was delayed by several days.

Plus, the Dwarves’ hoarding of alcohol and liquor like miserly rich men after receiving their wages. For the food here, they were absolutely in a fairyland. Even in the Underground, Dwarves went to great lengths to brew alcohol. This was less of a tradition and more of a nature.

After multiple contacts with a certain Dwarf Priest, George gradually understood that even in the resource-scarce Underdark, there was alcohol. The most common was mushroom wine. Created by multiple Underground races, this wine had diverse flavors and varying prices due to different raw materials. Then there was milk wine, which was brewed from fermented Loxo milk. Its strength was about the same as beer. However, it was said that its taste would be much worse if drunk after heating.

According to that person, the strongest alcohol he had ever drunk was the Drow Spider Blood Wine. The name of this wine was slightly off; it was actually a mushroom wine brewed by the Drow containing a dose of spider venom. This wine had a unique flavor, unlike anything on the Surface.

However, anyone who did not often drink this wine might not only get drunk but also get poisoned. Usually, those who wanted to adapt to this toxicity had to drink a cup every few hours continuously for three months. However, for Dwarves who were naturally resistant to various toxins, this toxicity was nothing but a drop in the bucket.

It was precisely after such thought that George felt safe agreeing to the other party’s proposal. It was precisely because those who had experienced past suffering would cherish their current life more. In this situation where they were still an absolute minority, the other party had no reason to do anything unfavorable to the Territory.

This was the main reason why, although the proposal from the person before him was entirely out of selfishness, George was still willing to provide help. Otherwise, if there was even a tiny bit of risk, George would absolutely give up the seemingly beautiful additional income of 4,000 to 5,000 Gold Coins per year.

However, if there were no problems, it would not be just the income from the jewelry mines themselves. The newly established jewelry processing industry could also bring substantial tax revenue. Whether before or after transmigration, this industry was extremely profitable.

Moreover, before transmigration, it was merely a luxury item for decoration, but here it had become a true strategic resource. At the same time, it also had a certain attraction for foreign Mages, even if they were just passing by to make purchases. Since people came, there was a basic reason and an opportunity to recruit them, wasn’t there?

As for the Gnome Jewelry Master before him, this was the beginning of his new career. Days of relying on others were never easy, even if the other party was his best friend and did not mind it.

However, as a Jewelry Master, his dignity did not allow him to just eat and wait for death. Making weapon decorations or adjusting armor details every day was a life entirely dependent on the Blacksmith craft of the Dwarves. He wanted to prove himself, prove his strength, and prove that relying on the Gnomes’ own strength, they could also carve out a sky on the Surface.

George understood Master Bastagray’s feelings very well. Very few capable people were willing to remain unknown. Everyone understood the desire to show one’s talents to the world and gain recognition.

After dismissing the person before him, George was just about to rest when the seal ring on his body emitted a faint blue light. He immediately turned around, used the seal ring to open the secret lock of the iron cabinet, and took out Diqila’s volume. A new message paper appeared inside.

Looking at this suddenly transmitted information, George’s eyebrows immediately furrowed. The matter that the many high-ranking officials of the Duchy of Nohan feared most had finally happened. However, he also breathed a sigh of relief because this was a destined occurrence. Since it had already happened, there was no need to worry about related matters every day anymore.

Two of the three human forward camps underground were completely wiped out, and the third camp, which had Elf assistance, also collapsed under the attack of Dragons. Fortunately, those Dragons did not participate in the subsequent pursuit. Otherwise, even the Adventurers there would not have been able to escape much.

According to the first-line combat personnel, those Dragons and the Dark Elves had previously belonged to a mercenary relationship. Otherwise, they would not have arrived late during the battle and left early after the battle. However, just like that, the original adventurer and Mercenary Company group of nearly 2,000 people ended up with less than 300 escaping back to the Surface.

Fortunately, Dwarves and Gnomes had made quite strict arrangements in the abandoned mines leading to the Surface. Within a short half-year, low tunnels connected these mines. Each connecting tunnel was guarded by a dedicated Dwarf and equipped with special mechanisms made by Gnomes. The duty of those Dwarves was to pull the mechanism when an external enemy invaded, causing the tunnel to collapse and bury the intruder, or at least to block the enemy.

This was a defensive strategy summarized entirely based on their defense experience in the Underground. Due to the special geographical conditions of the Underdark, the cities here not only had to watch out for enemies attacking the main gate but also be careful of invaders trying to dig directly through the city walls.

In terms of this aspect of defense work, Underground Gnomes and Dwarves did quite well. The illusionists of Blindstone City applied the Gnome race’s unique gem magic to the defense of the outer walls. Gemstones with protective magic were embedded all over the stone walls. The power of these gems was sufficient to resist any magical energy attempting to dig through the stone walls. At the same time, in the rock layers surrounding Blindstone City, there were also Dwarf patrols with Earth Elementals ready to give ruthless punishment to bold intruders at any time.

This was also the reason why previous Dark Elves preferred to attack the main gate rather than choose methods like digging tunnels. Although the mines had hastily completed defensive measures, of course, they were not as strong as Blindstone City, which had been reinforced for years. However, in a short period, it was still possible to delay the Dark Elves’ actions and add preparation time for surface defense work.

At Broken Halberd Fortress on the Surface, four hundred Human soldiers proficient in battle formations were permanently stationed. There were also about 200 Dwarf warriors and Priests, as well as 100 Gnome illusionists and Alchemists. This was just the normal garrison situation. Once the situation became tense, the number of stationed troops would triple. If the news of an attack was confirmed, resource troops arriving from the nearest barracks within the same day could even reach 1,500 people.

Coupled with the 5 Formal Knights and their attendants within, it was at least enough to hold out until His Grace the Duke could transfer troops from farther away barracks. It was all thanks to that damn Kingdom of Lucia tying up too many of the Duchy’s troops. Otherwise, it would never be as tight-fisted as it is now.

“The Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads has finally fallen. Now the most important thing is to strike hard and break the Dark Elves, make them hurt, and not let it turn into a stalemate where they can attack at any time. Otherwise, the situation would be worse than before they appeared! The Duchy simply cannot afford to waste time with them in this aspect!” George made this sigh while looking at the message before him.

At the same time, he began to ponder what kind of response should be made within the Territory. After all, the information in the message paper was quite brief, focusing only on the key points. Moreover, Viscount Bolerum had not given George any instructions within it. For a moment, George became a bit hesitant.