Death Notice Book 8: Chapter 47: Snowpeak Dwarves

Watching the giant beast being overwhelmed by the crowd in Ironstar Fortress, Qin Lun somewhat listlessly lowered his bow. He gave a faint sigh. It seemed he wouldn’t need to make another move.

This Gecko Colossus had no elemental talents, but with its speed and astonishing defense, it was practically no less dangerous than a Legendary Creature. It had just lived too long inside Ironstar Fortress. The cunning and treachery of intelligent beings were unfamiliar foes, leading it straight into this hopeless trap.

Inside the previous hall’s treasury, dense stone pillars and beams gave it ample space. With its speed, it could have attacked or retreated fluidly. But here, out in the open plaza, the surrounding stone buildings only served as cover for smaller creatures. For the massive beast, they became obstacles instead. Plus, the moment it emerged from the tunnel, the group ambushed it, stealing the initiative. Defeat was certain from that point.

“Spiral Penetration Arrow!” Qin Lun glanced at the prompt in his Death Notice, a flicker of joy within. His earlier combination of a D+ graded Spiral Shooting Technique with a C+ graded Piercing Arrow had yielded an entirely new skill, ranked B-.

After a long while, the battered Gecko Colossus lay nearly lifeless less than ten meters from the tunnel entrance. Most of its silver scales were shattered, smeared with slick green blood. Its last remaining eye, pale and filmy, held the dull grey of encroaching death.

“Sigh!” Beside him, Iristin twisted her fingers, frowning and sighing dramatically. Qin Lun found it a bit ridiculous.

The Elven Druid wasn’t pitying the giant beast; such dark-dwelling creatures didn’t earn the compassion she reserved for creatures of the forests. Her sigh was simply for missing the fight.

“Firal, that shot of yours earlier was truly splendid!” Milleras approached, followed by several Elven Rangers from afar. The space around the dying giant was crowded with the melee fighters who hadn’t been able to engage before. There was no room left for them.

“Without all of you forcing the Gecko Colossus into that corner, I could never have landed that shot.” Qin Lun chuckled, shaking his head.

“Hm? Yes. The Hunter’s,” Qin Lun nodded, then asked curiously, “You haven’t awakened yet?”

“Not every noble descendant can awaken.” Milleras smiled bitterly. “I was born from a mother, an Elf of flesh and blood. I possess no Ancient Inheritance at all.”

“An awakened Elf becomes a treasure to the great Elven Courts. They’d never ordinarily be sent on highly dangerous missions,” Milleras added, looking at Qin Lun with a knowing glint. “It seems King Thanequalas’s resolve is significant…”

Qin Lun offered a noncommittal smile. His gaze shifted towards the battlefield in the distance, and he suddenly asked in surprise, “Huh? What are those Dwarves doing?”

“They’re going to split open the Gecko Colossus’s belly,” Stark said, wiping sweat from his brow as he approached. “Some of their companions were killed by the beast. They likely haven’t been digested yet. They’re trying to retrieve them for burial.”

The Fortress Team Leader wore a satisfied smile. After the Gecko Colossus was incapacitated, he’d finally been able to join the fight, and it felt good to get that anger out.

“What’s the story with those Dwarves?” Qin Lun pressed with interest.

“Robin’s talking to them now. He’ll bring them over shortly to meet you two princes,” Stark replied, winking at Qin Lun. Now he understood the advantage of Qin Lun keeping his Apostle status hidden. If the Lost team stumbled upon a Dwarf side quest and refused to share the benefits with the Fortress Team, they could still gain access through Qin Lun.

Milleras and Qin Lun waited quietly. Robin and the others returned soon after. Most of the Apostles were smiling. Though the Gecko Colossus had been tough, it dropped plenty of valuable gear materials. And its immense size meant there was more than enough loot to share between both Apostle teams.

Now, beside the giant carcass, only a few Dwarves remained. They retrieved the mangled remains of their comrades from the creature’s innards and buried them amongst the nearby collapsed ruins, makeshift graves befitting an uninhabited place.

The Dwarves conducted an ancient burial ritual for their fallen. Finishing, they turned and walked towards the group. An older Dwarf stepped forward and offered a deep, respectful bow to the two Elf princes.

“We thank you all for your timely assistance. I am Loier of the Dwarves. This is Lorlin, the third son of King Dustin…” The older Dwarf introduced his companions one by one. After the fierce battle, only six of them remained.

“A Dwarf Prince?” Qin Lun raised an eyebrow and glanced at Milleras beside him.

“No! I’m not a prince. I’m the third son of King Dustin!” Lorlin’s youthful face reddened slightly. The Elves’ striking beauty made him a tad bashful. He was quite handsome himself for a Dwarf.

“The son of a king is a prince, isn’t he?” Qin Lun found it strange but wisely avoided probing further, letting Milleras take the conversational lead.

“So, did you also enter Ironstar Fortress by accident?” Milleras asked, eyes narrowing into a friendly smile. His manner and aura bore an uncanny resemblance to Qin Lun’s practiced false charm.

Truthfully, Milleras was far from a pure-hearted Elf Prince either. Back on the edges of Ank Forest, he’d attempted to deceive the Qundar Moon Elves, only to be seen through by Qin Lun.

“No, we…” Lorlin stammered, casting a questioning look at the elder Dwarf, Loier.

Loier sighed heavily. King Dustin had sent him with Lorlin specifically to train his youngest son. This task clearly wasn’t going smoothly.

Humans, Dwarves, and Elves – all three societies shared some similarities. In fact, the most recently risen human civilization had borrowed quite a few social structures from the Elves.

However, they differed in key aspects. Humans possessed the greatest learning potential but the shortest lifespans. Bloodlines held great weight. Thrones changed hands quite frequently. Elves and Dwarves lived much longer than humans, especially the Elves who had births from mothers and births from the World Tree Fruit. Blood ties mattered less to them; changes in rulership were approached with greater caution.

Human thrones followed strict bloodline inheritance. Even if an incompetent ruler ascended, causing hardship, they’d likely be replaced within decades, allowing recovery. The damage was limited. Elves and Dwarves, however, faced a starker reality. Their birth rates were lower than humans’, and their lifespans much longer. A truly bad ruler from these races could potentially bring about their entire group’s extinction!

Thus, their systems were clan-based, not reliant solely on blood succession. Should a ruling clan become weak or incapable, the entire group might even elect a new royal clan. The Qiongda’er Elves were an example: the decline in power of the Moon Elf royal house meant they passed the throne to the Green Elf family.

But Dwarf royal structure differed from that of the Elves. Elven kind was determined by lineage and heritage. In Toril World, you primarily found Sun Elves, Moon Elves, Dark Elves, and Green Elves – essentially four main groups. Wilder types were rare. Dwarves, lacking the World Tree and Ancient Inheritances, organized themselves by region, skin color, size, or even beard style!

This led to numerous distinct clans. Adding to that, the average Dwarf lifespan stretched 300-400 years. Dwarves tended towards conservatism, stubbornness, and fierce loyalty to tradition. As a result, their royal families were typically coalitions formed by several powerful clans.

This was the reason Lorlin, being King Dustin’s third son, couldn’t simply call himself a prince. To earn the title “Prince” among the many noble descendants of the royal clans, he had to successfully complete a significant trial. This expedition served that purpose.

Their mission was critical, normally kept strictly secret from outsiders. But Loier reconsidered. Besides one companion sent down the mountain for help, only six remained in their group. Secrecy seemed pointless now. To complete their task, they desperately needed outside help.

Judging by the clothes of these Elves and humans before them, they looked like mercenaries – the perfect people to hire!

Loier made his decision. He spoke directly to Milleras: “Might I ask… are you all mercenaries?”

“You wish to hire us?” Milleras instantly caught the implication in the elder Dwarf’s words.

“Yes. We carry a vital mission for King Dustin. The details cannot be shared beyond our clan. However…” Loier gestured around him “…as you see, we are down to a handful. Completing this alone is impossible. Returning to get help is also too far. We can only hope to hire a capable mercenary group here on the mainland.”

He nodded gravely. “You appear to be mercenaries. You saved our lives. You seem the best chance we have. I can only share our destination if you agree to take our contract.”

“I deeply regret to say it,” Milleras stated firmly, shaking his head in refusal, “But we already carry a highly important contract ourselves. We cannot take on yours.”

Are you joking? As an envoy for the Sun Elves, he bore incredibly important duties, representing all of Cormanthor Sun Elves. Straying from the mission for some Dwarf side quest was simply unthinkable!

The Dwarves’ expressions grew awkward. An uncomfortable silence fell over the group. Kelly and Robin exchanged helpless glances. Being Apostles, they wouldn’t mind an extra quest line; walking away wasn’t a problem. But Milleras had to agree first. Their own obligations meant they couldn’t accept the Dwarves’ contract independently.

“Milleras,” Qin Lun suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence. He turned to the old Dwarf with a genial smile. “Perhaps we could hear a little first? Maybe they could actually help our mission?”

He offered a solution: “Here’s an idea: we both share some less critical details from our respective tasks. If it seems mutually beneficial… then we can negotiate further.”

“But first,” Qin Lun asked pleasantly, “could you tell us what Dwarf kingdom you hail from?”

“We are Dwarves from Snowpeak Fortress, in the Snowflake Mountains!” Loier still hesitated, but young Lorlin beside him blurted the answer out first.

Milleras’s eyes brightened. He had been about to cut Qin Lun off, but quickly shut his mouth again.

A realization struck him. His embassy mission along the Ancient Path to visit human kingdoms and Elven Courts had multiple aims: reasserting the Sun Court and Sun Elves’ future leadership role on the continent, AND securing transit rights through powerful lands for the upcoming Sun Elf migration.

He needed to follow the Ancient Path to visit each significant power. Yet, the migration route carrying the Sun Elves didn’t need to strictly follow that ancient road.

The Snowflake Mountains stretched across the gap between the Kingdom of Saispaits and the Giant’s Plains. Traveling that route was normally considered perilously foolhardy – the area was nearly uninhabited terrain crawling with Ogre and Orc tribes! Hardly a viable migration path.

But… if they could gain the aid of the Snowpeak Fortress Dwarves… a significantly safer migration route suddenly emerged! The Sun Elf migrants could potentially bypass the major southern kingdoms of Calimshan and Tethyr entirely. They could head straight north into the realm of Amn. This shortened their trek by over a thousand kilometers!