Mercenary Wars

Chapter 125 Decisions and Responsibilities

"Is it possible to leave from here through the west or south exit?" Gaucano asked.

Hilgon shook his head slightly: "This guy isn't very clear about this, but it seems unlikely. The western exit is strictly controlled by the Grey Dwarves, I suspect it's no less than the Gavin Merchant Guild's arrangements at the silver mine entrance."

"As for the fish-men on the south side, there is even less information. However, they live in an underground river, and their exit is also in the water, so it will probably be difficult to find them there as well," he added.

The air was somewhat quiet.

Gaugano thought for a moment, then asked, "How many of the grey dwarves in Dibusala are red-bearded and white-bearded? Have there been any serious conflicts between them?"

Hilgon continued his conversation with the grey dwarf.

He then relayed, "About 40% are red-bearded gray dwarves, and 60% are white-bearded gray dwarves. There have been two relatively serious conflicts."

"The first conflict was caused by Silverfang. After Silverfang made contact with the Grey Dwarf and formed some kind of alliance, the Whitebeard Grey Dwarf suggested that he fully implement slavery, while the Redbeard Grey Dwarf had the exact opposite opinion," he said.

Barons remarked, "It seems Silverfang has finally taken the Whitebeard Grey Dwarf's advice."

“That’s right.” Hilgon nodded. “From then on, Matolius, as the leader of the Whitebeard Grey Dwarves and the mayor of Debusara, became Silverfang’s mentor. Matolius imparted a great deal of knowledge to Silverfang—including his experience in implementing slavery. In return, Silverfang purchased many dwarven artifacts at a good price.”

"By the way, judging from the Grey Dwarves' behavior, Silverfang is undoubtedly a very clever fellow. The Grey Dwarves are completely unaware that he owns a silver mine, and Silverfang also seems to have established a close and strong relationship with Matolius by taking advantage of the Grey Dwarves' internal conflicts." He added, "He may be one of the most outstanding kobold kings in Farallo."

"So, Silver Fang is practically the Camonsis of dogs!" Everyone exclaimed in amazement.

What about a second conflict?

Hilgon: "The second conflict was also related to Silver Fang. In fact, it may have been Silver Fang who deliberately instigated it. Since he made contact with the Grey Dwarves, the internal divisions among the Grey Dwarves in Debusara Town have become increasingly serious."

"The immediate cause of the second conflict was the sudden appearance of the Molten Hound. This terrifying behemoth completely blocked the northern passage, cutting off Debusara Town from other Underdark regions and turning it into a very isolated place," he said slowly. "This further exacerbated the internal conflicts among the Grey Dwarves. The Redbeard Grey Dwarves proposed to eliminate Silverfang and seize the Kobolds' territory and passage."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Clearly, the Redbeard Grey Dwarves have failed again, and their leader Groin and Matolius had a public argument that seemed to have gotten quite ugly."

Listening to Hilgon's retelling, Gaucano couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

after a while.

Hilgon said, "We've asked most of the questions we needed to ask. Now, what do we do with this guy?"

"Of course, kill them," someone blurted out.

"That's right, this filthy and evil race deserves to be sent to hell!"

However, some people objected: "This gray dwarf didn't do anything to us. Wouldn't it be a bit immoral to just kill him?"

"And what if killing him alerts the other grey dwarves?"

"Then should we release him?"

"Gaucano, what do you think?"

Everyone turned their attention to Gaucano.

Gaucano was somewhat helpless, which was precisely why he was unwilling to be the leader; he didn't want to get involved in this kind of debate.

But given the situation, it wouldn't be good for him to remain silent.

After a brief moment of thought, he said, "Let's vote by raising our hands. Those who support killing him, raise your right hand; those who support not killing him, raise your left hand; and those who abstain, do not raise your hands."

Voting may be the best way to shirk responsibility for decision-making, making it reasonable and leaving no room for argument.

The vote was quickly passed, with the majority advocating for the killing of the gray dwarves.

Gao Jiano nodded: "Okay, then let's do it the way everyone wants."

After saying that, he drew his Blood-Summoning Sword. He didn't want to take responsibility for the decision, but he still wanted the experience of killing.

Gaucano swung his sword at the gray dwarf.

[Kill a level 4 gray dwarf, experience +200]

After the execution was completed, Gaucano inspected the gray dwarf's belongings.

One thing caught his attention.

[Item: Black Steel Arrowhead]

[Level: Level 5]

[Enchantment - Pierce: Enhanced piercing effect]

Black steel piercing arrow.

There were dozens of these arrows, but there weren't many skilled archers in the group, mainly Gaugano and Hilgon, so most of them were distributed to them.

In addition, the Grey Dwarves also have a simple map depicting this Dark Region.

After looking at the map and discussing briefly, everyone quickly reached a consensus: "Let's go take a look to the west."

The passage on the north side was blocked by molten lava hounds, so it was impossible to pass through.

That leaves only the west and south exits.

In fact, they preferred to explore the southern exit, since it was controlled by murlocs. At least according to stereotypes, these creatures, which resembled goblins of the water, were much easier to deal with than the grey dwarves.

However, they were currently located on the northern side of the Dark Region, which was the furthest from the south. The logical route would be to first check the western side before considering going to the southern side.

Everyone had finally managed to get some rest.

They tidied up their makeshift camp, erasing as many traces as possible, including the corpses, that could lead to their being tracked, and then set off westward.

With the map as a guide, the group's travel efficiency improved significantly.

There were some unexpected incidents along the way, such as encountering a few Deinonychus or Rockskin Boars.

However, for a team with an average level close to four and more than a dozen members, a few low-level monsters obviously do not pose a threat.

Several dozen hours later, the group arrived at the western side of the Underdark. Under the cover of the mushroom forest, they lay on a high ground and carefully looked towards the exit and the iron ore mine.

Soon after, Hilgon frowned: "There are many gray dwarves guarding the exit. It seems we really can't get through here."

"Shall we go south and take a look?" someone suggested. "The merfolk are definitely easier to deal with than the grey dwarves!"

"The fishmen on land are easy to deal with, but the fishmen in the water are a different story... How about we try to force our way out?"

Barons objected: "I...I dare not force my way in."

Most people also disagreed with forcing our way through: "Even if we manage to get through, we'll definitely lose a lot of people. And they've probably set up a lot of checkpoints along the passage, just like the Gavin Merchant Guild did at the silver mine. If we fail to pass the checks, the passage might be shut down directly, and then we'll just be waiting to die!"

"What should I do?"

After a brief debate, everyone's attention finally turned to Gaucano.

Gao Jiano sighed inwardly, and after thinking for a moment, said, "To be honest, I've come up with a bold plan."

(End of this chapter)