Steel torrents pioneering a different world

Chapter 226 Rune Steel! Humans, do you want war? (Please subscribe)
Upon entering the research institute and passing through two security posts, Deng Dakang saw many people busy at work.

"Old Deng, over here!"

Deng Dakang looked in the direction of the voice and saw his old friend, Professor Peng. This old friend, who was in charge of research on metallic elements and new metallic materials, was standing in the middle of a group of experimental staff, waving at him.

Deng Dakang strode over and immediately spotted Su Mingjin mixed in with the crowd. He quickly wiped the smile off his face and greeted her politely, "Hello, President Su!"

"Okay! They're here. Let's take a look at the test first." Su Mingjin nodded without saying anything more.

Professor Peng was very enthusiastic and gestured to his assistant to bring heat-resistant suits to Deng Dakang and Wang Hu: "You've come at the perfect time; the furnace is about to be turned on."

Deng Dakang took the heat-insulating suit and glanced at the experimental area in the distance.

This new material verification area has now been equipped with a large number of devices for scientific smelting, and several ultra-mini metal smelting furnaces have begun preheating, their walls glowing with a dark red light.

"Refining new steel?" Deng Dakang was somewhat surprised.

"Hmm, let's see if we can successfully synthesize the new steel!" Professor Peng lowered his voice. "Let's add the dragon dung that kid Wang Ye got to the furnace later. If it can really increase the metal's affinity for energy particles and stabilize the creep that occurs during steel synthesis, then our rune steel will have a chance."

Deng Dakang glanced around and noticed that all the materials smelting workers were on high alert, many wearing heavy protective suits. He smiled and asked, "Aren't you afraid of an explosion?"

"Yes, but we've learned from our experience now, and the number of explosions has decreased significantly," Professor Peng sighed. "Last month, there was a batch of molten steel with added magic crystal powder. The materials used were slightly different, and the temperature wasn't controlled properly, so it exploded. Although no one was injured, it took a lot of time to clean up!"

Deng Dakang pursed his lips: "Then this time it won't be the same..."

"Don't worry, it won't explode." Professor Peng patted him on the shoulder. "The energy cycle formed by the dragon scales of the dragon itself can absorb energy particles! We have detected that the dragon dung excreted by the dragon also has the characteristic of absorbing energy particles. Although its ability to absorb energy particles will decrease rapidly over time, it still has an energy absorption effect! In fact, we believe that the intermediate material before the formation of magic crystal is dragon dung!"

"The intermediate substance is dragon dung?" Deng Dakang keenly caught the word. "Impossible, right?"

“Yes, logically speaking, it’s impossible. Let’s make a bold assumption,” Professor Peng shrugged and laughed. “Of course, the main reason is that we’ve tried many smelting methods and failed. I saw you say that dragon dung is a very interesting thing. So I thought I’d come and verify it!”

Deng Dakang nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

He put on the heat-resistant suit and followed Professor Peng to the experimental area.

Wang Ye had already handed the sealed box to the staff who were using it for smelting new materials, and was now standing in front of the control panel, staring at the data on various instruments.

It's hard to imagine that these special advisors, dressed in traditional robes, would be involved in metal smelting.

However, considering that these professionals have created many alchemical artifacts in history, they are shining even brighter in this other world.

"Are you ready?" Su Mingjin's voice came from behind.

"All the materials are ready, and we can begin at any time," Professor Peng replied crisply.

Su Mingjin glanced at her watch: "Let's begin."

Professor Peng nodded to the staff at the control panel, and the various departments began to get busy!
The temperature of the blast furnace began to rise, the red glow of the furnace walls grew brighter, and the air was filled with the distinctive smell of heated metal.

Through the observation window, Deng Dakang saw the metal raw materials in the furnace gradually melting, and less than 100 grams of iron-based material turned into a churning mass of molten steel.

The numbers on the furnace temperature display jumped to 1800°C and continued to rise...

"Rare metal powder is being added." Professor Peng stared at the data screen, his tone calm.

The staff pressed a button, and powders of refined gold, platinum, and rhenium were added into the furnace in a predetermined ratio.

The color of the molten steel began to change, from dark red to orange-yellow.

"Temperature 2100°C, stable."

"Dispense mithril powder!"

Silvery-white powder fell into the furnace, and a faint halo appeared on the surface of the molten steel.

Deng Dakang squinted. He had seen this kind of halo before; it was a sign that unique energy particles from another world were beginning to gather and become active.

"Prepare the magic crystal powder."

Deng Dakang looked at Professor Peng, "When should we add the dragon dung powder?"

Professor Peng shook his head: "It's not the right time yet. We'll release it in batches later. First, we'll add magic crystal powder, then oxygen after twenty seconds, and then dry dragon dung powder!"

The moment the magic crystal powder was added, the halo on the surface of the molten steel suddenly intensified.

Despite the numerous isolation measures in place, Deng Dakang instinctively took a half-step back, while Wang Hu raised his hand to protect him.

"Don't worry, the experimental isolation room is very safe!" Professor Peng looked at the data and smiled. "The energy readings are within the normal range."

After speaking, he tapped his fingers on the control panel: "Start cooling, lock powder distribution."

Liquid nitrogen was injected, and the temperature dropped sharply.

"Dispose of dragon dung!"

The sealed container was opened, and fine, dark brown powder began to fall evenly into the furnace.

Almost at the same moment, the glow inside the furnace began to fluctuate violently and turned into an eerie green-red.

Deng Dakang saw strange patterns appear on the surface of the molten steel; those patterns seemed to be alive, constantly wriggling.

"Energy fluctuations are out of control!" the staff member at the control panel shouted. "Temperature out of control!"

"Reduce oxygen supply, reduce..."

Boom!

The flames burst through the furnace lid, and a wave of high-temperature gas rushed out. Fortunately, the insulating glass was thick enough to block the shock wave within the experimental area.

As the smoke dissipated, the molten steel inside the furnace had splashed everywhere and solidified on the furnace walls. The high temperature melted the bulletproof glass and various equipment into one piece.

Su Mingjin frowned.

Some soldiers also looked dejected.

The researchers, on the other hand, seem to be doing quite well.

Professor Peng strode to the data recording screen: "Pull out the energy waveform from just now."

“It must be the instability caused by the oxygenation process,” Zhong Shichang said, staring at the screen. “Professor, after the dragon dung is added, the concentration of energy particles surges. At this point, continuing to inject oxygen is like pouring oil into a fire.”

Deng Dakang leaned over to look at the data curve, and the sudden surge in peak value did indeed occur at the point of oxygen injection.

"So the explosion wasn't caused by the addition of dragon dung?" he asked.

"It's probably a coordination issue." Professor Peng rubbed his temples. "Dragon dung is indeed absorbing energy particles, but we added magic crystal powder to the steel! Well, we previously discovered that adding magic crystal powder during smelting could speed up the steel melting process, reduce firing time, and make it easier to absorb energy particles during melting! Unfortunately, the subsequent addition of dragon dung caused the energy particle concentration to exceed the limit, resulting in this batch of molten steel being scrapped!"

Su Mingjin walked to the furnace, glanced at the lump of waste, and said, "Organize and record the data, and prepare for the next batch."

"Do we need to adjust the oxygen ratio for the next batch? Or what?" Deng Dakang asked.

“It’s not just about adjusting that,” Professor Peng rubbed his temples and turned around, “The timing of adding the dragon dung powder also needs to be readjusted. Let’s test it first, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll try the order in reverse.”

Su Mingjin asked, "Is this alright?"

“President Su, please trust the professionals! In metallurgical material manufacturing, sometimes adjusting the input rate of various elements can completely change the material properties,” Professor Peng said with a smile. “President Su, Lao Deng, please step back. We need to clean up the site; we can only start refining the second batch in fifteen minutes.”

Deng Dakang looked at the busy experimental personnel, and then glanced at Su Mingjin, who had already left. The commander-in-chief seemed quite used to the explosions here.

Steel smelting is not an easy or pleasant task; if not handled properly, it can easily lead to industrial accidents.

Worker injuries in the steel industry are among the highest in industrial manufacturing.

The runic armor worn by the dwarves from the other world has already been subjected to various comparisons and analyses by the research team.

The dwarves' smelting technology is extremely advanced. Professor Peng and his team discovered early on that the armor steel was made of top-grade alloy steel. It not only incorporates adamantite, mithril, and other unique metals from another world, but also enhances the steel's stability, hardness, and flexibility.

During the instrument's detection, rhenium, platinum, molybdenum, tungsten, and other rare elements that are clearly used in the modern world to enhance the special properties of steel were also found inside the armor.

At first, Professor Peng's team was very surprised when they discovered these things, because extracting rare metals is no simple matter.

The impact of this armor material on the research team was probably this: they discovered that a tribal civilization using bows and arrows had a range comparable to rifles and could penetrate human bulletproof vests! After further research and analysis, they were shocked to find that these tribal civilizations' manufacturing processes were even more advanced than theirs!

In short, it's outrageous!

However, when scientists consider that this is a magical world, the lifespan of dwarves, and the captured dwarf appendages, after bone age and various tests, it is confirmed that they have a lifespan of about 200 years or more. And the older they live, the more intelligent they become. Metal smelting is something that requires a lot of experience and skill. It is not unreasonable that dwarves possess some technologies that are far more advanced than those of humans under the magical elements!

One theory for evaluating the advancement of human civilization is its steel production.

Putting aside the dwarves' ability and output in manufacturing ordinary metals, their ability in manufacturing rare metals is definitely commendable.

The barrels of the magical three-eyed muskets made by the dwarves, the fragments of the broken cannons captured earlier, the runic armor steel on their bodies, and the cold weapons in their hands all have high scientific research and replication value.

If these things can be thoroughly studied, regardless of their impact on the modern world, their impact on the other world will definitely be enormous!

When the new round of metal smelting experiments resumed, Su Mingjin had already gone outside.

When Deng Dakang saw that the other person was looking at him, he pretended to be indifferent and followed them out.

"Professor Deng, the energy absorption device you recently made by imitating dragon scales is quite impressive, and the soldiers really like it." After leaving the room, Su Mingjin said to Deng Dakang with a smile.

Deng Dakang dared not take credit and quickly said, "President Su, it's all thanks to everyone. The Dragon Scale device still needs modification and verification. We will improve it little by little."

“Yes, it would be best if the side effects of absorbing those energy particles could be minimized.” Speaking of this, Su Mingjin then asked, “Professor Deng, do you think that if the rune steel is completed, using it as the main supply material for the dragon scale device would be more efficient?”

While energy absorption devices that mimic dragon scales can integrate energy particles into the human body, the intensity of these energy particles is not easy to control, and they cannot isolate energy particles in the fastest way.

While energy particles impacting the human body can rapidly enhance physical fitness and muscle cell strength, over time, the subtle damage to the soldiers' bodies will also increase.

Deng Dakang paused for a few seconds, carefully choosing his words: "This still requires more scientific testing and verification! The research team is working hard to overcome this challenge, and I cannot give an exact timeframe at the moment."

He knew that Su Mingjin wasn't asking this question because she really wanted a clear answer, but rather to remind him that the subtle side effects of the Dragon Scale Device on the soldiers needed to be addressed as soon as possible.

Oh, what a greedy leader!
It's already quite remarkable that there's something in this world that can rapidly enhance human physical fitness; how could it be completely free of any cost?

"I see!" Su Mingjin nodded. "Okay, you can follow along for now! The road to scientific research is never smooth sailing. I have other things to attend to, so I'll be going now!"

Deng Dakang nodded, and after seeing Su Mingjin off, he returned to the Special Materials Research Center.

When the group returned, they saw that their research colleagues, who had been on high alert, now seemed very... carefree.

Unfortunately, many research projects have recently experienced varying degrees of delays, causing significant psychological stress for everyone.

Su Mingjin's arrival put even more pressure on them.

Deng Dakang glanced around the lab. Several young researchers were whispering in a corner. When they saw him return, they immediately pretended to be diligently recording data.

"Fortunately, President Su only came to comfort everyone and gave us some gifts. He didn't say anything harsh, otherwise these researchers would have been under a lot of pressure!" Deng Dakang thought to himself. Then, seeing Professor Peng standing in the laboratory with his eyes wandering, he went straight in.

"Tell me in detail, is this metal smelting project reliable or not? It feels like you're just playing the lottery to me."

"Even if it's unreliable, it has to be reliable! After all, materials science is all about trial and error and playing the lottery!" Professor Peng pursed his lips. "Damn it, the fundamental energy particles of this other world have changed this world too much. It's completely impossible to figure out the operating rules of so many fundamental microscopic worlds in a few months. We can only lock in the experimental boundaries here and then exhaustively explore them little by little!"

As Professor Peng spoke, he pulled a crumpled little notebook from his pocket, opened it, and showed it to Deng Dakang: "Look, just for the timing of adding the powder made from the magic crystals, we listed thirty-two possibilities. Oxygen ratio, temperature curve, magic crystal powder ratio... each variable can generate more than a dozen combinations."

"Only exhaustive search?" Deng Dakang's temples throbbed as he looked at the densely packed records!
"Sigh, are other people like this too?" Professor Peng asked after sighing.

Deng Dakang shrugged and told the other person what Professor Wen Min had told him earlier.

"Hey, don't laugh at your brother!" Professor Peng breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. "I thought we were the only ones making slow progress. It seems everyone is feeling their way across the river."

He stuffed the notebook back into his pocket and turned to look at the workers cleaning the furnace: "But then again, although this furnace exploded today, the data is very valuable. Look at that energy particle concentration curve, the peak appeared three seconds earlier than I expected."

"Did this give you any new ideas?"

“Not really!” Professor Peng’s eyes flashed with excitement. “With the same materials, if we advance the oxygen injection time in the next batch, we might be able to complete the entire smelting process before the energy particle concentration explodes. As long as we can handle the high-energy reactions during smelting and prevent an explosion!”

Looking at Professor Peng's eager expression, Deng Dakang suddenly realized that the psychological qualities of materials scientists were similar to those of those who worked on viruses and bacteria.

All of these involve searching for possible operations from countless possibilities.
-
After the war, there was naturally time for rest and recuperation.

However, things haven't been going well for Zhao Chong and Tu Ying lately.

Zhao Chong lit a cigarette and settled into a relaxed, reclining position.

Looking at the wind and snow outside, he suddenly uttered a modified limerick.

"Nothing to do in the camp, cleaning guns, tinkering with targets, and throwing bombs. Doing this over and over again, hundreds and thousands of times, all my comrades are exhausted... Sigh..."

"Want to become a demon pill? Zhao Chong, give me one too!"

Seeing Tu Ying walking over in her heavy training clothes, Zhao Chong reluctantly tossed her a cigarette: "Aren't you training anymore?"

"Hmm, take a break first!" Tu Ying took the cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag. "Your mission as the team went wrong this time, are you feeling upset?"

Zhao Chong exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes fixed on the distant river: "The dwarves are all in caves. We're too tall and strong to get in. In the future... it'll probably be the robots' world. We... won't be able to earn points easily!"

"Isn't it better than wasting soldiers' lives and risking their lives to rush into a maze of caves, which are only a meter high on average, to capture dwarves?"

Tu Ying flicked her cigarette ash, a hint of resentment in her eyes.

They had been lying in wait for several days and had suffered a lot. What they thought was the first line of defense turned into a three-front war! Their comrades on other fronts were too capable and efficient, and there were no survivors they caught.

"Yes, that's why I'm feeling sentimental!"

Dwarves are a little over a meter tall and wield powerful firearms and magical cannons. These cannonballs and explosives are extremely powerful, and their destructive power is even more incredible in narrow underground tunnels.

The average height of the soldiers from Dongda University is over 1.7 meters. With helmets and other equipment, they need tunnels at least two meters high to ensure their combat capability.

Only the most insane, irrational commanders and soldiers would dare to fight inside caves dug by dwarves.

The robots and mechanical wolf legion that were urgently dispatched during the last capture of dwarves had many minor flaws, but their excellent exchange ratio proved that the future ultimately belongs to the even smaller robots.

The two remained silent for a long time.

After half a cigarette had burned out, Zhao Chong finally spoke: "Do you think we soldiers will really be replaced by robots in the future?"

"What are you thinking about?" Tu Ying laughed. "No matter how powerful the robots are, they still need someone to command them. Besides, those dwarven tunnels are a special case. When we get to open areas, we still have to rely on people like us."

“That’s true…” Zhao Chong stubbed out his cigarette, “but on the leaderboard, quite a few of our comrades from both sides have already climbed up in points.”

"Don't rush!" Tu Ying pointed to the busy engineers by the river. "Once the soldiers have finished surveying, excavating the ship berths, and building the port, we can go out to sea and compete with the Jiaolong Commando Team. Then the points will come back, right?" Zhao Chong's eyes lit up, and then he nodded.

Tu Ying flicked away her cigarette butt and stomped it out. "Zhao Chong, this time we're responsible for protecting the engineering corps and getting them to build the port. After this mission is over, we'll fight for first place!"

“Okay!” Zhao Chong stretched out his hand.

Tu Ying grasped his hand and slapped it hard: "It's settled then!"
-
The time portal area, the command center.

Su Mingjin strode in, and as soon as she stepped into the hall, she noticed that the atmosphere had become very serious.

The attention of many commanders and intelligence gatherers was focused on the large electronic screen, where several staff officers were exchanging words in hushed tones.

She looked up at the screen, her pupils contracting slightly.

In the scene, two dwarves riding Gru are slowly moving towards the Ice River Base.

One of the dwarves was dressed in gorgeous clothes and carried some fancy things.

Even the Grumon, which is mainly used for war, is covered with a very conspicuous cape!
“Hey, isn’t that the dwarf leader…” Su Mingjin stared at the dwarf on the left side of the screen.

Brigade Commander Man strode over and saluted: "Commander Su, these are the dwarves we discovered yesterday!"

Yesterday, the situation gathering center discovered a group of dwarves more than ten kilometers outside the base, who were sneaking around there.

A swarm of drones and camouflaged surveillance robots kept an eye on them, but these guys neither came closer nor backed away; they just loitered around there all day.

I didn't expect that the other party would arrive just as I went to check the situation from the side!
"The soldiers in the rocket department must be itching to get out of it, right?" Su Mingjin chuckled.

Commander Man chuckled: "That's right, the cruise missiles are all ready, just waiting to fire. But these dwarves just won't do anything sneaky, so our Truth and Flying Spaghetti Motorcycle can only watch helplessly."

"now what?"

“The dwarves separated an hour ago.” Commander Man brought up another scene. “The main force returned to the mountains and forests, leaving only two dwarves riding Gru beasts this way! Judging from their attire, they should be envoys.”

Su Mingjin stared at the screen for a few seconds, then suddenly pointed at the dwarf on the left: "Isn't that the head of the dwarf prisoner we captured last time?"

“That’s right, it’s him.” A hint of excitement flashed in Brigade Commander Man’s eyes. “President Su, what do we do now? Should we proceed according to the original plan, or should we set off some fireworks for them first?”

Su Mingjin glanced at him: "You really want to set off fireworks?"

"Hehe..." Commander Man scratched his head.

"Let's proceed with the safest plan." Su Mingjin withdrew her gaze. "Is Commander Fu ready?"

“Everything is ready.” Brigade Commander Man immediately put away his smile. “Brigade Commander Fu will go with Professor Yu Qiwen and Tang Huanzhu to make contact. I’ve also made arrangements on the military side! The sniper team, anti-material team, and rocket team are all on standby. If the dwarves dare to make any ulterior motives…”

He didn't finish his words, but the meaning was clear.

Su Mingjin nodded.

Dwarves are, after all, an intelligent race with their own traditions and civilization; starting a war rashly would have too great an impact.

As for why Brigade Commander Fu was sent there, wasn't that just a coincidence?

The pioneering team is about to begin large-scale development of the Devil's Sea, and Commander Fu must ensure that nothing goes wrong at the Ice River Base.

Moreover, the naval combat forces dispatched from the rear will arrive soon, and both sides need to coordinate and study the reconnaissance and combat missions in the otherworldly devil sea area.

At this critical juncture, the human side will either make peace or... let the dwarves know what overwhelming firepower means.

Peace is won through fighting, and authority is earned through beatings.

If the little ones don't actively cause trouble for their Eagle Daddy, how could they suddenly have an extra daddy for no reason?
“We’ll deploy surveillance equipment and record the entire process,” Su Mingjin said. “We need to see the dwarves’ actions clearly and assess their true intentions.”

The monitoring equipment was activated to record the entire process, and these records were intended for the leaders back home to view.

While flexibility is often required at the grassroots and frontline levels, you must at least ensure that appearances are maintained.

If even superficial projects aren't done well, then there's definitely something wrong internally.

Once you lose face, your substance will definitely suffer very quickly.

Just like the Emperor of Ten Thousand Taxes building a courtyard now, is what he's building a courtyard?

They're maintaining their image and their authority over the eagles.

"understand!"

Commander Man turned around and gave the order. Soon, multiple angles of the screen switched to display the images.

Drone aerial photography, ground monitoring, infrared imaging... a dozen cameras simultaneously tracked the two dwarfs' every move.

Su Mingjin sat in her seat at the command post, her eyes fixed on the screen.

The dwarf's Grubeast moved very slowly, and the two dwarves did not make any unusual movements.

"General Su, they've come out of the mountains and are now three kilometers away from our temporary camp," a staff officer reported.

"Okay, continue tracking. Check other departments for any magical fluctuations!"

"Report: Nothing found!"

Su Mingjin breathed a sigh of relief.

The command center gradually quieted down!
Everyone watched all this, waiting—waiting for the dwarves to reveal their true intentions, and waiting for the outcome of this meeting, which could be either war or peace.

More than a hundred kilometers away.

Belgas rode on the Gru beast, raising his hand to stroke his wildly growing beard.

His beard had just been groomed and was neatly tied, with a special dwarf ointment on it that glistened in the sunlight.

Compared to before, Bellegas now exudes a more refined and scholarly air befitting a consul.

Bellegas looked into the distance and saw that the humans were already making moves and mobilizing their troops. He pursed his lips and then looked at Lills Ironhammer beside him.

Then he noticed that the other person had been adjusting their collar the whole time.

"Liers, stay calm and don't do anything funny!"

"I've been fucking calm, Bellergas, I'm just feeling a little uncomfortable in my clothes!"

This dwarven envoy's uniform was completely different from his usual attire.

After wearing it, the collar is tightly fastened, making people feel suffocated and restricted. When turning your neck, it feels like you are being gripped!
He desperately wanted to unscrew it, but he couldn't; it was the dwarves' rule.

Many years ago, an envoy from the noble High Mountain Kingdom went to meet with humans, only to be mocked by those damned humans.

That wasn't the end of it. The humans repeatedly mocked them, which finally provoked the hot-tempered ones to open fire, leading to the subsequent bloodshed.

From then on, they came into contact and communicated with envoys from other races. The dwarf ambassadors had to dress respectably and not lose face.

Otherwise, you'll easily be ridiculed by those despicable guys.

Well, it doesn't matter if I communicate with the long-eared people who have a very good relationship with me.

The short man and the long-eared man knew each other well. Although they had a lot of interactions and dirty tricks, and soldiers of different races often went missing, equipment would mysteriously appear in each other's territories, and some officers' collections would contain skulls or fine dwarf daggers. When they first met, they even wanted the other to submit and become their dog.

But most of the time, everyone maintains a relatively equal and mutually supportive relationship.

There's no way around it, humans are too powerful!

Bellegas's gaze fell on the steel creations controlled by humans in the distance.

They arrived openly and honestly, and when the other side discovered them, the convoy drove towards them.

As the convoy approached, the tires rolled over the ice, producing a dull rumble that shook everyone's hearts.

These steel behemoths were even bigger than the last one I saw, and some guns that looked extremely dangerous were hanging on their bodies.

"Liers, don't you dare move around like that, you're disgracing the High Mountain Kingdom." Bellegas lowered his voice, trying to ease his tension by scolding others.

“Hmm.” Lils pursed his lips, staring at the approaching steel constructs, and soothed his mount, Gru. “We’re on opposite sides now. Should we use our traditional loud voice to gain the upper hand?”

Bellergas shook his head. "Your mouth is too foul! I'm the envoy, and I'll be the first to speak."

"Alright, but you'd better give me a good scolding later, otherwise I'm afraid we won't be able to hold our heads up and will be laughed at by our clansmen..."

Liers was about to speak when he noticed the Grumon making a restless cry.

He tightly controlled the restless, struggling Grumon with both hands.

This interruption silenced them both.

As humans began to arrive, for some reason, he started to feel anxious.

The biggest spectacle he had ever witnessed was the annual celebration of the Forging Conference, where he hosted a grand drinking contest where thousands of dwarven brewers gathered together.

Logically speaking, he should have been very calm in the face of such a small situation.

But in this situation... why can't he remain calm even though there are so few human vehicles?

Looking at the few vehicles driven by humans, Liers made an estimate in his mind.

Each human vehicle was larger than a dwarf's forge, had no magical fluctuations, and did not rely on steam or wood as fuel to move.

Is it a completely new power source?
Liers thought he had overestimated the Jurchens, and even believed that Bellegas had been captured by humans because of carelessness. But when he saw the Jurchens from the north up close, he found that they were even more formidable than he had imagined!

Lillis took a deep breath and told himself to stay calm.

A few hundred meters away, the human convoy stopped.

The car door opened, and a tall, muscular man jumped out of the armored vehicle.

He walked with a brisk pace, dressed in thick snow camouflage.

Although Liers didn't know the other person, he knew he was a leader as soon as he saw him.

Bellegas also squinted and sized up the other person.

This human is different from the ones I've seen before.

The humans who captured him last time were ferocious. Most of the humans he encountered were relatively young, and the leader woman's demeanor left a deep impression on him.

Upon seeing it, he wanted to twist off the other person's head, gild it, and keep it as a trophy.

The new human male exuded a calm and composed aura, clearly someone who had seen a lot in his life.

"Stay calm, these humans are dangerous!"

Bellergas then looked at Lillers beside him and winked at him.

Liers nodded, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the rear of the human convoy.

There were several other vehicles over there, parked very far apart, and the human warriors inside had already emerged from the steel structures.

Someone was holding a long, cylindrical, strange musket, which was mounted on the roof of the vehicle.

There were also people watching them from behind. They looked wary and were not people to be trifled with.

The only thing that relieved Lillis was that these men's guns weren't pointed at them.

But the strange look in the other person's eyes made Liers very uncomfortable.

He now understood why Bellergas had repeatedly told him to maintain a positive mindset.

Because those human beings looked at their noble mountain kingdom's envoy with the same eyes they would use to look at prey.

The other person's gaze made Liers extremely uncomfortable!

"Damn it, are we their spoils of war? These despicable bastards..."

On the other side of the convoy.

After getting off the armored vehicle, Commander Fu's gaze swept over the Gru beasts ridden by the two dwarves and their attire.

His gaze locked onto the dwarf on his left, dressed in magnificent clothes—the leader of the group of prisoners captured earlier.

Now this guy is dressed like a proper man, with a mountain emblem hanging on his chest.

His hands were not on his weapon, and he kept gesturing to his mount to keep quiet.

The other party showed the most basic goodwill.

Negotiation is possible!

Commander Fu breathed a sigh of relief.

"President Fu, these two dwarves are the ones we're negotiating with! There are more than a dozen other dwarves scattered and hidden on their mountain, all carrying weapons and small cannons. Their positions are quite dispersed, so if a battle breaks out, please take cover in the armored vehicle immediately!" came the scout's report over the headset.

"Understood, they should all be the guards protecting the envoys. No need to be too nervous!" Commander Fu replied with a smile.

He then clenched and unclenched his fists twice behind his back—a signal to his guards nearby, telling the sniper to remain on standby and not to make any rash moves.

Upon hearing the notification from his earpiece, he finally managed what he considered a kind smile and looked at Tang Huanzhu and Professor Yu Qiwen beside him.

"Hello, we are humans, from the XXXX Republic..." Commander Fu spoke gently, and Tang Huanzhu quickly translated it into the elven language that the dwarves could understand.

"You bastards! Trash! Garbage! Dead dogs! Shameful scoundrels! How dare you invade our kingdom without our knowledge! You say one thing and do another!"

"You untrustworthy human bastard!"

"Do you fucking want war?"

"Do you want to bear our wrath?"

(End of this chapter)