Steel torrents pioneering a different world.

Chapter 300 We just want to fill our stomachs and eat! (Bonus Chapter)

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Another world, a tranquil harbor, a human settlement!

This area was originally close to a military base.

Because the corruption had not been completely eradicated and purified multiple times, in order to ensure the safety of the pioneering team, the human warriors built scattered camps in places that would not affect the dwarves and could be sheltered from artillery fire.

Then, some of the cooks deliberately placed their cooking areas very close to the dwarf settlement.

However, humans did not enter Tranquil Harbor.

After killing many dwarves who had dared to eat human food, the dwarves did not sever all ties. They purchased food but did not interact much with humans or engage in any commercial transactions.

Dwarves and humans maintained a strange tacit understanding.

At that very moment, another dwarven grain-gathering team sneaked in to purchase supplies.

Zhao Zhong stretched his neck, looking at the dwarves who were transporting grain in a furtive manner, and then at the dwarven goods they had left behind.

"These dwarves are quite good at business."

The butcher, chewing on a blade of grass from another world, said, "Steel ingots, silver coins, gold coins, and all sorts of gems can be exchanged for food, but only in small quantities. Do you think they're plotting to kill us all?"

Although Zhao Zhong and Tu Ying are fierce competitors in their teams, they have developed a bond through playing together.

Surprisingly, everyone's relationship with each other has become better and better in private.

The butcher rubbed his armpits, wondering what he would be cooking today: "Who knows! Maybe!"

"The reconnaissance team discovered that those guys executed nine dwarves last night. This morning, dwarven scavengers have been frequently hauling corpses from the dwarven mass graves, and their food shortage is getting worse."

Upon hearing Zhao Zhong say this, the butcher sighed, "Alas, it's a pity that our superiors won't allow us to lay a hand on them."

They whispered among themselves, not understanding the orders from their superiors, but knowing they lacked a legitimate opportunity.

It's really too difficult to have a legitimate reason for a military action.

Just then, a bright blue light suddenly appeared in front of them.

Then, a figure that both the butcher and Zhao Zhong had seen appeared in front of them.

"Human friends, I need your help with something!"

Zhao Zhong and the butcher, who had been enjoying themselves immensely, immediately stood up!

Tranquil Harbor, a poor neighborhood inhabited by dwarves.

No matter where you are, in any world, except for the University of Tokyo which has a decent safety net, the poor don't have it too good.

The cutoff line for capital in the modern world begins at the moment you are born.

Forty percent of the tuition fees for the subsidized meals are mandatory.

He lost his job completely, then lost the opportunity to rent a place, and then became homeless.

Even if they become homeless, they might soon find themselves on the operating table a few years later, becoming cadavers for voluntary medical research.

In a technologically advanced world, everything humankind possesses has become a highly utilized resource.

In the dwarf kingdom of another world, technology and productivity are underdeveloped, and the poor dwarves can only rely on selling their physical labor and skills to earn meager wages.

Everyone is trying to live.

Unfortunately, the corrupting dwarves' actions destroyed too much.

The dwarves' ships at sea consumed a large amount of magic crystals, forcing countless dwarves to endure the cost of sinking at sea while continuing their deep-sea fishing expeditions.

The biting wind, carrying the smell of fish, seeped into every crack in the wooden house, as if trying to strip away the last bit of warmth from one's bones.

Thick smoke billowed from the burning plant stalks in the braziers, but the skillful dwarves used a crude method to get the smoke out.

The dwarves huddled together, using each other's body heat to ward off the damned cold.

After the celestial convergence, the air on the Forsaken Continent began to become unstable. The Corruptor's fire further transformed food into an incredibly precious commodity.

The porridge that the noble gentlemen had been giving out in recent days was becoming increasingly thin and bland.

It's so clear now you can see your reflection in it, with a few bits of fish scraps floating in it; that's already a mercy.

Old Pauline next door, who had a broken leg, didn't make it through last night; his body was stiff.

His companions buried him, and his belongings were burned as fuel.

Cold and hunger are more agonizing than the sharpest knife.

Some of the dwarves who were sheltering here for warmth started cursing and swearing as they recalled what had happened a few days ago.

At first, the noblemen rallied the people, saying they would overcome the difficulties together, and everyone believed them.

But now, the aroma of meat often wafts out from the noble lord's place.

Their stomachs were completely empty, everyone's patience ran out, and the resentment that had been suppressed by death began to grow again.

Of course, no one dared to complain openly.

Tranquil Harbor is under military control. Anyone who dares to speak out of turn will be labeled a corrupt heretic and will die without even knowing how.

In the past few days, many dwarves who could no longer endure the hunger, or families with beautiful female dwarves, have been forcibly taken over by those guys.

Although the nobleman punished some hooligans and ruffians.

But a beating plus a few days' worth of grain penalty can win over others; the evil thoughts of those hooligans and thugs simply cannot be suppressed.

In this dilapidated house, which was packed with people, there was a lot of discussion going on in private.

"I'm thinking I should go out to sea to fish," a stubble-bearded dwarf said in a muffled, hoarse voice, his breath weak.

"Are you crazy, Stonebeard!" Someone next to him immediately grabbed him. "Of those ships that went out yesterday, how many came back? We don't even have a decent magic crystal ship. Without magic crystals to power our disguise rune array, forget about it. Those few rickety planks—going to the Devil's Sea would just be making us sitting ducks, feeding the fish!"

Fishing in the ocean is extremely dangerous for dwarves. This is where the runic arrays inherited from their dwarven ancestors come in handy.

The rune array powered by magic crystals, with its patterns covering the bottom of the ship, makes the ship subconsciously ignored by schools of fish while sailing.

This is also the practice used in many shipping operations in most of the world's dangerous seas.

Unfortunately, the Corruptors had previously amassed a large amount of magic crystals from the powerful and wealthy, as well as boatmen, in order to repair the energy shield of the military base.

In the end, a lot of magic crystals were consumed, and many ships became idle at the docks.

There are now only about twenty ships gathered in Ningjing Port.

The catch from this small boat is far too little to support a small population.

With so many people in Ningjing Harbor, the daily food consumption is enormous.

Even if some moderately wealthy families might have some food left over, the inevitable spread of hunger would first and foremost affect these starving, destitute dwarfs with no savings.

Fortunately, the High Mountain Kingdom doesn't have such powerful pharmaceutical companies, so the dwarves don't have to be forced to sell their blood.

Oh, right, it's illegal for dwarves to sell other dwarves, but that doesn't apply to other races.

"Yes, Stonebeard, you can't go! Magic crystals are scarce right now; if you go, you'll just become snacks for the sea serpents!"

The dwarf known as Stonebeard had sunken eyes. He pounded his chest with a dull thud: "But I have seven mouths to feed! My daughter is sick again, coughing so badly she's practically coughing her lungs up, and we don't have any medicine—"

He didn't say anything more, but everyone understood.

Boom boom boom!

The sudden knocking brought the conversation inside to an abrupt halt, and everyone looked warily toward the doorway.

"Who?"

"I am an octopus!"

Hearing that it was a nickname of an acquaintance, everyone's tense nerves finally relaxed.

The door was pulled open a crack, and a thin dwarf squeezed in. He quickly took off his obviously ill-fitting thick clothes and handed them to an older dwarf.

The clothes were borrowed from the old dwarf.

He was too poor; his winter clothes were too thin to keep him warm at all.

After he put his things down, the dwarves left him a place to warm himself by the fire. He then breathed out white smoke and said, "Lord Ati, gentlemen, I just heard that the noble lords are going to recruit fishermen again."

The old dwarf, called Ati, rubbed his clothes to remove the snowflakes clinging to them: "What's the price?"

"Lord Iron Hammer of Glory personally promises! As long as you dare to go out to sea and return alive after fishing, each fisherman will receive twenty catties of coarse grains!"

A collective gasp filled the room.

Twenty pounds of coarse grains!

At this critical juncture where human life is less valuable than grass, this is enough to sustain a family for more than half a month!

But everyone knows that this money was earned at the cost of lives.

Shi Xu's breathing instantly became heavy, and a flickering flame rekindled in his dim eyes.

"Don't go, you'll most likely die!" Ati warned quietly.

"Lord Ati, starving is the same as dying anyway! My child is sick again," Shi Xu suddenly stood up, his vision blurring from the sudden movement. "I believe in Lord Glory Iron Hammer's promise! I'll go!"

He looked at everyone in the room and forced a smile that was more like a grimace: "Someone has to go. They'll either die at sea or starve on land. I choose the former. I don't want to see my daughter go before me!"

The room was deathly silent, save for his heavy breathing and the crackling of the straw in the brazier.

Just then, a gust of wind suddenly blew in. Then, the aroma of food wafted in through the crack in the door.

The rich aroma of stewed meat, rice, and steamed buns, along with the scents of various soups and sauces, wafted in on the breeze.

These smells are like an invisible hand, grabbing everyone's noses and forcibly pulling them in that alluring direction.

The smell naturally came from the human camp not far away.

"Damn it—" A young dwarf couldn't help but swallow hard, his Adam's apple bobbing as he gulped. "Why do these humans eat dinner every night? Are they celebrating a holiday?"

"I smell it—it's roast chicken! Hmm, the humans mentioned before that it smells like sweet honey. I smelled it at the nobleman's place."

"What's this sweet flavor? It tastes so refreshing."

The dwarves closed their eyes, their nostrils twitching, their faces showing a mixture of pain and pleasure, as if they could taste the unattainable delicacy just by smelling it.

Rotten Fish was so hungry he was seeing stars. He loosened his belt, slacked off to loosen his stomach, and then suddenly tightened it again.

I have to tighten it; it feels like there's a little devil churning inside my empty stomach.

"I'm full. This time the food was pretty good," the precocious little fish said with a wry smile. "Humans really have a lot of good things to offer."

"No matter how much there is, it's not ours." Rotten Fish's childhood friend leaned against the wall, looking weak and listless. "The masters gave a strict order: anyone who dares to approach the human camp, anyone who dares to eat a single bite of human food, will be treated as a traitor."

Thinking of the dwarf brethren who had been hanged in the past few days, their bodies still hanging on tree trunks, everyone present shuddered.

"But is there any difference between us being dead and alive? I'm so hungry. If I really can't take it anymore, I'll go eat my fill and then die!" A voice came from the corner, tinged with a sharp sarcasm. "By the way, did you know? A few days ago, someone saw the noble lord's servants huddled together with the human leaders, transporting goods back by the cartload?"

Rotten Fish glanced at its companion, then lowered its head, not daring to utter a sound.

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly after those words were spoken.

"Transporting things? What are you transporting?"

"Who knows? It's covered up completely. Anyway, these noblemen keep saying humans are evil, but I've seen them doing business non-stop behind the scenes."

"You know nothing! That's strategy! Humans covet our forging skills, we can't be their slaves!" an older dwarf immediately retorted, though his words lacked conviction.

"Serving like cattle and horses?" A dwarf named Big Mouth scoffed. He had eaten two meals from humans just a few days ago. "Humans eat three meals a day, each one hot and full of all sorts of dishes I can't even name! I've never eaten so much in my life! You didn't see it, those human soldiers eat better than noble lords!"

"Stop talking! If we get caught, I'll probably be treated as a traitor—no, as a corrupt official and executed!"

"Traitor?" Big Mouth puffed out his non-existent chest, grinned, and said, "Then I'd rather die a well-fed ghost! When my ancestors come to fetch me, at least I'll have the strength to stand up straight and walk with them. That's better than starving into a dried-up piece of firewood, isn't it?"

"Exactly!" Rotten Fish's childhood friend couldn't hold back any longer, angrily punching the wall. "The men are so shrewd, maybe they have their reasons, but we're starving! Every day they give us such a tiny bit of thin porridge that you can barely see your reflection in, just to keep us alive. Forget about working, I get dizzy just standing up!"

"Still working to support your family? With the current rice prices in Ningjing Port, you can't even afford two jin (1 kg) with your monthly earnings!"

Amidst a chorus of sighs and lamentations, someone muttered under their breath, "Reinforcements—if only the reinforcements had arrived sooner, we might have been able to have a full meal."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire dilapidated house fell into a deathly silence once again.

Everyone lowered their heads, and the light that had been ignited in their eyes by fantasizing about food instantly went out.

Instead, a deeper, colder numbness prevailed.

Reinforcements?

This word was like a needle, shattering everyone's last illusions.

In the corner, Shi Xu, who had just made up his mind to risk his life, slowly clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white.

He decided to go tomorrow.

He needs food.

However, the words that some dwarf had said before resurfaced in his mind.

Why should noblemen live a life of luxury while they have to suffer from hunger?

For these dwarves struggling at the very bottom of society, the logic is simple: eat, survive, and then consider everything else!

The nobles and gentlemen constantly mutter that humans are trying to win people's hearts, that it's a sugar-coated bullet, and that it's all for the purpose of enslaving them in the future.

But when these shells fall, they really do provide enough food to eat and help people survive!

Some of our elderly compatriots who are running out of food are now dying.

Perhaps in just a few days, the daily death toll will continue to rise.

The thought of exchanging children for food, or even cannibalism due to hunger, sent chills down Shi Xu's spine.

In the somber and somber atmosphere, a dwarf's voice suddenly rang out: "Hey, do you think these humans think we're too skinny and want to fatten us up?"

"Big Mouth, why are you fattening him up?" The person next to him nudged him with his elbow.

"How would I know!" the dwarf puffed out his chest confidently. "Maybe humans have some strange quirk, they just like chubby dwarves as mascots?"

"You think you're some big-butt Grumon? Humans don't like big butts!"

"Maybe so. You know, I'm the most handsome guy on this street! I've heard that some noblewomen really like guys as handsome and strong as me."

As soon as he finished speaking, the other dwarves spat the twigs from their mouths onto the ground: "Big Mouth, you've got to be kidding me! Your two tattered goatees? If we're talking about looks, it's me! And if we're talking about strength, it's me too!"

"You have no strength at all, you're as skinny as a starving ghost, what are you bragging about?"

"You want to fight?"

The rotten fish lay in the distance, watching its companions bickering, but didn't join in the nonsense of these idle babblers.

In the past, after eating and drinking their fill, the companions would greet each other with a friendly fist bump.

This is a tradition of the dwarves.

Eat your fill, fight; get tired, eat again, and then continue fighting!

If Rotten Fish had the stamina, he might join in.

At that moment, he simply stepped back, then silently unbuckled his belt and tightened it again.

I tightened the belt before to prevent my empty stomach from churning.

I'm tightening it now because my stomach hurts a bit!

A cold wind blew in through the cracks, and he looked through the drafty house toward the direction where humans were stationed in the distance.

The area was brightly lit, with human-made magical lights illuminating the entire camp as if it were daytime.

As a gentle breeze blows, the aroma of food and dishes becomes irresistible.

Human food is really delicious.

Why wouldn't the noble lords let them eat it?

Thinking of the noble mansion's grand and respectable words, he once again felt inexplicable anger and resentment.

[What kind of era is this? Why do the noble lords continue to live a life of luxury while we lowly commoners, who have no fighting ability and failed our professional assessments, are destined to go hungry?]

The thought flashed through Rotten Fish's mind. He shook his head, and the image of the unlucky guy who had been hanged earlier floated into his mind.

Then banish this dangerous idea.

"Don't overthink it, you rotten fish! Absolutely don't overthink it!"

But the rumbling in his stomach felt more real than the threat of the noose.

He even had a ridiculous thought: maybe it would be better if humans offered us tribute and we were captured! He'd heard that his compatriots who were exiled from Pangula Fortress were being given food and lodging in human prisoner-of-war camps! Meat at every meal!

Just as he was lost in thought, wondering whether he should risk being hanged to scavenge for seafood in the crevices of the rocks by the sea, the dilapidated wooden door was smashed open again.

Boom!dong dong!

"Who?" All the dwarves in the room huddled together warily.

A childish yet shrill shout came from outside the door, tinged with both sobs and extreme excitement.

"Brother Rotten Fish! Ancestor! It's the ancestor appearing!"

"Our ancestors have brought everyone delicious food! Come and see! There's good food!"

After shouting, the child ran quickly to the next house and continued banging on the door, shattering the tranquility of the slum in an instant.

Inside the house, Rotten Fish and a few dwarves huddled together for warmth looked at each other, their eyes, blurry with hunger, filled with confusion.

"Ancestor?"

"Food?"

These two words are more useful than any command.

For three consecutive days, they only drank a thin porridge that was barely enough to see their reflections in, and hunger had overwhelmed their fear.

Rotten Fish was the first to get up and push open the door.

The cold wind made him shiver!

Outside, countless broken doors were pushed open, and one after another, emaciated dwarves poked their heads out, their faces bearing the same blankness and a hint of incredulous expectation.

In the distance, a dazzling, unprecedented magical light dispelled the darkness.

"Is it over there?" Rotten Fish squinted, his voice hoarse.

"Where are the enforcement team?"

"They didn't show up?"

"So many people have been woken up, we're just going to check on them, there shouldn't be any danger, right?"

"Let's go take a look!"

His childhood friend followed closely behind him, asking in a low voice.

"Let's go! There are so many of us, just to see what happens. What if our ancestors really come?"

More and more people are joining this silent torrent, moving towards the light source.

When Rotten Fish finally squeezed through the crowd and saw the scene under the light, he gasped, his heart almost leaping out of his throat.

This is a high platform that appeared out of nowhere, with light shining down from above.

At the center of the light, a burly figure sat in a chair, eyes closed, resting.

The meticulously groomed, blackish-gray beard, the black rune armor that seemed to devour light, and the rune sword beside him, though not burning, all made Rotten Fish's heart pound wildly.

Rotten Fish had prayed in the temple and, when burying his mother, had gazed upon the statue, hoping that his ancestors could guide his mother to the ancestral temple.

Inside the temple, there is an image from the tomb that is almost identical to the figure before us!

The spirits of our ancestors, Gazul!

A minor god who receives the souls of the dead and judges evil!

A great being whom countless dwarves yearn to be guided back to the Temple of their ancestors after their deaths!

Gazul is the only being who was transformed from one of the three main gods into a lesser god.

He was the spiritual idol of countless dwarves, and the object of their dreams after his death.

Legend has it that before the Silver Age, during a time when magical energy was abundant, the great Gazul could summon magic to protect the dwarves as heroic spirits.

Unfortunately, with the decline of magic, the Age of Conflict and the Age of Suffering arrived, and the dwarves' civilization, historical records, and many technological creations were lost on a large scale. Many powerful runic techniques and territories were also occupied by others.

The spirits of our ancestors gradually became legends.

But at this very moment, has the legendary being descended once again?

Thinking of the words the dwarves had excitedly spoken to him, Rotten Fish trembled with excitement, and many of the dwarves around him had already knelt down and were sobbing uncontrollably.

Because they felt hope for survival.

However, the rotten fish's excitement was quickly replaced by doubt.

Because his gaze fell upon the scene beside that sacred figure.

Right below the high platform where their ancestors stood, there was a row of figures they knew all too well.

The dwarf, whom others called "Honor Hammer," had his gang of domineering law enforcement officers, sheriffs, and even dozens of street thugs who usually extorted money. At this moment, they were all kneeling on the ground, their faces bruised and swollen, not daring to breathe.

Rotten Fish, with his sharp eyes, noticed that Glory Hammer's prized armor was dented, there was a clear shoe print on his face, and blood trickled from his nose and mouth.

Rotten Fish also recognized one of the rogue team members who had previously opened his door and told him not to have any contact with humans.

That guy is as arrogant as a crab and is known for his insatiable greed.

But now, his arm was twisted at an odd angle, and there was blood on his body. Although he was sweating profusely from the pain, he gritted his teeth and dared not utter a sound.

Ha, so you've finally met your match?

That was so damn satisfying!

A surge of pleasure rushed from the bottom of Rotten Fish's heart to the top of his head, and he almost couldn't help but laugh out loud.

But he immediately lowered his head, desperately suppressing his schadenfreude.

Who knows what the future holds for these guys?

My mother always said, "Never mess with important people, except for the dead."

Even if they look like a dead dog, it won't work.

A mad dog driven to the brink of despair bites the hardest.

Over the years, it is thanks to the life-saving knowledge his mother taught him that he has survived like a weed until now.

Suppressed murmurs rose and fell among the crowd.

"Ancestor, is that Glory Hammer? Why is he kneeling there?"

"Look at the guy next to him, isn't that the thug from yesterday? His face is swollen up to the size of his butt!"

"Keep your voice down! Do you want to die?!"

"What are we afraid of? Our ancestor is on the high platform; he will stand up for us!"

"Hehe, yeah, our ancestors will definitely stand up for us! Look at them, who knows who will die!"

As whispers circulated below, the dwarf community grew larger and larger.

It was at this moment that the majestic ancestor Gaizuer suddenly opened his eyes on the high platform.

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