Pioneer Wizard's Notebook

Linde observes the target through his Insightful Eye.

According to the ranking standards he set, the Icefield White Bear's strength is around level 8.

It was not much different from the Icefield Ghost Knight who attacked during the first manor defense battle.

At that time, the manor was still underdeveloped and its military strength was insufficient.

He and William went to great lengths to barely defeat the Icefield Ghost Knight and struggle to protect the manor.

Things are different now!

Confirmed that there are no other threats around the Icefield Ghost White Bear.

Lind, William, and Wayne did not make a move; they merely stood at a distance, observing from a distance.

Seven knights dismounted.

The three gripped their longbows, while the four raised their swords and shields, encircling the monster in front of them.

"Remember, the key is to cooperate with me and the others to hold that monster back. Don't charge forward like an idiot!"

Mark, holding a longbow, gave Broad some instructions with concern.

"Don't worry! I'm the brave and calm Broad now, I know exactly what to do!"

Broad patted his chest, excitedly raised his sword and shield, and led the other three knights in his squire forward.

"roar!"

Sensing the presence of living beings, the Icefield White Bear turned its head and roared, tearing through the ice and snow.

In response, it was met with three rapidly fired wolf-tooth arrows.

The meticulously crafted wolf-tooth arrowheads, combined with the full draw power of the yew longbow.

Despite the polar bear's attempt to dodge, the arrow still tore through its thick hide and pierced deep into its shoulder.

Unfortunately, it was no longer alive, and the injury did not affect its mobility.

Enraged, it roared and charged forward on all fours.

"Stop right there!"

Broad approached, and just as he was about to be hit, he moved his feet in quick succession, nimbly dodging to the side.

Then, the blade moved forward.

Spinning Slash!

The feeling he had when he helped his father find release was etched into his very being.

Brod unleashed this knightly combat technique once again.

The blade followed the wound inflicted by the wolf-tooth arrow, tearing a gash in the Ice Demon's shoulder and halting the monster's charge.

The other three knights followed closely behind, and with all their might, they plunged their swords into the bear's vulnerable belly.

"roar!"

Having been repeatedly mocked, the Icefield White Bear roared once more.

It raised its paw high, ready to tear the tiny insects in front of it to shreds.

At that moment, two arrows whistled through the air, piercing its eyes and brain with pinpoint accuracy.

A fatal blow!

Snowflakes fluttered down as the Icefield Demon Bear collapsed to the ground, signaling the end of the battle.

"Wow, that's amazing! When did you improve so much?"

Mark put down his longbow and glanced at Warren beside him with surprise.

The two of them shot through the monster's eyes almost simultaneously.

Warren had missed some training time, and Mark didn't expect that when he returned, he would improve so rapidly that he could keep up with Mark's pace.

"My arrows are guided by light; this is only natural, you don't understand."

After Warren finished speaking, he stared intently at his right arm, still immersed in the state of shooting the arrow, as if sensing something.

Seeing this, Mark shrugged and didn't bother him any further.

On the other side of the battlefield.

Linde and William were very satisfied with the performance of the knight's squire.

Judging from the performances of Broad, Mark, and Warren.

In just a few days, they will be able to fully master the power of combat skills and become members of the manor knights.

As for the other four, they seemed rather mediocre in comparison.

However, if training and nutrition are adequate, he could potentially become a Cavalier within a month.

After the battle, the knights' squires skinned the polar bear from the icefield.

It is tough and thick, making it more suitable as a material for leather armor than wolf skin.

As for the flesh and blood, it was inedible and even more troublesome to transport back, so the only solution was to dig a pit on the spot and bury it.

Just as Linde and the others were about to leave.

A sound suddenly came from under the rocks not far away.

"Gentlemen, friends, could you please stay a moment?"

"Who goes there!"

Lind frowned and gripped the hilt of his sword.

William and Wayne, who were beside him, instantly drew their longswords, rode their horses to block his way, their bodies tense, ready to attack at any moment.

The Frostfang Wolf gave no warning, and the wolfhounds were completely unaware.

They never expected that someone would be hiding so close!

"A professional on the path of an assassin?"

Lind guessed, but paused when he saw the figure emerging from under the rock.

It is short in stature, only 1.2 meters tall, but its limbs are extremely muscular, revealing rock-like bronze-colored grooves.

Such a striking appearance immediately made Linde realize the other party's identity.

They weren't assassins, but a race of dwarves living in the icy volcanoes of the North.

"Don't worry, everyone, I meant no harm. Thank you for helping me get rid of that terrible monster."

Seeing their strong reaction, the dwarf quickly raised his hands to indicate that he had no weapon.

"It was nothing, don't worry about it."

Linde raised his hand, signaling William and the others to put away their weapons, then jumped off his horse and came to the dwarf.

"Since we're friends, please explain your background. This is the valley area of ​​the Ice Mist Forest, which is part of the Blossom Territory of the Kingdom of Rosa. As far as I know, there shouldn't be any dwarf settlements nearby."

"Excuse me, who are you?"

Seeing the imposing manner in his words, the dwarf tentatively asked.

"I am the lord of the Flourishing Blossom Territory, and the land you stand on is my territory."

As Linde spoke, he looked at the dwarf's clothes.

Made of fur, it uses high-quality materials, but its design is quite rugged.

It doesn't look like something from the human kingdom; it's more like something from the north.

The dwarf hesitated when asked.

After glancing at the cavalry and Frostfang wolves behind him, he finally made up his mind and spoke:

"Alright, that's why I called you here. I hope you won't be angry later. Please come with me; my people are nearby."

The dwarf led the way.

Linde followed behind, and when he heard that there were other dwarves here, his doubts deepened.

Driven by curiosity, he went to a nearby cave.

They discovered that there were more than a dozen dwarves inside, but most of them were injured and in very poor condition.

"Sobo, the elder already knows you've encountered humans. Unfortunately, he can't come out to greet you right now, so he can only have your guest go inside to see him."

A dwarf lying on the ground with his arm bandaged raised his head and spoke.

Sobo nodded and continued to lead the way.

William and Wayne were wary of their surroundings. Lind glanced at the cave, did not refuse, and followed the dwarf.

Inside the deepest part of the cave was an old dwarf lying on a bed, his face a ghastly pale.

"Ahem, the Stormwind Clan welcomes our guests. We apologize for greeting you in this state."

With Sobo's help, the old dwarf coughed as he stood up, apologizing.

"Don't worry about such trivial matters. What happened to you? Why are you here?"

Linde asked.

Judging from the marks on the outside, these dwarves arrived at the cave about two weeks ago.

For some reason, I've been hiding here and won't go out anymore.

"We are the Stormwind Clan from the Northern City of Coldwind. Two months ago, the army of the White Frost Dragonborn breached the city, and we had no choice but to flee to escape the war."

"However, now war is raging in the North, the kings of Winter are killing each other, and war is raging everywhere."

"The road to the Dwarven Royal Court has been blocked, leaving us no choice but to head south in hopes of finding refuge in a city of the southern human kingdom."

The old dwarf sighed and explained their origins.

Linde was unaware of the situation in the North and had no idea that it had become so chaotic.

But the distance is too great to affect him.

Therefore, Linde is now more concerned about the situation of these dwarves.

The old dwarf continued, "The journey was going smoothly at first, and we were preparing to follow the Mecca River into the Kingdom of Rosa, but we never expected to be attacked by that guy here."

"Who?"

"The King of the White Bears, a monster that has awakened the bloodline of the bears of the thin earth, capsized our glacier ships, severely wounded the warriors of the raging winds, and now commands the Ice Demons to search for our whereabouts."

"I see."

Linde roughly understood the situation.

No wonder these dwarves were all wounded and hiding in this narrow, dark cave.

However, he knew that the old dwarf hadn't revealed a very important piece of information:

How they evaded the pursuit of the white bear king was just as how Sobo evaded the Frostfang wolves' reconnaissance.

After explaining his origins, the old dwarf revealed his purpose:

"I hope you can provide Sobo with a warhorse and take him away from this dangerous forest area. He will leave on his own afterward."

"Sobo completed his craftsmanship assessment a year ago. If you are willing to provide assistance, once he enters a human city, I swear in the name of Fury that he will repay you a hundredfold."

This request was somewhat different from what Linde had imagined.

Linde asked, "Aren't the rest of you dwarves leaving? My rangers are enough to get you all out of here."

The old dwarf shook his head: "The King of the White Bear has remembered our scent. If we all leave, it will angrily attack your territory in the future. Fury never harms its friends."

Linde had heard that dwarves valued clan honor more than life itself.

Now it seems that's true; they were all quite particular.

At this moment, Sobo said, "Elder, you don't need to persuade me anymore. I cannot abandon the clan and run away alone, becoming a shameful coward!"

As he spoke, Sobo looked at Lind with pleading eyes.

"Your soldiers are powerful. If you can protect my people, I swear in the name of Sobo Stormrage that I will serve you for life!"

Linde did not answer immediately.

If he could, he would certainly like to take in this group of dwarves.

This is a dwarven craftsman who came to our doorstep, along with a group of high-end blacksmiths.

It would directly allow his territory's forging level to reach the level of Blackrock City, leaping several levels.

The problem is that, judging from the dwarves' description, the white bear king's strength is at least level 14.

Sunflower Manor is unlikely to be able to withstand the monster's attack.

"I need to know all the details before making a decision."

Linde glanced at Sobo, his gaze pointed.

Sobo hesitated for a moment, and seeing that the old dwarf didn't speak, indicating that he should make his own judgment, he decided to tell the truth.

"This is the Earth Crystal, a heirloom of the Stormwind Clan. It allows the holder's aura to merge with the earth, making them undetectable."

Sobo took out a piece of yellowish-brown crystal from his pocket.

"The King of the White Bears probably sensed it through his bloodline, which is why he launched such a frenzied attack. If you are willing to protect the Furywind Clan, I can give it to you."

Linde picked up the crystal and examined it carefully with his Eye of Insight, and an idea formed in his mind.

His spiritual recovery during this period was enough for him to revisit witchcraft once again.

With the help of the crystal, perhaps he could find a way to stop the King of White Bears.

The value of the dwarf, the crystal, and the hefty reward for killing the White Bear King made the risk worthwhile.

"Bring everyone with you, and come back to the manor immediately!"