Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"Your Majesty Visselg, understanding is one thing, but execution is another. Intelligent beings have their own senses, which are easily deceived and illusory. Go all out; the power of the Red Dragon is effective according to the amount of effort you exert. Even if you understood what I meant, do you really have the courage to swing your hammer with all your might when facing a physically disabled elder whom you respect and love?"

"Would you really place all your trust in a human who has been rejected by your people for less than two weeks in Macquarie?"

"And this human also demands that you take up arms and attack your own subjects."

"We usually call such a person a 'mad king'."

Wieselg closed his eyes as Lyle continued to question him. When Lyle's voice ended with "The Mad King," his dark green eyes seemed to burn with flames.

The King of Dwarves laughed.

"Such a miracle is enough to drive anyone mad. Lyle, you are a truly terrifying man."

"Guard, go and fetch the members of the Furnace Slag Team to the Bronze Hall!!!"

After a long while, the gates to the Bronze Summit slowly opened. The firelight from Mackenbert cast long shadows of the strange figures. They stood together, maintaining discipline and solemnity, and Captain Paul, leading the entire group of molten lava furnace members, dressed in tattered robes covered in patches, stepped into the Bronze Temple.

"Firehammer troops, assembled, Your Majesty." Paul propped himself up on his arms and threw himself off his wheelchair. The crippled dwarf removed his rigid prosthetic limbs and, supported by his companions, kowtowed to the king.

Wieselger had never asked them to show him respect, but this time, he did not stop them.

"Come up to the stage, Paul."

"As ordered."

Refusing the guards' offer of help, Paul used his strong arms, honed from years of cooking, to climb onto the platform. He straightened his chest, looked up at the king, and smiled.

Visselg stretched his muscles, and the Flame Hammer reignited the Red Dragon Hammer and his body.

The warrior's rage surged, and the Dwarf King, Veself Firehammer, was like an enraged lion, suppressing the fire burning in his chest.

“You know, Paul, when you refused to let me join the Firehammer Army because of your status as a member of the royal family, I was actually quite angry. I was angry that I couldn't fight alongside my uncle, I was angry that I couldn't have comrades like you. Are you ready to serve your new king?”

Paul smiled, looking at the Red Dragon Hammer held high.

"The fire hammer will burn forever, Your Majesty."

【I, Viseelg Firehammer, son of Firehammer, king of the Molten Dwarves, hereby declare! I will stir the lava, and let the glorious fire of my forefathers burn in the hearts of my people.】

[Rebuild the mighty warriors of MacKenzie!]

"With the life force bestowed by the Red Dragon Immelt!!!"

boom!!!

Explosions and flames erupted in the bronze palace. Ignoring the discomfort in their eyes, the dwarves stared intently at the intense light at the center. A crater was blasted into the altar, and a scalding figure slowly materialized in the smoke and dust.

It was the body of a dwarf, kneeling before the king, but it was different.

Their charred bodies were covered in cracks, from which sparks flew, as if their bodies contained not blood, but molten lava. Their rock-like bodies were hard and robust, and with each breath, scalding steam created a gale around them.

It was a dwarf statue made of molten metal and rock. Gradually, the flames began to die down, a line of fire spread through the molten metal, the rock turned back into flesh and blood, and the burning flames transformed back into lush hair and beard. Paul, the former Firehammer warrior, knelt on the ground, his whole, robust body propelled to the ground.

"How do you feel, Paul?" The fire in Vissel's eyes grew stronger.

"Power and vitality! I feel reborn, Your Majesty! And I want to hit someone. I really want to, so much so!"

The king's will echoed in the Bronze Palace, and all the dwarves transformed themselves into cogs, driving MacKember to carry out the king's decrees.

"All members of the Furnace Slag have been promoted to the new force of the Molten Dwarves, Immelt Life Overseers."

"By a joint resolution of the Craftsmen's Council and the Dragon Priests, all members of the Life Overlords shall be equipped with Red Dragon Armor to carry out the will of the Red Dragon Immelt and the Dwarf King."

"The Red Dragon faith shall be established as the state religion, and all Molten Dwarves must adhere to the sole faith of the Red Dragon Immelt. Violators will be punished by the Life Overseers, who are also the Red Dragon's personal guard, obeying the Red Dragon's commands and defending its dignity."

"Furthermore, reopen all arenas! Reintroduce the fifth trait of dwarves, brawling. For the existing chaos in MacKenzie, increase methods of persuasion by force! Remove individual brawls and group fights from the MacKenzie constitution. Legalize brawling!"

"The Life Overseers have become the new urban management army, enjoying the right to use weapons without restriction."

"Beat all dwarves who dare to reject the red dragon Immelt to death!"

Chapter 631 Idol Mania

Since the day the Craftsmen's Council meeting ended and the Molten Dwarves enacted new laws, Mackenbert's brawls have been breaking out more punctually than three meals a day.

Beards, fine wine, forging, and brawling. These were originally the habits of dwarves. However, the war against the gods depleted the able-bodied population, causing a shortage in the Molten Dwarves' population. To prevent internal strife, this bloody sport of brawling was abolished. Perhaps it is precisely because this pastime was banned that dwarves are more inclined to get drunk or gossip behind people's backs.

Only cowards talk behind people's backs; I solve problems with a hammer.

Regardless, after the legalization of brawling was enacted, bloodshed occurred frequently, and the arena was often packed. The dwarves' bloodlust and heroism were like a boiling furnace. But strangely, there were no deaths, because a group of newly armed dwarven warriors appeared in the streets.

The Immelt Life Overseers. They all carried a warhammer and were ready to beat any dwarf they encountered, roaming the streets of Mackenbert like thugs. Even more outrageous, the guards turned a blind eye to their antics, and gradually, the dwarves who clashed with them discovered that those hammers couldn't hurt them at all. Moreover, the dwarves who were beaten by the Life Overseers became incredibly energetic.

However, after repeatedly charging the Overseer's forces, they discovered that restoring life was not a pleasant experience. These battle-hardened warriors possessed martial skills that overwhelmed ordinary civilians, and especially after realizing they could bring their opponents back to life, the Overseer's attacks became incredibly brutal. The Red Dragon Hammer could heal, but the pain inflicted by its blows was real. At first, the pain could boost morale, but later they realized that no matter how angry they were, they couldn't defeat the Overseer, even with their bodies and energy seemingly inexhaustible. In the end, the dwarves were utterly exhausted, especially after seeing the Overseer, sensing their weakness, smash their own hammers into their faces. Then, with even greater spirit and more fanatical devotion, they continued to beat the civilians.

The Life Overseers, through their battles with the dwarves these past few days, have made the people realize that they are an immortal, legendary legion.

This army obeyed not only the Dwarf King but also the Red Dragon. Eighty percent of the dwarves beaten by the Life Overlord were those who had shown prejudice against the Red Dragon. They were caught red-handed by the Life Overlord in the street.

After that meeting, MacKenzie held a procession of the Red Dragon faith every day. The process involved Immelt displaying the form of a dragon and riding around the city in a float provided by the Firehammer royal family, with the Overseer of Life overseeing the entire process.

As a result, the warlords fought their way from the south to the north of the city, and from the east to the west. Wailing and roaring filled the city every moment.

one day.

Lyle and Wieselger sat on Immelt's float, drinking the brandy they had prepared beforehand, watching with ease and pleasure as the people and the warlords below became a chaotic mess.

"Let me punch you, you wretched warlord!!!"

"Fall down!!" The Life Overseer slammed the man into the ground with his hammer, then roared, "With the life force bestowed by the Red Dragon Immelt!!!" He then pounced on another man like he was on steroids.

Immelt lay on the float, turning his head to look at the street they passed, the ground covered in blood and littered with exhausted dwarves.

"Is this really alright, Your Majesty?"

Wieselger and Lyle clinked glasses, downed their drinks in one gulp, and burst into laughter.

"It's alright, Ms. Immelt. The Great Forge is warm; they won't catch a cold. Besides, if they get sick, the Overseer of Life can just give them another good whack."

“I’m afraid that long-term oppression will cause them to develop a rebellious mentality, which would be detrimental to your rule.”

“This is not oppression, my dear. Look closely into those people’s eyes; there is no resentment in them. Dwarves love to fight; they are not fools. And my standing with you is enough to make them understand the Overseer of Life’s intention: to strengthen our people with the power of the red dragon. They understand this themselves; look, those two dwarves by the railing have thrown their offspring into the fiercest part of the battle. They, like us, have discovered the benefits of your power.”

Lyle opened the door behind him and pulled Nia, who was half-squeezed into the barrel, out.

"I later studied the power of the red dragon in detail and discovered that it had other uses."

"Really, Lyle? You always manage to surprise me."

"Dwarves struck by the Red Dragon's Hammer will receive 'vitality' from Immelt, which you can understand as a restless mental state. This power will urge the dwarves to release the energy in their bodies. That's why your dwarves are all like they've been injected with chicken blood."

"That doesn't sound like a bad thing. I can understand why the arena is almost overflowing. At least now no dwarf wants to stay home doing nothing, which I think is a good thing. Lyle, I think you should pay attention to the missionary activities of the Red Dragon faith. Compared to the dwarves' current fanaticism, their acceptance of the Red Dragon is not very active. The royal family can only issue laws in this regard, but rules cannot force people's hearts."

Lyle smiled slightly, "I already had a way to influence the dwarves' thinking."

"any solution?"

"Idol management".

The Molten Arena, located at the border of Mackenbert and the Great Forge, is a natural arena half-covered in lava. Due to its terrain, fire elementals, who love excitement, also come here as spectators or gladiators. Because of a severe shortage of management personnel, the operation of this arena has been delegated to Baron Garden, a high-ranking elemental lord residing in the Great Forge.

At this moment, the Garden Baron was standing on the commentary platform, holding two magic crystals and giving a roaring commentary. Watching the two dwarves fight was extremely interesting.

After the arena ended, the dwarven gladiators, their weapons damaged, had to take a break. They went to see a doctor, also known as a stern-faced warlord, a new profession that each arena would have one or two of.

After enduring the fierce hammer blows and shouts of the Overseer of Life, Anzi Burnman, one of the gladiators, stepped into the repair tent. He wanted to find a blacksmith to repair his weapon, or if necessary, get a new one.

He lifted the curtain.

"That was a fantastic fight, gladiator. May I ask your name?" That gentle voice was like a warm breeze blowing into Anxi's ears. His gaze swept across the weapons display case, over the furnace, and landed on the figure beside the anvil. She had fiery red hair, a sunny smile, and beautiful features; her figure was so perfect it rivaled his own.

Anxi had never seen such a beautiful dwarf; she was so perfect, like a piece of equipment that had been forged from a furnace. Anxi felt his mouth go dry, and his face burned so much that he dared not look directly at her.

“Hello, strong lady… I… I… I am Anxi Burning Mane, a single gladiator.”

The girl opposite Anxi smiled, a smile that could melt the young dwarf's heart.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Anzai. May I take a look at your weapons?"

"Okay, ma'am."

"Yes, it's quite badly damaged, but it's okay, I'll fix it for you."

"Please don't force yourself, madam. I know it's a difficult thing. If it doesn't work, please give me a new weapon, and I will still win. Use your weapon."

"Haha, don't worry, Anzai. I'm not good at many things, but I'm very confident in forging."

Then, the red-haired dwarf used her godlike forging abilities to completely subdue the gladiator. Holding the brand-new weapon, Anxi mustered his courage and made a man's vow through the contact between the weapon and the dwarf's hand.

"Madam, I will not let you down. I will definitely become the gladiator champion, for you!"

The red-haired dwarf woman had a strange expression; the corners of her upturned mouth twitched slightly, but she still managed to answer.

"Go for it, my warrior."

Anxi felt that his life was already perfect. He looked at the dwarf woman's face behind the counter, her lips slowly approaching.

"Please don't disturb the adults, you little brat!" Anxi only saw a hammer shadow hit his face before he was sent flying. He crashed into a pile of weapons, got up, and glared angrily at the Life Overseer who looked at him with disdain.

"What are you doing?"

"It's nothing, I'm just helping you understand your own identity. This important figure is not someone a mere mortal like you can get close to."

Then, the woman who had captured Anxi's heart at first sight lowered her head shyly, looking as if she had something difficult to say, and said, "I'm sorry, Anxi, I am actually... Immelt, a red dragon... Please keep up the good work in the match."

In the end, Anzai was carried out by the Overseer of Life and thrown into the gladiators' lounge.

He was somewhat absent-minded; the face in his memory had not faded, but rather, he became even more determined after learning her identity.

"I'm in love! I've fallen for a red dragon!"

"I love the Red Dragon Immelt! I will fight for my beloved!!!"

"Huh? You think you're worthy of Lord Immelt!"

"Only I can win the Red Dragon's favor!!!"

"It's me!!" "It's me!!!"

Anxi then realized that in the same lounge, there was a young dwarf just like himself, with the same brand-new weapons, and with the same determination.

So, I wasn't her only one.

Anzai's eyes turned fervent.