Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"What's going on?!"

Not only were Leslaufer and the others clueless about what had happened, but even Osk was taken aback. He rushed up to the top, grabbed a dwarf, and asked, "What happened? Why was the horn suddenly blown?"

"The herders outside are under attack!" The dwarf stationed there slapped Osk's hand away. "We received their distress signal, look over there!"

Following the direction he pointed, Osk knew that what the other man said was true. In the dark depths of the underground, two columns of smoke with a strong fluorescent glow shot straight up, shimmering with a bright light gray.

"It's the gray dwarves! Those bastards!" the dwarf shouted. "They've already robbed our herds at least three times this month! And now they're doing it again?!"

"There's no time to condemn them!" The dwarf on guard duty grabbed an axe and shield leaning against the wall. "Either you go back and report, or you stay here with us and guard this place! We can give them a few Lost Beasts, but at least the safety of our people must be guaranteed!"

"Looks like we've come at just the right time."

The dwarves on guard were startled when an unfamiliar Inathas accent suddenly rang out beside them. But when they turned to look, they saw a black figure carrying a long-handled axe from a weapon rack, charging out of the outpost like a lurking monster with huge fins. Following closely behind were several humans, including a druid who transformed into a cave bear with a long howl, charging forward with the black figure at the front.

"Who are they?! They're insane! Absolutely insane!" A dwarf grabbed Osk's sleeve. "Did you bring them here? Call them back! The gray dwarf assassins are no joke!"

Even in this outpost with the special ability to see through invisibility, every fierce conflict between the dwarves and the gray dwarves would cause the Half-Hill Clan to suffer heavy losses of several or even dozens of people, let alone going out to fight!

However, despite his companion's startled reaction, Oske calmly pulled his sleeve back.

“Don’t worry, we can just focus on doing our own thing,” Oske shrugged as he watched the five figures gradually disappear into the distance. “I’m more worried about the gray dwarves than them.”

"Hopefully, no important figures have infiltrated their raiding party this time, otherwise, they're in trouble."

Reslaufer and the others naturally wouldn't hear Osk's words. They hadn't gone far when they saw a frightened herd of Loss beasts charging towards them, dragging along the equally terrified dwarven shepherds. The group quickly made way, but just then, the shepherds saw them too. One of them immediately looked terrified and shouted at Reslaufer:

"Get out of the way! Stay far away! There are gray dwarves mixed in—"

Before he could finish speaking, Leslaufer caught a glimpse of a short sword flashing out of the corner of his eye. It suddenly emerged from under the belly of a Loss Beast. The invisibility spell that had blended into the surroundings was dispelled by the intense malice, revealing the face of a bald, gray-skinned dwarf. The short sword was aimed straight at Dobulle's throat!

Chapter 737 Rescuing the Herdsmen

It's rare to say that any particular intelligent race possesses an inherent advantage in a single field. Not all dwarves are skilled in blacksmithing, and not all elves are fond of magic. But it must be said that the grey dwarves are indeed exceptionally gifted as assassins.

With his natural invisibility magic and already short stature, he is difficult for anyone to guard against in the chaos and haste.

But he really chose the wrong target.

Having fought his way back from the bloody battle, Raslauver was several levels above his former self, who was merely a Dobler. The moment the gray dwarf assassin maliciously locked onto him, Raslauver had already located the assassin's location. Therefore, when the assassin, thinking he had succeeded, took the initiative to show himself, it was exactly what Raslauver wanted.

A cold smile played on the man's lips. The next moment, he turned his long-handled axe around, and as the axe head chopped down the head of another assassin who had exposed himself, the tail of the axe rose high like a scorpion, striking the assassin's jaw!

"Snapped!"

With a loud bang, the assassin was sent flying. In his loss of balance and excruciating pain, he tried to regain his footing, but Raslaufer was not about to give him that chance. The straight-bladed long-handled axe flew out of his hand, turning into a streak of light and instantly piercing through the assassin's chest!

Abandoning weapons on the battlefield is never a wise move, but for Raslaufer, abandoning weapons will only allow him to acquire better weapons!

"Ding-dong!" "Get down here!"

As Raslaufer attacked the two assassins, a third grey dwarf assassin successfully launched a sneak attack. However, when his poisoned dagger struck Dobler's nape, it felt as if it had hit a nearly 100-kilogram alloy plate, the recoil numbing his arm. Raslaufer, feeling as if he had been bitten by a mosquito, laughed maniacally, turned, and reached out to grab the grey dwarf from behind the hiding Los beast. His other hand followed closely, grabbing the dwarf by the head and tail and swinging him high into the air.

As the assassin experienced an unprecedented feeling of weightlessness, Raslaufer's knee rose up and collided violently with the gray dwarf's spine!

"He's gay! Old Lei has gayed someone!"

Daisy was shouting something, but she seemed to be enjoying herself. The grey dwarves who attacked Leslaufer also attacked her, but Daisy didn't take out her instrument. Instead, she hummed some kind of lullaby, and the next moment, countless strange purple tentacles spread out from her body, bombarding any enemy who dared to approach her.

Leslaufer could tell that the tentacles looked somewhat similar to the tentacles of the Fiend, but there were also differences.

“Daisy! You promised to try not to use that power!” Mary was clearly dissatisfied with Daisy’s spell, but her hands moved quickly. The Blade of the Sea slashed through the dim ground in a pink “V” shape, causing the gray dwarves charging towards her and Angrita to pause for a moment. Several seconds later, the smooth cut appeared at the junction of their palms and soles, or on their necks and chests.

During her duel with Rodriguez, Mary's swordsmanship made a significant breakthrough. Although she could hardly execute her most perfect sword moves under normal circumstances, she was still more than capable of dealing with assassins.

Bella, transformed into a cave bear, charged through the Lothian horde, while Angrita had switched back to her more proficient Guardian Poem. The shimmering light of her sword illuminated the surroundings, and her eyes were imbued with magic that could detect invisibility. Even the best of the gray dwarf assassins could not easily get close to her.

Moreover, Angrita wasn't their primary target. After Raslaufer had cut down several grey dwarves and even taken down one from behind, he had become the grey dwarves' top priority. Compared to their distant relatives, these subspecies deep underground possessed extraordinary ferocity—and an equally extraordinary pettiness.

But Raslaufer was never afraid of retaliation. Hatred does not accumulate indefinitely. Once it reaches that critical point, everything will naturally be wiped out and disappear.

When even a gray dwarf can't survive here.

"Come on, let's continue!" Raslaufer charged through the chaotic horde of beasts, carrying a gray dwarf in each hand, searching for any surviving targets. As several more gray dwarves were killed, the surrounding fighting almost ceased, leaving only the panicked screams of the Los beasts.

In this "silence," the clatter of chainmail was jarring enough to Raslaufer's ears.

"So this is where it was."

Raslaufer pressed the back of the heads of the two already dead grey dwarves on his hands, slammed them together, and tossed them aside. At his feet, the spurs barely touched the ground, and a greyish-white flame warhorse instantly appeared beneath him. Armor made of inferno scales climbed up, even covering Raslaufer's face with a layer of fiery armor. The next moment, the man and his mount charged like ghosts in a certain direction, treading on fire!

No weapons were needed; the flames alone were enough to instantly burn the surviving gray dwarf who was still hiding into a charred skeleton!

Daisy looked like her jaw was about to drop. She moved closer to Mary and nudged her with her elbow, saying, "Mind your own business, why don't you do something about him?"

Mary rolled her eyes: "If you think you're like him, then go ahead."

For Daisy, that contract with Zhengling may have changed her a lot, but what about Leslaufer?

Nightmare is just giving him a new option to use force—how can that be the same?

“Alright, this should be the last one,” the two girls whispered. Leslaufer had already dispelled the nightmare and strolled back. He casually flicked the still-burning gray-white flames off his body, a bloody and satisfied smile on his face. “Go check if our ‘friends’ are injured.”

Angelita immediately drew over a dwarf who looked dazed. Judging from his attire, which was completely different from the dwarven artisans, he was probably a shepherd who controlled these Loss beasts. Beside him were several other dwarves, whose expressions were similarly numb, at most tinged with fear.

However, Raslaufer soon noticed that some of the dwarves did not wear the Half-Hill Clan insignia, but instead wore a different kind of ornament. And coincidentally, Raslaufer seemed to recognize this ornament.

"You are... from the Zakort clan?" Raslaufer knew he was right as soon as he spoke. The dwarves who weren't from the Half-Hill clan looked up in confusion. Among them, Raslaufer even spotted a familiar face. "Wait, Taklin? You're Taklin, aren't you?"

When Leslaufer's gaze fell on one of the dwarves, the man seemed to be jolted awake from a nightmare: "...Leslaufer...?"

Chapter 738 The Taklin of the Zhakot Clan

Angelita stood aside, coldly observing the dwarf who had been recognized by Uncle Leslaufer.

He didn't look very old, at least much younger than von Dahl, but his muscles were starting to relax. Although you could still see the sharp edges he once had, Angelita knew that it would be very difficult to get someone like him back to his peak condition.

Once some anger is released, it's very difficult to regain it.

"Taklin! It really is you, you old codger!" Leslaufer clapped his hands, strode forward, grabbed the dwarf's shoulders, and shook him violently. "Stubborn thing, I couldn't persuade you to follow that miserly baron to your death no matter what I did, and you actually survived?!"

“You sound like you’re hoping I die!” The dwarf, whom Leslauver called Taklin, raised his voice, trying with all his might to break free from Leslauver’s iron clamps, but it was almost impossible, so he could only twist and turn his body from side to side. “Yes! I survived, but you’re doing much, much better than me, and you even saved my life again today—are you satisfied now!”

“Reslaufer,” Bella called out, “is this someone you know? Aren’t you going to introduce him?”

“This guy used to be a mercenary,” Raslaw said, putting down Taklin and laughing to the others. “Back then, we were both employed by a baron, but that stingy guy didn’t want to pay us, so most of us went to work for his rival, with only a few exceptions.”

Most of these "exceptions" were unpopular outcasts. No one was willing to inform them of the defection, and their slowness prevented them from discovering it. Therefore, when the mutiny occurred, these unfortunate men were almost all exchanged for bounties by their comrades and allies from a few days earlier.

But Taklin was an exception; he wasn't an outcast, or rather... he was indeed an outcast.

The dwarves of the Zakort clan have always been stubborn. When others told Taklin about the plan and intended to let him join them, this dwarf refused to break the contract and thus remained in his original camp.

The outcome was predictable: the baron, who had refused to pay, was no longer required to pay anyone. However, to Raslaufer's surprise, he had assumed Taklin had also perished in the chaos, but unexpectedly encountered him here.

"Why did you change your profession to become a herdsman? Where's your shield? Where's your flail?"

In response to Leslaufer's question, the dwarf snorted, "Why don't you ask me where my wife and children are? They're always running around. I can't expect the clan to feed them!"

“Besides, having someone like you in the army really frightens me,” Taklin sighed. “Forget it, that’s not my life. Herding suits me better—if those treacherous gray guys don’t cause trouble.”

With the crisis averted, the dwarves drove their Loth beasts toward the outpost, while Taklin explained to Raslaufer why his clan's herds had mingled with those of the Halfhill clan.

“Those grey dwarves aren’t coming for them, they’re coming for us,” Taklin said slowly. “The underworld hasn’t been peaceful lately. It’s said that one of the grey dwarf leaders has suffered several defeats in a row, losing to the dark elves, then the fungus, then the subterranean gnomes—and then he had nothing left to lose! So he came here to cause trouble for us.”

“At first it was theft, then it was outright robbery. We couldn’t detect them getting close, and we couldn’t fight them, so we had to give in again and again. But this obviously emboldened them, to the point that when we had to seek help from the Banqiu clan, they even planned to steal Banqiu’s herds as well.”

“And judging from the results, they’re almost successful,” a half-Qiu clan dwarf interjected helplessly. “They’re really insane. If the dwarves of Haidong unite against them… even they can’t kill us all!”

This statement has absolutely nothing to do with being tough, but it doesn't matter, because they have someone tough enough here—unfortunately, he's not a dwarf.

“It’s alright. From now on, they should be worried about whether they’ll all be killed,” Raslaufer patted Taklin on the shoulder. “You should know about me. I have connections with dark elves and underground gnomes. Dealing with some grey dwarves won’t be difficult for me.”

“I know about you, I even used your money,” Taklin sighed. “I can’t believe it’s only been a short time, and you’ve already—”

"Lord Raslaufer!" As he spoke, the gates of the outpost in front of him opened, and Osk came out to greet him. The half-hill dwarves stationed behind him looked at Raslaufer with a mixture of respect and fear, staring intently at the bloodstains on Raslaufer's body.

They could only be thankful that Raslaufer was on their side; otherwise, his threat alone would have been far greater than all the grey dwarves combined.

Everyone saw the grayish-white flame that had charged forward with a desperate, deathly stillness. Although it had only crushed a gray dwarf, the scene had almost crushed the hearts of every spectator.

“Speaking of which, your herds were all mixed up just now, how are you going to distinguish them?” As she spoke, the poet noticed a problem. Looking at the almost identical subterranean Loth beasts, she couldn’t help but ask, “I don’t seem to see any marks or anything like that on them…”

"Hey, isn't that simple?" Bella had already transformed back into her original form and couldn't help but scoff at Daisy's question. "There's a druid here, after all!"

She cleared her throat and immediately let out a series of rhythmic, low roars, which were very similar to the voices of the Los beasts. As she conveyed the message, the vast number of Los beasts in front of her actually separated like a tide, and they did not even split into two groups, but rather went precisely to each herdsman!

“Although the Losbeasts may seem slow-witted, they actually think a lot of things,” Bella tossed her hair and nodded to the dwarves around her. “Don’t worry, my method is absolutely reliable. If you think that a Losbeast that was originally yours has gone to someone else’s house, it means that it never liked you in the first place. You can’t bring it back even if you try. You might as well go back and think about how to treat them better.”

Bella's words silenced the dwarves who were about to question her. They were indeed sometimes unfriendly to themselves and their clan's livestock. For an outsider druid to hit the nail on the head like that, the only explanation was that she was most likely telling the truth.

Just after Bella finished distributing the Loss Beasts, a strange-looking spider came rushing down the stone wall from the direction of the Half-Hill Clan's encampment, finally stopping in front of Osk. A note was stuck to its body with slimy spider silk. After Osk read the dwarven language on it, it nodded to Reslaufer and the others:

"Your Excellency Raslaufer, von Dahl has written to invite you back. I think Miss Daisy should be able to get her violin back."

Chapter 739 Demons and Abyss

Unbeknownst to von Dahl, his sallow beard seemed to have faded a bit more in color.

He focused all his attention on the drawing, which depicted a matte, Daisy's very own. The drawing clearly marked all the patterns and runes on the matte, leaving nothing out.

"So that's how it is..."

But whose craftsmanship is this?

Feng Dahl subconsciously looked at the spot where he had just placed the violin, but it was empty. It took him a while to realize that he had already had the violin sent away.

He had previously sensed that the craftsman who made the instrument was exceptionally skilled, but it wasn't until he began to analyze it that he understood what was actually on it.

That matte was neither made by humans, nor by elves, nor by dwarves—it was a strange, mismatched composite!

Its most essential part lies in these stitching techniques...

von Dahl's rough fingertips traced the parts he had highlighted on the paper. After analyzing and repairing Daisy's matte, the essential elements were now fully revealed to him.

Normally, he wouldn't even give this skill a second glance, and might even denounce it as "heretical and deviant." But after analyzing the path to the Furnace City and the reasons for his failures so many times, von Dahl was almost certain that this was the solution he needed!

A solution that integrates traditional forging techniques with new materials and technologies!

“It will certainly be useful in…my work.” A smile involuntarily crept onto von Dahl’s lips. He abruptly stood up and took out the materials he would need from the container in the prosthetic hand.

The arrival of my friends was just in time!

"Mr. von Dahl only gave away the violin, but he still locked himself in the forge."

In the guest room that the Halfhill Clan had specially prepared for Raslaufer and the others, Mary glanced at Daisy, who was holding her beloved musical instrument: "Do you have any clue about this?"

“Me? I don’t know anything. I’m just a singer,” Daisy said, lifting her eyelids and casually strumming the strings, which were firmer than ever before. “Like I said, it’s a change of pace. Old Feng must have come up with a new idea after taking a break. If you have to say what idea I have, it’s this one.”

Mary shook her head. Daisy had always been unreliable, and since officially signing the contract with that devil, it had become even harder to find anything serious to say. If she didn't want to talk, it would be very difficult for anyone to make her change her mind.

However, since von Dahl's relationship with Daisy is much deeper than with hers, it's highly unlikely that Daisy would set a trap for von Dahl.

Although that's what Mary thought, it wasn't necessarily true. When Daisy got her violin back, the clear sound immediately became clear again.

“Oh, the signal is back,” the poet said without speaking, communicating with the devil via telepathy as usual. “We went out for a while, and it was like there was no signal on your end. It was hard to hear you talking—it seems our plan worked. Old Feng has been inspired by those ‘extra content’ you set up.”

“Nine Hells has the best craftsmen in the entire multiverse, so inspiring a mortal is not difficult. As for the signal you mentioned, that’s what contract masters usually face, Daisy,” Zhengling sighed. “Some who make contracts with more powerful beings face even worse situations: constant buzzing whispers in their ears, and occasionally clear but blasphemous and bizarre knowledge.”

"It's rare for us to have such a clear conversation—which is also related to the fact that I currently only have one contract with you."

"What are you saying!" Daisy's eyes widened immediately. "You mean you'll abandon me once you find someone new? How heartless! Then I'll find a new sect leader too! You find as many as you want, and I'll find as many as you want!"

"You—"

"Zhengling, what happened?" In the Nine Hells, Philna looked up with interest at the newly promoted devil who suddenly rubbed his forehead after finishing a piece of music. "If you don't want to continue performing here, I can arrange some new tasks for you—after all, you have already successfully proven yourself."

“No, please don’t say that, mistress,” Zheng Ling quickly explained, “It’s just… you know, that bard, well, he’s really a bit difficult to deal with.”

“None of them are easy to deal with,” Philna said, unsurprised. “Cheer up, Ching Ling. Otherwise, an extremely lenient contract won’t be enough to pay off your debts.”

"Yes, I understand, Master."

The Demon Grand Duke casually rose from his seat: "I happen to have some things to take care of, so you can focus on dealing with that 'time-traveling' little guy."

Zhengling quickly rose and bowed to see her mistress off, but at the last moment, she couldn't help but ask, "Mistress, is this matter still related to Leslaufer?"

“Otherwise, why do you think I would go to such lengths?” Philna countered with a question. “However… it’s only half true. As for whether we will have any further dealings with our ‘Dubler’ in the future, it’s still too early to say.”

She had to go to her private prison immediately to see the messenger, or rather, her prisoner.

“Otu,” when Philna entered the prison, the little Quassa demon seemed much more listless than before, only his big eyes still shone brightly, reflecting an evil light, “I have prepared everything you need. Now, it’s all your problem.”