Chapter 42: The Colony

The lizard screeched. The arrow struck its rock-hard skin but didn't hurt the poor thing. Still, this shot was no accident—you could tell it was meant to kill!

"Uh, weren't they supposed to be escorting us?" Harald said weakly. "Are they giving us a one-way escort to heaven?"

Dwarin glared at him. "Quit your yapping! These ain't the Governor's boys, that's for sure!"

Master Goldshield cussed under his breath in Dwarvish, then said in a low voice, "Arm yourselves!"

As he said that, the riders closed in. There were about a dozen of them, men and women alike, all of them dark-skinned locals. Their gear was decent enough, but it didn't match—the Governor wouldn't cheap out on uniforms for his own Royal Guard.

The guy in front was shirtless, muscles bulging, with long dark hair in a bunch of braids and a red ribbon fluttering from his arm. He carried a longbow, and looked like he was the one who'd loosed that arrow.

He pulled out another arrow and nocked it. Right as he was about to draw, he lowered his arm and pulled up his horse. The whole group stopped a ways off, checking out the dwarves.

"Dwarves?"

Seeing the guy seemed willing to talk, Master Goldshield said, "Human friends, we're dwarves from the Volcanic Mountains, and we come in peace. Why'd you shoot at us? Is there some mix-up?"

The other natives all looked at the guy with the bow, and Tove figured he was the Chief of this bunch.

"What do you want here?" the Chief demanded harshly.

"The Governor of New St. Paraso hired us to come work," Master Goldshield replied.

"So you're in cahoots with that guy!" The Chief's eyebrows shot up, and he immediately raised his bow.

Master Goldshield was baffled. "We just took a job. If you've got a beef with the Governor, go settle it with him. Why take it out on us poor innocent dwarves?"

"Ha! Innocent dwarves, huh?" The Chief curled his lips in a sneer. "Let me ask you something—you know Relf Stone Spear?"

"He's an old friend of mine."

"Then you're just as guilty!"

With a roar, the Chief let an arrow fly. In the blink of an eye, Master Goldshield sat there on his lizard, cool as can be, as the arrow flew straight at his chest. He raised his wrist, and with a clang, the arrow bounced right off his mithril bracer.

The other natives pulled their weapons, howling like mad, as they wheeled their horses around to box the dwarves in.

Seeing that talking was a lost cause, Master Goldshield wasted no more courtesy. He pulled the warhammer off his belt. "Hmph, a bunch of thugs think they can take on dwarven warriors? They've got some nerve!"

Hearing that, Tove swung her battle-axe off her shoulder and held it ready. Harald and Dwarin each pulled out a flail and a short spear. The four of them stood back-to-back in a ring, facing down the hostile natives. Once dwarves formed this formation, a handful of them could hold off enemies several times their number.

But this trip they'd packed light—just weapons, no armor. If the enemy started shooting from range, they'd be in trouble.

The natives clearly knew how tough dwarven warriors were and didn't rush in.

While the two sides were at a standoff, a new group showed up on the horizon.

It was a squad of heavily armed riders, their flag-bearer holding up a banner with the Sun Emblem, flapping in the wind.

"The Holy Nation's lapdogs!"

The native Chief spat out the curse, put away his bow, and turned his horse around. The rest of his men did the same, hightailing it out of there. The iron-tight encirclement dissolved in an instant.

Tove, still holding her axe aloft, was just rejoicing at the arrival of reinforcements when the ground beneath her feet began to tremble violently.

"An earthquake?! Now?!"

A patch of sparsely vegetated ground nearby rippled like seawater. The soil surged upward in deep brown waves, coalescing into the shape of a giant hand in midair, which slammed down hard upon the fleeing natives.

"Ah!"

A heart-wrenching scream rang out. The earthen hand swept the last native off his horse and, under his terrified gaze, mercilessly ground him into the earth!

Tove squeezed her eyes shut, but she could still hear the crunch of bone and flesh being pulverized. Even a battle-hardened dwarven warrior was shaken by the bloody spectacle.

"...So it's a superhuman," Master Goldshield murmured.

The Holy Nation cavalry galloped up and were about to pursue the natives when a voice said, "No need to chase them—protecting our honored guests is the priority!"

The riders reined in their horses and reformed their ranks in an instant, their discipline earning the admiration of the dwarven warriors.

A man in a white cloak rode forward from the rear of the column. He sported a glossy goatee and fair skin, a rarity in this sun-scorched southern land. His gleaming breastplate and the sword at his hip were clearly dwarven craftsmanship. His gold-trimmed surcoat and the ornate saddle of his horse silently proclaimed his noble status.

The man pressed his right hand to his chest and gave a slight bow to the dwarves:

"Welcome, noble children of the earth. May your caverns ever be steadfast and your veins ever abundant. I am Doma Campbell, Governor of New St. Paraso. That our honored guests were alarmed is a crime I cannot atone for!"

The Governor himself had come to greet them! Tove was flattered and flustered, hastily stowing her battle-axe. Seeing her two young companions equally awestruck, she felt much relieved—so she wasn't the only one!

Master Goldshield studied the Governor, beaming. "May the light of the divine abode forever shine upon you. Thank goodness His Excellency the Governor arrived in time—otherwise, we'd be meeting the ancestors of the dwarves underground."

The Governor stroked his goatee and chuckled. "Those bandits should be thanking me. Had I not interfered, with the valor of dwarven warriors, they'd have lost their heads long ago!"

Both sides laughed heartily at each other's flattery, and the plains were filled with cheerful air.

Master Goldshield then introduced his three apprentices to the Governor. Governor Campbell bowed to the dwarves with a comical flourish. Upon discovering that Tove was female (a remarkable feat, as humans often couldn't tell dwarven genders apart), he even made an exaggerated show of lifting her hand and planting a kiss on it. Tove found it rather unhygienic, but since it was human custom, she supposed she'd go along with it.

The party continued northward under the escort of the Royal Guard. With the Holy Nation banner flying alongside, any petty troublemakers along the way would likely flee at the sight.

"What was the deal with those bandits?" Master Goldshield asked.

The Governor scoffed. "A bunch of unruly natives, holed up in the borderlands, harassing passing merchants. I've tried time and again to send troops to wipe them out, but I never have enough men, and they know the terrain too well, appearing and vanishing at will. It's a real headache."

"How dangerous!" Master Goldshield shook his head vigorously, then launched into an animated discussion with the Governor about fortifications.

The three young dwarves rode side by side at the rear, unable to join their mentor's and the Governor's conversation, so they turned their attention to the Holy Nation cavalry.

Tove nudged Harald with her elbow. "That was a Supernatural Ability just now, right? Are there superhumans among these men?"

"Is it the Governor?" Harald wasn't sure either.

Just then, a knight rode up.

"It was me." He nodded politely to the dwarves. "I am the Captain of the Guard to His Excellency the Governor—Eddie Keith."

"Oh!" Three awestruck gazes fell upon the Captain of the Guard, making him a bit embarrassed.

The Captain was a tall, dark-haired man, his skin tanned deep from long exposure to the intense southern sun. Tove couldn't tell if his features were considered handsome among humans, but his thick, thorny-bush-like beard certainly appealed to dwarven aesthetics.

"This is my first time meeting a superhuman! We dwarves have very few of them," Tove said eagerly. "What kind of power is yours? Is it matter manipulation?"

Captain Keith nodded. "Precisely—I control earth and rock. I can reshape them, though the range of my ability is limited."

"Your ability would be incredibly useful among us dwarves!" Tove remarked. "With that power, digging mines would be a breeze!"

Captain Keith smiled slightly. "If I ever stop being a captain, I might just become a miner among the dwarves."

The group found his remark hilarious and continued on their way, laughing and chatting. Along the way, they passed several native villages. Whenever they entered a village, Captain Keith would lead the guards to the front of the procession to clear a path. The natives were herded aside like animals, ducking into their homes or squeezing into the gaps between buildings, watching the procession pass with terrified eyes.

"That's weird—why are most of the villagers women?" Tove asked.

Although many natives had hidden themselves, some still stood by the roadside or sat in front of their houses. As far as she could see, most were old folks, women, and kids, with hardly any able-bodied young men.

Harald mulled it over and whispered back, "I once read in Master Brightrock's book, *Observations on Human Society*, that human society is built differently from ours—around family units. Inside a family, there's a split: men go out for heavy labor, while women stay home to handle chores and raise kids. So the village men must all be off working."

Tove figured that made sense and nodded. But after watching for a bit, she got a nagging feeling something was off.

"Have you noticed how many of these villagers are missing limbs?" she whispered, pointing at a native mother and kid by the road.

The mom had one arm, cradling a kid with one leg, both staring blankly from the steps of their house.

And it wasn't just them—plenty of villagers were missing arms or legs. Spotting someone fully intact was rare.

Harald scratched his head: "*Observations on Human Society* didn't mention this..."

They were dying of curiosity but didn't dare bug Master Goldshield with such "minor" stuff (he was deep in a lively chat with the Governor), so they spurred their lizards to catch up with Dwarin. As the top disciple, he'd seen a lot and could probably answer them.

Hearing their questions, Dwarin also looked puzzled for a second.

"I've never been to New Paraso..." the young dwarf hesitated. "But maybe it's from natural disasters? Like earthquakes?"

Tove's eyes lit up: "So earthquakes collapsed buildings and crippled the villagers?"

"Our mines have accidents like that all the time," Harald said. "But we dwarves are tough—ordinary falling rocks can't hurt us. Humans, though, are fragile—a piece of wood could probably kill them."

The three nodded together, smug that they'd cracked a big mystery with their brains.

"This is worth a paper," Dwarin said. "If I write it, you two get second and third author."

"Oh, oh! If it gets published, we'll never forget you!"

At dusk, they finally reached the Governor's mansion.

The three young dwarves gasped in unison at the magnificent building. The brick-and-stone walls gleamed with dazzling white paint, while dark window frames and shutters gave it a crisp, geometric look. Deep red tiles blazed in the setting sun, and stained-glass windows in the gables threw off a riot of colors.

It was part elegant manor, part armed fortress, ringed by a moat like a castle, with just a drawbridge linking it to the outside. Two towers flanked the main building, with guards' silhouettes visible behind arrow slits and battlements. The fortifications were obviously the work of dwarf architects.

"Welcome, honored guests—you brighten my humble home."

The Governor personally led the dwarves into the dazzling banquet hall. Dwarves were master builders, but they valued structural grandeur over fancy decoration. The Governor's ornate decor blew their minds.

Tove climbed onto a high chair made just for their size. Then beautiful native maidservants brought out course after course, and the spread dazzled Tove.

"Just a simple meal—hope you don't mind," the Governor said with a smile.

Harald's eyes went wide: "If this is simple, what have we been eating? Lizard chow?"

The Governor laughed: "This is nothing! The colony can't find decent chefs, so we make do with the natives. Those savages have no taste and can't cook anything truly good. Without spices, it'd be inedible!"

He raised his glass to toast the guests, and they all raised theirs. Dwarves loved good liquor, and after a glass, the mood picked up.

Master Goldshield asked, "Where's my old friend Relf Stone Spear?"

The Governor stroked his goatee: "He's off on an expedition—bad timing, I'm afraid."

He looked a little awkward and quickly laughed it off: "Come on, everyone, dig in! Try New Paraso's specialties!"

The three disciples had heard humans had complicated table manners, so they sat stiff, afraid to move. Only when Master Goldshield picked up his fork did they follow suit.

Harald and Dwarin watched the Master and Governor eat while cautiously bringing food to their mouths. The next second, both froze, staring blankly into space like two dumb statues.

Tove looked at them, confused, wondering if the food was really that bad. No matter how good human food was, it couldn't possibly suit a dwarf's taste, right?

She carefully cut a piece of beef and popped it in her mouth.

A mind-blowing flavor exploded on her tongue.

The beef's tender juiciness was drawn out to the max, mixed with a strange sweetness, like a flower blooming on her tongue, layer after layer of scent sinking into her soul.

In a flash, memories flooded Tove's mind: the big-pot stews at the mine canteen, the rich soup smell after a long day, the smooth aged spirits... These sweet memories crashed together on her tongue like a waterfall of flavor.

"It's—it's amazing!" she stammered. "Governor, is this the legendary spice 'Moonlight Salt'?"

"Exactly right, little dwarf lady," the Governor said proudly.

No wonder it costs as much as gold! Tove totally got why northern humans would shell out a fortune for this stuff. Even dwarves, who didn't care much about fancy food, couldn't help but bow to it!

"Before today, I'd never even heard of Moonlight Salt," Harald said, embarrassed by his ignorance. "How is it made? From plants or animals?"

The young dwarf hesitated, looking at the Governor: "I'm just asking out of academic curiosity—I swear I'm not after your trade secrets!"

"Oh, no problem! Happy to answer this young dwarf's question," the Governor said with a smile. "Moonlight Salt is actually a mineral, dug out of the ground. Think of it like rock salt."

The young dwarves looked at each other. They were all mineralogy experts, but none had ever heard of a mineral that tasted this good.

Seeing their doubt, the Governor said, "This mineral is unique to New Paraso—you won't find it anywhere else. It's why our colony thrives."

"I'd love to see it!" Tove said, all excited. How could she pass up something this amazing? Wasn't this trip with Master Goldshield all about seeing new things? When you run into something unknown, you've got to dig in. And if she could get a few papers out of it, even better...

Seeing the eager spark in his students' eyes, Master Goldshield stroked his beard and turned to the Governor: "I'm pretty curious about Moonlight Salt too. Mind if we visit the mine? Maybe it could give us ideas for our own mining. Of course, if it's a state secret, we'll understand."

The Governor frowned, then waved over Captain Keith, whispered something, and after Keith gave a reassuring nod, broke into a smile.

"Mining Moonlight Salt is indeed a state secret, so I can't let you into the shafts. But a tour of the outer area is definitely doable."

The three young dwarves traded excited looks. Tove almost jumped out of her chair, holding back with all her willpower.

They quickly raised their glasses:

"Here's to the generous Governor!"

"In every paper we write about humans, we'll credit you!"

The Governor looked confused. Master Goldshield whispered, "That's the highest honor in dwarven culture."

"Oh! What a—what a weird custom!"

The meal was a hit with everyone. The endless flow of fine liquor made the dwarves feel right at home.

After dinner, servants led the dwarves to their rooms. Their luggage was already there. The rooms were bigger than their caverns back in Emberforge, with slippers, hot water, and non-alcoholic nightcaps. The Governor had even given them personal servants, on call around the clock.

Harald looked around the room, satisfied, and whispered to the others, "I figured the Governor would be strict, but he's actually pretty chill."

The other two nodded: "He's all for scholarship and a great host."

Dwarin added, "This is a great chance to check out the machinery. I heard from the Master that all the mining machinery in New Paraso was designed by his good friend—Master Relf Stone Spear. He's a real genius at it."

Tove's eyes lit up: "I wonder if the Governor would allow us to take a closer look. After all, it was originally designed by our dwarven kind, so it shouldn't be a problem for us to just look, right?"

"Exactly. We're not even looking at his minerals, just the machinery." Harald said.

Dwarin thought for a moment: "I'll ask the mentor tomorrow."

"We're counting on you, boss!"

***

"Oh? So you all want to check out the mine's machinery, is that right?"

The next day, after finishing breakfast, the group traveled in the Governor's luxurious carriage toward the mine. Early that morning, Dwarin had privately shared his idea with Master Goldshield, who then requested permission from the Governor on their behalf.

Governor Campbell stroked his goatee, thought for a moment: "Of course! But you may only see the elevator at the mine's periphery."

The three young dwarves expressed their gratitude profusely for the Governor's support of their studies. The Governor inexplicably gained a few more honorary co-authorships on papers.

Before long, the carriage stopped. The Governor was the first to leap out, gracefully helping his four distinguished guests out.

Stepping out of the carriage, Tove couldn't open her eyes against the blazing sunlight. As a dwarf living underground, she had always found it difficult to get used to the eternal light source hanging overhead.

"Everyone, please look—this is our mine in New Saint Paraso!" The Governor's voice was brimming with enthusiasm and pride.

Tove shaded her eyes with her hand and opened her eyes.

Then she stood frozen in place.

A massive canyon, a full kilometer long, stretched out before them.

The canyon was not wide, but it was seemingly bottomless. From their vantage point, all they could see were rust-colored rock walls, carved with deep grooves by millennia of wind. Gale-force winds howled, crashing against the cliffs and turning into low, mournful moans.

Sunlight slanted down, illuminating only the upper portion of the canyon, while the lower part was like an abyss without end, swallowed by endless darkness, its terrain impossible to discern.

No—this was less a canyon and more a rift in the earth, as if a god from the heavens had struck down with a single sword, leaving an unhealable wound upon the ground.

Countless scaffolds lined the canyon's edge, with massive winches and cables hauling metal lifting platforms, producing thunderous noises. Hundreds upon hundreds of workers either climbed the scaffolds or rode the elevators up and down, reminding Tove of a bustling colony of ants.

Tove peered into the canyon. The scaffolds and complex machinery extended all the way into the darkness, and within that abyss glowed countless fires, like innumerable sparks in the night sky—there were even more people working below!

Not only the three young dwarves, but even the well-traveled Master Goldshield was awestruck by the magnificent canyon and the grand machinery before them. The dwarves' stunned expressions greatly pleased the Governor, filling him with pride.

"This is the mine that produces moonlight salt." The Governor introduced proudly. "The natives call this place 'Manadosk,' which in their language means 'the Mouth of the Earth.'"