On the Seven Towers

A team was moving forward on the winding road between the canyons. This road should have been artificially repaired and was basically flat. However, few people have walked on it for many years, so many shrubs with fallen leaves and withered yellow trees have grown on the road. The weeds and some snow on the ground had melted nearly half in this warmer day, making the dirt road a little muddy and slowing down the team's progress.

Adan was walking at the front, flanked by two solemn-looking middle-aged guards. Behind him was Ji Yijun, who was wearing armor and carrying a sword. Aura was talking to him next to him. In the middle of the team is Luo Ling, and Elena, who has been with her for a moment these days. Morey and Farrell walked behind them, with their heads lowered as if they were still thinking about something. At the end of the team were Karanda and Chen Hansheng. He also had several pack horses with him, carrying the baggage for the expedition.

The destination of this eleven-person team is a ruins of the Black Dragon Empire's royal family.

——————————————————

"Okay, stop being gloomy. Wouldn't it be fun for everyone to go out and explore together?" Aola thought of a way to tease Ji Yijun, but the latter always made a bad face all the way here.

"I'm telling you, I will never spare that piece of shit Chu Ying. When I go back, you see how I teach him a lesson." Ji Yijun said bitterly, "There are also those old guys who are protected by officials!"

"Why bother getting angry with them? After all, nobles and officials have special status. What you did has ruined the face of a group of people. If you are dismissed from office, then you will be dismissed. You can go to the outside world for a while, otherwise you will still be here every day. Where’s the old man who’s spitting?”

These words touched Ji Yijun's heart. He was suffocated by the rigid life in the camp and often yearned for such a thrilling life, but the thought of the guys on the committee criticizing him in official terms made him furious. Ordinarily, with the power I have, it wouldn't be difficult to beat them one by one into submission, right? All I need to kill the entire administrative building is a stick...

Ji Yijun thought about it, a smile appeared on his face, and he whispered in his mouth: "Hey, are you convinced?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Ah?" Ji Yijun was suddenly startled, and then he came to his senses. Recalling what he had just thought, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat behind his back. This may be the so-called state of mind that cannot keep up with strength, right? No wonder my father always said that the more powerful you are in martial arts, the more you have to learn to live a responsible life. Otherwise, if one day he goes crazy, the person behind him will not let him go.

He quietly turned around and found Luo Ling talking to Elena.

——————————————————————

"Are you worried these past two days? You seem to be distracted from time to time, and you talk a lot less." Luo Ling opened the hood of her down jacket and glanced at Elena.

"I was discovered by you." Elena was also wearing a down jacket, and her pointed ears raised her hat to two sharp corners, which looked a little funny. She looked around and whispered to Luo Ling, "I thought about it a few days ago. I told you. But I held back."

"I know you can't bear it anymore." Luo Ling smiled, and she moved her horse closer to Elena, "Just tell me."

Elena lifted the reins, causing the horse to slow down a little, and put some distance between herself and the people in front of her.

"Adan and Aura are descendants of the Black Dragon Empire. But do you know? The Black Dragon Empire and the Elf Kingdom are feuding." Elena tilted her head and said.

"I know that Emperor Luca of the Black Dragon Empire attacked the Elf Kingdom hundreds of years ago. He invited a Master Grion to corrode the Elf tree walls. But how long ago was that? Do you still need to care now? ? Besides, that war did not destroy the Elf Kingdom, but when the Black Dragon Empire was overthrown, the Elf also got involved and occupied a lot of territory, right? "Luo Ling has read almost all the local books she can find, and is familiar with these histories. The incident is well known.

"You humans have short lifespans and forget history quickly. But we elves are different. I have many living elders who participated in that war. They all had relatives and friends who died at the hands of the Black Dragon Empire. So for The hatred of the Black Dragon Empire has been put into my head since I was a child," Elena said surprisingly seriously, "And you also know that the Black Dragon Empire has done many bottomless things, such as forcibly transforming people's bloodlines and extracting souls to create demons. Like. I know the word evil is not suitable to describe a country, but the Black Dragon Empire is really an evil country.”

Luo Ling suddenly realized that the difference in life span made the two races look at things completely differently. What happened in ancient times to humans happened yesterday to elves.

"You have such a big opinion, why didn't you say it earlier?"

"Aren't you afraid of affecting your plan? I know the seriousness." Elena's face looked a little worried, "But the closer we got to the destination, the more worried I became, and finally I couldn't help but say it."

"That empire no longer exists." Luo Ling said.

"But what if this empire is restored because you helped them?" Elena asked.

"Don't worry." Luo Ling reached out and patted Elena on the shoulder, "A country is not built on secrets or treasures. Now in the kingdom, besides these poor people, who else misses the Black Dragon Empire? ? Without people, there is no foundation for existence, and this country will not have a chance to recover. "

"Okay. I believe you." Elena put her hand on her shoulder and held Luo Ling's hand.

————————————————

The team reached a narrow valley entrance, and a shout came from the front: "Human team, stop! This is the territory of the valley dwarves."

Luo Ling rode forward and saw a dozen dwarves blocking the road ahead. They were wearing simple leather armor and holding spears and hunting bows. A few hunters also held what looked like matchlock guns. . Most of them were carrying prey such as rabbits and pheasants in their hands, and they were obviously dressed as a group of hunters. Judging from this appearance, he must have come back from hunting and happened to bump into Luo Ling and his party.

"Matthew, how could this be the territory of the dwarves?" Adan looked at the middle-aged knight beside him with some confusion. Knight Matthew took out an old map and said: "From the map, it seems that this place is very close to the ruins. There is no village marked here. It must be the dwarf tribe that moved here later."

"Dwarves, we are just going to pass through here and go to the basin by the back mountain river. We will not affect you." Another knight, Nate, said.

"That's where our village is. We don't welcome outsiders to enter." The leader of the dwarves replied. He waved his hand, and the dwarves behind him put down their prey and took hold of their weapons.

Seeing the stalemate ahead, Luo Ling asked Farrell beside her: "Mr. Farrell, have you heard that there is a dwarf tribe here?"

"No, the dwarf kingdom is far away from here. I have never heard that there is a branch of dwarves here. I can talk to them." Farrell jumped off his horse and walked to the front of the team. Luo Ling also dismounted and followed.

The other party was very surprised to find that there was a dwarf in the team. Luo Ling thought that they were also dwarves and that the two parties would have a common language. However, she did not expect that the other party suddenly became even more angry and shouted loudly: "Humans, why are there dwarves here with you?" Together! Is this dwarf a slave trader from the dwarf kingdom? Is he coming to capture us valley dwarves as slaves?"

Farrell looked at each other in confusion: "I don't know what enmity you have with the dwarf kingdom, but I left that place a long time ago. I am an exiled dwarf."

The leading dwarf glanced at Farrell with wide eyes, and then said to the people behind him: "His beard has three braids. He should be a craftsman."

"Or just a small officer, those bad guys, at least have five strands of beard." A dwarf said.

"Okay. Looks like he's not a condescending bastard," the other dwarf said.

"Let him speak for himself." The leading dwarf turned to Farrell again, "What did you do when you were in the dwarf kingdom? Why were you exiled by those idiots? Do you have anything to do with the family responsible for trade with humans? You must forge a I swear in the name of God that what I said is the truth!”

"In the name of the God of Forging and the Forging Hammer, what I say is the truth!" Farrell said unequivocally, "My previous family was the Molten Stone Family, a small family of craftsmen. But I am a family member. The most talented craftsman. Not only in my family, there are few people in the whole city who can compare with me!”

"As expected, I said he was a craftsman." A dwarf said.

"Shut up!" said the dwarf leader, "let our brother finish his story. I already smell the stink of those condescending bastards from this story."

"Yes, my brother, those guys are bastards. I invented a new steel forging process that can greatly speed up forging. Is this a good thing? I was going to win the first place in the forging celebration to prove myself , I didn’t expect to be framed by those big families for cheating. Cheating at the forging ceremony is a serious crime, so I was exiled..." Farrell told his story to the dwarves, and those dwarves with hot tempers were all killed by him. Attracted by the story, I listened quietly.