Their shared identity and similar experiences eased the tension between Theia and the dwarf, making the atmosphere far less hostile than it had been at first.
Perhaps Lin Gui's “good reputation,” which had spread through his mail deliveries to Caran, also played a part.
The dwarf seemed willing to believe that anyone traveling with a good person like Lin Gui was highly likely to be a “righteous” descendant of a Demon King, just like him.
At least, that was what he claimed himself to be.
Looking around, the dilapidated shack in the middle of the junkyard was surrounded by the sour stench of waste and rotting garbage.
Yet the interior of the dwarf's home was surprisingly neat and tidy.
Tools, materials, and daily necessities were all organized into their proper categories.
Though simple, it reflected a dwarf's characteristic obsession with order and cleanliness.
At that moment, the three of them sat around a low table made of discarded wooden crates.
To entertain these rare guests who knew his secret, the dwarf crawled under his bed with great solemnity and carefully pulled out an old-looking wooden keg.
He produced several meticulously wiped cups that appeared to be repurposed from metal parts.
He poured a cloudy liquid with a strong aroma of grains for Lin Gui and Theia, then filled a cup for himself.
Only then did he clumsily cover the rim of his cup with his thick fingers, as if he were performing some kind of ritual.
“Ahem!” The dwarf cleared his throat, a proud flush rising to his face as he formally introduced himself:
“Listen up! I am the seventy-ninth descendant of the Fifth Demon King, His Majesty the 'Machine Master' Marbas—Copperhammer Stoneheart!”
“I am also a certified master smith of Shield City! Runner-up of the 37th 'Fire and Hammer' Forging Competition!”
“And... bronze medalist of the 45th Shield City Ale Festival's drinking competition!”
He spoke non-stop, rattling off his string of titles and achievements like a merchant listing his wares.
Getting excited, he spun around and reached into his prized iron chest, pulling out medals and emblems, each carefully wrapped in soft cloth and polished to a shine.
Picking up a badge engraved with an anvil and a warhammer, he spoke with flying spit, describing the legendary tale of fighting an old rival for three days and three nights to win it.
Then he held up a small bronze plaque shaped like a beer mug and vividly described how, during that particular Ale Festival, he had drunk one burly opponent after another under the table, only to be narrowly defeated by a mere half-cup in the end... It was a “tragic” story.
It wasn't hard to see that his days in Shield City were the happiest and most glorious years of his life.
It seemed he hadn't been able to speak so freely with anyone in a very long time.
He poured his heart out all at once until his throat went dry. Then he suddenly grabbed the cup of cloudy alcohol in front of him, downed it in one gulp, and slammed the cup heavily onto the table.
“Ah!” He let out a long breath. Looking at Lin Gui and Theia, who were listening intently, he belatedly scratched his messy beard.
“Uh, did I talk too much? Also, I still don't know your names yet.”
Lin Gui and Theia looked at each other.
In the end, Theia cleared her throat and mimicked the dwarf's solemn tone, introducing herself:
“I am Theia Windrunner! My mother is the commander of the Elven Forest's Ranger Corps! My father... is a Demon King, though I don't know which of the pillars he is.”
Then, she began racking her brain to add some “honors” to her own name:
“I am... a regular on Caran City's wanted list! With a bounty as high as five thousand gold coins!”
“A survivor of the Whispering Forest demon rampage incident!”
“And... and I once shattered a Legendary archer's protective qi with a single arrow!”
She even reached into her shirt, pulled out a crumpled wanted poster, and slapped it onto the table.
This bizarre “list of honors” made the corner of Lin Gui's mouth twitch imperceptibly.
Finally, both of their gazes fell upon Lin Gui.
Faced with those two pairs of eyes filled with anticipation and inexplicable excitement, Lin Gui silently picked up his metal cup.
He took a sip of the bitter, unpleasant liquid inside and swallowed it without changing his expression.
He put down the cup and calmly introduced himself:
“Lin Gui. Orphan background. Well... I'm just a messenger who delivers letters.”
“...”
A brief silence fell over the shack.
Lin Gui changed the subject at the right moment, looking at the dwarf. “Speaking of which, Copperhammer, you seem to really love your hometown, Shield City.”
These words seemed to flip a switch.
Copperhammer's eyes instantly lit up, and he excitedly began to describe the greatness of Shield City.
Through his narrative—sometimes passionate, sometimes somber—the ancient battle songs and hearty clinking of mugs sung in Shield City seemed to echo in Lin Gui and Theia's minds.
They could almost hear the deafening roar of the magic crystal cannons firing and the heart-wrenching wail of the city's defense sirens.
They could almost smell the unique scent of sulfur, blood, and ale lingering in the air.
They could almost see the scenes of sacrifice, praise, and glory intertwining...
A massive, impregnable fortress city carved out of the heart of a mountain, relying on natural barriers.
A war-torn city-state standing against the cursed demons of the deep sea.
It was as if it had transcended time and space to appear right before their eyes.
Both Lin Gui and Theia were completely captivated by the tale.
In the end, Theia couldn't help but ask, “Then... why did you leave?”
The moment the words left her mouth, she covered her lips in regret.
The excited expression on Copperhammer's face was instantly replaced by a deep loneliness.
He said softly:
“My father, the Demon King Marbas, was an unsung hero ranked second on Shield City's Shield Monument of Heroic Spirits.”
“To save the city-state he loved, he fought to the death against five Epic Rank demons from the deep sea that carried a terrifying curse, taking them down with him.”
“I am proud of him, and I've always been proud to be his son.”
“But... in the end, he belonged to the Demon Race.”
“In order for Shield City to continue using the City-State Alliance's transport network and receive aid from the Dwarven Royal City and other human Central City-States, all of his achievements had to be covered up.”
“Only the Fortress Lord at the time, some administrative officials, and the Hero Rank dwarves knew of his grand deeds.”
“About ten years ago, the City-State Alliance's audit committee sent people to Shield City.”
“They would never allow half-demons to exist in Shield City. The location of this fortress is simply too critical.”
“If Shield City falls, those demons carrying the deep-sea curse will march straight through a natural canyon corridor that leads directly to the heart of the Central City-States...”
Copperhammer dipped his stubby finger into the alcohol and drew a winding line on the table.
“...spreading that terrible deep-sea curse to the Central City-States.”
“The destruction caused would be no less than that of a branch of the Dark Tide.”
Theia asked softly, “So... the dwarves of Shield City exiled you?”
Copperhammer paused for a moment, took a swig of alcohol, and shook his head.
“No. The soldiers at the time wanted to hide us in the Root Tunnels, which only dwarves know about.”
“But the Alliance's inspectors had already infiltrated Shield City. We didn't know who they were, and it was only a matter of time before we were discovered.”
“When that happened, it would have completely triggered a conflict between Shield City and the City-State Alliance.”
Lin Gui asked thoughtfully:
“Why not threaten to abandon the city to force the human Central City-States to compromise?”
“You are dwarves. Do you actually care about the lives of tens of millions of humans?”
Copperhammer was taken aback, looking at Lin Gui in surprise.
“Human kid, that thought of yours is very 'Demon Race,' but I like it!”
He then gave a bitter laugh. “Indeed, what does the death of tens of millions of humans have to do with us dwarves? But if we really did that, the most likely outcome would be them redirecting the disaster toward us.”
“The combined forces the Central City-States can mobilize are not much weaker than the demon hordes we resist.”
“If ten Title Rank experts who can alter landscapes joined forces to forcibly reshape the terrain and redirect the flood of cursed demons toward our own dwarven core territories... it wouldn't be impossible.”
Lin Gui fell silent.
He understood that if it were a true Dark Tide, such methods would naturally be useless.
Before the Dark Tide, any man-made geographical changes would be trampled flat.
But what Shield City defended against was, after all, only the residual, relatively limited demon forces left over from the Dark Tide that had triggered the 'Great Evacuation' of the borderlands back then.
Their numbers were still terrifying, but not to the point of utter despair.
In this current era, although racial concepts had been largely shattered by the descent of the Demon God, the major races still retained their most basic concepts of group interests.
For instance, the dwarves suffered extremely heavy losses when the rain of blood fell. Their strength was far from what it used to be.
They indeed lacked the confidence to directly challenge the human-dominated City-State Alliance.
The elves, at least, still had the High Elves protected by the World Tree, preserving some of the legacy of the Golden Age, allowing them to contend with the massive human population.
With a sigh, Lin Gui looked at Copperhammer and asked another crucial question.
“Then how did you cross the Silent Sea to get here? Your strength... doesn't seem sufficient to survive crossing a Forbidden Zone.”
Lin Gui could sense Copperhammer's strength.
He was a minor sub-rank higher than Lin Gui, around High-tier High Rank, but still a ways off from Transcendent, let alone crossing a dangerous Forbidden Zone.
Copperhammer answered, “The Fortress Lord escorted us personally. He is an Epic Rank expert with the title 'Heart of the Mountain'.”
“Six years ago, he secretly escorted dozens of us siblings to the vicinity of the Carter Royal Capital in the borderlands.”
“After that, my other siblings left the Royal Capital one after another.”
“They hid themselves in relatively isolated city-states in the borderlands that hadn't fully integrated into the Alliance's network.”
“Like New Covenant City, or Caran City... those city-states are weak and their audits are lax.”
“They are probably the last few places that can barely accommodate half-demons.”
“Besides, it's very hard for them to see through the illusion magic we dwarves use on our eyes.”
Lin Gui's expression became somewhat strange.
As it turned out, that dwarf 'Bronzebeard' who had written to him in New Covenant City was very likely Copperhammer's brother.
He hadn't expected that a tiny place like New Covenant City would hide a descendant of a Demon King.
And it was precisely because of that letter from 'Bronzebeard' that led him to the Copperhammer standing before him now.
This chain of cause and effect was truly unexpected.
At the same time, the timeline of 'six years ago' mentioned by Copperhammer did not align with the time Roger had left the Royal Capital.
It seemed there was indeed no connection between the two. The last trace of hope in Lin Gui's heart faded away.
Theia asked curiously, “Then why didn't you leave the Carter Royal Capital like your siblings?”
Hearing this, Copperhammer scratched his messy hair awkwardly, his face turning bright red.
“Because... because... I originally saved up a sum of money and planned to hire a Platinum Rank adventure group to escort me out...”
He clutched his head in despair, lamenting:
“But... I lost all of it in an underground casino run by the rebels in the Carter Royal Capital!!”
“Sigh!” He let out a long sigh.
“Now, I can only make a meager living by forging some starter gear for rookie adventurers, trying to save up for my travel expenses...”
Theia and Lin Gui's mouths twitched simultaneously.
This guy definitely couldn't be the one who guided Roger. He was far too much of a typical dwarf.
After confirming once more that this gambling-addicted dwarf had absolutely nothing to do with Roger's incident, Lin Gui completely gave up on trying to pry any clues from him.
He began casually asking Copperhammer about their next destination, the specific situation of Shield City.
Upon learning that Lin Gui planned to head to Shield City to deliver letters, Copperhammer's eyes widened in surprise.
“A Mid-tier High Rank Mage like you plans to cross the Silent Sea? Wait, no... we're actually all very curious. How on earth did you get over here from Caran City anyway?”
“The minimum requirement to cross the wilderness is a Platinum Rank adventure group with at least three Transcendent-level members, but you only have one.”
Lin Gui didn't want to explain too much about the secret of the 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】.
He simply took out the emblem of the North Wind caravan.
“I hitched a ride with the North Wind caravan.”
Seeing the North Wind emblem, Copperhammer's pupils contracted slightly.
Lin Gui raised an eyebrow. “What is it? Is there something wrong with this caravan?”
If there really was an issue with the North Wind caravan, traveling with them through a dangerous Forbidden Zone would undoubtedly put himself and Theia in extreme danger.
Out in the wild, a backstab from an ally was often the most fatal.
Lin Gui himself had used this exact method to wipe out the Lyon Knights, so he knew its dangers all too well.
With a serious expression, Copperhammer lowered his voice and said:
“Kid, you must be careful of that woman named Freya in your transport team!”
Lin Gui's heart skipped a beat. “What's wrong with her? Does she have some kind of issue?”
Copperhammer nodded heavily, his tone incredibly solemn.
“That woman... once outdrank fifteen of our dwarven drinking kings in Shield City's 'Hearth of the Forge' tavern!”
“She was even the champion of that year's 'Lava Ale Cup'!”
“So, if you ever drink with her in the future, be extremely careful! It'll kill a dwarf!!”
Lin Gui: “...”
He rolled his eyes speechlessly, feeling like his wariness just now had been completely wasted.
After chatting a bit more, Lin Gui and Theia stood up to take their leave.
Copperhammer seemed reluctant to see them go.
As a half-demon, and a weak one at that, he didn't dare to interact with others lightly, fearing his identity would be exposed. He was usually very lonely.
It was rare to find anyone he could open up to, and he truly didn't want Lin Gui and Theia to leave just like that.
But since the night was late, he couldn't very well force them to stay.
Before saying goodbye, Copperhammer looked at Theia and gave her a serious warning:
“Hey, little girl Theia, make sure you don't stay in the Carter Royal Capital for too long!”
“The Holy Church of Light is coming in four days!”
“Those lunatics have always killed and burned everything related to the Demon Race, regardless of whether they're good or bad!”
“If you don't want to be tied to a gallows, leave as soon as possible!”
“I heard that the Saintess leading them this time has mastered Prophecy, so it'll be very hard to hide.”
“If you're leaving, go hide in a city-state that isn't part of the City-State Alliance.”
“The Alliance Council plans to exile all half-demons by the end of the year.”
Theia was stunned. Learning about the Alliance Council's proposal to exile half-demons from Copperhammer left her feeling extremely downcast.
Finally, she asked with concern, “What about you?”
Copperhammer snorted, patting his sturdy chest.
“Don't worry about me! I've saved up almost five years' worth of gold coins... enough for me to leave the Royal Capital and find some remote place to hide!”
“I plan to sell off the last of this gear and set off immediately!”
“Oh! Right! Lin Gui kid, wait for me a moment!”
Having said that, he turned and crawled back into his shack.
A moment later, he walked back out, huffing and puffing as he carried a large wooden crate stuffed to the brim.
Lin Gui stared at the crate full of letters, dumbfounded.
Copperhammer scratched his head in embarrassment.
“Sorry about that. I have quite a few brothers and drinking buddies in Shield City...”
Lin Gui didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he took the heavy crate.
At the same time, he waited silently in his heart.
After waiting for a while, the system's voice still hadn't sounded.
Lin Gui couldn't help but complain internally.
System, with a background as 'grand' as this guy's, shouldn't his letters trigger a 'Special Commission: Letters from a Demon King's Household'?
The system did not respond.
Lin Gui sighed helplessly but still accepted Copperhammer's letters, along with a large bag of copper coins that the dwarf forced upon him as postage.
Rate on N.U.
