novel bin Chapter 159 The Dwarf's Doubts
Chapter 159 The Dwarf's Doubts
That's what he said, but a strange feeling arose in Thorin's heart.
Business has been going poorly lately.
In the past, the knights of the Holy Race would always line up to order weapons and repair armor from him. Dwarven products were sturdy and durable, and were recognized as hard currency on the continent of Terra.
However, in the past two weeks, the blacksmith's business has plummeted.
Forget new orders, even the number of on-site repairmen has decreased by 70-80%. He has seen those knights on the training ground several times, fiddling with some strange black iron rods and steel boxes that can run on their own.
"I heard them say it's related to a technology called 'Daxia'." The apprentice scratched his head, trying hard to recall the vocabulary he had heard.
"Great Xia?" Thorin frowned.
He's heard that word so many times lately he's practically sick of it.
He vaguely knew that these were reinforcements that the elves had brought from another world.
Some time ago, the Pope even used the Astral Portal to bring them to the vicinity of the Elven city of Emerald Leaf.
If reinforcements are needed, what does it have to do with blacksmithing?
Could it be that their weapons are even better than the battle axes forged by the dwarves themselves?
Thorin found it all ridiculous when he thought about it.
What a joke!
Is there any race in this world that understands steel and fire better than dwarves?
"Hmph, a bunch of ignorant long-legged bastards, probably blinded by some new and exciting stuff." Thorin spat on his rough hands and picked up the hammer again.
"when!"
Another hammer fell, but his spirits were clearly not in control, and the force was slightly off.
The cheers outside the city grew louder and louder, even mingling with the high-pitched singing of bards, their lyrics drifting into the ears in bits and pieces.
"...The steel behemoth roared as it charged..."
"...The bullets of holy light tore through the darkness..."
"...Praise be to General Reno...Praise be to the Tech Legion..."
Thorin finally couldn't hold back any longer.
He threw down the hammer with a loud bang, making the entire blacksmith shop tremble.
"Damn it, it's all about Great Xia technology, it's driving me crazy!" he roared gruffly.
"Let's go! To the tavern! I want to hear what this 'Great Xia Technology' is all about!"
As he spoke, he grabbed a greasy leather vest and put it on, covering his muscular physique that would put any human to shame.
It's a fact that business is declining, and it's also a fact that riders are no longer patronizing the stores.
As a proud master blacksmith, Thorin Steelbeard would not allow anything to challenge the dwarves' supreme position in the field of weaponry.
Even if it's just a rumor.
He wanted to hear it with his own ears, and then use his most professional perspective to criticize those so-called "technological weapons" as worthless!
.......
The largest tavern in the City of Holy Light, "Dragon and Warrior," was now packed to the brim.
The door was squeezed so tightly it could barely close, and the air was filled with the rich aroma of ale, the smoky smell of roasted meat, and the unique sweat of the knights after they had taken off their armor.
Thorin Steelbeard exerted tremendous effort to squeeze his massive body inside, like a wedge.
"Another bucket, please! Fill this poet's cup!"
"Let us together pay homage to the Holy Light! Pay homage to the great victory!"
"Hahaha, you didn't see how those little devils ran away in a panic!"
The entire tavern was like a boiling pot, filled with boisterous laughter, the clinking of glasses, and excited roars.
Thorin finally managed to squeeze to the bar and yelled at the bartender, who was also sweating profusely from his work:
"A glass of the strongest rye!"
"Alright, Master!"
Without looking up, the bartender scooped a large glass of dark brown liquid from the barrel and pushed it in front of him.
Thorin is clearly a regular here.
Just as Thorin raised his glass, he heard a bard surrounded by a crowd standing on an oak table in the center of the tavern, gesturing wildly and spitting as he spoke.
"...Everyone, everyone! Please be quiet!"
The poet took a large gulp of the wine offered to him, wiped his mouth, and continued his epic poem with great emotion.
"You think this is the end?"
"No! My friends, the real climax is just beginning!"
"When General Reno's technological legion plunged into the heart of the demon army like a red-hot dagger, a small accident occurred!"
The poet's words successfully piqued everyone's curiosity, and the noisy tavern instantly quieted down.
"Knight Brian, our valiant Knight Brian!"
"The 'tank' he was driving, that invincible steel behemoth, suddenly stopped!"
"Oh no!" A gasp of regret rippled through the crowd.
Thorin smirked as he heard this.
See? They're just a bunch of useless junk that look good but are actually useless.
Failing at crucial moments—isn't that the best proof?
He took a large gulp of rye wine with a mocking tone, ready to hear how the poet would continue his tale.
"The heavily armored demon soldiers have surrounded us! They think their chance has come! They're brandishing their ugly warhammers, trying to smash our steel fortress!"
The poet lowered his voice considerably, creating a tense atmosphere.
"However! My friends, guess what our Knight Brian did?"
He suddenly raised his voice and slapped his thigh.
"He leaped out of that steel behemoth!"
"He didn't run away! He went behind that steel behemoth, which was like a small mountain!"
He bent low, steadied himself, and his entire body erupted with dazzling holy light!
"My God, that light is even more dazzling than the midday sun!"
He roared, "Holy Light, grant me power!!!"
"Then! To everyone's astonishment! He, all by himself, pushed the stalled tank and charged back into the enemy lines!!!"
"boom--!!!"
The poet imitated the sound of impact, waving his arm forward exaggeratedly.
"Under his control, the steel behemoth became a merciless meat grinder!"
"Those so-called heavily armored demonic soldiers are as fragile as paper before the steel blessed by holy light!"
"One crushing blow and a whole row is gone! One collision and a whole pile is gone!"
"Wow! That's so cool!!"
The entire tavern erupted in thunderous cheers and exclamations.
Thorin spat out the mouthful of wine he had just taken a sip of with a "pfft".
"???"
His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.
推？
Push it along?
A single person pushing a small mountain of steel?
Can they still fight on the battlefield?
Is this some kind of story or a myth?
Even the strongest hill giant wouldn't dare to boast like that!
"My third uncle's neighbor's son's comrade-in-arms was right there!" A knight, his face flushed from drinking, jumped up and shouted his testimony.
"He's telling the truth! Later, the knights all felt that burning that stuff called 'diesel' was too slow and lacked power!"
"That's right! Boring!" the bard chimed in.
"It's more fun to push! They all turned off the engines, jumped out of the cars, and pushed together!"
"They even had competitions on the battlefield to see who could push the fastest and kill the most demons!"
"Honestly, even General Reno couldn't stop them!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"