The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 683: Volume Nineteen: Lost Horizon - Twelve: Dwarves

Chapter 683: Volume Nineteen: Lost Horizon Chapter Twelve: Dwarves

Piraeus? Komer seemed to have had the door to his memories flung open—a seaport city-state located on the southern side of the Cang Continent. He had passed through there during his exile; it was an important member of the Collins City-State Alliance. Did this mean he hadn’t fallen into the Abyss of a Different World but had been transferred to the distant southern region of the Blue Continent? Where was he? Why were the dwarfs subjected to such discrimination? It seemed that on the Blue Continent’s southern side, dwarfs were still a considerably large community—the Severo Duchy was a dwarf’s kingdom, wasn’t it?

Suddenly, the words of Hayreddin Babarossa leapt into his brain: Gozo Island? the Giganthia Temple? Was this place the Giganthia Temple? Yes, it must be!

Komer had an epiphany. This was indeed the grandest temple of dark worship in the entire Southern Region of the Cang Continent. No wonder even the servants of Hades, the god of darkness, had a place of worship here. And the collapsed temple was probably key to the enmity between Piraeus and the Severo Duchy. No wonder these people were so wary of dwarfs nearing Gozo Island—it was the dwarf ships from Severo Duchy docking at Gozo Island that led to the temple’s collapse, causing a sudden tension between the two sides, who had otherwise maintained a peaceful relationship. Now, he wondered what the current situation between the two countries was like. And if the navy of Piraeus discovered more dwarfs approaching Gozo Island, they would naturally associate it with the temple collapse, hence, they wouldn’t be courteous to this merchant ship. No wonder the captain ordered the immediate drowning of the dwarfs.

"Captain, it’s too late now. If we throw these dwarfs into the sea right away, it will only arouse greater suspicion from the Piraeus people—they’d see through the cover-up. Besides, these Dwarf Craftsmen are very important to us. Losing them would not only be a great loss for us, but if the dwarfs found out, we would also face their furious retaliation, and our family would not protect us in such matters."

The deep voice reminded the captain not to act rashly. Drowning the dwarfs would lead to equally grave consequences, and no one could guarantee that none of the crew would blurt out the incident someday after getting drunk in a bar. Should that happen, the family would undoubtedly hand over the few scapegoats responsible for the affair.

"What should we do then? The people of Piraeus now detest the dwarfs intensely—they won’t let us go! Damn the mirage, why did I lose my head and go up to take a look?!" While berating himself, the shrill voice urgently asked, "What are we to do?"

"We can only take it one step at a time. Our Sparta Barbarossa Family has never been in conflict with the people of Piraeus. If handled properly, the situation might not be as bad as imagined." After a heavy sigh, the deep voice continued, "Hide those Dwarf Craftsmen in the lowest level of the hold. Let’s hope the people of Piraeus won’t be unreasonable. Our ship belongs to mortals; the dwarfs are merely passengers we picked up along the way."

A clatter of footsteps came down the stairs. Komer sighed to himself—he had planned to blend in with the foul-smelling lower hold until they reached land, but had not expected to encounter such a situation so soon after setting sail. Blinding charm was merely a minor air magic spell with a very short duration. Now that the Dwarf Craftsmen had been driven down here, he had no more room to retreat and was on the verge of being discovered.

Fortunately, the recently arrived dwarfs had not yet adjusted to the pitch darkness. It was only after the sailor who had escorted them down repeatedly cautioned them to keep quiet to avoid detection by Piraeus’s naval sailors that the dwarfs began to grumble in whispers.

A strong scent of alcohol wafted over from the other side, making Komer’s stomach grumble involuntarily. Trapped on Gozo Island for ten days, eating only roasted fish without any side dishes had nauseated him; now suddenly smelling the fragrance of wine, he could barely contain himself.

"Who’s there? Who’s that?" The dwarf nearest to Komer, possessing sharp hearing, instantly detected the noise and clutching his hand axe tightly, asked in a hushed voice.

At this stage, Komer had no intention of hiding for much longer. Moreover, he indeed wanted to taste the fine liquor the dwarf had. Since this was the Southern Region, Komer felt more at ease, especially after the dull ten days on Gozo Island which gave him ample time to appreciate the unmatched aura of Kennifer III, the Dark Emperor. The endless and inexhaustible Dark Magic Force and the ability to transform magic at will had led Komer to a realization that grasping one law enables the understanding of all laws.

"Heh heh, it’s me, a poor wanderer," Komer emerged from the shadowy corner. He had been hiding behind a huge heap of tightly stacked salted fish barrels, which cast a large shadow allowing Komer to stay out of sight of the dwarfs, who were still not accustomed to the darkness. But now, Komer didn’t intend to hide any longer.

His apparel, vastly different from that of the Southern Region, immediately made the four dwarfs realize that Komer was neither a crew member nor a passenger of the ship, causing them to tense up. Almost simultaneously, the glint of four hand axes flashed in their grip, ready in their hands. An axe was always a dwarf’s weapon of choice, varying only in specification, style, material, and weight.

"A wanderer? You’re not from the ship, where did you board?" The dwarf closest to Komer asked suspiciously, "We didn’t see you in Piergos!"

Piergos is a member of the Collins City-State Alliance, located on the northernmost edge of the Saronikos Bay atop the South Mediterranean, opposite the city-state of Sirakusa on the southern Corinthia Bay. It controls the entrance to the three great bays, and its sunny region is the Alliance’s most important salt evaporation area, with its sea salt meeting the needs of the members of the Collins City-State Alliance. As Piergos is directly connected to Shimaina, the largest inland Dwarf Settlement Area, its dwarf population was sizeable. The dwarfs of Shimaina seeking a better life were willing to seek livelihoods in the various city-states of the Collins City-State Alliance.

"Oh, please pity me, a homeless person," Komer begged in a wretched state, licking his lips and continuing, "Kind Dwarf Elder, may I have a taste of the fine wine at your waist? It has been several days since I’ve had any food."

With his hand immediately pressing on the wineskin at his waist, the Dwarf’s thick beard under his chin trembled as he muttered, "Wine? No, we have a long journey ahead, ..."

"Oh, could the Dwarves of legend, known for their generous spirits, be like this? I can’t believe my ears," Komer said in surprise, placing his hands beside his ears in a look of incredulous astonishment.

The face of the accused Dwarf turned red, and the other Dwarves started to clamor. "Shinions, quickly offer your wine to this Mortal friend, your behavior is a disgrace to all of us!"

"Shinions, you fool, once we get to Sparta, there will be plenty of wine to drink your fill – pass your wineskin to our friend here!"

The Dwarves’ love of boasting and face came into play at this time. Apart from a bit of stinginess over their alcohol, nothing else was of much consequence to them. In the lives of Dwarves, beyond the forging, building, and mining which provided their livelihood, drinking was essential. As long as there was fine liquor, especially strong spirits, they spared no expense with all they had.

Muttering in reluctance, the Dwarf named Shinions had no choice but to give in to the pressure of his peers. With a resigned expression, he seemed to look for sympathy among his companions, but they all turned their faces away, content as long as they did not have to offer their own wineskins.

Regretfully, the Dwarf took his wineskin from the elaborate leather belt around his waist and handed it to Komer, the look of deep attachment in his eyes was so poignant that Komer almost felt too guilty to continue. If it weren’t for his genuine need for a distraction from the tedium of too long, Komer might have given up his demanding actions.

The subtle taste of wheat beer lingered in Komer’s mouth. Though he wasn’t much of a drinker, he knew the quality of the wine in the skin was quite limited – just the low-alcohol wheat beer commonly found in Mortal villages, likely diluted with plenty of water. But for Dwarves, who never mastered the art of brewing, life with any alcohol was already wonderful.

"How is it? The flavor’s pure, right?" Seeing the proud look in the Dwarf’s brown eyes, Komer didn’t have the heart to dampen his mood, "Hmm, really good, authentically brewed wheat beer, made from wheat, not a substitute."

"Heh, buddy, you indeed have taste, worthy of someone who has seen much of the world," the bearded Dwarf perked up immediately, as if he had brewed the alcohol himself.

Three gold Kalas? That’s nine Gold Shields? Komer secretly cursed the conscienceless merchant in his heart – three gold Kalas could buy three bags of genuine Red Maoshao. In comparison to Red Maoshao, this wine was practically ditch water.

"Buddy, you’re a Bard, right?" The Dwarves, now relaxed, quickly showed their warm-hearted nature, welcoming Komer swiftly. "You’re from the North, right? The Kingdom of Nicosia or the Bohemia Kingdom?"

In the Dwarves’ minds, the Kingdom of Nicosia probably epitomized the northern Mortal kingdom they knew, whereas the Bohemia Kingdom benefited from its capital, Prague, and the Holy Wing Magician Guild, Komer thought.

(To be continued. For the continuation of this story, please visit WWW.CMFU.COM. More Chapters are available, support the author, support Authorized Reading!)