Intimidating power

  Something's come up... I'm afraid I'll have to cut back a bit, sorry.

  "Are you sure you want to bring these dwarves into the village?"

  Although the dwarf elder Quirion was saved under Panni's treatment, his body was very weak. Despite Xien allocating a carriage to accommodate the elder, they still had to stop frequently to rest. Xien and company were not in a hurry, but as they drew closer to their destination, Huis furrowed his brow and spoke out his concerns: "You know what kind of image the gray dwarves have in the hearts of surface-dwellers."

  Xien smiled and shook his head, but before he could speak, the woman in red robes said with a sharp tone: "Oh, Hughes, you should also know what kind of image Red Robe Mages have in the eyes of surface dwellers."

  Hues rubbed his head and fell silent. Indeed, for the Ferrans, it would be strange if the red-robed mage didn't have some beastmen or wolfmen following him around.

  Although most of the Red Cloaks themselves did not like these creatures either, they could not help it as this impression had been formed for a period of time.

  So Red Robe brought a group of grey dwarf followers, nothing too out of the ordinary.

  "This will definitely leave a bad impression on our people." Hughes shook his head.

  "This is something that doesn't need to be considered, Hughes." Xien said slowly as he warmed his hands over the fire pit: "Because no matter how we express our good intentions, those people will never welcome us."

  "That's right." Hughes nodded.

  It would be a strange thing for the mountain village that has just gone through a riot and been trampled by a large group of Seljuk troops to welcome several red-robed officials.

  "Xien, it sounds like you've already got a plan to deal with this situation, right?" Lijita put down the spellbook in her hand and asked Penny.

  "Not yet, but I think we won't be in danger for the time being." Penny shook her head: "Our army has just cleaned up there, and the deterrent force hasn't dissipated. We should have enough time to establish our authority."

  "It sounds reasonable." Lijitara nodded casually, it was unclear whether she agreed or disagreed. On the other side, a group of dwarves suddenly shouted:

  "Hey! Boss, I've found something here."

  "What discovery?" Xien furrowed his brow, got up and walked over, saw a few dwarves holding pickaxes and hammers, facing a mountain rock, with excitement on their faces.

  "Boss, there's a magnetite mine here!" Rourou shouted at Penny.

  "Magnetite?"

  "Look, a genuine lodestone." Ruric handed Sian a black stone, Penni took a few glances and felt slightly stirred up inside.

  He knew on the way that Governor Sazaha had not sent administrators to Shiran, so these few red robes would be responsible for all political affairs, and therefore many things needed to be considered.

  The appearance of mineral deposits near the territory is naturally a good thing.

  The mouse in the magic bag poked out its head, glanced at the mine a few times, and then sulkily withdrew its head again.

  "But we'll only have time to think about these stones after we've got our footing here." Lijitao stepped forward, clearly uninterested in the stones.

  Xien nodded at several grey dwarves: "You've worked hard, mark it on the map."

  "Uh... yeah, but if possible, I'd like us to experience the feeling of a pickaxe striking ore as soon as we can." Rurick muttered.

  "I'll satisfy you." Penny smiled: "Has the elder rested well? We still have a short distance to go before we arrive."

  "Alright, alright." Rourick waved his hand and a group of dwarves gathered their things and followed the convoy as it continued on. The road gradually became smoother here, turning several corners, with the view becoming increasingly expansive.

  A place that can establish a small town, the terrain will not be bad anywhere. A waterfall from the top of the mountain pours down and becomes a turbulent river, dividing more than 100 households into two sides. On the west side, you can vaguely see the ocean in the distance. The land on both sides of the river is fertile, with many crops growing, and the cultivated area is just right to support these townspeople without too much trouble.

  Because the town had just been ravaged by Sel's army, some wooden houses still bore the scars of war. A group of shabbily dressed townspeople stood at the town gate, led by several middle-aged and elderly men who were dressed in a more dignified manner. Such an array made Panni feel honored and surprised, apparently he had not expected such a warm welcome.

  Of course, he was well aware that all this was just a show of face, and with a smile all over his face, he wanted to go up and make some polite remarks in return. At this moment, a sharp whistle suddenly came from the top of their heads, and a group of grey dwarves and Sai people looked up one after another, seeing an extremely magnificent scene.

  Almost a hundred flying monsters flew over from the high sky, casting shadows that blocked out the sun. Those giant beasts had beaks, claws and wings like eagles, but their bodies were like those of lions. These magical creatures known as Griffin Lions were not rare in the temperate mountainous regions, and the saddles on their backs also indicated that there were riders on them.

  It is indeed the case.

  Riders were a group of burly men who circled above the town with an extremely arrogant posture, suddenly diving down like powerful cannonballs when approaching the convoy. A group of Theron and Dwarf dodged behind the convoy, only to see this team of Griffin suddenly climb up, disappearing into the northeastern mountain wall with a string of wild laughter.

  Xien watched the group of lions go away, his face looking very bad. Everyone who accompanied him had almost the same expression, and when they saw the slightly sarcastic expressions on the faces of those townspeople, the anger in their hearts grew even more intense.

  "Oh, my dear sirs. Are you not injured?" A kindly-looking middle-aged man approached, extending a hand to assist Penny, but was halted by a Selkie knight who drew his sword and held it to the man's throat.

  "Hmm... Excuse me, do those people often come and go like that?" Xien asked with a smile to the middle-aged man who looked somewhat like a gentleman.

  "Not bad, they are a band of mountain thieves. They're quite large in scale and often raid the towns."

  "What a formidable band of thieves, to have Lion Hawk Knights on this scale, their strength is imaginable. No wonder they couldn't be eradicated." Lijitah sneered and approached, glancing at the middle-aged man, Seru Knight sheathed his long sword.

  "Yes, yes." The gentleman nodded and bowed.

  "You should be grateful we have enough sense, sir." Xien patted the middle-aged man's shoulder with a flickering gaze.

  "Of course, sir, wise and noble ruler, it is beneficial for both of us." The middle-aged man said so, seeing a group of Sel people with gloomy faces, he hastily stretched out his hand to lead the way: "We have already prepared accommodations for you."

  A group of Serbs followed Xien into the village with cold faces.

  The original town mayor's mansion was spacious and could accommodate many people. Several townspeople opened the large door for Penny, and the middle-aged man who greeted them smiled and said: "Several adults, those bandits will often visit at night, please be sure to close the doors and windows when sleeping at night."

  Then he retreated from the mansion under the sarcastic gaze of a group of Serbs, and the welcoming townspeople also dispersed, closing their doors and windows tightly.

  "Are we being given a warning shot, Xien?" Hughes watched the middle-aged man walk away, his brow furrowed: "I rarely get angry, really, this thing makes me very unhappy."

  "I think killing that middle-aged man from just now would be delightful," said Lijit with sparkling eyes.

  "It's pointless to do so, because the arrival of Ser's army will bring us no benefit either." Panni helplessly spread his hands: "We have to admit that this is a fact."

  "If that's the case, I'd rather ditch this job, you know, doing anything is more interesting than being a vase." Ridget spread her hands: "Xien, I'm not optimistic about our prospects here."

  "Anyway, I think we should take a good rest first." Penny twitched her mouth and walked into the courtyard first.