Though Duanmu Huai was quite irked, it turned out that his face could indeed ward off evil spirits. After their episode, the group encountered no more such sinister events, and even the former frequent wails of ghostly women had completely disappeared.
So when they had successfully traversed the Land of Dead Silence and stood at the foot of the Gray Mountains, all, except Duanmu Huai, wore relaxed grins on their faces.
After all, they were halfway to achieving their goal by this point.
"Alright, what's the next move?"
Duanmu Huai put his helmet back on and turned to the Elf Scout. While his Core Cabin could now function as a satellite map, they still needed local information to find their way. Besides, as a Royal Spy, it was expected of the Elf Scout to not disappoint.
Feeling the intense gaze of Duanmu Huai, the Elf Scout suppressed his grin, looked at the map in front of him, and began to think.
"We have two options. We could head straight south, crossing the Gray Mountains, or we could take the dwarfs' tunnel through the mountain. But the Vampire Count once attacked the dwarfs. The dwarfs joined forces with the Imperial soldiers to repel the Vampire Count's army at the time."
"How do the dwarfs feel about the Empire?"
"Just so-so. They can't really say it's good or bad. The dwarfs and the Empire do have some trade going on, but they are not keen on dealing with external affairs."
"What do you think? If we ask the dwarfs for permission to pass through Bartonilla, will they agree?"
"Hard to say. I don't have any relationship with those dwarfs and they are quite stubborn sometimes. Simply thinking about bribing them with money will not be an easy task."
After discussing for a while, they decided to try their luck at the Graystone Mountain Road. Although crossing the mountains was also a feasible option, the danger was too great for Elisa and her mother, Kristin, both of whom were ordinary people. Moreover, their supplies had been nearly depleted on their journey and the carriage had fallen into disrepair and couldn't be used. Therefore, they planned to first purchase supplies from the dwarfs, along with a new carriage to resume their journey.
Thus, under the guidance of the Elf Scout, they abandoned their dilapidated carriage and began to proceed towards the Gray Mountains.
However, as they entered the Graystone mountain path, suddenly, a gunshot echoed.
Duanmu Huai came to a halt. In front of him, a stone had been shattered by the gunshot. He lifted his eyes to see several dwarfs with firearms peeking out on either side of the path and aiming their guns at him and the others.
"Hey, big fella, who are you? What are you doing in the Gray Mountains?!"
Soon after, a dwarf shouted at them. Instead of responding, Duanmu Huai gestured to the knight, who nodded, stepped forward, and shouted back at the dwarfs.
"We are refugees, escaping the chaos of war. We are no threats, we just hope to pass through the Gray Mountains to get to Bartonilla!"
After hearing the knight's words, the dwarfs held a brief discussion. The dwarf who had shouted earlier then addressed them again.
"Fine, come over here, but no funny business. Especially you, big fella! If you try anything funny, I'll smash your brains in!"
Upon hearing the dwarfs' response, everyone heaved a sigh of relief and proceeded to walk forward. Soon enough, a massive stone wall and iron gate came into view at a narrow part of the mountain path. Well, it was a known fact that the dwarfs are excellent builders in this fantasy world and this place was no different.
Soon, the iron gate opened. Under the leadership of Duanmu Huai, the party entered. A large group of dwarfs, armed with heavy axes and firearms, approached and encircled them. The dwarf who had spoken earlier emerged from the crowd, furrowed his brows, and carefully observed everyone before asking.
"You all are refugees? Did an internal war break out in the Empire again?"
Ah, the word "again" was indeed very status quo.
"Yes, brave dwarf warriors."
The knight nodded and said.
"As you can see, I am a knight serving these two beautiful ladies. We are here simply to escape the destructive chaos and threat. Therefore, we have come a long way, hoping to pass through this land...…"
"Hmm...… How about this big guy?"
After hearing the knight's words, the dwarf nodded but kept a watchful eye on Duanmu Huai.
I'm just a hired warrior responsible for their safety on the way," Duanmu Huai said, spreading his hands out in a harmless gesture.
"I don't think so...Take off your helmet!"
At this moment, the dwarf's voice suddenly elevated. Simultaneously, the dwarfs behind him raised their firearms, holding the fuse and aiming at Duanmu Huai, who sighed in resignation and took off his helmet.
Upon seeing Duanmu Huai's face, the dwarfs were taken aback and quickly retreated a few steps. The leading dwarf gripped his giant axe tightly and stared at Duanmu carefully.
"You're not an orc, are you?"
"How do you figure I'm an orc?"
Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"At least I'm human!"
"A human as tall as you, it's a first for me…Take off your armor!"
"Sorry, that's not possible."
Upon hearing the dwarf's request, Duanmu Huai's face hardened.
"I'm a warrior, warriors never lay down their weapons. If you push any further, don't blame me for not being polite!"
"What? You want to fight us?"
The dwarf's eyes enlarged with anger as he glared at Duanmu Huai who gripped his war hammer tightly.
"You can try," he said.
The atmosphere suddenly tensed up. Elisa and Kristin nervously cowered behind the old knight, observing the fierce dwarfs surrounding them. The Elf simply wrapped himself in his cloak and hid in the shadow silently. Even though Ogis showed no sign of action on the surface, the fingers of her right hand hanging beside her was trembling slightly – a streak of luminescent thread flashed and then disappeared into the darkness.
After a standoff, the dwarf finally left them. As he walked away, everyone let out a sigh of relief- just now they had truly thought that Duanmu Huai was about to start a fight with the dwarfs.
After a while, the dwarf returned.
"You can pass through the Gray Mountains, but there is a condition!"
While saying this, the dwarf pointed at Duanmu Huai.
"We've got a task for you to complete. If you do well, you can pass. If not, then get lost!"
Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai felt immediately relieved.
After all, isn't this how it always goes in player plotlines?