Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Proud Elf

After arriving at the Death Cemetery, Han Shuo did not linger long before setting out for the dwarves’ settlement. By the time dusk was drawing near, he finally reached the dwarven village.

Bennett and the other dwarves remained as warm and welcoming as ever. The moment Han Shuo arrived, they produced their meager best delicacies for him to taste, and a cup before him was quickly filled with fruit wine brewed by arcane methods.

“You haven’t been here for several days, Han. Have you been well lately?” Bennett asked, looking at him.

“Thank you for your concern. I’ve been very well. This time I’ve come to bring you the grain I promised,” Han Shuo said as he spoke, taking sack after sack from his spatial ring. There was wheat, plenty of milk bread, and even some cured cuts of meat.

“Oh, my miraculous friend, the entire village will be grateful for your generosity,” Bennett exclaimed at once. As Han Shuo’s spatial ring flickered again and again, so much food suddenly appeared on the ground that Bennett, who had lately been feeling the strain of hard times, became so excited he could hardly contain himself.

Not far away, some dwarven women and children also set aside their work and came cheering over, tears in their eyes as they embraced one another in celebration.

Seeing how these dwarves reacted to the grain, Han Shuo understood that life had surely not been easy for them. For them, every winter must have been a trial. But now, because of his arrival, the dwarves no longer had to worry about survival.

The village chief, Calvin, together with several sturdy young dwarven men, was coming in from the forge. Hearing the excited cheers, he looked a little surprised, and only after drawing near and seeing the piled grain on the ground did he offer Han Shuo a solemn and heartfelt expression of thanks.

“Elder, this food is only the first batch. My spatial ring can only hold so much at a time. I think that as long as I make a few more trips, I should be able to bring over all the food you need. Rest assured, Elder, I’ll deliver the next batch as quickly as possible. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about grain this winter,” Han Shuo explained with a courteous smile after returning Calvin’s greeting.

At that moment, a commotion arose outside the village. Then one of the dwarven guards stationed at the entrance came in, leading several elves.

These elves wore clothing embroidered with exquisite patterns. Flower and branch garlands adorned their heads, and in their hands they carried either bows or magical staves. Both men and women were strikingly handsome and beautiful.

“Dear dwarf friends, we have brought beautiful gemstones. They are more than enough to exchange for the weapons you have forged. With those weapons, we can help drive away the greedy ogres around you. Will you sell them to us?” said the young elf at the front with courteous politeness. A green bow hung on his back, and faint magical fluctuations emanated from it; it seemed to be a magical weapon. That piqued Han Shuo’s curiosity.

“Sorry, Bennett, but I think I have already made myself clear. The weapons we forge will never be given to you, no matter what you pay. We have no interest,” Calvin said with a shake of his head, refusing the young elf Bennett quite decisively.

At those words, Bennett looked very frustrated and said anxiously, “Why? I know your village has only a little over a hundred dwarves. But the weapons you’ve forged recently number far more than a hundred. You can’t possibly use them all yourselves. Weapons forged from black iron ore in the hands of dwarves can become far greater magical weapons if our elves enchant them. Why won’t you exchange weapons you can’t even use? Is our price not high enough?”

“Because these weapons were forged for our best friend, Han. And some of the fruit wine is for Han as well. So I’m sorry, Bennett, but I don’t think we can trade these weapons to you just for gemstones,” Calvin replied firmly and apologetically. Then he turned to Bennett and called out, “Bennett, take them and fetch the weapons we forged. Today, let Han take them all away.”

“Understood, Village Chief,” Bennett answered heartily, then led several young dwarves away in high spirits toward the forge. As for the temptation of those gemstones, not a single dwarf paid it any mind.

“May I ask, is he the Han you spoke of? Humans are the most despicable and wicked race in the Dark Forest. Yet you refuse to cooperate with the emissaries of nature and instead choose to trust a human. Elder Calvin, you must not do this!” Bennett complained with great grievance the moment Calvin pointed at Han Shuo and told Bennett and the others to go fetch the forged weapons.

“Han is different from other humans. We trust him, and we help one another. So I’m sorry, Bennett, but I’m afraid we cannot exchange these weapons for you,” Calvin said stubbornly, unmoved by Bennett’s complaints.

The last time Han Shuo had left the dwarven village, he had never intended to use grain to exchange for the dwarves’ weapons. It was only because the dwarves insisted on it that they were willing to accept his grain. Unexpectedly, not long afterward, elves took notice of this batch of weapons forged by the dwarves with black iron ore mixed in. What surprised Han Shuo even more was that the dwarves seemed to have repeatedly refused Bennett’s pleas for an exchange and had kept the weapons firmly for him.

“Elder, actually, these weapons are entirely yours to decide. I gave you this grain not because I coveted your weapons,” Han Shuo said after some thought, explaining sincerely to Calvin.

Calvin nodded and smiled. “Han, you don’t need to explain. We understand your goodwill. But we cannot accept your things for nothing. Our dwarven ancestors taught us that everything should be obtained through our own efforts. If we simply accepted your gifts, we would be violating our ancestral precepts, and it would also bring a bad atmosphere to the village. I think you understand what I mean.”

While Han Shuo and Calvin were speaking, Bennett and several dwarves had already brought over more than a dozen weapons. Among them were sabers, swords, spears, heavy hammers, and double-bladed axes. Every one of them was bright and newly forged. The hammers and axes gave off a thick, weighty impression, while the blades of the swords and spears gleamed with a cold, sharp edge.

When Bennett and his companions saw the weapons appear, their eyes lit up with excitement. But amid their exhilaration, Han Shuo let out a helpless sigh and said, “Since the elder has said so, I can only accept them with reluctant gratitude.”

As soon as his words fell, and under the greedy gazes of Bennett and the other elves, the dozen or so weapons forged by master dwarven hands from black iron ore were one by one placed into Han Shuo’s spatial ring.

“Human friend, these weapons forged by the dwarves—would you be willing to trade them to us? We are planning a major battle lately, and we want to strike at the arrogance of the forest trolls. If we had these weapons and our elven elders enchanted them, they could become incredibly powerful magical weapons. That would greatly increase the strength of some of our experts. We are willing to trade gemstones with you. What do you think?” Seeing Han Shuo put the weapons away one by one, Bennett’s eyes flashed with disappointment. Then, after some thought, he suddenly felt that trading with Han Shuo might be easier, and he immediately addressed Han Shuo with renewed excitement.

“Humans are a vile and wicked race. Why would noble elves like you ever be willing to trade with a vile and wicked race such as ours?” Han Shuo asked with a strange smile, using Bennett’s own words to turn him back.

“In order to make the even more greedy and shameless forest trolls pay a price, our noble elves are willing to make certain concessions. We can permit you, a human, to exchange goods with us,” Bennett replied, much to Han Shuo’s astonishment, as though he had not the slightest idea that Han Shuo’s words were filled with biting sarcasm. Instead, he was there displaying his own supposed magnanimity with complete self-importance.

“Sorry, I have no interest in doing any trade with noble elves like you,” Han Shuo said, half amused and half exasperated, and at last fully realized the elves’ arrogance as he firmly refused them.

The words had barely left his mouth when Han Shuo suddenly heard the sounds of branches snapping in the distance, as though many people were approaching. Before Bennett could speak, Han Shuo frowned and asked, “Did you bring another group of elves this time?”

“No, it’s just the few of us. What’s going on?” Bennett asked in surprise.

A thought flickered through Han Shuo’s mind, and three origin demons suddenly shot out, disappearing in three different directions outside the village. In a short while, Han Shuo borrowed their sight and saw a dense mass of five to six hundred forest trolls charging toward them in overwhelming force.

The forest troll chieftain Han Shuo had encountered before was now ingratiatingly saying something to another forest troll whose build was even more savage. It seemed this forest troll held a still higher status, and Han Shuo immediately understood that this time, they were likely facing real trouble.