Chapter 642 493 Turn a Circle (Part 2)

(Omitted some words, no introduction.)

Gul, who broke free of his restraints and resumed his actions, held a heavy axe in his hand, and his powerful chopping seemed to tear the air.

The first axe chopped towards Dacus's shoulder, and the sound of the wind whistled past his ears. He quickly dodged sideways, and Gul's axe chopped into the air. Then, Gul turned around, and the second axe swept over with irresistible power and speed. He took a step back and avoided this fierce blow again, and the sound of the wind stirred in his ears.

Agility test completed.

Gul turned around again, and the third axe, which was the last axe of the legendary three-axe, was a powerful blow mixed with inertia, kinetic energy, potential energy, etc., and swept towards Dacus.

However, this time Dacus did not choose to dodge, but raised his sword to block and block. He repeatedly tested Vizar on the way here. The strange hilt was not straight, but S-shaped, and the sword body was not so easy to use. At the suggestion of many martial arts masters, he transformed the sword into a broad-bladed scimitar, similar to the Messer he used at first. Perhaps in this way, he would not have to think about attacking Malekith's Destroyer?

He had found Gul to test his equipment, and the battle went as he expected. He blocked the force that could have knocked him away, and his boots did not even rub against the ice, causing him to slide backwards and slip on the ice. It was a pure rogue style of fighting, and he calculated that Gul could not hit him.

The strength test was completed.

Vizar shone with pure white light, and Gul's axe shattered into countless fragments the moment it touched.

Daxus ignored the instantly strong flame in Gul's pupils, which was a flame mixed with emotions such as astonishment, surprise, and doubt about life. He directly cut off Gul's feet, and the blade he swung out was so fast that Gul had no time to react. Vizar cut iron like mud, and the armor of the desolate grave had no defensive effect in front of this sword.

The sword slashed across Gul's left thigh, the armor shattered, the bones cracked, and Gul, who lost his support, fell to the ground in pain.

The power test of the sword was completed.

Daxus did not make a nagging speech, bypassed the fallen Gul, turned around and struck for the third time, the sword with a cold light, accurately slashed at the back of Gul's neck. The throat protection was cut directly by Vizshal, Gul died, and stopped struggling.

For a moment, the air around them stagnated, and Daxus's figure standing on the ice was like a god of war.

Gul, who could put Sigma at a disadvantage in close combat, had to be beaten up, and had to pass the seal restriction, died again. Gul, who almost made Gotrek's wish come true, died twice. Gul, who killed the legendary king of Iron Peak Fort Kazador in the championship duel, died again. Gul, who was beheaded by the Tomb Scorpion, died again. Gul, who was killed by the Great Unclean One, died again. In the final battle of Middenheim at the end of time, Gul, who beat the golden-haired eunuch of Slaanesh, Sigvald the Beauty, died again.

Daxus raised his empty left hand to the sky, then let it fall, and in the process of falling, his thumb extended. When his arm was level, his wrist turned, and the thumb pointed to the ice.

Gul, the Lord of Despair, one of the nine Death Lords under Nagash, was defeated by him, and another achievement was lit up.

Gul, the Lord of Despair.

Vlad von Carstein, the Lord of Shadow.

Manfred von Carstein, the Lord of Darkness.

Luther Hakon, the Lord of the Abyss.

Vlach Hakon, the Lord of Death.

Constant Drakefels, the Lord of Death.

At the end of time, six of Nagash's nine younger brothers have died in his hands directly and indirectly. There are currently three remaining Death Lords, namely, the Sacrament Death Lord, the Black Arkhan, the Blood Death Lord, Neferata, and Dirt Hesnig, who escaped from the Battle of Altdorf.

Anyway, Dacus didn't have a proper system. He counted the deaths of Valach, who died under the halberd of Celile, Luther, who was thrown into the sea by him, Vlad, who committed suicide by jumping over the wall, and Drakfers, who was smashed to death by Genevieve, on his head. Anyway, the deaths of these Death Lords were all related to him, and he was directly or indirectly involved.

Dacus was not a gladiator, he was a ruler, and his thumbs down were not for Gul, but for Nagash.

The nine Death Lords under Nagash were of complex composition. Some were recruited at the end of the world, and some were recruited thousands of years ago. Vlad, Neferata, and the Hakkon brothers were there when he was making trouble, but their composition... was more complicated. Manfred and Delt only appeared when he was silent. As for Drakfers...

Arkhan and Gul were recruited by Nagash thousands of years ago. Gul can hear Nagash's voice as clearly as Arkhan and obey his master without question. This is something the other seven death lords can't do. Since being released, Gul has been wandering in the old world with Heinrich Kemmler. Wherever he goes, Nagash's will will be realized, but Heinrich doesn't know it...

Gul stayed with Heinrich according to Nagash's order, just to learn the lessons taught by victory and failure and enhance his war talent. This is also part of Nagash's plan. Now...

Manfred, who played a big role in Nagash's resurrection, is dead, and only Arkhan is left. Daxus wants to see what Nagash can do. Classic left foot trip right foot, you can't find a job without work experience, so go find a job...

Soon, the elves and dwarves present reacted and became excited. The dwarves saw the surveillance following the elves. The elves saw the power of Dakwus and his equipment. They fought three moves with such a threatening target, and then nothing happened. The battle was over. There were no more than five people in total.

The dwarves also saw the power of Dakwus. Gul has been sealed for more than two thousand years. Two thousand years is short for humans, but it is long for dwarves, only a few generations. The last time Sigma sealed Gul, the dwarves also participated in the battle and suffered heavy losses. For this reason, Gul was also written into the Book of Hatred of Karak Dreadnought. They have always known about Gul's existence. Now Gul died under their witness, died under the sword of the elves.

What happened next...

I don't know why the King of Dreadnought, Zaradrin Fighting Axe, had to invite the elves into Dreadnought. Maybe he was thanking Aslai for his help in the previous battle between them and the orcs? Or maybe he was showing off and demonstrating to the elves? Or thank the elves for solving Gul's problem?

Originally, Dakwus didn't want to go. He handed over the task of communicating with the dwarves to Finnubar. Just as he had always thought, his journey to Elsin Arwen was over, and it was Finnubar's job to establish diplomatic relations with the dwarves. But he had to go. Who asked him to kill Gul? He could only make one more achievement and visit the dwarf fortress.

Unlike other races, the structure of the dwarf fortress is from bottom to top, not from top to bottom. After entering the main gate of the Dreadnought Fortress, which is covered with gilded reliefs, printed with the faces of the dwarf ancestors and runes representing anvils, hammers and iron tools, the dwarf horn sounded. The loud and long sound and the echo in the valley rose and fell with each other.

What came into view was a towering atrium illuminated by thousands of quartz crystals engraved with light runes. The lighting of each quartz is equivalent to a lantern, bathing the atrium in a quiet twilight. The stones of the walls were trimmed and polished, gleaming slightly under the hundreds of lights, and each chiseled rock fracture was a magnificent ornament in itself.

The corridors of the entrance hall were lined with huge and magnificent arches that reached up to the ceiling, all of which were plated with a thick layer of silver, and the walls were lined with stone columns with dwarf faces carved on the pillars.

A huge granite statue of the Valaya stood in the center of the atrium, surrounded by a few seemingly small buildings, which were separated from the atrium walls by a considerable distance to prevent visitors from reaching the restricted passages.

Dozens of corridors, both on the ground and higher in the walls and accessible by stairs, branched off from the hall to other parts of the Dwarf Fortress. Outsiders, including Imperial Dwarves and Dwarves from other Dwarven realms, were not allowed to pass through the Hall of the Ancestors and could only enter through the side doors. If outsiders try to pass through the other exits of the Hall of the Ancestors, the portcullis will fall to block the corridor on the ground, while dwarf archers and artillery will fire from the higher passages to eliminate the threat.

There is a reason why the dwarves have bad relations in Dakwus. It’s okay for humans and elves, but you treat your compatriots like this. You are a bit...

The middle level, which is the level below the Hall of the Ancestors, is the first two levels of the Dwarf Fortress, known as the heart and soul of the Dwarf Fortress. The first level includes the Trade Hall, the Clan Hall, and the warrior barracks of each clan with military flags and armories. Many niches on this level stand with statues of famous clan heroes. Long corridors separate these halls and barracks. The halls are also decorated with gold and silver granite reliefs depicting the past history of the fortress.

The core of the second level is the Great Hall, where the dwarves hold gatherings, with an area large enough to accommodate two-thirds of the population of Dreadnought. In addition to the Great Hall, there were the Guild Halls and the Banquet and Drinking Hall, which were messy and crowded, and Dacius stood there for a while watching the farmers, shepherds, physicians, rune scribes, metalsmiths, stonemasons, masons, carpenters, ropemakers, wax makers, and miners moving about.

The fortress's brewery, beer store, kitchen, and food store were centrally located to supply all the halls on this level.

Two levels below were the Royal Levels, with the King's Hall, the Reception Hall, and the Royal Clan Hall on the first level. The servants' quarters and the counting house were adjacent to these areas, and were under the jurisdiction of the Queen. The nearby trophy room, guardhouse, Hammer Warriors' barracks, and royal armory were under the jurisdiction of Zaradrin's son Thuring, the future king.

This level also housed the guild halls of the respected clans, including runesmiths, jewelers, goldsmiths, brewers, and engineers. Next to the Guildhall are the Halls of the Loremasters and Runescribers, and the Great Library, which contains thousands of rows of stone bookshelves filled with scrolls and tinsel tomes, all of which record the history of Dreadnought, the King's edicts, reports of famous battles, and the ledgers of humans authorized to enter the kingdom. The oldest and most valuable books are locked in the bookshelves.

The second level of the Royal Level is home to the fortress's armory, foundry, forge, workshops, and gunpowder magazine, the core of the core.

Below the Royal Level is the Honorary Level, or the Temple District, where the three dwarven ancestor gods, Granni, Valaya, and Grimnir, dominate. Granni's temple also contains shrines to Himednir and Sangnir, two ancestor gods related to ore crafting and metalworking, and Grimnir's temple contains a shrine dedicated to his son Morgrim.

Behind the temple are the Hall of Memory and the Hall of Contract. Dwarves, the Hall of Memory must be the place where the Book of Hatred is placed.

There is also a vault area below the royal level. The Dreadnought Fort is similar to other Karak. Karak means fortress and city in Khazarid. The vault of the Dreadnought Fort has three levels. The first level is the king's private treasure house and the dwarf fortress vault. The second level is the temple of Gazul, the "king of the underworld", and the preparation room for the dead. The dwarves will bury the dead in the tombs near the temple.

The third level includes the mines, barracks, clan halls, and drinking halls for the dwarves who work and defend the mines.

There is also a bottom floor below the vault area. The bottom floor is located at the lowest point of the dwarf fortress and contains the deepest and still mined mines. However, the bottom floor of the Dreadnought Fort has been abandoned. The dwarf warriors patrol day and night, alert to the invasion of Skaven ratmen and night goblins.

Of course, Dacus and his men stopped at the first floor of the royal floor. If they had to go down, they would have to sneak in by some means, such as killing all the dwarves in the Dreadnought Castle.

Maybe it was because they came after Malekith? The dwarf guards did not raise their axes to salute them to welcome them, but looked at them with an inexplicable look. At the end of the hall, he saw a group of dwarves in gorgeous clothes. Each dwarf wore a coat with bright patterns and a beautiful helmet decorated with golden horns or wings on his head. Each dwarf wore many rings, bracelets, necklaces, brooches and other ornaments, showing luxury under the bright lights when walking.

Behind each dwarf stood a flag bearer, holding a flag representing the clan, decorated with gold and silver badges, woven from exquisite metal wires of various colors and lusters.

Dacus knew that these dwarves were members of the Council of Elders, which would provide advice to the king on a wide range of issues, and the opinions of these elders were often not unified because they represented the interests of their respective clans.

The attitude of these dwarves was very unfriendly, and it was obvious that they were very dissatisfied with the king's temporary decision. After all, the elves and dwarves had fought the Longbeard War, but the unfriendliness only lasted for a while, because he was there.

He could speak Khazarid, and his Khazarid was very fluent under the guidance of Malekith. He told what happened in the Claw Sea, but he slightly modified it, not mentioning things like rescue, and not saying words related to dwarves, so as not to hurt the pitiful self-esteem of the dwarves, because the dwarves in the Gray Mountains could not contact the dwarves in the Norsca Mountains.

The dwarves expressed no less in form than the elves, and it took a long time for the elves to arrive in the reception room.

The elves were brought in by Zaradrin, so he did not sit there waiting for the elves to arrive. After arriving at the reception room, the dwarves held a formal welcome ceremony. According to the procedure, Finnubar and Zaradrin exchanged gifts. Zaradrin gave a gold dwarf-style brooch, while Finnubar's gift was an elven silver bracelet inlaid with sapphires.

During the exchange, Daquus took a closer look at the silver bracelet. Malekith had talked to him about the past. Malekith also gave him a silver bracelet when he came to Butcher's Castle. It seems that there are relevant records in Asur. History is a circle? After thousands of years of twists and turns, it has come back again.

After the ceremony, the dwarves did not arrange for the elves to rest, but went directly to the banquet hall to have dinner. After the dwarves gave a bunch of speeches for the banquet, various roasts, cream-cooked vegetables, meat dumplings and various gravies were served one after another, and various ales were also served continuously.

In Dacus's opinion, Dreadnought Fortress is a third-rate city. Its history, population, and heritage cannot be compared with that place. There is only one long table in the entire banquet hall. Zaradrin sits at the main seat, and the elves and dwarves sit on the left and right. The total number of people at the banquet does not exceed 30.

Dacus, Finnubar, and Asanok sit together. They have a common characteristic. Dacus and Asanok can speak Khazarid. Because of the visit to the Dwarf Fortress, Finnubar also studied Khazarid in Ulthuan, but he did not speak it as fluently as the two of them. Dacus' Khazarid was taught by Malekith, and Asanok was an envoy to the Dwarf Fortress before the War of Vengeance.

Other elves can also speak a little bit, such as Renn, who speaks Khazarid very fluently, Maranul, Kowell, and Flannais, who can speak a little bit, in addition to their status as dignitaries, they also have another status, slave owners... They can speak a little bit of Khazarid for daily needs. Like Finnubar, the Asur nobles had studied intensively in the White Tower of Hoth before coming, but they didn't have a suitable person to practice with. Ulthuan was not like Naggaroth, and as for the Asrai, whose relationship with the dwarves was just that...

Dakwus positioned himself very clearly, he was a supporting role, and Finnubar was the protagonist in this communication. His and Asanok's mission was to assist Finnubar in completing this communication and let Finnubar know how to communicate with the dwarves.

So, after he took his seat, he chose to show off directly. In his opinion, the dwarf's food was delicious and the dishes were exquisite. His eating style was a bit vulgar, without the elegance of the elves, and his rough style was no less than the dwarf sitting opposite.

According to the normal process, no one is allowed to snatch the king's food from him, but who is he? He is not used to this bag. Under Zaladrin's surprised eyes, he stood up and grabbed a leg of lamb that had just been placed on the table. Then Zaladrin, who had recovered, laughed and stood up to fight for it. He even reached his hand into the plate opposite to the dwarf and fought with him, which caught the dwarf elder off guard and fought back, but who made him taller than the dwarf? The dwarf elder's short hands had no chance to touch his spoils.

Asanok, who has experience in visiting, knows how to communicate with the dwarves correctly. His eating manners are no worse than Daquus. The two of them set a very good example for the elves. Ale and gravy were spilled everywhere, and the table was a mess, just like a group of starving ghosts crawling out of a grave. Zaradrin, who was laughing, was worried that the elves would not eat enough, so he arranged a large plate of stew. The plate was piled with cooked potatoes, roast goose, wheat cakes and other things, fearing that the elves would not eat enough.

Dacus, who had almost finished eating, stood up and took the large wine glass and forced it into Finnubar's hand. Then he smiled at Finnubar, and Finnubar responded with an awkward but elegant stiff smile.

Finnubar knew that this was the custom of the dwarves. He tried his best not to leave any impolite impression on the dwarves, but what he didn't expect was that Dacus actually forced the wine glass into his hand in advance, making him unable to move forward or backward.

Dacus didn't get used to Finnubar's bad habits. He picked up his own wine glass and clinked it with Finnubar's wine glass, then stood up. After everyone looked at him, he drank it under the gaze of the elves and dwarves. He burped very satisfiedly and turned the wine glass upside down, indicating that he should drink it all.

Amid the cheers of the dwarves, he roughly wiped his chin, which was covered with beer foam, with the sleeve of his robe. The dwarves who saw his action cheered even louder. Then, he put the glass heavily on the table and winked at Finnubar.

Finnubar raised his glass as if he was ready to die. He hesitated and took a sip. The spicy taste made his tongue hurt and he couldn't help coughing. However, before the dwarves could react, Dacus and Asanok took the lead in laughing, and then the dwarves and elves who reacted also laughed.

He was not annoyed by the harmless ridicule. He knew that Dacus and Asanok were helping him and teaching him. This was a necessary procedure. He had to drink it even if he didn't want to. He gritted his teeth and took a sip. He tried his best not to spit it out, and drank more and more. He felt that his tears were flowing. The wine of the dwarves and the wine of Ulthuan were completely different, just like the difference between summer and winter.

When the last sip of wine disappeared in his throat, he raised the wine glass while fighting his gastric juice. Then the dwarves cheered and expressed their sincere appreciation for him.

In the following time, Finnubar and the dwarves quickly became friends. With the help of Dacus and Asanok, he talked and laughed with the dwarves, and the atmosphere was very lively.

After the fourth round of dishes, the cups, plates, bowls, leftovers and soup were cleaned up. All the dwarves took out their small bags of tobacco and various pipes, and they slowly smoked the tobacco in their pipes.

Dacus, who was fully prepared, also took out his pipe and gestured to take out the tobacco leaves that he had put together temporarily for the dwarves to try. For a while, the whole hall was filled with more and more smoke, which made Asur and Aslai who were attending the meeting feel uncomfortable and coughed because of the second-hand smoke. However, Duruchi and Ainir said that they were used to it. They had long been accustomed to the smell of tobacco.

However, what surprised him, or perhaps it was expected, was that the dwarves did not seem to accept the tobacco from the continent of Lustria. Maybe they really didn't like it, or they were conservative or for other reasons. But it didn't matter to him. Anyway, there was no trade route now. Tobacco was in short supply in Naggaroth and Lustria. Duruchi and the skin lizards liked this thing, but there was not enough to trade.

After smoking for a while, the dwarf waiter brought a few plates of steamed potatoes, venison and large sausages as snacks after the meal, but the dwarves did not enjoy them. Instead, they sat there quietly. For a while, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became quiet.

Zaradrin gave a long speech, telling about the past of the dwarves, family honor, major hatreds and heroic deeds in battle. In the process, he talked about the not-so-pleasant things between the dwarves and the elves, and then changed the style and talked about the present.

Daquus did not help to retell, this was Asanok's job. He listened attentively and captured a lot of useful information, such as the reluctant thanks to the elves. It has been half a year since the Battle of Altdorf. The dwarves who experienced the Battle of Altdorf came to the Dreadnought and told everything that happened in the battle. This reminded him of the two dwarves holding oranges in their hands who met at the main gate when he left Sigmar Cathedral.

This is also the reason why Zaradrin made an exception to invite the elves to visit the Dreadnought, but this is only one of them. Another point is that he killed Gul, who was written in the Book of Hatred. Of course, this is not important. The important thing is that the Doomsday Anvil played a huge value.

It is true that there must be a return of favors and a repayment of debts. This is very dwarf.

He caught from Zaradrin's words that it was William III who emphasized that in the process of cleaning up the battlefield, the elves found the Doom Anvil, and the elves, who had the ownership of the spoils, gave the Doom Anvil to humans. Then William III informed the dwarves of the discovery of the Doom Anvil.

There is no doubt that the dwarves have internal conflicts with each other, but they will also stick together. The return of the Doom Anvil means too much to them.

For this reason, Zaradrin sent twenty Ironbreakers, Prince Thuringia, Runesmith Grimhold Thunderstone, Master Engineer Volund Silverscar and fifty short-bearded rangers to Altdorf.

After Zaradrin's long speech, Finnubar stood up, raised his glass and began to stutter. It was very official and unnutritious. It felt like a leader talking in circles. If Daquus didn't think the occasion was wrong, he would yawn constantly.

After this set of procedures were completed, the elves left the Dreadnought Fort and did not rest in the Dwarf Fortress. Zaradrin did not have such an idea, nor did he plan to sign a trade agreement.

So, cattle, sheep, and so on, just follow the procedures as they should...

This is normal in Dakwus's eyes. It's good enough to treat his family to a meal. Now it's time to break the ice. The relationship between the elves and the dwarves is in a very delicate state. This is still the bonus of his and the Asrai's previous and subsequent behaviors. Otherwise, it will be more difficult to deal with, and Finnubar will be hit with a face full of ash.

After leaving the Dreadnought Fort, Dakwus was ready to return to Athel Loren. He still had a lot of things to solve. But he had no plan to let the Asur delegation return to Athel Loren. He could feel that these Asur were stimulated a lot. There were this and that. What might happen next, and it needed to be properly slowed down. This feeling was like falling in love, which needed proper pulling. You can't do that, and you can't do that, so you have to do that.

As for Deth's promise to help the Asur forge and repair weapons and armor, he had no need to stop it. There was no need to stop it. Maybe these Asur would really follow him in the future. Besides, Val loved all elves, so there was no need to offend Deth. Anyway, Athel Loren was now in this state after his fierce manipulation. The Asur delegation would come back when the time came. The Asur had stayed in Elsin Arwen longer than him.

He didn't mind learning from the Slann Mage Priest. If it didn't work out, they would meet on the battlefield. He had a big vision and mind.

Of course, the most important thing was that Dacuus was ready to strike while the iron was hot. He suggested that Finnubar go to Uberik immediately and then return to Altdorf by water before winter came. He asked before leaving the Dreadnought, and Zaradrin told him that the dwarves sent to Altdorf for support had left not long ago.

This means that the plan to retrieve Gail Maraz is progressing slower than he expected. William III did not take action six months later as they had agreed, and it is still in the preparation stage.

In his opinion, this is an opportunity. If Finnubar hurry up, he can still catch up. If he catches up, there will be too many benefits. The influence of the elves in the empire can be further improved, and they can also meet the dwarves who participated in this operation. The Doomsday Anvil is very important to the dwarves. Even if the fortresses cannot get the Doomsday Anvil, they will send people to provide support to the best of their ability. At least the rune blacksmiths will definitely go out after hearing the news to fight for themselves. This is something the elves cannot match.

The dwarves of the Grey Mountains will help, and the dwarves of the World Mountains will also help. Then, there will be a four-army battle, with elves, humans, and dwarves fighting against Chaos believers and demons. Isn't this a connection? Isn't the relationship established? Unless... they fight in a mess and do some tricks, like what happened to Tyrandor Duskstar. But it's not a big problem. William III is there to coordinate, and he believes in William III.

Before parting, Dacus warned Finnubar not to act on his own, to obey William III's arrangements, and to give William III more advice and advice on magic. Finnubar agreed to Dacus. He is not the traditional Asur. He knows his mission and is not the kind of Asur who messes around.

In addition, the Asur delegation is a gathering of heroes, but they lack some experience, experience and knowledge. Letting them see the demon will be good for their future growth. Moreover, Dacus is not worried that the elves will overturn in front of the demon.

Don't you see who is in the Asur delegation? First of all, Finnubar is not bad. He killed the war hydra with his meteorite sword. His two sons, Eltharion, and Geron are all excellent warriors. Not to mention the spellcaster team, which is even stronger than the warrior team. But the role... In addition to these Asur, the guards of the Iris family and the sea guards from Itain and Cosqui Kingdom are not useless.

Dacuus suggested that William III had a seizure because human spellcasters were too weak and their methods were too wild. The best way to attack the demon together with the dwarves is to have a seizure, then rush over and kill it, and cut the demon to pieces. Now...

Before parting, he was still telling the Asur the key points of dealing with the Tzeentch demon. Yelian asked him curiously: Have you dealt with it before?

He smiled and stretched out his hands with one finger retracted. Yelian was right. He had never dealt with the Tzeentch demon. But who is he? He has sat on the demon disk and has seen nine Tzeentch demons appear together. (End of this chapter)