The welcoming was a surprise, but he was eager and more excited to meet the dwarf. His purpose in meeting the dwarf was to have them repair the portal gate that had Earth and Lukan connected. He did not plan to force them to work under him, and if they continued to live peacefully in hiding, he would let them be.
Unless they had the same ambition as him, he might crush them once they became an obstacle for his grand purpose. However, he had to admit that the dwarves were much more amazing than he thought to build this kind of base within three days.
The house was not a hut or even a wooden house, but they built the house with concrete material. It was not just any shabby random house, but a well-built house. Most of them were two floors, so a few families could live in the same building for the time being.
While the dwarves were amazing, three days were not enough to have them build houses for everyone. However, this was not bad at all. He followed Aki and Lauri to the center of the base.
"Lauri, I think you should lead the knights to the place we have prepared for them." Aki had received the message from Roan last night that Lord Tang had returned. Yes, during Tang Shaoyang's absence, both often exchanged messages to update the situation. The rat beastmen had prepared everything meticulously for his Lord's arrival.
"Alright." Lauri nodded his head and turned toward Ashley and the other knights. "Ladies and gentlemen, please follow me. We have prepared a quarter for the knights."
Tristan sought Tang Shaoyang's approval, which the latter nodded his head. Only then, Tristan, Roan, and Carl led the knights to follow Lauri, the Chief of the Pallarmus Tribe. Ashley and Selena stayed behind. Both overheard the conversation, and they wanted to meet the dwarf, too.
Aki glanced at the two women for a second before he continued toward their destination. Since the Lord said nothing about the two women, he would not question it. 'Those two must be Lord Tang's women. I have to be careful with my attitude towards them.' The rat beastmen thought to himself.
Aki led Tang Shaoyang to the center of the base. There was a five-story house, the biggest building within the base. On top of that, the building had a fine exterior compared to the other houses, which looked like a box instead of a house.
Aki opened the gate and entered the building. Tang Shaoyang thought the dwarf was staying upstairs. However, that was not the case when he saw Aki open a secret passage to the underground.
When the four entered the secret passage, the door closed on its own. There was a long stair that led them to the underground with torches hung on the wall. The dimmed path caused Tang Shaoyang to frown.
The air was not good for a living being to live within, so why did the dwarves prefer to live underground? That was a good question on his part. 'Maybe it's related to the reason they live in seclusion?'
They came down and there was another door. The door was made of wood instead of concrete. Aki knocked on the door five times before he stopped. Three seconds later, Aki knocked on the door again two times. It was clear it was a code to open the door.
Sure enough, two seconds after the secret knock, the wooden door opened, and Tang Shaoyang finally got to see the dwarf. It was a surprise how the dwarf looked exactly what Lu An and Yu Shun told him. The dwarf looked the same as the fictional character in the game.
"Who are they?" The dwarf who opened the door questioned Aki. His voice was wary and dubious at the sight of three humans who followed Aki.
"Chief Engin asked me to bring my Master to meet him. He is my Master, and they are…" Aki introduced Tang Shaoyang, but the rat beastmen was unsure how to introduce the two women to the dwarf. Even though he had a guess who they were, what if he was wrong? This was not the first time he met them, but he did not know their official relationship.
"They are my lovers, and they can be trusted." Tang Shaoyang continued with Aki's words and looked at the dwarf. Having a deep voice, yet rough, short yet bulky, and thick beard. The dwarf looked exactly the same.
"What about those two!?" The dwarf pointed at Greed and Wrath. Wrath and Greed were napping on his shoulder. "We don't allow a dangerous creature to enter our settlement."
Tang Shaoyang smiled at the dwarf. "They are not dangerous unless you provoke them, or if you threaten my life. However, since we came to have a conversation, I don't think they are dangerous creatures, at all."
Of course, the dwarf remained unconvinced by Tang Shaoyang's words. The dwarf was not sure about the black cat, but he could sense a stronger aura from the golden lizard. He looked at Tang Shaoyang, then he looked at Aki.
Aki was the only one he could trust, a little bit. Unsure what to do with the situation, the dwarf decided to stall for some time. 'I should call the Elder and let them take care of the situation.'
"Please wait a moment. I will call Elder Zand. My duty is merely guarding this door to ensure the settlement's security. Please-" Before the dwarf could finish his words, Tang Shaoyang cut midway.
"Unfortunately, I don't have time to dilly dally with you." Tang Shaoyang stepped into the settlement. The dwarf pulled the battle-ax that was similar to their size and pointed it at Tang Shaoyang.
Tang Shaoyang shook his head and smiled as he extended his right hand forward.
A strong gale hit the dwarf, pushing the short figure backward for five meters. Tang Shaoyang entered the settlement, and then he realized this was not a settlement, but it was more like a security room. He quickly located another door that might lead him to the real settlement where the dwarves lived.