Stone Hammer Castle, Forging Room.
Iron Arm led Lu Heng to tour their newly established forging room.
This forging room has expanded more than ten times compared to thirty years ago, and currently, hundreds of forging craftsmen are at work.
Of course, not everything being forged is weapons; most of them are production tools like iron shovels and iron hammers.
Since the threat of Evil God Barton was removed, the Bansel Clan has entered a period of rejuvenation, with burgeoning industries and higher demand for production tools.
"It’s great to see you all gradually developing." Lu Heng watched the group of little Dwarves bustling about, bowing respectfully as they passed by, feeling that his efforts in the past were worthwhile.
"It’s not just the forging room; I’ve also built a large pasture in the valley. I’ll take you to see it." Mia said, intending to pull Lu Heng into the valley to see the pasture.
The pasture housed many goats.
A little girl from the Bansel Clan rode a goat over, waving at Mia, "Mama..."
The little girl jumped into Mia’s arms and then peeked at Lu Heng, whispering in Mia’s ear, "Is this the great hero you talked about, Mama?"
"Yes, little Dais, you can call him Uncle Lu." Mia patted her daughter’s head.
Little Dais curiously observed Lu Heng for a moment, then reached out, pulled Lu Heng’s hand, and ran towards the sheep pen, "I want to give you a little lamb. You can name it, and when it grows up, you can ride it around the valley."
Lu Heng looked at the little girl from the Bansel Clan, vaguely seeing a reflection of Mia from the past—lively, brave, and curious about everything.
In the end, at little Dais’s request, Lu Heng chose a somewhat solitary lamb and named it "Hope."
After visiting the pasture, as night fell, the group returned to Stone Hammer Castle.
After dinner, Iron Arm brought out a fine wine he had kept for years and invited Lu Heng to taste it.
After drinking a bit, Lu Heng proactively inquired if the Bansel Clan was facing any difficulties in development.
Iron Arm pondered for a while without responding, obviously withholding something.
The next day. Googlᴇ search novel·fire·net
Mia mounted a newly tamed Dragon Hawk, taking Lu Heng for a flight, and at over a hundred kilometers west of Stone Hammer Castle, they saw the black swamp contaminated by the Abyss.
The Dragon Hawk landed beside the swamp, and Mia picked up a stick and poked at the mud tainted by the Abyss.
"We discovered it three years ago; the abyssal contamination has spread here. We’ve tried many methods to stop the contamination from spreading eastward, but they’ve all failed.
"In three years, the contaminated area has spread seventy kilometers to the east. At this rate, in five years at most, Stone Hammer Castle will also be eroded by the Abyss.
"My father, the elders, and I have been discussing whether the clan should migrate again."
Her voice was laced with helplessness.
This generation of Bansel Clan was born in Stone Hammer Castle; Stone Hammer Valley is their homeland.
Now that Stone Hammer Castle has finally prospered, with a population of ten thousand, the Bansel Clan has hope for rejuvenation.
However, if they must migrate again, what the future holds is unpredictable for anyone.
If they can’t find a new place to settle, the whole tribe might perish during migration.
Even if they find a new settlement, it might not offer as good an environment as Stone Hammer Valley.
Therefore, Mia insists on finding a way to stop the Abyss Pollution Source from spreading further east.
Within the tribe, there’s a significant voice hoping the tribe will continue moving eastward, away from Stone Hammer Valley.
Lu Heng surveyed the abyssal swamp, estimating it to have a diameter of over two hundred kilometers, making complete eradication very difficult.
Not to mention, the Bansel Clan doesn’t have the capability for this at all.
Back at Stone Hammer Castle, Lu Heng gathered Iron Arm Leader, and the three of them sat down to discuss ways to handle the abyssal contamination.
"The area of the abyssal swamp is too large; completely eradicating it is tough. I can try to stop the pollution source from spreading further east."
Iron Arm and Mia both showed hopeful expressions, eagerly asking, "Is there really a way?"
Lu Heng didn’t give a definitive answer, "I’ll try to find a way, but we’ll need to test it to see the effect."
Mia immediately grabbed Lu Heng’s hand, excitedly saying, "As long as we can stop the Abyss Pollution Source from spreading eastward, Stone Hammer Castle can be saved."
Lu Heng pondered, "There’s another matter: I’ve established a cross-world Anti-Magic Council called the Sword Holder. In the future, I’ll invite more civilizations to join, exchange knowledge, teach magic and skills, and collectively seek ways to combat the Abyss."
Mia immediately turned to her father, seeking his opinion.
Iron Arm stroked his beard and said, "Mia, you’re the leader now."
Mia placed her hand on Lu Heng’s with a decisive slap, agreeing directly, "Our Bansel Clan will join."
Lu Heng nodded and said, "Alright, I’ll go to other worlds to help you find ways to stop the abyssal contamination from spreading. I’ll return soon."
"Okay, we’ll wait for you. As long as you don’t come back, Stone Hammer Castle won’t relocate." Mia promised firmly.
Lu Heng left Stone Hammer Castle and used [Star Realm Travel] to go to the Queldorei Continent.
Previously, there was a Space Anchor Point on the Queldorei Continent, so teleportation there was very convenient.
Lu Heng’s reputation among the Elf Clan was already at its peak, so upon entering the Elf Main City Kolos, not only did the guards not obstruct him, but they also bowed respectfully.
After entering Kolos City a short distance, a unicorn warhorse galloped towards him, and Fiona dismounted, high-fived Lu Heng, and they walked together toward the palace district.
"How is it?" Lu Heng sized up Fiona and asked a vague question.