Hanmosidun City greeted a new day once again. Like the countless days and nights that have passed here, each day’s arrival is a new beginning.
For Koravos, today was definitely not a good day. If he could choose, he would wish for today to never come.
But such a wish, even the most powerful gods could not fulfill. Space, time, and magic, the three fundamental elements that make up this world, cannot be altered by any divine power.
Koravos tightened the cloak around him, covering his body that wouldn’t stop trembling. The cold morning wind blew through the silent caves of the Gray Dwarves, spreading the unique chill of the Underworld to every corner. He wasn’t very old, but because of years of combat, his body was no longer as robust as before, and such cold winds began to unsettle him.
Yet what really unsettled Koravos was the Governance Council’s inquiry today. Although "inquiry" sounds like just questioning and consultation, the Gray Dwarf knew all too well: such an inquiry meant the other Governors sought to resolve his presence. He had occupied this position for quite some time, and a lot of fresh blood needed to be integrated, while the oldest interests were deeply entrenched. The only thing that needed change was precisely his kind of element. Read full story at novel·fiɾe·net
"Achoo!" Koravos rubbed his nose; he wasn’t complaining about the system itself, after all, this practice had withstood millennia’s trials — always expelling less capable Gray Dwarf individuals from the core, leaving behind only the most stable and vibrant parts.
He himself had participated in such matters before. How could one hope to become a member of the Governance Council without some tactics?
Walking slowly towards the council chamber, Koravos couldn’t help but blame his bad luck. If this inquiry could be postponed even just half a month, he would definitely find a way to get through it safely. But the shutdown of the northern mine had caused him, as the biggest hidden investor, immeasurable losses. His purse was already empty, and there was nothing left of value.
Merely being short of money wasn’t a big issue; his life wouldn’t suffer any impact, and he could still eat and drink as usual. But he originally wanted to use the mine’s share income to secure an elder’s support and solidify his position. However, these goals were completely dashed by the mysterious deaths.
The arrival of the mages brought hope to Koravos. If these powerful people could solve the problems in the mine tunnels, then funds, marriage, and status would be restored to him one after the other, and everything would return to the right track.
But his enemies wouldn’t give him this time. Just on the second day after the mages left the city, his competitors began to attack him.
The reason was: "Unauthorized use of Hanmosidun City’s precious public historical resources."
The so-called historical resources referred to the scripts and scrolls that the Dwarves promised as payment to the mages.
Having lost his biggest source of income, and with nothing of value at hand, he could only offer such promises to persuade the mages at that time.
"Humph!" Koravos kicked a stone into the roadside drainage ditch, "What a thing! Didn’t you all profit from the northern mine? If I hadn’t supplied you with ores at low prices, could you have made so much money?" Now it was too late to count on the underground mercenary group he hired to investigate the mine tunnels. All Koravos could hope for was that the mages would return soon.
However, it’s already useless to complain now. He took out a shining stone to check, and there wasn’t much time left before the Governance Council started. He had to speed up.
Lynch, Deluo, and Nimo hurried through the Dark Cave. They were now eager to find out the whereabouts of the kidnapped angel. From the traces at the scene and the style of the battle, it was definitely the work of an elite Dark Elf squad; the fighting there didn’t seem very fierce, and there was no blood or corpses, typical of an ambush and raid. But the two items left at the scene raised a lot of suspicion. The style of the Dark Elves is always cautious and meticulous. How could such an obvious flaw be left behind in such a significant act as kidnapping an angel? If the little angel’s parents saw this, they would surely be furious and then inquire everywhere about their child’s whereabouts and kill the owners of those two items thoroughly. Dark Elves would never bring trouble upon themselves; borrowing a knife to kill, however, is very possible.