The attack from the Hou Yi was much faster than the dwarves expected. Some of the shells that were fired into the water hit the crew about ten meters away from their ship, and the waves splashed all over the crew, soaking them. Although the dwarf crew did not know the exact power of this weapon, they knew that if such a thing fell on the ship, there would be terrible consequences, and they began to dodge instinctively.
The first attack did not hit the dwarves' patrol fleet, but it completely disrupted the rhythm of the dwarves' attack. Only one ship fired an arrow, but it did not hit the Houyi's hull at all.
Then a shell from the second round of bombardment hit the bow of the dwarf fleet's flagship, directly knocking off the ram of the bow. The shrapnel that burst out hit the wooden barrel next to the catapult on the bow. The hot metal ignited the explosive in the barrel, which then caused a violent explosion. The catapult and several dwarves around it were blown into the air. The entire bow of the warship was blown away, and a large hole appeared, revealing the lower deck. Many dwarf sailors on and below the deck were injured by the explosion, and they rolled on the ground crying while holding their wounds.
Xiao Chen could see clearly that an officer who had just been talking to him using the amplification magic was stabbed in the chest by a piece of wood and fell down while holding the piece of wood in his hand.
"Chairman Xiao, do we need to continue the attack?" asked Captain Ma Anmin.
"Wait a minute and see if they've learned their lesson this time."
The Houyi was parked on the sea, like a tiger crouching on the rocks, ready to pounce. The ships around it, whether they were dwarf patrols or merchant ships from other countries, were like small animals frightened by the tiger's might, and they were all trembling in fear.
A ship next to the dwarf flagship fired a group of flaming arrows towards the bow of the Houyi. Four of the five arrows were knocked down by Xiao Chen's ice spear, and the last one hit the armor of the Houyi, leaving only a small dent before falling into the water.
The catapult on another ship was about to launch an explosive barrel at the Hou Yi, but was hit by a shot from a dwarf sniper on the ship. The barrel exploded on the catapult, immediately blowing the catapult apart. Fortunately, the explosion did not affect the explosive barrel placed nearby, causing a secondary explosion. In the end, only a few dwarves operating the catapult were injured.
The attacks from all three ships failed, and the dwarves fell into panic, even arguing over whether to continue the attack.
"The two rounds of shelling just now were just a warning to you before you attack us. If you continue to attack us, you will receive a full-scale counterattack from us." Xiao Chen said to the dwarf patrol fleet.
Two minutes later, a flag was sent from the dwarf flagship and the three patrol ships surrendered together.
Xiao Chen asked them to make way, and the Houyi sailed into Crowell Port in a swagger.
The dwarves who had been observing on the shore reported the situation at sea to the port governor Ansaldo. When the Houyi approached the port, a square formation of several hundred dwarves had appeared on the shore.
The dwarfs had no cavalry, only infantry. The warriors in the formation were divided into two categories: close combat and ranged attack. Close combat warriors were equipped with battle axes, hammers and shields, while ranged attack warriors were equipped with javelins and spears.
Xiao Chen said, "I just saw the warships of the Dwarf Kingdom and I don't quite understand. They are the race that has mastered the heritage of the Tower of Forging. Why are they still making cold weapons after thousands of years? The attack methods passed down by the Tower of Forging are far more than this. For example, the Electric Wing Silver Dragon has an electromagnetic railgun in its body, and the breath of the Blue Luan is actually an energy weapon. Where did all these heritages go?"
Farrell had no answer to this question. He could only say, "I think it's the old guys' business. They always think that the dwarf traditions are the most important."
Xiao Chen shook his head when he heard this. He didn't think that when the Tower of Forge came to the Dwarf Kingdom, the Dwarves would stick to tradition and deliberately not learn the knowledge in the Tower of Forge, otherwise there would not have been a big explosion of forging technology at that time. As for the emphasis on tradition later, it was probably because something happened to the Dwarf Kingdom, or even the entire Dwarf society itself, and for some reason they fell into complacency.
At this time, an old dwarf wearing exquisite red enchanted armor was guarded by a group of shield-bearing warriors and stood behind the square. Beside him were four steel golems more than two meters high. These golems looked similar to the guard golems that Luo Ling and his team found in the ruins of the Black Dragon Empire, but their structures seemed simpler.
Xiao Chen asked: "Could it be that the Dwarf Kingdom has also mastered the golem technology of the Black Dragon Empire?"
Luo Ling observed for a while and said, "No, these golems seem to be simplified versions of the Dragon Empire golems. Do you see the gear iron fist mark on their shoulders? That is the emblem of the Black Dragon Empire's Royal Golem Master. From the appearance, they are also a bit old. Although they are well maintained, you can see that they are old things. I guess these golems are military sales from the Black Dragon Empire to the Dwarf Kingdom. They may even be used by the Black Dragon Empire to pay for the purchase of dwarf slaves."
Xiao Chen asked Farrell, "Have you heard of these golems?"
"Yes, I have heard of these golems, but I have rarely seen them. I didn't know they looked very similar to the golems of the Black Dragon Empire. I only knew that they were given by the king to the nobles. The nobles treasured these things very much and would not take them out unless they encountered a strong enemy." Farrell took off the telescope in front of him and said to Xiao Chen: "The dwarf in red armor is Ansaldo. These golems should be given to him by his family to save his life."
Xiao Chen found that Ansaldo's beard was combed into seven strands, with gorgeous gems and ornaments on it, which was a symbol of status in the Dwarf Kingdom. Most of the soldiers around him only had one strand of beard, and a few officers had three strands of beard. Ansaldo had the most beards and the most decorations among all the people. Xiao Chen asked Farrell: "This Ansaldo has seven strands of beard, it seems that he has a high status."
"Only the patriarchs of the six major families and the high priest of the God of Forge can grow nine strands of beard. Ansaldo comes from the Fire Crystal Family, one of the six major families in the Dwarf Kingdom. He is able to become the governor of an important port and is also an important figure in the family. His status is only second to the patriarch, so he is qualified to grow seven strands of beard." Farrell said.
Xiao Chen glanced at Farrell's now untidy beard and asked, "How many strands of beard could you have grown back then?" (To be continued)