"The temple... I had some problems with the high priest at that time," said the king.
Xiao Chen understood what he meant. The king deliberately did not remind the temple. He even wanted to kill someone with a borrowed knife. "But what happened later was different from what you expected?"
"Yes. The high priest went in, and more than once, but he was able to come out safely every time." The king said, "I began to suspect that maybe the monster has left? Or is it just staying on the road that the royal family took to enter? So the people in the temple didn't actually encounter it?"
"After entering the ruins of God, are the roads divided?" Xiao Chen asked.
"To enter the ruins of God, there are three roads. This is a rule made by several saints in the early days of the Dwarf Kingdom. They transformed the ruins of God and divided it into three parts, allowing only three types of people to enter. The first road belongs to the royal family. Only those with royal blood can enter. In the end, it leads to the treasure room and the material warehouse. Dwarves without royal blood cannot walk through this road because there are several teleportation arrays in the middle, which only teleport people with royal blood. The second road belongs to the temple. Only those who are high priests of the temple can enter. However, the requirements for this road are relatively loose. As long as the high priest himself is there, he can bring other people into this passage. However, there is nothing of great value on this road. In the end, it leads to the hall where the God of Forging gave the dwarves the knowledge of forging. However, that hall has collapsed, and what remains there is only an altar for the temple priests to pray and sacrifice.
The third one belongs to the Great Blacksmith. Anyone who enters must form a team and pass the test of the Great Blacksmith before being teleported in. The place they go to is the Tower of Forge that you are looking for.
The three different roads lead to different areas that are isolated from each other, with a large mountain range in the middle that is always shrouded in mist. Except for the saints of the past, no one has ever crossed those mountains. So I guessed at the time that maybe the monster didn’t have the ability to travel between different areas.”
"I remember you went to the ruins of God again later." Ansaldo said.
“Well, many years later, when I felt I was prepared, I entered the ruins of God again. At that time, I brought my two nephews, Klopp and Maleko. They were the strongest warriors of the royal family at that time.”
"Klopp and Maleco, who are known as the sharpest axe and the strongest wall?" Ansaldo was stunned.
The king snorted and said, "I know that many rumors say that I murdered them. Those are all despicable speculations and rumors. The capital is full of such rats hiding in the shadows. No, Klopp and Maleko are both the most loyal warriors in the kingdom, and they are geniuses who may reach the level of saints in their lifetime. How could I cut off my own arms? That time I gave them two sets of holy weapons: the Mountain Splitting Axe and the Water Breaking Shield. Their combat effectiveness at that time had reached the level of saints.
I also brought along the great royal magician Asaret, who was the best at fighting at the time. The four of us all took our best equipment, carried the fruit of destruction from the Black Dragon Empire, and prepared teleportation scrolls so that we could teleport away from there immediately if there was any problem.
When we first entered the ruins of God, the atmosphere was different from the last time. We came to the place where we encountered danger last time, but the monster did not appear. We searched the entire treasure house and found no trace of it. I thought it really left, so the high priest could enter and exit the ruins safely so many times. We began to use the storage ring to load the necessary supplies, but just when we completed the task and were ready to return, the monster attacked us in front of the teleportation array.
We made a lot of preparations this time, and the three masters were much stronger than the last time I came in with them. We even used the Fruit of Destruction to severely injure the monster, but it made Klopp go crazy at the last moment. The two brothers died together, but the monster still won. Only I escaped back to the teleportation array with the help of an absolute defense ring. "
"It seems that the violent explosion in the forging workshop and the deaths of Klopp and the other three at the same time were just a cover-up." Ansaldo asked in confusion, "But, unlike the first time, your position was already very stable, right? Why didn't you announce the news at that time?"
The king looked down at the ground for a long time and said, "Because that monster once said that he wanted me to die because the dwarves did not need a king, only the rule of the God of Forge was enough. He wanted to replace me and rule the dwarf kingdom directly, do you understand?"
"But there are still many people who will support you." Ansaldo said.
"It's hard for me to predict what other people are thinking. If many people knew about this existence that calls himself the God of Forge, would anyone hope that he would really become the God of Forge, depose the royal family, and turn the Dwarf Kingdom into a theocracy? I dare not gamble, it's too dangerous, but the other option is very simple, completely seal off the road to the royal family of the Ruins of God. Later, to be on the safe side, I also closed the trial passage of the Great Forge."
"But now you have no way to seal the passage to the temple." Xiao Chen said.
"Yes, but what I need is time to train and recruit the right experts, and to be ready to fight this monster again. For many years, the priests from the temple have been able to go in and pray without any problems. I just hope that this will continue until I am ready.
It was not until much later that I learned that the high priest and the monster were connected. I don't know when the high priest encountered the thing. It didn't kill them all like it did to the royal family. Instead, it chose to control him. "Maybe not completely, but it definitely affected him. Unfortunately, I didn't know it at the time. When I found out later, it was too late."
"How did you find out?" Xiao Chen asked.
"I have witnessed the power of the red mist twice and am very sensitive to its aura. Two years ago, I felt that aura from the high priest of the Forge Temple."
"So you knew it a long time ago," Ansaldo asked.
"But you know I can only hide this secret." The king shook his head and said, "You should be aware of the status of the Forge Temple in the minds of the dwarves. Even I dare not easily go against them. What will happen if the high priest announces that the God of Forge does not recognize my throne and wants to take over the Dwarf Kingdom himself? What do you think those nobles who are ready to make a move will think? What will those fools who regard the God of Forge as the highest belief think?" (To be continued)