"Mahakhan, home of the dwarves, Carbon Mountain, a fortress of wonders in the deep valleys.
The sun lighted its dome, the clouds and snow caressed its casement, the steel and flames poured its walls, the mead and pine oil flowed in the air. "
—
"Why is it so unlucky? The murderer who manipulated the beast did not wait, but a team of fully armed dwarf guards."
Roy and Leto, who left the dwarf post, were caught by the ubiquitous dwarves before they could go far.
This time, they were waiting for them in groups of dwarf crossbowmen. The absolute numerical superiority made them unable to resist, and Sevier Hogg's envelope did not work, or it was this letter that did the opposite.
Roy could only sigh. As the dwarves walked into the unknown depths of the forest for more than two hours, the temperature dropped rapidly, the branches of the trees were covered with frost and snow, and the pine trees were covered with silver. Pack.
Then, a valley surrounded by mountains appeared in front of them, and the crowd went back and forth in the huge open space, and in the valley, behind the square, the building that was located was the destination of their trip—Carbon Mountain.
"Master witcher, allow me to solemnly introduce to you that the capital of Mahakam, the fortress of the dwarves, the sanctuary of the ancient races, the Carbon Mountain, appears before the two of you."
Roy stood in front of this magnificent and majestic behemoth, and his mind was shocked for a long time, unable to control himself.
The Carbon Mountain is deeply embedded in the rock walls of the valley and consists of a main cauldron-shaped fort, sixteen small sub-forts, and countless towers. The main body of the building's exterior wall is gray-white. Except for the concrete main frame, the exterior wall of the fortress is plated with a layer of dark steel shell with a height of more than 100 feet, which is full of a rough and indestructible taste.
From a distance, it is like a beast lurking in the dark, when it wakes up, the ground will shake.
Roy did not remember such a fortress belonging to the dwarves, but it did exist.
Looking up, through the gaps in the fort, on the surrounding mountain walls, hundreds of cave-like dwellings were artificially excavated, and countless dwarves entered and exited at the cave door.
Like a well-ordered worker ant, it keeps supplying nutrients and supplies to the carbon mountain.
"It's a worthwhile trip to see this scene. Sevier Hogg, let's not care about it for the time being if you cheat on us."
That letter was both a pass and a letter of recommendation. The two escaped the first wave of confused guards, but in the end they couldn't escape the dwarves all over Mahakam. Because of the great appreciation in the wine merchant's letter, the two were "kindly invited" Visit Carbon Mountain and solve the troubles of dwarves along the way.
There was also a trace of waves on the witcher's face. Apparently, in his long life, he had rarely seen such a magnificent building.
Behind the witcher, there are still dozens of dwarves aiming at their butts with bows and crossbows.
Demon hunters are skilled, but can only be shot into hedgehogs in the face of countless crossbows. And on both sides of the carbon mountain gate, there are also several deterrent siege catapults. Not necessarily just decoration.
"You two, and I hope you will forgive us for our low-level offense."
The young dwarf who spoke was the great elder of the dwarves who ruled Carbon Mountain, the nephew of Brovar Hogg, Kelvin Hogg,
He is also the commander of more than 30 dwarf crossbowmen, responsible for the security of part of the mines in Carbon Mountain.
The blue-gray armor was slightly stained with ice and snow, but it was still as white as his natural frost-colored hair, and his beard and hair were all white, making him look much older than his actual age.
His face was resolute, and his words carried a sense of superiority rarely seen in dwarves, as well as a hint of arrogance.
The beard that hung down to the chest was not braided like most dwarves, but a silver-grey headband was tied at the bottom.
Let him have a free and easy, or rebellious temperament.
Roy noticed sensitively that Kelvin conveyed a hostility at the first sight of him.
I don't know if it's for the human race or just for him.
"You two, please come with me."
Inside the fort.
A scorching wind blows through a gate covered with steel thorns.
Roy only felt that he had entered the hot summer from the ice and snow, and sweat suddenly seeped out of his pores.
Immediately his pupils contracted—
"Stirrup, stirrup, stirrup," Amidst the countless knocks of gold and iron, hundreds of shirtless dwarves wearing messy blacksmith aprons occupied both sides of the hall on the first floor. Their hairy arms were slamming the hammer with all their might, pounding the various utensils on the iron felt with sonorous force.
Light and shadow changed, and the sweaty figure of the dwarf blacksmith was projected onto the tall walls on both sides. For a moment, it seemed that a group of black giants were waving their arms.
After a few steps, Roy's attention was quickly attracted by the scene around him.
In the flaming furnace, the fiery red and hot steel flows recklessly. A four-dead long, red-skinned sword embryo quietly slept in it. The solemn-looking dwarf blacksmith slowly pulled the blade out of the furnace flames, inch by inch.
The sword embryo emerged from the furnace, and a series of sizzling explosions erupted in an instant, a large amount of white smoke rolled around, and the air screamed under its high temperature!
When the red-colored sword embryo was fully revealed, the surface that had been forged and forged many times showed layers of overlapping lines, but it was somewhat primitive and rough compared to the finished product.
The blacksmith held the sword embryo in front of him with pliers and whispered to it, like whispering to a lover. After a while, the steel pliers fixed the sword embryo on the iron felt, and the other hand held the casting hammer, and took a deep breath. in one breath.
Immediately after a crisp sound of "Zheng", the hammer rose high and then fell ruthlessly, and the splendid sparks splashed on the blacksmith's sweaty body. In an instant, his body was wrapped in a red coat. Go up like a god in flames.
Roy came back to his senses and looked around the entire hall. The embryos were beaten out into the shapes of various weapons and armors, and dark steel tongs clamped them into the cistern next to the furnace. Water vapor rose into the sky, and the whole hall was filled with white smoke.
When the smoke dissipated, the dwarves began the cycle of smelting and forging again.
Their movements are boring and repetitive, but they are full of an unspeakable rhythm. Those lifeless weapons and equipment seem to have been injected with vitality during the forging, and they glow with a strange brilliance.
"I can understand your feelings. As a dwarf, when I first saw this scene, I was lost for a long time. The furnace hall is the glory of the dwarves, and here gathers the best blacksmiths from Mahakan and Carbon Mountain. , to produce the most sophisticated weapons and equipment in the entire North."
"The blacksmiths take turns changing their guards, the iron ore is continuously delivered from the nearby mines, and the flames of the furnace never stop!"
"The weapons and equipment are produced and shipped to all parts of the country. Whether it is Aden, Temeria, Kaldwin, or Redania, the dwarves of Mahakam neither favor nor bully any racial power."
Kelvin proclaimed with pride, and the dwarf crossbowmen also raised their heads with pride.
And Roy was really shocked and speechless. With so many blacksmiths working around the clock, how many weapons and equipment can they produce every day
How many elite soldiers can be armed
If the dwarves have a sufficient population base, then the entire north might already be theirs.
"The lower level of the furnace hall is the wine cellar of Carbon Mountain. It is no exaggeration to say that if all the wine barrels in the wine cellar burst, the flowing wine will flow into the underground river..."
"But it's not early today, and the elder Broval is still waiting for the two of them. I won't take the two to visit the wine cellar for now."
He stretched his hand forward.
At the end of the furnace hall, there are spiral escalators on the left and right sides, and a gate is suddenly cut out at the position where the front is connected to the mountain wall.
Kelvin waved his hand to dismiss a group of crossbowmen, pushed open the golden gate, and took away their weapons.
Behind the gate, two axe-wielding guards were as majestic as stone carvings. When their eyes could clearly see who was coming, they clenched the handle of the axe and retracted the overlapping axe faces to their sides, revealing a palace illuminated by a flaming brazier. corridor.
Marble columns with intricate patterns were supported on both sides of the palace, and a bright red carpet stretched to the end on the ground in the center. On the four steps, a dwarf wearing a golden crown cast his gaze.