Book 8: Chapter 43: Inside the Fortress |
Publish Time: 2026-06-13 22:23:17
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«Volume 8 Chapter 41: Ironstar Fortress
Volume 2 Chapter 31: Combat Model »
The 30-degree slope was not easy to walk, but luckily Qin Lun and the others were not ordinary people. Even though several of them had minor injuries, they managed fine with the support of their companions. The passage was not long, and the whole group did not go far before they saw the end of the passage.
“Put out all the torches!” Kelly slightly frowned and waved her hand backward.
Everyone extinguished the torches as told, without much objection. By now, as they went deeper into the passage, light had appeared ahead, and its brightness far exceeded that of the previous furnace area.
The furnace area had light because of external light passing through the ice walls, but the light here seemed somewhat different.
“Could descendants of the Sannata Dwarves still be living here?” A strange thought rose in everyone’s minds.
Kelly glanced back at the two but did not stop them. Her strength was the highest among everyone, which was why she walked at the front. However, the Martial Artist class was not as good as the rogue in scouting. Since there was sufficient light here, the task of pathfinding naturally fell to the professional.
Even so, Longer did not need to scout alone. An Elven Ranger from Milleras’s side voluntarily stepped forward to back him up. Elven Rangers not only had Night Vision Ability but were also skilled in detecting traps, complementing the human rogue.
The two had not been gone long when the Elven Ranger returned with an excited expression, waving to the team below to signal that there was no danger ahead.
“Wow!” As they walked up the passage to the top and saw the scene ahead, many in the team uttered exclamations of astonishment from the heart.
At the end of this passage was an open, huge fortress gate. The gate also had the sturdy and grand architectural style of the Ironstar Fortress. The half-open door was a heavy stone gate five feet thick.
Under the stone gate was a row of half-meter-high iron wheels. Although covered in rust and long fused with the ground and stone gate, one could still tell these were originally pulleys for the stone gate.
The entire fortress gate was over twenty meters high and about thirty meters wide, with a thirty-meter-tall dwarf stone statue standing on each side. The statues had stern faces, looked straight ahead, wore cloaks, were bare-chested, and held a Double-bladed Battleaxe with both hands resting on the ground.
Despite thousands of years, these two dwarf stone statues still felt imposing. The long beards on their cheeks and muscle lines on their arms were clearly visible. The dust covering them did not hide their majesty but instead made them appear even more solemn and dignified, like battle-hardened warriors just returned from the battlefield. Perhaps only the fine, mottled cracks on the statues showed some traces of time.
Above the fortress gate was a Star Void stone carving. Although the ancient Sannata Dwarves lived inside mountains, they seemed to still worship the mysterious cosmos, carving a Star Void scene above the castle gate.
“Iron Star!” Qin Lun looked up at the somewhat worn ancient text at the center of the Star Void, a flash of fanaticism in his eyes.
Standing before this huge dwarf fortress gate, everyone felt a wave of profound, ancient aura, holding their breath and falling silent.
After a long while, recovering from the shock, everyone finally remembered to check inside the fortress gate. It was then that Qin Lun and the others discovered the source of the light here.
“It’s naturally formed glowstones!” Milleras pointed at the glowing stones embedded around the fortress gate.
Qin Lun scanned the surroundings and realized this fortress gate was likely the main gate of the Ironstar Fortress. It was not only connected to the passage from the furnace area but also to several larger, wider stone corridors nearby.
Some corridors went upward, others downward. The upward ones probably connected the Ironstar Fortress to the outside of the mountain range, while the downward ones likely linked to other furnace areas or ore storage areas.
“Did you two go inside the castle to check earlier?” Unlike the other females in the team who were fascinated by the dwarf ruins, Robin remained clear-headed, calling Longer and the Elven Ranger over for details.
“No, we only looked from outside the gate,” Longer and the Elven Ranger exchanged a glance and shook their heads. “But from the environment inside, there were no signs of living beings—just dust and ash everywhere. Maybe we are the first visitors here in thousands of years.”
“Then let’s go in and look, but we’ll still need you two to scout the path and check for traps and defense devices!” Robin pondered briefly, then waved for the two to leave.
Crossing the gate of the Ironstar Fortress, a huge plaza appeared before everyone. Here, Qin Lun and the others finally saw buildings that matched the dwarves’ physical characteristics.
The plaza was oval-shaped, surrounded by orderly rows of stone houses. However, these stone houses did not seem to be residential areas but likely the commercial district within the castle. Some relatively intact stone houses still had signs with unique symbols hanging at their doors.
On some less damaged signs, easily understandable symbols could be seen, such as a hammer and anvil, swords and a shield, bows and armor, etc.
To Qin Lun’s surprise, he saw a symbol of stacked gold coins on a large building’s sign.
“A credit house? Or a bank? Did the Sannata Dwarves have the beginnings of a financial industry thousands of years ago?” Qin Lun curled his lips, unable to help but admire the brilliant civilization created by the Sannata Dwarves.
At the center of the Dwarf Plaza was a huge circular fountain. The fountain had seven layers from bottom to top, large to small, like a small tiered cake. Of course, this fountain from thousands of years ago no longer produced water, and the accumulated dust inside was probably several feet thick.
The drainage system in the Ironstar Fortress was very developed. In front of some intact buildings, most could see stone-covered gutters winding around the houses. The dome above the plaza also had many glowstones embedded, but due to the plaza’s vast area, it appeared somewhat dim.
Thousands of years ago, there must have been other magical lighting here, making the castle interior as bright as the mountain outside, at least during daylight.
The team members now spread out, searching around the plaza. Milleras and several Elven Rangers were studying the history of the ruins, while the male Apostles wanted to find some precious items left behind by the Sannata Dwarves.
Of course, whether Apostles or story elves, there was another kind of person in the team who was hard to figure out: Iristin, Nicole, Kelly, and other females who were purely wandering and sightseeing.
In fact, after confirming the plaza held no threats, even Robin, the usually sharp and capable Leader of the Lost Novices, began to lean toward being ditzy.
“Firal, look, look! I found a Divine Artifact of the Sannata Dwarves!”
“Iristin, that’s just a hammer without a wooden handle, and it’s rusted into scrap…”
“Firal, look, look! A gem!”
“Well, this… is not scrap! But there’s a difference between a broken glass bead and a gem…”
“Firal, look, look…”
“Iristin, you collect slowly first, and I’ll look together later, okay? Good girl…” Qin Lun felt his face about to twitch, bared his teeth expressionlessly, activated Swift Wind Step, and quickly left those females who had given up on thinking.
After a while, Qin Lun could finally conclude they were unlikely to find very valuable items in the ruins. From the few buildings he checked, apart from dust, the interiors were empty and clean, indicating the Ironstar Fortress dwarves had evacuated in an orderly manner.
As for why they abandoned the Ironstar Fortress, too much time had passed, and unless written records were found, it was unlikely to be discovered. Qin Lun guessed it was either due to the decline of the underground fire veins, making them unusable for forging, or due to threats from enemies near the Alamir Mountains.
“Huh? Something’s wrong!” Kelly, who had been strolling with Robin, suddenly perked her ears, showing a strange expression.
“Sister Kelly, what’s wrong?” Robin put away her smile and asked in surprise.
“I thought I heard something just now… it’s gone now!” Kelly furrowed her brows, sounding uncertain. “You… quickly gather the team. I hear it again!”
“Hmm!” Robin’s expression quickly turned serious.
Though she heard nothing herself, her long association with Kelly had formed good habits. Martial Artists had keen senses, their perception sharper than other combat classes without special skills. The Lost Novices had avoided potential dangers more than once thanks to Kelly’s ears.
“Leader Robin, what’s wrong?” Everyone quickly gathered, though Milleras and others seemed reluctant, they understood safety was most important.
“Sister Kelly seems to have heard some unusual noises,” Robin quietly explained to everyone.
Hearing Robin’s explanation, everyone quieted down, breathing softly, waiting for Kelly’s feedback.
“That way! Stark, follow me! The two Elf Princes and support classes in the middle! Rogues and Rangers, cover the rear!” After listening intently for a moment, Kelly’s face slightly changed, and she rushed toward the southern passage of the Dwarf Plaza.
Stark opened his mouth but said nothing, following closely behind Kelly with a quick step. Though not as strong as Kelly, he was an experienced Second Order expert and an MT class with strong defense, naturally taking the vanguard.
Since entering the Ironstar Fortress, he had gained 0.205% Exploration Rate. Though there was no task plot, the extra rewards for World Exploration Degree would not be less. Moreover, with double rewards this time, the Contribution Points he could get were no less than a Main Plotline.
Of course, the accumulated 0.205% also included contributions from other Fortress members. When they found certain clues, they mostly let Stark make contact first, so he could get the main World Exploration Degree.
The sudden change surprised Qin Lun. He inconspicuously stepped back, letting Iristin block him. His pupils suddenly showed black-red crosshairs and silver dials, his Perception lines rapidly extending like waving tentacles into the passage ahead of Kelly.
Scenes woven from countless black and white lines flashed across Qin Lun’s retina, finally stopping at a space at the end of the passage.
“Oh?! Interesting!” After seeing the scene ahead clearly, Qin Lun slightly lowered his head, a strange smile curling his lips.
«Volume 8 Chapter 41: Ironstar Fortress
Index
Volume 2 Chapter 31: Combat Model »