Chapter 1 Rescued
The journey from the city of Lannister to the Dwarven tribe in the East Fael Mountains is about a four-day journey. Toshan has been carrying a full bag of crystal stones for two days already, and he is starting to complain about this small road. The steepness of the East Fael Mountains makes this journey particularly difficult, but fortunately, after passing through a forest ahead, he will be able to see the road to Lannister. In fact, Toshan doesn’t want to rush back. If it weren’t necessary to bring the crystal stones back to the shop early, he would even want to stay in the Dwarven tribe for a month.
As a dwarf, the status in Lannister is very low, which is completely different from the treatment received in the Dwarven tribe. At least in the tribe, there are dwarf girls who secretly flirt with him, while in Lannister, the best treatment he receives is occasionally a hand reaching out to pat his head, followed by the words, “Lovely little dwarf lad.”
Toshan is somewhat grateful that he is a dwarf, not one of those lowly orcs or elves. The fact that Emperor Adist II is crazily suppressing those lowly races and only allowing dwarves to interact with humans shows that the dwarven lineage is still quite noble. Even Emperor Adist II values dwarves, although it cannot be compared to the treatment of humans, Toshan is already quite satisfied.
This purchase of crystal stones should be enough for a few months, Toshan’s steps do not stop. Although the large bag of crystal stones behind him is a bit heavy, it is not enough to slow down a strong dwarf. Moreover, Toshan’s father, Toshdi, is probably already waiting anxiously at the shop in Lannister. Although his father’s weapon forging skills are well-known in Lannister, without the crystal stones, the large business with Count Stonborough is likely to be lost.
The sky has gradually darkened, Toshan looked up, and decided to hunt a few snow deer before it got dark. Otherwise, he would have to sleep again with the hard-to-swallow barley cakes. He found a sheltered spot, quickly set up a tent, lit a fire, and then headed towards a forest with an axe in hand.
The twilight forest has begun to be shrouded in darkness, but this forest seems a bit special. The Kano giant birds, which usually like to chirp in the forest at dusk, are now silent. As Toshan walks into the forest, he suddenly feels a bit uneasy. His intuition tells him that there seems to be something dangerous waiting for him in the forest. But as a brave dwarf, if he dares not enter a forest, it would be an insult to the noble dwarf race!
What annoys Toshan is that he doesn’t even have the chance to find a stupid blood deer to chop. His axe is now only useful for cutting through the thick bushes that fill the path. “Damn place, not even a path!” Toshan has already started to complain. He hasn’t even seen a single wild animal, let alone a blood deer.
A sharp, strange sound comes from deep within the forest, like the sound of a red-hot sword being plunged into a basin of cold water, making it particularly piercing in the silent forest. Toshan feels a bit creepy. The strange forest has made this noble dwarf feel a hint of fear. Even his axe trembles slightly in his hand.
Let’s go in and take a look! The brave dwarf grits his teeth, brandishes his axe, and roars his courage-boosting war song as he walks towards the source of the sound deep in the forest. The strange sight of the forest still makes Toshan feel a bit chilly, the leaves and bushes around here are strangely leaning in one direction, as if a strong tornado had just passed through. And the strange sound seems to be not far ahead.
After the last clump of bushes falls, Toshan’s eyes widen as he sees a scene that he can hardly believe. It is obvious that the forest ahead has been destroyed, and the destruction is very thorough. The towering trees in the forest seem to have been completely crushed, forming a pile on the ground. In the middle, a circular black ring in the air is slowly fading, and everything on the ground is arranged in a spiral around the black ring.
“My god!” Toshan’s eyes bulge out. “Can someone tell me what this is?”
The piercing sound is obviously coming from this huge black hole. Under Toshan’s stunned gaze, the circular black hole in the air slowly disappears, and the piercing sound gradually diminishes until it is no longer audible. But the lingering pungent smell in the air remains. After the terrifying black hole completely disappears, Toshan slowly moves forward with his axe raised, and stops at the spot where the black hole disappeared. He swings his axe a few times, as if feeling no resistance, and walks back and forth. He completely cannot understand what he just saw.
The soft, cottony feeling under his feet almost makes Toshan jump. His axe has been swung down, but it stops halfway because Toshan has seen what seems to be a piece of clothing hidden under the crushed trees and bushes. After pushing aside the cover, Toshan drags a person out from underneath!
Although dwarves are known for their strength, Toshan is now so tired that he can barely breathe. Toshan would rather swing a large iron hammer for an hour to forge a broadsword than carry such a heavy person all the way from the distant forest to his tent. Toshan sits opposite the person, panting and observing him.
The person is wearing a white outfit that Toshan has never seen before, with very short sleeves that don’t even reach the elbows, and no collar. There are some unknown letters on the chest of the outfit. He is also wearing pants and shoes that Toshan has never seen before. The person’s black hair is something Toshan has never seen on any race on the continent.
The person seems to be uninjured. Toshan has been staring at him with a strange look since he woke up, and the person seems to be a bit annoyed. “If it weren’t for the great Toshan saving you, you would have been done for. Staring at a noble dwarf like this is very rude. You should be prepared for an angry dwarf to attack you!”
The other person seems to not understand his words and continues to stare at him dumbly.
“What race are you? Human? Demon? Elf? Don’t try to lie in front of the extraordinary Toshan!” Toshan almost shouts.
The other person speaks, but Toshan can’t understand a word. After a while, Toshan is still staring with wide eyes, until the black-haired person points to his own chest and says, “Ron.” Then he points to Toshan’s chest, with a questioning look in his eyes. Toshan finally understands and points to his own chest, saying "Toshan"! The two communicate with gestures for a long time, finally getting to know each other. Toshan feels a bit proud that he can communicate with this person who doesn’t understand the language using gestures. He casually throws some dry food to Ron and makes a sleeping gesture, then crawls into the tent.
Adding a few pieces of wood to the campfire, Ron nibbles on the dry food while pondering: Where exactly is this place? This dwarf named Toshan seems like a wild man. The surroundings are all mountains and forests. Did he suddenly end up in a primitive forest? And is Toshan a member of a primitive tribe in the forest? He clearly was in Professor Li’s physics laboratory, how did he suddenly end up here? Right, could it be because of a malfunction in Professor Li’s reactor? It seems that he needs to first figure out where he is.
Ron checks his belongings, a lighter, a pack of cigarettes, a wallet with an ID, bank card, and a small amount of money, and a portable music player and a cellphone in his pocket. “Let’s sleep first, and talk about it tomorrow,” Ron thinks.