Chapter 221-1: The Dwarves’ Surprising Journey to Dawn City (Part 1)

Words : 1118 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

Valen Brutehammer had already prepared himself mentally to be killed by the Vampires. Especially after his armor was stripped off and replaced with coarse linen clothing, and when he was shackled with anti-magic chains by the Vampires. In fact, from the moment he was threatened by that Northern warrior, he had already foreseen this day. However, Dwarves never fear death. There was no wavering in Valen's eyes. The Mithril Vein was their final trump card. No one would ever get this information from him. Death would not make him yield. Yet what happened next took him somewhat by surprise. Although he had angered the mysterious and powerful Vampire, the other party seemingly had no intention of killing them. After being imprisoned for a day, the Vampire named Stanley, who was actually as high as Level 15, took them out of Green City after nightfall. Valen was forced to mount a giant bat with a wingspan of ten Blades, heading toward an unknown destination. He recognized this type of bat. It was an exclusive magical beast that only Vampires could breed. In his younger years, he had fought Vampires in the Underground World and knew the nature of these creatures. But as he realized this fact, his heart grew heavier. When such giant bats, known as Whispering Bats, appeared, it meant that there was definitely a Vampire Castle nearby. Because only Vampires with considerable power could breed these creatures. Sure enough, from the conversation among the Vampires guarding him, he learned that they were about to be taken to a Vampire Castle. He vaguely heard the Vampires refer to the castle as... Dawn City. Valen sneered at this name. A group of cruel, bloodthirsty Vampires actually dared to name their lair something so filled with hope and light? Even the God of Forging would find this laughable. Just hearing the name alone conjured images of a Vampire castle in his mind. Dark, bloody, terrifying. Inside a dark cavern that never saw daylight stood a castle. The damp air would condense into tiny droplets on armor, gray rocks were covered with squeaking little bats, and the sound of dripping water echoed far in the empty cavern. All around the castle lay corpses of humans drained of their blood. And yet they called such a place Dawn City? Shouldn’t it be named something like Blood Castle, Crimson City, or Dark Fortress? With a sneer on his face and just about to speak, swoosh~ A sudden darkness engulfed Valen, and a suffocating sensation hit him. A hood?! And it was completely airtight, making it nearly impossible to breathe. Damn it! These cursed Vampires actually put a hood on me in the middle of the night?! If I ever make it back alive, I swear I’ll grind your ashes into powder to fuel my forge! Valen's heart surged with fury, but he wisely held his tongue. In this situation, provoking the Vampires would only bring him suffering without any benefit. Whoooosh~ The bat trembled beneath him. The wind howled past his ears as the bat took off. Valen lost his balance and nearly fell from midair, but fortunately, the Vampire behind him grabbed him in time. Valen took a deep breath, his expression beneath the hood filled with bitterness. As a master smith among the Dwarves, when had he ever suffered such treatment? Not even during his youthful adventures had he encountered such a situation. If it had been the younger version of himself, he would have resisted at all costs. But now he was no longer alone; he carried the hope of the entire Dwarven tribe on his shoulders. Responsibility forced Valen to bow his proud head. The continuation of his race was far more important than his own life. One Sun-hour, two Sun-hours. In the end, Valen even lost track of time. All he knew was that the bat kept flying beneath him. Finally, unable to bear the stifling hood any longer, Valen twisted his head and shouted at the Vampire behind him. "For such a long journey, you still have to cover my head? Do you Vampires think Dwarves are damned Elves? Only those sissy tree-huggers can observe the trees from the air and memorize routes! We Dwarves are the sons of the earth, we don’t have such effeminate abilities!! Damn it, take off my hood! I demand to lodge a complaint with your President Iro!" Unfortunately, the Vampire behind him ignored his shouting. The Vampires had little patience for these stubborn fellows; the fact that they weren’t torturing him was already considered merciful. Vampires were quintessential dark creatures. Although they acted less cruelly under Li De’s restraint, dark creatures were still dark creatures. This was something rooted in their bloodline, not something that could simply be erased. After a long flight, just as Valen was utterly exhausted and felt like he might suffocate to death under the hood, he finally heard the excited voices of the surrounding Vampires. Dawn City. They had arrived. "These cunning Vampires! They actually built their lair so far from Green City. Are they afraid of being captured by Humans and used as alchemical materials?" Valen burned with anger; he had no fondness whatsoever for Vampires. If not for the responsibility of saving his people, he would have already fought these dark creatures to the death. Dwarves do not fear death! In Dwarven legends, Dwarves are the sons of the earth. After death, they return to the embrace of the earth and, after countless years, will become precious ores. Dwarves, who are deeply passionate about mining and forging, naturally believe in this legend with all their hearts. As long as they are buried within the earth after death, death itself is not something they find hard to accept. Swoosh~ The black hood covering Valen's head was removed, just as the first light of dawn broke across the sky. Dawn had arrived. Before Valen's eyes appeared a massive city built between two towering mountains. The rays of sunlight shone through the gap between the mountains, spilling across Dawn City, revealing its magnificent appearance to everyone’s sight. Majestic. Grand. Especially under that beam of light shining from the sky, the city seemed to radiate a sense of holiness. Valen widened his eyes, staring at the scene in disbelief. The city before him was worlds apart from the dark fortress he had imagined. How could such a city possibly be a Vampire castle? Valen’s gaze grew dazed. What was this city called again? Dawn City? At this moment, he realized that this city actually matched its name perfectly, especially with that beam of light breaking through the clouds and shining upon it.

Chapter 221-1: The Dwarves’ Surprising Journey to Dawn City (Part 1)

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