Chapter 258

Words : 1480 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

C258: The Shadow of Dartans (1) Arriving in the big city of Dartans, Rudger and Hans came out a reasonable distance from the factory area. “Let’s rest here for a while.” Hans was holding a large suitcase, and while listening to Rudger, he said, “I’m glad,” and put it on the floor with a thud. “Argh!” Then a scream was heard in the suitcase, as the lid opened and a little girl popped out. “Hey! You put me down on purpose so I can get sick!” The dwarf girl with sturdy copper skin and long waist-length white hair tied in pigtails looked angrily at Hans. “No, what do you mean? Do you know how hard it was for me to move you? We barely hid you in your bag because you didn’t even have an ID.” “I’m heavy? There’s no lighter dwarf like me!” “Do you think you’re the only one in the bag? It’s because I put all kinds of junk in it.” “Are you done talking?” “Argh! Did you bite me?” Rudger sighed as he saw the two squabbling with each other. It didn’t seem like it would end like this, so he intervened in the middle and separated the two. “Stop. It doesn’t matter if you get closer, but we’re not in a situation like that right now.” “What do you mean getting closer Nari?” “That’s right, brother. Do I look so close to this little boy? Ouch. You really bit it with all your might.” “You’re lucky because I don’t see blood.” “I agree. It would have been annoying if I became a dwarf after getting bitten by a dwarf.” “What?” Sheridan’s two pigtails soared with anger. Rudger rubbed his brows and suppressed a subtle headache, then smacked Hans in the back of his head. “Brother, why are you hitting me?” “Hans, you’re not a child, how long are you going to do that? This is not the time for fooling around. We have to find the hidden factory.” “That’s true, but... Do you have any leads?” “There must be something about them because they’re making firearms.” At that time, Seridan raised her hand to the two agonizing people. “Wait! If it’s gunpowder, I think I know a little bit.” Rudger and Hans looked at Seridan. “Ah.” “Come to think of it.”T/his chapter is updated by Seridan Iron Feet is a rare dwarf who was caught as a mine slave and suffered from heavy labor every day, but knew how to make bombs in that environment. “If it’s related to gunpowder, leave it to me. I’m really good at smelling it.” The two decided to take Seridan’s word for a moment. * * * Surprisingly, Seridan kept her words. No, beyond keeping, even Rudger and Hans were amazed and made speechless. “I can smell it from this side. It’s a rare scent of white powder. It’s still odorless, but it can’t fool the unique scent of salt mixed with the smell of Dwarf sweat.” “What’s that smell again.......?” Hans asked in a ridiculous way. “I don’t know! It just smells like that.” “Are you sure about that.....?” “Look at this.” Seridan touched the floor near the alleyway of the factory. There was something like white powder there, and Seridan smoothed it with her fingertips then blew it with her mouth. “It’s mixed magnesium powder with white powder. Such an unusual object cannot be seen in many places.” “Really?” “Factories don’t usually use gunpowder, unless it’s for military purposes. If they do, they use black powder. White powder is trickier to handle and not as common.” As Seridan words flowed out of her mouth like a rapid-fire cannon, Hans wracked his brain to understand her. Then Rudger stepped up and said. “Whatever it may be, it seems certain that suspicious things will happen at that factory. Now I’ll have to sneak a look and go through the confirmation process.” “If that’s really the right place, what will you do then?” “What do you mean?” Rudger replied as if it was an insignificant matter. “I’m going to destroy everything.” “Nari, that’s a very good answer!” Seridan said so and took a small bomb out of her pocket and flashed it up. “Let’s start!” “What do you mean, start? Besides, when did you make it?!” “I was so frustrated while I was stuck in the bag that I just made it.” “No, when in the world did you have time to do that......?” “Wait. Wait, wait. Brother. No matter how much I think about it, that’s not it.” “What do you mean?” “Unless they’re not fools, they’ll keep the gunpowder in an important place. The weapons made will also be strictly managed so that there is no risk of getting stolen.” “That’s right.” “Do you think you can get there with tight security, and what else might be inside?” Hans’ point was valid. It couldn’t be better if they set fire inside and detonated gunpowder, but the method itself was close to impossible in the first place. “No, it’s possible.” But Rudger said with conviction and Hans struggled how to respond. “No, even if you say it so confidently.......” “Instead, we do need help. Hans, you must find out where the gunpowder is stored.” “That is...” “Will it be possible?” “......I’ll try.” Hans eventually raised his hands and immediately closed his eyes and tried to connect with the city’s mice. However, it was not so easy, so it didn’t work as he wanted. “Hans.” “Uh-huh. Please wait a moment.” “Hans.” “I can do it. No, I’ll try.” “It’s tough at the moment.” “.......” Eventually, Hans opened his closed eyes and looked at Rudger. His eyes were trembling with anxiety, and he had already guessed what Rudger would say. “...do you really have to?” “Isn’t it necessary?” Rudger said so and reached out to Hans but although Hans disapproved he accepted Rudger’s hand. In his hand were a mouse’s sharp incisors. Hans, who saw the piece of teeth, sighed deeply and his face crumpled as if the world had collapsed. “You acted like you were going to die the first time but what about this time?” “Aren’t you going to do it?” “...I will, I will.” Hans closed his eyes and stabbed himself with the mouse’s teeth as hair began to grow on his body, and soon became a half-human half- mouse with the head of a hideous gutter mouse. “.....Ugh.” Hans wept while Rudger folded his arms without saying a word, and Seridan, who had been watching the scene from the beginning, muttered admiringly. “Whoa. Crazy. Absolutely disgusting.” “This is why I don’t like it!” He’d rather use wolf teeth since wolves are cool at least. Soon after Hans attempted to communicate with them the gutter mice began to appear one by one from the gap in the sewer since his control over mice increased after he transformed. “Please.” “Squeak! Squeak!” As soon as Hans spoke, the mice scattered and headed to the factory. The guards of the factory knew that this area was dirty anyway, so they didn’t think it was strange to see the rats. They just thought that there were more today. The rats entered the inside of the factory, roamed through the complex interior and delivered information to Hans. Soon Hans discovered a place in the innermost part of the factory that was firmly protected by something. “Brother, I found it.” “Where is it?” “There is a warehouse in the center of the factory and wizards are strictly guarding it.” “Well done.” “So what are you going to do now?” “You’ll know when you see it.” Rudger took a look at the factory in the distance. “Distance 300.” He calculated the distance from the factory, measured the width and area, then located the warehouse in the center of the building. “Lastly, I ask you to confirm. Is it the center of the factory?” “I’m sure.” “I see. Hans get all the rats back.” Hans did what Rudger told him to do and after Rudger confirmed it he activated his mana. “Setting coordinates.” Rudger looked at the factory, rolled some complicated math, and then cast a spell. “Manifest magic at specified coordinates.” Rudger cast his spell, but nothing happened around him. Hans was about to ask what the hell he was doing but in the distance, a huge explosion went off inside the factory.

Chapter 258

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