Chapter 59: Chapter 59: The Dwarves’ Submission, the Fire Elves and the Withered Ancient Tree

Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer finally, slowly, lowered the weapon in his hands.

And when Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer made this decision,

the Dwarf Warriors behind him heard their leader’s response and looked as if they wanted to say something.

But then they glanced at the abundant food and tempting meat stew before them,

and then at the neatly arranged Wood Elf Corps behind them, poised and ready to strike.

In the end, they shut their mouths.

GRUUUMBLE!

An abrupt sound rumbled from a stomach.

And soon, that same sound began to echo from the bellies of every Dwarf Warrior,

all at once,

rising and falling in a continuous chorus!

Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer, who had been trying to maintain a shred of dignity,

now blushed.

"Um, that food... can we eat it now?!"

"Of course!"

Elf Legion Commander Feiyana nodded. After all, the food had been prepared for them.

Feiyana’s words were like a magic spell being broken.

In an instant, the Dwarves, who had seemed incredibly weak just moments before, exploded with powerful force,

charging directly toward the spot where the Wood Elves had laid out the food.

Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer, taking advantage of his position at the front, was the first to charge and the first to grab food.

He held a Baobab Fruit in one hand and a wooden bowl brimming with meat stew in the other.

Copperbeard Ironhammer wolfed down the food in his hands, his cheeks puffing out like two round balls.

Stew dripped from his beard onto his chest,

but he didn’t care in the slightest!

The other Dwarf Warriors were like starving wolves pouncing on their prey, sweeping the food before them clean and letting out satisfied grunts.

The Wood Elves in the rearguard had been mentally prepared, but watching this disorderly group of Dwarves eat,

a hint of disdain still showed in their eyes!

However, they recalled the cold they had faced back in the Dawn Forest.

If not for their sincerity, which had moved the great Elf God,

and been blessed by the great Elf God with the Baobab Fruit,

they feared they would have ended up just like this group of Dwarves!

And so, remembering their past, the disdain in the Wood Elves’ eyes vanished, replaced by a measure of sympathy for these Dwarves.

Meanwhile, Copperbeard Ironhammer, who had charged to the front,

had already finished a bowl of stew and eaten two Baobab Fruits in less than a minute.

He inadvertently caught the Wood Elves’ gazes,

and only then did he realize how crudely he was eating, his face flushing red.

’But then again, it’s been so long since I’ve had real food. It’s only natural to lose my composure this one time.’

The Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer silently comforted himself.

But when he saw that the nearby Wood Elves did nothing even after he devoured so much food,

at that moment, Copperbeard Ironhammer was finally certain of one thing.

This group of Elves was definitely not the same as the very similar-looking Elves he had encountered before.

After all, this blizzard had lasted far too long!

Nearly all grain and food had been exhausted.

If these were the Elves from the west of the continent,

it would be impossible for them to produce so much food,

let alone give it to them!

’So, is it all true? That they’re from another continent, and about the great Elf God?’

Copperbeard Ironhammer thought to himself.

’But even if this group of Elves has no connection to the ones living in the west of the continent!’

’Their goal must be to follow the commands of the great Elf God they believe in and subjugate other Clans.’

’In that case, if I tell them about that other group of Elves on the west side of this continent, they should be very pleased, right?’

’After all, though they look a bit different, they are all Elves!’

With his stomach momentarily full, Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer’s mind began to race.

If anyone judged him by his appearance and assumed Copperbeard Ironhammer was a simple-minded leader with more brawn than brains,

they would be gravely mistaken!

In reality, the reason Copperbeard Ironhammer was able to become the leader of the Dwarves,

aside from his necessary decisiveness,

was his intelligence, which was far superior to that of the average Dwarf!

’The Scout who went out to investigate the day before yesterday said that...’

’a few days ago, that group of Elves was ambushed by Half-beastmen from the east of the continent!’

’Although they managed to defend their territory in the end, their most precious Fire Element Ancient Tree was destroyed.’

’With the source of their warmth gone, even in this frigid weather...’

’I believe that in the days to come...’

’those Elves over there have not been faring well!’

Thinking of this, Copperbeard Ironhammer realized he could potentially use this information to secure better treatment for the Dwarf Clan in the future!

Besides, even if he didn’t say anything,

once these Wood Elves reached the place where the Fire Elves lived, they would discover the situation for themselves.

It was better to speak up sooner; he might even get a better deal out of it!

’So, I can take this gamble!’

’After all, we have nothing left to lose!’

Having thought it all through, Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer prepared to find the right moment to tell the Wood Elves this news.

After eating their fill, the Dwarves present were not as wary of the Wood Elves as before.

After all, their leader had already agreed on their behalf to join the Wood Elves’ faction and work for them.

The Dwarves were a Clan that kept their promises.

Now that they had eaten the food provided by this group of Elves, it was as good as agreeing to work for them in the future.

"Dwarves will never be slaves, unless room and board are included!"

Seeing that the atmosphere had become more harmonious,

Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer took the initiative to stand up and find Feiyana.

He told this group of Elves what he knew

about the situation with the other group of Elves on the west side of the continent.

And just as he expected, after hearing his news,

Elf Legion Commander Feiyana grew pensive for a moment, then granted him better treatment and a promise for the future.

Although the fulfillment of this promise depended entirely on the other party’s credibility,

it was already the best deal he, the Dwarf Leader, could possibly secure!

As for the "better treatment," it came in the form of a new set of clothes!

Although the idiom of "paying a thousand gold for a horse’s bones" didn’t exist in Zhang Yi’s Divine Realm,

the general principle—showing grand generosity to attract talent—was a proverb found in some form in every civilization.

Elf Legion Commander Feiyana naturally understood this logic.

But since no troublesome Dwarves had stepped out of line,

there was no chicken to kill to scare the monkeys. So, a reward was given instead.

The carrot and the stick; you have to offer one, right?

And so, the new clothes were bestowed as a reward!

The new clothes were woven from wool,

much warmer than the animal hide Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer had been wearing!

In fact, the Wood Elves and Natural Elves who had set foot on this continent

were all thanking the great Elf God for his foresight.

He had taught them how to raise animals and use their pelts to make clothing!

If not for these clothes, they, the Wood Elves, would never have been able to endure such cold weather!

Seeing that the Elves before him were stronger and wiser than he had imagined,

there was nothing he could do.

Or rather,

he had already accepted the Elves’ terms.

Lacking the strength to go back on his word, Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer

could now only see this path through to the end!

And so, under Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer’s guidance, the Wood Elves headed for the Dwarves’ hidden settlement.

In truth, when Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer told them about the Elves in the west, he had hoped to divert a potential disaster onto them.

But who could have guessed,

that Elf Legion Commander Feiyana had deftly defused the situation?

Not only did she say that they didn’t know the Elves in the west and were in no hurry to go there,

but she also insisted that they must first fulfill the promise they had already made!

They would go to the Dwarves’ gathering place first to help the rest of their people,

and would afterward escort them all the way to the Wood Elves’ own Divine Realm, helping them leave this frozen continent!

Since she had put it that way,

Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer, who understood this was a display of courtesy before force,

could only begin walking with heavy steps,

leading the group of Dwarves behind him back to their home.

Fortunately, Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer’s greatest fear did not come to pass.

When the group of Wood Elves arrived at their settlement, they did not launch a brutal attack.

On the contrary, just as they had said, they truly prepared to help the remaining Dwarves!