Kaelonde had suffered a disastrous defeat in front of Golan Royal City, yet this news had not spread back to his holand.
On one hand, the nature of the news was delayed; on the other, Kafu the Sixth intentionally concealed it.
Dwarfs of Kaelonde, regardless of wealth, status, or gender, were still imrsed in the joy of victory. They watched as human slaves were transported into their territory, looked on as trophies paraded through the streets, and saw so dwarfs returning ho in glory. Nobody could discern any sign of defeat from these spectacles.
After obtaining the "chanical Book," the rise of the dwarfs was almost inevitable.
The dwarfs, taking each victory for granted, gradually beca numb to success; minor victories could no longer excite them—it had to be a major triumph to prompt a celebration.
Thousands of dwarfs were imrsed in a classless euphoria; for them, taking over Golan Kingdom and turning it into a vassal or servile state was a foregone conclusion.
Prince Mura, son of Kafu the Sixth, who was in charge of the kingdom during his father’s campaign, was deeply engrossed in his father’s vision of a Dwarf Empire.
Unlike humans, due to inherent barriers brought by clan bloodlines, dwarfs had never ford a vast empire nor had they the military might to conquer each other.
Many dwarf monarchs had harbored ambitions to unite all dwarfs under one rule, yet without exception, they faced trendous failures. Worse yet, so were collectively exterminated by other Dwarf Kingdoms, their realms divided and exhausted.
"But tis have changed, Hiris has bestowed special favor on us, even granting us that Holy Artifact,"
Prince Mura murmured.
Now, Kaelonde, with the adoption of steam technology, had gradually built considerable national power. One day, when the path set by the Divine Revelation was widely adopted, Kaelonde would ascend to a higher level.
By then, uniting all dwarfs would no longer be a notion, but a nailed-down fact.
Prince Mura opened a copy of the chanical Book and fixed his gaze on a page.
There, a beautifully detailed, grandiose painting depicted the City of Machinery.
Prince Mura’s gaze showed his fascination.
When Kaelonde unites the nations and builds an empire, this city must be constructed.
By that ti, his father would likely have passed away and gone to the Netherworld, and he, wearing the crown, would witness this city, forged by machinery, rising from the ground.
"My father... have you already conquered Golan Royal City?
It won’t be long before you can direct your troops against the dwarf nations."
Prince Mura talked to himself, his heart beating excitedly.
He was witnessing the rise of a great empire! It would be an empire belonging solely to dwarfs, rivaling the empire of Danschel!
Shortly thereafter, Prince Mura cald his emotions. He thought for a mont and decided to visit his old teacher; it had been quite so ti since he had visited the study room since he started managing the state affairs.
Since the King had left on the campaign, all major and minor political affairs of the kingdom had been managed by Prince Mura. Initially, it was an extrely troubleso task, as contradictions had been incessant in Kaelonde ever since the "chanical Book" was introduced, whether it involved the Gold Silver Clan, the researchers of steam technology, or other ordinary citizens, all were problematic.
But as news of Kafu the Sixth reclaiming the Helong Mountain Range ca back, the entire kingdom descended into excitent, under such montum, existing conflicts seed to vanish, and Prince Mura found handling political affairs more and more naturally.
Prince Mura walked down the long corridor of the Palace, past various wall decorations blending dwarf and human styles, and arrived at Belvan’s study. He knocked on the door politely, maintaining imnse gratitude and respect for his teacher even after gaining power.
As Belvan invited him in, Prince Mura entered the study.
He was just about to say sothing when he looked up and saw a stranger he had never t before.
The stranger had a human appearance, clad in the most simple garb of a True Religion Monk, and seed to be engaging heartily with Belvan.
"Teacher, this is..."
Belvan turned around, gesturing with his hand as he introduced,
"Xilan, from Radka of Ajia, a place nobody has heard of, remote as it may be, yet it has produced such a well-versed scholar."
Belvan’s face bead brightly, it seed his interaction with Xilan had been quite fruitful.
Xilan bowed slightly before Prince Mura, offering a polite gesture; Prince Mura raised his head, eyeing this human and returned the gesture briefly, a hint of curiosity surfacing.
"Teacher, how did you co to know this gentleman?"
Prince Mura asked.
"He was introduced by other scholars. It’s said he’s a devout Hermit, greatly knowledgeable about Ancient Language,"
Belvan replied.
Prince Mura nodded, seeing nothing suspicious about Xilan at this point.
With that, the Dwarf Prince smiled politely again,
"Xilan of Ajia... I’ve heard, there’s an elf nad Xilan in the True Religion who received Divine Revelation in Ajia Land. His wisdom surpasses thousands of Sages, and his strength is enough to defeat fierce dragons."
Xilan smiled and said softly,
"I cannot compare to him."
The Dwarf Prince laughed heartily, jestingly praising,
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