Chapter 17

Ronnie attacked Tang En with a frenzy.

His actions stunned both the guards and the bandits.

The guards were shocked at why Ronnie would attack Tang En.

The bandits, on the other hand, were bewildered by Ronnie's contradictory behavior—why would he kill the deputy leader? If he betrayed them, why would he attack Tang En?

But, regardless, if they could kill this lord, Lord Barker would certainly be very pleased!

A bandit suddenly deflected a slashing sword and cheered loudly for Ronnie, "Go, Ronnie! Take down that bastard! Lord Barker will definitely reward you when he returns!"

The guards were greatly alarmed. Ronnie was actually in league with the bandits!?

Unfortunately, compared to Tang En, Ronnie's strength was far too weak to harm him.

Even with the encouragement, it was of no use.

Ambition can indeed be a factor that allows one to grow rapidly, but if one cannot see the gap between oneself and the enemy, then having ambition alone will only lead to one's destruction. Ronnie was in this situation now.

With a crisp "snap," Tang En crushed Ronnie's longsword.

"No! This can't be!"

Ronnie had fallen into a frenzy, swinging his broken sword to try to stop Tang En from approaching.

However, his threats had no effect on Tang En.

"Ronnie, secretly colluding with bandit Barker, helping the bandits raid Ellington, and attempting to assassinate the Lord of Ellington, the imperial noble Tang En, your crime—deserves death! Die!"

Tang En's voice was calm and cold. As soon as he finished speaking, his longsword rose, the cold, sharp light blocking Ronnie's vision, making the entire sky seem like a sharp blade.

Did I make a mistake?

No! I didn't!

The mistake is with this world...

The sword fell, and blood spurted into the sky!

Tang En sheathed his sword and coldly said to those around him, "In the future, if there are any more traitors in Ellington, Ronnie will be the example!"

Traitor!

Ronnie was indeed a traitor!

"Good kill!"

The guards were not too saddened. The moment they learned Ronnie was a traitor, all their feelings for him instantly turned to anger and hatred. Now that Tang En had killed Ronnie, it was as if he had avenged their comrades who had died at the hands of the bandits. They felt nothing but satisfaction!

"Kill all these bandits!"

"Kill them all!"

The guards, whose combat abilities had been enhanced by Tang En's magic, didn't even realize their fighting power had skyrocketed. They thought they were just being encouraged, and each fought fiercely, driving the bandits back and causing them to fall one by one.

In a short while, there was not a single living bandit left on the mountain.

The guards, panting and exhausted, either sat or lay on the ground, catching their breath. After the battle, they realized that in such a fierce fight, not a single one of them had died!

Even the usually weakest Danny had only sustained minor injuries in this battle.

This discovery surprised everyone, but they were even more delighted.

After all, no one likes to see their friends die.

"The gods are protecting us!"

A middle-aged man lying on the ground laughed heartily, "These filthy scum have finally met their end! Ellington is safe!"

Tang En didn't tell them about the current situation in Ellington. After such a battle, they were very tired, so he let them rest for a while.

"Elsa, how is the situation?"

"Lord, we have rescued over thirty people, but..."

Elsa hesitated. Seeing her expression, Tang En knew what was going on.

These women had been captured by the bandits, and their fates were predictable.

Especially since they were people Elsa and the others knew, meeting them again only added to their pain.

"I understand. Bring them out first, we'll head back later."

"I understand... By the way, Lord, we found a strange person inside, he seems to be a... dwarf. He was also imprisoned by the bandits. Do you want to go and see him?"

Dwarf?

Tang En's heart leaped with joy. Ellington was not far from the dwarf capital, Forgehammer, so it was within his expectations that a dwarf would appear here, but he didn't expect to meet one so soon.

Tang En raised an eyebrow, "Lead the way."

As they entered the cave, a foul smell hit them. Tang En knew the conditions of the cave used as a prison would not be good, but he didn't expect it to be so foul.

A faint breeze stirred around him, quietly replacing the air in the cave.

"... You cursed, god-forsaken humans, how dare you kidnap the great Brian Forgehammer!"

Before Tang En even entered the cell, he heard a loud voice shouting.

"No! We are not those cursed bandits. We are the militia of Ellington, now the guards of Ellington, and we are here to rescue you..."

"Shut up! You humans are all the same, how can I tell who is who!"

There was a loud "bang" from inside, and Brian continued to roar, "Speak! Do you want my handsome beard!? Do you want to cut it off and keep it for yourself!? Tell you, never in a million years!"

Danny's voice, full of委屈 (grievance), came through, "Wait! Who wants your beard! No one wants that kind of thing!"

"Damn! How dare you insult my beard! I will challenge you to a duel in the name of Forgehammer!"

"Heaven! By the gods! How did I insult his beard—why would you challenge me to a duel over a beard!"

From the sound of it, Danny was almost in tears.

"Shut up! Ignorant humans, how can you understand the importance of a beard! I will challenge you to a duel!"

Tang En couldn't help but laugh, and he walked over, saying loudly, "Danny, you're wrong. A dwarf's beard is more important than their life. They can lose their head and shed blood, but their beard must never be messed with!"

"Lord!"

Danny was overjoyed and ran to Tang En's side, saying, "Lord, please explain to him, I'm about to go crazy!"

After saying that, Danny immediately slipped away, clearly on the verge of a breakdown from communicating with Brian.

"Head can be lost, blood can be shed, but the beard must never be messed with? Yes! That's a good saying, it suits my taste. Young man, you have good ideas, why don't you learn forging from me?"

Tang En was taken aback, "I don't have any plans to learn forging right now. Besides, can dwarves' forging techniques be taught to humans so easily?"

As he spoke, he took a closer look at Brian in the cell. Although he was dirty and disheveled, with messy clothes, his beard was meticulously well-kept.

The spotless beard made Tang En feel a bit malicious. In a place where even drinking water was hard to come by, how did he keep his beard so clean? Could it be... saliva?

If it was saliva, that would be fine, but if he used something else, Tang En would have to keep his distance.

Brian's appearance was not much different from the dwarves in the game, but now he was not an NPC or a player, but a real, living dwarf, which made the feeling different.

His tattered clothes could not hide the muscular build of his body. Although dwarves were not tall, they were a naturally warrior-like race, each member exceptionally brave and skilled in combat. Even the most ordinary female dwarf could match a human elite warrior.

Tang En thought about it and realized that the main reason Plandar had not been occupied by other races and eventually fell into human hands was that each race had its own peculiarities.

Dwarves loved digging and forging, and the outside world held little appeal for them. The vast, open sky was a torment to them, and among some underground dwarves, there was even a strange disease called sky phobia. Dwarves with this disease would become disoriented and lose their combat ability when they saw the sky, much like a drunk human.

Gnomes, on the other hand, enjoyed tinkering with all sorts of gadgets and were more like reclusive tech geeks. Although their actual combat strength was strong with the help of various engineering devices, in a world dominated by martial arts and magic, gnomes who studied science were considered heretics.

Elves, the most beautiful and kind creatures in Plandar, the race that combined all the best qualities, had a strong affinity for magic and swordsmanship. Each member was exceptionally beautiful and was the most sought-after slave among human nobles, without exception.

Elves often displayed joy but did not seek excitement, and they were often curious but not greedy. Due to their long lifespans, elves could view things from a broader perspective and did not get bogged down in trivial matters.

However, when they pursued a specific goal, whether it was an adventure or learning a new skill, elves could focus entirely and be completely dedicated.

Befriending an elf took a long time, and becoming an enemy took just as long, but it was even harder for elves to forget friends or enemies. Elves did not mind minor offenses but would take severe revenge on those who seriously insulted them.

In addition, elves had an astonishing ability to harmonize with the world, pursuing harmony within the group, which made them more like a collective organism than individuals.

Elves seemed to be one of the most suitable races to rule the world, but they had a significant flaw: their nature was too slow. Their long lifespans made their life rhythms extremely slow, and they lacked a competitive mindset. They preferred to stay in the peaceful Emerald Forest, lying under the trees with the forest animals, enjoying the afternoon sun.

Dragons, the race closest to the gods, were powerful, had extremely long lifespans, and were few in number. Most adult dragons lived alone in remote mountains and deep valleys.

It was said they had a homeland, but no one knew where it was.

To move around the continent more easily, dragons often chose a second form that was human-like or similar to an elf to hide their features.

Older dragons became lazy due to their long lives, while younger dragons were often full of curiosity and energy, often traveling the world disguised as bards.

At first glance, dragons seemed the most likely race to rule the world, but besides being lazy, they shared a common problem with elves: low fertility.