Chapter 156: Why the Enemy Should Thank Her

According to later historical records, the Xiahua Empire demonstrated an open and inclusive mindset right from its inception, welcoming a vast multitude of races. However, every race that joined the Xiahua Cultivation-Marxist big family had vastly different reasons for doing so. For instance, the Night Elves sought the justice of the Wheel of Twin Moons, the Werewolves were driven by a deep infatuation with the Supreme Monarch, and the Humans joined because...

Although many of these reasons were rather bizarre, the most direct reason undoubtedly belonged to the Dwarf Kingdom: their king had lost a royal wager.

In fact, because of this incident, later generations of dwarves often educated their offspring with the following maxim: "Dedicate your life and death to the nation when it benefits; gambling will only lead to ruin."

When the guards entered, the grand hall instantly fell silent.

The Dwarf King looked at the guard, his voice stuttering, "What do you mean, a catastrophe has struck?"

"Your Majesty, some werewolves have driven an excavator right in!"

"..."

With a heavy thud, the King collapsed onto the floor.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

The guards panicked and rushed forward to lift him up.

The mages turned their gazes toward Lin Lei, their mouths hanging open in perfect "O" shapes.

Good heavens, what on earth had just happened?

What had the King wagered just now?

The Dwarf Kingdom!!

The mages swallowed hard, then pinched themselves fiercely to confirm whether they were dreaming—had Lin Lei really won the entire Dwarf Kingdom?

"Ouch, that hurts!"

The sharp sensation of pain told them they were not dreaming.

"I, I..." The Dwarf King spat out a mouthful of blood and struggled to his feet. "I must quit gambling, ah—"

He fainted dead away.

"Royal Brother, catastrophe has struck, those werewolves have once again—"

A group of people rushed in, but seeing the scene before them, Prince Bell's voice cut off abruptly.

"Royal Brother, what has happened to you?!"

Bell ran anxiously to the King's side and questioned the mages, "Why is Royal Brother spitting blood? Is there an assassin?!"

The mages shook their heads in unison. "No, no assassins!"

"Then why is Royal Brother like this?!" Bell demanded with a face full of fury. His royal brother's constitution was always robust; there was no way he would collapse for no reason.

The mages stroked their chins. "He lost a bet."

"And he lost quite heavily."

"He wagered the Dwarf Kingdom to His Highness..."

These words left the White Lady, Brooke, and the others who had followed Bell into the room with utterly bewildered expressions. A bet? The Dwarf Kingdom?

"Stop joking around right now!"

Bell looked toward the dwarven guards in the hall, only to find every single one of them pale-faced. His heart skipped a beat.

"It can't be true, can it?"

"Your Royal Highness, it is true..."

"We witnessed it with our own eyes."

"His Majesty said that if the werewolves entered right then, he would hand the kingdom over to the Supreme Monarch."

As the guards spoke, the entire hall descended into a dead silence.

Bell stood stunned for a long time. This was impossible! Although his royal brother loved to gamble, how could he possibly stake the entire kingdom?

"Brother!"

Bell turned his gaze toward Lin Lei.

Lin Lei nodded slightly, sending a chill through Bell's heart. He could not accept this!

Even though he and Lin Lei were good brothers, this matter concerned the freedom of all dwarves.

Bell suddenly spun around and vanished from the spot in a flash.

"Oh no!"

The mages hastily gave chase.

"Little Prince..."

The White Lady walked up to Lin Lei. "Did you really win the Dwarf Kingdom?"

Lin Lei glanced at the contract in his hand. "...It would appear so."

With the contract in hand, no one could possibly argue their way out of it!

"..."

The crowd remained speechless for a long time.

"Never mind." Lin Lei put away the contract. "There has been so much happening today; I need to sleep to recover my strength."

The werewolves had arrived again far too quickly, and his current condition was hardly suited for battle.

Lin Lei walked toward the exit. The dwarven guards in the hall shivered; this was hardly the time to stand around like fools.

"Your Majesty, this way please!"

"Your Majesty, we have much better quarters prepared for you!"

The guards swarmed around Lin Lei, escorting him outside. Even though they were unsure whether the bet would hold up legally, buttering up Lin Lei first was definitely the prudent choice.

The White Lady and her companions stared stiffly at Lin Lei's departing back. This was absolute madness; had he actually won the Dwarf Kingdom just like that?

On the first level of Sloca, the excavator had punched through the rock, successfully bypassing the main gates of the dwarves.

"Hurry! Tell the people behind to pick up the pace!"

Thousands of werewolves garrisoned the excavator tunnel, clashing fiercely with the surging tide of dwarves.

"Has His Highness not arrived yet?!"

A werewolf attendant shouted at the top of his lungs. Although they had managed to breach the gates, the dwarves' counterattack was beyond imagination. If His Highness failed to arrive in time, they might be driven back out again.

Numerous griffon knights soared overhead, continuously dropping bombs into the tunnel, which not only inflicted heavy casualties on the werewolves but also caused cave-ins along the excavator tunnel.

"Damn it!" Two figures separated in mid-air. The female general slammed into the rock wall, struggled free, and glared warily at the dwarf. "Who are you?"

The dwarven commander before her was formidable—completely incomparable to the ones they had encountered on the outer battlefield.

"I am Victor, garrison commander of Sloca's first level." The dwarf hovered in the air, resting his hammer on his shoulder. "Don't think you can achieve victory just by breaking into Sloca."

Sloca was the most impregnable city built by the dwarves over hundreds of years. Unlike the virtually undefended tenth underground level, the uppermost three levels were bastions of fortress architecture, unfolding outward in interlocking rings. Normally serving as residential districts, in times of war they transformed into impenetrable military strongholds.

Nearly all of Sloca's military forces and lethal weaponry were concentrated here. Even though the werewolves had breached the outer gate, penetrating Sloca's central citadel would be harder than ascending to the heavens.

"Capture the ringleader first!"

The female general took a deep breath and charged directly at the dwarven commander.

Suddenly, however, a wave of powerful auras swept in from the distance. The female general paused in surprise as several black bombs came hurtling through the air.

"Drive these werewolves out immediately and destroy the evidence!"

A mighty army surged forth from the ground. The bombs arrived before the female general in an instant; her expression shifted, and just as she prepared to dodge, a spatial rift suddenly tore open in front of her, swallowing all the bombs whole.

"Magic?"

The female general was utterly shocked, staring in disbelief at the elven mages flying in from afar.

Why would they save her?

"What are you idiots doing?!"

Someone roared angrily from below.

"Your Highness, you can't do this!"

The mages hovered in the air, looking at Bell's actions with utter disdain.

"You want to destroy the evidence, but we've already recorded proof of the werewolves being here! It was our Little Highness who won fair and square!"

Several mages went out of their way to express their gratitude to the female general:

"Thank you! We owe this all to you!"

"Hero, you've made us a fortune!"

"Consider us even for saving your life just now!"

The female general was left dumbfounded. What kind of game were they playing?

Why were the enemy forces thanking her?

Before she could recover her wits, the mages finished recording their video footage and promptly flew away again.