The storm had carried them to unknown depths underground.
The air here was damp and chilling. Xu Mu's eyes were tightly shut, his disguised face smeared with sand as he lay slumped in a corner against the wall.
Little Qiongqi was sprawled beside him, its mottled white fur stained with blood. Its thorny tongue was lolling out, its eyes wide open as if it had died from severe injuries.
Nash walked over with a heavy heart, about to mourn when he saw the little tiger's eyes blink.
"An illusion?" Nash rubbed his eyes in confusion, then bent down and touched its paw with his index finger. The creature remained motionless.
Just as Nash was about to reach for its belly, Qiongqi's paw suddenly shot out five sharp white thorns.
*Swish!*
"Good that you're alright," Nash's expression stiffened. Knowing the creature had been faking its death, he quickly withdrew his hand, nervously turning around with a troubled face.
This trip to Alfheim had been far too unexpected. Before their flying ship had even landed, they had encountered a sandstorm of that terrifying magnitude.
Then, that sandstorm had brought them to an unknown underground world, and this, of all places, was the Dwarves' domain.
He, an Elf, in the land of the Dwarves.
Nash's face was filled with sorrow. If his bloodline issue were discovered by the Dwarves, he would surely die a horrible death, for between the Elves and the Dwarves, there was an irreconcilable blood feud!
Meanwhile, on the other side, Little Qiongqi casually rolled over and asked Xu Mu,
"Brother, should we wake up now?"
"No rush, let's lie here a bit longer," Xu Mu replied, his expression seemingly quite comfortable.
The stone pressing against him was cool and pleasant, perfect for sleeping, provided he didn't fear catching a chill.
"Everyone else is awake, it's just us two. If we keep pretending, it'll be impolite," Little Qiongqi continued.
"Alright," Xu Mu said, opening his eyes. He propped himself up on his elbows, leaning against the wall, pretending to be severely injured and unable to move easily, and sat up.
"A fine underground prison," Xu Mu remarked, gazing at the scene before him. He saw a space large enough to hold a thousand people. The hard stone walls were etched with countless chisel marks, and he couldn't help but let out a sigh.
He had never truly lost consciousness. After being swept here by the sandstorm, he knew that a group of Dwarves had imprisoned them, unconscious humans, here.
In front of this large prison, stood numerous metal pillars, etched with countless runes that emitted a faint glow, illuminating the dim space and allowing them to see.
Outside the dungeon were countless interconnected underground tunnels, their destinations unknown, extremely complex.
"I knew you'd be alright," Sena said, walking towards Xu Mu. Her black hood was tattered, unable to conceal her face. "How are your injuries? Can you still fight?"
"I don't know, it hurts a bit," Xu Mu said, leaning against the wall with a weak expression. "Like this, who are you going to fight?"
"We have to get out," Sena replied. She pointed at the caves, her eyes filled with killing intent. "When you were unconscious, I saw these Dwarves. They are very weak."
"But don't forget, we still have the curse on us, making us even weaker," Nan Feng said, walking over. He glanced at Xu Mu, whose face looked unfamiliar, and nodded with a hint of relief.
*Fortunately, this guy isn't Xu Mu.*
"Let's find an opportunity. Something will come of this. This might not be a bad thing," Sena said, raising her hand with a sinister look, attempting to use her abilities, but she was firmly restrained by the purple curse.
*Bang!*
A loud explosion came from the other side of the dungeon. Everyone turned to see a spellcaster smashing the cell door with a stone. However, the stone was instantly melted by the runes on the door, turning to dust.
"Stop struggling. Stay put, and you'll be released soon." At this moment, a line of Dwarves slowly emerged from a passage outside the dungeon.
They were short and dark-skinned, with long, pointed noses and small eyes. They wore ragged animal hides, covering only the essentials.
"Dark Gnomes," Nash recognized the tribe at a glance. They were recorded in ancient texts as the most brutal among the Dwarven tribes. "That fellow smashing the door with a stone probably won't have a good end."
As expected, the rows of Dwarves, using a pair of pliers, bent the iron bars of the cell door and entered one by one. The leading Dark Gnome, with a sinister grin, swung a club down on the spellcaster.
*Crack!*
Like a watermelon splitting, the scene was bloody. The man didn't even have time to scream before his body fell to the ground.
"This is what you called 'very weak'?" Xu Mu raised an eyebrow. The physical strength of these Dark Gnomes was nearly comparable to his own in his second stage. And these were just ordinary Dwarves. There were undoubtedly many stronger ones in this underground world.
"Brother!" Another spellcaster, witnessing the scene, immediately cried out and rushed towards the corpse. Then, he looked up in indignation, his abilities surging, startling the Gnomes.
However, the spellcaster's abilities were immediately suppressed by a wave of purple curse. The Dark Gnomes, their faces contorted with brutality, swarmed forward. In a few swift moves, they lifted the spellcaster and slammed him against the iron bars of the cell door, instantly reducing his body to fragments by the violent rune power.
Seeing this, everyone in the dungeon retreated further inside with fear. These Dark Gnomes were too savage; they couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't be next.
"This is the consequence of breaking the rules. Behave yourselves from now on!" a grotesquely ugly Dark Gnome roared with a sinister grin, his voice echoing throughout the dungeon.
"What are the rules?" asked a trembling spellcaster from a corner. They had just woken up and knew nothing about this world.
"Who told you to interrupt!" The Dark Gnome, hearing this, immediately charged forward in anger and proceeded to punch and kick the spellcaster for a while. Only when the spellcaster was on the verge of death did he angrily stop.
"The rule is, all you humans are now lowly slaves. You will be put in shackles and must not disobey the commands of our Dwarven race. Otherwise, those people just now will be your fate."
As the Dark Gnome spoke, he took out a thick stack of metal needles from a box and slowly walked towards the crowd, his intentions unclear.
"Now, everyone extend your right hand. I need to verify your bloodline, to see if you are of human race, and if there are any spies from the Elf race. Those whose bloodline is verified will automatically go to hand over their belongings and wear shackles and handcuffs."
The Dark Gnome said this and then plunged a metal needle into the vein of a spellcaster's forearm. After three seconds, he pulled it out. Apart from bright red blood, a trace of dark and evil energy lingered around the metal needle.
"No problem, pure human. Next." The Dark Gnome put the metal needle into another box, took out a new one, and approached the next human.
The first human to pass, clutching his arm, walked before other Dark Gnomes and surrendered all his possessions: gold, silver, treasures, iron armor, divine weapons, talismans, food, etc. The Dark Gnomes accepted it all. They even stripped off his clothes in public, threw them into a large box, and then tossed him a straw garment.
"These are designed for you servants. Go over there and put on the handcuffs and shackles, and you can leave," the Dark Gnome said, revealing two rows of crooked yellow teeth.
The person, enduring the humiliation, clenched his fist in secret, unwilling, and stood rooted to the spot, as if contemplating something.
"Hmm?" The Dark Gnome let out a puzzled sound, then roared with rage, kicked the spellcaster aside, and after a flurry of punches and kicks, forcefully put the shackles on him.
"Considering you have a substantial background, I'll spare your life. Next time, I'll feed you to the Earth Dragons!" the Dark Gnome yelled sternly, kicking the person again. Then, amidst sounds of painful moans, the person was forcibly thrown into a tunnel where Dark Gnomes stood guard, their destination unknown.
After a while, the bloodline testing was more than halfway done. Without exception, they were all pure humans. Only a very few had a trace of demonic bloodline, so faint that they themselves were unaware of it.
"What should I do? Please help me," Nash pleaded, his voice choked with tears, clutching Xu Mu's arm. The people ahead were dwindling, and it was almost his turn for the test.
He was different from others; he possessed half-Elf blood. If the Dark Gnomes discovered this, his head would surely be split open. He didn't want to die here!
"It's something you were born with, how can I help you?" Xu Mu spread his hands, indicating his helplessness.
"You are so powerful, you could capture me and break the Great Dao Contract. You must have a way! I beg you!" Nash pleaded incessantly, stamping his feet in desperation. "I'm not even thirty yet, please save me!"
"It's not impossible, though," Xu Mu said with a faint smile. "Tell me something I don't know about Alfheim, Elves, and Dwarves. The more, the better."
"But... I don't know what you don't know," Nash stood there, stunned, not knowing what to say.
"If you don't know, then don't say it. He'll be here soon anyway," Xu Mu said calmly, pointing at the Dark Gnomes outside through the crowd.
"No, I'll tell you!" Nash said urgently. "Master Dega's matter was a lie. In truth, I knew he was a Dwarf long ago. I was just forced into a contract by him when we were mutually exploiting each other."
"Mm-hmm, continue," Xu Mu nodded.
"Also, that contract was merely an alliance agreement; it couldn't bind me. We two simply agreed to split the treasure if we found it. But since meeting you, I no longer wish to ally with him, which is why I asked you to help me break it." Nash continued.
"Oh, so you followed me into Alfheim hoping to find an opportunity to hoard the fortune for yourself, is that it?" Xu Mu asked with a fake smile.
Nash gave a wry smile. "In the face of opportunity, anything is understandable. Just like you wouldn't share half of the holy relic you found with me."
"Mm-hmm, makes sense. Continue," Xu Mu nodded.
Nash's expression was complex as he continued:
"Old Dega also saw your extraordinary nature and wanted me to monitor you. It seems he has some plan, but he didn't tell me."
"Moreover, to find the Elf Kingdom or the Dwarf Kingdom, one can only enter by observing the direction of the sandstorms or by being directly caught in one, just like we are now. Also... also, my bloodline is from the Dark Elf clan, one of the four major Elf races. Therefore, I sensed an extremely terrifying dark energy from the woman in our team. She must have a secret too!"
"Mm-hmm, continue. You have fifty-seven seconds left," Xu Mu said calmly.
His gaze was somber. So, the stories Dega had told him were all lies. The other party had not given up his pursuit of the holy relic but was merely using him.
However, what was his scheme?
"The rest is some of the untold war history between the Elves and the Dwarves. Those things are long and tedious, really nothing worth mentioning. They are secrets, but useless secrets," Nash said dejectedly, his voice weak.
Xu Mu nodded. "That's it? You've told me nothing."
"I really don't know what else to say. Please, help me! There's no time!" Nash's eyes were filled with terror, as the Dark Gnomes were less than ten steps away.
"Alright, but I must warn you, this method might cost you half your life," Xu Mu said, placing his right palm on Nash's back. Terrifying power swirled around it.
At this moment, with just a slight exertion, he could take Nash's life. The latter was extremely frightened, but soon, he calmed down.
"Half a life is better than no life," Nash gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and then resolutely said, "Let's do it!"
...