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    Thud! Thud!


    On the mountain path opposite, six dwarves and one human dismounted from their goats in succession. If they were riding their own mounts, they could stay seated, ready to charge at any moment. But now, since the goats were temporarily tamed, it was better to dismount quickly to avoid any surprises.


    A steel shield, half the height of a dwarf, landed first. Two dwarves wielding war hammers stood on either side of the shield-bearer, slightly behind. Further back, two dwarves unstrapped battle axes from their backs, holding them with the blade resting on the ground at an angle.


    In the center of the formation, Kai of the Blackrock tribe, protected by his tribesmen, looked over the shield at the opposite side with a somber expression.


    An elven ranger, furious, drew her sword and pointed it straight ahead. Her anger was palpable, and just by pointing her sword from a distance, the few strands of hair on her forehead stood on end.


    What was more frustrating for Kai was that the ranger’s anger wasn’t directed at him. The sword was pointed at the spellcaster in their group, a priest from the Radiant Church. Kai quickly glanced back to see the priest half-exposed from his cover, unsure whether to stand or crouch...


    It was rather awkward...


    Fortunately, before the silver-haired girl could draw her bow, a young mage from the election team rushed up to her, panting and whispering something. Behind them, Roserga and his group urged their mounts forward... slowly... painstakingly slow... as if intentionally dragging their feet. Kai sneered inwardly and shouted:


    "Roserga, are you planning to attack us?"


    "I’m not!" Prince Roserga jumped down from his goat and dragged it forward. After two steps, realizing it was inefficient, he tiptoed and shouted:


    "Miss Seraina, please don’t—"


    So the elven ranger was named Seraina. Kai silently noted the name. Almost simultaneously, the silver-haired girl stepped forward, her voice rising sharply:


    "Scram!"


    With her shout, the seven goats on the Blackrock side whimpered in unison. At the end of the formation, the priest from the Radiant Church cried out in pain as his mount broke free and fled.


    The black-robed priest frantically cast a holy light behind him, then another. But the silver-haired girl’s oppressive presence was too strong; the goat leaped down the slope, running nimbly as if on flat ground, making it impossible for the spells to catch up.No?v(el)B\\jnn


    The saddlebags disappeared along with the goat, leaving the priest standing there, without his mount, bags, and likely his food, water, and even his tent and blanket for the next few days...


    Garrett watched him stand there dumbfounded, thinking he’d feel the same if he were in his shoes.


    The dwarves of the Blackrock tribe took a step forward in unison. Those with shields raised them, those with hammers raised them, and those with axes lifted them at an angle. On the other side, the Firehammer tribe also adopted a defensive stance, only Prince Roserga continued to shout desperately:


    "Don’t fight! It’s a misunderstanding! We didn’t mean to disrupt the election!"


    He rushed forward, standing in front of Seraina. He reached out to pull her away, but she swatted his hand away, almost causing him to tumble down the ridge. He didn’t dare reach out again, only shouting to Garrett for help:


    "Garrett, help me calm her down!"


    During the election process, the candidates’ teams were not allowed to fight each other, especially not to the point of causing death. Being caught would mean immediate disqualification, and in severe cases, expulsion from the tribe for life.


    Garrett’s mouth twitched: The silver dragon girl wasn’t part of their team, and they couldn’t control her. But obviously, no one would believe that, so he had to try to persuade her— R


    "Seraina!" he lowered his voice:


    "Calm down! Don’t fight!"


    Seraina suddenly sniffled. Then, her long sword slowly lowered, describing a small arc, pointing straight at Kai’s forehead. The girl enunciated each word:


    "Leave. Now."


    Her beautiful silver-blue eyes lightened, almost turning pure silver. As the tip of her sword shimmered with light, Garrett silently wiped away sweat, grabbing her right hand:


    "Let them pass! They’re also part of the election teams. Fighting here violates the election rules and could disqualify us!"


    "It’s none of your business!" Seraina jerked her hand away:


    "It has nothing to do with you! Back off, don’t fight, I can take them on by myself!"


    "Sure!—You owe me one!"


    "Okay, okay!"


    "If they provoke me again, you can’t stop me!"


    "After the election, do whatever you want!"


    "You have to answer ten more of my questions! No, twenty!"


    Garrett sacrificed his own—his brain’s knowledge, trying to soothe the silver dragon girl, with some success. At least for that night, according to Bernard, who was on watch, she didn’t leave the stone house, probably not transforming and killing anyone.


    After another day, they successfully descended the mountain. Entering the Dwarf Kingdom, Seraina’s eyes couldn’t take in enough, looking around everywhere, even wanting to touch the magma of the great furnace. Garrett quickly stopped her


    :


    "Don’t! That thing can even melt iron!"


    Do you want to reveal your true form right here? If you want to transform into a dragon, let me know in advance, so I can run far away!


    Otherwise, if you expand in size, you might even push me into the magma!


    The silver dragon girl smiled and retracted her hand, blinking mischievously as if to say, "I’m not afraid, just giving you face." Garrett shook his head helplessly, leading her past the great furnace towards the Mithril District. Suddenly, he paused:


    "What’s wrong?"


    "I’ve been wanting to tell you, someone over there is crying and shouting, cursing..." The silver dragon girl, expressionless:


    "It’s right ahead. That direction, I smell something I dislike."


    Garrett became serious. He slowed down and turned the corner, standing far away to look. Ahead, the crowd was densely packed, and even with his height advantage, Garrett could only see a stretcher placed in front of a mansion gate, surrounded by dwarves, crying and shouting:


    "Big brother! Big brother!!!"


    "You died so miserably!"


    "Why did they have to treat you! Why!!!"


    Garrett was startled. What happened? Was someone killed by treatment? Blocking the door with a corpse? Medical dispute?


    He squinted to get a better look. The mansion’s gate was tightly shut, silent, with only a low-profile wooden holy symbol hanging. Suddenly, the view cleared up, and beside him, Seraina laughed and raised her hand, her fingertips sparkling with light:


    "Keen Sight spell! Can you see clearly now?"


    Garrett hastily nodded his thanks. He concentrated and saw the deceased on the stretcher with a grayish-blue complexion, purple lips, and his beard sticky and messy, as if coated with filth... So, what illness was it? Why did the dwarves trouble them?


    Too far away, without medical history or treatment records, he couldn’t tell...


    "Let’s go! It’s normal for their family to kill people!"


    The silver dragon girl murmured, urging him. Garrett observed for a moment, unable to figure it out, and shrugged, following her. Just as they took two steps, a voice suddenly shouted from behind the mansion gate:


    "Lung washing! Wash your @#￥% lungs! Others wash, so you wash too, washing people to death!"


    Garrett stopped in his tracks.


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