Chapter 213: The Excited Gongde. A Shock, Drinking Dragon Blood Again
**2025-01-20 Author: Amnesty L**
Splaaash—
The roar of crashing waves from the distant Lava Sea echoed Tang Zheng's words.
The Lava Zone!
A look of terror appeared on the faces of all the Dwarf Artisans. They scrambled backward in unison, some losing their footing and tumbling to the ground.
This place was even more terrifying than the Great Fissure. The Sun Anglerfish dwelling in the Lava Sea was a Magic Beast that had lived for ages, a creature crowned with the title of a Higher-Tier Species.
To be here meant they could die at any moment!
"Everyone, rest assured. The Sun Anglerfish inside will not disturb you. Although the temperature here is a bit hot, it is a very quiet place."
Tang Zheng spoke in a soft, reassuring voice to the terrified Dwarf Artisans. He raised a hand and waved it toward the Lava Sea behind him.
"Lightning Ball."
Ssszzzt—
Azure lightning converged in Tang Zheng's palm, coalescing into a sphere the size of two basketballs, which instantly shot toward the Lava Sea in the distance.
Boom!
The lightning flashed through the air.
As the lightning ball struck the distant Lava Sea with a deafening boom, it sent up a shower of lava sparks, but otherwise, there was no movement from within.
"Gulp."
A series of nervous gulps could be heard throughout the group.
The crowd of Dwarf Artisans huddled together, looking at Tang Zheng with fear.
"Third-Tier Magic: Lightning Ball."
A faint, nervous voice whispered from among the dwarves.
There were knowledgeable individuals among the dwarves present who recognized the spell Tang Zheng had just used as Third-Tier Magic. It was common knowledge that the most powerful magic-caster in the entire Dwarf Race was only capable of using Third-Tier magic.
Even for those who didn't understand.
The power unleashed by that "Lightning Ball" just now was more than enough to prove that the mysterious Human before them could easily kill everyone present.
What horrified all the dwarves even more was how he had brought them here without them noticing!
This was the Lava Zone, not only far from the new city they were building but also a perilous journey away. Throughout the entire process, not a single one of them had noticed a thing.
"You're a Human, right?"
"We dwarves haven't had any trade with Humans for a long time. Why did you bring us here?"
From among the Dwarf Artisans, a dwarf wearing a helmet, his large, earth-brown beard braided into three pigtails, was the first to step forward and speak loudly.
"Me and the others, we're just a bunch of ordinary commoners. If you want information about our Dwarf Race, you should've nabbed someone of higher status."
"Gongde," a nervous voice called from the dwarves behind him, a warning not to provoke the Human before them.
"What's there to be afraid of? You coward."
"This fella brought us here so easily without anyone noticing. His strength must be immense. We can't escape anyway, so what's the worst that can happen? We get killed."
"You idiot, Gongde! Didn't you see we're all artisans? If this Human wanted to gather information, why would he grab common folk like us?"
"That's what I'm sayin'! Why does everyone look so familiar?"
"You're just realizing that now, you moron!"
"We're all artisans. This Human isn't going to make us build a house for him here, is he?"
"Maybe it's to forge a weapon."
"Do Humans actually like living in places with such high temperatures?"
"No idea."
"Hasn't anyone noticed that everyone here is an artisan who has mastered Rune Craft?"
"Rune Craft? That obsolete craft? Why would a Human care about that? Don't they have the much simpler Magic Infusion technology?"
"I'd still rather build houses. At least I won't starve."
A chaotic clamor of voices erupted and spread through the group of dwarves.
Watching the dwarves descend into a noisy argument in the blink of an eye, Tang Zheng couldn't help but be taken aback.
He had originally thought it would take some time to get this group of dwarves to accept the situation, but it seemed they were taking it surprisingly well.
They were truly a straightforward race.
No, that wasn't entirely accurate.
Tang Zheng glanced at the Gray Dwarf Forging Minister beside him. The temperament of the Gray Dwarf Race was clearly more inclined toward violence and darkness.
Even within the same Race, there were still significant differences between different subspecies.
Gongde, was it?
Tang Zheng's gaze swept toward the dwarf who had spoken first. Judging by the name, it should be the same dwarf the Bone King first encountered in the anime.
He didn't have much talent for Rune Craft, but his grandfather and father were both Chief Rune Craftsmen of the Dwarf Race.
Clap!
Seeing the still-squabbling dwarves, Tang Zheng clapped his hands together, interrupting the chaotic noise. "Alright, everyone."
"Allow me to introduce you. This is a Gray Dwarf, a subspecies of your Dwarf Race, and a master Rune Craftsman."
"The reason you are all here is that I would like to ask for your help in forging a piece of armor empowered by rune characters."
Hearing Tang Zheng's words, many of the dwarves looked curiously at the Forging Minister. It was their first time seeing a Gray Dwarf. The color of his skin was indeed different from theirs, and his features were fiercer.
At the same time!
Others were focused on the matter of forging rune armor.
Gongde and the others frowned.
"Human, perhaps you don't know much about Rune Craft, or maybe you've heard some rumors about it somewhere and got this idea."
"To be honest with you, Rune Craft is an outdated craft compared to your Human Magic Infusion technology."
A dwarf with a longer-looking beard and a solemn expression stepped forward and said loudly, "Rune Craft is different from your Human Magic Infusion technology. The key lies in the miraculous Rune Characters, and most of those characters have been lost to time."
"What we have mastered are only some mid- and low-tier characters. Even if we were to forge a piece of rune armor for you, it might not even be comparable to a magic item."
Although his words seemed to praise others at his own people's expense, he was telling the truth.
The crowd of Dwarf Artisans fell somewhat silent.
Gongde's two thick eyebrows furrowed. He let out a soft huff, turned around, and looked somewhat angrily at the other Dwarf Artisans.
Both his father and grandfather had been the Chief Rune Craftsmen of the Dwarf Race. He indeed lacked the talent for it, but he didn't want to see this craft so belittled.
Especially by his own tribesmen!
"So, it's because of attitudes like yours that this craft has continued to decline!"
"It's utterly foolish!"
Gongde shouted in anger. After speaking, he turned his head to look at Tang Zheng, as if to prove the value of Rune Craft.
"Rune Craft has its merits too—it doesn't cost money!"
"While your Human Magic Infusion technology far surpasses our Rune Craft in terms of productivity, the magic infusion process requires extremely high costs."
"But Rune Craft doesn't require extra material costs!"
Seeing the emotional Gongde, the other dwarves exchanged glances and shook their heads slightly, not getting angry at what he had just said.
They all understood Gongde's personality very well.
Besides, no matter how agitated Gongde got, it couldn't change the fact that Rune Craft was already an obsolete craft.
However!
A happy laugh suddenly sounded, causing all the dwarves to stare blankly at the smiling Human.
"That's just wonderful, isn't it?"
Tang Zheng looked at the agitated Gongde with a broad smile.
The reason the Bone King was interested in Rune Craft was precisely because it didn't require extra cost, a point that Tang Zheng also cared about.
To be precise!
The "monetary cost" wasn't the biggest problem. The key was that the Otherworld was not a game; there were simply no high-grade materials to forge top-tier equipment.
The level of magic equipment created through Rune Craft, however, depended on the "Rune Characters."
Coincidentally, he had in his possession a suit of armor with four high-tier rune characters, the pinnacle of the Gray Dwarf Race's work.
Gongde stared blankly at Tang Zheng.
"What's your name?" Tang Zheng asked.
"Gongde! Gongde Fayabiod! I'm a developer of Rune Craft!" Gongde declared loudly, his face flushing red.
A few low chuckles came from the crowd of dwarves behind him.
"A developer, you say? That sounds like a remarkable philosophy." Tang Zheng nodded, then his gaze swept over the other Dwarf Artisans.
"It seems you all understand that I mean no harm. What I need your help with is not to forge a brand new rune item, but to replicate one."
As he spoke, Tang Zheng waved his hand, and a suit of armor that looked tattered and torn, even having several marble-sized holes in it, appeared in his hand.
He passed the dilapidated armor to the Forging Minister beside him.
The Forging Minister accepted it solemnly, then walked toward the dwarves under their watchful eyes. Finally, he fully unfolded the armor, exposing it to the view of all the Dwarf Artisans.
Gongde was the first to look over with curiosity.
His first thought upon seeing the armor, aside from its tattered state, was that the materials used to make it were ores he had never seen before.
"This is…"
"I've never seen these Rune Characters before!"
"And there are four of them. These aren't among the low-tier characters. Are they mid-tier?"
"Not sure?"
"This armor is too badly damaged. The power of the Rune Characters is completely gone."
"It's only four Rune Characters. What's so great about that? The legendary treasure of our Dwarf Race is said to have twelve Rune Characters."
"…"
As the four never-before-seen Rune Characters on the armor were revealed to the Dwarf Artisans, all the dwarves crowded around it.
"Hmph!"
The Forging Minister let out a light snort. Even while under the effect of Charm Species, his voice was still filled with arrogance. "Do not use your foolish minds to ponder the greatness of this armor."
"These are four highest-tier Rune Characters!"
The air suddenly went still. All the Dwarf Artisans widened their eyes, looking at the Forging Minister in disbelief, as if to say, 'Are you kidding me?'
After a brief silence, the clamor of the Dwarf Artisans instantly erupted, echoing all around. Gongde was even pushed out of the crowd.
But soon!
Gongde, on all fours, used his head to forcefully butt his way through the crowd. He crawled to the front of the armor, his eyes shining as he gazed at the four highest-tier characters on it.
These were their lost Rune Characters!
At this moment, the Dwarf Artisans had long since thrown the fear and desire to leave they felt upon waking to the back of their minds. Everyone was gathered around the armor, eagerly discussing it.
The Forging Minister would interject from time to time, explaining runecrafting techniques to prepare them for replicating the armor.
Seeing this scene, Tang Zheng knew that this group of dwarves probably wouldn't quiet down for a while. He also needed the Forging Minister to explain to the dwarf artisans how to replicate this armor.
Letting the dwarves argue with the Forging Minister, Tang Zheng took the Evil Spirit Hound and walked over to a nearby mountain wall. While waiting, he took a water pouch out of his item box.
The moment this water pouch was brought out, it began to emit plumes of steam. The entire pouch was made of sturdy cowhide and was exceptionally tough.
But in that brief, eye-blinking moment, the water pouch actually began to show signs of softening, as if it couldn't withstand the power of the liquid inside and might rupture at any moment.
This was the very water pouch Tang Zheng had used to collect the blood that had splashed out when the ancient fire dragon died.
Tang Zheng lifted the water pouch and poured it into his mouth. The red liquid flowed out, and its rich, sanguine smell and scorching temperature traveled down his throat and into his body.
After downing all the dragon blood in the water pouch in one go, the next moment, Tang Zheng felt a surge of heat erupt within him. Perhaps it was due to his Fire Attribute Nullification and Complete Curse Resistance abilities.
This heat flow was not intense, but it was extremely powerful. It caused him no harm or injury, merely spreading chaotically through his body, causing his aura to churn and vibrate.
Thump!
Thump!
Tang Zheng could feel the violent pounding of his own heart. He silently perceived the effect of the dragon blood, and with a thought, he looked at his stat panel.
Logically, an experiment like drinking dragon blood directly should have been tested on another creature first.
But just from observing the negative effects that a trace amount of dragon blood had on the Evil Spirit Hound, Tang Zheng already knew that ordinary creatures simply could not withstand the power of the dragon blood.
Moreover, extensive contact with dragon blood was very likely to cause a curse. Therefore, Tang Zheng could only experience this change himself.
To the side, the Evil Spirit Hound lay trembling on the ground, its eyes filled with terror. The sheer pressure emanating from the dragon blood in the water pouch had made its entire body go limp.
Time passed, bit by bit.
His stats, which had been static, began to change once again.
…
HP: 449 → 450
Physical Defense: 248 → 249
Magic Defense: 263 → 264
…
Tang Zheng's eyes narrowed. His HP, Physical Defense, and Magic Defense had all increased by one point.
The last time, not much dragon blood had entered his mouth, so only his HP had increased. This time, after drinking a large amount of dragon blood, even his Physical Defense and Magic Defense had increased as well.
"It didn't trigger a new Class, just an increase in the three stats for now."
Tang Zheng thought to himself, feeling that the chaotic, potent heat within his body had not yet dissipated. He continued to watch his stats.
(end of chapter)