Greece brings evildoers - Chapter 493

c487 Loki, take the blame

The dwarves have always been extremely fanatical about rare minerals such as gold.

Since the formation of the nine kingdoms, they have been constantly using their blood talents to dig various rare minerals in the mountains and underground to fill their treasure houses.

With the end of the war between the two great gods, Vanir and Asar, the nine kingdoms entered a long period of peace, and the dwarf population ushered in a surge;

At the same time, due to the huge demand for fine wine and food, the dwarves have long maintained a trade deficit with the Midgard world, which has also led to a large outflow of local gold.

As a result, there is less and less gold on the market, but more and more dwarves are thirsty for gold.

However, due to the unrestrained mining in the past, most of the dwarf country’s veins have been emptied, and most dwarves don’t know where to start if they want to claim gold.

Until a few months ago, news came from the discovery of a new gold vein in the northern border of the dwarf country.

The gold reserves there are extremely rich and of high quality.

In addition, there are a large number of precious mineral deposits such as mithril, fine gold, mountain copper, and uru sacred steel, which are simply the treasure house bestowed by the goddess of luck on the dwarves.

The craze for gold attracted a large number of dwarves to go to the North to pan for gold.

At first, there were news from there, and many dwarves would send the gold and various precious mineral deposits they collected back home to improve their family’s life.

But as time went on, things became more and more treacherous.

First, the dwarves saw strange shadows or heard some terrifying screams during the mining process.

Then, people disappeared frequently in various mines, and riots continued to arise.

But due to the thirst for gold, the dwarves who went to pan for gold were still unwilling to leave and give up this opportunity to get rich.

And this endless greed finally ushered in terrible consequences.

A month ago, thousands of dragon species flew out from the depths of the earth.

They first killed the dwarf miners who were panning for gold in the north and occupied the gold mines there. Then, they appeared in various parts of the Dwarf Country through the mines dug by the Dwarves underground, frantically attacked cities, looted treasures, and formed a “dragon disaster” that swept across the Dwarf Country!

Some people said that this disaster was caused by the Dwarves exhausting their resources, digging up the ore veins, and awakening the monsters that were originally sleeping deep in the earth;

Some people said that it was because the wealth accumulated by the Dwarves for generations attracted the army of evil dragons who also loved to collect treasures;

Others said that the Dwarves’ excavation disturbed the underground goddess of death Hela, who turned the souls of the dead Dwarves into evil dragons to punish the Dwarves’ greed…

In short, there are many different opinions about the cause of the disaster.

After listening to the old man’s story, Ciri frowned and asked:

“Is there no one in charge of this matter?”

As far as she knows, the Dwarves are born with divine power and are good at forging, so they have the first-class heavy infantry and mechanical equipment of the nine kingdoms.

Since the dragon disaster has developed to such an extent, the dwarves should fight and resist.

“Of course.”

The old dwarf answered with a wry smile,

“Half a month ago, the Durin clan stationed in the north united the dwarves of the other six clans, including the Firebeard clan, the Broadbeard clan, the Hardbeard clan, the Ironfist clan, the Blackhair clan and the Stonefoot clan, to fight the dragons together, trying to take back the gold mine and quell the disaster. But this dragon disaster was far more powerful than they expected.

Not only did the seven dwarf clans fail to eliminate all the dragon species, but they also suffered heavy losses.”

“It shouldn’t be.” Galadriel questioned, “These so-called dragon species We just saw them, and they were not that strong. A team of well-trained soldiers combined with your dwarven powerful siege equipment can easily solve them. How could they be defeated so thoroughly? ”

“Because what you saw are just the lowest-level soldiers in the dragon group, and a large number of elites are still entrenched in the gold veins in the north.” The old man sighed and added faintly, “And among the dragon group, there are three upper dragons! Each of them has the strength comparable to that of gods!”

After hearing this, Galadriel couldn’t help but gasp.

Dragon species are powerful species in the nine kingdoms that are as famous as giants. Their individual strength is second only to the two major gods, the Asir and the Vanir.

They not only have powerful magic defense, but also full physical resistance. They are almost a group of lives standing at the top of the food chain.

The upper dragons with real names can even compete with the gods with divine duties in the two major gods.

And the most famous black dragon king Nidhogg can even directly threaten the world tree. The twelve main gods of the Asgard dare not easily provoke this doomsday monster.

In the current dragon disaster that swept across the Dwarf Country, three superior dragons appeared at once. No wonder the seven major clans of the Dwarfs were beaten badly.

In this situation, even if the Light Elves were to take over, there might not be any good results.

In the dull atmosphere, the dwarf elder continued to answer with a little pride:

“If the dragon disaster is only this level, we Dwarves can still deal with it and find a winning strategy through continuous attempts. After all, no matter how strong the defense is, there are weaknesses, and dragons are not invincible.”

As a veteran who had experienced the war of gods, he had followed the God of Fire Loki and repelled the giants of Muspelheim and Jotunheim together; he had also obeyed the call of the God King Odin and fought against the warriors of the Vanir, so he did not have a strong fear of the dragon itself.

“But the key point is that [Dragon Disaster] also brought [Dragon Disease].” The old man’s expression dimmed and he continued to add, “This disease is very strange. Once the dwarves are infected, strange changes will occur. At first, They have a crazy desire for gold jewelry, and then their skin hardens and scales grow on their bodies. In the final stage, they will be transformed into dragons and become irrational monsters.”

Lorne’s eyes flashed, thoughtfully:

“So, the reason why the seven dwarf clans failed miserably in conquering the dragons was because [Dragon Disease] was widespread among the army?”

“That’s right. I heard from people who escaped that at that time, a full 30% of the dwarf warriors were infected with dragon disease and turned into crazy dragons. They attacked the dwarves around them crazily, which led to the complete defeat of the coalition forces.”

The old dwarf nodded, his furrowed face full of anguish and helplessness.

“So far, there is no antidote or treatment for [Dragon Syndrome]. It is mainly prevalent among dwarves, and we don’t know the specific cause. Once the disease begins, the patient’s symptoms will be difficult to reverse, and he will gradually become a crazy person. The dragon species that pursues treasure is simply a curse specifically targeted at dwarves.”

After listening to the story, Lorne’s doubts were solved:

“That’s it. You can’t solve this [Dragon Syndrome] that specifically targets dwarves, and you urgently need to solve the increasingly severe [Dragon Disaster], so you can only seek help from adventurers of other races through the [Chamber of Commerce].”

“That’s right.”

The old dwarf responded with a wry smile and apologized again for the rudeness of his compatriots.

“Don’t blame them for what happened in the evening. Many of their relatives and friends went to the north to pan for gold, or participated in the conquest. Although there is no guarantee that the dragon species that attacked the town were all transformed by dwarves, it is probably inevitable. There are their relatives. Seeing dragons who may be compatriots and relatives dying in front of them, they can’t force a smile and express their gratitude to them. ”

“I see.”

Lorne nodded to express his understanding. While comforting the old man, his thoughts were secretly surging in his heart.

Isn’t it guaranteed that the dragons attacking the town are all transformed from dwarves?

Not necessarily.

Maybe the dwarves themselves are the source of this dragon disaster.

Because this [Dragon Syndrome], which turns dwarves into dragons, is mentioned in the Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda, and the heroic epic “Volsung Saga”.

Moreover, this story is also related to “Loki”.

According to legend, the dwarf Hreidmar had three sons, the eldest son Fafnir, the second son Ot, and the youngest son Regin.

One day, his second son Ot turned into an otter and was fishing in the water, and was accidentally killed by Loki who passed by. Unknowingly, Loki also brought Odin to Hreidmar’s home, hoping that he would help cook the otter he had hunted.

Seeing his son’s body, Hreidmar, as a father, was naturally furious and asked Loki to find treasures that could be covered with otter skins as compensation. This was a difficult request, because the otter skins left behind after Ott’s death It has been enchanted to extend indefinitely.

Loki used the power of Poseidon’s wife to find Andvari, a dwarf who lived in the water. This Andvari possessed the largest treasure among all dwarves. Loki ruthlessly took away his treasure. , which includes a ring: Andrea Notte. In grief and anger, Andvari cursed that anyone holding the ring would suffer infinite disasters.

When the compensation was paid, Andvari’s treasures were spread all over the otter skin, leaving only the tip of the nose uncovered. But Hridmar was still not satisfied, so Loki had to give the ring to the dwarf as well.

However, Hridma’s greed also brought consequences.

Although he obtained a huge treasure and a ring, he was killed by his eldest son Fafnir, who also coveted the treasure.

Immediately afterwards, the youngest son Leijin was also bewitched by this treasure with an evil curse, and instigated the great Nordic hero Sigurd to go and slay the dragon, trying to kill Sigurd afterwards and seize the treasure.

But during the process of slaying the dragon, Sigurd bathed in the dragon’s blood, received blessings, understood the language of birds, and then learned about Lei Jin’s intention to murder him, so he killed him with his backhand…

This work is compiled and uploaded by Liujiu Book Bar~~

With this case, it is enough to prove that the [Dragon Syndrome] spread among dwarves is no accident.

This incident is likely to be related to the legendary dragon Fafnir.

Because according to some legends, Fafnir does not refer to a single evil dragon, but to a special “dragon transformation” phenomenon, which coincides with the “dragon syndrome” in the dwarf population.

Thinking of this, Lorne pretended to be casual and asked:

“By the way, do you know the names of the three superior dragons?”

“The greedy worm Glaurung, the golden Smaug, and the black dragon Ankaragon…the army in the north and the miners who escaped back called them so.”

The old man answered truthfully, but the content disappointed Lorne.

No Fafnir?

So what is the source of [Dragon Disaster] and [Dragon Disease]?

Lorne thought for a moment and continued to ask:

“Then do you know the dwarf named ‘Hridmar’? He also has three sons named Fafnir, Ott, and Regin. I have something to ask him for.”

The old man shook his head, feeling helpless:

“I haven’t walked around outside for a long time. There are so many dwarves from the seven clans. How can I possibly recognize them all? I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you.”

But then, the old dwarf gave some feasible suggestions:

“However, you can go to the north and ask. The Dulin family there holds the most comprehensive personnel files in the dwarf kingdom.”

Due to their control of the trade rights of fine wine and the support of the Midgard World behind them, the Dulin dwarves have grown rapidly in the past few hundred years, becoming the head of the seven dwarf clans and the dwarf nation in a sense. ruler.

This gathering of the seven dwarf clans to jointly conquer the dragons is a manifestation of the Dulin dwarves’ control of the kingship.

After listening to this, Lorne couldn’t help but sigh at the changes in the world.

Unexpectedly, what he did casually back then actually pushed the Dulin dwarf to the throne.

However, big trees attract the wind, and standing too high is not always a good thing.

Maybe the sudden dragon disaster in the north was directed at the Dulin clan.

Thinking of his adopted daughter Holo, who was doing business with the dwarves of the Dulin tribe, and the little Loli Eden who had a good relationship with him, Lorne’s eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice to the old dwarf:

“Old man, we have to rush to the north as soon as possible, so we won’t bother you tonight.”

“It’s getting so late, so there’s no rush.”

The old dwarf opened his mouth to persuade, trying to retain the four foreign heroes who killed the flying dragon for them.

“Let’s forget it. To put it nicely, people in the town may not welcome us to stay.”

Rose on the side played with the dagger in her hand and sneered.

The old dwarf couldn’t help but look embarrassed when he heard this.

Although they looked coldly on the hero who had just rescued them and were a little ignorant, most dwarves still had a little illusion about those relatives and friends who had not heard from them, hoping that they could return safely or that there was really a way to solve the problem. Dragon Syndrome], allowing the dragon-turned dwarves to return to normal.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, the old dwarf took out a bulging small bag from his waist and handed it to everyone:

“In that case, I won’t keep you guys here. This is a small gift from the town to thank you for your help in the evening. Without you, I don’t know how many people would have died here, so please accept it. ”

Lorne took the cloth bag and opened it, and found that it was some gold nuggets and gold sand, which seemed to be newly mined mineral deposits.

After careful inspection, he did not detect any strange aura from it.

However, for the sake of safety, Lorne still advised seriously:

“Old man, please listen to my advice and try not to deal with gold and jewelry during this period, especially don’t collect gold from unknown sources.”

The old dwarf heard the implication and couldn’t help but look stagnant:

“You mean, gold is likely to be the source of infection for [Dragon Syndrome]?”

“I’m not sure, but given the passion these dragons have for gold, it’s always a good idea to be careful,” Lorne replied.

There was too little information at present, and he could not judge whether [Gold] and [Dragon Syndrome] were necessarily connected. He could only give the other party a warning for the sake of the old man’s friendliness.

Fortunately, the old dwarf was also obedient and kept these words firmly in mind.

When they were about to leave, he waved his hand to summon his granddaughter and brought some food supplies to the four of them.

The moment Rose bent down to take it, the little dwarf girl who raised the basket suddenly stood up on her tiptoes and kissed the spider goddess on the face, waving goodbye vigorously:

“Sister, you are all good people. Thank you for saving so many uncles and uncles. Be careful on the road!”

As the town gradually became distant in the night, Rose on horseback couldn’t help but raise her hand to touch her moist cheek.