Chapter 923 Objective : Preliminary Investigation

I followed the two gray dwarves and trudged for more than half an hour.

The visibility range finally began to expand gradually.

From the initial range of only a dozen meters, it was later estimated to be nearly 50 meters away.

This made many people feel a little more comfortable.

Darkness represents unknown dangers. In an environment where one has no idea what dangers lie ahead and where one could be struck by an accident at any time, anyone would subconsciously become tense and nervous.

“Here we are.”

The two gray dwarves chattered and gestured to Hugo Xiwei, indicating that he should look at a group of “caves” that appeared in the distance.

“This is the Paisi settlement.”

“There are about a hundred gray dwarves living here.”

“If you plan to sell slaves or other goods, the gray dwarves in the Pais settlement should be willing to buy them, as long as your price is not too outrageous.”

After saying that, the gray dwarf named Gray pointed at himself again.

“I am Gray, the man-eater. If you plan to go to other places in the Deep Region, you can come to me. I can take you there as long as you pay me enough.”

……

In conditions of restricted visibility.

Even if it is a settlement with only about 100 gray dwarves, it is still difficult to get a direct overview of the entire place.

This so-called Paisi settlement is located on a slope, backed by the steep rock walls that are characteristic of the Deep Area.

A three-meter-high protective net made of unknown metal was erected around the settlement, and strange blue-purple arcs of light occasionally appeared on the metal.

Inside the protective net was an empty oval area. When you got closer, you could see a few idle gray dwarves wrestling and fighting there. They held each other’s arms tightly, heads against heads, competing like two stubborn bulls.

There were a few idle gray dwarves nearby who were watching the fun and occasionally shouting something in an instigative tone.

If you go deeper into the settlement, you will see caves dug out of the steep rock walls.

That is where the gray dwarves live.

“Tsk, what on earth do the dwarves have this hobby of theirs? Why do they like to dig a hole and live in it so much?”

Brandon couldn’t help but be curious, so he lowered his voice and asked Pete.

“That’s how the Stone Fort dwarves are, living in all kinds of caves. How come these gray dwarves in the Deep also do the same thing?”

“Look at the protective net they put up outside. If they have the skills to make something like this, it shouldn’t be a problem for them to build a few houses, right?”

Pete rolled his eyes. “I’m not a dwarf. Shouldn’t you ask Mr. Freeman about this?”

“Maybe they have some special quirks?”

Braun had sharp ears. Hearing the two people’s whispers, he explained helplessly: “No, no, no, no, dwarves don’t have this quirk.”

“We like living in caves simply because we are closer to rocks and minerals. The closer we are to the mountain, the more we can feel the blessing power bestowed by the lava god.”

“This will make our bodies stronger, our wills more tenacious, and our courage more abundant.”

“As for the gray dwarves, they are close relatives of the dwarves and may have similar characteristics.”

As soon as the group disguised as a slave caravan stepped into the settlement of Pais, they immediately attracted the attention of the gray dwarves.

Those who were wrestling, watching the fun, and strolling around, all stopped what they were doing and looked at everyone with a very uncomfortable look.

This gaze was filled with cold scrutiny and barely concealed greed. It felt like a group of jackals had found a target that looked like prey and were evaluating and comparing the strength of both sides to determine whether to start the hunt.

Gray hurried forward upon seeing this, waving his arms at the other gray dwarves and shouting:

“Show some respect! Show some respect! This is a big businessman from the surface! A big businessman!”

“They brought a batch of human slaves! They all look like they are of very good quality!”

“They are all tender and delicious. They should be better than the old human I chewed last time!”

“Everyone, show enough respect to this great businessman! Got it?”

Gray deliberately emphasized the word “big”, and Bron also emphasized it when translating.

“You idle bastards, the big elevator is here. If you have nothing to do now, then hurry up and move all the things over there back!”

The gray dwarves then withdrew their gazes from the investigation team and dispersed.

“Humph.”

Gail heard Miranda beside him sneer in disdain.

“A guy who bullies the weak and fears the strong.”

From the scene just now, everyone could see what was going on.

If they had not shown enough strength on the way here to make the two gray dwarves wary or even afraid of them, they would probably be no different from the cargo loaded into the big elevator and transported into the abyss.

These dangerous and greedy villains are not capable of reason.

Maybe they would be eaten up literally as soon as they arrived at the settlement.

“Having a strong and hard fist is the most useful way to get through the deep areas!”

“The stronger you are, the more say you will have in this place, and the more respected you will be.”

“If someone sets his sights on us, we’ll beat him up severely and make an example of him. This will not only scare them, but also let other gray dwarves know that we are not easy to mess with.”

Gail hits the nail on the head on the general rule here.

Pete lowered his voice at the right time to remind everyone:
“Hey, don’t forget our purpose here.”

“This settlement called Pais seems to be just an ordinary village of gray dwarves? There doesn’t seem to be anything unusual about them?”

Pete tried to get an answer from Bron, but the latter spread his hands regretfully:

“I only know that the gray dwarves often live in settlements in various places in the Deep Region. The gray dwarf king, who holds the highest status, lives in a large settlement called ‘Limoen’.”

“The Paisi settlement is the closest group of gray dwarves to the elevator. They are mainly responsible for the monthly handover and transportation of the elevator.”

“The goods brought into the Deep Region for trade will be received by the people of the Paisi settlement, and then people from other settlements will come and take them away.”

Pete understood: “They are responsible for acceptance.”

“…There’s nothing wrong with this understanding.” Bron thought for a moment and confirmed Pete’s statement.

“I want to talk to the gray dwarves in the Pais settlement. Can you help translate for me?”

Pate planned to conduct a simple investigation in the first settlement they arrived at to confirm whether these gray dwarves were influenced by the cultists, or to find some potentially valuable clues without leaving any trace.

Bron shook his head. “Glad to help.”

……

(End of this chapter)