Chapter 020: Dungeon & Warriors

After some thought, Du Fan and Moses also came to terms with it. Otherwise, with those two legendary levels of power, if they could move freely, what would still be left in the Divine Ruins?
“My father later estimated that he had gone no more than one-third of the way into the Divine Ruins at that time. It was too dangerous further in, so he didn’t dare go any further,” Basha said.
“What was your father’s level of power when he entered the Divine Ruins?” Du Fan asked.
“According to my father, he had just reached the Saint level at that time,” Basha replied.
“We all plan to enter the Divine Ruins. I wonder what your second brother intends to do,” Du Fan asked.
“Naturally, I’ll go with you. My father once said that as long as I reach a level above the Saint level, he’ll allow me to enter the Divine Ruins. My power has long surpassed the Saint level, but due to too many distractions, I haven’t had the chance to go. Now that the dragon-slaying mission is over, I actually plan to invite some skilled members of our clan to go as well. Since my eldest brother and third brother are also going, I’ll naturally accompany you,” Basha said, slapping his chest.
“The Divine Ruins aren’t that easy to enter,” Basha suddenly said.
Hearing this, Du Fan’s heart skipped a beat. Could something else have happened?
“The current Divine Ruins are guarded by my father and the Lord of Magical Beasts with a large force. Without their permission, no one can enter, unless you fight your way in,” Basha said with a smile.
“During the battle, it will surely alert my father and that Lord of Magical Beasts. Think about it—how many beings on this continent could possibly stand against those two combined?” Basha said proudly.
“Then, if your second brother wants to enter, it should be quite easy, right?” Du Fan said with a smile. Since the Divine Ruins are currently occupied by the Dwarf King and the Lord of Magical Beasts, as the Dwarf King’s son, Basha should be able to enter easily, right? Du Fan thought.
“I can enter, but every time the Divine Ruins open, equal numbers of explorers from both sides go in. To maintain balance between the two sides, this rule must never be broken. When that time comes, if you follow me in, the Lord of Magical Beasts will also send an equal number to join us,” Basha said.
“What will happen between the two groups then?” Du Fan asked.

“Hehe, as you all know, the Dusk Mountains are under the control of my father and the Lord of Magical Beasts. Yet, no major conflicts have ever arisen between them—thanks to the Divine Ruins.” Basha began to explain tactfully. “Whenever irreconcilable disputes arise between us and the magical beasts, both sides send equal numbers of people into the Divine Ruins. There, danger and opportunity coexist, and the side with more survivors is considered the winner. It’s this system that allows us dwarves and the magical beasts to coexist peacefully in the eyes of the world,” Basha said. “In that case, the people from both sides must fight fiercely inside the Divine Ruins,” Du Fan remarked. “That’s exactly right. Most of those who die in the Divine Ruins do so in battles among themselves,” Basha added. “But the advantage of this is that conflicts between us and the magical beasts are confined solely to the Divine Ruins,” Basha explained. “Then, Second Brother must know exactly how to get to the Divine Ruins, right?” Du Fan asked. “Of course,” Basha replied with a smile. “To reach the Divine Ruins, one must pass through the capital of our dwarves, which is also where I live. So, First Brother and Third Brother, lead your elves and follow me.” Basha spoke loudly. Following Basha, Du Fan and his group moved through the Dusk Mountains without any hindrance! Basha wore dragon eyes the size of fists around his waist, and every dwarf they encountered looked at him with envy and respect. In front of a towering mountain that reached straight into the clouds—a rare sight in the Dusk Mountains—there was a huge cave artificially created at its foot. Basha led his group of over two thousand people confidently toward the cave. In front of the cave, dozens of dwarf axe soldiers were patrolling. These dwarves rode magical beasts that resembled leopards, but their limbs were much stronger than those of leopards. Though these magical beasts were only level three, even the lowest-tier ones were more powerful than the best warhorses. Magical beasts and ordinary animals are entirely different—like heaven and earth.

Coming among these dwarves, they saw the dragon eye hanging around Bashah’s waist and quickly climbed down from their mounts. It was fortunate they were riding such fierce beasts; if they had been on large horses, it would have been hard to imagine what kind of posture those short-statured dwarves would have used to get on and off.
“Lord Bashah, you’ve returned from slaying a dragon,” the dwarf cavalry said respectfully.
“Of course! Look what this is,” Bashah said proudly, shaking his thick waist, causing the dragon eye hanging there to sway back and forth.
“It’s really a dragon eye!” the dwarf cavalry exclaimed.
The dragon eye around Bashah’s waist emitted a unique magic that deeply captivated the eyes of the dwarf cavalry.
“Lord Bashah? Second brother, are you the ruler here?” Du Fan asked curiously.
“This is the capital of the dwarf race! Gras! This great city was once glorious under the leadership of the Dwarf King!” Bashah said proudly.
“But second brother, where’s the city? I can’t see it at all!” Du Fan shouted.
“I forgot to tell you, third brother. Our dwarf race builds our cities underground,” Bashah said, slightly embarrassed.
After walking hundreds of meters downward in the huge cave, the space ahead suddenly opened up, revealing to Du Fan and his group a city that stretched as far as the eye could see!
This city, built deep underground, was brightly lit, with every corner illuminated by magic lamps! Just thinking about how many magic lamps would be needed to fully light such a large city!
What surprised Du Fan even more was that there was no sense of stuffiness in such deep underground—this showed that the ventilation system of this underground city was excellent!
“There are 320,000 dwarves living in this city. Without exaggeration, it’s the greatest underground city on this continent!” Bashah said proudly.
Suddenly, Du Fan felt a strange thought arise: What would Bashah think if he saw the huge underground city in Siluo Province?
“Let’s go and see the greatest underground city on this continent!” Bashah said loudly.
After descending more than a hundred steps, Du Fan and his group stood on the ground of Gras. Unlike the human cities Du Fan had seen before, stone was the most common material here!

It seems that in this city, everything is made of stone as much as possible. In this huge underground city, not a single green plant can be seen! Dwarves and elves are completely polar opposites—one loves plants extremely, while the other loves stone extremely! Yet, the two races share one thing in common: neither has a government! The elves have a clan leader, while the dwarves have a city lord! In the dwarves’ underground city, there are numerous shops, with blacksmith shops being the most common. Walking past these shops and seeing the weapons displayed inside, Du Fan inwardly sighed—the quality of these weapons was far superior to those made by humans! Bashah’s residence was just a slightly larger stone house! Only on the door of the stone house were several large characters written: “City Lord’s Residence!” “I’m sorry, third brother. My residence is a bit small, so I can only arrange for your elves to stay in separate places,” Bashah said, looking a bit embarrassed at his own house. “How about this, second brother? We can camp outside the city, at the foot of the mountains,” Du Fan said with a smile. “Third brother, are you looking down on us? Do you dislike our small place?” Bashah immediately became unhappy. “Second brother, that’s not what I meant,” Du Fan quickly said. “Well, we still have a large open area in Grass, but there are no houses there. However, I’ve seen your elves bringing their own tents along the way. Why don’t you go there?” Bashah suggested. “That would be the best,” Du Fan said happily. After arranging for the 2,000 elves, Du Fan, Moses, and Naixiu accepted Bashah’s invitation to explore Grass. As the group walked down a main street, a group of dwarves came towards them. The one leading them was taller than the others. When that tall dwarf saw Bashah, his expression showed a slight awkwardness. Of course, only Du Fan’s sharp eyes could notice that slight awkwardness. “Cousin, you’re back?” That fleeting expression disappeared quickly, and he immediately greeted Bashah warmly. “Yes, cousin. Thanks again for telling me where the dragons live. Look, I’ve already killed that dragon.” Since returning from outside, Bashah had been wearing a dragon eye everywhere he went, deliberately shaking it around. This time, in front of his cousin, he started shaking it again.

Hearing these words and thinking of the dwarf’s unnatural expression earlier, Du Fan grew suspicious. It was obvious that Basha was no match for the golden dragon Daruxi. How could this cousin tell Basha about such a dangerous place? His motives for revealing the dragon’s lair were therefore questionable. “My dear cousin, I knew you could do it! Look, didn’t you kill that dragon and bring back its eye?” The dwarf laughed heartily, spreading his arms as he embraced Basha. Basha happily returned the embrace. As they hugged each other, the dwarf faced Du Fan, and a cruel glint appeared in his eyes again. “Cousin, this is a brother I’ve recently met. This is my sworn brother, Saito from the Ancient Tree Elves. This is Du Fan from the human race, and this is Naixiu from the elf race. Naixiu is Du Fan’s wife,” Basha introduced them one by one. “Hello, I’m Basha’s cousin. My name is Karu,” the dwarf said warmly, greeting Du Fan and the others. “Brother Du Fan, you’re truly lucky to have married such a beautiful elf woman!” Karu said. Seeing Naixiu’s beauty, a hint of greed appeared in Karu’s eyes, which Du Fan noticed. Book 35: Divine Remnants