Chapter 215: Iron-Willed Gray Dwarves

The city of the Gray Dwarves was called Orlando, meaning the land of abundance. The river that flowed through the city was called Odonia River, and it was the largest river in the Underworld. The land occupied by the Gray Dwarves truly deserved to be called the land of abundance.

In the city’s warehouses, Su Lun found a lot of food. Most of it consisted of mushrooms and fungi, along with what seemed to be a variant of potatoes. It could be said that although this land was not vast, it could still support two to three thousand people. After searching the entire city, Su Lun began escorting the prisoners and gold away.

As for those Gray Dwarves who tried to escape through the palace’s secret passage, they ultimately failed. Their two short legs could not outrun the four legs of the Centaurs. After discovering some had escaped, Su Lun immediately sent people to chase them. With the cooperation of the Drow Elves, who excelled in tracking, and the Centaurs, who were skilled in swift raids, they were captured before they could even leave the underground cavern.

After selecting from the Gray Dwarf prisoners, there were two hundred with exceptional blacksmithing skills—even including several master blacksmiths. This delighted Su Lun. Zhenbei City did not have a single master blacksmith before, but now it had several in one go.

However, one problem troubled Su Lun. Although these Gray Dwarves had surrendered, they were unwilling to serve him. Su Lun had the Drow Elves train these Gray Dwarf slaves, but even then, the results were not very good. Like their surface cousins, the Gray Dwarves had a rock-solid stubbornness. While they could be made to do hard labor, getting them to forge weapons for you was difficult.

When the Drow Elves enslaved Gray Dwarf slaves, they would use the Divine Magic of the Spider Queen Lolth to force the Gray Dwarves to submit. However, the Drow Elves in Zhenbei City worshipped the Dark Maiden and did not possess such abilities to forcefully enslave other races.

Su Lun thought for a moment and finally decided to build a prisoner-of-war camp in Zhenbei City. The camp was not large and had few facilities. It took only two days to complete, and the finished camp did not disappoint him.

[Prisoner-of-War Camp: Unbreakable +18, Reform Diligently +15, Adaptability +18, Break Will +16, Surrender Resistance +18, Escape Attempts -30, Clean and Healthy +15]

With these attributes, even the stubborn Gray Dwarves could not hold out for long. After the camp was completed, Su Lun sent all the Gray Dwarves there for reformation.

Although most dwarves were as stubborn as stones, there were always exceptions. Three days after sending the prisoners in, a few Gray Dwarves surrendered. Upon hearing the news, Su Lun specifically went to check whether they had truly decided to yield.

As soon as he entered the prisoner-of-war camp, he heard a chorus of angry voices.

“Buck, Casey, you two cowards! You will be scorned by Lord Dulag! Even in death, you will only fall into the Abyss!”

“Traitors! I am ashamed to have ever been your neighbors!”

“Traitors, cowards, you two spineless scoundrels!”

Behind the fence, many Gray Dwarves pointed and shouted at the two inside. The two Gray Dwarves hung their heads, their faces red, and remained silent.

Su Lun paid no attention to the clamor. No matter how loud they were now, they would yield soon enough.

“Have you decided?” Su Lun asked the two dwarves.

Buck and Casey exchanged glances, then nodded firmly. “Lord, we have decided. We are willing to serve you.”

“A wise choice.” Seeing two new Gray Dwarf names appear on the System Panel, Su Lun nodded. Although their loyalty was only sixty-five, as long as they had surrendered, the rest would increase soon.

“Adaptability is a sign of wisdom. To reward you for turning to the right side, I plan to give you some rewards.” Su Lun smiled as he spoke. Ignoring the two bewildered Gray Dwarves, he turned to Chris beside him. “Go and have someone bring a few bottles of Vodka.” Chris nodded and instructed someone to prepare.

Vodka was the name Su Lun gave to the strong liquor brewed from potatoes. Unlike the Vodka from his previous life, the one brewed in Zhenbei City was not as strong. Due to technical limitations, it only had an alcohol content of thirty degrees.

Even so, thirty-degree alcohol was considered very strong in this world. This drink was now the most popular in Zhenbei City’s taverns, while Rum sales had declined significantly.

Soon, a guard returned with two bottles of Vodka. At the sight of the liquor, even the shouting Gray Dwarves temporarily fell silent, their eyes fixed on the two bottles.

Pop!

A soft sound echoed as the cork was opened. The rich aroma of alcohol instantly filled the air. The two Gray Dwarves closest to it inhaled deeply, their throats constantly swallowing. Su Lun noted their reactions and chuckled inwardly. These dwarves truly could not resist the temptation of alcohol.

Su Lun handed the two bottles of Vodka to Buck and Casey. The two Gray Dwarves, already craving the drink, took the bottles and immediately gulped down a large mouthful.

Glug, glug, glug, glug, glug!

The two Gray Dwarves eagerly drank nearly half the bottle, their faces turning red. Clear liquor dripped down their thick beards, and the rich aroma spread further.

Gulp!

The sound of swallowing echoed around them. The Gray Dwarves inside the fence stared longingly at the bottles in their hands, as if they might rush to snatch them at any moment.

Whew!

Buck let out a heavy breath after the alcohol hit him. Excitedly, he said, “Lord, this drink is amazing! Dwarf Fire Wine is like water compared to this. This is definitely the best drink!”

“That’s right! This is absolutely the best! I love it!” Casey shouted beside him.

“I’m glad you like it. Now that you’ve decided to serve Zhenbei City, follow them to complete the procedures. You’ll start working tomorrow.” Su Lun pointed to an official nearby.

“As you command, we are happy to serve you,” the two Gray Dwarves said joyfully.

Su Lun also noticed that the two Gray Dwarves’ loyalty, originally only sixty-five, had now risen to eighty. He estimated that after spending some time in Zhenbei City, their loyalty would soon reach ninety.

“Is there anything you’d like to say?” After sending the two Gray Dwarves away, Su Lun approached the fence and addressed the remaining Gray Dwarves inside.

“Damn human, we will never yield!”

“You can’t make us work for you!”

“That’s right! We will never surrender!”

The Gray Dwarves grew noisy again, their expressions resembling that of someone stubbornly refusing to surrender, pointing at the gate and shouting “get out.”

“Chris.” Su Lun gently waved his hand. The Little Succubus giggled and handed him a bottle of Vodka. As soon as Su Lun took it, the previously cursing Gray Dwarves fell silent, as if their fate had been seized.

Su Lun opened the bottle and poured a glass. The clear liquor emitted a rich aroma, like a hook pulling all the Gray Dwarves’ eyes toward it.

“Want a drink?” Su Lun asked softly.

The Gray Dwarves before him involuntarily nodded.

“You can have some, no problem. Buck and Casey set the example.” Su Lun smiled, then placed the glass just half a meter away from them. Close enough for them to smell the rich aroma, but just out of reach. Watching the Gray Dwarves stretch their arms trying to grab the glass, Su Lun nearly burst out laughing.

Let you guys curse all you want—today, I’m going to torture you with desire. You won’t get a single drop.

Satisfied that the Gray Dwarves could not reach the drink, Su Lun left. Before departing, he specifically instructed the camp guards not to pay attention to any Gray Dwarves who expressed willingness to surrender today. Let them suffer.

Setting the Gray Dwarves aside for the time being, Su Lun began transporting various treasures from Orlando to Zhenbei City. The Gray Dwarves had accumulated a large amount of gold over centuries. Su Lun planned to use some of it for minting coins, while the rest would be stored in the lord’s Treasure Vault. At the same time, all soldiers who participated in the raid on the Gray Dwarf city were rewarded.

Although Su Lun could have taken all the gold from the battle, doing so would have left the soldiers dissatisfied. In the end, Su Lun had Chris draft a reward system, and based on this system, all participating soldiers received rewards ranging from thirty to one hundred Gold Nars.

The distribution of substantial rewards instantly enriched this group of soldiers. It also made those who did not participate in the war envious. When the refugees and slaves who had not joined the military heard about it, their eyes turned red with desire. Suddenly, the recruitment office saw a surge of people wanting to join the army. If Su Lun agreed to expand the military, recruiting another thousand would be effortless.

Rewarding the soldiers also increased Su Lun’s reputation. The rewarded soldiers’ loyalty rose again, and the army’s morale improved significantly. The soldiers in the camp were now eager and ready to fight at any moment.

Most of the rewarded soldiers began purchasing various goods in the market. Zhenbei City’s commerce was thriving, and a wide variety of goods were available. The influx of the soldiers’ money further stimulated market prosperity.

Although rewarding the soldiers cost over a hundred thousand Gold Nars, the results were excellent. The soldiers’ morale soared, enthusiasm for joining the military increased, the soldiers enjoyed better lives, and the city’s market flourished. It was a win-win situation.