“Should we go back earlier and tell King Gilgamesh what happened here?” Balroy asked after he pondered that.
“It’s fine. We have only been here for a few days. If we go back now, we will miss out on too many benefits! What if we report this to King Gilgamesh and the other divine generals learn about it? What if they also come to ask for benefits?”
Jayla shook her head firmly, causing Balroy to look hesitant.
“That makes sense.”
“For the time being, we don’t need to report to His Majesty. I heard the maids discussing how King Watson is about to head to the Dwarven Kingdom. For the time being, he won’t be able to threaten the Thorn Empire. We’ll stay here for some time. After we’ve obtained sufficient benefits, we’ll bring the people of the Kingdom of Kings to the Thorn Empire.”
“Let’s do it that way.”
Jayla discussed with Balroy and decided on their plans for the future.
Time flew by, and three days passed.
Watson spent three days preparing the things he needed to head to the Dwarven Kingdom.
“The Phoenix egg, the water from the Spring of Life, and a sapling of the World Tree. Those are things for the Dwarven Kingdom! In addition, there is also a large amount of sun and moon fruit wine, diamond and platinum-tier magical beast meat. It’s enough for us to enjoy on the way. We are also bringing a lot of starlight-tier weapons. Let me see if there’s anything we missed.”
Nightingale sat in the carriage and checked the contents. The carriage did not look big, but it was carrying thousands of times the size of the goods inside. That carriage was a starlight-tier weapon made by Watson.
Odyssey stood in front of the carriage with a smile on his face. He tried to persuade Watson to let him go to the Dwarven Kingdom because he was familiar with the kingdom, could tell the best routes, and had a good relationship with the Dwarf King. Later, he could transform into the Divine Star-seeking Dragon and pull the carriage.
While Nightingale was inspecting the carriage, the Dragon Knights, led by Christina, who was not far away, were also lecturing her.
“This trip to the Dwarven Kingdom is not only to participate in their kingdom’s activities but also to show the dignity of our kingdom. Do you know the most important thing in the relationship between the two kingdoms?” Christina asked the people in front of her dignifiedly, and soon, discussions broke out.
“I know that wealth is the most important thing in the exchanges between the two kingdoms.”
“Sincerity is the most important thing.”
She shook her head. “What you said makes sense, but it’s not correct. Strength is the most important thing in the exchanges between the two kingdoms. As long as you have strength, the other kingdoms will listen to you no matter what you say. Otherwise, no matter how sincere and rich you are, you will only be coveted by other kingdoms! This time, we are going to the Dwarven Kingdom to show off the Dragon Knights’ might. So, all of you, keep your spirits up and don’t embarrass the Kingdom of Kings.”
“Don’t worry; we will definitely not.”
Voices rang out in unison. Hundreds of Dragon Knights shouted in unison. Even their dragons roared into the sky. It seemed like it was a great honor for them to travel with Watson.
“I’m relieved to see that everyone is so energetic. Is everyone ready? Let’s go if you’re ready.”
While everyone was talking, Watson and Nia arrived at the front of the carriage. As Watson entered the carriage, he was escorted by his siblings, Macrotov, former officials and noblemen, and other wealthy people.
Nightingale and Nia sat on the left and right, controlling Odyssey, who had transformed into a dragon to fly out of Mount Creation, followed by 100 Dragon Knights led by Christina. The dragons’ giant wings covered the sky, which blotted out the sun. It looked very spectacular.
“We shall send you off here, Your Majesty. I wish you all the best in your trip to the Dwarven Kingdom. ”
“Long live His Majesty! Long live the Kingdom of Kings! ”
The carriage Watson was riding in turned into a small black dot and vanished into the air among the thunderous screams.
It was not far from Mount Creation to the outskirts of the Kingdom of Kings. Watson leaned against the carriage seat, his hands in his pockets. He gazed out the window at the countryside outside. There were several mountains where the carriage passed. A massive World Tree grew on the mountains. The Spring of Life was like a waterfall cascading from the World Tree’s branches.
Those scenes were merely a small part of the splendor of the entire Kingdom of Kings. Platinum-tier and diamond-tier elites might be spotted soaring anywhere in the skies. One of the nine planetary fortresses even passed in front of Watson.
Initially, the planetary fortresses merely encircled the Holy Dragon Kingdom’s periphery. The starlight barrier expanded in size as well.
As he sat on the carriage, Watson noticed nine massive starlight barriers materializing in front of him.
“The Kingdom of Kings is now developing fairly nicely, yet it is still insufficient. The Kingdom of Kings will grow much larger once we have conquered the Dwarven Kingdom and the Thorn Empire!”
Watson secretly clenched his fists and made up his mind. In his plan, the future Kingdom of Kings would span the entire continent, including all different races and facilities. Everyone would be a starlight-tier superpower.
He still had a long way to go before he could achieve that goal.
…
At the Dwarven Kingdom.
The Dwarven Kingdom was located on the west side of the continent, near the golden sea on the west and the Holy Dragon Kingdom on the east. Their north and south sides had endless mountains that produced a lot of minerals. It was precisely because those mountains were rich in minerals that the Dwarven Kingdom could hold an invention competition every four years, creating many rare things in the world.
The floating island in the sky was the peak of Dwarven Kingdom technology. The Invention Conference will also be held there in a few days.
At that moment, a high-level meeting was being held there.
Prussia, the Dwarf King, was sitting on the throne. His thick yellow beard ran along his face’s rugged form, and his queen and other princesses sat around him.
“The King of the Kingdom of Kings is arriving soon! Everyone knows about the Holy Dragon Kingdom’s annexation of the Winter Nation and the Elven Kingdom. Perhaps the Kingdom of Kings will annex our kingdom next. I wonder if you have any good ideas.”
“Your Majesty, don’t worry. We can let the King of the Kingdom of Kings see the strength of our kingdom when he comes! Our power does not lie in strength but knowledge. If the King of the Kingdom of Kings is a reasonable person, we can use our accumulated knowledge to exchange for our right to live. If he insists on making things difficult for us, we are not to be trifled with.”
An elderly dwarf with a beard on his face and a fuzzy head sat not far from the throne. His name was Henry Haymordinger, and he was known as the Great Inventor. He was a well-known character in the kingdom. He had contributed many critical technologies to the development of the floating islands.
The Dwarven Kingdom believed that knowledge was power.
The dwarves might be the weakest compared to beings from other kingdoms, but their combat strength might be the strongest if the weapons they invented were considered.
“Haymordinger, do you have a good idea? According to the Light Dragon King, the king from the Kingdom of Kings is the one who created the new magical source, and he has created more than one. As far as I know, our kingdom doesn’t have any weapons that can fight against that level of power. The magic cannonball, the most powerful weapon we currently have, can only destroy a small hill with a single shot. I’m afraid that it can’t even kill a dragon.”
“True, our magical cannonballs are not as powerful as dragons’, but I have lately invented a new spatial contraption! That dimensional device has the ability to open portals anywhere in the world and can even link to destinations beyond our world. The three-dimensional technology has only been tested more than a hundred times due to safety concerns, and it is not stable enough. However, there is a possibility of connecting to locations outside this world, which is enough to make that dimensional device the most amazing creation of the Dwarven Kingdom in the last hundred years.”
Hemodinger’s voice was brimming with unmistakable pride as he explained his idea.
“Everyone should understand that the world we are in is simply a small fraction of the larger picture. The world was divided into this state during ancient times due to a battle between many great races and the gods. There is also the divine realm, where the gods once dwelt, outside of the region where we live. We may not be a match for the Kingdom of Kings, but as long as we connect to the divine realm and invoke the gods, the Kingdom of Kings will not be able to defeat us.
“The only disadvantage is that doing so is extremely dangerous. That is good if the gods are fair to us; if they are wicked, the Dwarven Kingdom will perish alongside them. This should only be used as a last resort! Aside from the spatial device, I have another method of stopping the Kingdom of Kings. This approach needs the dwarven chess piece, which the Dwarven Kingdom has retained.”
Unlike the other races, the Dwarven Kingdom’s race chess piece was whole. That was why they were so well-versed in ancient history. Similarly, their understanding of the world differed from that of the other races.
“Hemodinger, are you sure you want to use the race chess piece? That power is very dangerous. ”
Prussia looked troubled. It was not just the dwarves who were present. Everyone who knew the power of the dwarven race chess piece had a change in expression.
The original power of the dwarven race chess piece was known as Mechanical God-subduing. The power of the race chess piece could summon technological weapons that did not belong to that era. No one knew what effect those weapons would have. No one knew what harm they would cause once they were used.
The dwarves used that chess piece to fight against the gods in ancient times. The price was that they summoned a kind of unknown ball.
[That’s the bomb that contains the power to destroy the gods. The dark shell hides the elements of the devil. Once they react, the light and heat produced are enough to destroy the sun! After the bomb explodes, there will be residual radiation energy that makes the river undrinkable, the earth withered, and the people living on that land might have many heads or arms.]
Those were the original words recorded in the Dwarven Kingdom’s ancient records. It was enough to prove the technological weapons’ power.
The Dwarven Kingdom has always prohibited the usage of the race chess piece, from ancient times to the present. It would summon future technical development if they were deployed, allowing existing technology to advance.
“Rest assured, Your Majesty. I understand that the dwarven race chess piece is very dangerous. There is also a reason why I suggested that. I’d like to introduce someone to you, Your Majesty. This is my disciple. Her name is Meryl.”
Hemodinga clapped his hands, and a little girl beside him stood up. That girl had white hair and a cute round face. She was only a little over a meter tall, and her face looked like a doll. She was wearing a sky-blue dress.
After she stood up, the girl lifted her sleeve, revealing a semi-mechanical arm. The joints on the metal arm were gears.
The dwarves who saw that scene were a little surprised. They were surprised to learn that her neck and brain were mechanical. If one looked carefully, one of her eyes was made of diamond, and the occasional rotation made it look very different from an ordinary person’s eyes.
The Dwarven Kingdom was technologically advanced. A mechanical arm might be used to replace someone’s limbs if they were broken. However, the replacement mechanical arm was not so flexible, and they could not replace the brain.
“Meryl, tell His Majesty in detail what you have discovered.”
Under Hermoldinger’s order, the dwarf girl named Meryl spoke softly. Her tone was robotic, flat, and impersonal. “When I was studying a while back, I noticed that the language included within our kingdom’s race chess piece differs from the language we have presently. It is a mechanical language made up entirely of zeros and ones! In the past, the dwarven race could not properly manage the dwarven chess piece because we did not grasp that language. We can assign the dwarven chess piece to make the weapon we want as long as we write the commands in that particular language.”
“For example, if I desire a spaceship powered by the sun and an attack unleashed by the sun’s brilliant beams, we may write that command into the race chess piece and obtain that spaceship! If we want to get more precise, we can explain the commands more thoroughly, such as if there are one or two seats, the size of the spaceship, and so on. The more exact the description, the more probable we will acquire the thing.”
“Is that true?” Prussia looked a little excited.
“That is absolutely true. In fact, Meryl and I have already attempted to deploy the race chess piece. Meryl inadvertently produced an explosion during her studies, shattering half of her body. I wished her a new brain and body using the race chess piece. Only the race chess piece can create a mechanical brain capable of supporting her movement!” Haymordinger nodded before Meryl could say anything, his bushy beard spreading across his face.
“Think about it. If we can use the power of the dwarven chess piece, even if we die, our bodies can be mechanically regenerated. We don’t even need to cultivate anymore. If we want to become stronger, we only need to produce more powerful body parts. If those parts are damaged, we can replace them! With this method, we can create a powerful army, and we can also achieve immortality. When the King of the Kingdom of Kings sees the power we have, he will also feel fear. When that time comes, Your Majesty will show our kingdom’s weapons, even if they are incomplete. It will definitely make the King of the Kingdom of Kings give up on his idea of attacking us.”
The Dwarven Kingdom’s invention competition was created to foster the advancement of science and technology. However, it was different then. They had invited the Kingdom of Kings to terrify them and show them their strength.
As long as they exaggerated the attributes of the weapons they possessed, their opponents would definitely be afraid.
“That makes sense. Let’s do it then! To provide convenience for your research, I’ll remove the race chess piece’s protection. Also, every weapon in the kingdom will be displayed. It will be displayed in that invention competition if it has large-scale lethality. Other than the weapons, don’t show anything else in that competition. When the King of the Kingdom of Kings comes, we must give him a big surprise.”
…
“That is the Dwarven Kingdom. It feels different from what I imagined.”
Hundreds of dragons escorted a carriage forward in the sky. Lily peered down from one of the dragons and spoke softly.
They had spent about two days traveling from the Kingdom of Kings to the Dwarven Kingdom. They spent a day and a half in the Kingdom of Kings for Watson to look at the area. It took them almost half a day to travel from the Kingdom of Kings to the Dwarven Kingdom.
They were so fast because the Light Dragon King, Odyssey, who was pulling the carriage, and the Dragon Knights were at least peak diamond-tier.
“What does the Dwarven Kingdom look like in your imagination?”
Charlotte inquired while manipulating the dragon beneath her.
“I imagined the Dwarven Kingdom to be full of circuses. Many tamed magical beasts are on the streets, and dwarves with clown makeup on their faces are sitting on the backs of the magical beasts, performing cards or throwing knife magic! There should be huge hot air balloons floating in the sky, colorful like magnified candy—”
Charlotte cut Lily off before she could continue her sentence.
“Stop fantasizing. That kind of empire can only be found in your dreams. Dwarves must survive too. How do they tame monsters and use magic daily? Furthermore, why are there so many hot air balloons in the sky? Will it have an impact on traffic?”
The reality of the Dwarven Kingdom differed from what Lily had depicted. The adjacent mines were riddled with dark holes. Massive machinery bored into the ores by poking their heads through the openings. Massive and uneven islands floated in the sky. There were enormous chimneys around, spewing black smoke. It did not appear to be lovely but rather hideous.
“The Dwarven Kingdom looks very similar to the world I lived in my previous life. If the buildings were not floating in the sky, if the houses were not bungalows but buildings, they would look exactly the same.”
Watson lifted the curtains of the carriage and looked outside. He sighed in a low voice. That was his first time coming to the Dwarven Kingdom, and he saw an unexpected scene.
A swarm of black dots dropped down from the sky islands above his head as he sighed. Those black specks were separated into groups and sat atop massive hot air balloon airships. Soon, they arrived in front of the dragons. The leader had a crown on his head, and a scarlet and white cape draped over his powerful shoulders. He looked like he was the Dwarf King.
In comparison to the Kingdom of Kings’ hundreds of Dragon Knights and dragons, those dwarves in the hot air balloons airships appeared much weaker. The Dwarf King did not seem to mind that. Instead, the corners of his lips curled upward as if he was pleased with something.
“Are you from the Kingdom of Kings? I am Prussia, the King of the Dwarven Kingdom. I am here to welcome our guests from the Kingdom of Kings. The invention competition is about to begin. Please leave your dragons behind and follow me to the venue in the hot air balloon airships..”
