Chapter 651
Chapter 651
I once thought that even if it was a mountain range, if there was a kingdom inside it, it would only be a kingdom in name, not actually a city.
From today, I decided not to imagine such common sense things. I don’t know how I can see the horizon even though I’m inside a mountain range.
“Is the entire mountain range a kingdom···?”
I counted how many huge tower-like structures I could see, stretching out at regular intervals as if to support the ceiling, but gave up and asked. Ambassador Hürgen, who was sitting next to me, shook his head slightly.
“Haha, that’s not true. The mountain range is much more extensive than it appears from your side. Well, if the kingdom continues to prosper, the entire mountain range may eventually become a kingdom, but not yet.”
“So you’re saying that you’re continuously expanding?”
“Of course. The area we’re passing through right now is a newly built-up area. Has it been a few hundred years?”
The train, which had been moving at a crazy speed, was now moving at a slow speed of only half that of before. Thanks to this, I was able to see the surrounding scenery in more detail, and I had a hard time suppressing the urge to ask questions whenever I saw something interesting.
Apart from the grace of the World Tree and the brazier of the divine sun of the sky, Bazhkal, the cities and buildings created by the dwarves’ technology and culture can truly be called arcane punk.
Beyond simply carving out the mountain range to create space, the trains were now running on tracks floating in the air rather than on the ground, and beneath them were numerous buildings that looked like cities, and people lived there as if it were a given.
Since it is only about 4 stories high, sometimes pedestrians or children passing by would look up and look at the train, but other than that, there was no other reaction. It was a sight that made you realize that for them, the train is just one of the everyday cultural objects.
Among them, there was a person who was startled when he suddenly found a train car with a hole in it and me sticking my head out to look at it, but that was just a minor incident. When I just smiled and waved, he looked at me with a dumbfounded expression, but I couldn’t help but laugh when he waved back.
“By the way… I really feel the need to make this into a serious tourist attraction. It’s been over a hundred years since the train was built, and I’ve been on it for more than half of that time, but sitting in this open space and looking outside feels new.”
“I honestly don’t know what to do with myself because I’m so anxious.”
The captain of the guard, who was sitting on a plywood chair specially prepared by Ambassador Huelgen, was not just groaning, but was really fidgeting, not knowing what to do. He said it was definitely not his first time riding a train, but it seemed like he was not comfortable with all the open spaces.
It was a bit funny that he insisted on sitting down when he could have just gone in if it was that uncomfortable, but I decided to let it go, thinking it was probably because of his position as captain of the guard. Anyway, I was busy just looking at the products of civilization that seemed like they would ruin even the capital of the empire.
Ambassador Huelgen seemed to like my interest, and he naturally started talking about things that I was interested in without me having to be careful about asking. Thanks to that, I was able to satisfy quite a bit of my curiosity as we reached the final destination, where the tracks were above ground again and the smell of the big city filled the air.
“That’s the final stop. Looks like they’ve already come out to pick us up.”
Now, instead of sitting down, I stood up and leaned against the cover to look around. When I turned my head in the direction that Ambassador Hullgen was pointing, I was surprised in a different way than when I saw all the magnificent views I had seen so far.
Frankly, anyone would be surprised to see a crowd of fully armed dwarves on a platform with an extremely old-fashioned design. I was surprised once by the fact that the train was rolling into a place that looked like a civilian platform, not a military platform, and once again by the fact that so many dwarves were looking at us with wide eyes in surprise.
The clothes of the dwarves, who were presumed to be ordinary people, were very sophisticated. They were not the splendid and rich clothes of medieval nobles, but rather simple clothes that felt like those worn by Victorians. They seemed to represent the civilization they had built up, and they matched very well with the platforms decorated with stylish designs as well as the buildings spread out behind them.
I used to think that it was impossible for a race with advanced technology to lag behind a kingdom similar to medieval fantasy in terms of clothing and culture… but the gap was so big that it felt like I had accidentally crawled into a different worldview.
Among them, soldiers wearing full plate armor stood out even more. However, apart from that sense of incongruity, it was quite a strange sight for me, who had never had the chance to see the dwarven kingdom’s official armor before.
The dwarves’ armor seemed to be bulked up only in the upper body. If the lower body is made of ordinary plate armor, the upper body looks like it is wearing three layers of such armor. The knee pads are large, so it doesn’t feel like the upper body is bulked up, but it would be difficult for a normal person to get up if they fell.
But what really caught my eye was their weapons, not their armor.
“The dwarves’ ceremonial weapon wasn’t an axe…?”
“Ah, originally it was a double-edged axe, but it’s been a while since it was changed to a warhammer.”
Ambassador Hulghen nodded his head in understanding as he was shocked by the sight of a dwarf shaving his beard.
“There was a lot of opposition within the kingdom, but the enemies the kingdom’s army mainly faced were armored alien races or tough monsters. At the time, the opposition was so great that the only compromise was the one-handed axe.”
When I looked at the place he was pointing with the cigarette he was smoking, I saw that in the place where other races would have been holding swords, each of them was holding a hatchet.
No, that’s right, Warhammer is also a weapon that comes to mind when you think of dwarves… but all the dwarves I’ve seen so far, including Mr. Gin, have used axes, so the disparity is huge. When using a single-edged axe, if you strike with the back of the blade, it’s a blunt weapon, but when using a double-edged axe, if you strike with the side, isn’t it a blunt weapon?
But I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t hide my shock and amazement at this meeting.
“Ambassador Hugh Hulgen?! What on earth happened on the train!”
One of the dwarves, who had been naturally focused on the front of the train and had reflexively turned his gaze away due to the commotion around him, started to run towards us in shock as soon as his eyes met ours. Ambassador Hulgen suddenly sat down at the back of the train, where there were no walls or ceilings, and waved his hands as if he were enjoying a picnic, showing off his composure, but it seemed that it didn’t help the person leading the dwarf soldiers behind him to accept the situation.
“Didn’t you come out after seeing the signal flare? They said you were attacked.”
“Of course I saw it and confirmed it, but I didn’t know that it was an enemy that had to be dealt with by transforming the train···”
You probably didn’t hear it. Even if it was a signal flare, I wouldn’t be able to report it in detail. But Ambassador Hulgen just calmly replied with a laugh and a signal for me to get up.
“It was a vampire. Let’s go to the palace and talk about the details. It’s not polite to stand here and talk to the warrior who saved our lives.”
The dwarf, who had been so shocked by the train being torn apart that he couldn’t even look at me, finally took off his helmet and greeted me with a bow.
“Si Silye, there has been no hurry. My name is Eldab Chiloexa, Captain of the Royal Guard. I stand here to escort you to the palace. I am sorry for showing myself to a guest of the kingdom and an agent of Ete…”
“Huh·”
“Huh? Why are you doing that?”
That’s not me·
For a moment, I almost hesitated about how to say this, but fortunately, Ambassador Hulgen jumped out of the train and resolved the situation by opening the joint of the dwarf who introduced himself as Eldav without any hesitation.
“I told you to read the report carefully, you punk! That’s the Imperial warrior named Siegfried! This one’s the Demon God’s warrior!”
Even when he stormed into the banquet hall, he was so angry that it was hard to tell whether it was an act or real, but at least it was enough to make the dwarf Eldabra pale.
“I’m sorry for the inconvenience!”
If this was diplomacy, it would have been a major disaster that would have escalated into a diplomatic issue that I wouldn’t have been able to say anything about even if I had ten mouths… But I wasn’t here for that purpose in the first place, so I could just laugh it off.
“No, I didn’t come here for diplomatic purposes, but for business purposes. And since it was my first visit, it was easy to misunderstand. I am more than grateful for this hospitality.”
Anyway, there is no one who can make proper equipment except for Yongjang. It is better to laugh off small mistakes than to create an uncomfortable atmosphere by shouting and expressing resentment. It is not like I was cursed at, but it is just common sense that I made a mistake. So what’s the big deal?
With that in mind, I got off the train following Ambassador Hulggen and followed Eldab, taking his example and continuing to speak.
“I am Eldmia Ega, the warrior of the Demon Lord Ephaga. If it is not rude, may I stop by the temple before meeting His Majesty the King?”
A Word from the Author (Author’s Note)
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