Diao Chan carves a path, letting Zhou Yan's team glide through the cave like shadows. A sprawling maze unfurls—tunnels twist every way.
"Stay tight," Zhou Yan warns. Small numbers demand unity; stronger goblins could lurk. They clear pockets of foes fast, reaching a vast chamber strewn with pelts, crude weapons, and cloth—goblin quarters. He grabs it all. "Mosquito meat's still meat," he quips, eyeing iron ore and forges ahead.
The labyrinth daunts, but Zhen Mi's sharp mind maps each step—no getting lost. "Nice work," Zhou Yan says, half-jealous of her recall.
Goblins scramble, tracking them. Diao Chan meets a pack head-on, dropping them in moments—too weak. Caves yield soul coins but little else until a wide passage appears, wheel ruts scarring the floor.
"This is it," Zhou Yan says. "Forge ahead."
Guards block the way—tougher, better armed. An arrow zips for Zhou Yan's brow. Si Teng's vine snaps it midair. "Lord, careful!" she calls.
He's alert—would've dodged anyway. Goblin archers cower behind rocks. "End them," Zhou Yan orders. Zhen Mi's spell blanks their minds; Si Wu and Si Hu mop up, snagging bows and quivers. Cold steel suits them better—he stows the ranged gear.
Level 16 goblins swarm, but Diao Chan's crew cuts through like paper. Heat rises; clanging echoes. "Forge room," Zhou Yan grins, stepping in.
Goblins with whips lord over chained dwarves, ores and weapons piled high. "Dwarves?" Zhou Yan blinks, piecing it together. The goblins can't smith—slaves do their work.
"Kill the goblins," he commands.
His team routs them, dwarves tripping fleeing foes with chains—long-simmering rage unleashed. The last goblin falls, but the dwarves eye Zhou Yan warily, unsure of his intent.
"Who's your leader?" he asks.
A bearded dwarf shuffles forward, chains clanking. "I'm Jerry, patriarch. Thank you for slaying these cruel beasts."
Zhou Yan scans his stats:
[Name: Jerry]
[Sex: Male]
[Age: 42]
[Race: Dwarf]
[Quality: A]
[Level: 18]
[Charm: ???]
[Luck: ???]
[Strength: ???]
[Physique: ???]
[Agility: ???]
[Spirit: ???]
[Talent: Forging]
[Skill 1: ???]
[Skill 2: ???]
A-tier—rare outside his color-space-boosted crew. Two skills mark Jerry's prowess, though whip scars mar his kin. "Why'd they take you?" Zhou Yan asks.
Jerry sighs. "Goblins razed our village at night, killed many, enslaved us for our forging. They're brutal—greedy."
"I hear you," Zhou Yan says. "No home now? Join me. I'm a lord—my team's strength speaks. Serve me loyally, and I'll give you safety and a life tenfold better."
Dwarves' forging talent is gold—each one's a prize. Loyalty starts low, but he'll build it.
Jerry's eyes gleam. "If you wipe out these goblins—avenge our kin—we'll serve."
"Done," Zhou Yan vows. "We're not sparing them."
"Lord, big wave incoming," Zhen Mi warns.
"Together—we crush them," Zhou Yan says. Diao Chan nods, ready.
He frees the dwarves' shackles. They beg to fight, vengeance burning. Zhou Yan hesitates—losing smiths stings—but their pain sways him. "Stay back," he insists, placing them behind. "Watch our power." Loyalty might grow.