Chapter 48: The Drunken Dwarf [Please bookmark and recommend]

"We chase them!"

Zong Shen pointed toward the path leading down the mountain!

After all, the old traveling horse was a large livestock animal; it would leave very obvious hoofprints on a mountain path like this.

At the same time, Zong Shen began to call out to the Strategy Guide in his mind.

"I want to find my horse. Please guide my way."

(Follow the arrow.)

(A drunken little fellow has stolen your horse; you must be careful, that fellow is very strong.)

A golden arrow appeared in Zong Shen's field of vision.

It also pointed in the direction leading down the mountain.

Without dallying, Zong Shen began to sprint, leading Tie Zhu with him.

They pursued the target toward the foot of the mountain.

During the trek, Tie Zhu's speed advantage became apparent.

Having merged with the shadows, his speed was astonishing; he moved like a black shadow, darting quickly through the shade of the trees.

The two of them sprinted all the way to the bottom of the mountain.

Before them lay the burial grounds and that vast grassland.

Zong Shen came to a halt.

The arrow in front of him pointed directly toward the grassland ahead.

Not far from the edge of the mountain, there were a few scattered large trees.

By the side of the trees, two shadows—one large and one small—remained stationary under the shade.

"Huff... puff..."

"Good grief, he actually dared to stop and rest!"

"Once we catch him, he's in for a serious beating!"

Panting heavily, Zong Shen cursed under his breath as he rolled up his sleeves.

"Keep chasing!"

He signaled to Tie Zhu.

The two of them ran rapidly toward the location of those trees.

They sprinted the entire way.

If Zong Shen's physical constitution had not been enhanced by his four major attributes and skills, he would not have been able to sustain such intense running.

As the saying goes, "the mountains look so close they'll tire a horse to death"; it took the two of them about ten minutes to cover a distance of roughly three kilometers before they reached the trees.

A dwarf with a large, bushy beard, wearing simple light armor, was lying under the tree, snoring loudly.

The old traveling horse had been left carelessly to the side, leisurely grazing on the green grass.

As soon as Zong Shen and Tie Zhu approached within a few meters, they smelled a pungent odor of alcohol emanating from the dwarf.

The smell was stinging even just from a distance.

This was an open, breezy grassland, yet the smell of alcohol was still this heavy; could this dwarf have been soaking in a wine barrel for a year?

As Zong Shen walked closer, a name popped up above the fellow's head.

[Copperbeard · Winefire???]

[Race: Dwarf]

[???]

[???]

(This fellow is drunk. You can easily subdue him. He possesses the Advanced Blacksmith skill; perhaps he could play a role in your territory.)

A cluster of question marks appeared after his name.

He didn't seem to be a hostile monster, but rather some mysterious indigenous member of the Dwarf race.

The large amount of question marks seemed to indirectly indicate the strength of this drunken dwarf.

However, since this guy had stolen his horse, Zong Shen couldn't just let it go.

Zong Shen walked over, squatted beside him, and reached out to gently pat the dwarf's face, which had turned bright red from intoxication.

The fellow's skin was very coarse; even his face seemed to be made of solid muscle, offering no softness when patted.

"Hey, hey, hey!"

"Wake up!"

...

"Zzz... zzz... zzz..."

The only response was steady snoring and the rising and falling of a sturdy chest.

Zong Shen's face darkened; he truly felt like drawing his sword and giving this reckless drunk a slash.

But he also worried about provoking some formidable entity.

Suddenly, an idea occurred to him.

He first used the hemp he had scavenged from the unlucky lord's storage chest in his storage slots to craft several sturdy hemp ropes on the spot.

Then, he summoned Tie Zhu to lift the dwarf up.

He stripped off the dwarf's light armor and the exaggeratedly shaped great hammer at his waist.

He left the man wearing nothing but a pair of large boxers with red stripes.

Watching the man's chest hair flutter in the wind, Zong Shen felt a sense of satisfaction.

Using the hemp ropes, he tied the dwarf's legs together so they were suspended in mid-air, securing him firmly to the tree with multiple layers of rope.

To be safe, he practically tied the dwarf up like a zongzi.

After finishing this, Zong Shen took a large wooden bucket filled with water from his personal storage.

This was the backup water he had carried when he left home this morning.

He stood up, picked up the bucket, and splashed nearly half a bucket of fresh water directly onto the drunken dwarf's head.

"Gurgle..."

"Cough, cough..."

"Which bastard dares to disturb my sleep!"

"Just wait until I smash his dog head with my hammer!"

The drunken dwarf jolted awake, cursing as he tried to grab his hammer, only to find that his legs were suspended and he was tied to a tree.

Even with his incredible strength, he could not exert any leverage in this position.

"Human boy, why have you tied me up?"

"Are you a marauder or a bandit?"

"I'm a pauper; aside from the tavern, no one can take a single copper coin from me!"

He had regained some clarity and began to actively communicate with Zong Shen.

Zong Shen merely smiled.

He reached out and led the old traveling horse over.

"You stole my horse."

"So, I tied you up."

Hearing this, the drunken dwarf looked enlightened.

Then, he looked somewhat embarrassed.

Being a man of few words, he simply chose to remain silent.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you speaking?"

"The whole continent tells legends of the Dwarf race being brave, steadfast, unrestrained, and hardworking, yet I never expected that the Dwarf race would be skilled in theft."

"I want to know, how does your Dwarf race deal with thieves?"

Zong Shen said this intentionally, attempting to provoke him.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the drunken dwarf's face instantly turned bright red again.

"Bullshit! Damn human boy!"

"I am not a thief!"

Seeing the dwarf's expression, the smile on Zong Shen's face widened.

"Then why is my horse here?"

"This is an old horse passed down to me by my elders; I have a very deep bond with it."

Zong Shen played the part of a drama king, even feigning sadness as he stroked the old traveling horse's head.

The old traveling horse was also very clever, affectionately rubbing its head against Zong Shen's arm.

This display made the drunken dwarf feel even more ashamed.

"I... I..."

"I'm sorry, human boy, I was drunk..."

Realizing he could not argue his way out, the drunken dwarf chose to apologize in shame.

"I accept your apology."

Zong Shen looked up and spoke solemnly.

Then, he took the opportunity to extend an invitation.

"I am a Lord, and I am building a great territory. Currently, my territory lacks a skilled blacksmith."

"Are you willing to help me?"

While the drunken dwarf was feeling guilty, Zong Shen decisively extended an olive branch.

This was a dwarf covered in question marks who possessed the Advanced Blacksmith skill.

It was said that the Dwarf race excelled at forging.

For a territory to develop, it could not rely solely on warriors skilled in combat.

It also required construction talent in all aspects.

Blacksmiths, tailors, urban planners, administrators, and even farmers and educators—all were indispensable to the development of a territory.

This guy was a talent!

Zong Shen had already decided to use a combination of persuasion and trickery to bring him back to the territory.

Hearing this, the drunken dwarf appeared to hesitate.