Translator: CinderTL
Galvis had once mentioned that the name "Rudolph," with its unique connotations, was favored by human nobles for their offspring.
However...
Recalling Durga's words during their first meeting, and his familiar reaction to the Dragon's Might Roland had unleashed...
Roland almost instantly identified the "Rudolph" the Gray Dwarf Leader was referring to.
The only one who possessed both the dragon bloodline and the name Rudolph could only be the hero from the Epic of Heroes—the one who had single-handedly fought the Abyssal Eye.
But am I Rudolph? Have I traveled through time? No...
The [Time Traveler] trait flashed through his mind. Roland seemed to grasp something for a fleeting moment, but immediately dismissed the thought.
"Impossible."
Because...
The words of the dragon in Mist Creek Town now echoed clearly in his mind.
"A human who understands my tongue... It seems... you are a descendant of Rudolph..."
"Perhaps it is fate..."
"By the pact I made with Rudolph, it... shall belong to you."
He had successfully advanced to the [Dragonborn] class solely because of that golden droplet the dragon had bestowed upon him—the essence of a dragon's bloodline.
The dragon had only granted such a precious gift because it had mistaken him for Rudolph's bloodline successor.
If he were Rudolph, then all these causal threads...
...pointed directly back to him?
"A closed loop of time...?"
Roland murmured, then slowly shook his head.
If that were true, he would be trapped in an inescapable temporal paradox.
A more logical explanation would be that this body, which he had occupied through his transmigration, truly did carry Rudolph's bloodline.
As a direct descendant, he had not only inherited his ancestor's Dragon Blood but, through the weaving of fate, also possessed abilities similar to Rudolph's.
But still...
The sheer number of coincidences was too staggering to believe.
After all, the dragon had recognized him as Rudolph's descendant primarily because he could understand and communicate in the dragon language through his [Animal Companion] trait, not because his body possessed Rudolph's dragonborn bloodline.
Furthermore, there was another glaring inconsistency.
If he truly were Rudolph himself, why would he use "Rudolph" as an alias instead of his own name, "Roland"?
So what was the truth?
As Roland lost himself in thought, Hoby's urgent calls echoed from outside the cave again, mingled with the shouts of other grey dwarves on alert.
Durga slapped Roland's shoulder heavily.
"Old friend, I need to check the situation outside. As for the news about the shell ship... I'll leave it to you."
With that, the Grey Dwarf Leader hurried away, his heavy footsteps fading.
The cave fell silent, leaving only the mind flayer's agonized moans.
After a long moment, Roland shook his head and set aside his speculations about Rudolph for now.
Regardless, Rudolph was a figure from a thousand years ago.
Even if there were some connection between them, it had nothing to do with the current situation.
Or rather, he simply had no way to prove his conjectures at the moment.
"Right..."
A flash of inspiration struck Roland as his thoughts raced.
"Galvis mentioned before that his teacher had been recording events related to Rudolph."
"And according to Galvis, a bard's lifelong goal is to choose a hero and complete a timeless epic. That means Galvis's teacher must have had a very deep understanding of Rudolph."
Thinking of this, Roland raised a finger and lightly tapped his forehead.
"If I'd known this would happen, I should have returned with Galvis and questioned him in detail. Well, never mind..."
Discarding these somewhat belated thoughts, Roland composed himself and refocused his attention on the mind flayer.
The orange-red flame flared up again at his fingertips, illuminating the mind flayer's face, twisted with fear.
"Now, let's talk about the shell ship."
Under the torment of the Ember of Original Sin, the already broken mind flayer quickly revealed the truth.
When Roland cast Zone of Truth to confirm this information, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of astonishment.
"A shell ship... in this underground realm?"
His eyes were filled with bewilderment.
This defied all logic.
As astral navigators, shell ships could freely soar through the Void Sea between planes. How could one be buried deep within the sunless depths of the earth?
At this thought, Roland's mind stirred, and the light of the Ember of Original Sin flared brighter. The mind flayer convulsed in agony within its shackles.
"Why would a shell ship appear in the depths of the underground?"
Roland's voice was as cold and hard as iron.
The mind flayer's swollen head heaved violently, its tentacles drooping limply.
When it spoke again, its fragmented voice was filled with pain and submission.
"Many years ago... our ship... was attacked... A swarm of unknown creatures ambushed us, severely damaging the hull... forcing us to seek the nearest Material Plane for an emergency landing."
Recalling the memory of the shell ship tearing through the rift, trailing psionic flames as it plummeted into this world's desolate wasteland, the mind flayer's eyes filled with hatred.
"We chose this area... preparing to begin the repairs, however..."
Its tentacles trembled violently.
"The nearby continent... suffered a massive quake. The geological structure became extremely unstable... and the entire region began to collapse."
"By the time we realized the danger... it was too late. Landslides and crustal shifts completely buried the ship... deep beneath this mountain range."
It paused for a moment, its voice growing increasingly strained.
"I spent hundreds of years... just to pinpoint its exact location again. Only recently... did I finally confirm it."
"But when I arrived here... preparing to reactivate the ship—"
The mind flayer's telepathic voice dripped with palpable resentment.
"Those grey dwarf scum... ambushed me. If the ship hadn't been damaged and the psionic connection severed... how could I have been captured by these lesser beings?"
Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed again. Durga's familiar, towering figure reappeared at the cave entrance.
But compared to when he had left, his clothes were now stained with fresh blood.
"What happened outside?" Roland asked.
Durga waved a hand dismissively, a grin splitting his face.
"Just a few unruly dwarf runts trying to stir up trouble. I've already 'convinced' them otherwise."
He glossed over the suppression with a casual air before eagerly pressing on.
"So, old friend, did you pry the shell ship's location from that monster?"
Roland nodded and repeated the precise coordinates provided by the mind flayer.
"Excellent! Praise the Furnace Heart in the depths of the earth!"
A wild gleam of joy ignited in Durga's eyes. He slammed his fist against his breastplate, the metal clanging loudly.
"With it, our Stoneheart Tribe can finally escape these barren mine tunnels! We'll traverse the planes, seeking the legendary Realm of Forged Fire where eternal lava flows, and rebuild our glorious citadel there! The glory of the grey dwarfs shall be restored by my hand!"
His booming voice echoed through the cave, filled with longing and power.
After venting his excitement, he turned back to Roland, his tone softening.
"By the way, old friend," Durga said, his voice softening. "Looking at you, I suspect you didn't come all this way just to find me, did you?"
"I plan to take a ship from Roaring Seaport to Aetheron."
"Aetheron?"
Durga stroked his coarse beard, a flicker of nostalgia in his eyes.
"Ah... I remember now. You once told me you were from there. Going back might actually help you remember something. But your information is outdated, old friend."
He scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain.
"Relying on those surface dwarves who are so lost in pleasure that their forges are practically cold? Hah! They can't even build a ship capable of crossing the ocean anymore!"
"Their craftsmanship has gone to rot! You could wait ten years and still not see a single wooden tub that could make it to Aetheron in one piece."
He slapped Roland's shoulder with a dull thud, a confident and bold smile spreading across his face.
"But don't you worry, old friend! Once I find the Shell Ship and get it running again, I'll use it to send you straight there!"
"Astral Navigation is far faster than tossing about on the sea, and absolutely safe! I, Durga Stoneheart, give you my word!"
(End of the Chapter)
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