Paul listened to him and simply shook his head calmly: "My choice will not change. The Arcane Society is not suitable for me, nor for Alda."
Seeing his resolute attitude, Nathan's face showed some impatience, and his tone turned cold: "Do as you please. Anyway, I've said what I needed to say. Don't blame others if you regret it later."
He stopped dwelling on the topic and continued answering the previous question, "As for my mother's whereabouts, she did meet with me and said that she might have to return to Gabella first. She still has some things to take care of at the Arcane Society. I don't know exactly when she will leave or which route she will take."
He added, "My mother always has her own ideas about things and never explains too much to me, and I'm too lazy to ask." Despite saying this, there was a hint of concern in his tone.
Paul smiled and extended an invitation to Nathan: "Since you don't have a specific destination in mind for the time being, why don't you come back to Lakeheart Town with me?"
Nathan, however, reacted as if a cat had its tail stepped on, immediately taking a step back and firmly refusing, "No need. I have my own things to do, so I won't go back to Lakeheart Town with you."
After saying this, he stopped looking at Paul, turned around and walked towards the woods. His figure quickly disappeared into the shadows of the woods, leaving Paul and his servants standing there, along with the dwarf who was still bound and unable to move.
Paul stared in the direction Nathan had disappeared, remained silent for a moment, and then shook his head.
He looked down at the dwarf being supported by the guards. The dwarf's mouth was stuffed with a dirty rag, and he could only make muffled "ooh" sounds. His eyes, however, were glaring fiercely at the humans around him, full of resentment and anger.
"Take the cloth out of his mouth," Paul ordered the guard beside him.
The guard immediately stepped forward, grabbed a corner of the rag, and gently pulled it out of the dwarf's mouth. Having just gained the right to speak, the dwarf took a deep breath and then launched into a tirade against Paul and the others: "Shameless humans! How dare you ambush me! And tie me up like this! You have absolutely no morals!"
His voice was rough and unpleasant, with the heavy accent characteristic of dwarves; every word sounded like it was being roared out of his throat.
Paul ignored his insults, simply looking at him calmly and asking in a nonchalant tone, "Don't get angry yet. Tell me, which dwarf clan are you from?"
"Oh ho, human brat, so you know we're divided into different clans. In that case, listen up!" Hearing this question, the dwarf's angry expression turned arrogant. He raised his head, chin slightly swayed, and answered with an air of superiority, "I am a member of the Iron Hammer Clan! You humans had better be sensible and release me now, or the Iron Hammer Clan will never let you off the hook!"
He deliberately emphasized the words " Iron Hammer Clan," as if those words could instill fear in the people before him.
Paul raised an eyebrow and pressed on, " Iron Hammer Clan? Then why did you sneak into our Alda territory?"
"Infiltrate?" The dwarf seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, his face turning red with anger. He struggled to break free from the guard's grasp, but the guard held him down firmly, preventing him from moving. He could only angrily argue, "I'm clearly walking openly! It's true that you humans built this road, but just because it's built doesn't mean others aren't allowed to walk on it. I can walk however I want, when did that become infiltrating?"
He became more and more agitated as he spoke, his voice rising several decibels: "I was just passing through here, wanting to buy some things in the town ahead, but as soon as I reached the edge of the woods, I was ambushed by that cloaked fellow! Without saying a word, he tied me up and threw me in front of your carriage. You people treated me as a spy without even asking any questions, it's simply unreasonable!"
Paul spoke with the authority of a lord: "I want you to understand your situation. I am Paul Greiman, lord of Alda. All the land and roads here are under my control."
" Paul Greiman?" Upon hearing this name, the dwarf stiffened abruptly, his angry struggles ceasing instantly, and the arrogance on his face subsided considerably. He had clearly heard of this name—after all, the story of Alda defeating the Stonemason Clan and taking control of the Rocky Mountains passage was already widely known among the dwarven clans.
Although a hint of resentment still lingered in his eyes, his gaze towards Paul now held a degree of apprehension, and his tone softened considerably: "I... I am Balin, an envoy from the Iron Hammer Clan. I have come to Lakeheart Town on a mission to discuss matters between our two races."
Paul nodded, not pressing for details about the "matter between the two tribes," but instead brought up another person: "The messenger? Then let me ask you, has Dain Ironfist returned to Iron Hammer Clan? After Stonemason Clan surrendered, they released Solan Viscount Helson and Dain, who had been held captive. Sir Helson has already returned to Lakeheart Town, and according to the timeline, Dain should have returned to his clan as well."
Upon hearing Dain's name, Balin's tense expression relaxed slightly, and his tone became more sincere: "Yes, Dain has returned. He told us that thanks to your human intervention, that traitor Imar was not harmed."
At this point, his gaze toward Paul softened, becoming more grateful. "The chieftain asked me to convey a message: thank you for releasing Dain. The Iron Hammer Clan will forever remember this kindness."
Seeing Balin's flustered appearance, Paul figured that the misunderstanding was indeed caused by his unfamiliarity with the situation, so he stopped pursuing it and softened his tone: "Since it's a misunderstanding, let's just forget about it. Since you are an envoy of the Iron Hammer Clan, and you must be tired from your journey, why don't you ride with us back to Lakeheart Town in the carriage? That way you can rest earlier and it will be easier to discuss things later."
Balin was taken aback, clearly not expecting Paul to be so polite. He had been worried about being interrogated or even detained as a spy, but upon hearing the invitation, he quickly nodded: "Thank you, Marquis!"
The guards stepped forward and untied the ropes binding Balin. He stretched his wrists, which had gone numb from being bound, and followed Paul toward the carriage.
Just as she reached the carriage, the door was pulled open, and Catherine peeked out—she had overheard the conversation outside and was curious about what the dwarf envoy looked like.
This was the first time Catherine had ever seen a real dwarf, and she couldn't help but scrutinize him: Balin was short and stocky, only reaching the chest of an adult human man, but with incredibly broad shoulders. The muscle lines on his arms were clearly visible even through his coarse clothes, and he had a thick beard that was braided into several short braids. He looked completely different from a human.
Balin felt a little uncomfortable under Catherine's direct gaze, and subconsciously straightened his back, trying to maintain the seriousness of an envoy. Catherine realized that her behavior was somewhat impolite, smiled apologetically, and then looked away.