Paul stepped aside to make way for Balin and introduced her: "This is my wife, Catherine."
Balin's gaze fell on Catherine, and he subconsciously began to scrutinize her according to the dwarfs' aesthetic standards.
In the human world, Catherine is undoubtedly a stunning beauty. With her tall figure, delicate features, and heroic spirit, she captivated countless nobles during her time as Crystal Radiance.
But in Balin's eyes, this appearance was hardly attractive: her cheeks were too pointed and not round and full enough, making her look like someone who could withstand the cold and do housework; although she was tall, she was too slender and lacked the strong arms and solid waist of a dwarf woman, making her completely impractical.
He muttered to himself: It's hard to imagine how a powerful lord like Marquis Glaeman could marry such a woman. In the Iron Hammer Clan, only women with strong arms to carry ore and waists to support household chores are worthy of the clan's warriors.
When Balin saw Catherine's gaze fall on him again, he quickly looked away and gave her a stiff nod. "Hello, Mrs. Glaeman." That was his way of greeting her.
Catherine didn't notice his strange look. "Welcome, sir. I hope you have a pleasant stay in Alda," she said, and then sat back down in the carriage.
Paul gestured for Balin to get in, and then he followed suit. The carriage started moving again and headed towards Lakeheart Town.
Balin sat to the side, seemingly listening attentively, but his mind was racing as he calculated his mission. He was indeed an envoy of the Iron Hammer Clan —that was his official identity. His mission was to represent the clan in negotiations with Alda regarding the relationship between the clans surrounding the Rocky Mountains and humans after the surrender of the Stonemason Clan. But beyond that, the chieftain had given him a secret mission—to use his diplomatic mission as a cover to secretly ascertain Alda's strength.
The carriage traveled smoothly on the road to Lakeheart Town. Occasionally, whispers could be heard from inside the carriage as Paul and Catherine discussed modifying rifles. Balin sat in the corner, listening to these unfamiliar words, but his thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the territory of the Iron Hammer Clan, recalling the scene when Dain brought back the news.
That day, Dain had just returned from Alda when he rushed into the clan's council hall, his face unusually solemn, and loudly announced the news that the Stonemason Clan had surrendered to the humans.
As soon as the words were spoken, the entire council hall fell into a deathly silence, followed by an incredulous murmur of discussion— something that had never happened before in the history of the Iron Hammer Clan and even the entire Rocky Mountains dwarves.
" The Stonemason Clan actually surrendered?" "How dare they? Even if they couldn't defeat humans, they should have fought to the death, not become vassals of humans!" The tribesmen's doubts and anger rose and fell.
Balin was also standing in the crowd, his heart filled with shock. In the dwarves' understanding, although the Stonemason Clan had previously sided with the orcs and lost some of their freedom, they could at least maintain their independence within their territory. But now that they had surrendered to the humans, they had lost even that independence—according to Dain.
The news spread like wildfire throughout the various dwarf clans of the Rocky Mountains, plunging the other clans into unease—this was the first time in thousands of years that a dwarf clan in the Rocky Mountains had been conquered by humans.
Seeing the tense situation, the Iron Hammer Clan immediately sent messengers to invite representatives from other clans for an emergency meeting. The atmosphere at the meeting was oppressive and suffocating. Representatives from many clans were emotional and proposed to unite and send troops to rescue the Stonemason Clan from the "tyranny" of humans.
"We cannot allow the tragedy of the Stonemason Clan to repeat itself on us!" an elderly dwarf representative shouted, slamming his fist on the table. "We dwarves have lived in the Rocky Mountains for generations. If we can't even defend this place, are we to be driven to nowhere by humans again, just like in the ancient legends?"
These words instantly resonated with all the dwarves, who couldn't help but recall the saying that circulated among the various clans: the dwarves originally lived on a vast plain, possessing advanced forging techniques and prosperous city-states. However, as human power rose, it continuously squeezed the dwarves' living space, eventually driving them to this barren Rocky Mountains.
For so many years, the dwarves have struggled to survive in the mountains and finally gained a foothold. Now, human influence has extended into this area, and the surrender of the Stonemason Clan is undoubtedly a dangerous beginning.
"If we don't unite and resist now, once humans have completely taken control of the Stonemason Clan's territory, they will turn their attention to our other clans!" another representative said excitedly. "At that time, our dwarf clans will be conquered by humans one by one, and the independent dwarf race will completely disappear from this world, leaving only a race that has become slaves!"
Balin sat in a corner, listening to his people's discussion, feeling both angry and anxious. He understood that their worries were not unfounded; humanity was far stronger than they imagined, the surrender of the Stonemason Clan being the best proof. But if they truly united to fight against humanity, what were their chances of victory?
While everyone was arguing, the chieftain suddenly spoke up, deciding to send an envoy to Alda first. This was partly to thank the humans for releasing Dain, and partly to assess Alda's strength before deciding on further action. Originally, this task would have been more suitable for Dain, but he had been imprisoned for a long time and needed to recuperate. Balin, because of his calm demeanor and fluency in some human languages, was chosen by the chieftain to be the envoy.
"We're almost at Lakeheart Town," Paul's voice suddenly broke Balin's reverie. He looked up and gazed out the car window; the outline of Lakeheart Town was already visible in the distance. Although called a "town," what appeared before him was a vast city. Unlike the human towns he was familiar with, this city had no walls, and its densely packed houses looked particularly magnificent in the setting sun.
The car drove into Lakeheart Town and finally stopped in front of Lords Manor. Paul welcomed Balin into Lords Manor and hosted a banquet that evening. The banquet was lavish, but the white wine served by the waiters caught Balin's eye—the wine was clear and emitted a strong aroma when poured into the glass, quite different from the ale brewed by the dwarf clan.
"This is Dragon Breath, a spirit from Alda. Please try it; Mr. Dain raved about it." Paul gestured to the waiter to fill Balin's glass.
Balin picked up his glass, took a sip, and the spiciness exploded in his mouth, followed by a rich aroma. His eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but gulp it down. Glass after glass, Balin was completely captivated by " Dragon Breath," forgetting his mission. Before long, his face was flushed, and he slumped onto the table, completely drunk, only able to mumble answers to Paul's questions.