Ashen Dragon

Volcano Secret Realm.

This half-plane, located at the intersection of the Fire Elemental Plane and the Earth Element Plane, maintains its extreme climate.

The sky is crimson like blood, the ground is scorching and cracked, with steam emanating from the crevices, and even flowing with searing lava.

If you step deep into the secret realm, you can hear the distant melodious chants and the rhythmic, crisp sound of metal being struck.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

"Hey ho! In the depths of the rock marrow, the blood is boiling! The ancestral echoes hammer on the anvil!"

"Flowing gold rivers flood the feet, and the dwarf's drinking song shakes the hills!"

Amidst the endless depths of the volcano, a group of dwarven miners continuously swing their hammers and pickaxes, excavating rare metals and minerals produced by the elemental confluence reactions.

These dwarves may appear dusty and ordinary, but they work with great enthusiasm, drenched in sweat.

This place has already become a city with distinctive dwarven characteristics.

Seen from the sky, those volcanoes are covered with densely packed mine tunnels, stone buildings built into the mountains, and dwarves with bamboo baskets bustling back and forth in those passageways, never stopping.

Statues appear on the rock walls of the volcanoes, depicting gods worshipped by the dwarves and heroes like King Ed, all lifelike.

Some volcanoes are even entirely hollowed out and used by the dwarves as massive natural furnaces to forge precious equipment—notably the tribute for the Ancient Gold Dragon.

This half-plane is the eternal ally of the Shield Dwarves, provided by "Dragon of Dawn" Titus, whom the dwarves are immensely grateful to for helping them find a new home.

Every month, the dwarves hold a grand celebration, crafting the finest equipment.

As the current Master of High Mountains, King of Shield Dwarves, and son of King Ed, Zein Klein often leads the dwarves in crafting equipment personally.

In Zein's bronze eyes, a firelight flickers. His muscular arms push a refined gold ingot into the core of the great furnace.

"Sizzle!"

The high-temperature flames lick the surface of the refined gold ingot, with dark red patterns spreading and growing over it like blood vessels.

"Rise the furnace—" Zein roars, his hoarse voice echoing across the volcano.

"Heave ho!" Twelve bare-chested dwarf craftsmen pull on steel chains, the gates of the great furnace rumble open, and a waterfall of magma pours down, a wave of heat rushing forward.

Zein's beard curls and singes yellow in the heat wave.

This is the seventeenth time quenching—the refined gold has become exceptionally pure, turning into a crimson fluid poured into the mold.

Zein and the dwarf craftsmen swing their hammers, repeatedly striking and forging, finally immersing the freshly forged longsword into the prepared icy water, sending steam soaring upward.

"Rumble—"

A refined gold longsword of Exotic Level thus appears in the rough hands of this dwarf king.

Zein nods in satisfaction and praises, "Not bad, this is the highest quality one we've had in nearly a month, just perfect to present to Lord Titus."

One of the dwarf craftsmen reluctantly says, "Your Majesty, why do we give away such good things? We also need weapons, don't forget—Aivendel is still in the hands of that Red Dragon Tyrant!"

"We dwarves are a race that values gratitude, and this place is the home Lord Titus found for us."

Zein shakes his head and continues, "Moreover, Lord Titus is the Dragon of Dawn, a pillar of our Justice Camp."

"Once these weapons are in his hands, they will surely be used to fight against the forces of evil—such as the empire ruled by that Red Dragon Tyrant. In a way, helping him helps us."

"I believe—one day, the tyrannical rule of that evil dragon will be overthrown, and with the efforts of many knights of justice, Aivendel will surely return to our dwarven hands."

Zein's tone is forceful, particularly resolute, just like the refined gold in his hand.

At that moment, a majestic, somewhat familiar voice resonates in the sky.

"Justice and light remain the main theme of this world, and those brutal villains will eventually be shattered by our collective strength!"

"In the near future, you will surely reclaim Aivendel—that is also the hope of my late close friend, the great King Ed!"

Hearing this voice, the dwarves collectively look up to see a massive dragon shadow in the sky, its dragon wings beating, golden scales shimmering brightly in the firelight.

"It's Lord Titus!"

"Praise the great Dawn Wings! The eternal friend of the dwarves!"

Zein also shows excitement, reverently saluting the Gold Dragon in the sky, "Good day, Lord Titus, it seems your body has fully recovered, how delightful."

The Ancient Gold Dragon flaps his wings, landing with a roar at the foot of the volcano, looking around at the dwarven architecture, and smiling, "King Zein, it seems you've adapted well, soon you can build another magnificent city."

Zein scratches his head with a simple smile, "If it wasn't for you finding this place, we could not have developed so quickly, truthfully, you deserve the credit."

"Lord Titus, these are the gears we crafted for you, we hope you are satisfied."

The young dwarf king gestures, and several strong dwarf warriors carry over a few heavy metal boxes.

Open the boxes; inside are gleaming metal gears, all at least of Rare Level quality, with some even approaching Legend.