I Ascend to the Divine Throne through Arcane Means

Lonely Mountain City,

Bishop Kelleb's brow furrowed slightly at the sight of the dwarves whose intentions were unclear.

The paladins of the War God Church quickly reacted, gripping their weapons and standing ready against those approaching them.

However, at Kelleb's signal, the paladins refrained from making the first move.

When the dwarven guards arrived not far from the War God Church's group, they watched with wary expressions but did not come closer.

Kelleb noted that the dwarves present were from the Dwarf Royal Court's elite forces.

Could something have happened in Lonely Mountain City?

Kelleb pondered silently to himself.

If that were the case, it would be troublesome indeed.

Dwarves have always been somewhat isolationist and might refuse their entry into Lonely Mountain City over such matters.

Should that happen, their painstaking crossing of the Jianuo Mountain Range might have been for naught.

Just at that moment, behind the dwarven guards, a noticeably frail-looking dwarf hurriedly approached, panting.

"Who are you people?"

Richie dusted off the dirt from his body, coughed, and looked seriously at the members of the War God Church before him.

Noticing the appearance of this clearly distinguished dwarf, Kelleb finally breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward, and said:

"Richie, it's me, Kelleb."

"Kelleb?"

The dwarf before him seemed surprised, rubbed his eyes and scrutinized for a long time, then fetched a crystal monocle from his pocket and put it on, finally recognizing Kelleb's appearance.

"It really is you, Kelleb!"

"You came so quickly, even though the approval was sent back not long ago."

Richie glanced at Kelleb, relieved, and said.

If it's people from the War God Church, that's good.

For the past few days, he had been searching within Lonely Mountain City with others for that Legendary Day Elf, and was quite taken aback at hearing about a group of human paladins outside the city.

When did paladins get so close to Lonely Mountain City, without any prior notice?

If it's people from the War God Church, it's okay; at least they had communicated with the Dwarf Royal Court beforehand and had obtained permission to enter the heartland of the Dwarf Kingdom.

The approval given to the War God Church was granted by him.

"Alright, alright, all of you go back now, everything's fine now."

"I'll take these people with me."

Richie turned around and addressed the still vigilant dwarven guards.

These people were the elite forces of Lonely Mountain City, which is why they were specifically tasked with monitoring any suspicious persons approaching the city.

Kelleb observed Richie's cheerful demeanor and knew that his friend forgot about the War God Church's planned visit, resulting in such a big misunderstanding.

But through this incident, he could see that Lonely Mountain City was indeed having some troubles recently.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be this tense.

Since Richie had said so, the dwarven guards began to leave and return to the city.

Seeing this, Kelleb instructed his attendants to continue advancing towards Lonely Mountain City alongside the paladins.

He himself joined Richie, walking towards the city while quietly asking:

"Has something happened recently in Lonely Mountain City?"

"Why is everything so tense?"

"There's no choice, it's caused by those damned long ears," Richie sighed.

"Elves, what about the elves?"

"Haven't they sorted out their matters, and now there's conflict with you?"

Kelleb was curious.

The Navia Great Forest where the Elf Kingdom is located and the Jianuo Mountain Range where the Dwarf Kingdom resides are geographically connected but there isn't much interaction.

Because there is no significant value in the border area between the two kingdoms, neither elves nor dwarves care much about it.

Furthermore, the border was once an ancient battlefield between the Elf Kingdom and the Dwarf Kingdom, making it unappealing for both elves and dwarves to live there.

Moreover, a few years ago, the Elf Royal Court Jonor City was destroyed by the Demon Prince Demogorgon, which greatly impacted the strength of the Elf Kingdom.

Except for the "Nature's Wrath" established by the Elf Sage, the Elf Kingdom rarely sends elves out of the Elf Forest to other races' territories.

In such circumstances, why would the Dwarf Kingdom conflict with the Elf Kingdom?

Moreover, even if there were a conflict, how could Lonely Mountain City, located deep within the Dwarf Kingdom, be this tense?

Could the Elf Kingdom really fight all the way here?

"Not what you're thinking,"

Richie noticed Kelleb's doubtful expression, realizing he had misunderstood.

After hesitating for a moment, Richie decided not to hide it from his friend any longer.

After all, the matter had already spread within Lonely Mountain City, and Kelleb could easily find out once in the city.

"A Legendary Day Elf broke into our sacred ground, the Heart of Molten Fire, and escaped from the Guardian,"

"His Majesty is very angry, so we've been searching for that damned Day Elf these past days."

"What?"

"A Legendary Day Elf, broke into the Heart of Molten Fire?"

Kelleb was taken aback, unable to hide his shock.

The Heart of Molten Fire is a place Kelleb, as a high-ranking member of the Church of the Gods, was well aware of.

It is said to be where the Dwarf Forging God Sarmekhal was born, one of the most important sacred places for the Dwarf Clan, holding unparalleled significance.

It is said that entering there allows one to receive the wisdom of the Forging God Sarmekhal, greatly enhancing forging skills.