Chapter 4 Chapter 2 is not popular

The high summits of the Spine of the World were covered with snow, and the wind howled against them from the northern summits.Heading south along Luskan (which is still a bit far south) spring is in full bloom; summer is fast approaching.But on this high-altitude mountain, the wind is still cold, and it is still not easy to travel. This was the route chosen by Bruenor Warhammer to return to Mithril Hall—following the shadow of the mountain to the east.They left Icewind Dale without encountering any obstacles.No bandit or monster prowling the perilous paths dared challenge an army of nearly five hundred dwarves.A snowstorm hit them as they crossed the mountains, but Bruenor's scrappy army of dwarves made it through with difficulty.Just when Drizzt and his trusty companions thought they would soon see Luskan's mage tower, they turned east.

Drizzt had asked Bruenor why he had changed his course, going east more directly, but not shortening the distance, which was just as dangerous. In response to the reasonable question, Bruno simply hummed, "You'll soon find out why, elf!" The days went on, and they left more than a hundred and fifty miles of hard work behind them.During the marching days, the marching songs of the dwarves can always be heard, and at night, the songs sung by the dwarves at the party accompany them. Turning east and heading east, to Drizzt, Catti-brie, and Wulfgar's surprise, Bruenor and Regis always huddled together.The dwarf king often talked to the halfling with his head down, and Regis answered him, shaking his head.

"Does this little one know something we don't?" Catti-brie asked Drow.They were on the northern side of the whole procession, looking back at the third carriage, which was Bruno's carriage, where Bruno and Regis were having their regular private chat. Drizzt just shook his head, not sure how to read Regis' thoughts. Seeing Drizzt's lack of response, Catti-brie said, "Okay, I think we should check it out." "When Bruenor wants to tell us everything, he'll tell us," Drizzt assured her.But her smirk told him clearly that she wouldn't wait like that.

"We've been involved in a bad plan the two of them have made," she reminded. "Do you wish to correct it before trouble begins?" That is indeed a very logical reason, Catti-brie and Drizzt thought in the carriage, things are unreasonable, the violent Thiberdorf Panter can be Bruno's advisor, and Drow has nothing Know. "But what can we do?" "Hey, the hot soldering iron won't let Bruno tell us, not even if there's a sudden birthday surprise for him." Catti-brie said confidently, "But I've always thought that Regis's resistance would be weaker."

"Is it because he is more afraid of pain?" Drizzt asked suspiciously. "Either a trick, or getting him drunk, or something else," the girl explained, "I'll have Wulfgar bring this little mouse to us tonight, when Bruno leaves to attend to other things. " Drizzt smiled helplessly, knowing full well what awaited poor Regis, thankful to know that Bruenor's plan was the halfling and not him. As they did most nights, Drizzt and Catti-brie camped beside the dwarves' tent.They remained vigilant, and even had to pay attention not to be distracted by Thiberdorf Panter's odd posture nearby and the training of the Ripper Special Training Squad.Panter came up to them, walking quite normally at first, then plopped down on a boulder by the side of their fire.

He looked at Catti-brie and even touched her long brown hair with his hands. "Hehe, you look so handsome, girl." He said as he threw a bag of muddy things at her feet, "You can put this on your face every day before going to bed." Catti-brie looked down at the sticky bag, then at Drizzt, who was resting on a log with his back against the rocks by the side of the hill.Hands resting on the back of his head combed his thick, shaggy white hair, which framed his dark face and purple eyes.Obviously, this battle madness makes him feel very funny. "In my face?" Catti-brie asked.Panter nodded eagerly.

"Let me guess, that's going to make me grow a beard." "A bushy beard," said Panter. "I hope it's red. It'll go well with your hair. Oh, red as fire." Catti-brie narrowed her eyes and looked at Drizzt again, seeing that Drow was already gasping for breath. "Don't put too much of these on your cheeks," Warcry continued, when Drizzt laughed out loud, "or you'll end up like that hapless Harbell werewolf brute." When he finished, Panter sighed, rolling his eyes longingly.We all know that Warcrazy once begged Peterdo Hubbell - the werewolf - to bite him so that he too could become a werewolf, and Hubbell wisely refused him.

Before the wild dwarf could speak, the three heard someone approaching.A huge figure appeared, Wulfgar the Barbarian.He was nearly seven feet tall, with broad, muscular chest muscles.He looked neat with a golden beard the same color as his hair.Savage seems to have shaken off the shadows of his past, and all his friends hope he can conquer his inner demons.He was carrying a very large bag and something was struggling inside. "Hey, boy, what did you bring here?" Panter yelled, looking up longingly, curious. "Dinner," Wulfgar replied.The creature in the bag groaned and tossed harder.

Panter rubbed his hands eagerly and licked his lips. "There's only enough for us," Wulfgar told him. "I'm sorry." "Ah bah! You can split my leg!" "Just enough for us," Wulfgar said emphatically again, placing his hand on Panter's forehead, pushing him an arm's length away, "and I'll leave the rest for my wife and Son. You should go and have dinner with your people, I'm sorry." "Bah!" Zhan Kuang said angrily, "None of you want to move!" Then, he walked forward, clenched his fists, swung his arms and punched hard.

"No!" cried Drizzt, Wulfgar, and Catti-brie all three. Catti-brie and Drow jumped to their feet, trying to block the blow.Wulfgar turned around, putting himself in front of the battle madness.As he turned, the bag was thrown and hit the rock face, and another cry of pain came from the bag. "We came here for something new," Catti-brie explained to the dazed Warcrazy. "Fresh? It's been moving!" Catti-brie rubbed her hands and licked her lips, mimicking Panter's initial reaction. "Indeed it is!" she said cheerfully. Panter took a step back, stared hard at Catti-brie with his hands on his hips, and laughed.

"You'll be a good dwarf, girl!" he cried. Finally, he patted his thighs and left, walking along the hillside towards the center of the camp. As soon as Panter was gone, Wulfgar dropped the bag from his shoulders, bent down and gently emptied the bag's contents.It was a distraught, chubby halfling in a well-cut traveling suit, a red shirt, brown vest, and trousers. Regis rolled to the ground, stood up quickly, and then quickly dusted himself off. "Excuse me." Wulfgar tried not to smile, trying to be as pleasant as possible. Regis glared upward at him, then jumped up and kicked Wulfgar hard on the shin, where Regis' bare feet could do the most damage to the mighty barbarian. "Relax, my friend," Drizzt said, stepping forward to put a hand on the halfling's shoulder. "We just wanted to talk to you." "Would you like to ask something you don't understand?" Regis pointed him out immediately. Drizzt shrugged. "This has to be said in private," he explained.As soon as he finished speaking, Regis flinched immediately, obviously hit by something. "You've been talking to Bruno a lot lately," Catti-brie squealed, and Regis grew more alarmed. "We thought you'd share with us what he said." "Oh, no," Regis replied, restraining his inner impulse, rubbing his hands lightly, "Bruenor has already started his plan, and when he wants to tell you, he will tell you." "What's going to happen?" Drizzt asked him. "He will return to Mithril Hall to take the throne," replied the halfling. "That's really what it is." "More things," Drizzt said, "I see it in his eyes and in his jolly walk." Regis shrugged. "He's happy to be home." "Oh, is that really where we're going?" Catti-brie asked. "Yes, and I'll be going further afield," the halfling admitted, "to the Hermitage," he explained.The famous library he was talking about was located east of Mithril Hall and northwest of Silvermoon City.When they were looking for Mithril Hall (Bruenor was preparing to retake Mithril Hall), they had visited there. "Bruno asked me to gather some information for him." "about what?" "Mostly about Gundaron and his time," Regis replied.It seemed that what he had told the three men was the truth, but they also realized that there was something else he hadn't said. "But why would Bruno want to know that?" Catti-brie asked. "I think you should ask Bruno this question," came a familiar rude voice, and the four of them turned their heads to see Bruno striding towards them, "The glutton was caught here by you, but you I'm the one to ask." "But will you tell us?" Catti-brie asked. "No," said the dwarf, and all three looked at him in surprise, their eyes narrowed. "Bah!" Bruno gave up, "It seems that it is impossible to give you a surprise!" "What surprises us?" Wulfgar asked. "An adventure, boy!" growled the dwarf. "An adventure like nothing you've ever had." "I don't know anything at all." Drizzt reminded."Sit down," cried Bruenor, and the dwarf ordered them, and followed them to the fire, where all five sat down around the fire. Bruno took out a package from the back, threw it on the ground and opened it. Inside were some food and several bottles of ale and red wine. "While you'd rather eat it raw," he said, winking at Catti-brie, "I think you'd be happy to get rid of those things first now." Food was distributed, and Bruno waited patiently for them to finish before he began to tell.He seemed delighted that they had forced him to speak of the plan, a risky commitment, one that he badly wanted to share with them. "Tomorrow we will reach the mouth of the Kahanderon Valley," he explained, "and then we will turn south across that valley to the Mirabar River and then to the city of Mirabar." "Mirabar?" Catti-brie and Drizzt exclaimed together, both bewildered. As we all know, the mining city of Mirabar has always considered Mithril Hall a threat to their interests and a competitor of Mithril Hall. "Do you know little Dagna?" Bruno asked.Friends all nodded. "Well, he was one of the few friends there who could tell us what we wanted to know." The dwarf paused, stood up, and looked around to make sure no one else was around. "Get your cat out, Elf?" asked the red-bearded dwarf. Drizzt shook his head. "Okay, then bring her here now," Bruno instructed him, "let her out to patrol, and bring out the eavesdropper." Drizzt looked at Catti-brie and Wulfgar, then put his hands in his waist pouch and pulled out an onyx figurine of a panther. "Guenhwyvar," he called softly. "Come to me, friend." A gray mist began to swirl around the statue, gradually becoming thicker and thicker, slowly taking the shape of a leopard.The fog quickly solidified, and a gigantic black panther, Guenhwyvar, appeared, waiting quietly and patiently for Drizzt's orders. Drow lowered his body and whispered a few words into the panther's ear, Guan Haifa jumped outside and disappeared into the night. Bruno nodded. "The guys in Mirabar hate Mithril Hall very much," he said, which is no longer news to them. "They are trying to find ways to save the interests of the ore trade." The dwarf looked around again, then lowered his body, motioning for everyone to come closer. "They seek Gauntgrim," he whispered. "What's that place?" Wulfgar asked. Catti-brie looked rather confused, but Drizzt nodded. "It was an ancient dwarven stronghold," Bruno explained. "A long time ago, before Mithril Hall, Felba, and Fort Adbar were established, we dwarves still lived in the same tribe, and we called us back then. The tribe is the kingdom of Danzo." "Gauntgrim has been abandoned for centuries," Drizzt interjected, "many centuries ago. More than any living dwarf can remember." "That's true," Bruno said, blinking his eyes, "but now Gundaron has gone to Moradin's palace." Drizzt's eyes widened—and so did Catti-brie and Wulfgar. "Gundalon knows where Gruntgrim is?" Drow asked. "Never, Gauntgrim disappeared before he was born," Bruno explained. Hopeful smiles froze on everyone's faces. "But," Bruenor added quickly, "the dwarves had often told the legend of Gauntgrim when he was young." He glanced at each of his friends and nodded firmly. "The men of Mirabar are seeking Gauntgrim under the southern crags. They are searching in the wrong place." "What does Gondarren know about Gauntgrim?" Catti-brie asked. "No more than I knew about Mithril Hall when we first looked at it," Bruno admitted helplessly, panting, "and even less than that. It will be quite a journey for us to find the city." Well worth the risk. Oh treasure, I told you so! The metal there will be finer things than we've ever seen." He went on to tell tales of the artifacts made by the dwarves of Gauntgrim, of weapons so powerful, of armor that made the wearer invulnerable, and of shields against the breath of dragons. Although Drizzt had been watching every movement of the excited dwarf, he wasn't listening very intently.Drow believes that no matter how difficult it is to find Gauntgrim this time, the risk is worth it.He hadn't seen Bruno so alive, so excited since the first Mithril Hall raid in all these years. Looking around at his other friends, he saw the longing in Catti-brie's green pupils, the spark in Wulfgar's icy blue eyes - which convinced him his barbarian friend was well - he was The wounds left by the six years at the hands of the demon Errtu have gradually healed.Wulfgar was very reliable now, he had assumed the responsibilities of husband and father, and Delly and the child were not far from his campsite.And Regis, who had undoubtedly heard the legend many times along the way, was fascinated by dwarven lore and magical treasures. It occurred to Drizzt that he should ask Bruenor why he took everyone to Mirabar, where they couldn't possibly be welcome.Can't just send little Dagna alone or let him take a small team?Fewer people attract less attention. Drow is mentally prepared for these questions, and he even fully understands them.When King Gondalen of Mithral Hall first told Bruno of the rumors of Mithral against Mithril Hall, he did not go to Icewind Dale with Brunor.He and Catti-brie were sailing the Sword Coast at the time.But then they found Bruenor back in Icewind Dale, and more than once the dwarves had pointed out that that was when the people of Mirabar began to blindly hate. On the surface, the Shining Stone Council, composed of dwarves and humans, who controlled the city of Mirabar, still spoke enthusiastically to Mithril Hall, welcoming their brothers, the Warhammers, back to this area.But Bruno had heard in private many rather insidious rumors that damaged their reputations. These rumors came from Marquis Erastu of Mirabar and the Yaoshi Council.Some of the signs of conspiracy that were causing Gondarren a headache all seemed to point to Mirabar. Bruenor would visit his people in Mirabar with sincerity, and there was no better reason to go there.He is going to announce the return of the eighth king of Mithril Hall as the tenth king, which is just some excuse for the current broad Northland politics. Drizzt sat in the back, watching his friends who had gathered together.It appears that the adventure has already begun, and Drow believes he will enjoy it. Or he won't? However, something, an unexpected memory, always came to Drizzt's mind.He thought back to his first visit to the surface, a so-called great adventure with his dark elf companions.Scenes of the massacre of the surface elves flashed through his mind, and the last memory was of him smearing a little surface elf girl's mother's blood on her so that she, too, would appear to have been killed.He had rescued her on that terrible day of massacre, the day the angel Drizzt had first truly been separated from his diabolical kin. But, after all these years, he still killed the child.When he saw Alifen again, he flinched. He was mortally wounded while crossing that room in the chaotic pirate cave.He thought his death would complete her sacrifice, and she sacrificed him and herself.From a normal perspective, Drow was sure that what happened that day was not his fault, and he could not have foreseen that saving the child would cause her pain for ten years. From another point of view, from a deeper point of view, the desperate battle with the painful Arifin touched the depths of Drizzt Do'Urden's heart.He followed Bruenor out of Icewind Dale and out on the wide road, and of course he was happy to travel with his friends and start another journey full of adventure and excitement. The desire to gain benefits, to discover ancient kingdoms and ancient treasures, was not so strong for Drizzt. Drizzt doesn't like to venture alone in this vast area, he prefers to use his skills to help his friends around him.Living in Menzoberranzan, he was born able to understand the difference between good and evil, and he always believed that he was a member of the good and the good. But what about Alifen? He continued to listen to the exciting conversation next to him, and soon smiled with satisfaction, convinced that he loved this new adventure. He did think so. From the outside, Mirabar is anything but groomed.Low stone buildings and some towers surround a stone-walled square.Everything here pays attention to efficiency and law, and nothing meaningless will appear. From a dwarf's point of view, Bruno admired Mirabar very much.But when they arrived at the north gate of Mirabar, Drizzt and Catti-brie felt that Mirabar looked like a huge unobtrusive and undecorated city, which was extremely boring. "Think of Silvermoon," Drizzt remarked to Catti-brie as they walked to the left of the dwarf formation. "Even Menzoberranzan looks good," answered Catti-brie.Drizzt agreed. The guards at the north gate give the impression that Mirabar's ruthless side is very consistent.Four humans stood on the wall above the solid metal gate, holding their halberds upright, their silver armor gleaming in the morning sun.Bruenor saw that the shields they were carrying bore the feathered crown of Mirabar—a crimson double-bladed ax with a shiny, straight handle against a black background.The guards were stunned as the great dwarf caravan, a veritable army, approached the north gate.But in order to prop up the facade, they straightened up and looked straight ahead with indifferent expressions. Bruno asked the carriage to be driven to the front of the team, and Pant's Ripper special training team ran to the sides to serve as guards. "Take the car to the front." Bruno ordered his driver, little Dagna.The young yellow-bearded dwarf grinned and drove his horse faster, but Mirabar's guards didn't even bat an eye. The carriage stopped when it reached the closed gate, and Bruno stood tall (relatively) with his hands on his hips. "Tell us your purpose, your name." A simple command was shouted from the guard inside the wall on the right. "My business can only be discussed with your Yaoshi Council," Bruno replied, "I can only discuss with them alone." "You must answer the Mirabar guard's question first, visitor," demanded the inner guard on the left side of the wall. "Who do you think I am?" Bruno asked, "Want to know my name? Bruno Warhammer is my name, you bloody killers. I am Bruno Warhammer King. Now you go and get that name Tell your council and see if they want to chat with me at all." The guards tried to suppress their surprise and maintain their original posture.Still, they looked at each other nervously. "Have you heard of me," Bruno asked them, "Have you heard of Mithril Hall?" After a moment of hesitation, a guard nodded to his companion, then took a small horn from his belt, and blew a series of short, rapid signals.After a while, a little door cleverly appeared next to the gate, and Bond swung it open.A very strong-looking dwarf with many scars came out slowly.He wore an old set of full body armor, with the emblem of Mirabar also on the breastplate, and also carried no shield. "Oh, it's kind of moving on now," Bruno said. "It cheers my old heart to see a dwarf here at the head. Maybe because you're not as stupid as you seem." "Pleasure to meet, King Bruenor," said the dwarf, "Togg Danzo Hammerbeater is at your service." He bent down and bowed, his black beard sweeping to the ground. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tog." Bruno replied, bowing cordially, although a king doesn't need such a return gift, "Your guards here are really well-trained, and they are very competent to stop me at the door." "Here's the man who trained them," Togg responded. Bruno bowed again, "Although the last part of the road is not so bad, we are very tired and dusty, and we want to find a place to stay for the night. Can you open the city gate?" Togg walked to the other end, looked at the caravan, and shook his head in trouble.He looked farther away, and when he saw a human woman on the right side of the procession and the drow standing next to her, his eyes widened and his head shook even more. "Unbelievable!" cried the dwarf, pointing his stubby fingers in Drizzt's direction. "Bah! Haven't you heard, you should have," Bruenor scolded, "Your rusty head hasn't heard Drizzt's name?" "So what, that doesn't matter," Togg argued. "Whether I'm commander of the Mirabar Ax Guard or not, no bloody drow can ever walk into my city." Bruenor looked at Drizzt, who just bent down humbly with a smile. "There is no way, this is the only way, he has to stay outside," Bruno agreed, "Where are my people and I?" "Where can we put your five hundred men?" Togg asked sincerely, estimating how much space would be needed to accommodate so many people.He spread his broad hands helplessly, "If the dungeon mines were open to the public, we could put a group of people in; but we can't do that." "Okay," Bruno said, "how many people can you let in?" "Twenty, including yourself," Togg replied. "Then only twenty people can go in." Bruno nodded and glanced at Thiberdorf Panter. "You take three of your men," he ordered, "and me and little Dagna, that's five, plus the glutton..." He paused, looking at Togg. "You don't mind if I take a halfling with me?" Togg shrugged, then shook his head. "And then there's six with the Glutton," Bruno said to Dagna Jr. and Panter, "and tell the others to pick fourteen merchants who want to come to town and come with me with some goods." "Better take my whole team," Panter argued, but Bruno wouldn't listen. In the end, what Bruno asked was that the war madmen of the scattered Ripper training team should gather together and not run around in Mirabar.Otherwise, before the sun goes down, Mithril Hall will be at war with Mirabar, as some expect. "If you want to go too, choose two people to go with you," Bruno explained to Panter, "be quick." A moment later, Torg Danzo Hammerbeater led the twenty dwarves through the fortified gates of Mirabar.Bruno was at the front of the line, with Togg on the right.The king of Mithril Hall, who has always liked hard adventures, walked this land, looking at every road around him.He carried the notched single-bladed axe, and the shield, engraved with a prominent pattern of bubbling beer mugs, was also strapped to his back.On his head is a helmet with a broken horn, a symbol of courage.He was a king, a dwarven king, a dwarf of utility and action, quite different from the rulers of men and elves, who were richly dressed and fond of ornament. "Who is your current Marquis?" Bruno asked Togg as they passed through the city. Togg's eyes widened. "Erastu Larim," he answered, "haven't you heard?" "You told him I needed to talk to him," Bruno explained, and Togg's eyes widened. "He has meetings in the fall for the arrival of the spring, and meetings in the winter for the arrival of the summer, and he has a packed schedule," Togg explained. "You can't walk in like this and get interviewed..." Bruno fixed the dwarf with a hard, stern look. "I'm not an audience," he corrected. "I'm sure, now, go and tell the Marquis that I'm here to talk to him—if he Want to know something worth hearing." The door of Mirabar had been thrown behind Bruno, and Togg was visibly disturbed by his sudden change of attitude and behavior. Togg's surprise made him put on a grim expression, and stared at the dwarf king closely. Bruno stared back at him too—harder than his. "Go and tell him," he said quietly, "you tell your council, that stupid consul, tell him what I mean." "They are discussing the trade treaty..." "Not humans, elves, and dwarves," Bruno interrupted sharply, "I'm not human, I'm sure I'm not elf, and not a bearded dwarf. Dwarf to dwarf, I'm here to talk to you. If If you come to our Mithril Hall and say that you need to see me, you don’t have to doubt it, you will definitely see me.” He finished his sentence with a nod and patted Togg on the shoulder heavily.This gesture reassured the strong dwarf. Togg nodded with a serious expression, as if he had been entrusted with something very important. "I will tell them," he agreed, "in the name of my humble Tomahawk." Bruno smiled smugly, and Togg walked slowly.Seeing the obvious haughty expression on the face of the king of Mithril Hall, the dwarf commander himself felt that the council of Mirabar, aloft, was indeed a bit pedantic. "I will tell him." Togg said again in a more certain tone, and he took the twenty visitors to the place where they rested at night, a huge but ordinary stone house, which provided them with several room. "You may leave your carriage and goods outside," explained Togg, "and I trust you will be visited by many people. Those little white ornaments you brought are special. " He pointed to the three carriages carrying the visitors. The side panels of the carriages were inlaid with many small ornaments, and they rattled and rattled when they walked on the uneven road. "It's a bone ornament," Bruno explained, "carved from steelhead trout bones. My little friend is really good at it." He motioned to Regis, who blushed and nodded. "Have you got some of this stuff in your wagon?" Torgg asked the halfling, and the dwarf looked interested. "not much." "Tomorrow morning, please lend me the credit to open my eyes," Togg asked, "I may want to buy some." Then, he nodded, left them, and turned to the council to deliver Bruno's words. "You managed to change his attitude," Regis commented. Bruno looked at him. "When we first arrived, he was coming to fight a war," said the halfling, "and now I believe that when we go, he will want to go with us." Of course it's exaggerated to say that, but it's not unreasonable. Bruno just smiled.He had heard from young Dagna that there were many curses and threats to Mithril Hall from Mirabar, and surprisingly (or not, he thought), many seemed to come from the dwarves of Mirabar rather than humans.That was why Bruenor insisted on visiting the city, where so many of his kind lived, in an environment more suited to humans than to dwarves.Let them see with their own eyes the legend of a true dwarven king, a living man of his own; let them hear with their ears the language and ways of Mithral Hall.Perhaps after this, many of the dwarves of Mirabar will stop spreading curses and rumors about Mithril Hall, remembering their old traditions. "They made a mistake not letting you in," Catti-brie said to Drizzt after a while.The two of them were standing on the edge of the cliff to the east of the dwarven caravan stationed outside the city, overlooking the city of Mirabar. Drizzt turned his head and looked curiously at Catti-brie's somewhat pitiful face.He realized that Catti-brie had misunderstood his longing look. "No," he told her firmly, "I know some things won't change, so I understand their attitude." "Your face doesn't match what you said." Drizzt managed to force a smile. "It's not like that," he said convincingly, or so he thought.But Catti-brie turned her head so she could get a better look at him.The girl took a step back, then nodded, she saw it. "You're thinking about the elf," she reasoned. Drizzt looked away, toward Mirabar, and said, "I wish we could save her." "All of us hope so." "I'd rather you give her the potion than me." "Yes, and Bruno will kill me," said Catti-brie.She grabbed Drow and turned him back to look at him, a smile on her beautiful face, "Is that really what you wanted?" Drizzt couldn't resist her alluring, seductive smile. "That's supposed to be difficult," he explained. "Sometimes I'd love to see things change, to end each story in a reasonable, acceptable way." "So you keep trying to make things acceptable," Catti-brie told him. "That's all you can do." Indeed, Drizzt thought he was.He sighed loudly, turned his head to look back at Mirabar, and the figure of Alifen flashed in his mind again. Little Dagna was out later that afternoon, when the sun was setting and a cold wind howled through the city streets.He never came back, not until just before dawn, to be exact.Then he was inside all day with Bruenor, discussing the political intrigues at Mirabar and its involvement with Mithril Hall, while the merchants and Regis had been working outside by the carriage. Though not many in number, groups of people—dwarves and men alike—came to their wagons.The Warhammer Horde turned down most of the business, mainly because the price they offered was too low.After the sun was high in the sky, there was a turning point. "Okay, show me your handiwork, halfling." Torgue joked with Regis. Some of Torgue's friends stood behind him, watching Regis eagerly. "Regis," said the halfling, reaching out his hand and shaking it around Torgg's outstretched hand. “给我看下，瑞吉斯，” 矮人说，“我和我朋友需要一些东西让我们信服，才能让我们花费我们的金币在你不能喝的东西上！” 这句话让所有的矮人都笑了起来；包括战锤族和米拉巴的矮人，也包括瑞吉斯。 半身人疑惑地想，他是否应该使用他魔法的红宝石项链， 用这个项链的魔法的力量去说服他们，让矮人们信任似乎是一个好注意。但很快他打消了那个念头，因为他想起矮人对抗各种魔法时是多么的顽强。瑞吉斯也考虑到秘银厅和米拉巴的关系会使他受牵连，他会被投进大狱。 想了一会之后， 瑞吉斯意识到他不需要使用那个魔法饰物。矮人们拿着钱币来进货，他们的一些朋友也加入了进来。 马车上的货物、瑞吉斯制作的和其他的许多东西，开始被交易出去了。 透过房子窗口，布鲁诺和小达格纳越来越满意地看着这个集市，成打成打的新的买家。一排外的矮人，也跟随托格而来。他们也怀着复杂的心情，既忧虑又带着希望地注意到，附近有些人类带着高傲而冷酷的表情，观望着这个正在进行的热烈而活跃的交易。 “我想你来这儿后，在米拉巴中打开了一道缺口，”小达格纳观察着，“但愿当我们离开的时候，不会有诅咒的言语从这里的矮人嘴里喷出来。” “会有更多的流言蜚语从人类的嘴里说出来，比以前更不堪。”布鲁诺加了一句。他似乎很愿意看到那种改变的前景。确实令人高兴。 过了一阵子，托格带着满满一大包新购买的物品，敲了敲他们的门。 “你是来告诉我，你们的议会太忙了？” 布鲁诺听到敲门，把门打开说。 “看起来侯爵正在忙于自己的事情。”托格确定说。 “我打赌他没有答复你的请求。” 站在布鲁诺背后的小达格纳说道。托格无奈地耸了耸肩。 “你自己怎样？” 布鲁诺问。“你的朋友们呢？你要忙于自己的事情呢，还是有时间过来和我们一起分享美酒？” “我没有钱。” “干嘛在乎那个。” 托格咬了一下他的嘴唇。“我不会作为米拉巴的代表来谈话。”他解释。 “谁说那件事了？”布鲁诺很快地回答，“一个好矮人把食物塞进他的嘴里比吐出来更快。我确信，你将告诉我一些我没听过的传说。那会值回麦酒的票价。” 于是，在托格的同意下，那个夜晚，在米拉巴刮风街那个寻常的石头房子里，他们举行了一次聚会。有超过一百个米拉巴的矮人到来，都停留了一段时间，许多人最后还睡在那里的地板上。 天亮的时候，布鲁诺发现他们的住所被一队板着脸的武装士兵包围着—人类而非矮人—但这不令他感到惊奇。 是布鲁诺和他的朋友该离开的时候了。 托格和他的兄弟们肯定会因为这个遇到一些麻烦，但是当布鲁诺关心地看着托格时，这强壮的老兵只是眨了眨眼，然后咧开嘴笑了。 “你挣到了去秘银厅的门票，托格•丹佐•锤击者！”当马车轮滚动着离开大门的时候，布鲁诺向背后的他宣称，“带你所有想带来的朋友过来，告诉我们你所有的故事！我们将准备充足的食物和酒，让你吃到打嗝，准备一张你想要把你的身体放进去，要多暖和就多暖和的床！” 从冰风谷出来的商队无视人类守卫表示着危险的怒容。 “你想挑起冲突吗，不是吧？” 瑞吉斯对布鲁诺说。 “侯爵太忙了不肯见我，嗯？” 布鲁诺假笑着回答，“他会希望和我会面的，不用怀疑。” 离开城市大门，和外面的大部队汇合的时候，崔斯特、凯蒂布莉儿和沃夫加跟在布鲁诺的马车后面。 “那里发生了什么？”黑暗精灵问。 “一些小诡计，一些玩笑，” 布鲁诺回答，“还有，我确信，假如米拉巴决定和秘银厅开战的话，他们将失去几百个他们自己的矮人战士。”