Chapter 22 Chapter 18 Law-Abiding Citizens

The dwarf was flustered as usual, but this time it wasn't just a matter of mere keen sense.He walked briskly along the streets of Mirabar towards the turn of the dungeon, but he didn't go straight to the target.Nanfuduo tried—too hard—to not be seen. He realized it, and tried to correct his course, walking as usual.Is there anything wrong with him entering the dungeon? After all, he is the chief alchemist of the Marquis, dealing with ores and visiting dwarves all the year round.Then why did he hide his whereabouts? Nanfudo shook his head, and gave himself another lesson, then he stopped, took a deep breath, and then took more normal steps with compulsive composure.

But when he thought of his actions, his face was not so calm again.He had already told Agranther about Tog's imprisonment, and asked him to give advice carefully from the perspective of a bystander. Nanfudo thought that he had fulfilled his duty to his friends, and he felt that he was a true friend of the dwarves. .However, after so long had elapsed, without hearing of any public action against Togg, Nanfedo began to realize that Agranther had not been able to get past the Marquess.To make matters worse, the dwarves' sixth sense believed that the dwarves of Mirabar still thought that Torg was on his way to Mithril Hall, or had already arrived there.For days the dwarf's conscience was tormented.Is he doing enough?Was it his duty, as a friend, to tell all the dwarves, at least Thingus Macluuff, the best friend of Torg Hammerhammer?Also, was it not a duty to the Marquis, his employer, the man who had brought him to Mirabar, to keep his mouth shut and mind his own business?

When such questions rolled in poor Nanfudo's mind, the dwarf's steps became more and more hesitant and dazed.He clasped his hands in front of his chest, stroking his thumbs.His eyes were half closed, and when he was paying attention to the surrounding environment, he also examined his own heart and soul with the same energy, so when he turned a corner and entered a narrow alley, he was of course taken aback when he found a tall figure walking up in front of him . Nanfudo stopped abruptly, his eyes swept across the well-proportioned figure in robes from his feet to his head, and fell on Santilla Xingyao's deep eyes.

"Um, hi, Santilla," the dwarf greeted nervously. "It's a good day for a walk, isn't it?" "It's a good day on the ground, yes," Santilla replied. "Are you sure it's as fun in a dungeon as well?" "Dungeon? Well, I don't know what kind of dungeon it is... I haven't stayed there with the dwarves for a few days, dozens of days!" "I really should make up for it today, without a doubt." "Why, no," the dwarf stammered, "I'm just out for a walk...rehearsing the recipe in my head, you know. The metal has to get stronger..."

"Don't be sloppy," Santilla said forcefully, "I now know who told Agranther." "Agranther? You mean the member of the Yaoshi Council?" Nanfudo found that his words did not sound convincing at all, which only made him more nervous in front of the keen Santilla. "The night Torg Hammer was dragged back to Mirabar, de Garva was a little too loud in the corridors," Santilla said. "De Gava? Loud? Well, I suppose usually," Nanfedo spoofed, thinking he was brilliantly clever, "in which corridor, I don't remember seeing or hearing him in any, I can only guess."

"Really?" Santilla said, with a sly smile on her pretty face, "You heard that Torger Hammerer was dragged back to Mirabar, why is he still acting like nothing happened? How come? , isn't this news to you?" "Ah... I, uh..." The little dwarf dropped his hand in surrender. "You heard him outside us, that night." "I heard." "You told Agranther." Nan Fudo sighed and said, "Shouldn't he know? The dwarves should accept their marquis's information blockade?" "What's your business telling them that?"

"Uh..." Nanfudo snorted and stomped his feet, "I don't know!" He ground his teeth for a moment, then looked up at Santilla, surprised by the utter sympathy on her face. "You feel betrayed as much as I do," he said. "The Marquis owes you nothing and nothing to me," replied the lady quickly, "without giving an explanation." "You seem to think we owe him something." Santilla's eyes widened, and she stood hideously in front of the dwarf. "You owe him, for Mirabar is his!" she snapped. "It is the office, not the man, who grabs and demands your respect, Nanfodo the fool!"

"I am not from Mirabar!" retorted the dwarf, "I was brought for a skill, and I was well paid. Because, I am the best in this line of people. " "Your line? You're calling yourself an illusionist and a disenchanter all of a sudden," Santilla said sarcastically. "You're a carnival drunk, a scheming fellow, a—" "How dare you talk to me like that!" roared Nanfudo. "Alchemy is the greatest art, the science that has not yet been fully explained. It is the shortcut to the omnipotent power, not Santilla. The limited classes of powers of the man who keeps secrets for his own benefit."

"Alchemy is nothing more than making a few bottles of potions that contain a small amount of magic; and then there are a few handfuls that are more likely to be sucked into the dust that releases the eyes of the release target than to use them. Other than that, it's just the same It's a lie told by a liar out of greed. You can't increase the strength of Mirabar Minerals any more than you can turn graphite into gold! " "Then what about the slimy mud I'm going to make out of the thick soil that will swallow you up?" Nanfordo yelled. "Is it adding water?" Santilla asked calmly, this simple answer made the screaming dwarves die down.

He opened his mouth and muttered a few words, and finally he just let out a long breath and said, "Not everyone agrees with your estimate of the value of alchemy." "It makes sense, someone did pay a high price for its unknown power." Nanfudo breathed out again, "I still feel that I don't owe your Marquis anything, except to fulfill his duty in his position," He stated, "And he's just my current employer. I'm a freelance alchemist, and I've worked in the vast Northlands for a lot of people who get paid well. Maybe I'll run to Waterdeep tomorrow and find a job." Equal work."

"Frankly enough," said Santilla, "but I don't ask you to be loyal to Erastus, but to Mirabar, the city you call home. I have been watching you, Nanfred, since After Senator Agranther told me what he knew of Torgue's captivity. I recalled my meeting with de Gava many times, and I thought of whose house the door adjoining my house belonged to. You Wandering out today and nervously detouring the route, apparently to the dwarves and the mines. I'm as frustrated as you are, and I know exactly what's biting you inside, and that's right, in Agg You decided to tell other people when Senator Lancer was unable to take action. Friends of Togg, it is likely that they would be willing to stop the Marquis's actions, and rescue him no matter where Togg is imprisoned." "I decided to tell Togg's friends so they would know the facts," Nanfudo admitted, adding: "It's up to them to decide what to do." "It's really democratic." She said sarcastically. "You said that you and I are very frustrated." Nan Fudo retorted. "But I don't seem to be as stupid as you," Santilla said immediately, "do you really know what that means? Do you really understand the blood connection between dwarves? You are risking The dwarves in this city are against humans, and they are risking the whole city torn apart. How did Mirabar fail you, illusionist Nanfred? How did your employer, the Marquis Erastus, forgive you?" "So I'm supposed to feel sorry for the dwarves I call my friends?" The little dwarf blurted out and Santila took a step back. "I don't know." She admits with a sigh, a sigh that conveys the frustration she mentioned earlier. "I don't know either." Nanfudo agreed. Santilla straightened up, she seemed not so tall and scary to Nanfudo, but like his blood relatives, she was also distressed and confused by the events happening around her out of control. She put a hand on his shoulder in a sign of pity and friendship, and said, "Walk carefully, my friend. Be careful what you do here, they are signs. Left or right, Dwarves of Mirabar Divided into two distinct factions. Of all the inhabitants, they have the lowest respect and the highest devotion to the Marquis. On which side will what you are about to reveal push them?" Nan Fudo nodded, not without affirmation of her inference, and he said: "Also, if the current situation in the city is as you said so far, if Mirabar's breathtaking national prosperity is worth it Will it stand up to the unjust imprisonment of Togg?" His words seemed to force Santilla to step back again, like a slap in the face was drawn into the heart.She was speechless for a while, closed her eyes, and nodded slowly. "Do as you want, Nanfudo, without the judgment of Santilla Xingyao. I will give you the opportunity to choose from the heart. No one will know that this conversation happened, or even that you learned about Tog from me situation—at least I won't give away." She smiled so heart-warmingly that she patted him on the shoulder and turned away. Nan Fudo stood there watching her, thinking about which method was more ideal.Should he go back to his workshop in the residence and forget about Togg and the dwarf's escalating conflict with the Marquis, or should he break all known news about the prisoner in the Marquis' prison to the dwarf as previously decided? No mystery of alchemy, a mystical and occult science, has caused Nanfuduo such a headache as this matter.Is it his job to cause uproar or riots?Is it in his nature to stand by and watch this as a friend? What about Aglanthe?If the Marquis had ordered the Dwarf Councilor to remain silent, which was probably the case, wouldn't Nanfudo be playing the role of a righteous idiot?After all, Agranther must know more than he does.Agranther's loyalty to his fellow tribe was unquestionable, but he did not say anything about Torgue's fate. What should Nanfudo do? After a long sigh, the dwarf turned to go home. He felt that his course of action was foolish and impetuous.Just ten steps away, a familiar figure appeared in front of him, and he stopped to say hello. "Good day, Singers Macluve," said Nanfudo.He felt his stomach convulsing and his knees went weak. Councilor Agranther rushed into the speech hall of Marquis Erastu with his short legs, without any notification, followed closely by the guards of several doors. "They know!" cried the dwarf.The startled Marquis hadn't had time to question him, and the four Hammerhead guards standing behind him hadn't had time to reprimand him for the unsummoned intrusion. "They?" asked Erastus, though he knew perfectly well who Agranther was referring to. "The street is full of gossip about Togg," explained Aglanther. "The dwarves know what you've done, and they're going to explode!" "Exasperating indeed," said Erastus, leaning back in his chair, "and how do your people know, Senator?" The tone of accusation was unmistakable. "I didn't say that!" the dwarf protested, "Do you think I'm happy when things have come to this point? Do you think it's very ironic for me, an old bone, to watch the dwarves of Mirabar yelling, swearing and even punching each other? But you know they'll see the whole thing right away. You can't keep a secret like that, Marquis, you can't keep a secret about someone as important as Torg Danzo Hammer." Erastu's eyes narrowed grimly as he emphasized the tribal name, so distinct from the title of the dwarves of Mirabar.After all, Erastu's tribe name is not Danzo, and it cannot be. For the successive marquises of Mirabar, Danzo's lineage may be both a blessing and a curse.Danzo's blood bound the dwarves to the land, and the land bound them to the Marquis.However, Danzo also united them into a group that broke away from the Marquis.Why does Agranther emphasize this tribe name every time he mentions Erastu's decision to imprison Torg? "So they know," Erastu said, "and perhaps that's all it will be in the end. Most of the dwarves of Mirabar, of course, recognize the traitor Togg Hammerbeater, and quite a few of them do too, and don't Agreeing that Tog might be costly if he were allowed to go to our hated enemy." "enemy?" "Or else they are competitors," the Marquis retreated. "Do you believe that the Mithril Hall will not celebrate the information provided by the traitor?" "I'm not sure I believe that Togg would give anything other than friendship to King Bruenor," Agranther replied. "That alone is enough to hang him," retorted Erastus. The Hammerhead guards laughed, and they agreed.Agranther's face was pale and his eyes were wide open. "Aren't you thinking..." "No, no, Senator," Erastus reassured him, "I haven't designed a gallows for this dwarven traitor, at least not yet. Nor do I want to, as I told you before. Togg Hammer is still in jail, not charged, just waiting until he sees the facts and clears his mind. I don't want to risk losing Mirabar's fortune by trying him." Hearing these words, Agranther relaxed a little, but the gloom still did not dissipate from his tender face (as far as the dwarves were concerned).He stroked his beard and fell into a brief thought. "It's true what you say," he admitted, his accent showing sophistication when he calmed down, "I don't deny it, Marquis, but your reasoning, for what it's worth, can't dampen the flames burning in this house." fire, at least those who call Togg Hammerbeater a friend, fire in the hearts of many of your people." "They will act with reason," replied Erastus, "and I am sure that the beloved Senator Agranther will persuade them to agree with the care with which I have acted." Agranther stared at Erastus for a long time, his expression turned into compromise.He fully understood the words.He understood why Togg was dragged away from the intended route and why he was imprisoned again.He understood why Erastu had chosen him to appease the wrath of the dwarves. That doesn't mean that Agranther has a chance to complete the task. "That's all right for him, I must say," cried one of the dwarves, pounding his fist against the wall, "that idiot may have told them our plot, and if he hasn't, he will. If If he wants to be a friend of Mithril Hall, then throw him into the cave and let him stay there!" "If I'm not a servant, it's just the words of a fool." "Who do you call a fool?" "It's you, fool!" The first dwarf rushed forward, fists pumping.Instead of stopping him, those standing beside him came with him. Together they take on the nicknamed dwarf and his friends. Toaiwo Fengbubble pressed against the wall when the battle started beside him. This was the fifth battle in the tavern of the day, and this battle seemed to be the most spectacular and bloody. In the street just outside the window, two dozen dwarves were fighting another group of two dozen, rolling, kicking, and gnashing their teeth. "Tog, you idiot," Toiwo murmured. "And you are the biggest idiot, Erastu!" After dodging the stray bullets whizzing past his head, he fell to the ground and said through gritted teeth.The thing smashed against the wall and shattered a lot of good wine. This night in the dungeon will be long.And it is. In every bar in the dungeons and mines, this scene is played out on a loop, where it's miner versus miner, and sometimes the pickaxe is copied.For word of Torg Hammerbeater's captivity had spread like wildfire among the dwarves of Mirabar. "Well done Erastu!" was the cry all over the dwarven realm, and occasionally "Fuck his Erastu!" The louder the voice, the bigger the scar. Outside the Toever Tavern, Singers Macluve and a small group of friends met a group of dissident dwarves who sang about "stop the traitor before he betrays Mirabar to Mithril Hall" hymn. "Wait until Erastu puts your people in the small cell, and see if you can still enjoy it," Singers said angrily, "Do you think it is a good thing for dwarves to rot in human prisons?" "It should be said, I find it a delight to have the traitors of Mirabar rotted in the prisons of Mirabar!" cried another dwarf with a genteel and dissolute air.His black beard was thick with eyebrows, the latter almost covering his eyes. "At least that's what I thought until we put the bastard to death!" This remark caused a burst of applause from the dwarves behind him, the roar of the dwarves around Singers, and the raised fists of old Singers, a more direct hostile reaction. Under the force of the blow, the black-bearded dwarf jumped back a step. Fortunately, his companion supported him. Instead of falling, he rushed towards Singers. The old dwarf was fully prepared to raise his fist, as if to catch the attack high, and then suddenly half-kneeled at the last moment, and pressed his shoulders against the waist of the black-bearded dwarf.Singers struggled to his feet, lifted the enraged dwarf on his shoulders, threw him among his peers, and leaped behind him, beating him with hands and feet. The streets were filled with fighting dwarves, and the chaos left houses open to watch.The dwarves who rushed to the scene jumped into the battlefield without the slightest hesitation.Although usually they don't know which side they have joined.Riots unfolded in the streets, and often in the houses, where more than one stove was overturned, and the flames jumped onto the furniture and tapestries. Amidst the noise, a hundred horns of the Mirabar Ax Guard blew in unison, and followed the guards down from the sky.Some of them descended with rope ladders, and some swung down with ropes.Do what you can to prevent the riot from turning into a catastrophe that sweeps Mirabar. Dwarves fight dwarves, dwarves fight humans.Facing the battle joined by humans, some people drew their weapons, and a large number of dwarves who initially opposed Singers and his supporters changed their camps.For many of the dwarves whose attitudes toward Torg's arrest were unclear, their attitudes towards loyalty, Kindred, and the city were also hazy. Even though half the dwarves fought alongside the Ax Guardsmen, and even though many, many humans were thrown in, it took hours to put down the riot and suppress Torg's supporters.Even so, the soldiers of the Marquis also faced the difficult task of holding more than a hundred prisoners. The rest of the hundreds of people watched them.They understand that once the torture of prisoners occurs, it will ignite the fuse of another larger riot. The destruction of the streets seen by the belated Agranther, the bloodstained faces of his people, and the expressions of utter anger on many people showed that he had warned the Marquis of the danger that would occur. .He went to the commander of the Ax Guard again and again, asking for a lenient and wise choice of how to deal with the prisoners, but he was always warned sternly, "Don't look at the kettle with the lid on, the fire under it is still burning." "Do what you can to control the situation, but don't go too far." Agranthor lectured all the commanders. After repeated questioning and dragging the jailer away from the prisoner, the exhausted congressman came to a stone bench by the street and sat down. "They've got Togg locked up!" He heard it vividly. He looked up to see Singers, bruised and swollen, who appeared to be about to break free from the two guards twisting him for another fight. "They dragged him back from the road and locked him up!" Agranther squinted at the old dwarf, and waved his hand out of thin air to calm him down. "You knew it earlier!" Shouted Singers, "You knew it earlier, but it's as if nothing happened!" "I'm not." Aglanthe retorted him by provoking him from the stone bench. "Bah! You are a truncated human, what are you!" While he was insulting Agranther loudly, the guard who seized him picked him up hard, and slapped the old dwarf. This is the opportunity he needs.He took the blow laughing, then wriggled and jumped, free from the guy's grasp.Then he swung the free arm without hesitation, punching the guard who was still holding him in the stomach with one blow, knocking him down with a second punch, trying to make him let go.Singers finally had full freedom, wrestling to keep the first guard from grabbing him.The guard stepped back for help, but Singers was too quick and kicked him in the shin, and when the fellow fell to the ground, Singers stomped him in the ribs; he gave him another An old punch.Squatting halfway, Singers turned his head and ran towards the second guard. When he fled, Singers did not give chase.Instead he rushed to his real target: poor Senator Agranthor. Agranther was not at the same level as Singers, and his fists were not as hard as those violent miners who had just fought; if Singers was full of anger, Agranther was full of fear. Agranther keenly felt the first combination of punches, left uppercuts, right swings, a few quick straight punches, and an over-the-shoulder throw that knocked him to the ground.When Singers was swept up into the air by several guards who rushed over from the ground, Alanthe was kicked by the dwarf's booted foot for the last time.Agranther felt a human reach out to lift him up, and he roughly pushed the helper aside. Agranther clenched his teeth, he had more wounds on his mouth than on his body, and headed towards the ladder like a gust of wind. He knew he had to go to the Marquis.He didn't know what to say, or even what he wanted from the Marquis, or what to expect from him, but he knew that the man's willful time was running out.