Chapter 122: The Troll War Spear

Dodoro readily agreed to Ye Ran's third condition. Forging was an innate talent of the Dwarven race, and they controlled all the blacksmith shops throughout the Ibo Wastelands.

Dodoro led Ye Ran toward the thatched huts in the north. This northern region was the primary domain for hunters and dwarves, where most of the dwarven forges were located. Further north lay the Hunter’s Pit, which bordered the Green Demon Forest.

Along the way, Ye Ran saw many blacksmith shops left in disarray, smashed by blood gnomes. Pado, who followed behind them, cursed incessantly at the mention of the creatures. Pado stood one and a half meters tall—a height considered impressive among dwarves. He was a rare, ferocious warrior, his stout frame packed with immense power; he had once used the pair of battle-axes at his waist to slay two trolls.

"Damned blood gnomes. If I ever lay eyes on them, they'll get what's coming to them," he would always say.

"Elder Dodoro, how much do you know about Grusburg and the Island of Slaughter?" Ye Ran asked as he walked ahead with the dwarf.

This dwarven sage’s reputation was well-earned. Back in the Green Demon Forest, it was he who had led the dwarves as they maneuvered between the Demon race, trolls, and elves. The subsequent total annihilation of the blood gnome clan had also been his handiwork. Ye Ran knew that while this dwarf appeared benevolent, he was capable of displaying a cunning, old-fox side when necessary. Ye Ran despised the archetype of a "sage" from the bottom of his heart, but dwarves who adapted human wisdom for the sake of their clan's survival were an exception.

Dodoro walked slowly, leaning on his staff, and smiled. "How would you define 'knowing'? Grusburg is a place that sits between righteousness and evil, while the Island of Slaughter exists beyond the gods and demons, even claiming not to belong to the human race. Does that count as knowing?"

"Not belonging to the human race?" Ye Ran frowned slightly.

"The powers behind Grusburg and the Island of Slaughter are unimaginably vast. Our strength here is insufficient to infiltrate them, but if you intend to deal with Marquis Yu and Young Master Luo, it is not entirely impossible." Dodoro spoke with one hand behind his back, his tone casual, yet Ye Ran’s heart stirred.

"Does the Elder also know the titles of Marquis Yu and Young Master Luo?"

Dodoro chuckled. "They are the 'Twin Stars' and the 'Lesser Sun and Moon' spoken of by the Grand Prophet Mambar—figures capable of altering the destiny of the entire Sheep-Horn Continent. Although they have yet to come into their full power, they can no longer be ignored."

Twin Stars? Lesser Sun and Moon? These were entirely foreign concepts to Ye Ran.

Dodoro’s deep gaze swept across Ye Ran’s profile. "Twin Stars, Lesser Sun and Moon, Pegasus, Black Waterfall Sun, White Dwarf—these are the six known destinies prophesied by the dog-man Mambar. Young Master Luo and Marquis Yu are two of them."

"Six known destinies? Are there more? And who are the other four besides Luo Ning and Bei Yuming?" Ye Ran asked.

Dodoro shook his head. "Perhaps they have yet to appear, perhaps they are hidden in the corners of Sheep-Horn, perhaps they slumber within the World Tree, or perhaps... they are not human at all."

A rhythmic clanging sound emanated from ahead, and a massive thatched structure came into view. It stood five meters high, with no doors. A furnace, three meters tall, occupied nearly half the space inside. Dozens of dwarves were busy coming and going; some stoked the fire, some forged metal, some assembled pieces, and others smelted ore to extract refined iron. Their division of labor was orderly and precise.

Dodoro led Ye Ran inside. Ye Ran noticed tables, chairs, and hammocks; the dwarves lived and ate right there. The walls were lined with weapon racks featuring swords, spears, halberds, axes, maces, morning stars, and iron hooks—everything one could imagine. Further in lay the armory. Four rows of racks were filled with keen, cold-glinting steel. It was the first time Ye Ran had seen such a vast collection of weaponry; he felt as if he were standing in a graveyard of blades, opening a door to a new world, his heart filled with awe.

"Ye Ran," Dodoro said, "choose any two weapons you like."

Ye Ran nodded and walked forward, scanning the racks until he reached one labeled "Heaviest." He gripped the end of a massive morning star and swung it. The air whistled with the force. Pado, trailing behind Dodoro, was secretly shocked. As the strongest warrior of his clan, he knew he couldn't swing that morning star with such ease. *With this kind of strength and a two-meter-long weapon,* Pado thought, *one blow could crush a troll. Even the armor worn by that damned Jim couldn't fully defend against this.*

Ye Ran swung it twice, then returned it to the rack, shaking his head. "A bit light, and it doesn't feel right. Are there others?"

"Er..." Pado gasped, stunned that this was considered light.

Dodoro pondered for a moment. "Pado, bring out the modified Troll Battle Spear."

"Right away!" Pado replied. He called three other dwarves to retrieve the key and open the inner armory. Before long, they emerged with the spear Dodoro had mentioned. It looked quite peculiar—essentially a two-meter-long silver iron rod with a sharpened tip. To Ye Ran, it looked like a giant version of Freya’s pencil, with the tapered, cone-shaped head accounting for a full third of its length.

Pado waved the other dwarves away and, with a grunt of effort, dragged the heavy weapon over. Ye Ran stepped forward, took the spear from him, and with a low shout, hoisted it into the air.

"Good heavens..." Pado’s jaw dropped. This was the legendary weapon of King Cliffor, the troll chieftain who had once terrorized the Green Demon Forest. Even average trolls struggled to wield it, yet this human had lifted it effortlessly.

As the immense weight settled, Ye Ran laughed, crossed his arms, and spun the spear through the air. The nearby dwarves scrambled back in terror—what kind of monstrous strength did this human possess? Even Dodoro was startled. He knew Ye Ran was formidable, but he hadn't expected his raw strength to rival King Cliffor, the strongest troll chieftain in history.

Ye Ran felt a rush of exhilaration. A surge of powerful energy rose within him; holding the two-meter spear, he felt as if he possessed infinite strength. A faint black aura flowed from the spear into his body, and for a fleeting moment, he saw a towering figure flash by, while the muscles in his arms hardened.

"Hahaha! Good! This is the kind of grandeur that befits a weapon for me, Ye Ran!" Unable to contain his excitement, he dashed out of the hut. The sound of the spear whistling through the air mixed with constant, thunderous crashes as trees were felled one by one. He didn't stop until his final strike slammed into the ground, gouging a two-meter-deep crater. He stood there, gripping the spear, and laughed toward the sky.

The dwarves behind him were left utterly dumbstruck.

That same evening, Ye Ran returned to the hut covered in blood, carrying a massive, severed head. The blood gnome leader, Jim, still had his eyes wide open in death.