Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 666 - 617: Warm as Fire

"Uh..." Lyle looked at the excited Dwarf, bringing the tea to his lips with his free hand and taking a small sip, "Mr. Fleisheimer, what exactly has happened to Imelt? I have ample confidence in the constitution of Giant Dragons..."

The Red Dragon Priest clenched his teeth, trembling flesh streaked his face.

"It’s about something more important, concerning growth..."

"If it’s about growth in Magic Power, then I’m afraid I can’t be of much help. As you can see, I’m only a third lock, and my strength is somewhat inadequate. Don’t take the Giant Dragon teacher’s assessment of me at face value; he’s always been a bit too lenient with me—I’m actually quite weak."

"What about interpersonal relations? The Giant Dragon told me that you are very popular in Andrey, is that also an exaggeration?"

"...That’s not the case, my interpersonal relations in Andrey are indeed quite good."

"Then that’s not a problem!" The Red Dragon Priest opened a glowing red portal, and Lyle could feel the heat wave hitting his face through the door, "Imelt is facing issues related to social interactions, Lyle, we need you!"

"We need you to help the Red Dragon, Imelt, become the charm of everyone!"

Mackenbert.

Lyle felt like he was going to dry up from the heat. Walking on the wrought iron chain bridge, with bubbling magma heating mere twenty to thirty meters below his feet, the heat painted his face an orange-red, as he saw small sparks fly from the beard of the Red Dragon Priest.

"Imelt is not well-received by our people, which for an enthusiastic dragon like her, is quite a blow. I can teach her combat and forging, how to control fire and the life force, but when it comes to social interaction, I’m also inept. Can you make Imelt popular in the Dwarf Kingdom of Mackenbert? In other words..."

"Dragon King Priest Lyle, I am asking you to help us spread the faith of the Red Dragon among my people."

Lyle just needed something to distract himself from the thoughts of being barbecued.

"I’m familiar with Imelt; ever since her days as a young dragon, she was a warm and tolerant child, blessed with kindness and a strong sense of sympathy. If she isn’t popular, I’m certain the problem doesn’t lie with her."

The Red Dragon Priest sighed, "You’re right, Imelt is a child that should be loved. The Dwarves’ dislike for her mainly stems from some historical issues."

Lyle looked at the tall bronze doors at the other end of the suspension bridge, realizing that his sweltering journey had only just begun.

"I think I have enough time to learn about Mackenbert’s history..."

Mackenbert, a city built by the Molten Dwarves atop the Great Furnace—an underground city. Dwarves, as a short-tempered, long-lived species, also have a strong memory for grievances. They bury past pains within their community’s heart, and after decades, even centuries, it feels to them as if it had happened just yesterday.

The initial connection between the Molten Dwarves and the Red Dragon naturally started when Fleisheimer became a Dragon Priest. He passed the throne to his brother and became a kind of religious leader, a personified embodiment of consciousness. The Dwarves respected him and should have respected the Red Dragon who was part of him. But the reality is that Dwarves are a stubborn and traditional long-lived people, with a proud sense of national pride, leading to their xenophobic and haughty nature.

The previous Red Dragon, Fleisheimer, was more of a recluse, his care for the Dwarves as silent as soft rain moistening the earth. He imparted knowledge to young Dragon Priests, who in turn shared fire and knowledge with their people. However, neither the Red Dragons nor their Priests were keen on fame and honor. The young Dragon Priests might be regarded as great figures by the Dwarves, but Red Dragon Fleisheimer was at best regarded as a neighbor with a mild temper.

"The Red Dragon faith has almost become a personal belief for the Firehammer Clan. We haven’t established a religion, but created a Red Dragon Friendship Association. Fleisheimer had no objections; he preferred a relatively quiet atmosphere. In truth, he did much more than that—he helped the Dwarves build Mackenbert and persuaded the fire elementals of the Great Furnace to form an alliance with us. My people basked in his warmth, just as Mackenbert enjoyed the tepid heat from the Great Furnace."

"I thought this tepid relationship would continue indefinitely until that war broke out in Mackenbert."

"The campaign against the Sleeper, Triton."

"It was the tenth year since the Dragon Priests Council was established. We had been secretly accumulating power, ready to support the eldest son of the dragons in his rebellion. The Princess discovered the activities of the Evil God Triton, the Sleeper once expelled to the deep sea by the father of dragons, Yemotar, wounded and silent. With our knowledge of dragon lore, we understood the terror of the Evil God and realized that we had to deal with this potential problem."

"Dozens of Dragon Priests gathered their warriors to set out for the temple of the Sleeper, and the Molten Dwarves were no exception."

"It was a gruesome war against a god, with the sky partitioned by the wings of giant dragons, while the ocean teemed with the vile minions of evil. In the end, we, alongside the giant dragons, defeated Triton, dismantling his body into pieces, each overseen and sealed by different Dragon Priests. All dragon-loving races paid a blood price for that war, with barely one in ten of the surviving warriors left, and many giants and Dragon Priests perished. We sealed away the Evil God, but the cost was the brink of our power collapsing; the strength we had amassed to overthrow the father of dragons was exhausted."

"The bitter loss was like a warhammer, smashing the pride of the Molten Dwarves and also breaking our outreach to the outside world. The Dwarves began to detest contact with other races, fearing to continue bearing these painful sacrifices. My people started to hesitate and become timid and cowardly. But this was not the worst of it, soon after the Sleeper was sealed, the ambush that He had earlier prepared descended upon Mackenbert."

"It was an army of the Worm Tribe that surged from the deep bowels of the earth; they were the kin of the Sleeper, the twisted and corrupt monsters the Evil God fashioned to slaughter us, the dragon-loving. They emerged from the deep, dark tunnels, their carapaces as hard as cast iron and their forelimbs as deadly as steel blades. We were powerless to resist with our wounds from the god war still fresh, unable to defend ourselves, as our bronze gates were breached and one after another, our forging areas and dining districts fell, our newly trained soldiers completely unable to stop the advancing swarm."

"The Red Dragon, Fleisheimer, stepped forward; he held the Heart of Molten Fire and ignited the lava that engulfed our enemies, along with over half of Mackenbert. He saved us all, but nearly destroyed our homeland. The Heart of Molten Fire is the core of the mountain range of the Great Furnace, and its power was nearly depleted by the Red Dragon. As the Great Furnace cooled, the fire elementals fell silent, and without that warmth, the Molten Dwarves would soon lose their homeland."

"This desperate situation drove many Dwarves to lose their sanity, their continued misfortune led them to seek a scapegoat, and that was the gentle Red Dragon. They had sunk into madness, and the protections offered by me and the royal family did not quench the twisted flames in their hearts. All manner of vile and disgusting invectives were hurled at the Red Dragon; he became the living target of the Dwarves."

"We lost the hearts of our people, even though we were not to blame. I and the Red Dragon Fleisheimer retreated from the crowd and returned to our secluded dwelling. It was near the residence of the fire elementals, where the Red Dragon had lived for many years. As I pondered how to comfort Fleisheimer, the gentle tutor instead comforted me. He cradled the Heart of Molten Fire, now slowly extinguishing, and left behind his final words."

"Everything will be alright, my apprentice."

"The Firehammer burns eternal."

"Two days later, the Baron of the Garden told me the truth about the revival of the Great Furnace."

"Fleisheimer burned himself up, the Red Dragon became the fuel that relit the Great Furnace and Mackenbert. Even though I now very much wish to show you obstinate Dwarves the fury of the elementals, I promised the Red Dragon that the fire elementals would become allies of the Dwarves, in the name of the noble Fleisheimer."

... 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Once, I never cared for those shallow reputations, but now, I do."

"I will not let Imelt repeat past mistakes; I hope my people can change, I hope the creatures I most revere can be cherished by my people. But I, am too powerless."

"Morocoy always told us, Lyle is special; Lyle is the hope to break free from our shackles."

"Noble Dragon King Priest, please heed my plea. "

"My stubborn tribe needs your grace."