Chapter 280
The Ambition of the Dwarven Race
Eivass and the Dwarf Magnetic Hammer hit it off exceptionally well, quickly entering a phase of brotherhood. Haina’s father and Eivass were both Third Tier professionals, the former a blacksmith and the latter a priest. They shared a similar path—the Path of Devotion—and had similar personalities, thus finding common ground.
Eivass didn’t know much about dwarves. It was through Magnetic Hammer’s retellings that he gradually began to understand why the conflict between dwarves and elves was so intense. Elves and dwarves were races that primarily followed the Path of Devotion and worshipped multiple gods. This very reason led to such strong and irreconcilable racial conflicts, akin to the conflict between the Avalonians and the giants, or the Children of the Moon and the werewolves.
However, the Candlemaster was the most ancient Pillar God of the Path of Devotion, unlike the Path of Authority and the Path of Love, which had changed their leaders. Even so, following the same path yet pursuing different gods at its end… heretics were more detestable than infidels.
The blacksmiths on the Path of Devotion belonged to the profession of the Flame Heavenly Envoy, just as the Fallen Heavenly Envoy governed the Demon Scholars. The Demon Scholars, who derived their power from the Fallen Heavenly Envoy, harbored natural animosity towards the spellcasters whose power came from the Father of Snakes.
The Flame Heavenly Envoy was the second most powerful deity on the Path of Devotion, ruling over the domains of flame, steel, and forging. Her influence was like fire and was continuously growing. As the era advanced and industrial revolutions developed, she was actively consuming—or rather, assimilating—other Heavenly Envoys and Disciples of the Path of Devotion, her domain continuously expanding.
Eivass recalled that she would soon gain the power of “steam” and, in about four or five years, would advance towards “firearms” and “machinery.” By Version 0—the version where his foster father was the BOSS—the dwarves, who had been dormant for years, would enter the world stage on a grand scale. Fire spreads and rises, and the Flame Heavenly Envoy also possessed the power of the Transcendent Path.
Even though it was the ancient Crown Heavenly Envoy who possessed the Power of Transcendence who defeated Supreme Heaven and became the Silver Crown Dragon… and even though the Candlemaster and elves were involved in this process, the Flame Heavenly Envoy was still viewed with apprehension by the elves. After all, this was something that had already happened, a path that had already been proven. Nothing was impossible. From the perspective of the elder elves, any Heavenly Envoy who possessed the Power of Transcendence was extremely dangerous.
Since the Beast Lord “resigned” and Supreme Heaven “left office,” this world had become much more peaceful. Without dangerous monsters rampaging through the wilderness, actively attacking everyone, or even directly attacking towns , there were no longer madmen who ignored law and morality, casually killing, eating, or harming others simply to display their power. Although wars still occurred, the world had, on the whole, become a much better place.
Now, the elves only wished to maintain the status quo—unlike the Beast Lord and Supreme Heaven, the current Nine Pillar Gods were relatively benevolent. Therefore, in a stable environment, any change was unfavorable.
It was precisely from this perspective that the elves harbored intense hostility towards the dwarves. The dwarves not only believed in the Flame Heavenly Envoy but collectively worshipped six gods, including the Shadow Heavenly Envoy of the Path of Love, the Rock Heavenly Envoy of the Twilight Path, and the Ring Heavenly Envoy of the Transcendent Path… all of them were Heavenly Envoys, and not a single Pillar God.
From what his friend Magnetic Hammer had said, Eivass noticed that the dwarves were extremely enthusiastic about strengthening their own gods and took pride in it—it was rather peculiar and highly competitive.
In this world, faith did not grant power. Whether Disciples, Heavenly Envoys, or Pillar Gods… these high-level Phantom Demons did not require followers. If they responded to rituals or bestowed power, it was because they were interested themselves and willing to mentor mortals. Consequently, faith was, in essence, a matter of personal freedom… which was why the elves simultaneously venerated the Nine Pillar Gods.
Each individual naturally had their own tendencies, preferences, and needs, and the Nine Pillar Gods were equal among themselves. There was no single path that was more powerful or more sacred—advocating such a concept would only lead to meaningless wars among believers, and their actions would be entirely spontaneous, receiving no recognition or assistance from their superiors. They were like out-of-control fans.
If Supreme Heaven were still present, the situation would be different. Supreme Heaven inherently embodied concepts like “ruling through power” and “doing as one pleases because one is the strongest,” which was why the giants consumed all other races, including elves.
—But the dwarves were different from all other races.
“The purpose of our faith is to receive a reward,” Magnetic Hammer said shamelessly, even proudly. “Because what we offer the gods is not just respect and glory, but tangible power! That’s far more practical than what those long-eared folk do!”
Dwarves possessed a strong sense of racial identity. They would consciously, as a whole race, believe in Heavenly Envoys or Disciples who were not among the Nine Pillar Gods, especially those with fewer followers or weaker power. Then, with the strength of their entire race, over thousands or even longer spans of time, they would help these deities ascend higher. Their purpose was to receive better rewards and clearer favoritism.
A wise king would eventually leave them, and powerful martial might and technology would be surpassed by other nations. Even if they ruled numerous territories, internal division would eventually occur; even with a glorious history, it might be gradually forgotten by future unworthy descendants. Over long stretches of time, anything could turn into nothingness. All legacies might not necessarily be passed down.
“But only gods are immortal.” The dwarf solemnly raised his fist and paid homage to the void. While faith did not make gods stronger, there were always ways to help them. For instance, by holding extremely complex and spectacular wonder-level rituals in the Material Realm, or by causing certain concepts to flourish or perish, thereby strengthening or weakening them. This was useless for the Nine Pillar Gods, but it was effective for Heavenly Envoys and Disciples.
And the high-level Phantom Demons were all intelligent. Even if the dwarves were somewhat sycophantic, thousands of years of dedicated flattery would eventually elicit a response—at the very least, they would not be able to adapt after leaving them. Some were repaying kindness, some were deeply moved, and some engaged in fair trade… but in the end, the dwarves had indeed managed to curry favor. The gods they now revered clearly favored the dwarves, and the dwarves were waiting for one of them to ascend to Pillar God status.
“…Dad, I don’t want to work hard to become the first generation of the rich; why don’t you work hard and make me the second generation?”
…That… that was indeed a way of thinking.
To maintain the purity of its stance, the Everfrost Empire had very few shrines to the Nine Pillar Gods—even if there were, they were “specialty shrines.” These were utilitarian shrines dedicated to a single god for a specific purpose. Because they were too utilitarian, it was less like faith and more like working—faith-based work, at that. It was the kind of “proud family-run enterprise” where employees took pride in their work.
Eivass finally understood why elves regarded dwarves as an “evil race.” Because of the transcendent nature of these Heavenly Envoys, the stronger they became, the more anxious the elves grew; and the dwarves were steadfastly and persistently helping their leaders grow—their purpose was self-evident. Other races might also seek the protection of some Heavenly Envoys, but certainly not to the extreme or utilitarian extent of the dwarves—they were not simply worshipping these Heavenly Envoys, but “investing” in them. They did not want to become Avalonians, but griffins. Not citizens of a Pillar God, but the favorites of a Pillar God.
…And based on Eivass’s glimpses into the future, the dwarves’ plan had indeed succeeded. In the current version, many elves would immediately turn and flee upon encountering dwarves on the road. Therefore, if a region had many dwarves, it was highly probable that no elves would visit or spend money there. Because elves were wealthy, this indirectly led to many dwarves being discriminated against by other races. And as this cycle of hatred fed back, it caused many dwarves to also look unfavorably upon elves. Although this mutual dislike had not escalated to hatred or sparked inter-racial wars, there was already a full-blown regional discrimination between them.
Although there were blacksmiths among the elves, they did not prohibit the borrowing of power from Heavenly Envoys. They merely required that top priority be given to showing reverence to the Nine Pillar Gods. In the eyes of the dwarves, who had not yet risen to prominence, this was the elves’ arrogance and disdain for their race’s faith—yet, deep down, the dwarves also acknowledged the elves’ strength and nobility. Therefore, these elves who walked the same path as the dwarves were considered by the dwarves to be “rare normal elves,” “unpretentious, good elves with whom one could communicate.” By extension, human blacksmiths who inherited their craft from elven blacksmiths also became “one of us” in the dwarves’ eyes.
“So that’s why you raised Haina and Jack…” Eivass suddenly realized. “And that’s why you passed on your craft to Jack—and didn’t want Haina to go to the capital?”
“Not entirely, brother.” Magnetic Hammer stroked his beard and replied sincerely, “I truly have no wife or children. She saved my life, and I have an obligation to help her. “But I really don’t want Haina to go to the capital—even if she didn’t inherit her father’s adaptability to the Path of Devotion, couldn’t she just be an Ordinary Person? Or I have professions on the Twilight Path… It’s rare for the power of the Twilight Path to be so strong here.” The dwarf said indignantly.
Eivass casually asked, “Speaking of which, what was Haina’s mother’s name?”
The dwarf looked at him in confusion. “Isn’t that Haina’s mother?”
…Huh? Eivass froze for a moment. Then the dwarf seemed to realize and explained, “Many villagers in this village don’t have names… except for the children born these years.”
“No… names?” Eivass was completely astonished this time.
