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Chapter 490: Allies Are Always Unreliable
Early the next morning.
The warm sunlight fell on Manhammer's cheeks.
Not yet adjusted to the blinding light, the dwarf rubbed his aching head.
His blurry vision slowly came into focus.
Manhammer subconsciously burped, the strong aroma of alcohol lingering in the air.
Dizzy and disoriented, it took him a while to regain his thoughts.
But in Manhammer's mind, there weren't many clear memories. He glanced around the luxuriously decorated room, a few questions bubbling up:
"Who am I?"
"Where am I?"
After some time, Manhammer finally recalled that he had no memory of how he got to this room.
But he did remember the last thing before his memory vanished: drinking his fill of delicious beer.
The taste was amazing!
Strong and fiery!
Thinking about it made Manhammer crave it all over again.
He instinctively reached for the flask at his waist. Opening it, he stared at the murky moss ale inside, feeling a little uneasy.
The barley beer, clear and amber-like, was leagues above moss ale in appearance alone.
Still, with no other options, Manhammer muttered to himself and took a sip.
Pfft!
The pale liquid was promptly spat out. Manhammer wiped his beard, disbelief in his eyes, and mumbled:
"What? Since when did moss ale taste so bad..."
Compared to the rich and aromatic barley beer from Bay Territory, the moss ale brewed by the dwarves of the underground world tasted bland and lifeless.
The contrast was so stark that moss ale felt like tasteless water.
If he hadn't tasted barley beer, Manhammer might have thought moss ale was fine.
But after savoring Bay Territory's brew, he found moss ale nearly unbearable.
Worse still, with the looming food shortage in the underground dwarven kingdom, resources for brewing would soon be scarce.
When that time came, even bland moss ale might be a luxury.
Feeling conflicted, Manhammer glanced around sneakily but found no trace of barley beer.
Just as he felt a pang of disappointment, Old John's hearty voice echoed from the door:
"Manhammer, brother, time for more drinks!"
At these words, Manhammer nearly drooled. He quickly shouted back:
"Coming, coming..."
Half an hour later.
Now half-drunk again, the dwarves were cheerfully chatting and joking with Old John.
Patting his full belly, Manhammer reminisced about the delectable feast they had just enjoyed. A thought popped into his mind:
"The food here in Bay Territory is so bountiful..."
"And incredibly delicious..."
Despite his love for drink, Manhammer hadn't forgotten his mission: to secure aid from the Netheril Empire.
Bay Territory was impressive, but ultimately, it was just a barony.
With this in mind, Manhammer prepared to seek out Grand Arcanist Cronorman to continue their journey to Sevinton.
But before he could act, a soldier burst into the hall. Under the curious gaze of the dwarves, he whispered something to Old John.
Old John's cheerful expression vanished instantly, replaced by a look of frustration as he cursed:
"What? Our supplies are gone?"
"Didn't they promise us? Now they're saying no resources?"
"They talk big before a war and then turn their backs once the battle's over?"
Mid-rant, Old John caught Manhammer's questioning look and forced a stiff smile:
"The Sevinton Council canceled a shipment of magical supplies they had promised us."
After the strained explanation, Old John turned to the soldier and said:
"Notify the golem manufacturing factory to request a purchase from Bloodmoon City."
"Once we get those core components, we can replenish all the supplies for the troops at the Scarlet Fortress."
Hearing this, Manhammer's ears perked up. From Old John's brief exchange with the soldier, he gleaned plenty of valuable information.
Manhammer realized he might have underestimated the complexity of his mission.
The relationship between the Netheril Empire and the dwarven kingdom was solid, no doubt.
In normal times, if the dwarven kingdom offered compensation for aid, the Netheril Empire would gladly oblige.
Supporting an ally while turning a profit was a win-win situation.
But if the Netheril Empire itself was in dire straits, would they still extend a helping hand?
Coming to this realization, Manhammer broke out in a cold sweat.
If he spent precious time waiting for Netheril's aid only for it to never arrive...
Not only would his efforts be wasted, but the dwarven kingdom could face disaster.
With no aid arriving and no time to purchase resources, morale could collapse entirely.
"No, I need to investigate thoroughly and gather more information!"
"And if the Netheril Empire lacks resources, we need to make alternative preparations early..."
Feeling an urgent sense of duty, Manhammer rose quickly.
But just then, another group of soldiers arrived.
Among them, Carlos stormed in with a furious expression.
As he strode in, he grumbled:
"Fools! We barely drove back the orcs, and now they think we're safe?"
"At the critical moment, if it weren't for the golems holding the line..."
"Old John, they may be clueless, but we still need the six-armed golems."
"And we need the rest of the supplies sent to Scarlet Fortress quickly."
"Also, our two legions must accelerate new recruit training. I hear the training results at the Crimson Pass are impressive; we need your help there too."
As Carlos entered, he briefly eyed the dwarves, assuming they were merchants, and didn't dwell on them.
But Carlos' casual remarks planted new thoughts in Manhammer's mind.
"Supplies for two legions?"
"The heavily damaged Third and Eighth Legions at Scarlet Fortress?"
"Does Bay Territory have the capability to supply their war materials?"
With these thoughts spinning in his head, Manhammer and his companions discreetly slipped away.
"Quick, gather information about the Netheril Empire's current situation!"
"Check arcane newspapers, taverns, adventurer guilds, and speak with dwarven adventurers. Gather everything you can!"
"Contact the Cole Elves and see if their resources are reliable. If there are delays, report immediately!"
"..."
Under the blazing sun, Manhammer felt a chill run through his body.
If both allies proved unreliable, the kingdom was in deep trouble.