The surface dwellers’ understanding of the Dark Domain mostly refers to this level, as its inhabitants have the most frequent interactions with those from the surface. More often than trade, there is conquest, plunder, raid, and enslavent.
Most areas of the Dark Domain are shrouded in eternal darkness, a barren world lacking resources. To survive here, there are two overwhelming tenets—survive and annihilate the enemy.
The contemplation of good and evil is sothing only those with full bellies can afford to ponder.
The deeper one goes, the more severe the situation. In the upper Dark Domain, good and evil might be balanced, with the presence of more benevolent races like Dwarves.
However, in the middle levels of the Dark Domain, evil dominates. These areas are typically hundreds to thousands of ters deep underground, either completely isolated tunnels, cave networks, or connected to the upper Dark Domain. Natural resources are scarcer here, making food and water difficult to find. Everyone exhausts every effort to survive.
In the lower Dark Domain, it’s hard for surface dwellers who haven’t personally been there to imagine the weirdness and distortion. It’s ruled by Abyssal Mawfish, lurking mimics, Dulga Dwarves, and Mind Flayers.
They harbor hostility and malice towards any creatures different from them. Food and water are exceedingly scarce, and these races fight among themselves, enslaving each other for survival. They are highly adapted to the darkness, with many monsters developing new and unique organs.
In short, the Dark Domain is definitely not a friendly place for surface creatures. The ubiquitous darkness alone keeps most of the surface creatures at bay.
Holding a torch high in the Dark Domain is not wise. Whether you can see the hidden enemies or not, the predators can see you clearly, attracting many monsters and predators that might not have noticed you otherwise.
"What intelligence have you gathered about the Dark Domain?" This is what Gaven is most concerned about.
"Have you ever heard of Shanata, my Lord?" the Spirit Soul Naga asked instead of answering.
"Shanata? That earliest and greatest Shield Dwarf Kingdom? Are you saying that Colossus City was made by them?" Gaven’s spirits lifted imdiately. If Colossus City is linked to this Dwarf Kingdom, then their legacy would be even more extraordinary.
Whether it’s the automatic ironworks production line below or the Heart of the Mountains as the treasure of their people.
This Shield Dwarf Kingdom is very, very ancient, even before the ancient Imasca Empire was established, when the Vihong Sea was still land, and the Human Spiritual Power Empire Zambia had yet to be founded on this land.
It once spanned a vast area, including Amu, Thacel, Karinshan, and all the upper Dark Domain along the shores of Steam Lake, led by the great Dwarf Pioneer Tack Shanata and his eight sons, explored twelve thousand years ago.
Like father, like son.
The eight Children of Shanata were no ordinary beings; each founded their own sub-kingdom, and the union of the eight ford the true Kingdom of Shanata.
This ancient Dwarf Kingdom rose and fell several tis, standing on this land for tens of thousands of years, influencing the entire dwarf history of the Northern Lands.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that all Northern Shield Dwarves are descendants of this ancient Dwarf Empire.
Later, they even established the Supre Shanata Dwarf Kingdom north of the Marching Mountains, and over seven thousand years ago, they went to war with the Nadeheim Giant Empire.
Legend has it that the dwarves of Supre Shanata killed at least five thousand Giants of the Nadeheim Kingdom. By the ti the war ended, over half the Giants south of the Giant Run Mountain Range were annihilated.
The Giants of the Nadeheim Kingdom devolved into fragnted Giant tribes.
And this matches the legendary history of the Giant Plains Gaven had previously understood.
The Giant Plains were once a massive battleground where tens of thousands of Giants perished, thus catalyzing the surrounding unique giantification laws.
And the dwarves of Colossus City were destroyed at the hands of their archenemies, the Giants—those who turned themselves into Undying Existences, the Stone Giants.
The Spirit Soul Naga Alhasan confird this: "Yes, this dwarf city was a border city built by the Kingdom of Supre Shanata, used to guard against the Northern Giants.
And Cainheim Village, located beneath the Giant Run Mountain Range, was constructed by a group of Stone Giants who escaped from the massacre of the Giant Kingdom Nadeheim, this tribe’s Stone Giants wouldn’t step into death; they would transform themselves into Undying Existences beforehand.
The Undead Stone Giant Chieftain now ruling there is nad Duokong, supposedly the last king of the Giant Empire Nadeheim.
Though we couldn’t approach Cainheim Village, I can sense the powerful aura of death perating it, as if a death army slumbers there.
Below Colossus City lies not only a Dwarf automated ironworks but also a new Dwarf city. Those Stone Giants enslaved a tribe of Dulga Dwarves to mine ores and forge equipnt for them."
"Dulga Dwarves? How many are there? How much military force have the Stone Giants stationed here?" Gaven was rather pleased.
Dulga Dwarves are also known as Gray Dwarves or Evil Dwarves because they turned to an Evil Dwarf God nad Dulga, hence the na.
This Dulga Dwarf actually has very deep roots with the Shanata Kingdom, as they were once a part of the Kingdom’s sub-nations. It’s just that they dug too deep in their city, connecting the lower Dark Domain beneath it, where even more ancient and formidable beings exist—the Mind Flayers, also known as Soul Sucker Monsters.
This group, the future rulers of Felen, possessed powerful mind-control abilities. They manipulated and enslaved these dwarves for generations. Only with the help of the Evil God Dulga did they gain the ability to resist this ntal enslavent, overthrow the Mind Flayers’ rule, and regain their freedom.
However, years of ntal enslavent permanently altered these dwarves, turning their darkened spirits as vile as those of their forr tyrant masters. Additionally, they resented the Dwarf Gods’ indifference to their plight, renounced the Dwarf Gods, and ceased calling themselves Dwarves, opting to be known as Dulga People instead. Therefore, they do not hesitate to attack their Dwarf kin.
Yet Gray Dwarves are still dwarves, possessing all the crafts and techniques of Dwarves, without the stubbornness or rigidity of ordinary Dwarves. If they can be taken in hand, it wouldn’t just be about gaining a large iron and steel factory but a comprehensive weapons and equipnt manufacturing plant as well.
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