Lin Mu and the group were about to turn and leave the storage cavern when a loud and furious voice erupted behind them, bouncing off the stone walls like thunder rolling through a narrow valley.
"Who dares steal from us!"
The shout carried such pure dwarven outrage that even Cattaleya paused mid stride. Before anyone could react further, a massive hamr ca hurling toward Lin Mu's shoulder.
CLANG.
The impact rang like a temple bell struck by a titan.
Sparks sprayed out. The cavern trembled.
ng Bai nearly leapt out of his skin. Daoist Chu raised a brow in mild fascination, almost as if admiring the sound quality. Little Shrubby arched his back slightly, unsure if he should pounce or watch. Elyon on the other hand, subtly controlled the shadows in the cavern, ready to act.
Lin Mu, however, did not even flinch.
He simply turned to face his attacker.
Standing there was a dwarf.
A very angry dwarf.
A short, broad, outrage packed package of muscle and beard.
His arms were thicker than Cattaleya's legs, and his hamr was nearly three tis his size, glowing faintly with forged heat. His red beard flowed like a burning waterfall, braided with tal beads shaped like flas, anvils, and the occasional grumpy face.
Before Lin Mu could say a word, the dwarf roared again and swung.
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
Each strike hit Lin Mu dead on. None of them even nudged him. Lin Mu stood like a mountain, patiently letting the dwarf expend his irritation.
Lin Mu raised his hands calmly and attempted diplomacy. "We are here to et you, not steal from you. Truly"
CLANG.
"We even have a letter of recomndation from the Shanhu Clan."
CLANG.
"We are not here to cause trouble."
CLANG.
"I really would prefer if you stopped that."
The dwarf absolutely ignored every word. His glare contained the full weight of dwarven suspicion, dwarven pride, and dwarven territorial instincts all bundled together into a singular hamr swinging bundle of fury.
Cattaleya took one step forward. Daoist Chu lifted a hand. But Lin Mu gave them a firm look.
"Let him get it out of his system. It is fine."
They reluctantly stood down.
Then things escalated.
Footsteps thundered from deeper within the tunnel. The group turned just as four more dwarfs rushed into the cavern, all brandishing oversized hamrs or chisels. Altogether five dwarfs now closed in on Lin Mu like tal hungry predators closing on a helpless chunk of ore.
Except Lin Mu was neither helpless nor ore.
The dwarfs apparently did not care. They charged straight for him.
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
Hamrs struck Lin Mu from every angle. One hit his shoulder. Another hit his back. Another smacked his shin. Soone even hit his head with a tallic tap that sounded like they were checking a pot for cracks.
ng Bai watched with his mouth slightly open. "Why are they only hitting Lin Mu?"
Cattaleya grinned and folded her arms. "Because they think he can take it. And because he sounds funny."
Daoist Chu nodded sagely. "There is a unique resonance indeed."
The dwarves' fury began to dissolve almost instantly. Their angry expressions shifted, one by one, into intrigued ones. Their eyes lit up like forge fires. Their strikes transford from aggressive blows into curious taps, like smiths testing a new alloy sample.
One dwarf tapped Lin Mu's shoulder twice, then leaned in close, listening intently.
"That resonance. Clear as refined celestial bronze. Remarkable."
The second dwarf struck Lin Mu's rib with a soft clank and nodded. "No, deeper. More like tempered star iron. Maybe even a trace of lunar gold."
The third dwarf smacked Lin Mu's shin and pressed his ear against his hamr. "There is gold in there sowhere. I can tell. Pure gold. Old gold. Tasty gold."
Lin Mu sighed loudly.
The fourth dwarf pointed his hamr at Lin Mu's torso. "What kind of body tempering did you use? It is not natural. No human makes sounds like this unless he trained in a dwarven forge"
The fifth dwarf, a wiry fellow with a beard that looked like it had been burned half off once or twice, sniffed the air around Lin Mu. "I sll tal. Real tal. Did he eat gold? Tell he ate gold."
All five dwarves leaned closer.
ng Bai whispered, "I think they actually want him to say yes."
Lin Mu cleared his throat. "I did not use any dwarven manuals."
The dwarves looked disappointed.
Then Lin Mu added, "But I did cultivate with the True Gold Body Forging Arts."
Five dwarfs froze.
Their eyes widened.
Their hamrs dropped slightly.
Then they shouted in unison, "You did eat gold!"
Lin Mu rubbed his temples. "Yes. I consud refined gold during my early body
cultivation."
The dwarves inhaled sharply as if they had just witnessed spiritual
enlightennt.
One of them slapped his forehead. "No wonder the resonance is so perfect."
Another smacked his chest repeatedly. "I knew it. I could taste the tallic aura in the air. This man is forged."
The dwarf who hit Lin Mu first stepped forward, eyes glowing. "What grade of
gold? Mountain gold? River gold? Heavenly gold? Star tempered gold? How much? How often? What furnace did you train in? Did you use fire essence?
Did you use..."
Lin Mu raised a hand firmly before the questions spiraled out of control.
"I will explain later. First let us talk peacefully."
The dwarves paused. Then reluctantly nodded.
Finally, the hamr swinging chaos settled. The dwarves stepped back, forming
a loose semicircle around Lin Mu, now looking far more like curious craftsn than furious defenders.
The first dwarf planted his hamr on the ground and said, "Right then. Tell us
who you are, gold eater!"
Lin Mu finally exhaled properly and reached into his sleeve. "My na is Lin
Mu. We are not thieves. We ca with goodwill from the Shanhu Clan. Their
patriarch wrote you a letter."
The dwarves blinked. Then blinked again.
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