84. Quicksand Desert (2)
In the dwarven corridor, the dwarf leaders and golem masters had gathered. Chieftain Yulih stepped forward with a grave expression.
"We've dug canals from the river to the canyon and even built a city on the surface for them. For this expedition, we mobilized all our Steel Golems and brought a thousand dwarf warriors, yet what reward have we received in return? Nothing! Wayne is just using us!"
At that moment, Brock raised his hand and spoke up.
"Yulih! We've already received much from Wayne. So it's not true that we've gotten nothing."
"That's not all! Why should we dwarves get involved in human wars? We're not Wayne's slaves!"
"He is the one carrying on our ancestors' legacy. He's helping us. So it's only natural that we help him in return."
Yulih's eyebrows twitched. In the past, Brock had never once opposed the chieftain or raised any objections. But now, he was freely voicing his own thoughts. This change wasn't limited to Brock—it was spreading among the other young dwarves as well.
"Wayne gave us ten Steel Golems and said he wouldn't make any more of our ancestors' legacy! That's a clear breach of promise."
"Yulih! Isn't that because there are no magic stones?"
"If there are no magic stones, then we go get them! The ancestors' legacy is what he promised us. But right now, he's only doing his own thing."
A few dwarves nodded in agreement. Then, young golem master Yond raised his hand.
"Chieftain Yulih is wrong!"
"What? What are you saying, young dwarf?!"
"Wayne is fighting desperately to protect this place! And three thousand of us dwarves live here. So everything Wayne does is for the dwarves."
"There are only twenty humans, while a thousand of us are moving. In the end, we're the ones protecting them."
"Wayne's humans are strong! Even if all us dwarves attacked, we couldn't win. So how are we protecting them?"
Yond's words were spot on. He refuted the chieftain point by point, turning Yulih's face red.
Then, High Priest Huldr stepped forward.
"We dwarves must stay united! Humans are coming here soon—ten times our number, from what I've heard. Our position here will surely narrow."
"The high priest is right. This is our dwarf ancestors' kingdom. We can't hand it over to humans."
At that moment, dwarf smith Aelga raised his hand.
"I, the maker of legacies, Aelga, request to speak."
"Speak, Aelga!"
Aelga stood up.
"It's true this is the ancient dwarf ancestors' kingdom. But wasn't it Wayne who discovered it, led us here, and even passed on the ancestors' legacy?"
"That doesn't mean he can use the dwarf kingdom's legacy however he wants!"
"Then what does Chieftain Yulih think we dwarves should do?"
"Obviously, we protect this place with our own strength."
Aelga's eyes widened.
"You mean go to war with humans?"
"If necessary."
"I, Great Warrior Brock, oppose this!"
Brock stood up.
"Yulih! We dwarves can't protect this place with our strength alone! And Wayne has given us homes to live in and food without stint. He's even given us the ancestors' legacy—we can't betray him!"
"Right! The chieftain's thinking is too narrow!"
This time, young golem master Barak stepped forward.
"Just a year ago, we lived in damp caves in the mountain valleys. But now we have big, fine houses. Before, we fought orcs over a single fish or fruit tree, but now we don't worry about food. All this is thanks to Wayne!"
Yond stood again.
"That's right! Wayne has given much for the dwarves! What has Chieftain Yulih done for us in the past twenty years? Our clan numbered over five thousand, but now we're down to three thousand! Without Wayne, we'd still be dying in the Sierra Mountains!"
Naive golem master Ajul also stood.
"Chieftain Yulih sent our dwarf warriors to human wars too! He made us fight for the Estel Kingdom that drove us into the Sierra Mountains! But we got nothing from it! Fighting for Wayne is for the dwarves' honor!"
As the young dwarves exposed his past failings, Yulih's face flushed red. But with the other golem masters quickly joining in agreement, he needed to regain control fast.
"I, the hammer wielder, Chieftain Yulih, speak! I'm not saying we fight Wayne. The humans I mean are the ones tormenting us and trying to drive us out—not Wayne. So young warriors, don't get excited!"
The chieftain hurriedly tried to defuse the situation.
"What I mean is, we demand more ancestors' legacies—Steel Golems—from Wayne! We've fought hard and fulfilled his requests, so asking for more legacies is our just demand."
At that moment—
"Hey! Perfect, you're all gathered."
Wayne Stein entered the dwarven corridor. Yulih looked startled.
"Wayne! We were just having a clan meeting."
"Who said otherwise? I just came to pass on some info."
Yulih worried that Wayne might have overheard their discussion.
"Tomorrow at dawn, we're heading to the Quicksand Desert for magic stones, so golem masters, get ready!"
"Tomorrow?"
"Yeah, we need to make ancestors' legacies, and this time special golems. Everyone, steel yourselves."
Great Warrior Brock asked,
"Wayne! What's a special golem?"
"Simply put, it's a golem made from magic stones from the guts of very strong magic beasts—bigger, stronger, with way more power! If you're lucky, you might even unleash the beast's abilities in your lifetime."
"Bigger and stronger golems!"
"Ooh! Valhalla!"
The dwarves' eyes lit up.
"And the special golems will go to the dwarves who contribute most to catching the magic beasts, so everyone work hard!"
"I'll catch the magic beast!"
"Let's go hunt magic beasts!"
"Waaah! Valhalla!"
The golem masters cheered. As Wayne turned to leave, the dwarves followed in a herd.
Brock said,
"Yulih! See that? Wayne is working so hard for us dwarves."
"I get it. We're going magic beast hunting too."
Brock followed Wayne. Then High Priest Huldr approached.
"Yulih! You must claim the strongest golem. Only then will the golem masters obey the chieftain."
"Got it!"
Yulih clenched his fists. Wayne already felt guilty for not paying enough attention to the dwarves. And he understood Yulih's position. A single word from him moved three thousand dwarves—he couldn't suddenly settle for being just another golem master.
But even with his greed, Yulih lacked the ability to strengthen the dwarves or secure their future.
'But I'm different!'
Wayne didn't want to make dwarves stronger than humans or enslave them to humans. He just wanted them to live as equals, preserving their pride and honor. And he had the power to make it happen.
'First, I need to secure a special golem for myself.'
A golem made with an A-rank magic stone matched a 2nd Class Gigant in power, while an S-rank one could rival a 1.5-class.
"Pardon? You're going to the Quicksand Desert at dawn with the dwarves?"
Curtis's squad members looked shocked at Wayne's words.
"Yeah. We'll hunt magic beasts to increase our Steel Golems and bolster our forces—at least double them. It'll take some time. And..."
Wayne handed out several sheets of paper to the squad members.
"This is your work while I'm gone."
The Gigant pilots tilted their heads at the papers. Sara Raudi raised her hand.
"You're telling us to reclaim the barren land right now?"
"Yes. Zarak and the dwarves will make canals across the southern barren lands to easily irrigate the fields. Jamie will make Gigant farming tools and forklift arms, so reclaim as much area as possible. Once done, help the dwarves build around the fields."
"Yes, sir."
Though still recovering their Odd, they all nodded obediently. Curtis asked,
"But why the sudden rush? We have housing in the canyon for hundreds of thousands, and Kallung Grand Territory is supplying food for five years—no need to hurry."
Wayne smacked his lips regretfully.
"My guess is the war with Estel Kingdom ends in six months."
"The war ends?"
"A few days ago, Dresden territory forces and Ronsstock territory forces combined to capture Estel's capital. Worried about isolation, Estel and Franso allied forces retreated east. The two strongest grand territories got what they wanted in land and cities, so next it'll be tedious sieges leading to a truce."
"But how does the war ending relate to suddenly reclaiming barren land?"
"When the war ends, over half of Kallung Grand Territory's forces will return."
Everyone tilted their heads.
"What does that have to do with reclaiming land?"
"Obviously. Before, they lacked Gigants to defend their territory and hold Sailon Occupation Zone. But with enough Gigants, they might not honor our agreement."
"But we have a treaty?"
"Sure, they'll keep it on paper. But they'll delay, make excuses, refuse to fulfill it. If we're lucky, it stops there—but they might pressure us with force. Kallung gained little from this Estel war, mostly losses. So they'll recoup elsewhere. Like holding refugee food hostage to send us to the Great Forest for monster hunts."
Now understanding, Curtis and the pilots looked serious.
"And once we become an official territory, they can't do as they please—so they'll try to block that. We can't just sit idle then."
"You mean war with Kallung Grand Territory?"
"Honestly, that worst-case could happen."
Wayne nodded.
"But don't worry too much. Solve the territory's food issue, and they have no leverage. Your Odd is nearly recovered, and we're preparing ahead."
"Understood. We'll do our best to prepare."
Curtis and the pilots' faces were filled with resolve. This land they'd claimed was theirs now—family and kin had all moved here. Kallung was right next door; they could crush with force. But Wayne was already preparing for the worst.
Early dawn. Steel Golems and golem masters gathered at the gate.
"Everyone, move through the Valhalla Gate!"
"Dwarves are strong!"
"Ooooh! Valhalla!"
As the dwarves vanished into the Valhalla Gate, Wayne boarded a Gigant. Not the 2nd Class Gigant Predator, but the 9-meter Chromide.
Chromide was the machine Karian's king had piloted before Martias—a 1.5-class Gigant made from an S-rank giant dinosaur monster's skin, bones, and nerves mixed with A-rank byproducts. Normally, one S-rank beast made a full 1st Class Gigant, but Martias's excessive dragon breath had blown half away, forcing the downgrade.
'Feels tense for no reason.'
Before closing the hatch, Wayne took a deep breath. Absorbing the queen ant's Odd had optimized his body, multiplying his capacity several times; he'd mastered Karian's 5th stage breathing in one go. But it still wasn't enough for Chromide.
Chromide used an S-rank neural net like 1st Class Gigants, consuming far more Odd per move than a 2nd Class. At 6th stage, he could maximize it—but no time to wait.
Tsss! Click!
Chromide's Odd Eye flashed. Vrrr! Thud! Thud!
'Whoa! Just walking consumes this much Odd...'
When Karian's king piloted it, his greater Odd and 6th stage unity minimized waste. At 6th stage, consumption dropped, movements transcended human limits to beast-like fluidity—power beyond imagination.
'Let's go!'
Wayne passed through the Valhalla Gate to the Quicksand Desert.
It hadn't happened yet, but preparation was key. If relations soured with Kallung, worst case meant fighting them. That's why he planned to grab magic stones from the Quicksand Desert to massively increase Steel Golems.
Basic Steel Golems matched 3rd Class Gigants, filling shortages.
'The problem is Zeroth...'
If Kallung returned, their boasted 1st Class Gigant Zeroth would too. Only a 1st Class could counter one. No matter how skilled, a 2nd Class couldn't beat an S-rank beast like an A-rank—different leagues.
Couldn't call Boltain from Estel's capital; he'd handle it somehow. Thus, weaker 1.5-class Chromide against a 1st Class, supplementing with special golems from S-rank beasts here.
'S-rank magic beast... 50% chance!'
No—if he adapted to Chromide, he could take it. Combined with a special golem, downing Zeroth let him pin blame on Kallung, even seize their entire Sailon Occupation Zone. With Valhalla Gate mobility, yes. Survive this, leap to mid-tier territory.
"Wayne! There's no path."
Yond said. The Quicksand Desert loomed, sandstorm whirlwinds obscuring any trail.
"Where now? We could sink into quicksand."
[That's right! That's the answer!]
As dwarves questioned Wayne, the massive Chromide plunged into the quicksand ahead.
"Gasp!"
"Wayne!"
[Everyone hold your breath and follow close!]
The dwarves gasped in shock as Wayne vanished into the quicksand.