‘Iron Ore Valley’, as the name suggests, is related to mining and forging. This is a canyon in the Black Forest. There are more than a dozen mines dug in the canyon, and settlements are built around the mines.
The slender and winding canyon is subject to non-stop winds all year round. The cliffs in the canyon are polished smooth and rounded by the strong airflow. Only a few houses and buildings are built in the leeward places for human survival.
There are a large number of wooden tracks laid in the settlement, and the pulleys that transport the ore go in and out of the mines along the tracks. The excavated ore will be transported to the smelting room, and after smelting, it will be sent to the forging room, which are the two most popular places in the settlement.
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It is said that because the canyon of the Iron Ore Valley is windy all year round, residents built windmills to take advantage of the free power. The gears of the windmill drive the winch, which creaks to provide power for the heavy pulley, and can also pull the bellows to blow and heat the smelting chamber.
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The huge windmill blades are more than ten meters high. Everyone who comes to the Iron Mine Valley can see the tall wind-driven building in the canyon at first sight. Its never-ending rotation has become the spiritual totem of the Iron Mine Valley.
, people’s lives are all based on it.
Zhou Qingfeng and his party arrived outside the valley, and the sentries at the entrance and exit of the canyon had already seen them. As usual, several heavy crossbows arranged on the arrow towers on the wall were aimed at them, asking the visitors to stop advancing and identify themselves.
The appearance of the old dwarf Borg was very conspicuous. He waved and shouted a few times, and the suspension bridge on the settlement wall fell down. After a while, several heavily armed soldiers came out, wearing heavy armor and heavy helmets.
A heavy ax or flail is held in the hand.
This luxurious equipment is unique in the entire Black Forest.
"Old Borg." The soldier leader recognized the dwarf witch doctor. He looked at Zhou Qingfeng and others warily and asked, "What are you doing here at this time?"
The old dwarf turned back and got out of the way. Zhou Qingfeng rode forward and said in a deep voice: "My name is Victor Hugo, and I'm here to see your leader Fei Zhe. I have some important matters related to the life and death of humans in the Black Forest that I want to talk to him about.
Let’s talk.”
Hahaha..., several heavy-armored soldiers laughed. The leader looked at Zhou Qingfeng with sideways eyes, and asked in a sneer: "Boy, who are you? Are you hungry? Are you here?
Are you begging for food?"
This mocking sound made the faces of the old dwarf and others unable to hold their nerves, and their angry expressions appeared.
Zhou Qingfeng took out the pre-drawn map from his backpack and handed it over, "I don't like nonsense, so show this map to your leader. I will only wait for him for half a quarter of an hour. If he feels that my arrival is worthless,
I will turn around and leave without disturbing you."
The soldier leader stepped forward suspiciously and took the wolf-skin map, then opened it and took a look. At first glance, he didn't care. The freshly-tanned wolf skin still smelled of blood, and it felt sticky in his hands. But
When he looked at it a few more times, his brows furrowed...
There are a few simple curves drawn on the wolf's skin, which at first glance look like children's scribblings. But anyone familiar with the Iron Ore Valley can recognize that the drawings on them are the terrain of the canyon where the settlement is located.
The map marked the exact locations of more than a dozen mines in the Iron Ore Valley, as well as the directions inside the mines. If these were the only things drawn on the wolf skin, the soldier leader would be a little surprised at most - how could anyone be so familiar with his settlement?
But regarding the mine, there is a more detailed enlarged picture on the wolfskin. The picture shows a lot of details of the mine. Some of them are known to the soldier leader. Some of them are unknown to him, but they are spaces that the people in the settlement have always wanted to explore.
"Where did this picture come from?" the soldier leader asked in shock and anger.
"I drew it yesterday." Zhou Qingfeng said.
"How do you know the situation in our mine in the valley?"
"Because that's not your mine at all. A few decades ago, this wasn't an iron ore valley. It was the ore refining field of Silverleaf City in the Black Forest. It was the elves who built this place. The elves evacuated this place fifty years ago, and they allowed you to
Take advantage."
Except for the old dwarf who already knew about it, the soldiers in Iron Mine Valley and the three adventurers who followed were all shocked. Especially the three Lukes, they all thought that Zhou Qingfeng was coming to Iron Mine Valley to explain the pros and cons and persuade the people of Iron Mine Valley.
Zhe joins the team.
Who would have thought that Zhou Qingfeng would suddenly take out a map of the Iron Ore Valley and tell the origin of the settlement, shocking the people in the settlement on the spot. The secrets hidden behind this can be found by the humans in the Black Forest.
decades.
Zhou Qingfeng pointed to the armors of several soldiers and said: "The craftsmanship of elves is no worse than that of dwarves. Back then, Silverleaf City prohibited humans from entering the Black Forest, but they kept selling the weapons and armors they made.
What you are wearing should be the semi-finished products left over from those days. It’s really sad that decades have passed and you haven’t been able to turn them into finished products, let alone make real use of this forging ground.”
Just a few sentences get to the point.
The soldiers in the Iron Mine Valley were confused and at a loss. They had always kept the secret of the Iron Mine Valley tightly, thinking that the outside world didn't know about it. But now a young man of unknown origin randomly ran out and revealed their background.
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The accompanying ranger Luke also learned about the origin of Iron Ore Valley for the first time. He was shocked and rushed forward and shouted coldly to the soldiers: "No wonder you don't allow outsiders to stay in the settlement, let alone strangers.
Your mine. It turns out there is such a big secret hidden in it."
The female Druidnar approached Zhou Qingfeng and asked: "Sir Hugo, how do you know this?"
Wizard apprentice Jason also pricked up his ears.
"I know an old guy who has lived for a long time. He told me." Zhou Qingfeng's information came from the 'shadow' who claimed to be a god. "Half an hour has passed. Should I turn around and leave and find someone in another settlement?"
Let’s talk about cooperation?”
Ranger Luke immediately shouted: "Sir Hugo, please forgive us for our previous rudeness, you can go to our Bear Roar Peak. You can make any requests. Regarding the Elf Forge, we are very willing to listen."
The female Druidnar's eyes flickered. She did not win over Zhou Qingfeng easily. Instead, she took out a note from her backpack, quickly wrote a few sentences on it with charcoal, then put the note into a small wooden tube and handed it to herself.
The winter wolf companion whispers a few words.
The huge winter wolf whined a few times, took the small wooden tube in its mouth, turned around and ran, quickly returning to the Lake of Ashes.
The wizard apprentice Jason couldn't help but smile bitterly - this Lord Hugo is young, has a mysterious origin, and the news he tells is extremely shocking. But the Black Forest is too far away from the Cold Wind City, and even if he knows the secret now, he can't tell it outside.
Stay and watch.
Faced with the different actions of the three adventurers, the soldiers in the Iron Ore Valley didn't know what to do?
On the contrary, the old dwarf Borg cursed, "Idiot, why don't you go and inform your leader Fei Zhe? Let that guy with a head as stubborn as a rock come and greet you personally."
Several soldiers panicked, and after hearing this, they immediately turned around and ran towards the settlement. When they came out wearing heavy armor, they were impressive and slow, but when they returned, they stumbled and walked awkwardly.
On the arrow tower of the settlement, the sentry thought that something unexpected had happened, and immediately sounded the alarm, ordering the entire Iron Ore Valley to enter combat readiness. Even the suspension bridge was closed to isolate the inside and outside.
The clumsy heavily armored soldier ran out of breath and returned to the settlement wall, shouting to explain the situation. A bearded man quickly stood on the wall with a ferocious face, roaring and asking what happened?
When the soldiers finished explaining the situation intermittently, the bearded man fell into horror. But Zhou Qingfeng, who was standing outside the settlement, had already turned his horse and was about to leave.