Chapter 112: The Clue

"Yes, this is the very channel through which we Kurast dwarves present our appeals to the Ancestors," the dwarf leader said, his face full of confusion as he looked at Liu Zong. He couldn't quite grasp the situation—Liu Zong was unlike them; he was not a Kurast dwarf.

Faced with such opponents, Liu Zong found himself at a loss. It felt like trying to reason with Lena on matters of love—utterly futile. In the end, Liu Zong could only gather information indirectly, inquiring about the purpose of the dwarf before him.

The Kurast warrior named Pine Needle did not hide his intentions. He spoke plainly: all the dwarves present were his retainers, and he had come to appeal to the Ancestors because, ten days prior, his prey had been stolen during a hunt. He and his retainers sought to reclaim the stolen game, but in the ensuing conflict, he killed the thief. As a result, his tribe banished him for fratricide. Unwilling to accept this judgment, he came to make his appeal.

According to Kurast dwarf law, regardless of the accusation, if one’s appeal is accepted and recognized by the Ancestors, it is tantamount to innocence.

After hearing this, Liu Zong and Xu Ying stepped aside, yielding the appeal passageway.

On one hand, Liu Zong wanted to witness how the Kurast dwarves conducted their ancestral appeals; on the other, he hoped Pine Needle would conclude his appeal and lead him to the Kurast dwarves’ ancestral camp.

A merchant had mentioned that the map might contain the location of the Kurast king. Finding the king could potentially yield valuable information.

Seeing Liu Zong clear the way, Pine Needle nodded proudly. Without issuing any orders, his retainers quickly dragged forth a black panther’s corpse of normal size.

This panther was unlike those from the outside world. Its eyes were nearly blind, while its nose and ears were unusually large, seemingly its primary sensory organs.

After bringing the panther’s body over, Pine Needle’s retainers swiftly dismantled it. The hide was spread upon the ground, the limbs arranged neatly before a tree, and the panther’s head faced Pine Needle.

Having completed these preparations, Pine Needle stepped onto the panther’s hide, knelt down the dwarf who served as his mount, and began chanting incantations while standing upon him.

Lena, now capable of understanding all languages, translated nearby. Pine Needle’s words detailed his deeds, lineage, ancestral feats, and finally touched upon the recent conflict and his banishment.

Then, Pine Needle did something quite unusual—he pressed the panther’s head into the tree trunk.

He then instructed his dwarves to sit and await the Ancestors' response.

Liu Zong seized the opportunity to engage him in conversation, accompanied by Lü Shang and Lena, asking about the Kurast dwarves.

Regarding battles from countless years ago, Pine Needle knew little, only that his people had never taken anything from the Locust Head or Goat Head tribes. In fact, it was their ancestors who relinquished those territories.

However, he did know that a year prior, tribes living near Locust Head and Goat Head had relocated back, apparently under the Ancestors’ command, avoiding involvement in conflicts between those two factions.

Moreover, in Kurast dwarf culture, the concept of forbidden lands did not exist. To them, creatures fell into two categories: those to be communicated with and those to be consumed. There were no taboos; all places accessible were freely entered by anyone.

Still, Pine Needle advised Liu Zong and his companions to avoid areas densely populated by Kurast dwarves. Recently, the number of Kurast dwarves in this forest had tripled, and some included humans in their diet.

After thanking Pine Needle for his warning, Liu Zong inquired about Kurast dwarven legends, particularly ancient stories and heroic tales.

Whether hearsay or lore, Lena and Lü Shang listened attentively, recording and analyzing alongside Liu Zong.

When Pine Needle recounted the tale of a Kurast king named Tumor Eye from many years ago, Liu Zong and his companions felt a subtle shift.

Tumor Eye was a prodigious dwarf who began as a retainer to a Kurast warrior. During a battle against the Locust Head tribe, the warrior fell. Tumor Eye seized his weapon, slew the enemy, and embarked upon a path of remarkable ascent, eventually reaching the throne and nearly activating divine power to become a totem.

All Kurast dwarves revered Tumor Eye, and even the story of his failure to ascend to godhood was widely known.

What drew Liu Zong’s attention was the reason for Tumor Eye’s failure, as told in the story.

Tumor Eye prematurely unleashed accumulated divine power, transforming his seated retainers, strongest warriors, and royal shamans into wooden statues. Standing atop them, he summoned the deity to manifest as a totem.

Everyone below witnessed the divine transformation, but at the moment the totem descended, Tumor Eye threw it away.

No one knew where the totem was cast. After losing his retainers, strongest warriors, and shamans, Tumor Eye reverted to an ordinary Kurast dwarf.

Less than three days later, he died in the wilderness. At his deathbed was a single retainer who uttered: “The totem still lies within this forest.”

Every Kurast dwarf knew this, yet none dared seek the divine totem. They understood why Tumor Eye discarded it at the last moment—it was to ensure the survival of the Kurast lineage on this continent.

This story, coupled with the tale of nine Kurast shamans sustaining the forest barrier, led Liu Zong to believe that Tumor Eye’s divine totem subdued the greatest forces of the two tribes. Had those powers been unleashed fully, the continent would have been devastated in short order.

Upon finishing the story, Liu Zong asked, “Pine Needle, do you know the direction in which the totem was thrown?”

“Of course,” Pine Needle replied. “Tumor Eye ascended to godhood in the ancestral camp. He threw the totem eastward. No one knows how far it flew, as no sound of it landing was heard. All we know is that it lies to the east, where the sun rises.”

[Continuous Quest (Three): Locate the Tumor Eye Totem, examine its attributes, and confirm whether it resonates with the Adara insectoid amber.]