paranoianovel Chapter 162 Chief Advisor and the Earth Beast
Chapter 162 Chief Advisor and the Earth Beast
Chapter 162 Chief Advisor and the Earth Beast
Maya patted Bronzebeard's broad shoulder heavily: "Uncle Bronzebeard, with your help, I can rest assured."
Li Ang's eyes twitched as he listened from the side. This was still far from over, and they were already calling each other "Your Majesty" and "I"? Were all dwarves this straightforward?
Then Maya proudly introduced Li Ang to Copperbeard: "Uncle Copperbeard, this is my chief knight, personal apothecary, and chief advisor, Li Ang. You can talk to him if you have anything to discuss later."
Copperbeard looked at Li Ang, who was 1.9 meters tall, and a hint of admiration appeared in his eyes: "As expected of a high-ranking official by His Majesty's side, even his appearance is so extraordinary."
Li Ang smiled modestly on the surface, but in his heart he wondered if Professor Diana would be regarded as a god descending to earth when she came here.
The two sides established a cooperative relationship, and Bronzebeard immediately got into his role.
He led Maya, Li Ang, and the others to a spacious open area behind the Chamber of Commerce, where various kinds of animal-drawn carriages and tamed beasts were parked.
The air was filled with the smell of livestock manure and fermented feed.
To be honest, the smell wasn't very pleasant, and it made Li Ang frown.
Copperbeard pointed to the two main types of beasts in the arena and explained, “Your Majesty, Advisor, our group consists of thirteen people, including myself, plus necessary supplies. We need to rent large vehicles. The Merchant Guild has two main options here. First, there are the Black Goats,” which are faster, but smaller and weaker. We’ll need at least three Black Goats to pull all of us. The other is the Earth Beasts,” which are slower, but have thick hides, great stamina, and immense strength. One of them can pull a large vehicle.”
He carefully calculated the costs: "A black goat costs eight copper coins to rent per day, so three would cost twenty-four copper coins. Although a single earth beast is more expensive, costing twenty copper coins per day, it's still cheaper than renting three black goats. Moreover, the bean cakes that earth beasts eat are cheaper than hay. All things considered, renting earth beasts is more cost-effective."
Li Ang carefully examined the creatures known as "Earth Beasts." They were enormous, with thick, grayish-brown bony shells on their backs, resembling elephants from his previous life, but with even thicker limbs, giving them a truly powerful appearance.
Li Ang nodded, agreeing with Copperbeard's suggestion: "Then let's do as you say and rent the Earth Beasts."
Next, Copperbeard led them to choose a large carriage about six meters long. The carriage was made of heavy wood and some metal components, and it looked very sturdy. The rental fee was ten copper coins a day.
"Feed also needs to be prepared," Copperbeard added after selecting the carriage. "Earth Beasts mainly eat soybean cake, which is a byproduct of oil extraction. It's nutritious and keeps you full for a long time. A big bucket only costs ten copper coins."
Ultimately, with Bronzebeard as their witness, they signed a lease agreement with the Chamber of Commerce, along with an advance payment of one silver coin for feed.
Copperbeard personally inspected the vehicle and the saddle of the Earth Beast. After confirming that everything was in order, he skillfully drove the docile beast and pulled the vehicle to the entrance of the inn.
The group carried their luggage and supplies onto the spacious carriage. Although the interior was simple, with only two rows of hardwood benches, there was enough space for everyone to sit down, and the remaining space could be used to store luggage and feed.
Copperbeard sat in the driver's seat and pulled the reins. The Earth Beast, with heavy but steady steps, pulled the huge carriage slowly out of Thunder Town and headed towards the towering Thunder Mountain Range, where lightning flashed.
Inside the carriage, Li Ang looked out the window.
As they ventured deeper into the mountains, the sky grew increasingly overcast, with leaden clouds hanging low, seemingly within reach.
From time to time, blinding bolts of lightning tore through the sky from the clouds, followed by muffled thunder rumbling through the valleys, making people tremble.
Rudick took out his compass to check the direction, but the magnetic field here was abnormally chaotic, and its pointer spun wildly like an out-of-control top, making it impossible to indicate the direction.
"Here, that thing is useless." Copperbeard, in the driver's seat, said loudly without turning his head. "Only a compass made with special materials and methods can barely be used. But—" His tone carried the pride and confidence of someone who had once been a soldier.
"Back when I was the commander of the Royal Guard Division, I led my men on this road countless times—for drills, patrols, and bandit raids—I could find my way back to Ironforge with my eyes closed. You can all relax and relax!"
The earth beast pulled the cart, driving step by step into the depths of the mountains where thunder never ceased, along the winding mountain road trodden by countless wheels and hoofprints.
The train carriage jolted violently along the rugged mountain road, while outside lay a thunderous inferno.
This was their second day in the Thunder Mountains. The sturdy earth beast still strode steadily, pulling the heavy carriage and leading everyone through this harsh environment.
During a short midday break, Copperbeard patted its heavy shell and carried out half a bucket of soybean cake mixed with coarse salt from the back of the carriage.
Upon seeing the bean cake, the earth beast affectionately rubbed its head against the bronze whiskers, then lowered its head, used its nimble long tongue to roll up the bean cake, and began to chew it heartily, making satisfied humming sounds as it ate, clearly showing its great fondness for this food.
Li Ang estimated in his mind that, based on the consumption over the past two days, this big guy could eat about two and a half buckets of bean cakes a day, and the bean cakes they brought would just last until they reached their destination.
After finishing the bean cakes, the Earth Beast pulled the carriage again and started moving. After traveling for a while, the weather in the mountains became increasingly harsh.
The leaden clouds hung low, seemingly suspended overhead, with blinding electric snakes darting wildly within them, each flash illuminating the dim valley as if it were daytime.
Immediately following was a deafening roar of thunder, so loud that everyone's eardrums rang and their hearts pounded uncontrollably.
Even Copperbeard, who was always confident about this route, was now gripping the reins tightly, his thick, bronze eyebrows furrowed into a knot.
He gazed at the sky and muttered a curse in obscure dwarven slang: "Damn it, today's thunderstorm is like Thor's forging hammer—endless and exceptionally violent!"
Li Ang frowned slightly as he looked out at the apocalyptic scene through the rain-blurred car window.
Disguised as ordinary guards, they could not use magic to dispel or resist the power of heaven and earth, and could only rely on the sturdiness of the vehicle itself and Copperbeard's experience to withstand it.
However, nature's wrath sometimes exceeds imagination.
Just as they had traveled nearly halfway through the journey, the beast-drawn carriage passed through a relatively open valley.
An unprecedentedly thick bolt of lightning, like a thunderous spear hurled by a god, tore through the gloomy sky, carrying a destructive aura, and struck the front of the group with unparalleled precision!