Chapter 634 The Dwarven Feast
"Whoosh—"
With a faint sound, the space twisted and a portal suddenly opened. Two gold dragons—one large, one small—stepped out one after another. Aurora was helping the badly wounded Titus as they appeared inside the dwarven royal palace.
The dwarves were seated on either side of a long table, which was loaded with delicacies, mountain treasures, seafood, and their beloved strong liquor, filling the hall with a heavy aroma.
The palace of Avenderdan was a marvel built thousands of years ago by the first King of the Mountains himself. It was spacious by dwarven standards, but for a thirty-meter ancient gold dragon, it was a little cramped.
"It's Dawn Wing!"
"Lord Titus, Lady Aurora, you're finally here!"
"Good day, Lord Titus, I'm so glad to see you. I've been looking forward to this day for a long time."
When the dragons arrived, the dwarven commanders and officials inside all stood up at once, coming forward with enthusiasm to greet them. They nearly surrounded the two gold dragons, and the hall instantly became noisy.
Though their manners were rough and their bows uneven, those bearded, rugged faces still shone with genuine respect and gratitude.
Dwarves were always straightforward and stubborn, with clear loves and hates—they almost never hid what they felt, always wearing it on their sleeves.
To the dwarves, "Dawn Wing" Titus was a great benefactor. In the orc army's hour of assault, he stood up and fended off several major attacks, even killing the orc chieftain.
For this, the musical dwarves wrote several famous songs—"Golden Wings," "The Dragon Who Brings the Dawn," "The Flames on Blackstone Mountain"—and, drunk around bonfires, danced and sang their praises.
In this festive air, even dwarf children would hum lines while playing—"He smashed orcs with his claws," "He breathed fire and burned the army."
"Good day, Lord Titus, Lady Aurora. Forgive my unruly subjects, they may have embarrassed you." A familiar voice came from afar.
Titus nodded back, replying, "Good day, King Edd, it's been a while."
The dwarves made way, and King Edd of the dwarves walked steadily down from his throne, looking lively—so different from his gravely wounded state days before.
The dwarf king looked at the battered gold dragon and asked with concern, "Lord Titus, I've heard of your brave stand against the Ember Emperor. How are your wounds?"
Titus shook his head and said quietly, "It's nothing, just flesh wounds." He looked the king up and down, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "But what about you? How'd you get like this?"
With constant truesight, he could tell: though King Edd looked energetic, totally different from his death's-door state before, the forge-flame—the dwarves' life-force—inside him was nearly extinguished, dim and fading.
"Hahaha!" Edd laughed heartily, thumping his chest. "It's a gift from the ancestors! We dwarves are all about tough, unkillable life!"
Titus was silent for a moment, guessing his intent. The dwarf commanders and ministers crowded together, arm-in-arm, roaring with laughter, full of excitement.
"That's dwarves for you!"
"Yeah, we were all worried, but look—King Edd's even stronger now!"
"He told us he's sitting that throne for at least two hundred years—he'll make the Highland Kingdom great again!"
Edd smiled too, stroking his beard and reaching out his hand. "Lord Titus, have a seat. I called you here to this feast to celebrate our victory."
"Three days ago, our cavalry found the orc army had retreated north of Fuller Mountain—Gruumsh's schemes are smashed for good!"
At this, King Edd's tone turned excited, and the surrounding dwarves cheered, the air growing even livelier.
"Make the Highland Kingdom great again!"
A dwarf lifted his mug and shouted, face red, swaying and clearly drunk.
"My friend, this truly is worth celebrating." Titus nodded and sat on the huge seat the dwarves had prepared for him. Aurora sat beside him.
"Long live the Highland Kingdom! Long live King Edd! Shield dwarves never yield!"
"Cheers!"
"To victory!"
Dwarves shouted in all sorts of voices, the din of their cries and mugs clashing echoing through the hall.
Looking around, Titus asked curiously, "If this is a victory feast, why aren't our elven allies here?"
Edd replied, "After the orcs retreated, Lord Rea and her guards rushed back to Serenia—seems she was summoned by her queen."
The gold dragon nodded, not asking more, but thinking to himself—after fate's path changed, the Serenia coup would likely come sooner now.
He'd have to think about when to get involved and get what he wanted from the elven kingdom.
Just then, Edd stood and raised his mug to Titus, shouting, "To our noble and mighty draconic ally—Dawn Wing Titus!"
"To Lord Titus!"
"Dawn Wing! Dawn Wing!"
"The dragon who brought the dawn—he smashed orcs with his claws! The dragon who brought the dawn—"
The dwarves cheered again, shouting Titus's name, even bursting into improvised songs.
In this rowdy mood, the always-solemn gold dragon looked a bit uneasy, but still carefully picked up a barrel taller than any dwarf and drank it down in one go.
"I only did what I ought to do. Here's to you dwarves—your courage brought peace and victory to Avenderdan," Titus said gravely.
"Long live Lord Titus!"
"Praise the gold dragon!"
Hearing the dragon's praise, the dwarves grew even more excited, jumping up to toast the gold dragon despite the size gap.
As the feast went on, the dwarves kept drinking, faces growing redder, the smell of booze filling the palace.
These guys didn't care about appearances, celebrating wildly, eating heartily and linking arms to dance around the gold dragon.
Some dwarves even climbed the table, singing and dancing, making everyone laugh while silver cups and plates crashed to the ground.
"Long live the gold dragon!"
"Dawn Wing, you're Avenderdan's savior!"
Titus and Aurora were affected by the mood, but didn't dare join in—one wrong move from a dragon would demolish the place.
The feast ran till midnight. The dwarves fell drunk to the ground, the palace a total mess, with mugs and plates everywhere.
At the head of the table, Edd, uncharacteristically, hadn't drunk much, just smiling and watching the dragons before getting up.
"Lord Titus, my subjects may have embarrassed you, and the palace is too noisy—shall we go outside and catch up?"
The gold dragon seemed to get the hint and nodded. He told Aurora, "Aurora, wait here for me. I'll be back soon."
Aurora looked worried, hesitating: "Titus, your wounds—"
Titus patted the young dragon's head with his claw and smiled. "Aurora, I'm not hurt bad enough to collapse the moment you're gone."
Seeing his smile, Aurora nodded and stayed put.
"Lord Titus, this way." Edd gestured for him to follow.
The palace doors opened. King Edd led the way, the gold dragon following behind—limping, but easily keeping up.
They passed through the garden and into a hidden mine, down long tunnels, till they reached a secret chamber deep in Blackstone Mountain.
Looking around at the lifelike dwarf carvings and ancient runes, Titus said, "King Edd, you didn't bring me here just to catch up, did you?"
"Of course not. I won't waste your time."
Titus folded his wings and lay down, trying to get on the dwarf's level, then sighed. "Then let's talk, King Edd. For example... about your body."
Edd gave a bitter smile. "Nothing gets past you, Titus. Your magic is still unfathomable."
The dwarf took the warhammer from his belt. "This warhammer is the Highland Kingdom's sacred relic. Whenever a royal-blooded dwarf dies, they melt themselves into it, to empower their descendants.
Months ago, I forcibly fused my body and soul with it. I gained great power, but paid an irreversible price.
Over the next three years, it will drain my life's fire, and I'll become part of it."
Edd stroked the runes. "But... you can tell—I used a secret method to reclaim some fire, got my strength back for now, but I've got less than a year left."
Titus frowned, seriously. "There are ways to prolong life—why rush to get your power back?"
Edd turned, staring southwest. "I've lived long enough. Dying in battle is better than lingering in half-life.
As for why I hurried to recover—you know as well as I do."
The gold dragon froze, voice trembling: "You mean the Ember Empire?"
Edd nodded. "You know—the Ember Empire took all North Aether. The Highland Kingdom is right to their northeast. That red dragon emperor could attack at any time. I've seen the Harpers' intel. The Empire's army is too strong—if I wasn't at full strength—"
The king lowered his head, bitter. "Before the red dragon even makes a move, Avenderdan would be finished."
Titus, ignoring his injuries, forced himself upright, growling through clenched teeth: "I'll help you. I won't just watch that monster take Avenderdan! I won't lose another friend to a dragon!"
Edd looked at the gold dragon with gratitude but shook his head firmly. "Lord Titus, I refuse your help."
"Why? Am I not your ally?" Titus protested.
"Frankly, you're too badly hurt. You fought for us, for this continent—you've done enough."
"Besides," Edd said with a wry grin, "this war's nearly unwinnable. A being like you should be a key to resisting the invaders in the future, not die with us for nothing now."
"But..."
The gold dragon lowered his head, silent. The king was right. In his current shape, he couldn't stop the Empire.
He couldn't argue.
Better to plan for the long term—gather allies and build up strength to match the enemy.
That's what "Titus" would think. By now, Cassius was fully in character, sunk in the feeling of powerless resistance.
After a long silence, Titus looked at the king. "So, King Edd, what do you want me to do?"
Edd looked up and met the gold dragon's eyes, voice firm: "I want you to protect the last bloodline of the Highland Kingdom. If Avenderdan falls, take what I entrust and leave.
That way, even if the Highland Kingdom is lost, our descendants will someday rise again—revive our civilization, and restore the shield dwarves' glory."