"The great God of Steam, the master of life and death, your servant Augustus prays to you."
"… Under your guidance, we have infiltrated all of Vlad's territory and affected the castles of all the middle-ranked vampires nearby. Twenty-three thousand seven hundred and eighty-six dwarves are chanting your name and worshipping you as a saint …"
"… Two thousand six hundred and nine believers have died in the battle against the vampires and blood servants. We have begun to attract the attention of the high-rank vampires. Our actions are getting more and more dangerous …"
"Please give us your guidance again, so that the devout dwarves can escape from the vampires' enslavement and leave the Night Highland for a new life."
"Supreme Steam."
The holy statue in front of Augustus was quite strange. It was a thick arrow shaped like a tower, round and grey, with countless strange patterns engraved on it. It was based on the shape of the destructive weapon they saw in Atlantis. In Lucien's words, it was called "worshipping a nuclear bomb."
Augustus' body was completely prostrated on the ground. He sincerely prayed for the God of Steam to give him another oracle. Even though three years had passed and he had not received any guidance from the God of Steam, he did not doubt it at all. He only thought that it was a test from the God.
However, he was anxious and anxious. In the beginning, when the army was not strong enough, the dwarves lived a comfortable life in this territory with the help of Count Vlad and the death of Madam Tess. With the addition of knowledge and the control of some of the mines and blacksmiths, their equipment was quickly upgraded. High-pressure steam rifles, bullets that were the bane of vampires, and armor mixed with mithril that could effectively defend against the claws of vampires. This gave them the ability to contend against blood servants and low-level vampires. They were no longer just passively taking a beating.
However, when the number of dwarves in the Church of Steam increased and they developed into the territory of the middle-rank vampires, the situation suddenly became critical. With their powerful physical strength, spell-like abilities, and terrifying speed, they often had to sacrifice hundreds of dwarves to injure the middle-rank vampires and force them to retreat. Even when they invented the explosive bullets that could not distinguish friend from foe, the effect was not very good.
According to Harold and Quiggins, unless they could restore the cannons of the ancient steam civilization and destroy a large area with one shot, there was no hope for them to kill the fast-moving middle-rank vampires.
"But with our current knowledge, standards, and conditions, there's no way we can create such terrifying cannons," Quiggins, the leader of the dwarven resistance, had said in despair.
Augustus, the archbishop of the Church of Steam, was even more worried. "This is just a middle-rank vampire. If we alarm the senior-ranks, or if Vlad Count wakes up, even the cannons on the warship will be useless, unless …"
"Unless …" The archbishop did not finish his sentence, but Quiggins, Harold, and Myrna all knew that he was talking about the ultimate weapon of the steam civilization in Atlantis that could destroy the entire Night Highland and create a legendary sun for a short period of time.
Thinking of this, Augustus prayed even more devoutly. The most dangerous situation was the moment when trust was tested the most.
"You rule over everything, control the boundary between life and death. You are the king of kings, the god of gods."
After finishing his prayer, Augustus was about to get up when a solemn and grand voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
"The near future is near. Take up the scepter and guide the dwarves to a new life."
Augustus' eyes were wide open. He prostrated himself again in excitement and mumbled, "Your name is recited, and your order is obeyed."
He only felt the light blossoming in front of him, and the dim underground cave became as bright as the silver moon. It was an illusion caused by his great joy.
After calming down, he realized what was going on and asked in reverence, "Great God of Steam, how can we guide the dwarves to leave?"
Although he knew from generations of stories that the ancestors of the dwarves came from another place, he had no idea how to leave the Night Highland at all.
"Just follow my instructions. Don't ask why."
"You are a saint. Under your glory, we are willing to get rid of all the sufferings and evils." Receiving the instruction, Augustus' old face glowed with dazzling brilliance. He walked out of the altar, opened the stone gate, and said to the dwarves outside confidently and excitedly, "Send the order to all the dwarves of the Church of Steam. Gather here in three days. The great God of Steam has given the oracle that we will leave the Night Highland! "
After a short silence, under the lead of the dwarf girl Myrna, all the dwarves on the spot shouted in unison, "Steam is supreme!"
Tears of joy and excitement ran freely on their faces.
… …
Three days later.
In this huge underground cave in Count Vlad's territory, there were nearly 21,000 dwarves who had secretly come from nearby areas.
Some of them were carrying high-pressure steam backpacks and huge steam rifles, guarding the entrance of the continuous cave. Some of them were in ragged clothes with whip marks all over their bodies. The only thing they had in common was the dazzling hope on their faces.
"The time has come for the oracle. I'm very satisfied that every living believer of the Church of Steam has come here. This shows your piety, and you will be saved." Augustus was wearing a long robe, which was a short jacket for human beings. He was holding a silver scepter that looked like a missile. "And I, the representative of the God of Steam on earth, will lead you forward."
"Along the way, no matter how dangerous and desperate it is, don't be afraid. Don't stop. We are blessed by the God!"
"Let's go!"
All the dwarves replied, "Steam is supreme!" Then they lined up according to the Military Training Manual given by the God and moved forward in the underground cave in an orderly manner.
They all knew that if they stayed on the Night Highland, there would be no hope for them. Sooner or later, they would die in humiliation. However, the appearance of the God of Steam gave them hope. Since they were going to die either way, they might as well try their best. Even though some dwarves were hesitant and scared, they still followed the crowd under the influence of others.
After passing through many caves, the ground gradually became higher, and dense tombstones appeared around them.
"These are the heroes who have sacrificed themselves for the survival and hope of the dwarves in the past three years. Some of them were warriors, and some of them were ordinary dwarves and women who protected the warriors. At the moment of life and death for the dwarves, every dwarf is a hero," Augustus said in a loud voice in the front and expressed his deep respect.
The two thousand six hundred and nine tombstones watched them pass in silence. The atmosphere suddenly became solemn. Suddenly, a sharp and ear-piercing cry came from the back of the cave. Seven or eight ordinary vampires, led by two or three powerful vampires, spread their bat wings and chased after them in flight!
"It's Thanelson!" Shouted a dwarf. He recognized that it was the level-five vampire Knight who had killed hundreds of dwarves. "They're here!"
"Is there a traitor?"
"Someone was caught on the way here?"
Panic, desperation, and fear spread among the dwarves. The few vampires were all close to senior-rank. In such a crowded environment, the dwarves would suffer a great loss.
Looking at his compatriots, Harold hesitated for a second and then spat on the ground and shouted, "Warriors of the Mechanical Knight Regiment, stand out! It's time for us to sacrifice ourselves for the God of Steam and do our best for the dwarves! "
Damn it! Even if I have to die, I have to die in a worthy way!
At this moment, he overcame his fear of death.
Some of the warriors of the Mechanical Knight Regiment who were holding the huge steam rifles hesitated, and some gritted their teeth and stood out. Bang bang bang bang bang! The volley of bullets was shot to the back along with the steam, but only one ordinary vampire was hit. The vampire was wailing and rolling on the ground.
When Harold was almost desperate, Augustus' voice came, "On the way, no matter how dangerous and desperate it is, don't be afraid. Don't stop. We are blessed by God!"
"Whoever you are, put away your weapons and keep moving forward. Don't stop. We are blessed by God!"
There was still a glimmer of hope if they resisted, but if they kept moving forward like this, they would all die miserably! Harold looked at Augustus in confusion, but he was intimidated by the stern look in Augustus' eyes. He had to give the order, "Everyone, keep moving forward."
The dwarves moved forward slowly in confusion, fear, and the sharp screams of the vampires. They seemed to have sensed the terrifying pressure and danger.
Suddenly, they were shocked to find that the tombstones around them began to shake. The dead bodies of the dwarves rose from their graves. Some of them had become bones, and some were still rotten flesh.
Right when they thought that it was the vampires' ability to control the dead bodies, the two thousand tombstones around them all fell down. The dense dead bodies stood up, as if the world of the dead had come to the earth. It was gloomy and terrifying.
The enormous scene was completely beyond the dwarves' imagination. Some of them even thought that the dead had come back to life.
However, these corpses silently rushed to the back, linking together to entangle the vampires. From time to time, there would be loud explosions.
"Are they still protecting us after death?"
"Are they so persistent in the liberation of the dwarves?"
"The other holy name of the God of Steam is' Master of Life and Death '…"
Harold looked back at his old comrades who were blowing themselves up with tears in his eyes. He clenched his fists and said to himself, "I will fulfill your wish!"
"This is the wish that the dwarves have accumulated for tens of thousands of years!"
Therefore, he raised his arms and shouted, "Steam above all, let's keep moving forward!"
After passing through the Cemetery of Dwarven Heroes, they walked out of the underground cave and saw a giant rock in front of them.
Following the guidance of the God of Steam, Augustus successfully opened the gate of the underground palace and led the dwarves in. In the center of the hall, they saw a mysterious gate, on which brilliant stars were shining.
"Behind the gate is a new world, a world of redemption." Augustus pointed at the gate. "The dwarves who have no hesitation or doubt can go in now."
At this point, who would hesitate? Under Harold's order, the dwarves entered the gate one after another and disappeared on the spot. The space was shaking more and more violently. However, none of the vampire princes on the Night Highland were in their own castles. They were all involved in the "rescue" operation of the Primordial Ancestor. The senior-rank vampires were not so sensitive. Only Vlad Count, who was close to the gate, was still trying to break free from the blockade.
When the members of the Mechanical Knight Legion were the only ones left, Thanelson and the other vampires finally got rid of the undead creatures and charged at them.
"What should we do?" The members of the Mechanical Knight Legion looked at each other and were about to divide some of them to block the vampires with twisted faces so that the rest of their comrades could leave.
Harold pressed his chest and said, "Don't be scared. Don't hesitate. Let's keep moving forward."
Hardly had his voice faded away when Harold, the dwarves, and the vampires with bloodshot eyes suddenly heard a crisp sound. They saw that a glittering coin was rolling up on the gate.
As the coin was rolling, twisted magnetic fields and silver electric currents appeared around it. They quickly intertwined into an enormous electric snake with the coin as the core.
Then, Thanelson saw that the dazzling electric light filled the entire hall. The overwhelming and terrifying power quickly swallowed him. There was no way for him to dodge at all.
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