"Respected Guardian Deity, did you not understand the meaning of my words? There are no true gods in this world. They are merely objects of human faith and hope. The protector we revere is but a person of extraordinary magical power, not invincible." Grimdar bitterly explained.
"No gods at all?" Jack Williams was stunned. What had trapped him in the Alata Gorge?
Grimdar continued, "Though our ancient dwarven records contain only sparse references to that battle, the brutality was unparalleled. It is said that humanity deployed two hundred thousand beast-riding cavalry, fifty thousand mages, the elves sent out a force of one hundred and fifty thousand, and the orcs contributed another two hundred thousand. In total, there were six hundred thousand soldiers. Through the heroic efforts of our dwarven warriors, we killed twenty thousand of them, but we lost eighty thousand of our brave soldiers—four times the number of the enemy." His tears flowed freely.
"So, in the end, the so-called protector used a powerful magic to save you?" Jack Williams asked, his face numb. The shock of this revelation was overwhelming.
"Yes," Grimdar continued. "The ancient records say that when the protector appeared, he immediately unleashed an unknown, powerful magic. A massive fireball descended from the heavens, shaking the ground with dozens of tremors. The fire raged for three full days and nights. Despite the efforts of eighty to ninety thousand combined mages and shamans from the humans, elves, and orcs, the flames could not be quenched. Instead, over twenty thousand were burned alive. With the combined forces of humanity, elves, and orcs decimated, the battle ended prematurely."
"Then why did he die?" Jack Williams asked again.
"The protector expended all his mental energy in casting that ultimate spell. After two days of relentless fighting, he had slain over seventy thousand of the enemy, instilling fear in their ranks. But, in the end, the protector left us. It was his intervention that crushed the plans of humanity, elves, and orcs to annihilate us. From that moment on, our Dwarven King declared that every member of our race would worship only the protector. Though the dwarves later split into several tribes, over a thousand years, each tribe has followed the protector and forsaken all other gods." Grimdar spoke with deep sadness, recalling the past.
Jack Williams extended his hands and gently embraced the statue. Though he did not fully understand his connection to this protector, he felt deep respect and admiration for him. To have turned the tide of fate and ensured the survival of a nearly extinct race—such courage and spirit were worth emulating.
At that moment, Grimdar walked over to a bookshelf, retrieved a small box, and opened it to reveal a small crystal ball. Kneeling, he opened his hands, cradling the orb delicately, and whispered, "Omnipotent protector, please release your distant command..."
The crystal ball instantly erupted in a thousand rays of pale white light, and a clear image appeared before them—a figure slowly materializing. The man resembled Jack Williams perfectly, though slightly older, perhaps in his thirties, with a face and expression marked by some sorrow. He was clad in pure black armor, holding a two-meter-long sword in his right hand, exuding an air of authority and grandeur.
"My dear dwarven brothers, I, Kridi, promise you, in fourteen hundred years, I shall return to you. The golden age of the dwarves will again descend upon the continent of Oxas. Please, wait patiently..."
The few short words struck Jack Williams like a thunderbolt, leaving him utterly stunned. Not only did the man look identical to him, but his voice was almost indistinguishable as well.
He lightly touched his cheek, watching Kridi's image blur, his mind awash with conflicting thoughts.
When the light finally subsided, Grimdar carefully put the crystal ball away, quietly watching Jack Williams.
Jack Williams, still dazed, asked, "Is that really me?"
Grimdar did not speak but gave a solemn nod.
Jack Williams realized that this magical crystal must have been infused with the thoughts of a powerful sorcerer. When activated, it released a vision, much like a recording device on Earth. Only someone with immense power could have created such an artifact—Kridi, using his final spiritual energy, had created this magical orb fourteen hundred years ago.
Could the dwarves be on the verge of a monumental transformation through him?
...
Thus, Jack Williams found himself, albeit unknowingly, becoming the protector of the Sam Dwarves. Although he was still unclear about the origins of this responsibility, when faced with two hundred dwarves kneeling in worship, he knew it was now an undeniable truth.
"Boss, ha-ha, I didn't think you were the real protector! But they really don't respect you enough, right? At least they should bring a couple of girls to attend to you... hey, those girls look pretty good, nice breasts... oh no, boss, wife, not again, help!" Toby squeaked as he stood on Jack Williams's shoulder, lecherously shouting, only to be swiftly attacked by Jack and Kon's retaliations, causing the perverted rat to howl in pain.
After briefly accepting the worship of the two hundred Sam dwarves, Jack Williams turned to Grimdar and asked, "Grimdar, how many tribes of the dwarves are there now, and where are they located?"
Grimdar, increasingly respectful, bowed and answered, "Respected Protector, to the best of my knowledge, the remaining dwarven tribes include the Mountain Dwarves, the Mountain Shield Dwarves, and the Hill Dwarves, among others. Some tribes number in the hundreds, others just over two hundred. In total, there are about forty to fifty thousand dwarves, though I am not certain of all the tribes." His gaze was filled with sorrow, seeing how far the once mighty race had fallen.
Jack Williams nodded, though he had no intention of leaving immediately. Despite his reluctance to get involved, they had called him their protector, and some part of him felt compelled to help them, perhaps as a way to ease his own mind. After a moment's thought, two things stood out: first, the need to bolster the Sam dwarves' economic and military strength to ward off the mercenary bands; second, to unite the other dwarven tribes and form a powerful dwarven alliance.
He then asked Grimdar, "If I were to make a move here, would other humans interfere?"
Grimdar, though puzzled by the question, nodded. "According to the laws of the Michelle Empire, dwarves are allowed to establish their tribes anywhere there is no human settlement."
"And what if I wanted to build a town?" Jack Williams asked in return.
"A town?" Grimdar gasped, realizing Jack's intent. He nodded hesitantly, "That seems possible, as there are no human settlements in the Beast Forest. This is the territory of the Sam Dwarves, so theoretically, building a town could be done. However, we only have over two hundred people... I'm not sure we have enough for a town."
Jack Williams squinted, a glint of strategy in his eyes. Smiling, he said, "As long as it's possible, bring everyone together."
Grimdar, momentarily surprised, quickly gathered all the dwarves before Jack Williams.
Jack surveyed the crowd of over two hundred dwarves and nodded approvingly. "Since I've agreed to be your protector, I now declare a few things. These tasks must be completed. Understood?"
To the dwarves, Jack Williams was a god, their everything. They all nodded in unison.
He then selected fifty young dwarves from the crowd, forming the first elite squad of the Sam dwarves. Fifteen elderly dwarves were assigned to forge weapons and armor, fifty women to gather minerals, while the rest would hunt or collect food.
Once everything was arranged, Jack Williams spoke: "Building a strong force is the first step to survival and to constructing a town. From today onward, I will train you rigorously to become qualified warriors. Your lives and the future of the Sam dwarves will rest in your hands."
The fifty youths responded in unison, "Yes, respected Protector."
Grimdar, still confused, asked, "Respected Protector, now that everyone has their tasks, who will build the town? After all, constructing a town is no small feat and requires a lot of labor."
Jack Williams smiled cryptically, his voice low and mysterious. "I have my ways. Alex, Ben, Carl, Dave, Eric, Frank, George, Henry, Isaac, James—bring your teams out."
As Jack Williams summoned his undead army, the entire dwarven tribe erupted in excitement. They had previously seen him summon three hundred skeleton warriors and over fifty skeleton mages, thinking that was his limit. But now, he summoned a full thousand skeleton soldiers.
A thousand skeleton soldiers?
This was five times the number of Sam dwarves.
Grimdar's eyes widened in disbelief as he gazed at the neatly arranged skeleton soldiers. No wonder the man could lead the dwarves to a new golden age—this undead army alone was enough to resist any small human army. With such protection, they need not fear those vile mercenary bands.
Although Jack Williams wasn't an expert in city planning, his modern upbringing gave him an advantage. He had visited many cities during his holidays and knew the basics of constructing a town. After sketching a simple town plan, he showed it to the ten squad leaders and set the construction into motion.
His plan was straightforward: expand the current Sam dwarven tribe by four to five times its size, to accommodate other dwarven tribes and create a powerful dwarven force. With the town's solid defenses, it would be able to withstand attacks from even the strongest mercenary bands.