18: First Arrival in the Astral Plane: The Grey Dwarves' Unexpected Challenge (Part 1)

The situation in the valley changed in the blink of an eye. The human followers' defensive line was crumbling under the fierce assault of the Lava Elements. The female priest hero’s face was deathly pale as her Holy Light shield flickered unsteadily, looking as if it would shatter completely at any moment.

Hidden behind a rock, Elwin's eyes were sharp as she instantly analyzed the situation:

Enemy: Lava Elements, approximately 50 units, average Level 14. Elemental creatures with high physical resistance and powerful fire attacks. Weakness likely water, ice, or powerful energy impacts.

Ally (Potential): Human followers, approximately 25 remaining, average Level 13. Holy Light attribute, decent discipline, but countered and exhausted.

Self: 5 elite Elf Ranger (Level 16); main forces are at the base.

Objective: Rescue? Observe? Or... "my god," Elwin prayed quickly in her heart for instructions, "The human examinee below is in mortal danger. Their followers' attribute is Lawful Order, which does not conflict with us for now. If we lend a hand, we might forge a good connection, obtain intelligence, and observe the characteristics of the Lava Elements. If they are wiped out, we will face more unknown risks in this land alone. Please grant your divine oracle!"

Floating in the air, Lin Zhou's consciousness swept over the battlefield. He felt no ill will toward these human followers; their Order attribute even gave him a sense of kinship. More importantly, he needed to learn more about this Astral Realm, and a fellow human examinee who owed him a favor would be an excellent source of information.

"You may save them. But be cautious; focus on long-range support and avoid getting involved in a direct confrontation. Show them our might, but also show them our kindness." Lin Zhou's divine oracle was concise and clear.

"As you command!" Elwin understood perfectly. She immediately ordered the five Rangers beside her: "Targets: the spellcasting units at the rear of the Lava Elements and the elite units attempting to break the defensive line. Use [Cold Iron Arrowheads] (bonus damage against elemental creatures)! After three rounds of rapid fire, relocate immediately regardless of the outcome!"

"Yes!" The five Rangers silently unslung the longbows from their backs and notched special arrows that shimmered with a cold light. These arrows were specifically prepared for potential elemental or undead units, with heads forged from iron ore imbued with chilling energy.

Elwin herself raised her Elwin repeating crossbow, her gaze locking onto an exceptionally large Lava Element that appeared to be the commander.

"Fire!"

Five Cold Iron arrows, like five streaks of cold lightning, pierced through the dim air and struck the rear of the Lava Element group from extremely tricky angles!

Puff! Puff! Sizzle—!

The arrows hit! The collision of Cold Iron and lava bodies produced a peculiar sound! The glowing red light on the struck Lava Elements dimmed significantly, and their movements stiffened for a moment. Although it didn't kill them outright, it effectively disrupted their attack rhythm and inflicted a considerable 'frostbite' effect!

Particularly the Lava Element leader Elwin had targeted; its core area was struck by a Cold Iron bolt imbued with Vast Righteous Qi. It let out a roar of pain, its massive body staggering!

This sudden precision strike threw the Lava Elements into a brief state of confusion, and their offensive slowed down involuntarily.

The pressure on the struggling human followers decreased sharply. The female priest took the chance to catch her breath, looking toward the direction the arrows came from in disbelief. She saw several blurred and Elegant figures atop the rocks, a flash of surprise and doubt crossing her eyes.

"Who is it?!" Thoughts raced through her mind, but her hands didn't stop. She immediately channeled her remaining Divine Power to strengthen the crumbling shield.

"Second round! Fire!" Elwin's calm voice rang out again.

Another five Cold Iron arrows were released, accurately hitting their targets once more! This time, a smaller Lava Element that had been focused on earlier finally had its core give way under the repeated strikes. With a 'bang,' it exploded, turning into a pile of cooled rubble and splattered magma!

The Lava Elements were completely enraged! More than ten units split off and roared as they turned toward Elwin and her group, spitting blazing fireballs and charging with heavy steps!

"Mission accomplished, retreat!" Elwin did not linger for the fight and immediately gave the Order. The five Rangers, like agile lynxes, used the rocks for cover and quickly withdrew, disappearing into the dim, jagged stones.

The pressure on the humans was greatly reduced. Although she didn't understand why the reinforcements came and went so quickly, the priestess seized this precious opportunity. She loudly commanded her warriors to stabilize their formation and even launched a small-scale counterattack.

Having lost their numerical advantage and coordination, and being harassed by the mysterious cold arrows, the remaining Lava Elements finally let out unwilling roars after leaving behind over a dozen 'corpses' and slowly sank into the ground, vanishing.

Peace was temporarily restored to the valley, leaving behind only the scars of battle and cooled lava fragments.

The human followers, survivors of a catastrophe, collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. The priestess forced herself to endure her fatigue, her gaze both wary and grateful as she looked toward the direction Elwin and the others had disappeared.

A moment later, Elwin's figure appeared alone from behind a giant rock. She put away her repeating crossbow to show friendliness, and her clear voice rang out: "Elwin, under the command of Lin Zhou of Cloud City No. 3 Middle School. Passing through this place, I saw you in danger and came to assist."

Seeing that the other party was alone and had a peaceful aura, the priestess relaxed slightly. She stepped forward a few paces and performed a standard Sanctuary salute: "Su Qingxue of Cloud City No. 1 Middle School. I am grateful for Your Excellency's assistance. I wonder if Student Lin Zhou is..."

"my god's name is not for casual conversation." Elwin smiled slightly, her tone polite but distant. "Classmate Su, it is not wise to stay here for long. The commotion from the battle just now was not small and might attract more trouble. We have a temporary base three kilometers ahead. If you don't mind, you may go there to rest and recover."

Su Qingxue hesitated slightly. She didn't completely trust this elf hero who suddenly appeared and claimed to be Lin Zhou's subordinate, but the other party had indeed just saved them, and her side was in terrible condition, desperately needing a safe place to recover. She sensed the unique aura of Order on Elwin—somewhere between Elegant and murderous—and finally nodded. "Then we shall trouble you. Thank you for your party's generosity."

And so, Elwin led Su Qingxue and her remaining twenty-three human Sanctuary Warriors back to Outpost Base No. 1 with caution.

Inside the base, when Bronzebeard Stonehammer saw Elwin bringing back a group of strange humans, a flash of surprise crossed his large, bell-like eyes, but he didn't ask much, simply commanding the dwarves to heighten their guard. The Lightforged Gnomes curiously sized up these humans in shining armor.

After some simple settling in and medical treatment, Su Qingxue's condition improved a bit. She looked at this fully functional, heavily fortified base operated by multiple races, and her heart was filled with shock. Elves, dwarves, Gnomes, and even... fishmen? Moreover, there was perfect Order and cooperation among them, which was extremely rare in all the examinee God Domains she had seen.

"Your Excellency Elwin, thank you again for the rescue." Su Qingxue thanked her sincerely. "I wonder what Student Lin Zhou's God Domain is..."

"my god's Dao lies in civilization and Order." Elwin avoided the specifics and asked instead, "Classmate Su, why did you encounter so many Lava Elements?"

Su Qingxue sighed, a trace of bitterness appearing on her face. "There is an active [Lava Leyline] near our landing site. Those elemental creatures seem to be guards there. We originally wanted to explore it to see if we could obtain some rare minerals, but we unexpectedly disturbed them and were chased all the way here..." She paused and lowered her voice. "Furthermore, I suspect we might have been set up by other examinees. Before we approached the leyline, it seemed someone used some method to disturb the elements in advance, using us as pawns to scout the way."

A sharp glint flashed in Elwin's eyes as she noted this information. "I see. Regarding this Astral Realm, does Classmate Su have any other findings? For example... the Gray Dwarves?"

"Gray Dwarves?" Su Qingxue's expression turned solemn. "We saw their patrols from a distance. They are very elite, highly disciplined, and deeply hostile toward us 'outsiders.' We tried to make contact once and almost had a conflict. They seem to mainly occupy the depths of the [Blackrock Mountain Range] to the west. They have a large stronghold there, I think it's called... 'Furnace Fortress'?"

Furnace Fortress! This matched exactly with the core of the area where Lin Zhou had previously sensed the most frequent Gray Dwarf activity!

Just as Elwin and Su Qingxue were exchanging information, the Gnome technician in charge of monitoring issued another alarm!

"Large-scale, organized life signatures detected approaching! Direction... due east! Number... over a hundred! Energy readings... Earth-type, Dark-type, confirmed to be Gray Dwarves! There are heavy units!"

Everyone's expression changed!

Su Qingxue stood up abruptly, her face turning pale. "It's a Gray Dwarf patrol! They must have discovered our previous battle or detected our base!"

Bronzebeard Stonehammer had already grabbed his battle-axe and roared, "Prepare for battle! Dwarf brothers, let these black-skinned runts from underground taste our might!" (In the dwarven tongue, Gray Dwarves were often called 'black-skins' or 'fallen cousins,' which were derogatory terms.)

Elwin also instantly entered a command state. She knew that the real test had arrived! Gray Dwarves were not comparable to those chaotic Lizardmen or elemental creatures!

"All units, enter Level 1 combat readiness! Runic Iron Guards, move the defensive formation forward fifty paces! Rangers, occupy both sides of the entrance and the rock walls above! Ballistae, adjust angles to cover the forward passage! Rangers, free hunt high-value targets! Law Fishmen, maintain Order in the internal passages and prepare for infiltration!"

Orders were issued one by one, and the entire base instantly transformed into a giant combat hedgehog.

Lin Zhou's consciousness was also highly focused. He 'saw' that at the end of the relatively open passage on the east side of the base, rows of stout figures wearing heavy black metal armor and wielding battle-axes and heavy crossbows had appeared! They marched with steady steps and cold gazes, carrying an aura of steely discipline and exclusion, pressing forward like a black iron wall!

The Gray Dwarves' show of force had arrived!