As expected of elite level equipment, it’s different from ordinary weapons. Although I’ve only acquired this weapon recently, the combat just now perfectly proved its utility and power.
The premise is that it’s sturdy enough, fast, easy to control, and can activate two active effects when necessary to unleash formidable power.
Unless a better option is obtained, it will be the primary melee weapon used in the short term.
He walked up to the remnants of a construct and squatted down, using the tip of his sword to poke at the charred, fractured internal structure.
"Their energy structure is very unstable, as if... contaminated or corroded by some force, rather than simply being worn out from age..." Gauss overturned his initial judgment, focusing on the nearly imperceptible dark stains left on the runes. "This seems to be the reason why they’re prone to overload."
He turned his head to look at Sorin: "Sorin, do you have any clues?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Sorin’s heart tightened, and the hearty smile on his face froze for a moment.
Facing the direct gaze and question from Gauss, his eyes flickered slightly, then he exchanged a glance with Nancy and Elton.
He opened his mouth, hesitating for a moment.
In the end, he still spoke in a muffled voice.
"Tsk... Your intuition is really sharp." He dropped the fragment in his hand and dusted off the ash on his hands. "You’re right in noticing it; they’re indeed weakened by something other than natural aging."
He paused, reorganizing his words.
"They were defective to begin with."
"Because they were created by the Gray Dwarves."
Sorin sighed as he spoke, the expression on his face turning serious.
"Gray Dwarves... are they a branch of your dwarves?" Gauss repeated and asked, vaguely recalling having seen the term in some book before, but the author didn’t elaborate at the time.
"Of course not!" Sorin jumped up like a cat with its tail stepped on, his voice suddenly rising.
Then he glanced at the calm Gauss, realizing he had overreacted.
"Sorry." He sat back down, his voice much calmer.
"Gray Dwarves are a completely different race from us Dwarves, although some studies suggest that the earliest Gray Dwarves in ancient times might indeed have evolved from ordinary Dwarves."
"It’s said that those ordinary Dwarf clans were enslaved by mind flayers for centuries because they over-mined underground, and because of this ordeal, they underwent fundamental and irreversible changes physically and mentally, eventually becoming an extremely evil race."
"Gray Dwarves hate all other intelligent life forms, including us Dwarves. In the past, when Gray Dwarves were still active in this land, they often waged wars, capturing slaves and bringing painful memories to many races."
"...."
Under Sorin’s introduction, Gauss gained some understanding of the Gray Dwarves.
Gray Dwarves, also known as Duergar, are an utterly fallen race, now rarely seen in the world above, currently residing in cities deep within the Underdark.
They and ordinary Dwarves have become entirely different races.
In appearance, Gray Dwarves have skin that is dark gray or limestone-colored, whereas Dwarves have a more ruddy complexion.
Gray Dwarves practice slavery, with a suspicious and cruel nature, whereas Dwarves are lawful and good, valuing honor, family, and tradition.
In terms of belief, there’s also a big difference. Gray Dwarves worship the evil god Laduguer, the god of Gray Dwarves, the god of oppression, the god of slavery, while Dwarves worship Moradin, the Dwarf god, the god of blacksmiths.
Aside from having a common origin, they are almost mutually exclusive races, so it’s no wonder Sorin reacted so strongly when Gauss asked earlier whether Gray Dwarves were a branch of Dwarves.
"So, did you come here with some other motive?" Gauss continued to ask.
The reason for saying this was that given Sorin’s aversion to Gray Dwarves, initially when he connected with Gauss, he only vaguely referred to this place using the term ’Dwarven Workshop.’
If it were at the very beginning, Gauss certainly wouldn’t have asked so directly, but having spent a few days together, he had gained some understanding of the trio’s character, hence he straightforwardly posed the question.
Sorin took a deep breath.
"Yes. Our purpose here is not just to explore ancestral relics."
His rough fingers rubbed the handle of his warhammer, his gaze sweeping over the construct remnants on the ground, finally resting in the direction of the passage leading further into darkness.
"We received orders to investigate an anomaly and an evil energy fluctuation here, suspected to be related to the power of the evil god Laduguer. If found, we need to purify and eliminate it."
"If not promptly removed, it might slowly draw the leyline energy, polluting everything around, and may eventually form... a stable portal for an Underdark incursion."
Elton took over the topic.
"We must purify it, not only to counteract the Dwarven enemies, the Gray Dwarves, but also for all those living on this land."
"This is a serious matter, please forgive our initial concealment."
Gauss nodded.
He was still somewhat shocked in his heart. He hadn’t expected that just a regular relic exploration could potentially involve an evil god.
It’s a deity, after all, and they are merely a group of lower-ranked adventurers who have not yet broken through to the master level.