Hearing the Dwarf King say this, Lu Ran instantly understood.

This is progressing the storyline.

No wonder the mission is about the Eternal Fire.

Thinking back to what Annie said before, the Dwarf Race lost the Eternal Fire.

The Dwarf Furnace has directly extinguished and cannot operate.

It's not just Annie; the Dwarf King currently should also be unable to forge equipment.

Along with the entire Dwarf Race being unable to forge equipment!

And the purpose of this mission is to help the Dwarf Race retrieve the Eternal Fire.

This is not a simple task, it's even divided into a series of tasks.

Just like the task set by the Natural Elf Queen Tina to confront the Dark Elves, although Lu Ran completed it with SSS-level completion with ease, that was Lu Ran; the difficulty of the task itself was also at a heaven-defying level!

Now the task of the Dwarf Race is the same.

Even the Dwarf King doesn't think this is a task the Human Race can complete at this stage.

The Dwarf King is still telling the story.

Sighing as he said: "When the world became digital, the terrain drastically changed, which didn't affect the surface races too much, but for the Hill Dwarves living in the Underworld, it was a disaster!"

At that time.

The Dwarf King, to avoid the Dwarf Race being buried underground.

Prepared to lead them temporarily out of the crypt to the surface.

But the terrain changed too quickly!

In a hurry, the Dwarf King brought out the Dwarf Furnace, but left the Eternal Fire in the Underworld.

Lu Ran, of course, won't scrutinize the details of why the Eternal Fire wasn't brought out, after all, it's needed for the storyline.

What the Dwarf King didn't expect.

Once they came out, they couldn't go back in!

"The canyon area outside the entrance of the Dwarf Crypt has evolved into a Sea of Sand and Stone Forest, with Titans statues inside, at least level seventy, and even a few level eighty, so..."

The Dwarf King looked at Lu Ran and said, "So it's simply impossible for you to complete at this stage."

Baron knew the current level of the Human Race Professionals and the first tier's level.

Even the Dwarf Race's territory is now a high-level Forbidden Area, coming here by force doesn't explain anything.

To complete the task, going to the Sea of Sand and Stone Forest is the hardest part!

"All these years, I've often led teams to the Sea of Sand and Stone Forest, trying to reopen the entrance and get the Eternal Fire, but... the difficulty is too great..." Baron sighed and said.

Lu Ran looked at the Dwarf King in confusion.

Asked: "You're the Dwarf King of the Dwarf Race, your level should be 100, right? The level seventy or eighty monsters in Sea of Sand and Stone Forest shouldn't be much trouble for you?"

Upon hearing this.

Baron nodded and said: "Indeed, it's not much trouble, but in the Sea of Sand and Stone Forest area, just passing through means nothing; only when human Professionals complete the quest will the area cancel its monster-spawning mechanism. I not only need to retrieve the Eternal Fire but also lead my people back to the crypt."

Lu Ran roughly understood.

Baron then thought of something and continued: "Moreover, as I said before, it's not something you can complete at your current stage; the Titan statues in the Sea of Sand and Stone Forest actually have a connection with the Dwarf Race."

According to Baron's explanation.

The Hill Dwarves originated from a branch of the Ancestral Dwarves.

And the Dwarf Race, originated from the original earth spirits created by Titans.

However, this evolution was not directed, but a form of random mutation.

Thus.

Some earth spirits lost their intelligence and became monsters like Titan statues.

They have much higher attack and defense than the same level seventy or eighty monsters.

The difficulty is also higher!

Given Lu Ran and his group's level, Baron felt even more that they couldn't complete the task at this stage.

"Since you've gained Tina's approval and obtained the Elf Wings, you're considered a friend of the Dwarf Race. I can't let you take risks easily; if anything unexpected happens, I can't explain it to the Natural Elves," said the Dwarf King solemnly.

Therefore.

Bringing Lu Ran and his group to see the Dwarf Furnace wasn't just to progress the storyline.

It was also to persuade Lu Ran and his group to give up this mission.

"When I originally set up the Task Scroll, it had no time limit; you can always continue it, but you need to wait until you reach at least level seventy," Baron said solemnly.

That's not acceptable!

The suggestion was immediately rejected by Lu Ran in his mind.

Level seventy?

Lu Ran hasn't even reached level forty, and the further you go, the slower the leveling.

Who knows when level seventy will come, and Lu Ran can't wait.

Moreover.

He needs the high experience points from the follow-up series of this task!

"I'm confident I can complete the task, so how about this: we'll head to the Sea of Sand and Stone Forest first, and I'll prove with actions that I'm not just boasting." Lu Ran said straightforwardly.

After all, seeing the stance of the Dwarf King, just verbally stating his capability probably holds no persuasion.

Then let the actions speak for themselves!

Only when the Dwarf King personally witnesses Lu Ran's ability will he relent.

Otherwise, if he doesn't relent, this mission can't proceed.

Lu Ran understood the Dwarf King's concerns.

Having led teams to the Sea of Sand and Stone Forest over the years, whether or not it was needed for the storyline, they went to the end of the crypt entrance again and again, only to find they couldn't clear the monsters there; they kept respawning, causing even him some psychological shadow.

Of course.

Lu Ran still didn't understand, if the Dwarf King could reach the entrance of the crypt, why not go in and retrieve the Eternal Fire?

Probably...

There are still a series of follow-up tasks waiting for Lu Ran to resolve.

"Alright then, I'll take you to have a look, seeing is believing; only when you witness the power of the Titan statues will you know when to give up." The Dwarf King agreed.

However, the purpose was to make Lu Ran and his group know when to retreat.

The group left Black Stone City.

Heading all the way to the northwest.

The desertification here is severe, but the geological structure, with its interwoven rocks, is quite suitable for the Dwarf Race to build a crypt.

Lu Ran suddenly thought of something and asked: "By the way, since the entrance of the crypt is blocked by the Sea of Sand and Stone Forest, why not dig down from another direction or location?"

This is easy to understand.

This side is blocked, but digging down from another place would lead there, right?

Why insist on this entrance?

Baron explained: "You might not be aware that the Hill Dwarves were forced underground and aren't very skilled in digging. The crypt has been managed by the Dwarf Race for thousands of years through generations, and it's very deep underground. Digging from elsewhere would have indeterminate geological and time demands."

Lu Ran roughly understood, but he guessed it was probably determined by the storyline.

Annie was following close to Lu Ran; she seemed to rarely leave the city, holding her rusty sledgehammer nervously, alertly surveying the surroundings while unable to hide the curiosity and excitement on her face.

The group descended the hillside.

Looking up, they saw a narrow and deep canyon ahead, filled with jagged rocks, like twisted sticks protruding upward, scattered all around.

Just by glancing, one could tell.

This must be the Sea of Sand and Stone Forest!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.