The Greece Antagonist-Chapter 880 - 43 Loki, Come Take the Blame_2

Chapter 880 -43 Loki, Come Take the Blame_2

“But the key issue is that the [Dragon Disaster] also brought [Dragon Disease],” the old man’s expression dimmed, and he continued, “This disease is very strange. Once dwarves contract it, they undergo bizarre transformations, initially exhibiting a mad craving for gold and jewels, followed by their skin hardening and scales forming on their bodies. In the final stage, they are transformed into Dragonkin, becoming monsters that have lost all reason.”

Luo En’s eyes flickered, thoughtful:

“So, the previous disastrous defeat of the Seven Dwarf Clans when they fought against the dragons was due to the widespread outbreak of [Dragon Disease] in the army?”

“Yes. According to those who escaped, at that time, a full thirty percent of the dwarf warriors were infected with Dragon Disease, turning into frenzied Dragonkin attacking their fellow dwarves, leading to a complete collapse of the alliance.”

The elderly dwarf nodded, his deeply creased face full of misery and helplessness,

“And up until now, there is no cure for [Dragon Disease], nor a way to treat it. It mainly spreads among dwarves, and the specific cause is unclear to us. Once the symptoms start, it is difficult to reverse them, gradually turning them into a Dragonkin crazily searching for treasures, essentially a curse targeting dwarves.”

After listening to the narrative, Luo En made sense of his confusion:

“I see. So you can’t break the [Dragon Disease] that specifically targets dwarves and urgently needed to address the worsening [Dragon Disaster], that’s why you had to seek help from adventurers of other races through the [Guild].”

“That’s right.”

The old dwarf responded with a wry smile, apologizing again for his kinsmen’s rudeness,

“About the evening incident, please don’t blame them. Many of their relatives and friends went to the Northern Realm to dig for gold or were involved in that campaign. Although we cannot guarantee that all the attacking Dragonkin in the town were transformed dwarves, inevitably some might be their relatives. It’s hard for them to force a smile or express gratitude while possibly watching their kin and friends as Dragonkin die before them.”

“I understand.”

Luo En nodded in understanding, consoling the old man while his thoughts churned secretly.

Can’t guarantee that the Dragonkin attacking the town were all transformed from dwarves?

Perhaps not.

Perhaps, the dwarves themselves are the source of this Dragon Disaster.

Because this [Dragon Disease] that turns dwarves into giant dragons is mentioned in “Prose Edda,” “Prose Edda,” and the heroic epic “Volsunga Saga.”

And this story is also related to “Loki.”

Legend has it that the dwarf Herudama had three sons: his eldest son Fafnir, the middle son Otte, and the youngest son Regin.

One day, his middle son Otte transformed into an otter and was fishing in the water when he was accidentally killed by Loki passing by. Unaware of this, Loki brought Odin to Herudama’s home hoping he could help cook the otter they caught.

Seeing his son’s body, as a father, Herudama was naturally enraged, demanding Loki to find treasures that could cover the otter’s skin as compensation—a difficult request, as the otter’s skin left by Otte stretched infinitely due to a curse.

Loki, with the help of the wife of the God of the Sea, found a dwarf named Andvari who lived underwater and had the largest treasure among dwarves. Without mercy, Loki took Andvari’s treasure, including a ring: Andvaranaut. In his grief and anger, Andvari cursed anyone who held the ring to suffer endless disasters.

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During the compensation, Andvari’s treasure covered the entire otter skin, with only the tip of the nose remaining uncovered. But Herudama was still not satisfied, and Loki had to give the ring to this dwarf as well.

However, Herudama’s insatiable greed also led to dire consequences.

Although he received the massive treasure and the ring, he was killed by his eldest son, Fafnir, who also coveted the treasure.

Then, following that, the youngest son Regin, tempted by this evil cursed treasure, incited the Nordic hero Sigurd to go dragon-slaying, planning to kill Sigurd afterward and take the treasure for himself.

But Sigurd, having bathed in dragon blood during the dragon-slaying and subsequently blessed to understand the language of birds, learned of Regin’s intention to kill him and instead killed him first…

This example proves that the [Dragon Disease] spreading among dwarves is not by chance.

This event is very likely related to the legendary Evil Dragon Fafnir.

Because according to some legends, Fafnir is not just a single Evildoer, but refers to a particular [Dragonification] phenomenon, which coincidentally matches the [Dragon Disease] described by the dwarves.

Thinking this, Luo En casually inquired:

“By the way, do you know the names of those three Upper Giant Dragons?”

“The Greedy Worm Glaurung, the Golden Smaug, and the Black Dragon Ankara Gang… that’s what the army from Northern Realm and those escaped miners call them.”

The old man answered honestly, but the content somewhat disappointed Luo En.

No Fafnir?

What exactly is the source of the [Dragon Disaster] and [Dragon Disease]?

Luo En pondered for a moment, then continued to inquire:

“Do you know a dwarf named Herudama? He has three sons, named Fafnir, Otte, and Regin, I have some matters to discuss with them.”

The old man shook his head, somewhat helpless:

“I haven’t been out and about for a long time, and there are so many dwarves in the Seven Dwarf Clans, how could I possibly know everyone? I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

Yet, the elderly dwarf still offered a viable suggestion:

“However, you can go to the Northern Realm and ask; the Durin Clan there holds the most comprehensive personnel records within the borders of Dwarf Country.”

With control over the trade of fine wines and the support from Midgard World behind them, the dwarves of the Durin Clan have rapidly grown over the centuries, quickly becoming the leader of the Seven Dwarf Clans and, in a sense, the ruler of Dwarf Country.

This assembly of the Seven Dwarf Clans to collectively combat the dragons is an expression of the Durin Clan dwarves wielding royal authority.

After hearing this, Luo En couldn’t help but reflect on the changes of the world.

He hadn’t expected that an act he once casually performed would elevate the Durin Clan dwarves to the throne.

However, a tall tree catches the wind; standing too high isn’t entirely good.

Perhaps, this sudden Dragon Disaster in the Northern Realm is targeting the Durin Clan.

Thinking of his foster daughter Heluo, who was doing business with the Durin Clan dwarves, and Eden, the little girl with whom he once had a good relationship, Luo En’s gaze flickered as he said gravely to the elderly dwarf:

“Old man, we need to hurry to the Northern Realm, so we will not impose tonight.”

“It’s already so late, there’s no rush.”

The old dwarf spoke up to persuade, trying to keep these four alien race heroes who had killed the Flying Dragon.

“Let’s forget it. As nice as it sounds, the people in town might not welcome us to stay.”

Rose, playing with the dagger in her hand, opened with a cold laugh.

Hearing this, the old dwarf could not help but show an embarrassed expression.

While it was ungrateful to look coldly upon the heroes who had just saved them, most dwarves still harbored a glimmer of hope for the friends and relatives from whom they had not heard, hoping that they might return safely or really find a way to resolve the [Dragon Disease] and restore the dragonified dwarves to normal.

Seeing the atmosphere turning somewhat awkward, the old dwarf pulled out a bulging small pouch from his waist and handed it over to the group:

“Since that’s the case, I won’t hold you back any longer. This is a little token of appreciation gathered from the town to thank you for your help this evening. Without you, many more people here might have perished, please accept it.”

Luo En took the cloth sack and opened it to find some Gold Blocks and golden sand, seemingly from recently mined deposits.

After a careful examination, he didn’t detect any unusual aura.

However, just to be cautious, Luo En earnestly advised:

“Old man, take my advice, try to avoid dealing with gold and jewelry for the time being, especially don’t accept gold of unknown origins.”

The old dwarf heard the implied meaning and couldn’t help but look stunned:

“Do you mean that gold could potentially be a contagion source for [Dragon Disease]?”

“I’m not sure, but given the Dragonkin’s frenzy for gold, it’s always safer to be careful,” Luo En replied.

Currently, with little information, he couldn’t determine if there was a definite connection between [Gold] and [Dragon Disease], so he could only offer a word of caution, considering the old man’s kindness.

Fortunately, the old dwarf was willing to take advice, firmly keeping these words in mind.

As they neared their departure, he waved over his granddaughter to provide some food supplies for the four of them.

As Rose bent down to receive them, the dwarf girl holding the basket suddenly tiptoed and kissed the Spider Goddess on her face, waving vigorously:

“Big sister, you all are good people, thank you for saving so many uncles and grandpas, please be careful on your way!”