Pioneer Lord: Starting From Daily Intelligence

Chapter 294: Chapter 140: Sorting the Spoils – Fire Spike Crystal

The Dwarf’s Crown of Vengeance is one of the most renowned divine artifacts in this world, tracing back to the early days of the Empire when Emperor Regma fought alongside the Dwarf Supreme King. To commemorate the great victory of the alliance, the Supreme King ordered his Rune Master to forge Rune Swords.

The Rune Master tasked with sword forging was Alaric, who created some of the most powerful weapons ever used in battle. It took a full century to forge, and eventually, all the Rune Swords were gifted to every Elector of the Empire.

Some say that Alaric’s century of arduous forging in the factory led this Rune Master into obsession and paranoia. His fellow Rune Blacksmiths regarded the Rune Sword as the greatest weapon achievement, but Alaric himself felt there was always a greater pinnacle to reach, that he had not yet attained the apex of craftsmanship.

Alaric always sought a new rune. Over time, he discovered a variant of the King’s Rune—the Era Rune. This rune could not only preserve and refine each bearer’s wisdom and thoughts, passing them to followers but also allow the bearer to control their own destiny. Anyone carrying this rune would become the master of their own and their entire race’s destiny.

So, this master Dwarven artisan later came to the Gray Mountain Range, where he constructed a massive forge deep in the mountains, using the volcanic lava from the core of the mountains as fuel. He worked day and night on a peculiar ore he found from the depths of the Twisted Oak Era, until he created a gleaming crown inscribed with the Era Rune.

As Alaric gazed at the divine artifact he crafted, his mind cleared. Previously blinded by madness and obsessive arrogance, he realized the Crown of Vengeance did not grant its wearer the power of destiny; instead, it extracted the evil intent from the wearer’s heart, no matter how faint. It turned the wearer into a vessel for evil, collecting malice extracted from all previous wearers into one.

Shocked by the evil he had created, Alaric knew the Crown of Vengeance could not be destroyed. Thus, he decided to hide this wicked object. He went to the Black Forest, to the howling winds of the Howling Hills, and threw the Crown of Vengeance into an abandoned Dwarven mine from before the Longbeard War. There, Alaric found a place to seal the Crown of Vengeance forever. He carved a secret chamber using living rock, placed the Crown inside, and then sealed the entire room with the most powerful runes.

The Crown of Vengeance remained perfectly sealed for several centuries. Even after the mine’s entrance collapsed later, the mine itself stayed intact. But then, a violent earthquake shook the Howling Hills, and stories of newly discovered mithril veins and ancient mine treasures spread. A team of Dwarven miners was sent to investigate. What they discovered far exceeded their imagination. They found undiscovered lodes and explored damaged ancient mines. What happened next remains unknown, as only one Dwarf emerged from the mine, covered in blood and mentally deranged, babbling nonsensically.

Shortly after, a group of Night Goblins arrived at the mine, seeking new rifts and caverns for habitation. There, they found the deranged Dwarf and his dead companions. The lone miner was captured by the Green Skins, who learned from his furious outbursts that a powerful divine artifact could be found somewhere in their new lair.

Thus, the Crown of Vengeance resurfaced, and every few centuries, an evil force bearing the Crown of Vengeance would emerge, unleashing terrifying bloodshed and chaos.

This divine artifact has become the nightmare of the Empire and the Dwarves.

Its origins and disappearance are strangely linked to the Gray Mountain Range.

Therefore, when Su Li sees a crown, it’s not without reason that he thinks of the Crown of Vengeance.

Rong’en smiled and said, ”Lord, you really overestimate us. If it were a monster wearing the Crown of Vengeance, even the Emperor with his army might not win. In fact, this is the Crown of Guardian of the Elf Duel God Alderaz. The bearer can activate this protective crown during one-on-one duels at intervals, allowing some recovery of endurance and stamina.”

The Elf Duel God Alderaz is somewhat similar to Violet; he is the Master of the Blade and War God. Obsessed with the art of war, yet his status among the pantheon is still very low due to his unscrupulous methods for victory.

This also involves the schism among the Elves, the rebellion of the Dark Elves, and other historical intricacies.

Su Li is not interested in the ancient historical disputes among the Elves, but he is quite pleased with the effect of this Crown of Guardian.

The legitimate use of the Crown of Guardian is undeniable; activating it during battle restores a certain amount of a warrior’s endurance and stamina at intervals.

But what Su Li is more concerned about is its one-on-one combat effect. He wonders if, during a Knight’s training, this Crown of Guardian can take effect.

Su Li smiled at Freya, thinking that if not for the crowd, he would invite this proud Female Knight, always with a disdainful gaze, to test its effect together.