Chapter 139: Place Your Bets, Place Your Bets

"It really is a subway..."

What appeared before Lin Lei was a genuine subway—parked underground, made of titanium-refined iron ore, consisting of a series of iron cages linked together by heavy chains.

The cages were sealed, but each featured a small door for entry, complete with benches and grab rings inside, giving the impression that passengers were meant to be locked away securely.

"Are you kidding me!" Lin Lei stared at the city lord. "This thing doesn't even have a locomotive. How is it supposed to move?"

"Don't be impatient, the driver hasn't arrived yet!"

The city lord walked over to the side of the subway, where a surging lake of magma lay.

He produced a whistle and blew into it. Deep beneath the ground, the magma suddenly began to churn and then boil.

From within the molten rock, a massive creature slowly raised its head. As it turned to look, sprays of magma splashed from the top of its head, burning deep craters into the ground upon impact.

Everyone stepped back a few paces in fright.

"Who's looking for me?" the colossal creature asked, its voice shaking the entire subterranean space.

Only then did the crowd realize it was a giant turtle—a molten leviathan shimmering with golden scales and standing as tall as a three-story building.

"It's me." The city lord walked closer, pulling a pouch of gold coins from his tunic and tossing it forward. "Please get the subway moving."

The molten giant turtle opened its mouth and swallowed the pouch of gold coins. "No problem."

It picked up a massive iron chain from the magma and secured it around its own carapace.

"All aboard!"

The group numbly filed into the subway cars.

"Close the doors and sit tight. We're off!"

With a hearty call, the molten giant turtle let out huffing, puffing breaths of glowing sparks. Pulled by the beast, the subway slowly descended into the magma, setting off along the route toward Sloka.

Lin Lei reached up to grip a hand ring, standing inside the swaying carriage as his lingering shock refused to fade.

This subway was completely different from what he had imagined. It was actually powered by manpower—no, turtle power!

"How could this be..."

Had he known, he wouldn't have held any expectations.

Lin Lei looked at the city lord. "Your subway technology is rather lacking. Even we could build a turtle-drawn subway like this."

"Don't misunderstand. We actually have the capability to construct a magical subway that traverses magma," the city lord explained. They possessed the technology; they simply hadn't applied it here.

Curious, Lin Lei asked, "Then why not build one?"

"That's a complicated story..." the city lord said with a smile. "During the tenure of the previous city lord, the unemployment rate here was far too high, and these molten giant turtles kept clamoring for work. To boost employment while simultaneously lowering construction costs, he had the subway built into its current form."

Lin Lei's eyes widened. What? There was even an unemployment rate here?

Brook frowned slightly. "What do molten giant turtles need to work for?"

"To make money," the city lord replied. "To understand that, we have to start with the history between us and the molten giant turtles."

Molten giant turtles were monsters living in the Sloka Mountains that fed on magma. During the dwarves' excavation of the Sloka Mountains, these creatures proved to be their greatest nuisance.

To resolve this issue, a young dwarf—who happened to be the former city lord of the Sloka satellite city—conducted an investigation and discovered that a molten giant turtle's shell grew thicker with age, gradually becoming a burden to the creature itself. Polishing the shell was the only way to alleviate this burden.

However, the carapace of a molten giant turtle was exceedingly hard—so hard that the turtles could not polish their own shells.

Consequently, the former lord recruited artisans to polish the shells for the molten giant turtles, thereby bringing them under control.

The turtles wanted to work simply to earn money for shell maintenance. Since they weren't particularly skilled at other tasks, they took up jobs as magma sightseeing tour guides and subway drivers.

"Nowadays, apart from polishing their shells, those artisans also provide cosmetic surgery for the carapaces. Turtles that have undergone cosmetic enhancements find it much easier to attract the opposite sex," the city lord concluded. "Their enthusiasm for work has become even greater."

Lin Lei deeply felt that the former city lord was truly a man of talent.

"Where is that city lord now?"

"He made too much money from business in his lifetime and had nowhere to spend it, so he bought the entire Sloka Mountain and is now our king."

The city lord replied.

Lin Lei turned to look at Belle, who nodded. "Those things were indeed done by my royal brother when he was young."

At that moment, the subway gave a sudden jolt.

"What was that? What's happening?"

Everyone nearly lost their footing and tumbled to the floor.

"Hit a rock, pay no mind."

The voice of the molten giant turtle echoed from outside.

"It's fine, it's fine." The city lord looked back at the group. "Don't worry. Only a few fire elementals in the magma cause us trouble, but encountering them is exceedingly rare."

"There are fire elementals too?"

"Of course, they've appeared a few times in the past."

Everyone swallowed hard. "When fire elementals appear, what happens to the subway?"

"...It melts."

There was no trace of a smile on the city lord's face.

Imagining the subway melting in the molten rock made the fate of the passengers crystal clear.

The Paladins felt a chill run through their entire bodies. This wobbling subway was terribly hazardous!

After enduring a few hours of heart-pounding terror, the subway finally docked at the molten port of Sloka City.

The group rushed out of the cars the moment they stopped. No sooner had they stepped onto the platform than a swarm of dwarves surrounded them.

"Heading to the main residential district?"

"Express cars to the sixth tier of Sloka City right here!"

"Need the mineral appraisal center? I've got direct elevator tickets to the third tier!"

"Hey, Paladins, come rest at our inn! Our establishment offers Minotaur maid services!"

The clamor of bustling advertisements filled Lin Lei with an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

He noticed that among the shouting crowd, alongside the dwarves, there were also a vast number of goblins. "Why are there so many goblins here?"

"A good number of goblins consider this place home."

Eve shooed away a few pimps and explained to Lin Lei that although goblins had their own nation, most of them possessed very little sense of belonging and loved doing business all over the world.

Sloka had the highest concentration of goblins for two reasons: first, goblins adored subterranean life; second, the Dwarf Kingdom was wealthy, allowing goblins to turn a handsome profit by doing business here.

Thus, Sloka also bore the nickname of the Goblins' Second Kingdom.

Leaving the port, Lin Lei and his companions walked down bustling streets. This massive underground city was thriving with prosperity, making the fires of war outside feel instantly distant.

Laughter echoed everywhere in Sloka City. Dwarves drank ale in the streets, goblins tallied accounts in the taverns, and the entire place was a picture of song and dance, completely devoid of any tense atmosphere.

Brook frowned slightly, feeling somewhat puzzled.

"Your Highness, what is going on here? The werewolves are on the verge of invading, yet why is it so peaceful here?"

He turned to question Belle, who wore an equally bewildered expression, completely unaware of what was happening.

"Eh? You're talking about the war..." A dwarf drinking by the roadside overheard the remark and let out a hearty laugh as he turned to Brook. "Those werewolves won't be making it here, because their excavator broke down."

Eve suddenly halted her steps. The White Lady looked at her and asked, "Why have you stopped, Eve?"

"Lord... don't you think the little prince's illness is almost cured?" Eve said thoughtfully.

The White Lady was slightly startled. "Why would you suddenly say that?"

Eve raised her hand and pointed ahead. The White Lady followed the direction of her finger.

"Place your bets! Place your bets!" At the entrance of the Sloka Bank, a dwarf stood atop a table, surrounded by a densely packed crowd of cheering dwarves. "Place your wagers here if you think the werewolves will breach Sloka within seven days—odds are one to ten. Place them over there if you think they won't..."

"I'll wager one—no, twenty thousand gold coins!"

"Hey, pal, I love generous folks! Which side are you betting on?"

"The side where the werewolves get in within seven days!"

Before anyone realized it, Lin Lei had rushed to the gambling table holding a large sack of gold coins, his tall figure standing out remarkably among the crowd of dwarves.

The White Lady was stunned by the scene. Hearing the commotion, Belle turned her head, her expression shifting abruptly.

"Isn't... isn't that my royal brother?"

What?

The royal mages turned to look. The person leading the crowd in gambling was indeed none other than the Dwarf King. He had applied makeup to his face, lengthening his eyebrows and beard, which had nearly prevented them from recognizing him in time.

Unbelievable! The dignified King of the Dwarf Kingdom and the Supreme Monarch of the Night Elves were actually gambling in public!

Without missing a beat, the mages pulled money pouches from their robes and rushed forward.

"I'll bet! I'm wagering the werewolves will get in too!"

"I'm putting all my money right here, three thousand gold coins on the werewolves!"

"One thousand gold coins!"

"Right you are!"

The Dwarf King happily gathered up the gold coins. These foolish elves surely didn't know the werewolves' excavator was already broken, yet they were willingly delivering money to his doorstep.