Chapter 65

"Within a few years..."

Morton smiled bitterly.

This time, Morton had come with a strict order from the Council of Elders. Either bring back the machine tools or bring back the person who made them. Now, with Golden Hammer not budging and Long Yi, as a dragon knight, not having the time, should he really agree to Golden Hammer's condition and let him join the Council of Elders?

Actually, with Golden Hammer's qualifications and strength, joining the Council of Elders would not be a problem. Moreover, Golden Hammer had just advanced to the Platinum Rank, making it even more feasible.

However, no one could tolerate Golden Hammer's temper. The Council of Elders was a place for dwarven decision-making. Although dwarves were known for their explosive tempers, there were always some wise ones among them. But Golden Hammer's temper was outstanding even among the irascible dwarves. Who in the Council of Elders hadn't been scolded by him?

Let him be an elder? The Council of Elders would be in chaos!

So, which was more important now: the Council of Elders in chaos or bringing these machine tools back to Forge Castle?

Without a doubt, bringing the machine tools back to Forge Castle was more important!

Morton nodded. In fact, the Council of Elders had already made a decision. If Golden Hammer really wanted to join the Council of Elders, they would let him. After all, with Golden Hammer's personality, he would soon be unable to tolerate the formalities there. In exchange for high-end machinery settling in the dwarven race, it was a great deal.

Moreover, the Council of Elders had particularly reminded him to build a good relationship with Long Yi, the inventor of the machinery. After all, machinery was just a dead object; after the dwarves studied it for a while, replicating it should not be a problem. But Long Yi possessed a complete set of mechanical knowledge, which was truly invaluable.

Thinking about this, Morton took out a dark iron plate from his pocket, engraved with the symbols of an anvil and a hammer, shaped like a castle.

"This is the Honor Elder Iron Plate of Forge Castle. Before I came, the Council of Elders unanimously agreed to authorize me to present you with the Honor Elder Iron Plate of Forge Castle!"

Long Yi reached out to take it. The iron plate was extremely heavy, with a weight that did not match its appearance. On the back, it was engraved with dwarven script, which Long Yi could not understand at all.

What is this thing for?

Long Yi was bewildered.

Although being an Honor Elder sounded impressive, it wasn't solid gold. Thinking that the dwarves were not deceitful, they would not try to fool him with something worthless, but what could this iron plate be used for?

At this moment, Golden Hammer immediately became agitated. He ran over, his eyes wide.

"Good kid, you've really hit the jackpot this time!"

It turned out that this iron plate was specifically given to those who had made outstanding contributions to the dwarven race but were not dwarves. Historically, this iron plate had been given out fewer than seven times. Once, the emperor of the White Dragon Empire was granted this iron plate for opening up mining exploration and development rights within his territory to the dwarves. The emperor received a map of all the mines within his territory and a 95% discount on all dwarven weapons and equipment.

Do not underestimate this 95% discount. The amount of weapons and equipment needed to arm a national army is enormous. This 95% discount could save the country a large amount of gold! Subsequently, other countries followed suit, but the dwarves did not continue to give out this iron plate.

After all, mines would eventually be depleted, but equipment could be reused. In the long run, the dwarves seemed to be at a loss.

Of course, this was from a national perspective. For individuals, Long Yi received many more benefits.

Long Yi could have any equipment forged at any dwarf's forge in Forge Castle without paying for labor, with all labor costs covered by Forge Castle.

Long Yi could select materials at a low price from the Forge Castle warehouse and enjoy the full-service recommendation of masters.

Long Yi could receive the protection of the dwarven race. If Long Yi was being pursued, as long as the pursuers were not dragons or extraplanar beings, Long Yi would enjoy permanent asylum.

Long Yi could also...

...and...

...and...

...and...

In short, this Honor Elder Iron Plate, apart from the rights of an elder, came with many benefits.

"This is too valuable, I feel a bit embarrassed."

Long Yi scratched his head, feeling a bit flushed. After all, the machine tools he contributed were not treasures; in his world, they couldn't even buy a square meter of housing in the city. Yet, he received such generous compensation, making him feel a bit guilty.

I'm not a greedy person! Look at those who travel through time; they can exchange a broken glass bottle for dozens of acres of land, shops, and even the emperor's rewards. Why is my face so thin?

"This is not expensive," Morton said. "Compared to the future of our dwarven race, this small iron plate is nothing. Moreover, we hope that Little Brother Long Yi will come to Forge Castle in the future to systematically explain your knowledge to us. Of course, Forge Castle will not let you go there for free."

As he spoke, Morton handed over a bag, which jingled. Long Yi took it, opened it, and was immediately blinded by the dazzling light.

The bag was full of various gems, all of which had been strictly cut and processed by craftsmen, with no raw stones. Moreover, Long Yi could sense that these gems contained energy. They were not ordinary gems but magic gems. In this world, there were two types of magic weapons: one was enchanted to have magical properties, and the other was created by embedding magic gems through special techniques.

Compared to enchanting weapons, embedding gems had a significant advantage. When facing different enemies, you could easily gain an attribute advantage by embedding gems of different attributes on your preferred weapon. The magic on enchanted weapons, however, could not be easily changed; to change it, you would have to return to the enchanting shop and pay a large sum to re-enchant the weapon.

Therefore, the price of magic gems was even higher than that of enchanted weapons.

Of course, not all weapons could be embedded with gems. The dwarves were more skilled in gem embedding techniques than the elves, which was a point of pride for the dwarves in their rivalry.

Natural magic gems were extremely difficult to obtain. Some people tried to enchant ordinary gems to create magic gems. Although this ensured a certain success rate, the effects of enchanted gems were not good, and the enchantment would disappear after some time, leading to a continuous rise in the price of magic gems.

"I can't accept this, it's too much." Saying this, Long Yi handed the heavy bag back.

Even someone as tough as Long Yi was intimidated by this luxurious display. Although he had long admired those who could easily exchange for piles of gold and gems, when it came to himself, he realized his heart was not black enough. In his heart, what he had done was not worth so much.

He actually just wanted a few million gold to spend.

Now, it seemed that these things were worth hundreds of millions, which was too much.

Morton looked at Long Yi's expression and nodded inwardly. This young man named Long Yi was indeed not someone who would be swayed by money, inheriting the character and temperament of his old blacksmith father. In fact, 70% of the world's magic gems were mined by dwarves, and the dwarves strictly controlled the export of magic gems to continuously increase their value. In reality, the dwarves' warehouses were full of magic gems.

This bag of magic gems was not much to Forge Castle; they genuinely intended to thank Long Yi with it. If they weren't afraid of scaring him and making him think the dwarves were crazy, the compensation this time would have been even more generous. An Honor Elder Iron Plate and a bag of magic gems were the final negotiated results—sufficiently grand without being too overwhelming.

If Long Yi was not greedy, he would be grateful to the dwarves and teach them his knowledge.

If Long Yi was greedy, he would still teach the dwarves his knowledge out of greed. The difference was whether the dwarves would voluntarily hand over their gold.

Dwarves were such beings that, if they were willing, they could spend their entire treasury in one night. If they were not willing, they would fight to the death over a single iron nail.

Morton did not take the bag back but smiled and said, "You can keep this. I heard you are a prominent figure at the Dragon Knight Academy. As a prominent figure, how can you not have some good equipment? Keep these gems to enhance your equipment. If you need more, you can use the Honor Elder Iron Plate to request them from any dwarf's forge. Of course, you will have to pay some costs."

"No, no, no, I prefer simplicity. I'm not a dragon; I don't like gems that much."

Long Yi still did not want to accept it.

Morton frowned.

"What, do you look down on dwarves?"

Long Yi was taken aback and then smiled bitterly. Indeed, this phrase worked everywhere. In this world, except for elves, who would dare to look down on dwarves?

"I respect, I respect, I'll take it, I'll take it."

"That's right."

Morton nodded in satisfaction and said no more.