Chapter 39

For this northern journey, Keyan had long planned to visit the master blacksmith, Dwarven Ironriver, to have him forge a breastplate. To this end, he had expended countless efforts and resources, making thorough preparations.

Confidently, he had his servant carry in a wooden barrel from the carriage outside. As they moved, the sound of water clanging inside the barrel piqued the interest of Master Dwarven.

"Is it wine?"

"You guessed right." Keyan personally took a crowbar and pried open the tightly sealed lid. An intense, rich aroma of alcohol immediately filled the hall.

Xiona, who had a poor tolerance for alcohol, even frowned and coughed a couple of times due to the sudden increase in alcohol concentration in the air.

"Such a strong drink!" Shelia exclaimed.

"Of course, my ranger lady." Keyan grinned at Shelia, revealing a mouthful of white teeth in a dazzling smile that was hard to look at directly. He spoke in a magnetic voice, "Dwarves love alcohol, especially strong drinks. To please Master Dwarven, I specially sent people deep into the cold and remote Orandos. Although the brewing techniques of those barbarians are not as refined as those of the Empire, they have their unique qualities."

Dwarven sniffed, walked to the wine barrel, and extended his fingers, which were thicker than carrots, to dip a bit of the golden liquid and put it in his mouth. He smacked his lips and smiled contentedly, "This is Orandos' 'Omag Glory,' a strong drink that only the most skilled herbalist shamans of the tribe can brew. Apart from sacrifices to the gods, only barbarian warriors who have cut off fifty enemy ears are qualified to enjoy it."

"Your knowledge of wine is impressive," Keyan said with a smile.

Dwarven waved his hand and said, "No more talk. I'll take this barrel of wine, and I'll accept your commission. Come back in a day to collect your breastplate."

"A day?" Keyan was taken aback.

After accepting a commission, Dwarven Ironriver would spend varying amounts of time crafting equipment for the client, depending on the value of the reward. Clearly, the precious barrel of wine that Keyan had gone to great lengths to obtain was not much in Master Dwarven's eyes.

"A day is enough. Are you questioning my ability?" Master Dwarven glared fiercely at Keyan.

Despite feeling as if he had swallowed a maggot, Keyan did not dare to say anything and obediently stepped aside.

"So what if it's just a day? At least Master Dwarven has accepted my commission," he thought maliciously, glancing at Gorden. "This guy might be outright rejected by Master Dwarven."

He had catered to Master Dwarven's preferences by bringing the dwarves' favorite strong drink, yet it still only earned him a day's work. Keyan did not believe Gorden could outdo him.

Could these poor, inexperienced northerners surpass the wealthy Grilbres family?

Seeing that Keyan did not leave after finishing his business but instead stood to one side with a sly smile, Gorden guessed his thoughts.

"This knight is going to be disappointed," Gorden said confidently.

Xiona, somewhat worried, said, "Brother, do you have anything that can win Master Dwarven's favor? Remember, you need him to forge two pieces of equipment. Otherwise, let's talk about my sword later..."

"My dear sister, you should have faith in me." Gorden took out a black box from his dimensional bag with a mysterious smile and handed it to Dwarven.

"Hmph, putting on airs!" Keyan, observing from a distance, sneered. It was just a cheap pine wood box, and the paint on it was hastily applied. What could be inside such a shabby thing?

Dwarven opened the box and took out a shiny, intricate metal object, examining it and asking, "What is this?"

Gorden said, "This is a measuring tool called a vernier caliper."

Gorden was a graduate in mechanical engineering. Although in his time, the measuring tools he used in work and study were high-tech products with embedded smart chips, he had still come across vernier calipers in the elective course "History of Measuring Tool Development." These were ancient, multifunctional measuring tools.

Dwarven was not only a blacksmith but also had considerable expertise in mechanics. However, in this world with a backward mechanical civilization, measuring tools were quite rudimentary, causing Dwarven a lot of trouble. Gorden believed that a vernier caliper would be the greatest desire of Dwarven.

Gorden explained in simple terms how to use the vernier caliper to measure length, depth, inner diameter, outer diameter, and how to read the measurements.

As Gorden explained, Dwarven's expression changed from confusion to realization, and finally to ecstasy!

He threw the box away and rushed to Gorden, using his thick, muscular arms to hug Gorden's waist—due to the height difference, he actually hugged Gorden's buttocks, which made the mage somewhat awkward.

"Thankfully, I had the foresight to cast Bear's Endurance on myself before coming, or I wouldn't have withstood this dwarf master's powerful embrace."

The two girls and Keyan, looking at the metal object in Dwarven's hand, were puzzled and did not understand why the previously proud dwarf master had become so ecstatic.

"Rocks! Moradin! There actually exists such a precise and practical measuring tool in the world!" Dwarven finally released Gorden but continued to dance and talk excitedly, "Mr. Gorden, I declare that you will become a distinguished guest of the Ironriver clan, a friend of the mountains and rocks forever!"

Seeing Dwarven's excited state, Shelia asked softly, "Mr. Gorden, the tool you made must be very valuable, right?"

"Not really. The cost value is far less than Mr. Keyan's barrel of fine wine."

Gorden was telling the truth. Besides the high-quality steel used as raw material, Gorden's cost was only a few zero-level Mage Hands and the material components for a first-level Transmutation spell, "Control Metal." Because a mage's control over mental energy is much stronger than over muscles, the vernier caliper Gorden made using this method met the required precision.

"My brother," Dwarven jumped up and patted Gorden's shoulder, smiling, "you don't need to be modest. How can such a precise tool be worth less than a barrel of cheap wine? Tell me, what do you need, and I will fulfill it."

"I need a shield and a one-handed sword."

"No problem, I'll spend seven days crafting them for you." Dwarven thumped his chest.

The word "cheap wine" from Dwarven's mouth made Keyan's face turn extremely ugly. Comparing the time Dwarven would spend crafting equipment for both of them, he felt a sense of defeat. Keyan glanced at Shelia and saw her standing by Gorden, looking at the mage with admiration. The knight felt a pang of jealousy and silently cursed her as a "fickle bitch," then left the hall without a word.

Arriving with a beautiful companion, but leaving alone and dejected, was a first for Keyan, who had never lacked for women. Keyan wanted to tear off his gentlemanly knight facade, draw his sword, and kill Gorden, then violate Xiona and Shelia next to his corpse.

But reason told Keyan he couldn't do that. He had an important mission in the north, which was crucial to the rise and fall of an empire and the Grilbres family's rise to power. Therefore, all his actions had to be cautious.

He walked out of the blacksmith's workshop with a sullen face, and a servant led a horse over.

"Master, the head of the Ritter family, Honorable Sir Long Ritter, has sent a message inviting you to a gathering. He said the Harvest Festival is approaching, and we need to discuss the details of the operation."

"Honorable sir, my ass, he's just a nouveau riche," Keyan sneered, "but as a dog of the Grilbres family, they have their own value."

In the hall of the blacksmith's workshop, no one noticed Keyan's departure. Gorden was explaining the specific requirements for the animated shield to Dwarven: "The shield should be made primarily of mithril, with a small amount of adamantine to strengthen the surface and overall structure. A medium size is enough. Additionally, I need a crenellation-like notch on the shield. This way, even if the shield is in front of me, it won't obstruct my view..."

Dwarven carefully noted down Gorden's requirements and then smiled at Xiona, "This very, very beautiful lady, please come with me."

For dwarves with limited vocabulary, they could only describe a woman's beauty by stacking adverbs.

Unlike Gorden's animated shield, the custom-made longsword for Xiona required special attention to weight, length, curvature, and balance. For a master like Dwarven, the perfect fit between the weapon and the user was the most basic requirement. Therefore, he needed Xiona to try out different longswords, provide feedback, and make adjustments before finalizing the design.

Shelia envied her friend. Xiona would have a precious sword custom-made by Master Dwarven Ironriver, while her own longbow was just a common item bought from a weapon shop—despite this, she still carefully maintained it, treating it like a treasure.

Shelia was still young, and her strength was on the rise. As a half-elf, her lifespan was longer than that of humans. But she knew that if she didn't plan well during her youth, her future would be bleak.

Female adventurers at the bottom, who struggled due to injuries or age, might even resort to selling their bodies to earn money.

The thought of possibly ending up in such a situation made Shelia shudder.

Shelia knew how much her body and appearance attracted men. She had never lacked for suitors, including wealthy nobles like Keyan, but she had never responded to them.

But now, seeing Xiona's excited and happy face, she felt she should change her mind.

"Perhaps, he's not a bad choice." Shelia looked at Gorden's back, her eyes sparkling.