Chapter 59

- Hmm, the look on his face clearly shows how much he finds this bothersome. As expected of a race that is tightly bound by pride.

Even if a sword is held to their head, if they are engrossed in something, they won’t pay any attention. It’s just like the stubborn race they are.

As Perserk said.

Although I have entered as a guest and by appointment, he doesn’t seem to welcome me much.

‘Dwarves usually have multiple chieftains, but since he’s alone, the others must be absent.’

- It’s rare for a chieftain to leave the village unless it’s for a significant reason.

At Perserk’s words, I stood silently in front of him and bowed with a unique gesture and posture, a form of greeting used only among dwarves, different from human greetings.

They say first impressions are half the battle. Honestly, there are proposals that could make them charge at me with fire in their eyes, but I decided to take it easy.

‘After all, some of the dwarves will become my vassals eventually; there’s no point in making things awkward.’

"May the blessing of the God of Iron be upon you. I am David All Round, the first prince of the Laun Kingdom."

Perhaps my greeting was unexpected.

The eyes of the dwarf elder, who had been sitting with a bored expression, suddenly sparkled.

"Really? Ahem! I am Golder, one of the eight elders. It’s quite surprising that a human knows the dwarf greeting."

"Dwarves are a race of excellent craftsmen. It would be foolish not to respect their skills."

As I spoke fluently without hesitation, his expression seemed to soften for a moment.

"Ahem! It’s rare to meet a human I like. Well, the other elders are all busy with their own affairs, so I’m here in their place."

"Thank you for your attention."

"Firstly, the Laun Kingdom has been a long-time trading partner of our Yellow Rock Tribe."

Although the kingdom has been shaken by the tyranny of the nobles recently, in the past, the Laun Kingdom was a rather livable country.

There was little discrimination based on race or class, and they knew how to show respect to each other.

Recently, the chaos led by the Duke of Varieta has worsened, but...

In reality, as long as they aren’t fools, there’s no reason for them to provoke the dwarves.

Thanks to the image they’ve built, I was able to enter the dwarf village without any trouble.

"So, young prince, what brings you here? Most trades are usually conducted outside the village."

"That’s true."

"From what I understand, the time for trade with your kingdom is still a few months away."

At Golder’s words, I nodded quietly.

"That’s correct. The trade period according to the original contract is a few months from now."

"Then what brings you here?"

"Actually, I’ve come to seek some assistance for other matters. The barley beer and meat in the cart outside are just a token of goodwill."

At my words, he stroked his thick beard and his expression returned to one of boredom.

"Ahem! I don’t dislike humans who know etiquette. Moreover, I don’t dislike the barley beer made by humans. However, unfortunately, our Yellow Rock Tribe cannot provide what you seek at the moment."

"What do you mean by that?"

At my question, he didn’t bother to explain.

"One cannot reveal the details to outsiders."

He paused briefly, sighed, and continued.

"That’s all I have to say. You’ve come a long way, so I won’t ask you to leave immediately. You can stay for a few days. I’ll inform the others in advance. However, if you cause any trouble, you’ll be expelled immediately."

As he stood up, indicating he had nothing more to say, the knights’ expressions turned slightly angry.

They seemed displeased at being ignored, as well as me, whom they were protecting.

At their imminent outburst, I silently raised my hand to stop them and looked at Golder.

I then quietly activated a single ability in my mind.

'Information Check.'

Beep!

Even dwarves can’t easily escape the power of the Demon King.

- Name: Golder

- Age: 180

- Gender: Male

- Race: Dwarf

- Title: None

- Abnormal Status: Tired, Irritated, Pondering

- Special Notes: Youngest of the eight elders of the Yellow Rock Tribe.

- Current Psychological State:

Wants to re-engage in the refinement of the Primordial Flash, a sacred sword of the dwarves.

Feels dissatisfied at being sent to meet humans due to his youth.

Very rarely, a human has entered the village, so he feels a slight interest and curiosity.

Has a certain level of goodwill towards a respectful visitor.

Feeling bothered by the reception.

The average lifespan of a dwarf is 250 years.

At 180, he’s not particularly old.

With a somewhat annoyed expression, Golder looked at me as if asking if I had anything else to say. I, however, became engrossed in one of the lines in the semi-transparent box that appeared before me.

A familiar name. I heard it from a mad blacksmith who married a hammer.

"Then I’ll impose on you for a few days."

Judging the situation quickly, I smiled.

25. Hammer, Give It to Me

The dwarf village was inherently quite noisy.

Perhaps due to their small stature and robust build, the dwarves’ loud chatter was almost as deafening as a train engine.

Unlike the quiet elves, they were a lively and energetic race.

Their lives were filled with boisterous activities.

There were two things that could drive dwarves to the brink of madness.

Alcohol and gambling.

While some dwarves could lose everything in a single night, most of them had a unique skill of knowing when to stop.

That’s why they’ve managed to survive for so long.

During my stay, I acted as if I had no ulterior motives and spent my time leisurely.

The dwarves seemed to be dealing with internal issues, but I didn’t get involved and instead gathered rumors.

Things don’t always go as planned.

What’s more ridiculous than starting off with high hopes and then failing?

- Is the Primordial Flash a great sword?

"Honestly, by normal standards, it is a great sword."

- By your standards?

"Given enough time, I could make it, couldn’t I?"

A sword that doesn’t cut.

That’s what the Primordial Flash, a sword revered by the dwarves, is.

The ancient hero Surt and the dwarf craftsmen imbued this sword with several abilities to give it meaning.

Unity, progress, and the blessing of the god of blacksmiths.

There are several other meanings, but Surt didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t pay much attention.

Frankly, from the moment the Primordial Flash broke, its significance has largely left the hands of the dwarves.

If Surt’s techniques had been passed down, it might be different, but it’s not easy to replicate those unique techniques with ordinary effort.

"In a way, the Primordial Flash is more like a prototype."

- A prototype?

"Let’s say... it’s like the first product of Kaldiras. The manufacturing process is similar, even if the purpose is different."

That’s why they’re struggling with it.

A special manufacturing method using mana.

Most craftsmen wouldn’t even consider such an attempt due to their pride.

However, this world ultimately operates based on physical and non-physical laws.

Physical laws governed by basic physical forces.

Non-physical laws based on the massive energy of mana, which moves beyond physical laws.

The world is built on these two theories.

Earth is probably no different.

- The basic theory of mages.

"Whether it’s a divine sword or the Primordial Flash, the key is to harmonize these two laws. Most craftsmen don’t attempt it; they try to push the limits of metal by hammering it purely."

Of course, there are occasional eccentrics.

"You have to slightly twist the existing methods, from how you strike the hammer to how you handle the ingot. When you throw away all your knowledge, you might see a glimmer of the mana processing method. But do you think the stubborn dwarves could develop it? No way."

It’s a method that can’t be done by a race of excellent craftsmen with pride and skill.

- But why is such an excellent item here?

"The Primordial Flash was a joint creation made to establish the first interaction between humans and dwarves. I don’t know the details, though."

I stood up after calmly explaining.

- Where are you going?

"I’ve had enough fun. It’s time for me to do my part."

Bringing the dwarves back to my territory is a secondary issue.

My main goal is to borrow the highly advanced forge here.

- If you’re unhappy, you could have made it yourself...

"With the current technology, it would take too long to make. I want to borrow the item and the technology, and the dwarves get to see something interesting."

I laughed and left the room without hesitation.

As I suddenly appeared, curious dwarf children peeked out from a distance and quickly disappeared.

Humans must be quite unfamiliar to them.

After all, only a few dwarves actually interact with humans for trade.

- So, do you think those stubborn dwarves will easily lend you the forge?

"First, let’s see..."

I looked around as if in thought and noticed something, then moved lightly.

"Let’s go to the tavern first?"

- Alcohol?