Chapter 143: Chapter 117: Dwarven Smithy.

<Acquisition requirements fulfilled. [Unarmed Mastery Lv. 1] [Sword Technique Lv. 1] [Spear Technique Lv. 1] gained>

<Proficiency requirements fulfilled. [Fluid Cast Lv. 2] [Unarmed Technique Lv. 8] [Danger Perception Lv. 5] [Terrain Maneuvering Lv. 5] [Wind Resistance Lv. 7] [Handicraft Lv. 4] [Trap Creation Lv. 8] gained>

<Hestia’s Holy Heater Ball: A ball of stone containing a magic circle that produces white flames, created by Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor. The ball’s shell is fortified with powerful terra magic, increasing its resistance against explosions and high heat. The creator of this item has made it possible for external mana to increase and decrease the temperature of the flame. Due to [Sanctified Blaze] being inscribed on it, the ball emits a weak healing aura when active>

<Hestia’s Improved Heater Ball: A ball of stone containing a magic circle made from the custom spell [Ignite], created by Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor. Anyone can control the strength of the flames by inserting or removing their mana, increasing the temperature around the ball>

“The amount of mana needed to activate the regular balls is minimal, as I’ve inscribed the spell [Ignite] into them. However, compared to your and the other maids’ spells, mine is stronger thanks to my high intelligence stat. It should be around the power of the level nine fire spell [Petal Flames],” I explained to Svena while holding a ball wrapped in red mana threads, before pointing at a white ball. “The holy heater balls are a bit different. They will require a bit more mana, so I recommend you to not use them. The normal heater balls are sufficient if you donate some mana in the morning and evening.”

“Understood, Lady Hestia. I will take this time as an opportunity to increase my mana stat,” Svena bowed to me before frowning. “… However, is it alright for you to leave today? Why not leave for your Quest tomorrow early?”

After receiving feedback for the dinner we hosted yesterday, our party was currently preparing to depart for our newest Quest. According to Melia, who was our exclusive handler for the hunter’s guild Quests, our destination would be Rashan Village, a small village in the tiny Teullon Barony. It would normally take someone three days on foot or a day by carriage.

As we didn’t know how long it would take us to finish the Quest, we told Ellaine that we would be gone for at least a week. While away, the garden in Tasianna’s room required maintenance, so I asked Svena for help. All she needed to do was to water the plants and put mana into the heater balls.

In the last week, aside from training, I’ve also started tinkering again. Recently, the number of spare [Hestia’s Heater Balls] stored in my storage could be counted with one hand. The longer the flame heating the ball was alive, the more the rock shell of the ball would deteriorate and eventually break. It would eventually turn useless due to its crude design.

I made them back when I was still in the Belzac forest, so their performance was lower than what I was capable of making today. After evolving into a rank B dragon, improving my magical skills, and learning from Master Kush, I knew I could make better heater balls. Those stage lights I made for my concert proved as much.

So, I made new heater balls. At first, I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to create them. I used fire spells and [Trap Creation] to inscribe the magic circles onto the balls in my younger days, but I lost those spells due to Shiterno’s interference. As my scale-dust were explosive and my [White Flames] and [Corrosive Fire] wouldn’t survive for too long outside my body, I was in a pickle.

Until I facepalmed and called myself an idiot. I had two custom spells that could emit the fire and heat that fitted the requirements to make my heater balls: [Ignite] and [Sanctified Blaze]. [Ignite] was the least powerful custom fire spell, developed so new mages could easily learn it and train their [Fire Magic] skill. Due to its low power and the fact that my triple colored fires outperformed it, I dismissed it as redundant. I only learned it to see if I could learn fire spells despite no longer having [Fire Magic].

However, that was when I realized it had a niche. My scale-dust were destructive and useful for a bomb, but [Ignite] was weak enough for a heater ball. It was so obvious, but I hadn’t figured it out until now. [Sanctified Blaze] was also a proper substitute, especially when my white flames could become warm or “cold.” For this reason, I made multiple heater balls using both spells. With my high intelligence stat, the rock shell ended up tougher and the fire stronger, even if only a small amount of mana was injected.

“Don’t worry, Svena. We want to get to the village tomorrow morning, as the Quest was printed with ‘Urgent.’ As adventurers, we have to fulfill our job,” I said to soothe the worried Svena.

Once we packed some food and a change of clothes, we said our goodbyes to House Helvas’s most prominent members, and went to the lower city. Before we departed from Firwood, we needed to do one thing. We had to go to the smithy. We needed proper weapons and some armor.

On the way, we also visited the cobbler shop Ruld was working in and asked him about his wife Lorena, the friends I made in Carine Village. Due to the incident with the bandits, I was worried she wasn’t doing too well, but two seem to be doing well enough. Lorena even got a job as a baker.

“Lorena’s cooking is just the best! You know, Lady Hestia, cuz I’m still contracted to the workshop, I don’t have a house. Lorena and I are living in the attic of the building, and she’s been cooking lunch for the whole workshop to stay. Ahaha, I can’t still believe I got married to my childhood friend! She used to be pretty bad at cooking!”

It’s been a while since I met Lorena, so I decided I should catch up with her after we finish the Quest, since she was working today. After handing Ruld some food as gifts for himself and Lorena, we said our goodbyes and went to a smithy Ruld recommended, the one owned by a dwarf.

In a less popular spot in the middle district, we stopped at a small building with a shop sign. The sign had the words “Smithy/Bundari” written on it and looked old and weathered, as if it had survived for years under harsh weather conditions. It was shabby compared to the human-run smithies in the center of the middle district, but there was a charm in its simplicity. As we neared the entrance, we could feel the heat from it. The smithy was active.

“Tonkon, ebdli. Welcome, customers.” As we entered the shop, a short woman greeted us from behind the counter. She had long dirt-brown braided hair that reached down to her hips, thick lips curved into a friendly smile, sharp round eyes darting around as she inspected the three of us, and full cheeks that gave her a very cute face.

A-a dwarf!

“E-excuse me, this is a very, very, very rude question, I know. I apologize if it will offend you but … Uhm, you are a dwarf, right, Miss?” Unable to hold me back from possibly seeing my first dwarf, I rushed to the counter in less than a second and asked the small woman my question. I was so mesmerized and curious to see another fantasy race that I couldn’t control my tail.

“Oi, oi, little dragonewt, your tail is gonna mess everything up!” she frowned as she chastised me but sighed in exasperation once she looked at my eyes who were staring at her with wonderment. She began speaking with a distinct accent from the rest of the town—quite rough and springy with her pronunciation. “Ahh, a whelp, I see? Funny that you can’t recognize a ‘tazong.’ Thought we neighbors? Yeah, kid, I’m a proud dwarf of the Ankoran mountain ranges. To be more specific, an inko dwarf.”

She was around the height of my shoulders, and that was saying a lot since I was 155cm (5’1”). Her body was more lean than stout, unlike what I thought a female dwarf would look like, lacking unnecessary fat despite still being muscular, giving her a very athletic body. However, what caught my eyes the most was her voluptuous chest, probably D cups, and the small bits of rock-like skin, or something, growing around the tips of her ears and on her hair like moss.

“Woah, really!? Ahhh!” I clapped in excitement. “Oh, an ‘inko dwarf?’ What exactly is an—Ouch!”

I felt a tug on my head as a hand grabbed onto my horns, pulling me back as if I was some mad bull. When I got a glimpse of who it was—Saori—she let go of me and began chastising me.

“Hestia, I know you are excited, but this is rude. Introduce yourself first before you ask all these questions.” She turn to the dwarven woman and bowed politely, lowering her body by 45 degrees. “I apologize for my lady’s lack of manners. My name is Saori.”

Widening her eyes in surprise, the dwarf smiled in acknowledgment and bowed too, equally at a 45-degree angle. “Haha, nice to see our land’s custom to bow spread to other races. Never thought I would see somebody greet others with a bow in a human kingdom. Nice to meet’cha Saori. The name’s Kraftja.”

Her proud eyes then turn to Tasianna and me, looking expectantly.

Bowing is a part of dwarven culture? Did the Revolution Queen share this with the dwarves, or was this already a thing? That’s a question for later, let’s just bow for now.

Already used to bowing to my family on my mother’s side, I bowed like Saori and Kraftja. “Sorry for before. I was too excited, so I hope you can overlook it. My name is Hestia. It’s nice to meet you.”

“My name is Tasianna. It is an honor to meet an inko.” Unlike Saori and me, Tasianna gave a short bow.

… This feels too much like Japan now. Why is everybody bowing?

“Huhut? Do I see a wind elf, or a high knifeear? Ahh, doesn’t matter much, more surprising you’d be on human soil, yflei. But, prying be a bit unnecessary, Earth Mother’s my witness.” Her speaking habit was quite hard to decipher since I wasn’t a master in Common yet, but I was slowly getting the hang of it. “Anyways, this is a waste of time. You’re here to do business, right? Look around the shop for something you want, or ask me if you have a commission for me husband.”

She’s very blunt but seems nice.

I stepped forward. “We would like to commission some equipment if that’s possible.”

“Got it, got it. Me husband is working right now, so you need to wait. I’ll call him out once he’s done. ‘Never interrupt a bund-gul when he hammers, or God Bleidla will smite ya,’ right?” she laughed energetically before retreating into the back of the shop. Unlike other shops, there wasn’t a second clerk nor employee, so I wondered if she was either too trustworthy or an idiot for leaving without supervision.

However, that was quickly cleared up once Tasianna saw my frown. It was as if she read my mind.

“Lady Hestia, the dwarves are one of the proudest races on Peolynca. They take pride in the bonds they make during their lives. They would destroy anyone who insults their clan’s name, be blinded by revenge for the death of a friend, they would even sacrifice their life to repay a debt as small as treating them to free ale,” Tasianna informed me. “The reason why she trusts us this much is due to the friendship between elves and dwarves. This is my first time meeting a dwarf, or ‘tazong’ as they call themselves, but Saelariel and Ankor-Nazta have been allies even before the Origin Gods appeared. Not to mention, the dwarven country of Ankor-Nazta are also allies with Kargryx and Loatryx.”

“I see,” Saori nodded, having understood the situation. “So, she does not trust ‘us,’ she trusts that you would prevent us from doing something stupid, Tasianna? Wow, that is a lot of blind faith.”

“Yes, we are customers, and we planned to order equipment, correct? Disregarding my actual identity, we shouldn’t make a dwarf angry. I personally wish to stay friendly with all dwarves as they are the faefolk’s benefactors for ending the ‘War for the Faefolk,’” Tasianna asserted.

The ‘War for the Faefolk.’ If I remembered correctly, it was a war between the alliance of elves and dwarves against the human kingdoms to protect faefolk like fairies and spirits. Humans created a twisted version of mana batteries that allowed them to drain the mana from faefolk, slowly killing them, as they were beings made from pure mana. Since the elves were allies to the faefolk, they naturally fought against the humans while the dwarves joined in due to the age-old alliance between elves and dwarves.

The humans lost the war in the end, but a few twisted mana batteries could still be found. I haven’t seen one in Firwood, but I still remembered the [Dwarven Warhammer Cannon] I saw in Belzac forest when we fought the trolls that had captured Tasianna. When I was kidnapped by those wyvern escorts, we were also shot down with a similar cannon by an army of grimgarians, kobolds, goblins, orcs, ogres, and trolls.

Tasianna hated humans due to her history with them, but she was very friendly with other races. In the first place, I wasn’t a criminal so messing around in Kraftja’s store was a no-go anyway. However, it was nice to learn the reason behind Kraftja’s trust.

As I was interested in the weapons the smithy sold, I took the chance and looked around the shop. Tasianna and Saori did the same since they were also interested in some gear in preparation for our Quest.

Unlike the outer appearance of the smithy, the interior was surprisingly clean and tastefully decorated. Of course, there wasn't much in the way of ‘normal’ decorations like rugs, plants, or paintings, but befitting a smithy, the owners used equipment to furnish everything. The only object that could be considered a decoration was a small statue on the counter, depicting a bearded man holding up a hammer in one hand and an anvil in his other. It was an authentic medieval experience, and it made my heart beat in excitement.

As I looked around, I noticed there was no armor for sale. There were gauntlets and boots, but I couldn’t find any shiny chestplate or helmets. I haven’t visited the other smithies yet, but was it normal for shops to not sell armor or was this a dwarven thing?

On the other hand, there were a ton of weapons. Swords, lances, axes, daggers, and even bows among them. I thought bowyers or fletchers were the only ones who made bows, but do blacksmiths also make them?

Come to think about it, Ruld did say this blacksmith specializes in making equipment out of monster materials. That’s why Ruld’s workshop knows this smithy, as they also specialize in using monster leather for their shoes.

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I could ask the owners once they came back for the details. I was curious about why they didn’t have any customers, but that wasn’t my problem. In the meantime …

Should I buy a spear or sword?

My decision to buy a weapon, instead of focusing purely on my magic and claws, came from my training with Farron. Keeping his promise, we’ve been sparring whenever he could in the last week. As his duties as a guild master were his priority, the number of times I could spar with him was limited, but that didn’t mean I stopped my training.

Much like with my spars with Master Kush, I haven’t won a single time. It was honestly disheartening to see how weak I still was compared to the rest of the world. I dominated the forest part of the Belzac forest, but then I met the wyverns and the massive leviathan. I won against the ice wyvern thanks to Saori and Tasianna, so I didn’t count that as my success alone.

However, I took it as a learning step. The reason why I couldn't win against Master Kush was due to my lack of equipment and experience. Even before he took out his catalyst, Master Kush dominated the field with his spells. It was the same thing with the guild master. His spear was an OP-level weapon, so he could overpower me with both superior technique and higher stats.

It made me aware that I still had a long way to go in order to become strong. Stats alone weren’t enough. I knew that from the start, but now my faith in the statement was strengthened. To become strong enough to defend my two best friends, I needed to use my spells and skills better, while also concentrating on equipment acquisitions.

The trinity of power—stats, skills, and items. Any RPG fan could attest to this.

In an attempt to improve, I’ve decided to try out using weapons. It was purely for curiosity’s sake, and I thought using a weapon would help me get better with my tail blade. Maybe I could learn a trick or two. That was why I kept an eye on Farron’s movements and attack pattern, imitating them to learn both [Sword Technique] and [Spear Technique]. He even showed me the basics once I obtained them.

“Don’t use your SP to buy or level these practical skills. It won’t make you better. You just learn bad habits and make mistakes because you aren’t used to fighting as a warrior.” A legitimate advice, so I was barely using SP for this reason. In addition, with Jobs available, I could also level my skills by leveling them.

In any case, I stopped considering using my SP to improve my skills. At this point where I needed large amounts of experience to level up, I couldn’t waste SP on trivial skills that I could level up easily. I decided to save as many SP as I could for the future when I desperately need to use them. It was an insurance plan that both Saori and Tasianna agreed with.

Let’s take a spear first. I’m interested in his dragoon skills.

<Iron Spear: A spear made out of iron. Despite the low-grade materials used in it, it was made with the hands of an experienced blacksmith. Sturdy and useable for beginners>

<Skorr Tusk Spear: A spear made with iron mixed with the tusk of a skorr. The hardy nature of the monster skorr increases the durability and penetration ability of the spear. With every strike, this spear will leave a hole like a mad skorr.

Skills: [Piercing Enhancement Lv. 2]>

<Steel Spear with a hollowed Bone Shaft: A spear with a steel tip and a shaft made from a bird monster’s bones. Although terrible to defend with, the hollowed shaft enables fast attacks while the heavy steel blade enables dangerous penetration. However, it lacks durability.

Skills: [Decrease Durability Lv. 1]>

The most unfortunate part that I was desperately missing from the RPG System of Peolynca was the attack values of weapons and armor rating of armor. In games, numbers were everything. With numbers, you could grasp a quick understanding of if this weapon was better than another one until you looked at the available skills. Thankfully, weapons showed which skills and runes they had, but I still wished to know which spear would do more damage.

It would be so convenient if somebody could just tell me which weapon was better to use.

“Have you chosen?” Interrupting my thoughts, Saori and Tasianna came over. Saori was holding a single dagger while Tasianna didn’t take anything. It was understandable, unlike the two of us, Tasianna had low strength and vitality so she was more capable as a pure mage.

I smiled as I noticed the dagger. “Haha, I knew you would choose a dagger. Can’t you make one with your [Shadow Armament]?”

Saori was able to create her daggers by casting [Dark Bolt] and using her unique skill [Shadow Armament] to form them into any weapon she wanted. She didn’t need ones made from iron. Or so I thought.

“My daggers only inflict dark elemental damage and increase in damage through my intelligence, not my higher strength. Plus, I want a cool weapon like the guild master, too, you know?” Saori explained, surprising me she wanted awesome-looking equipment, too. Here I though she was a stickler for efficiency. “I want to commission a dagger for the future, but I need one to practice with first. Here, take a look.”

<Steel Dagger: A dagger made with steel. The craftsmanship is simple but effective, a result of the hands of an experienced blacksmith. Sturdy and enables the user to properly unleash their physical strength>

Simple indeed.

“Argh, why are you bringing me out? Just let me work, wife!” As our party was talking about which weapons to buy, a grumble came from the clerk counter.

“So, annoying. Stubborn to the end even after finishing your latest work!” Kraftja, the dwarf woman from earlier, came back from the back of the shop while dragging another dwarf out by the ear. I was wondering if she was the one wearing the pants in this relationship. “You have customers looking for a commission so come out already! We came to Firwood for monster materials, so shut up and do your work! Lasses, come over here, and let’s speak Davi.”

The dwarf next to her was clearly a man, considering he called Kraftja his wife. He had a stout, muscular body that made his torso look like the trunk of a massive tree, unshakable and sturdy. As you would expect from a dwarf, his beard was massive and covered up his entire mouth and jaw, as it hung down with his long messy hair.

Strangely, similar to Kraftja, his ears had a strange “stone hide” while the tips of his beard seem petrified. Was that an accessory, or was stone actually growing from their hair? If it was a trait of dwarves, then my curiosity for this race has just increased by plus one.

“Come on, introduce yourself. You know the basics of Mercurias’s teachings,” Kraftja spoke as she pushed her husband in front of us. As he stood before me, I noticed our eyes immediately meeting. He and I were the same height.

“Ooooh, I can smell it!” His eyes widened. Instead of looking at me, he looked at my arms, more specifically my scales. “Those are some seriously durable-looking scales you go there, lassie. You here for some scale armor? Just saying, I’ve never made armor for dragonewts before, but I know the technique.”

When he came out, the dwarf man looked annoyed like a kid who’d had his toys taken away from him, but now he was acting like an eccentric. He eyed my scales with such greed that it made me flinch back. Saori and Tasianna had to intervene, standing before me to block his sight from me.

Noticing my discomfort, Kraftja coiled up her hand and smacked her husband with her fist so hard his forehead landed on the counter. A loud boom could be heard. “Earth Mother’s twin-tails, why are ya acting like that?! Bladdarg, stop trying to scare them away and ruin our business; get on with it, or I’ll give God Bleidla a complaint about ya the next time we go to his altar!”

Once the blacksmith recovered from the hit, he apologized to his wife and then to me as he mumbled, “Making powerful monster weapons is the only way to gain honor, so I got too heated up.” He then cooled down a bit after taking a mug of cold water and with a Japanese-style bow, introduced himself as Ogni.

“So, you got a commission? Just saying but I only take ones where I can work with monster materials. If they are low grade like bladdarg kobold fangs, then I’ll kick you out. No second chance,” Ogni spoke bluntly like his wife. “I can estimate how strong you three are. You aren’t normal adventurers, that’s for sure, so don’t disappoint me.”

I shrugged. “Why are you so fascinated by monster materials? Isn’t a blacksmith’s job to create stuff from ores and so on?”

“You don’t know? A dwarven blacksmith seeks to create strong weapons to present to the gods and his clan for honor. The only reason why me and me wife are in this bladdarg human kingdom is cuz of the Belzac forest.”

As I was beginning to get confused with all the new information, Tasianna sent me a telepathic message to explain it. Dwarven society was split into different clans, which were essentially nobles families who serve dwarven kings inside a mountain hold in the Ankoran mountain range. All of them rule under an Ankoran King or Queen, or Dwarven High King or Queen, north of Artorias.

Since dwarves were a proud race, they took the concept of honor seriously, to the point they sound like samurais to me. Their extreme stubbornness combined with their desire to elevate their clans made them seem like zealots or fanatics, similar to how Ogni acted when we first met. It was this desire to bring honor to his clan by creating powerful equipment that made Ogni and his wife travel from his home to a distant place like Firwood.

After that quick rundown, Ogni began explaining the value of equipment made from monsters, “Their materials have strong traits and lingering mana that enhance the ores during the smelting process. Ores are very important as they act as the base of everything, but monster materials give the extra oomph, ya know? For example, if you want a lightning infused weapon without resorting to runes, you get a lightning elemental monster’s materials and mix it with the ores. You know about the skills on gear, right? The majority come from the materials used in the process.”

“In other words, if we want really strong weapons, we need to give you monster materials?” I concluded.

“Obviously, it’s common sense,” Ogni scoffed. “Strong ore, valuable monster materials, and the skills of a blacksmith. That way, the strongest weapons can be created. Ahhh, I still dream of making a masterpiece, hmm, hmm.”

I nodded, before continuing my questions. As Master Kush said, seek knowledge. “What about runes? Aren’t they also a part of making a weapon stronger.”

For the first time, Ogni frowned, looking troubled as he kept his mouth shut. Instead, his wife spoke up, “My husband and I aren’t runesmiths. We don’t have the tools to etch rune grooves onto weapons, nor the skill for it. If you want runes etched onto your stuff, your best bet is to go to a dwarven hold. The runesmith guild won’t disappoint.”

Hearing this did sadden me, since we still needed to find a runesmith for more improvement. Regardless, I should stir this discussion back to the reason we came here.

“We have some C rank materials we want you to transform into stuff, but before that … Can you work with this?” I took out a dark-purplish stone from my pocket.

“Hmm?” Ogni picked it up and began observing it. The more he looked at it, the more his eyes widened and his mouth turned into a smile. “This is good … What is it?”

And I answered, “Corrosive obsidian with a high iron content. Can you use this to make some weapons for us?”