Gulp gulp gulp-

Bang!

“Grrraaah!”

The dwarf, Brondin, slammed his beer mug on the table with a force that seemed like it might shatter the entire thing. The remaining beer in the mug splashed through the air.

There was no way to describe the refreshing sensation of drinking a beer after a hard day’s work. Especially for him, who had worked in a place so hot that he was drenched in sweat, a cold beer felt no different from that rare elixir, the one called Elixir.

Although, he had never actually tasted Elixir.

Brondin wiped the foam from his beard with a hint of regret, letting out a long sigh as he blew away the fatigue of his day.

Finally, he lifted the mug and poured the rest of the beer into his mouth.

“Whew, I can’t take it anymore...!”

Still unsatisfied, he eventually fetched another barrel of beer from his third most precious item, his cold magic tool, and only after drinking it down did he finally exhale with satisfaction.

For reference, his first most precious item was his forge, and his second was his hammer.

“Now, this is what alcohol is supposed to be. Fruit or some scrap of grass in it, what’s so good about that kind of drink?”

Tsk, tsk.

Clicking his tongue, Brondin thought to himself that he would never understand the tastes of those pointy-eared bastards.

Screech.

“Oh, Master! You’re here! Great work today!”

While he was grumbling about the elves, someone opened the door to the workshop and stepped inside. The young man, whose upper body glistened with sweat, called Brondin "Master" and greeted him cheerfully.

In stark contrast to Brondin’s short, stocky frame, the young man's arms and legs were long and lanky.

“Master? I only showed you a thing or two because I couldn’t stand how you handled the hammer!”

Even though he said that, Brondin’s face didn’t show any real displeasure.

“Hahaha! Of course! There’s no way I can call myself your disciple with just this level of skill!”

“Hmph. At least you know that much. Still, for a human, you’ve got a lot of determination. If you keep working hard like this, you might even be able to work like a dwarf one day.”

Despite the gruff tone, there was a subtle warmth in his words.

Dwarves typically didn’t like taking disciples from other races. Thanks to their unique, sturdy muscles and heat-resistant skin, dwarves could endure the hot and grueling conditions of the forge for long periods, something that other races couldn’t hope to achieve.

Humans were a bit of an exception, though.

The young man laughed heartily, then set down the box he had tucked under his arm.

“But Master, what’s this?”

“Huh? Didn’t I tell you last time?”

“I don’t remember.”

“It’s a Dragon Orb.”

Brondin carefully opened the lid of the box. His normally rough and unrefined demeanor softened as his hands moved with cautious precision.

Inside the box was a golden gemstone.

As the golden light shimmered through the fine fabric covering it, both Brondin and the young man gasped in awe.

“Oooh…!”

“A Dragon Orb…!”

Brondin, his hands trembling, reached for the Dragon Orb but quickly withdrew, afraid he might damage it.

He gazed down at it with reverent eyes.

“I never thought the day would come when I could hold one of these…”

“Is this your first time seeing one, too, Master?”

“Are you an idiot? Do you think this is something you can just buy whenever you want?”

Brondin shouted.

The Dragon Orb.

It was the name of a rare gemstone found near dragon lairs. It was incredibly resistant to damage and had immense mana sensitivity and capacity, having been exposed to dragon mana for decades—perhaps even centuries.

Moreover, each Dragon Orb had a unique color, depending on the dragon it had been influenced by. For example, an orb found near a Red Dragon’s lair would be red, and one near a Blue Dragon’s lair would be blue.

The golden orb they were looking at was a Dragon Orb influenced by a Gold Dragon.

Due to these traits, the Dragon Orb was highly coveted, yet its supply could never meet demand.

After all, finding one near a dragon’s lair meant venturing into a dragon’s territory, and no dragon welcomed trespassers. Entering a dragon’s domain was practically a suicide mission.

Even if someone did manage to set foot inside a dragon’s territory, there was no guarantee they would find a Dragon Orb.

That’s why the supply was so limited, and the price soared through the roof.

“I never had the money, and even if I did, my skills back then weren’t good enough to handle a Dragon Orb, so I gave up.”

Brondin lamented, remembering the time he missed out on a red Dragon Orb. It had been of particularly high purity, and every dwarf with any craftsmanship had coveted it.

As the memory of the vivid red glow crossed his mind, Brondin smacked his lips. Then suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

“Wait a minute... You look suspiciously familiar with this.”

The young man flinched.

“H-haha, n-no way…”

The dwarf’s remark had clearly hit a nerve.

“Ahem! I’m just in awe that there’s a Dragon Orb right in front of me.”

“Hmph… I suppose that’s understandable.”

Brondin nodded. The young man breathed a quiet sigh of relief, but Brondin, now engrossed in the orb again, didn’t notice.

“But, Master, what do you plan to make with this?”

“I don’t know.”

“Wait, didn’t you buy it with something in mind?”

“Nope.”

Brondin stroked his thick beard.

“I don’t know when I’ll get another chance like this, so I bought it. Now I’m broke for a while.”

To put it simply, it was an impulsive purchase. As much as the Dragon Orb was a dream gem for any craftsman, he had no regrets, but it was true that he’d need to tighten his belt for a while.

He closed the lid of the box again.

“Go to the mountain tomorrow.”

“Huh? The mountain?”

“Yes. Go get some tools.”

Dragon Orbs couldn’t be worked with ordinary tools. Though Brondin had no immediate plans for it, he needed to be prepared for when the time came to craft with it.

The young man, now faced with an unexpected hiking trip, looked dismayed. But his master's word was law.

“…Alright.”

Resigned, the young man accepted his fate, his face scrunched up in reluctance.

 

At the foot of the mountain range, we arrived at the city of Valtora.

“Oooh…”

Da-eun let out a low sound of awe as she looked around at the intricately built and sturdy walls.

“Dwarves here, dwarves there… and, wait, humans? Humans?”

She tilted her head.

“Isn’t this a dwarven city?”

“Yeah, Valtora.”

“Then why are there so many humans? There are more dwarves, sure, but still...”

“Is there a problem with humans being here?”

“You know that’s not what I meant!”

Da-eun deftly avoided sounding like a racist.

“Valtora is a dwarven city, but it’s not their homeland. Their homeland is in the mountain range.”

Valtora was a city built for trade, so it wasn’t unusual to see other races there.

Except, of course, for elves, who had a notoriously bad relationship with dwarves.

Dwarves were renowned craftsmen. The prefix "dwarven-made" was enough to triple the price of any item, a testament to their skill recognized by all races—even the elves, who could hardly stand them.

From simple trinkets to weapons and armor, and even large-scale constructions, dwarves had a natural talent for crafting.

However, they had one weakness.

“Dwarves aren’t good with magic.”

While they could build tough structures and forge strong items, they couldn’t imbue them with magic.

If they had mastered magic, elves might have disappeared from the continent after the First Great Racial War.

Though dwarves could manipulate earth magic, even that was mediocre at best.

Could they create magic tools, then?

Of course not. Crafting magic tools required not only manual dexterity but also advanced magical knowledge.

Hearing this, Da-eun clapped her hands.

“Aha! So the dwarves make the vessels, and the humans imbue them with magic.”

“Exactly.”

For that reason, there were quite a few humans living in Valtora. Some came to buy quality items, while others came for trade.

“Kana, you know so much… You must have studied hard. How admirable!”

“Um… that’s not it.”

“Huh?”

I had never studied nor had any desire to learn these things.

The only reason I knew this much was because of Garid.

‘Kana, when Grasis finally settles down, shall we go on a journey together?’

‘A journey?’

‘Yeah. We’ll travel across the continent. We’ll visit the Sacred Nation, the Great Forest of Nadiron, Valtora… And, by then, we could even visit the Imperial Capital. Doesn’t that sound exciting?’

‘…Why bother? I’m happier staying at home.’

‘…At least try to change your expression when you say things like that.’

…That’s how it was.

Because of his constant rambling, I ended up knowing things I had no interest in.

Especially about Valtora, which Garid had visited himself, making his stories even more vivid.

But enough of that. Now, I had to find a decent item.

Heat wafted from the rows of workshops, and I felt the warmth blow against my face as I scanned the surroundings.

I didn’t know any craftsmen personally, so I’d have to look around until I found the right one.

There was one craftsman I did want to meet, but I neither knew his name nor what he looked like, so I quickly gave up on that.

“Excuse me, would it be alright if I went off on my own for a bit?”

“It’s not a problem… What do you need to do?”

“Well, since we’re here, I’d like to visit the temple. I’ll check if they have any rooms for us while I’m at it, so take your time looking around.”

“Gasp… Wouldn’t it be too much of a burden to stay at the temple again?”

“Haha, don’t worry. They’ll be happy to have us.”

Celine left us with those words and disappeared.

After hearing her message through Da-eun, I nodded calmly.

She wasn’t causing trouble, just waiting at the temple, so there was no reason to stop her.

“Well then, should we start by looking around?”

“Looking around? What for?”

I grabbed Da-eun, who was showing a bit too much excitement.

“We’re here to work.”

“W-work? What work?”

“We need to find a skilled craftsman.”

With that, I dragged her toward the nearest forge.

“Nooooooo!”

I ignored Da-eun’s long, drawn-out wail.