Chapter 39: Starting Again
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
Serie had recovered entirely, leaving no lingering effects from her mana exhaustion, and Somo also declared he had stayed long enough. With their preparations complete, Kurtz officially prepared to venture out again.
Of course, this time their team had two more members, a development that changed everything about their dynamic.
"Naoyun, you must listen to the adults here and wait for me to come back!" Norn said goodbye to his sister reluctantly at the entrance of the village, his voice catching slightly on the words.
"Okay, when will you come back, Big Brother?" The little girl's eyes were bright with unshed tears, though she tried to be brave.
Norn was speechless for a moment, his throat tightening. He didn't know when he would return from this adventure, if he would return at all. The reality of their destination made any promises feel hollow.
But he had something he had to do. Now he didn't want to spend his life just protecting the safety of this one village, no matter how much he loved it.
For that greater purpose, he had to become much stronger.
"Your big brother will come back when he becomes strong enough." Norn squatted down and gently ruffled his sister's dark hair, his touch tender despite his calloused hands.
"And then, I'll teach you powerful magic, okay?"
According to Serie, his sister also possessed the talent for learning magic, a gift that might one day change her life completely. However, she was too young at the time to accumulate enough mana in her small body, so she couldn't even cast the most basic spells.
Naoyun gripped her brother's clothes tightly, her knuckles white with the effort of holding back tears, but still nodded vigorously.
"Then I'll wait for you to come back!"
Eric, who was standing nearby adjusting his heavy pack, couldn't bear the emotional scene any longer and urged gruffly,
"Hey, hey, it's not like we're parting forever; you're making it sound like we won't come back."
At this moment, Eric was carrying a large pack on his back; supplies for five people were no small burden, and even basic necessities took up considerable space.
His shoulders already ached from the weight, and they hadn't even left the village yet.
Adventuring wasn't just setting off empty-handed with nothing but good intentions. It required careful planning, like preparing for a long journey into unknown territory.
You needed to bring everything essential for survival, as there might not be another chance to resupply.
Serie folded her arms and added with her characteristic bluntness, "It's not wrong to say it's a permanent parting; it's indeed possible we won't come back."
Even she had accepted Kurtz's request for adventure with the quiet understanding that she might never see the Elf Forest again. The destinations they planned to explore were notorious for swallowing adventurers and armies whole.
Serie had always struggled with reading social situations when there were more people around, her ancient perspective making her brutally honest at the worst moments.
However, Kurtz didn't correct her; he just quickly smoothed things over before the farewell could become even more tearful.
"Alright, alright, it's time to set off."
Norn gave a few more careful instructions to the reliable elders in the village, ensuring his sister would be well cared for, before rejoining the team with visible reluctance.
Bidding farewell to the villagers who had gathered to see them off, faces both familiar and dear, the five officially embarked on their journey into the unknown.
Thus, the legendary future hero team, destined to be buried in the river of history, was officially formed without fanfare or prophecy.
The Saint who goes forth, the Sage who seeks survival, the God-Slayer who sleeps eternally, the Dark-Comer who announces death, and the Honored one who wears the laurel wreath.
For now, none of them knew the roles they would come to play in the world's fate.
...
The village gradually faded into the distance behind them, becoming just another memory on the horizon. After leaving the protective sphere of influence of the Gemir Forest, Somo asked the question they were all wondering.
"Where's our first stop?"
"The Dwarf Kingdom Ruins." Kurtz unfolded the worn map they'd acquired, studying the marked locations with careful attention.
"If what we know is right, then the number of monsters there will be much fewer than before."
"What do you mean?" Somo was genuinely puzzled, his thick eyebrows drawing together in confusion.
He remembered that place had long become a notorious monster stronghold, and logically, it should be overrun with dangerous creatures by now.
"Because of the war," Serie explained from beside him, her voice carrying the weight of strategic understanding.
"According to Kraft, the war between the demons and the allied forces has already begun in earnest. Since that's the case, most of the monsters should have been conscripted or transferred to the front lines," Kurtz added, tracing possible routes on the map with his finger.
In fact, both the monsters and the demon races were incredibly disorganized during this period. After all, the Demon King had not yet emerged to unite them under a single banner, and none of the demon races truly obeyed each other; they operated more like independent warlords vying for territory and power.
However, among these scattered strongholds, the Dwarf Ruins housed the largest concentration of demon races, already showing faint signs of becoming what would eventually be known as the First Demon King's stronghold.
If nothing unexpected happened, the first Demon King of the demon races should emerge from among those very ruins they planned to explore.
"I see." Somo immediately grasped the tactical advantage this presented.
"I heard that the Dwarves lost their ancient forging techniques during that original attack. That knowledge was supposed to be the foundation of our entire civilization. I wonder if any of it can still be recovered."
Early in the mythical era, the Dwarves had earned renown throughout the continent for their unparalleled forging techniques.
All races had spared no expense to commission the Dwarves to create powerful weapons and artifacts for them.
Legend claimed that the Dwarves had even forged a weapon capable of harming gods themselves. Still, unfortunately, with the catastrophic fall of the First Dwarf Kingdom, its authenticity could no longer be verified.
"Do your forging techniques rely on secret formulas rather than being passed down through people?" Kurtz expressed his confusion, drawing on memories of how craftsmanship typically worked.
In his understanding, as long as skilled practitioners survived, techniques wouldn't simply vanish; they would be preserved and transmitted to the next generation.
Unless the Dwarves had operated like some paranoid ancient empire, where craftsmen were eliminated after completing sensitive projects to protect state secrets.
When the Dwarf Kingdom fell, many Dwarves had escaped the destruction. Were there truly none among the survivors who understood the traditional forging techniques?
Somo shook his head with obvious regret. "I honestly don't know the details. My current axe maintenance technique was learned from my father, but it's nothing compared to what we've lost."
"I see."
"Can outsiders learn your forging techniques?" Norn asked tentatively, hope flickering in his voice.
"Theoretically, no, and as we know, the knowledge has been lost for hundreds of years. There are no Dwarves left on the continent who still possess that knowledge."
Somo's meaning was depressingly clear; no living Dwarves remembered the ancient forging techniques anymore. Even if other races desperately wanted to learn, there was nowhere to acquire such knowledge.
However, Somo added with a thoughtful frown.
"If these techniques truly appeared in the hands of other races somehow, I don't think the leaders of the remaining Dwarf clans would just sit idly by and accept it."
Norn's expression grew somewhat dim at this warning, his hopes deflating slightly.
"If the original technique causes problems, there would indeed be political risks, so why not just adapt and modify it then? I'm sure those Dwarf leaders wouldn't be able to identify altered versions."
Kurtz's pragmatic suggestion made Norn's eyes light up with renewed possibility. He looked at his companion, who smiled knowingly at him, seemingly able to guess the ambitious thoughts forming in his mind.
Perhaps he should find the right time to speak privately with Kurtz about his dreams for humanity's future.
Someone capable of teaching them magic unconditionally, and even adventuring alongside an ancient Elf, perhaps harbored the same revolutionary goals as him.
Unlike Norn's weighty concerns about societal change, Eric was more interested in immediate, tangible matters: "I heard there are many treasures hidden in the Dwarf Ruins?"
"Yes!" Somo's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Legend speaks of statues over ten meters tall carved from solid gold and inlaid with rare precious gems, and even treasure vaults with floors covered in gold coins like a glittering ocean."
Gold wasn't widely circulated as currency in this era, but the Dwarves had always possessed an almost obsessive love for shiny, beautiful objects, including various rare gems and precious metals.
Therefore, when different races commissioned the forging of weapons, they would often bring substantial quantities of gold items as payment or tribute.
"Good heavens! Just thinking about it makes my eyes dazzle with possibility."
No matter the era, people were drawn to wealth and beauty, even in the simple bartering village where Eric had grown up.
"Are there other valuable things besides gold and gems?" Kurtz asked, his priorities focused on more practical concerns.
After all, he couldn't realistically carry vast amounts of precious metals with him, or at least not enough to make the risk worthwhile.
"I honestly don't know about that," Somo admitted with a shrug.
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