Chapter 52: Materials of the Holy Sword
"This thing of yours is new! Undoubtedly new!"
In a large Dwarf settlement, or rather, a Dwarf town, an old dwarf held a black ore in his hand and exclaimed. His weathered fingers traced the smooth surface with the reverence of someone who understood true craftsmanship.
This was one of the eight major Dwarf clans, and the first city Kurtz and his group encountered.
One could only say that in the Mythical Era, most races were distributed across the world in the form of settlements; existences like this town were too rare. The stone buildings rose from the mountainside like carved monuments, their foundations built to last millennia.
"Can you explain it more clearly? This isn't an appraisal show."
Kurtz was a bit speechless; what was this dwarf talking about? It made him feel like he was in some appraisal program. The old craftsman's theatrical enthusiasm reminded him of those over-the-top television personalities from his previous world.
The black stone in the old dwarf's hand was precisely the one Kurtz had picked up from the dragon's lair. He thought that as master blacksmiths, the dwarves should be able to identify its origin, so he found the dwarf in front of him for an appraisal.
It seemed this old dwarf was quite famous in this town.
At least when Kurtz asked, "Who is the most skilled blacksmith here?" every dwarf pointed to this workshop. The unanimous recommendation spoke volumes about the craftsman's reputation.
"Eternal ore!" The dwarf's voice was excited, his eyes gleaming with the fervour of someone who had just discovered buried treasure. "I don't know how many years it's been since I last saw this; it's still so well-preserved, almost as new as when it was just dug out!"
"What is this thing used for?"
"Weapons or armour crafted primarily from eternal ore will not be eroded by time, even after a thousand years." The dwarf's tone carried the weight of absolute certainty.
Perfect, the material for the Hero's Holy Sword has been found.
Kurtz hadn't expected that his casual thought would actually lead him to find the material. Sometimes the universe had a sense of humour about these things.
"Really? Is that true?" Eric couldn't believe it; his voice was tinged with skepticism.
Such a black, unassuming stone actually possessed such miraculous power. It looked no different from ordinary coal to his untrained eye.
"Of course it's true!" The dwarf was clearly a bit angry at Eric's doubt, his beard bristling with indignation. "Outsider, sell this ore to me! You can ask for anything."
The desperation in his voice was barely concealed. Kurtz could practically see the gears turning in the craftsman's mind, already envisioning what masterwork he could create.
"Alright!"
Kurtz's answer surprised everyone present, but the old dwarf instantly became ecstatic. His face lit up like a child receiving an unexpected gift.
"Then give me dozens of magic books!"
The smile on the old dwarf's face froze, transforming from joy to horror in an instant.
If the other party had asked for powerful weapons, equipment, or various precious gems, he could have provided them, but he had no magic books whatsoever!
What use would he, a dwarf, have for collecting such things? His people worked with hammers and forges, not dusty tomes and theoretical nonsense.
"Then it seems you don't have any, so the deal's off."
Kurtz feigned a sigh, pretending to take back the ore. His fingers moved toward the stone with deliberate slowness.
The old dwarf immediately became anxious: "Outsider, do you know how precious eternal ore is? Only we dwarves know how to process this; for you to hold it is simply a waste of heavenly resources!"
"Don't worry!" Kurtz pointed behind him. "I have a dwarf among my companions."
The old dwarf followed his finger and saw Somo examining his own work in the workshop, running experienced hands over the crafted pieces with quiet appreciation.
"Where's his beard? What kind of dwarf has no beard!"
The old dwarf's words made Somo a bit embarrassed. He touched his smooth chin self-consciously, old insecurities flaring up.
"That's none of your concern." Kurtz coldly interrupted the old dwarf, his voice carrying a protective edge. "If there's nothing else, we'll be leaving."
"Wait!" The old dwarf stomped his foot in urgency, the sound echoing through the stone workshop. "I have another idea!"
Since he couldn't buy the eternal ore from these people, he would have to try a different approach. His mind raced through alternatives, each more desperate than the last.
The old dwarf's reaction was all within Kurtz's expectations; he was too familiar with bargaining tactics from both his lives.
"What idea?"
"I can help you process this eternal ore."
"But I somewhat doubt your forging skill. What if you damage my ore…" Kurtz feigned difficulty, letting uncertainty creep into his voice.
"Are you looking down on this old man? Even if you look across the whole world, this old man is confident that other dwarves won't outdo his forging ability." Pride blazed in his eyes, centuries of masterwork backing his words.
Seeing that he had extracted enough information, Kurtz no longer hesitated and said, "In that case, I'd like to commission you to forge a sword using this ore."
Serie stood by with her arms crossed, adding: "A Holy Sword that can infuse and store magic." Her tone was matter-of-fact, as if requesting the impossible was perfectly reasonable.
The old dwarf's eyes widened: "You really dare to ask for the moon! Do you know how difficult it is to forge a Holy Sword that can infuse magic?"
One should note that Somo's battle axe did not have this function.
His battle axe had special explosive skills because magic-infused ore was added during its forging process.
But that was entirely different from Serie's request.
Serie's meaning was clear: this Holy Sword must be able to have magic infused into it, store that magic, and then release it during combat.
It was somewhat similar to the Caliburn. The legendary sword's reputation preceded it even here.
"Didn't you say your forging technique was unrivalled? Can't you do it?" Kurtz chose to provoke him, his words carrying just enough challenge to sting.
Clearly, his provocation was effective.
"Who said I can't forge it? Give me one month!" The dwarf's pride wouldn't allow him to back down from such a challenge.
The more powerful the weapon, the longer the forging time.
It was said that the weapon in the Dwarf Kingdom capable of harming gods took nearly ten years to forge, utilising various precious ores, and even eternal ore was just one of the materials.
But unfortunately, its authenticity could no longer be verified. Such legends had a way of growing in the telling.
"However," the old dwarf scrutinised Kurtz's group with calculating eyes, "do you have the qualifications to wield a Holy Sword?"
Among the group before him, only the elf looked strong, but she was clearly not a mighty warrior, but a mage.
As for the others, the old dwarf only felt that the blond human and the dwarf without a beard looked like warriors; he couldn't tell how strong the rest were. Appearances could be deceiving, especially with humans.
Facing the old dwarf's skepticism, Eric puffed out his chest indignantly: "What? Don't believe in our strength?"
With that, he pulled out a scale from his bag, a scale from that giant dragon. The crimson surface gleamed even in the workshop's dim light.
"Dragon scale!?" The old dwarf recognised it as an adult Red Dragon's scale at a glance, and his attitude even softened a bit. "I never would have guessed you possess such formidable strength."
He rubbed his rough palms together, excitement replacing skepticism, "However, the Holy Sword you request is extremely complex to forge and requires many materials…"
The old dwarf didn't finish his sentence, but his eyes couldn't help but glance at the scale, clearly wanting Kurtz to use the scale as payment. The greedy gleam was barely concealed.
"As long as you can forge the Holy Sword we just described, this scale will be your payment."
"Hmm… but these materials are all very precious." The dwarf's tone turned calculating.
Clearly, the old dwarf wanted more payment.
Adventurers capable of slaying a giant dragon must surely carry a lot of the dragon's treasure. His reasoning was sound, if transparent.
This greedy fellow!
Kurtz cursed inwardly, but before he could speak, Norn stepped forward at the right moment: "And these gems, you can have them too."
Norn took out a small bag of dazzling gems, their faceted surfaces catching the forge light like captured starfire. He hadn't brought so many gems originally; they were all taken from Eric's bag.
As for Eric's silent protest, Norn simply ignored it. The hunter's pained expression spoke volumes about his attachment to the treasure.
It was rare to encounter a race that accepted these gems, so he naturally wanted to use them up quickly. He didn't want to carry these beautiful but useless stones on adventures every day; they were dead weight that could be better spent.
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