"An impossible order?" Lilith asked, narrowing her eyes as she observed the blacksmith.
Brokkur let out a heavy sigh, setting his tongs aside.
"For over two weeks now, the world has been in total chaos. I don't know exactly what it's all about, but our nation has begun feverishly preparing for war. I received a request from above demanding thirty special short swords capable of cutting through ghosts and ethereal beings."
"But, damn it, unique materials are needed for such blades, and working day and night, I've only finished three of them!"
Bargin crossed his arms over his chest and grunted with dissatisfaction.
"And you couldn't just reject such an unrealistic request? Surely they know that quality takes time."
Hearing this, Brokkur punched the air so fiercely that nearby tools rattled on their stands.
"You think I didn't?! I told that idiot straight out that it was impossible to fulfill! But then that pompous Baron Vincent smiled with that rat-like face of his and said: 'What's this? Considered the best smith in the area, yet you're unable to forge thirty short swords? Can you really not handle such a simple little task?'"
Brokkur began nervously stroking his beard, his eyes burning with rage at the mere memory of that conversation.
"How did that ridiculous rat have the audacity to speak to me like that?! I've managed to obtain the power of two Puzzles! In this entire region, there isn't a single smith capable of creating even a semi-artifact, and he lectures me on simple tasks?!"
Puzzles? I've already heard that somewhere today... Lilith thought, trying to recall where she had encountered the term earlier.
Meanwhile, Brokkur didn't stop venting his grievances, cursing the "accursed brat" from the ministry under his breath.
Lilith listened to his complaints, and images from her previous human life involuntarily appeared in her head.
She gave a crooked smile, remembering one of her former bosses who had an identical approach to deadlines and subordinates.
Interpersonal relationships are a pain in every world, regardless of race or planet... she thought.
Immediately after, the faces of Mina and Kala appeared before her, causing another slightly ironic grimace.
Well, unless you're a succubus - then you just have to 'play' correctly to make everyone do what you want.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Lilith, and her gaze sharpened.
"So you're saying you're mostly lacking materials?"
"Yes," Brokkur answered, his shoulders sagging.
"I need a special ore called Magic Ore. Without it, these blades are just ordinary pieces of iron."
Gloin, the eldest of the four miners, stepped forward.
"We tried to extract even a little from the lower levels yesterday... but then that Deep Rust-Eater appeared and everything went to hell."
"Either way, that mine is practically exhausted. Uga!" Kili added, shrugging his massive shoulders.
That 'Uga' again? flashed through Lilith's mind.
"There's almost no ore left there, even if we drove the monsters away," Dori confirmed sadly.
Brokkur sighed again, looking at his tired hands.
"Besides, even if I had those raw materials right now, I'd have to spend at least a week and a half to forge it all. And I have barely seven days. I'd need plenty of strengthening elixirs to stay on my feet without sleep, and as you well know, they've all vanished from the market. The rulers bought everything up for the army. I'm in a bind."
Brokkur snorted with frustration, sitting back down on his low stool.
With a grim expression, he placed his specialized goggles on his nose - the lenses snapping into place with a quiet click - and grabbed an unfinished blade.
"They distributed the simpler tasks to all the smiths in the city," he muttered, looking at no one.
"But only I in this area can create semi-artifacts. These damn things I must forge personally."
He struck the anvil furiously with his hammer, the sound echoing painfully off the workshop walls.
"If I don't succeed, that bureaucrat Vincent will surely see to it that my master qualifications are revoked."
Bargin looked at his friend with sincere sadness, clenching his hands into fists at the sight of his friend in such trouble.
"Brokkur..." he whispered, barely audible.
Lilith watched the scene from the side, leaning against one of the shelves.
"This doesn't look too good," she thought, analyzing the situation. Suddenly, however, a confident smile bloomed on her face.
"I think I can try to help," she said aloud.
Before the dwarves could react, Lilith summoned the translucent Trade Chat Menu before her eyes.
She began scanning the offers quickly, whispering under her breath so quietly that Bargin looked at her as if she were insane.
"I hope the names won't be different..." she murmured to herself.
Ignoring the strange looks from the dwarves, she began typing on the virtual keyboard:
Buying ore called Magic Ore.
Almost in the same second, as if someone were just waiting for such an opportunity, the notification window flashed gold. A private message arrived from a player with a hidden race under the Name Rudy.
"Greetings, Dear Potato!" the message read. "Rudy here. I have quite a bit of Magic Ore of the highest grade in stock. If you're interested, I'm listening to offers."
Lilith replied instantly:
"I'll buy 30 pieces. Price?"
The answer came immediately:
"3000 gold coins. Not a copper less; it's a rare commodity these days."
Lilith felt a vein throb slightly at her temple.
Three thousand? That was a highwayman's price. She snorted under her breath, but time was of the essence.
"Deal," she wrote shortly.
"Doing business with you is a pure pleasure! Sending the goods," Rudy replied.
In a fraction of a second, 3000 gold coins vanished from Lilith's account, and in her inventory, in one of the free slots, an icon appeared representing thirty lumps of glowing blue raw material.
Lilith checked the item description and nodded with satisfaction.
Lilith extended her hand, and the air shimmered as blue, pulsing lumps of ore suddenly began falling from nothingness.
Lilith cupped her hands from below to catch them, intentionally pushing her plump breasts forward, which stood out prominently under her scale armor.
"Old man, isn't this exactly what you need?" she asked with a playful glint in her eye.
Brokkur murmured an "hmmm" under his breath, bringing his head close to the falling items.
He looked through his specialized goggles first, but after a fraction of a second, he froze.
"WHAT?!" he bellowed, violently tearing off his goggles as if he didn't believe his own lenses. He rubbed his eyes and stared at the pile on the floor.
"What the hell?! This is... it's... it's Magic Ore! And at a purity I haven't seen in decades! It's practically devoid of impurities!"
Lilith smiled triumphantly, leaning against a dusty shelf as the last of the thirty ores landed on the stone floor.
"Well? Will they be useful?" she asked provocatively.
The smith began nodding his head like a madman, almost falling into a trance.
"Yes, yes, yes! With this quality, I could forge swords a grade better than what they ordered! I can't believe my own eyes... where did you get this?"
Brokkur looked at her with a sudden, burning professional desire for the raw material in his eyes.
"How much do you want for it? I'll pay right now, upfront, any amount!"
Lilith smiled sweetly, twining a lock of hair around her finger. She began to whistle quietly and innocently, looking at the workshop ceiling.
"I don't know... should I just sell it like that..." she teased him.
"Just say what you want!" the smith cried with passion, nearly lunging toward her.
"I'll do anything in my blacksmithing power!"
Then Lilith grew serious.
She walked slowly up to Brokkur, standing right before him and leaning in so that their faces were separated by only a few centimeters. A predatory, demonic smile bloomed on her lips.
"I was just waiting for those words," she murmured in a low, vibrating voice.
She grabbed the dwarf's chin with her sharp talons, tilting his head slightly so he had to look straight into her red eyes.
"You know... I am a Demon."
A heavy silence suddenly fell over the workshop, and the tension between them became almost palpable.
Brokkur held his breath, feeling the power radiating from her. After a moment, Lilith let go of him and smiled radiantly.
"You will find me a craftsman who will return with me to my lands and become my technical advisor."
The dwarf looked at her stupidly for a moment, blinking his eyes as if the processor in his head had just crashed.
"Only that?" he finally choked out in disbelief.
Lilith smiled even more sweetly and winked at him flirtatiously.
"Why? Were you hoping I'd want something else?"
The dwarf nodded dumbly, completely missing the subtext - after all, he had no idea he was standing before a true Demon of Desire.
He scratched the back of his head, still shocked by the modesty of the request.
"You really only want that in exchange for such a treasure?"
Lilith nodded, her gaze becoming businesslike.
"My current priority is to create decent shelters and clothing for my people. Therefore, I would also like you to help me secure permanent trade channels for clothing and weapons for my settlement."
Hearing this, Brokkur struck his chest hard with his open palm, making a thumping sound.
"No problem!"