The eldest of the brothers, Gloin, spoke with clear concern in his voice.
"But... even if you start making those swords right away, without potions you won't be able to finish them all on time," he noted, shaking his head.
Kili immediately chimed in.
"Even with those materials, without boosters you'll collapse from exhaustion after two days. Uga!"
"Even if you had the potions, it would still be incredibly difficult to finish in seven days," added the fourth brother, looking at the massive amount of work backlogged in the workshop.
Brokkur, however, did not want to hear their complaints.
"I don't care! You'll see what this old man can do when he has ore like this on hand!" he snapped, returning to the anvil and paying no mind to the pile of blue lumps lying at his feet.
Lilith thought for a moment, observing the smith's determination, and then approached one of the brothers.
"Do you have a spare barrel here?" she asked with interest.
The dwarf looked at her strangely, narrowing his eyes, but nodded.
"Can you bring it here to me?" Lilith added.
The miner hesitated, not knowing what to do, but Bargin suddenly understood something. His eyes opened wide.
"Now! Go get that barrel, quickly!" the captain ordered.
One of the brothers ran to the back and returned after a moment with a large, empty barrel on his back, setting it down with a thud before the demoness.
Lilith opened the lid and focused, calling out to her companion in her thoughts.
MINERVA, the elixir you managed to develop recently -that was an energy-strengthening elixir, wasn't it?
[Confirmed] MINERVA replied dispassionately.
Thanks to earlier system analyses, Lilith already possessed the recipe for a third type of elixir - this time one that regenerated physical condition and removed fatigue.
"VOID PREDATOR," Lilith whispered, so quietly as not to disturb Brokkur's work.
A small black hole bloomed from her palm, and a thick white liquid began to pour from it into the barrel. After a short while, the vessel was full to the brim.
The dwarven brothers stared at the mysterious liquid in disbelief.
Kili, unable to contain his curiosity, dipped a finger into the liquid and quickly licked it.
"Condition Regeneration Elixir, UGA?!" he shouted, his eyes widening. "And such purity! UGA!"
The other brothers nearly jumped for joy, wanting to start cheering, but Lilith immediately placed a finger to her lips, silencing them with her gaze.
"Shhh..." she whispered, pointing to the focused blacksmith.
"Give this to Brokkur when he begins to weaken."
She turned to Bargin and smiled slightly.
"I think we should be going now. Our work here for today is done."
Bargin looked with admiration at the barrel full of elixir, then at Lilith, and slowly nodded.
Both quietly left the workshop, leaving the brothers in a state of complete bewilderment.
As they stepped out into the cooler street, Bargin began thanking her again in a half-whisper. Lilith merely waved her head.
"It's nothing. It's also in my interest if Brokkur keeps his part of the deal," she replied calmly.
The two headed back toward the captain's house, walking through the crowded, steaming city.
***
Lilith received a heavy bag filled with clinking coins, gracefully covering her mouth with her hand in a slight smile.
"I truly thank you for these ores, My Lady," said the smith, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"We've been short on iron lately due to these gigantic state orders. On top of that, the swarms of Deep Rust-Eaters are a real plague. Not only are our miners afraid to go down to the lower sections, but those damn things literally feed on the ore before we can even extract it."
"I understand how difficult your situation must be right now," Lilith answered sweetly.
"I had a considerable supply of iron, so if I could help the esteemed smiths in this way, I did so with great pleasure."
The dwarf, hearing these words, proudly flexed his powerful bicep muscles.
"Don't worry, My Lady. I know well that favors must be repaid. As soon as I finish this order, I will create for you the set of kitchen utensils, hoes, and the set of precision tanning tools you asked about."
"Thank you very much, Thrain," Lilith replied, saying goodbye to the dwarf, who had to return to the glowing furnace.
As she stepped outside, a triumphant smile played on her face.
The bag of money vanished in her hand, transferred directly to her inventory. She nodded, moving from the production district toward the main market.
She walked slowly, absorbing the city's architecture: the strange shapes of humming machines and plumes of smoke emitting from pipes built into the cave walls.
"I truly need the knowledge of these dwarves for my kingdom," she sighed under her breath.
Three days had already passed since she arrived at Silver Starforger.
While Brokkur worked without respite, she used the time to familiarize herself with the local culture. Bargin had been kind enough to provide her with a place to stay in his house, and on the first day, he personally showed her around the city's most interesting corners.
Now, however, with the captain back to his duties, Lilith explored the city on her own.
"It's good I held onto those ores my werewolves dug up in the mine," she muttered to herself.
"I gained a lot from that."
Lilith had unerringly sensed the opportunity.
The state's massive demand for weapons combined with a monster plague hindering mining created the perfect conditions for trade.
She had killed two birds with one stone: she not only made a fortune but also gained the gratitude of many smiths.
She didn't want to rely solely on Brokkur; she knew that the more craftsmen who were indebted to her, the faster she would modernize her settlement.
"A few more connections never hurt anyone," she added with a smile.
Suddenly, she heard the voices of three dwarves standing by one of the steam installations. They were complaining loudly about anomalies in the mines.
"I'm telling you, those Rust-Eaters have never been this organized!" one of them lectured.
"They attack in waves, as if they had a commander. That isn't natural behavior for those creatures!"
"It's true," the second agreed. "Lately, the ore just vanishes before our eyes before we even reach the vein."
Lilith paused, her eyes narrowing in thought.
"Could a Demon King of the Deep Rust-Eater race have appeared here?" she whispered.
"That would perfectly explain the anomaly..."
She sighed, realizing that she herself was not a hero and was unable to check via the system whether a Demon King was present here.
"I must thank my 'colleague.' He's made gaining contacts in this city much easier for me."
With those words, she moved on, stopping in front of an exceptionally elegant shop. Above the entrance hung an elaborately crafted sign depicting a silver needle and thread woven into the shape of a crown.
The name read: Atelier of the Silken Whisper
Lilith pushed the heavy, carved doors and stepped inside, where she was immediately struck by the scent of expensive perfumes and the soft rustle of luxury fabrics rubbing against each other.
The interior was decorated with extraordinary taste, and the soft lamplight emphasized the craftsmanship of the displayed creations.
An elegant Fox-girl immediately stepped out from behind the counter.
She wore a fitted, dark-green dress that emphasized her slender figure, and her fluffy tail moved with grace with every step.
"Welcome to our atelier, My Lady. How may we serve you?" she asked, bowing politely and sending Lilith a professional but warm smile.
Lilith smiled gently, feeling exceptionally at ease in this place after days spent among the smoke and metallic roar of the forges.
"I am here to pick up the order I placed two days ago," she answered, proudly straightening her shoulders.
The Fox-girl nodded, a glint of understanding in her eyes. She quickly scanned a list of entries on an elegant parchment.
"Mistress Lilith, is that correct?" she confirmed, looking at her with admiration.
When Lilith nodded in confirmation, the girl's fox tail twitched with satisfaction.
"Our head seamstress, Elara, finished sewing your clothes yesterday evening. Everything is ready and waiting for a fitting," she announced with a smile, then pointed toward the back of the establishment where fitting rooms were located behind thick curtains.
"Please, follow me."
Lilith, not hiding her satisfaction, followed the Fox-girl deeper into the shop.