Chapter 426 - Waystone (1)
Before leaving the Central Continent, he tried to briefly learn about the dwarf clans living in the Western Continent, but there was no meaningful outcome.
The Society's assistance, dispatched to the Ownerless Land, was equally unhelpful.
───Dwarves? We don't know anything about that?
That was the reply of Unia, who was carrying out lively and covert intelligence activities in the conflict zones through the communication device.
In a way, it was only natural.
The Society might be large in scale, but it was never an intelligence organization.
───But if it's the Sage of Power, he might know something. He's from the Western Continent, after all. It'll be hard to return to the island right away... but if you really need it, I can connect you.
According to what he had figured out so far, the Sage of Power was from the Arnak Empire, and most likely a former or even earlier War Lord.
If lucky, he might gain considerable information... but considering the current circumstances, Verden declined.
Even though, through [Ainber]'s
The Ark of the Vessel was the same.
In such a situation, recklessly wasting the extremely limited means of traveling to and from the Society's island was unthinkable.
The information on dwarves simply wasn't valuable enough.
───Ah, so there's no need to go that far? Got it then. More importantly, we're really making achievements here in the conflict zone, you know? That special gift you mentioned last time, senior, I'll be expecting it!
Her voice brimmed with energy.
Was it that the environment of the conflict zone suited her body? Or was it simply the sense of accomplishment?
Unia kept mentioning the gift until the very end, then cut off the communication.
Anyway.
In the end, as originally planned.
The best approach was to collide head-on.
Finishing the short recollection, Verden gathered magic power and accelerated further.
Fwaaahhh!
Following the function of [Ainber], halos of light formed one after another, stacking up to three layers.
Speed infused with radiance.
The scenery of the ground, visible through the gaps in the clouds, flowed by rapidly.
Soon, he reached the end of the grassland.
The land gradually turned desolate, the green waves slowly dyed in ocher hues. The overall temperature rose.
Soil and rock began to outweigh grass and trees.
He had entered the volcanic region encompassing the southwest of the Western Continent.
Verden recalled his policy.
'First, find Oesu, Linus Voltimoog.'
***
According to the words of the Guardian Elf, Karans, Linus had headed to the volcanic region.
He was a man so full of survival instinct that he had managed to live even after being imprisoned for years in Leonil's laboratory, so he wouldn't have died in the meantime.
Linus, with a crippled body, was the blacksmith who had created the Eastern Dawn, Orient. If that was the case, then just how great must his teacher, a 'dwarven craftsman', be?
Though unknown, for now he was surely the one most likely to handle dragon bones.
Even if the guess turned out wrong, it would at least open a way to be introduced to another dwarf.
'It might take more time than expected... but I'll have to accept it.'
It was essential to select someone capable of drawing out the performance of materials to the utmost───materials such as dragon bones, runes, and top-tier metals, in order to create a weapon fit for a Transcendent.
'The next goal is Black Hour.'
As he would soon face Transcendents in earnest, he had to lack nothing, internally or externally.
If he failed to bridge even the remaining gap, it would be Verden himself who died.
At that moment, a presence was sensed nearby.
Shortly after, a heavy scream rang out.
Immediately halting
"That's...."
Short stature, thick muscles, shaggy beards.
A body made to look even bulkier by elastic layers of subcutaneous fat...
These were racial traits he had read about in books.
Less than two days after arriving in the Western Continent, he had encountered dwarves.
Alpha spoke.
[Dwarves and abnormal species are drawing closer. In about 46 seconds, one dwarf will die. It is judged beneficial to rescue them before then.]
Since he didn't know where the dwarven clan of the volcanic region was located, the most efficient course would be to have locals guide him.
Earning a debt here was an excellent method.
Alpha, having experienced the world over his shoulder, had learned to think more rationally.
"I agree, Alpha. But not with my current appearance."
[Affirmative.]
Verden's appearance was widely known across the continent as a divinity, and his coming to the volcanic region was precisely to utilize dragon materials.
If his identity as Asher were exposed, it would surely cause troublesome complications. Unless unavoidable, it was only natural to keep his identity hidden.
Closing his eyes, he focused his mind.
'The newly awakened functions of [Ainber], which had followed my awakening, are four in total.'
First,
Second,
Third,
Fourth,
Truly, as they said, it evolved to fit its owner, an ancient artifact made for one person alone.
He was reminded anew that the Demon King's relic had become fully his.
He activated his mana circuits.
At once, he opened the first path of Mado and drew forth the robe's functions.
Verden cloaked himself with [Veil] and [Mystery].
***
Just as beastmen preferred raw meat, and elves cherished verdant nature, dwarves too had racial tendencies.
Namely, mining.
They were obsessed with digging.
With their peculiar stubbornness, they dug and dug into the earth, and felt ecstasy when they finally unearthed the mineral they sought, or stumbled upon something rare and unexpected.
Most male dwarves were like this.
And those few who sought minerals outside tunnels, such as these, had activity ranges so wide they were inevitably exposed to countless dangers.
Just like now.
"Uwaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"
"Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"
Two dwarves, gripping pickaxes in both hands, were running with all their might.
Though their legs were short, their strength was good enough that they weren't particularly slow... but their lives still hung by a thread.
Kugugugugu...!!
The massive burrowing worm, the Stone Eater, pursued them, clashing its sturdy teeth relentlessly.
Its carapace was partly shattered, with foul-smelling blood seeping out.
Dwarf, Kori, yelled at Vali.
"Hey, I told you we shouldn't dig there! What kind of dwarf can't even tell the difference between rock and a Stone Eater's shell?"
"You didn't recognize it either!"
"If it feels weird while hitting it with your pickaxe, you should've stopped halfway! Why did you keep going until it bled? Can't you see that bastard's gone berserk?!!"
"Damn it, where the hell do Stone Eaters even have eyes!! And if you're so sharp-eyed, you should've stopped me yourself! Just shut up and keep running!"
Their loud shouting provoked the Stone Eater to close in faster.
Ahead of the fleeing dwarves, an abandoned quarry appeared.
Small stones that would barely reach a human's shin covered the ground, but for them, it was an enormous hindrance.
"Huff, huff, huff...!!"
They dragged every ounce of strength, even what they usually spent guzzling liquor, into moving their limbs.
But it was meaningless.
Just as they were barely escaping the obstacle zone, an artificially cut cliff blocked their path.
Far too steep to climb.
"We're totally screwed."
Kori turned back.
The Stone Eater had already closed in, raising its body upright.
Its jaw, wide enough to swallow three or four dwarves, gaped open, its head rearing and striking down diagonally.
They were a moment from death.
"Screw it!"
Squeezing his eyes shut, Vali swung his pickaxe with every ounce of strength he had.
It was mere thrashing.
At best, it could scratch the Stone Eater's shell.
Puuuuuuung!
But suddenly, a loud explosion rang out.
"Huh?"
Vali opened his eyes.
The Stone Eater, which had just been drooling heavily, was nowhere to be seen.
What remained where the creature had been was nothing but foul-smelling liquid and shattered shell.
"You, you, how did you...."
Kori's mouth hung wide open.
Vali, staring blankly at the Stone Eater's remains and then at his own pickaxe, looked dumbfounded.
"I did this? No, I didn't feel a thing in my hands?"
"Then who else but you! My god. Vali, to think you were hiding such strength... with this, we could mine in places too dangerous to visit until now. Take me with you! From now on, I'll call you big brother!"
"Big brother...!"
That the cheeky Kori would one day call him that.
Vali felt his spirits soar.
"Hahaha! Yes, if you call me big brother for the rest of your life, then───"
"No injuries, are there?"
A strange voice brushed his ear,
Vali stopped mid-sentence and turned around.
A plain man in a plain robe, unfamiliar and ordinary, was standing nearby.
"Shit, you scared the hell out of me!!!"
Startled, Vali threw his pickaxe.
Thud.
***
Cold water splashed across his face.
"Phuwah!!"
Vali flailed his hands and raised his torso.
He scrubbed his face roughly as if washing up, then looked around.
He looked distinctly stupid.
Kori clicked his tongue and kicked him.
"Tsk, as if a guy like this could... stop daydreaming and wake up. You dwarf scammer, bragging that you killed a Stone Eater with one swing of your pickaxe."
"W-what? The Stone Eater, I did that."
"Bullshit!"
Kori pointed at the plain man beside him... Verden, in disguise.
His explanation was a mix of curses and facts.
Only then did Vali realize it hadn't been him who killed the Stone Eater, and his face drooped.
"Then big brother is...."
"Of course, that never happened."
Kori stroked his beard, looking at Verden.
"Well, anyway, thank you for saving our lives. But what's a human mage doing here? Come for some mining?"
"I came to commission crafting."
Verden concisely conveyed his purpose.
It was to test their reaction to a human's visit.
But the answers from these dwarves, Kori and Vali, were completely unexpected.
"So that's what it was. But why here instead of the city...?"
"City?"
"You don't even know where the city is? Ah, I see. You must be a newcomer to the volcanic region. Happens sometimes. Seems the trade city between dwarves and humans isn't well known."
Trade with humans?
"I heard dwarves don't get along well with humans."
"There are clans like that, sure, but for us it's an old story. What was it called again, Ar...nak?"
Vali corrected him.
"Arnak Empire."
"Yeah, Arnak. He's dumb but has a good memory... anyway, for example, around here, the Arnak Empire once struck a deal with the Red Volcano clan leader and built a city called 'Waystone'. Since there were many abnormal species in the area, it was hard to use the roads, but Arnak..."
"Arnak Empire."
"I just got beard hairs in my mouth, that's why it sounded off, so shut it, Vali. Ahem, anyway, there were lots of monsters here, but the Arnak Empire stepped in and cleaned them up. Thanks to that, human traffic increased, and with it, commissions for crafting and mineral trading flourished."
A story he had never heard before.
Verden listened closely, showing interest.
'To think the Empire had been trading with dwarves.'
That was favorable in many ways.
Thanks to it, he could approach dwarves without being rejected just for being human.
Verden asked.
"Could you guide me to Waystone?"
"Guide? Hmm, no reason we can't. We were heading back anyway, right?"
"Yeah, I've had enough of being chased by Stone Eaters."
Vali and Kori nodded.
It seemed like it would end there... but suddenly both dwarves held out their hands at once.
"Give us just two very small gems, and we'll guide you."
"One small gem is fine too."
...normally, when one receives unexpected grace, they repay it in some way.
All the more when it's a life debt.
But such common sense did not apply to these dwarves.
"We never asked you to save us, did we? Saying thanks is enough. Why expect more?"
"That's that, and this is this. If you don't give gems, we'll just leave."
The pinnacle of audacity.
Their attitude revealed a nature that prioritized personal gain above all, and refused to take a loss.
So it seemed, judging by his insight.
"...."
[....]
Verden and Alpha felt firsthand what dwarven selfishness was.
Soon after, they set out for Waystone.
***
Meanwhile, in the Ownerless Land.
The great lords who ruled the east had gathered for a meeting. In truth, it was closer to a boisterous banquet than a meeting.
Naked women poured wine and attended them, while men in sheer clothing that revealed their bodies busily carried food without pause.
The half-bare great lords smoked endlessly, laughter spilling constantly from their mouths.
"To think the southerners were secretly developing a massive mine together with the Diamoon magic tower. Truly insolent, yet commendable."
"I heard they'd already completed more than two-thirds of the development. We might gorge ourselves without indigestion, but I fear our bellies may burst."
"In terms of distance from the conflict zone, we are closer. If the ruler of the west shows his greed, his tongue will be cut off. After all, we have the 'Great Warrior'. Don't you agree?"
From the continent's north came a certain presence.
Like the embodiment of lust itself, he was even now in the open bedchamber, bedding his seventh woman.
Instead of the Great Warrior's reply, the sounds of carnal cries rang out.
"How can one have such vigor. I'm older now, but as a man, I can't help but envy him."
"Who wouldn't. Well, well, forget that side, let us drink."
Wine flowed smoothly down their throats.
The atmosphere ripened further with laughter and stories.
Then, a guard waiting outside entered the banquet hall.
The guard handed over a letter.
"Urgent news from the north."
"The north?"
The north...
He racked his brain, but nothing came to mind.
The great lord, Gerdom, tilted his head, then broke the seal and scanned the contents.
[Liam Arein. Declaring himself ruler of the north, and proclaiming his domain.]
The summary written at the start.
Reading it, Gerdom blinked.
"What the hell is this."
The Ownerless Land had split into four.
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