Chapter 17: Strange Ores
The dwarven boss's long dark brown hair was combed into many small braids, and his red face was full of small eyes. His beard, which seemed thicker than his hair, was carefully divided into strands and crossed together, hanging down from his chin.
"Haha, you're in luck!" the dwarven boss laughed and walked over to the group. A strong smell of wine rushed towards him, and Vane subconsciously covered his nose and frowned slightly.
The boss didn't care, and looked at a few people and said angrily: "There are just three empty rooms left, I think you should be the first time to come to Herbertsel, and only charge you for two rooms." ”
The cost is very cheap, only five silver coins a day for a room. The dwarven boss's warm and bold appearance made everyone's dissatisfaction lessen a little. The dwarves laughed cheerfully, and the air was filled with the intoxicating smell of wine. Vane suddenly felt that the steel tables and chairs didn't seem to be cold either.
The dwarven boss returned to the back of the bartender, and somewhere he found a bunch of keys, slapped them on the iron countertop, and said, "How many are from Casali?"
"How do you know?" said Felder as he sat on his barstool, his expression slightly surprised. The barstool wasn't too high, and one of his feet was on the ground.
"Because you're all darker than me. The dwarven boss laughed as he picked up his glass, and the wine spilled out of the glass.
The group looked at each other and made a comparison with the dwarven boss. Sure enough, in less than two days, everyone's skin was darkened. Although the dwarves have a big personality and are only obsessed with their own hobbies, as innkeepers, their knowledge and eyesight are far beyond ordinary people, Vane couldn't help but sigh secretly.
"Why does every dwarf look so strong?" said Felder enviously, looking at the knotted muscles of the dwarven boss.
"Except for fine wine, every dwarf has a blacksmith dream, can you not be strong by wielding a hammer all year round?" the dwarven boss laughed, made a beating gesture with his right hand, paused for a moment, and said: "I was also a blacksmith, although that was a hundred years ago, but it is still my life's greatest dream to create an invincible weapon. ”
Although this statement may sound strange, it is a well-known fact that dwarves live longer than humans, and it is said that they can reach two hundred or even three hundred years.
Felder was moved, and he took a large black stone from his bag and placed it on the bartender, making a dull noise. The black stone looks like a natural rough stone, with an irregular shape and about the size of a large iron wine glass next to it. But its color is pure like the eyes of a newborn, and you only need to look at it to attract you.
"What is this?" the dwarven boss leaned forward, staring at the black stone.
"This is a stone that we got by accident. Boss, you've been a blacksmith, help us see what kind of ore this is?" Felder looked expectant.
The dwarven boss didn't speak, he held up the black stone in his big rough hands and put it in front of his eyes to look closely. After a few minutes of tossing and turning, the puzzled expression on the dwarf's face grew heavier and heavier.
Eventually, he slowly put the stone down, looked at a few people with complicated eyes, and said, "I can't be sure if this thing is ore or not." You see, there are clear stripes to the touch, which are typical of ore. However, if you look closely, the surface has a metallic texture, and the degree of delicacy is even more than that of Mithril. It felt like ......"
"What is it?" Felder asked, leaning forward, curious.
"It's like some kind of mineral with no impurities, or a natural metal. But how could this ......?" the dwarven boss muttered to himself, staring at the black metal.
This is equivalent to not saying it, and Felder is a little speechless.
"You can go to Neil's Hammer and ask, if anyone in Hebsel knows anything like this, it's old Neil. The dwarven boss said as he touched his "braided" beard.
......
It was past noon, and at Felder's urging, Vane and the others hurriedly ate something at the inn and prepared to set off for the blacksmith shop that the dwarven boss had mentioned.
According to the owner of Ironheart, the blacksmith shop called "Neil's Hammer" is not far from here, and is said to be hundreds of years old, and the elder Neil was called Little Neil when he inherited his father's blacksmith shop.
The road leading to the blacksmith was wide and flat, and the air in the center of the city seemed to be hotter than the edges, and everyone except Felder was a little listless.
"Hey, are you guys cheering up, aren't you curious what this thing is?" said Felder patting the black stone in his bag. Looking back at the four weak "prawns", I was a little angry.
"That's all that stuff, what's it for, is it going to make a dagger?" Simpson said with a shrug.
"What do you know, this is rare material, at that time, Xiao Ye said that this was brought back from heaven more than a thousand years ago, what is it called...... Yes, outer space!" Felder cast a disdainful look at the others and walked forward.
Although the dwarves are rough and unkempt, they are not inferior to anyone in their work, and the boulder-paved roads are unusually smooth, and some places that have fallen into disrepair are filled with steel. There was a pump on the side of the road at intervals, and Vane tried to turn it on, and the cold water gushed out.
This is probably the water that has been drawn down from the frozen cliffs, Vane thought. It's also a great way to cool off in a sweltering dungeon. Several people took turns to drink some water, and the cold feeling dispelled some of the heat in the body.
"Didn't you say it's close? Why haven't you arrived after walking for so long? Elena grumbled as she walked, grabbing her clothes and fanning herself, the faint flow of air dispelling some of the heat.
"Tenesel Street...... It's right to follow this path. Felder scratched his hair, and the dwarves walking on the road, the uncreative stone and steel houses on either side, and the clanging of iron felt made him wonder if he had made a mistake.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" a high-pitched and enthusiastic voice rang out, and everyone looked up in unison. A few meters away on the side of the road stood a yellow-green skinned goblin waving to the Vanes. He wears a broad-brimmed bowled straw hat and holds in his hand a pony taller than himself, with two large suitcases hanging from his body.
The goblin in the straw hat led the pony and said with a long breath, "Thank goodness I've finally met a few humans!"
"Dear ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce myself. The goblin touched his chest with one hand and bowed deeply, and when he accidentally dropped his straw hat to the ground, revealing the top of his green head, he hurriedly picked up the straw hat and put it back on his head. "Ahem, I'm a traveling merchant from Casali, I sell only the best goods in the world, and of course most of my business is still in Divosk......"
The goblin completely put himself in the role of the great merchant, and said with a proud expression on his face.
However, after the passionate self-introduction, the expected hot rush did not appear. The goblin said embarrassedly, "Don't say much, let's just look at things!" and with that, he opened the box on the left side of the pony.
This method worked much better, and Vane and the others immediately surrounded them.