Chris didn't know about the whispers in Edin City.

He had now arrived at the Dwarven Border, and was about to hand over a letter with Raphael's seal and lacquer.

Actually, the dwarves are happy to make friends, if you compliment him on his beautiful beard and give them good wine.

Except, of course, the sour wines and the sweet fruit wines of the Elves.

So when Chris offered a leather rye wine, one of the dwarven warriors who was guarding the walls happily delivered the letter for him.

The garrison commander who came out to greet him was a dwarf with a height of one meter three, wrapped in steel, and when he opened his short and thick arms, Chris had to bend his waist to the extreme and hugged each other.

Damn, there isn't a single guy in the entire dwarf clan who is one and a half meters tall except for the King of the Hill.

"Humans with beautiful faces, are you an Einsk? You have nice hair just like them! Praise be to you, Duke of Langhe! He was very generous, and always sold his wine very low to the hospitable dwarves. ”

The dwarven voice, which was disproportionate to his size, was like a burst of rolling thunder, which shook Chris's ears.

It reminded him of Aunt Hera in the tavern of Gardinaras.

The two sides are too similar.

"Strong dwarven warrior, allow me to compliment your beard, it's so beautiful!"

Chris, who is a local person, also spoke loudly, "I'm Chris, a relative of the Einske family. ”

The commander of the garrison appreciated the young people's intellect, so he warmly invited Chris into the room and poured a glass of ale.

"Einske explained your purpose in the letter."

The strong dwarf patted Chris's shoulder, which had already sat down, and the height made him feel comfortable, "But unfortunately, pretty young man, you'll need to wait here for a while." Because the next departure time of our prospecting team will be twenty-three days later. ”

"Ah~~"

Chris was surprised.

He couldn't figure out what the Gold Eater had to do with the prospecting dwarves.

"You look a little confused, young human."

The dwarven chief was surprised by his reaction, "Don't you know the habits of the Gold Eater?" ”

Chris shook his head.

As a northerner, he didn't know anything except that he knew that if he wanted to capture the gold-swallowing beast, he had to get the help of the dwarves. And if it hadn't been for the mention of this species in his mother's reserved ordeal, he probably wouldn't have crossed paths with it in his life. So he made a very modest gesture, "A dwarven warrior with a beautiful beard, you are a knowledgeable and hospitable elder, and I beg you to be taught. ”

"Hahaha~~"

Unsurprisingly, the chief of the dwarven garrison let out a hearty laugh.

I also feel that it is incumbent on me to take some time to guide young people, especially when this young person looks good.

"Gold Eater, ....."

It was an occasional metal beast.

Their tusks are hollow and secrete a liquid that dissolves metal.

It's also very small, about the same size as a domestic puppy, and its combat effectiveness is almost negligible.

However, they are able to settle the gnawing metal on the outer skin, forming a piece of armor that is hard to penetrate, and the hammer, which is considered to be the strongest armor-piercing, cannot penetrate it.

Dwarves have mixed feelings about this species.

Because in the vast Lokidaran Mountains, as long as you find a place where there is a gold-swallowing beast cave, it is equivalent to finding a vein, which makes the dwarves' prospecting work easier and less laborious. But these little creatures can also often be found in the dwarven arsenal, gnawing their carefully crafted weapons into the ground.

And the dwarves are completely defenseless against it.

After all, no dwarf can get into the little hole they dig and kill the trickster.

So it's understandable that the dwarven garrison commander asked Chris to come back later.

The dwarves hollowed out the mountain to build the castle's dwelling area, which humans were not allowed to enter, let alone bring Chris into the treasury where the weapons were stored to capture the gold beast.

In addition, the short passage is not suitable for human activities in it.

Therefore, only by waiting for the Dwarven prospecting team to accompany him when they set off will he have a chance to find the Gold Eater.

This made Chris a little stunned, he didn't want to stay in the dwarven realm for long.

But it backfired.

Because he soon learned why James habitually added the prefix "greed" when referring to dwarves, and why his grandfather Raphael was generous when he left Edin City.

When the Dwarven Garrison Commander had finished explaining the characteristics of the Gold Eater, he also mentioned the conditions.

If you want to follow the dwarven prospecting team to find the gold eater, you also need to pay a hundred gold coins to the dwarves!

And no matter if you can find the Gold Eater or not, the gold coins will not be returned! If you can't find it the first time and want to go with you a second time, you will have to pay the fee again.......

Of course, you can go out and find it yourself.

But face the danger of getting lost and being attacked by ferocious beasts alone in the mountains, and be on your toes to avoid being detected by dwarven patrolling warriors, who will kill anyone who wanders around their territory as an intruder.

In other words, the dwarves have already made the Gold Eater their own personal use.

Actually, it's not surprising to think about it.

The armor made from the armor of the Gold-Swallowing Beast is a highly defensive armor that can be sold for thousands of gold coins at will, and has always been priceless in the human realm. Dwarves with high forging skills will earn a lot less gold if they share the raw materials with others.

The reason why humans occasionally agree to follow the prospecting team to capture the Gold Eater is because of their diplomatic attitude.

For example, when the Einske family came forward to introduce them, they could not refuse, so as not to spoil the relations of friendship and alliance in such innocuous and trivial matters.

As for why you have to charge a hundred gold coins~

Now that the Dwarven Prospecting Team has allowed others to join the team, they have an obligation to keep them safe and secure, and it makes sense that they will be paid some fees as a guard.

Besides, if you are qualified to let the dwarves go together to find the Gold Eater, then you won't be able to get this gold coin?

After the dwarf garrison finished speaking, he didn't think Chris was poor. So when I saw that Chris had been silent, I couldn't help but ask, "Young Chris, are you still confused?" ”

"Ah, no."

Chris, who came back to his senses, hurriedly thanked him, "Thank you for your solution, powerful dwarven warrior." ”

His expression was calm, as if he didn't know that his money bag now only had two gold coins.

"It's good if you don't have it."

The dwarven garrison commander stood up with a smile.

Everything that should be said was said, and he didn't have the time to continue chatting.

Chris, who also had no reason to stay, also stood up when he saw this, and Fu Ling heartily ripped off the small wine bag on his waist, and pulled the stopper and handed it to the dwarf, "This is the wine treasured by the Einske family, and it is also my gratitude to you for your unstinting doubts, and please don't refuse." ”

The dwarven garrison was meant to refuse.

But after the rich aroma of wine spread through the room, he sniffled a little intoxicated, and then laughed heartily again and gave Chris a very hard hug, "Oh, dear Chris, you were born to be a friend of the dwarves!" Your beards are sure to look good, although they're still pretty short. ”

After taking the small wine bag, he didn't forget to tell carefully, "Don't forget that the prospecting team will set off in twenty-three days, and if you miss it, you will have to wait for another three months." ”

His enthusiasm also made Chris take the opportunity to make a request.

"Strong dwarven warrior, I still have a lot of important business to attend to during this time, and I may not be able to make it to meet the prospecting team as scheduled. I just don't know, I missed this time, will there be a chance to capture the Gold Swallowing Beast in the future? ”

"Of course, dear Chris. You were introduced by the Einsk family, and whenever you want to capture the Gold Eater, you can have the friendship of the dwarves. ”

.............

Chris, who had left the dwarven border, stood on the low hill with his horse, not knowing where he was going for a moment.

To be precise, I haven't figured out where to raise a hundred gold coins.

It was impossible to turn around and go back to Edin City to find the Einske family to get money, and he couldn't pull his face when he was young.

He went back to the north through the Great Wilderness to ask for money from his family, and he was not willing.

His grandfather, Henry Sr., set the family rules for many years, but all family members who have experienced the rite of passage must be self-reliant, and he is pinned on the family's hopes, how can he go home and ask for money.

You can't be a mercenary.

The mercenaries gathered in the dwarven kingdom were rewarded with the highest reward for protecting the caravan through the Great Wasteland, but the reward for a round trip was only three gold coins, and it was too difficult to earn a hundred gold coins.

As for the higher-paying caravan guards~

He had no reputation on this trade route, and no acquaintances would recommend him, and no caravan would trust and hire him.

Thinking about it, he had no choice but to try his luck on the edge of the Ze of Terror.

It is a buffer zone between dwarves and snake people, and there are no races to settle down, so it is also a habitat for many wild beasts.

The leathers, claws, and bones of these beasts can be sold for a good price in the shops. The danger is not only to face the attack of fierce beasts, but also to beware of people who hunt there with the same purpose.

But Chris felt it was the best option.

Because his mother reserved a manticore, which was one of the trials, it is said that it will occasionally haunt there.