Statements were made in section II

However, despite the demanding and critical eyes of the judges, their abilities have reached the end of their abilities. A copy of the "Great Foundry's Guide" was flipped through in the hands of each judge, but no one could find any basket from the two works. They've been in this way for so long that everyone in the audience – the non-judges, has noticed it.

Everyone knows what happens according to the tradition of the Society of Engineers. Everyone held their breath and waited for the last scene.

The worst thing happened. Naragrim, the oldest of the Engineers Guild and the undisputed supreme authority on contemporary dwarven architecture and engineering, walked to the middle of the room. The maestro's face was slightly melancholy, but it had nothing to do with this selection. Everyone present knew that the maestro had been in a state of extreme remorse lately, for his incompetence led to the fall of Karak-Grom and the death of Prince Hoga in battle. Many people speculate that if this continues, the master will probably shave his hair and become a butcher.

Still, at least for now, he is still on the stage to fulfill his duties as a great foundry.

"Dear friends, I am honored to witness this open competition today and to see this unforgettable selection with my own eyes. It's hard to put into words how I'm feeling at the moment – it's gratifying to see how talented the Engineers Society is. At the moment, we have the last two candidates, but we know that no matter which one of them wins, it doesn't mean that the other is not as good as the other. It's all the fault of the Society of Engineers. Because there is only one vacant place for a Grand Foundry in our association. ”

This slightly ridiculous remark caused a burst of laughter from the dwarves present.

But at the moment, the judges are no longer able to make comments. These two contestants and their work are so outstanding that we couldn't make a trade-off. According to tradition," Naragrim said loudly. "When that happens, we bring in a third party as a referee. ”

Naragrim waved his arm vigorously. "All of you here will be a third party!"

There was a low discussion in the crowd.

Naragrim's hand pointed to the left. "The piece on my left is a weapon of war made by the young contestant, Eshurufat from the Lava Clan, whom he named 'Dragon Terminator'. He used this great work to slay a dragon and completely erase the record of a book of hatred. We should praise him for his bravery and wisdom. ”

There was a chorus of praise from the crowd. Of course, the praise was loud because everyone knew that the contestant and sponsor had provided them with a free meal and booze for several days.

Several judges gathered around the "Dragon Terminator" with admiration. The Dragon Terminator is a ballista, but it's more of a craft than a weapon. These master engineers were amazed by the bowstring structure made of pulleys above. And that delicate scope is even more admirable. With this simple and ingenious aiming device, even an idiot can easily aim the ballista at the target and snipe with precision.

"The contestant on my right is a senior member of our association, Roin from Karak-Dom City," and as soon as the voice calmed down, Naragrim immediately introduced the second. "and the detailed design drawings of his outstanding work 'A New Fortress City Defense System'. I have to make a few points to explain that in the last time the Great Foundry was selected, Roin also entered the competition with this work, but he was ultimately defeated. This is not because his design is unreasonable, but because according to the rules of the association, his work has not been tested by war and does not conform to the principle that "an invention must be tested by practice". But by now, we all know about Dorm's glorious record of defeating the Greenskins. This work is indispensable. I don't think anyone can question the effectiveness of the 'new fortress defense system' in real combat. ”

"Now that the two works are on my own, it's time for us to make the last choice. Naragrim shouted into the crowd. "The judges and I have done our best. After negotiation, we agreed that the owners of both pieces would be eligible for the title of 'Grand Caster', but at the moment we only have one vacancy, so they must be eliminated from one. ”

"It is up to everyone present to decide whether the Dragon Terminator, the most outstanding representative of mechanical engineering, will win, or the new fortress defense system, which represents the legend of civil engineering. As is the tradition of the Society of Engineers, below we will have time to smoke a bag of cigarettes. During this time, all of them can talk to each other. When this period is over, we will use a joint vote of all members of the association to determine the final result of the selection. ”

All the judges came to the middle of the room, began to stuff their pipes with shredded tobacco, and began to smoke and smoke. It's a fair fight. All those present can choose a contestant and vote for it. When the judges finish their cigarettes, or wait until the last spark in their pipes goes out, the voting will officially begin. As for the current entry, which entry has more people next to it, then it means that there are more supporters on this side.

The rest of the field is now free to move. There was a commotion all around, and there were no judges to maintain order. At this stage, a lot of things have been predestined. For the members of the association who are not good at learning and not very proficient in design, the exquisite and beautiful "Dragon Terminator" on the scene is much more intuitive than the "new fortress city defense system" that is just a design drawing on paper. And for those true masters, who are senior members of the Society of Engineers, the owner of the Dragon Terminator has generously provided many free meals to most of the people present, and it will be more people who will choose it out of gratitude alone.

A bag of cigarettes really doesn't last very long. The judges quickly ended their smoking and began to prepare for the final vote.

The voting was completed quickly. There were no surprises during the voting process. A judge stood up to announce the end of the competition, and the final result will be made by the judges after counting the votes. These authorities will adjudicate without impartiality so as not to give rise to any dissent. Although some of the unsuccessful candidates were thrilled during today's selection process, there were no details in the whole evaluation process that would have caused them to doubt for a moment.

However, it will take some patience to wait until the results are revealed. Out of the dwarven mentality of boasting, the results of the Great Foundry's selection will not be revealed until the moment after the most lucrative moment. And before the results were announced, there was a grand feast for all the competitors to sit around the table like brothers and drink heartily. In order to save time, everyone only ate a very simple dry food at noon today, so everyone is looking forward to the banquet in the evening.

The worst moment has finally arrived. As nearly every dwarf had drunk two glasses of wine (some of them had already drunk three glasses), a well-dressed senior member of the guild came to the lobby and handed a copy to the judges, who passed it around to each other. In the middle of the lobby, a small high platform has been set up as a podium, so that the speaker with the heavy responsibility can speak better.

The members of the Society of Engineers have been looking forward to it, not to mention the people who have come from other parts of the city to see the excitement. Everyone comfortably occupies a table. The jury sat in the best position and formed a circle. Now, nothing is missing, just waiting for the final result to be revealed.

Indeed, there is no shortage of chairs, benches or low stools, and there is no shortage of tables, and of course there are beer glasses, short-necked bottles for ale, and large and small glasses on the table.

Everyone is seated and everything is ready. The highest status among the judges, that is, the nine great foundries, stood up one after another. They are in the final discussion of electing one of them as a representative to announce to everyone the important news that a new Great Foundry has been elected.

After the end, the nine great foundries left the dining table together and came to the small high stage. Eight of them united to lift the remaining companion onto the platform. Of course, they didn't forget to bring their mugs, as well as a small keg. Sharp-eyed people recognized it as Miklesco, the Grand Caster, one of the presidents of the Guild, a master of steam engines, a gyrocopter expert, and the current manager of the Guild of Engineers.

"Listen, everybody!" the venerable great foundry began with this resounding voice.

"Listen, everybody...... Listen......" The same shouts were heard from all corners of the hotel. The murmur quickly calmed down, and everyone held their breath as they waited for the final announcement.

"Dear colleagues. Grand Foundry Miklesko announced loudly. "First of all, I would like to announce to you that, with the unanimous consent of all, today we have one of our members who will be given the title of 'Grand Foundry', and we congratulate him!!" As a demonstration, he raised his glass and drank a full glass of foamy beer, small bubbles sliding down his beard like pearls.

This sentence is actually pure speech opening sentence and is completely correct nonsense. Still, the great foundry's speech was applauded by everyone, as it was a good opportunity to drink. Everyone shouted "Great, great!" and "Congratulations, congratulations" and the like, as well as shouts like "ho-ho" and "ha-ha-ha", and even the sound of burping. In honor of Miklesco, who raised the glass, all the glasses were poured and raised. Then, after a loud swallowing sound, all the empty wine glasses were lifted into the sky together.

"This new Grand Forge is none other than the young master from the Lava Clan, Eshurufat, who has conquered all the judges with his 'Dragon Terminator'. ”

This time, the audience was thunderous.

Miklesco handed the glass to his colleagues in the audience, who quickly poured him a full glass and handed it to him again.

"To welcome the birth of our new Great Foundry, let's have another drink!" as a demonstration, he drank it all.

The avid engineers immediately began pouring their glasses, pouring as fast as they could. Almost all of the beer glasses were foaming at the surface, and all of the beer glasses had a puddle of water on the bottom.

"Now, we invite the youngest Grand Foundry in the history of our Society, Ashrufat, to appear. ”