Chapter 390: Sis, Get the Camera! I’m on the Crystal!

Chapter 390: Sis, Get the Camera! I’m on the Crystal!

Welcome. A bronze-haired engineering dwarf clapped his hands as he stopped right in front of a large dwarven metal face, which served as the front of a certain guild building embedded into the side of the cavern of Inkoran-Tazul. A bit pretentious, but you get used to the aesthetics.

The bronze-haired Inko was none other than Jadhund Heimhunter, our contact with the railroad guild as well as Ellaines third artificer teacher. Her second, after all, was Grimnir using his experience working with the master artificer Broggi, who in turn was building on the foundations Ellaine learned from her mother.

Jadhund and I had a slightly damaged relationship after what had happened in Gazahan-Orn, where he had preferred to deal with the insane hold king and the Luedbrumdar clan in a moderate manner. Unfortunately for him, they had hurt and imprisoned my friends. Peace was not on the table. For what they did to me, I sent their hold into chaos, severely injured their criminal underlings, and then embarrassed and exposed them in front of not only the holds citizens but also the Ankoran King.

After what had happened, Jadhund and I had mended our issues slightly; after all, he appreciated I didnt kill anybody in the process and turned to the King and Queen to uphold the law instead of taking it into my own claws. Well, I guess he still had PTSD when he saw Mom scare his crew back when we first met him in Gleisvale. She had threatened to freeze them up, so understandable. He thought I would be similar to her, so no wonder he was so passive.

Now with my upcoming concert, we needed his help. Or, at least, the help of somebody used to making manatech from dungeon core pieces. Haruka and Daichithe ones responsible for researching the video recorder we found in Broggarts hideoutwerent like the Revolution Queen. Still, we had some plans to start our own technological revolution.

As such, Ellaine needed to upgrade her knowledge so she could create what we wanted. To do that, we used Jadhunds connection to enter the railroad guild, situated just beneath the train station, so we could get somebody to teach and give her some tips. Grimnir only knew about traditional mana engineering, while things concerning dungeon cores demanded a different set of skills.

It was like a general doctor trying to do the work of a liver surgeon.

Well, lets go, Grimnir stated with his helmet on, covering his face and beard to not expose himself as an exile. It didnt matter what had happened in Gazahan-Orn, Grimnir was still an unpardoned criminal to the dwarves.

We entered the railroad guild through their headquarters teeth gate, only for us to be pushed out just as a bunch of artificers rushed out of the place. They were shouting something about needing to get supplies or something, prompting Jadhund to explain that they were speaking about ordering new parts and materials.

Ellaine asked him why they werent using manatech birds as messengers to deliver missives and orders, but he told her they did. The issue was they were currently in the process of making the fifth train, and the railroad engineers werent exactly patient. They were excited, and that meant things needed to be expedited to keep up with the schedule.

Our guild-hired smiths cant keep up with the demand, since everything requires a ton of pieces. On our honor, every train is supposed to be better than the previous model. Eventually, we will be able to create a version even better than the Revolution Queens! Jadhund explained it with a strong sense of pride. That means a lot of experimentation. How to make it faster, less expensive to maintain, defenses in case monsters attack. And all that means we need more material. Our smiths have to disassemble and craft, which means we need to rely on the blacksmith guild a lot.

Artificers in general need a lot of materials, Daichi added, looking a bit under the weather considering he had just finished his public service. The Ankoran King was pretty lenient with his punishment, despite the cultural crime of burning a dwarfs beard. Youve seen it during the smithing contest. Ellaine couldnt start working until we got the metal and gauntlets ready.

Haruka nodded. You cant start working on a machine unless you have the parts first. The hardware for a computer needs to be delivered, only then can you start. If there is a shortage or people start scalping things, it just gets super complicated.

Ooh, you get it, Haruka-san! Even my parents had a hard time getting my new GPU when it first came out! My specs were outdated for a month! People were buying things in bulk to scalp them away!

Oh, PC gaming Why not just buy a pre-made one?

Nevertheless, their explanations did make it clear to Neill and me why things were so hectic. So it didnt surprise anybody, once we actually entered the guild, we witnessed dwarves running around like mad in this grand, mansion-like hall. You had porters pushing carts full of ores and and parts from one side to the other, while engineers ran around with scribes noting ideas down on parchment.

There was even a reception where people were signing magic contracts, trying to preserve their copyrights on ideas. Jadhund mentioned there was a mages guild in the Hub area of the city, and described how having them in Inkoran-Tazul meant they could enforce magic contracts with ease. Even if dwarves couldnt be mages, they did benefit from Aleistunums presence here.

We dwarves lead the world in manatech, while Aleistunum leads in alchemy and magic, Grimnir stated, repeating what nearly every mages guild member had mentioned.

In any case, with Grimnir hiding his face, people werent giving him a second look at all. The Earthshakers, those heavily-armored dwarven warriors looking like mobile tanks, were a thing, after all. Right now, Grimnir kind of looked like one of them, so people probably mistook him for our bodyguard. It was better this way, since people wouldnt insult him.

As such, we continued into the railroad guild without any interference, allowing us to witness the guilds smithy and artificer workshop. We couldnt see the new train, sadly, as it was a trade secret until it could be publicly presented. When it came to their products and work, the guilds of Ankor-Nazta were beyond unreasonable.

Thankfully, due to our contact in Jadhund, we werent immediately kicked out, allowing us to go and meet with the person responsible for the artificers of the guild. In other words, we got to meet with Jadhunds boss and one of the best dwarven artificers you could find.

Jadhund knocked on the stone door with a metal handle. Master, Im here.

After waiting a few seconds, he pushed it open with his entire body, moving the heavy door until it was wide enough for all of us to enter. Once in, we instantly noticed how dark the room was, but also how warm it was. Almost like a sauna.

At the same time, the artificers working outside this room instantly turned off the lights, darkening everything as they laid down their tools. Jadhund then placed a finger on his lips, asking us to be quiet as he gestured us in.

With my night vision, it was easy enough to see through this veil of darkness and notice the desk full of papers at the end of the room. Next to it was a couple of shelves with items on them; from the glow of mana, I presumed they were manatech. Still, they were dim, not bright enough to work with.

Which meant my attention was naturally drawn towards two separate areas. One looked like a magma seam flowing through a see-through tube inside a fireplace, probably the reason why it was so warm inside. The other area, though, was manned by a single Inko as low sizzling sounds resounded from there. A bright blue manatech lamp illuminated the workstation, shining light onto the objects the man was working on.

Wrench. The working dwarf raised his arm, holding his hands open as if he wanted something. Before I could ask what was happening, Jadhund walked over to the shelves and grabbed a wrench, before throwing it over to the man, who dexterously caught it. Thanks.

He continued his work without noticing us, prompting his apprentice to explain what was happening in a whisper. Master likes it quiet and warm when he works. The door is thick to stop the heat from escaping, and the silence runes keep things from annoying him.

Hes not like most dwarves. He dislikes the celebrative nature of our culture. Not even alcohol, Grimnir grumbled, sounding like he knew this person.

And speaking of the devil, the man himself didnt let this slide. Im also the sorta dwarf who doesnt care that ya are here. Close the bladdarg door. Freezing me toes.

The artificer had a soft, gentle tone to him, completely different from most males dwarves with their deep, growly voice. He had the same accent as both Jadhund and Grimnir, but it was far easier to listen to him than the former two.

When he turned around after Grimnir closed the stone door, he revealed himself as an actual grandpa, as in, he had enough wrinkles and grey hair to seem like a senior citizen. His beard, like most dwarves, was petrified but long enough to reach down to his legs, making him a longbearda respected elder or a very old man. His long face hair was also held together by a single metal bracelet with the emblem of a train on it.

As an Inko, he was less bulky compared to Grimnir, but he just oozed an aura of respect, different from the Ankoran King and Queen who exuded authority. He didnt seem intimidating or overly charismatic, but it felt like you could rely on this person. Like a very handy and resourceful grandfather who just has the ability to fix everything.

Zuekluk Grimnir. I never thought you would show your damn face here again. However, the first thing he did once the door was closed was to belittle Grimnir like many people in this nation. Still, it was clear both knew each other, considering the old man recognized him through his voice alone.

Grimnir took off his helmet before bowing before the longbeard. Master Metosei. Lads and lasses, this is Metosei Gunnisor, one of the three elders of the railroad guild and the Church of Chihiro. Department leader of the artificers, train engineers, and smiths.

The old dwarf leaned back on his wooden chair, rocking it a bit as he let out a deep breath. In the process, he revealed the items on his workstation. Outside of his tools, there was the object he was working onsome sorta open metallic cube with mana wires and a spherical catalyst inside of it. There was also a small figurine of a kimono-wearing dwarven woman holding tools and an orb, meant to represent Chihiro, Goddess of Ingenuity.

Pardon the memory; Im getting on with my years. Thing is, heard from Jadhund I was supposed to greet some proper, interesting guests. He sounded pretty polite. Not a zuekluk and two high elves and five humans. Not too sure what I am supposed to expect here with these kids.

Aaaaand that was rude. Well, I guess I didnt really look the part since I was a human right now. As such, Neill and I looked at each other and released mana mist from our bodies, changing back to our dragonewt forms.

[Humanize (Moderate)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]

Once the mist was gone, I greeted the old man. Sorry about that. With all the possible dragonslayers, we didnt really want to catch their attention You dont look too surprised.

Nonchalantly, Metosei shrugged as he kept rocking his chair. Youve seen enough transforming dragonkins when you get to my age. I see youre on your pilgrimage, lass. That your sister or cousin?

Sister. Also, shes not on her pilgrimage yet. Its complicated, Neill answered, before she turned to Haruka, Daichi, and Ellaine and clapped. Come on, you three. The longbeard is already getting bored of us, so lets hurry up before he ignores us.

Gahaha! Youve been here already, thats for sure!

Taking this as our cue, I opened my storage, finally drawing the dwarfs attention as I pulled out the video recorder and handed it over to Ellaine. With it in hand, she, Haruka, and Daichi moved forward with Jadhund standing next to them.

Master, Jadhund began. This is Ellaine, a noble kid from Artorias. Shes Grimnirs artificer apprentice, meaning shes currently learning Broggarts techniques. I gave her some tips and advice, too. Talented. Quite committed.

Broggart, huh? Metosei eyed Ellaine up and down, before pointing at the video recorder. Grimnir, dont tell me this is what Im seeing here? No wonder Bleidla cast you away after what you and that idiot Broggart did!

I hope this isnt a problem, I stepped up, causing the dwarf to crackle.

Gahah! Took that the wrong way, lass! I can see when something was made by Queen Dravlia without even checking it. Wasnt old enough to meet her, but youre in the railroad guild here. We are followers of the Revolution Queen! We study her techniques, skills, and craftsmanship. He then stood up, coming closer as he eyed the video recorder with a sense of wonder. And this this is authentic! You see here, uneven screws! All her later work seem rushed, since she knew she only had a limited time left to live.The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.

Metosei then went on a long tangent, describing every single detail on the recorder while adding small tidbits about Goddess Chihiro. About how she liked softening edges out as it made it look more modern, while insisting on coloring all her work. Functionality mattered to Chihiro, but appearances were also as important.

It got to the point that Jadhund had to forcibly stop the old man, telling him exactly who we were and why came to his workshop in the first place. This, naturally, shock Metosei as he hadnt actually expected otherworlders to be here. He had heard the Church of Aurena had summoned Heroes to this world, but he thought it was just propaganda.

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Tuesday, April 4, 2023 12:37:29 AM Germany [Member of Zard Skwad]

Bio: Hey there, AbyssRaven here. I'm just an avid Light Novel and Fantasy story reader who randomly thought of a story and began writing about it.

I eventually found out that I've been spending a bit too much time with building, planning, and researching for the story, that I've decided to just share it with others.

Writing is mostly a hobby for me, but I would still love any kind of criticism to improve on it.

I'm also german, so please excuse anything that sounds a bit weird...I wouldn't mind you pointing it out though.

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