Chapter 429: The Revolutionary’s Blessed.

Chapter 429: The Revolutionary’s Blessed.

Welcome. We went to our de-facto headquarters last time, so hope our official one wont disappoint too much.

Jadhund, our contact with the Railroad Guild, proudly presented the daunting building standing before us, situated inside the royal district of Inkoran-Tazul. The two floor building was made from fairnite with gilded metal edges and window frames, making it fit with the other opulently designed buildings within this area.

Two statues guarded the entrance as dwarves came in and out of the door, each designed to look like an upscaled version of the Chihiro miniature figures Ive seen up until now, with her holding up her tools and manatech. In addition, a stone replica of a train and its cabins blocked the path from the back and sides, leaving an opening for us to enter the building from the front. There were even small, barely conspicuous engravings covering the walls that looked a bit like train tracks.

All of these features gave this building a more personalized feeling than the usual plain, stone homes I was used to seeing inside the dwarven holds. A bit of an exaggeration, since most of them combined both Japanese aesthetics and neon lights made from manatech to elevate their appearance from looking boring, but guild still felt good to look at.

It was a worthy building for the headquarters of the railroad guild, even if it couldnt compare to how imposing the one inside Inkoran-Tazuls inner city looked.

Thanks for coming on such short notice, I told him.Ñ00v€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

Jadhund nodded, before handing Ellaine her manatech bird back, which we had used as a messenger to deliver our wish to begin the meeting. All in a day of work, I say. Besides, the craftsmen are currently barely doing any of the usual work after what happened. We might be busy, but that just means all of us are too hurried to do the normal bureaucratic nonsense.

Always the best when we as a collective are angry, eh? Grimnir stated. With how stubborn those longbeards are, things like this would never have happened immediately if it werent for the Ankoran Kings declaration for war. The throng is being mustered.

Rudigan, who accompanied us for Grimnirs sake, shook his head. Somebody has to pay for what happened. War is not a necessity, but if reparations arent paid and nobody will take responsibility, then it is better when we get everything ready.

Hearing him say that last part only made me sigh internally. Yet, watching so many dwarves moving around in this part of the city, making a noise with their shouts, despite my last visit here being far more peaceful, made me aware the gears were moving fast.

Who ya callin stubborn, eh, ya short-bearded bashthuda?

My train of thought was stopped when somebody shouted at us, stomping his way over to us with a clear grimace. Smoking something from his pipe, the dwarf stroked his extra long petrified beard that went down to his knees, before blowing white smoke towards the ground.

Master Metosei! Ellaine called out, smiling.

Ah! Lass! Bladdarg, I see the lad is also here, but where is that Haruka lass? Been missing you three since we last met. Glad to see you healthy, the world needs more enthusiastic artificers. Lad, keep the flame burning, eh? Like a grandpa meeting his granddaughter, one of the three elders of the railroad guild was grinning widely as he saw Ellaine and Daichi. However, after greeting them, he turned back to Grimnir, a sour face having replaced his previous expression. Hmph. Lad. Ya already heard? Kings thinking of rescinding your status as an exile.

Grimnir turned to me, but I just shrugged. I hadnt heard about it. Metosei and Jadhund explained the blacksmiths guild had been discussing the single misunderstanding between them and Bleidla and how it had caused an issue that had festered for over 200 years.

Haha, the fact you talked to that old smith god really made headlines, lass. You should have heard about it, right? Jadhund asked.

Daichi shook his hand, answering for me, Shes been staying at the inn and our subspace for the past four days. Mostly resting and eating. I think most of us who went out had heard about it, but it wasnt like it was that important.

I concurred. This was an internal issue that involved politics and religion, and since I had no stakes in the blacksmiths guild, Daichi was right to say I wasnt interested in any of it. It was important for Grimnir, but he had been unconscious for the last few days.

Metosei bellowed out a laugh before he began to grunt and smoke his pipe. With white smoke covering his beard, he expressed how elated he was that I spoke out about Bleidlas mistake. Over 200 years, this animosity between the railroad and blacksmiths guild had grown into a rivalry since both side thought Bleidla distrusted Chihiro, and since neither god announced a blessed to clear it up, it just got worse.

Metosei clicked his tongue. Too much of a shame that we got the taboo lifted after that bashthuda Maagneil destroyed everything. Tsk, I could choke him and dip his inko ass into lava about now if his body hadn't been reduced to coal. Give that fenrir lass my thanks, eh?

I nodded, gladdened to hear Saori was getting her due respect.

Anyways, Master Metosei, come on. We should speak before you smoke yourself into an early death, Grimnir stated, causing me to look at the old dwarf with confusion.

Stress reliever, all right? Mhrrm, Grimnir he grumbled, before leading us to the second floor of the building, where we stopped in front of a room.

Opening a door, a conference room revealed itself with four other dwarves insidetwo women and two men. They all stood up and bowed, saying, We are honored to receive the Third Dragon Princess of Kargryx, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor. I curtsied, introduced myself, and asked everybody to sit down.

I expected only the Blacksmiths Guild. I turned to the man on the left most side. Leaning on his chair, a taz dwarf with an eyepatch covering his right eye squinted at Grimnir, before looking at me. Master Ryanno, you told me you wanted a meeting between you and the Railroad Guild. I can see Archbishop Yvonne is here, so may I ask who our two other guests are?

The woman on the far right was one of the three elders of the Railroad Guild, responsible for the religious affairs concerning the church of Chihiro. A member of the wisewoman council of Ankor-Nazta as well as the archbishop of the church of Chihiro, her name was Yvonne Yarragar. Despite being a woman of cloth, she looked more like a mechanic in her work attire.

Ryanno Ogash, on the other hand, was the guild master of the Blacksmiths Guild and was a representative of the church of Bleidla. When I revealed Bleidlas truth to the blacksmiths, he was one of the people who distrusted me the most until Yvonne and Metosei supported me, helping me make a segue into the reveal that I was an otherworlder and could talk to gods.

Drunk dwarves, he answered, which was all enough for me to understand what was happening; word of the meeting got out and a few others forced their way into the meeting.

I had to smack my face, accepting the fact dwarves just made terrible secret keepers. So, instead of wallowing too much, I once again asked who the other two people were, prompting Jadhund to explain.

Master Borom Schrokk, the guild master of the runesmiths. He pointed at the man sitting next to Ryanno. Hes also

Grimnirs master, your highness, the man himself answered, causing Grimnir to grunt loudly, looking uncomfortable. Every craftsman worth the calluses on their hands has to have dreamed of sneaking into High Queen Dravlias workshop for a look at her blueprints. Broggart and my idiot apprentice aint the only ones. When I heard the taboo was lifted from a drunk dwarfs rambling, I knew I aint letting this chance go, considering its Grimnirs product.

Ha! Grimnir scoffed. Just say your curiosity got to you, Borom. The moment it seems I am about to be pardoned, you latch onto your chance? Bladdarg, you werent even there when I was exiled! By the Earth Mother, even Master Metosei said his farewells!

You ungrateful twerp! The wrinkled dwarf jumped onto his feet, abandoning any sense of proper manners. You think you deserve anything after what you did? I brought you into the guild when you were in the dumps creatively with your blacksmithing. Runesmithing has elevated you as a craftsman, and you cannot even see things from my view? I thought I was stubborn, but it seems my apprentice never understood me in the first place. You little, dirty

Enough! The woman sitting next to Yvonne raised her voice. An elderly woman, unlike the latter, but she commanded respect as her creaky voice silenced everybody, sounding like somebody who was used to shouting. Must you waste our time, Master Borom? All of us have multiple commissions to oversee for the royal palace, but you are wasting time and trying our patience for an old grudge? Enough!

Nobody spoke back, allowing the elderly dwarven woman to smile, showing the years of wrinkles on her face and the long petrified ponytail, which I saw went down to the ground. Your grace, I am Haella Gunnisor, a wisewoman and the archbishop of the church of Khungard, the God of Artificers and Mana Engineers. And, yes, I am related to Metosei.

In fact, seeing him perform such a feat already convinced all of them something had happened to him. Dwarves shouldnt be able to expel their mana out of their body like that, as it was a limitation inherent to their race. Since Grimnir had his unique skill [Core of the Mechanoid], though, it was entirely possible.

Although, after three consecutive usages, his mana should be penalized to 25%. He can only make one more before entering [Mana Fever] territory.

The first blessed of our church Yvonne was left speechless. Grimnir, do you

I only wish to forge! Grimnir answered while continuously landing multiple hammer strikes per second on the flaming hot metal bar. Archbishop, I am not like your typical Saint. I dont pray much, I am no pious follower, and when I visited Bleidla, I insulted him in his face!

He then turned around, leaving the rest to Daichi. Ill do the minimum expected of a blessed, but I cant go around preaching her ideals or faith. I am not fit for that, I am a blacksmith and runesmith through and through. The best place for me is the forge where I can do what Goddess Chihiro once did bestto create.

Ehehe. She smiled, pulling off her amulet of Chihiro and handed it over to Grimnir. Spoken like all true members of the Railroad Guild. Do not worry, Grimnir, I understand. If this is what you think is best as our first blessed, then I shall respect your judgement. If technological advancement and change can happen through your hands, then it will only further Goddess Chihiros ideals and philosophy, hopefully, to one day change dwarven culture as a whole.

Unlikely, Ryanno disagreed. Our guild culture is deeply rooted into everything. Longbeards, bureaucracy, honor, the clans; to change one part of it is to change everything. Even High Queen Dravlia was never able to do so, as even she had to tiptoe to assure nobody got too angry.

And what did that earn her? People speaking ill after her apotheosis, Haella countered. I am old enough to have seen her in her prime during the War for the Faefolk. I might have just been a brat back then, but even I understood what these years had brought upon her legacy. The taboo created by the previous head of the blacksmiths guild had sullied her workshop. The Revolution Queen who allowed the Earth Mothers religion to flourish, to the point we call it a golden age of faith, had been looked down upon too much, if you ask this old woman.

Many of us were at fault. Even I learned from my parents to dislike the changes she suggested, Borom revealed. Whether Grimnir or anybody can bring out a change doesnt matter. Apprentice, your goal is to let your hands do the work. Every step you make to improve on something will one day lead you to the respect you deserve.

I dont take advice from you any longer, Borom, Grimnir shot him down, causing the older dwarfs face to turn red. With Rudigan stopping him from hitting the latter, Grimnir smiled and nodded. But it aint bad advice, though. My goal in Aurora is still to make the best equipment for all of them!

Grimnir! I could feel his renewed conviction behind those words of his.

Once the frame was readied, Ellaine took over and connected everything necessary to the arcane crystal. According to the System clock, it took Grimnir two hours to finish creating all the finer pieces, while Ellaine needed six hours to finish the rest, including installing the new, improved battery into the blasthammer.

Everything is correct, lass, Grimnir praised his apprentice after he finished inspecting the entire weapon, from its assembly to the artificer work, causing the latter to shake her fist in elation. Just as Broggi told you. Lets hope those tips of his were from when he thought of us as allies.

Dont worry, Master, I already double checked it a few days prior. It will work, I assure you.

See, Ellaine? You dont need Klea to become a valuable member of the party. You are already one. You proved yourself. I kept the cheesy parts in my head, patting her on the shoulder to give her a less flattering delivery. Naturally, I didnt leave Daichi out of it, either.

Haha! Of course, Hesti-san, you are looking at the next best blacksmith in this world! Daichi Mikami will soon be a name people associate with quality!

My dude, please, stop.

Once it was ready, we exited the workshop and went into the basement, where a testing range was installed for the artisans to try out their creations. I spewed out a lava breath and had it form into the shape of a human. Once I got out of the way, Grimnir readied his cannon, but this time he intended to use the mana cannon function.

As a blue light appeared at the nuzzle of the gun, the weapon suddenly began to rattle, to the point even Ellaine was worried, yet Grimnir didnt stop. In fact, through my [Mana Eyes], I could see him pouring even more mana into it. After a moments delay, the blasthammer shot out its energy, but due to some complications, the mana ball splintered apart, mimicking its original shotgun function.

Regardless, the recoil blew Grimnir onto his butt as the mana blast not only destroyed my lava humanoid test dummy, but also singed the walls, causing the mana barrier protecting this place to blink. As we saw the result of his weapon, Grimnir bellowed out a laugh as he readied another attack.

Wait! Ellaine tried to stop him, but before she could grab him, Grimnir shot a smaller, albeit, more concentrated shot.

The recoil was far weaker, but the blast still pulverized the remnants of my mana humanoid, sending molten earthen flying around the room. Seeing his handiwork, Grimnir smirked and opened up the cabinet for the mana battery. He pulled it out, revealing it was unharmed, albeit hot.

Remember when I had to replace a battery every time like ammunition, lass? He reminded me of when we first met. The biggest weakness of my original blasthammer was that I would blow up a battery every time I used the gun function, since Broggi and I used the wrong wiring system. Ellaine and I solved the second prototype by using a cooling system with runes, but now? This arcane crystal shouldered the burden far better. Combine that with my ability to dissipate most of the arcane corruption generated by the shot into my body, and also Ellaines artificer skills finally reaching that of a journeywoman ready to become a master. The wiring is magnificent, Ellaine. You can be proud, lass.

YES, MASTER! Ellaine shouted, tears running down her face. I wrapped my arm around her, shaking her arm.

Master Artificer Ellaine. Guess you know what to tell your parents and brother the next time you meet them, right? Ready to brag?

She nodded her head vigorously.

Grimnir then turned to Daichi. Lad, youre getting there. We got so much stuff left to build, after all, and we got too many members in Aurora to equip now, so you better be ready to continue getting better.

ALWAYS, MASTER! Daichi smiled and smacked his fist on his chest, looking confident he could do anything.

But this aint the end just yet! Grimnir declared as he turned to the guild leaders. [Core of the Mechanoid] is my unique skill, but to fully bring out its potential, I require enchanters, alchemists, runesmiths, blacksmiths, and artificers to work together with me to do so! In addition, I wish for this [Arcane Crystal] to be studied so we can understand its composition or if there is any replacement in the wild. If all of you wish to continue working with me, then you better be ready to pay and support the cause, as this will be the deciding factor for the upcoming war.

Were in! Acting like any other craftsmen, Yvonne, Haella, Ryanno, Borom, and Jadhund shouted in unison, consumed by their desire to work on something new.

Lass! Grimnir addressed me. And from you, I need a song. A song that can elevate this soul of mine into a transcendence state for me to make you the best equipment you will ever witness! You've got the chance of your lifetime to make a bunch of grouchy dwarves your followers by making a song made just for them!

I smirked. Thats my job!

Three days passed after I agreed to his proposal. It took me a while to figure out the song, until I realized I already had a good song with the correct music to fit everything. I always considered turning one of my many songs from my time as Hikari into a custom song before, but never had the chance to do so as nothing fit.

Once I finalized the music, lyrics and the effect for the song, I coincidentally received a message from the royal palace. The Ankoran King informed me the actual Summit of Ankor-Nazta would begin the next day, as all the members had fully recuperated and were ready to talk.

In other words, it was time for Neill and I to act like princesses If only Mom was awake to make this easier, haaaaa.