Chapter 204

Chapter 204

"You carry the burden, I lead the horse..."

Garrett hummed a tune as he walked along the mountain path. He rode a dwarf horse summoned by his Summon Mount spell, swaying through the lush grass. It was a dwarf horse because they were traversing a mountain path, and Garrett feared he might fall if he summoned a horse of normal height...

He had been dragged into the mage tower in March and released in mid-July. The distant meadow had transformed from a faint green to a vibrant hue with golden highlights. In the distance, a blue lake reflected the sky, with wisps of white clouds silently drifting over the calm and clear surroundings.

Bernard followed Garrett, carrying his large bone club, stumbling along. The bone club, pointed diagonally towards the sky, brushed aside the tall grass, sometimes surpassing Garrett’s head in height.

It wasn’t that Garrett was mistreating his follower. It was just... with his magical abilities, none of the horses he could summon could bear Bernard’s weight...

It was truly a pity.

Perhaps when he reached level 5, the shadowy steed he summoned could carry this barbarian. But according to the documents Garrett had read, the weight capacity of the shadowy steed was the caster’s weight plus 10 pounds per caster level. No matter how Garrett looked at it, Bernard didn’t seem to weigh just 50 pounds...

He couldn’t even lift that big bone club.

The forge district Garrett was heading to lay on the north side of Igor Peak, nestled in the foothills of Clark Peak. In fact, one could see the gate of the forge district by just peeking down from the peak of Igor...

If any unusual situation arose, the mages could activate their flight spells to descend from the peak for rescue, or simply teleport from the Tower of Heaven, which would take just a few minutes.

Moreover, apart from a few human mages, most of the inhabitants of the forge district were dwarves, making it difficult for infiltrators to blend in. If not for this, Garrett wouldn’t have been allowed to travel alone from the station at the foot of the mountain to the forge district.

Master Kairel hadn’t even sent anyone to accompany him, just advising Garrett before he left to prepare earplugs and a blindfold. Otherwise—"How’s your Sleep spell coming along? Can you use it on yourself?"

Just from that remark, Garrett could imagine how noisy the forge district could get. In fact, as he followed the stream between Igor Peak and Clark Peak, ascending about five to six hundred meters, he already heard clanging, clanging, and rumbling sounds coming from ahead.

They must be close. Garrett’s spirits lifted. Following the sounds, he soon came across a cluster of ramshackle cabins, painted in various colors, blooming like flowers near the mountain stream. Drawing nearer, the scent of alcohol wafted towards him, and a stout, bearded dwarf shouted loudly:

"*%@#&*..."

It was dwarven.

Garrett didn’t understand.

But smelting mithril?

He didn’t even know what mithril was, for crying out loud!

"Um... could you show me first how mithril is made..."

"No problem! Wait for me to arrange it, and I’ll take you in immediately!"

The level 5 mage sprang into action, tidying up the documents in his hands and retrieving a thin silver headband, which he handed to Garrett:

"This is a headband enchanted with comprehend languages. It has no other function but to allow you to understand their speech. Every mage working here is lent one by the council, and it must be returned upon leaving. The forge district is very dangerous, so don’t wander around."

The first difficulty was thus resolved... Garrett took the headband gratefully and placed it on his head.

The headband was a bit large, but after adjusting it, it fit snugly above his ears without pressing against his eyes. The sensation on his fingers was a bit greasy, who knew how many people had worn this headband before him, and whether the previous owners had cleaned it.

Garrett silently resolved to wash it thoroughly with soap when he got back, then followed the level 5 mage out of the cabin and to the front

of the tavern:

"Old Hunter! This is a new mage from the council, take us to the mithril area to have a look!"

The tavern was a cacophony of noise, with sounds of arm-wrestling, drinking, and off-key singing pouring out from the windows and doors. The level 5 mage had to shout three times before an old dwarf stumbled out, his face flushed, and shouted back at him:

"Why are you yelling?! It’s already off duty, if you want to go to the mithril area, come back tomorrow!"

He tilted his head back and took a big gulp of beer. Rich foam spilled over from the edge of his beard, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand, spitting out a thick phlegm. At least he retained some manners and didn’t spit directly at the mages’ feet, but instead onto the steps of the tavern, sparkling and shining, black mixed with gray.

Garrett’s eyes narrowed.

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