Excuse Me, Are You Scared?
‘It’s completely different from the outside.’
The interior of Jangsan-gul was so vast and bright that it was hard to believe it was a cave. It was the result of the electric lights packed densely into the ceiling combined with the intense flames rising from the workshops below. Kim Ilshin looked around. Radiating from the center, low-rise buildings with distinct characteristics lined the paths, most of them being workshops.
“Lift it higher!”
“You have to grip it tighter!”
Despite the late hour, the city was vibrant. Time on the outside didn’t hold much meaning here. Given the nature of dwarf craftsmen, once they started a project, they often stayed awake for days on end, let alone just a day or two.
‘Hana Lin was the same way.’
Almost everyone walking around the city was a dwarf. There were many traits that immediately came to mind when thinking of dwarves: short stature, sturdy builds, and thick beards. Their arm muscles, tempered by hammering iron, and their rough, heavy grips were also quite impressive.
‘…There are some interesting folks, too.’
There were dwarves with braided or dyed beards. He wondered if it was a unique fashion trend among them. However, seeing Hana Lin’s reaction to spotting them, that didn’t seem to be the case. Her expression twisted as if she had seen something bizarre.
‘And as expected, there aren’t many humans.’
It wasn’t that there were none at all, but the number was noticeably small; he hadn’t seen more than a few since entering.
‘There’s no real reason for them to come here anyway. You can’t exactly buy anything.’
Most of the equipment produced here could only be purchased after passing an inspection by the association run by the dwarves. While it was partly for quality control, it was more to prevent the greenhorn dwarves, who had lived only in their narrow society, from being swindled by outsiders.
‘The association isn’t without its problems, but it’s much better than having nothing at all.’
In fact, it was said that such incidents happened very frequently before the association was established.
“Stop looking around and follow me properly. Is this your first time here?”
“It is my first time.”
“Ah, right.”
“Forget that. That’s the Mountain Range Workshop over there, right?”
“Yeah. That’s it.”
Kim Ilshin pointed to a building standing tall at the end of the city. Aside from that one, all the other buildings were at most three stories high, making it stand out immediately. A massive stalactite, stretching down from the ceiling like a root, was connected to the building. It was likely designed to utilize the power of the mountain range based on that connection point.
“We’re almost there, so keep up. If you get lost here, it’s hard to find your way back.”
“Got it.”
He gave a casual reply to Hana Lin’s unnecessary worry and continued walking.
“We’re here. Let’s go in.”
The place Hana Lin guided him to was the city hall building in the center of Jangsan-gul. The Mountain Range Workshop was a vital facility for the dwarves. Therefore, to use it, one needed the permission of the mayor, the highest authority in Jangsan-gul. In the outside world, it would be difficult to visit and meet someone of such high status without an appointment, but it was possible here. The society formed by the dwarf race was close to one large community. While their roles differed, there was almost no difference in status or rank. It was a different story if it were a master-disciple relationship, though.
“I’m here because I want to see the mayor.”
“Uh… just a moment. You can go right up.”
After checking the monitor for a moment, the city hall employee pointed to the stairs leading upward. The processing was so fast it made him wonder if this was really okay.
“Let’s go up.”
Hana Lin and Kim Ilshin climbed the stairs and arrived at the third floor, where the mayor’s office was located.
“Don’t draw your sword when we go in. It’s obvious he’ll make a fuss about wanting to try it himself if he sees it.”
“I know.”
As he nodded in response, Hana Lin opened the door to the office. As the door swung open, a dwarf with a dignified appearance was visible, sitting at a desk on the other side. His thick beard reached all the way down to his chair. It was Hwang Deok-soo, the mayor of Jangsan-gul.
“Oh, I wondered who the guest was, and it’s you, Narin.”
“It’s been a while.”
Hwang Deok-soo, with his benevolent expression, welcomed Hana Lin warmly. Judging by his expression, he was genuinely glad to see her. Hana Lin also responded familiarly. Hwang Deok-soo, who discovered Kim Ilshin entering behind her, asked slyly.
“I’m seeing this friend for the first time. …Did you make a boyfriend while you were outside?”
The teasing tone and the curved corners of his eyes made it obvious he was trying to provoke her.
“He’s just a guest. We came together because of some business.”
However, when Hana Lin showed no reaction, Hwang Deok-soo smacked his lips as if disappointed and greeted Kim Ilshin.
“I see. Nice to meet you. I am Hwang Deok-soo, the mayor of this place.”
“Nice to meet you. My name is Kim Ilshin.”
Since the light greetings were over, it was time to get to the point. Hwang Deok-soo, who had guided Kim Ilshin and Hana Lin to their seats, asked first.
“So, what is the reason you came to see me?”
“I want to use the Mountain Range Workshop.”
“Hmm….”
Hwang Deok-soo, leaning back in his chair, let out a groan. It was a reaction that indicated he was in a difficult spot.
“That’s going to be difficult.”
Hana Lin didn’t show a violent reaction. She sighed and asked calmly. She had an inkling of the reason.
“Whew… it’s because of the association, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I could grant the usage permit, but if they come out against it, there’s not much I can do.”
In Jangsan-gul, there existed an organization called the ‘Council of Elders’ that assisted the mayor in running the city. They held enough authority to act as the mayor’s proxy in his absence, yet it was a unique organization that remained almost entirely uncorrupted.
‘That’s because of the dwarves’ nature of not caring about power.’
However, the problem here was that three of the five elders belonging to the Council of Elders had put a great deal of effort into launching the association. Furthermore, the relationship between them and Hana Lin was extremely poor.
“How long ago was that? Why are they still like that?”
“You were quite extreme, you know.”
“They were the ones who provoked me first!”
“Even so, you can’t say that blowing up the warehouse wasn’t extreme.”
“It wasn’t extreme at all. Those guys were the ones who swindled me first.”
“…….”
Hwang Deok-soo, left speechless, gave Kim Ilshin a look that said, ‘What should I do with her?’
“Are you aware of the situation?”
He knew everything, but he pretended not to and answered.
“No. I haven’t heard about it yet.”
“Then I shall explain.”
Hwang Deok-soo began his explanation, and Kim Ilshin listened as carefully as he could. There might be errors in his own memory.
‘It’s no different from my memory.’
Although it was now proven to have many advantages and was operating well, there were many who opposed the association’s system at the time of its launch. Having the association, rather than the creators themselves, value and sell the works they had produced was an affront to the craftsmen’s pride. Therefore, the association officials needed a way to quell their backlash. They decided to obtain items from well-known blacksmiths and show them being sold according to the association’s procedures. Since the association’s system was largely intended to protect inexperienced blacksmiths, they thought they could promote it by showing that a famous blacksmith had used it.
‘It wasn’t a bad idea.’
But the problem was that none of the well-known blacksmiths were willing to put up their equipment. So, the association official sought out Hana Lin, who had just begun to stand out, and made a huge mistake. In the process of obtaining her equipment, they had cleverly twisted the truth about its purpose. Because of that, Hana Lin had handed it over without even knowing what her equipment was being used for.
‘That’s basically no different from fraud.’
After finding out the truth later, Hana Lin was furious, and she literally blew up the warehouse where her equipment was stored.
“……They were at fault for starting it, but there were so many other items destroyed along with it at the time.”
So, the association officials who suffered great losses back then still hated Hana Lin. And it was the same for Hana Lin hating them.
“Still, I will send the paperwork. You’ll get a response soon, so wait here.”
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Just a few minutes after Hwang Deok-soo sent the approval request, angry footsteps could be heard outside the door.
Bang!
A bald dwarf, who had burst in without even knocking, shouted loudly. It was Park Gwang-seok, a member of the Council of Elders.
“To grant that wild child Hana Lin permission to use the Mountain Range Workshop! I cannot allow it! Who knows what kind of accident she’ll cause again!”
“Park Gwang-seok, please calm down for a moment.”
Despite Hwang Deok-soo’s words, Park Gwang-seok’s gaze, unable to suppress his anger, turned toward Hana Lin.
“Oh, you were here, you brat. Listen well. As long as I am alive, you will never, ever enter the Mountain Range Workshop! Never!”
“You…!”
He grabbed Hana Lin’s shoulder as she rose from her seat to shout back and held her down. Then, he stood up and spoke.
“We really need to use the Mountain Range Workshop; is there no way?”
“Hmph! If that brat apologizes first, I might consider it.”
“Apologize? What kind of apology! Don’t say such ridiculous things!”
Kim Ilshin didn’t panic and stepped between Park Gwang-seok and Hana Lin. It was a situation he had anticipated, and he had a way to resolve it.
“Then how about we decide with a bet?”
At those words, not only Park Gwang-seok but even Hwang Deok-soo and Hana Lin looked at him as if wondering what on earth he was talking about.
“What? A bet?”
“Yes. If I win, you grant permission to use the Mountain Range Workshop, and if I lose, I will leave without a word.”
“What kind of—”
“The event is a drinking contest. We drink together, and the one who lasts until the end wins.”
At the word ‘drinking contest,’ Park Gwang-seok hesitated. Dwarves loved alcohol so much they couldn’t live without it, and they drank a lot, so their pride in their drinking capacity was also quite strong. If there was one thing they couldn’t stand, it was being told they were a lightweight.
“……Don’t say such ridiculous things! There’s nothing in it for me!”
Park Gwang-seok refused after a moment of hesitation. Kim Ilshin continued, unperturbed.
“You’re dealing with a dwarf, so you need at least this much. Or perhaps….”
He knew the magic sentence that would make this bet happen.
“Excuse me, are you scared? Is your tolerance lower than it looks?”
There wasn’t a dwarf in the world who could hear that and let it slide.
“Damn it! Follow me!”
Park Gwang-seok was, after all, a dwarf.