An Offer They Couldn't Refuse
"Hey, you guys. Become my comrades!"
Before anyone realized it, the other dwarves had stopped working and gathered around the human prisoner.
Their faces were filled with wonder and curiosity.
Finn spoke in an awestruck voice.
"Is that... the legendary 'Dragon Scale Weaving' technique?"
Beside him, Dorin stared with wide eyes and muttered.
"Yes, it is. But how could a human possibly..."
A mixture of shock and reverence washed over the dwarves' faces.
Their eyes followed Edward's hands, occasionally letting out quiet gasps of admiration.
Grover stepped forward and asked.
"You... where on earth did you learn such techniques?"
The human prisoner paused his work and looked up at Grover.
"Ah, my name is Edward. Well... here and there. Reading books, traveling..."
"Books? You're saying a book containing the secret arts of the dwarves fell into human hands?"
Edward hesitated for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.
Then, he shrugged and replied.
"Well, something like that. Anyway, this 'Pasha's Breath' technique is truly magnificent. To think it increases flexibility while maintaining the scale's original durability..."
Grover's eyes widened further.
"You even know about that? That is one of our clan's oldest secrets..."
As the conversation went on, the dwarves' astonishment only grew.
Edward knew their history, their culture, and even the details of techniques they had thought long forgotten.
Finn asked tentatively.
"By any chance... do you also know the 'Blue Flame Forging' method?"
Edward nodded.
"Of course. You mean the technique of tempering the metal by quenching it in oil mixed with melted blue moonstone powder, right? I heard swords made with that method have exceptional magic resistance."
A stir ran through the dwarves.
They exchanged startled glances.
The Blue Flame Forging method was a technique lost to time, known to almost no living dwarf today.
Grover exhaled a deep breath.
"Unbelievable. For a human to know our crafts so intimately."
Edward smiled as he replied.
"Dwarven culture is truly fascinating. I think your blacksmithing is an art form in its own right. Oh, by the way, do you know the legend of the 'Silver Moon Hammer'? That story is really..."
And so, the conversation flowed.
The dwarves found themselves drawn deeper and deeper to Edward, their faces filled with wonder.
It felt as though their long-forgotten culture and techniques were being breathed back to life through the mouth of this young human.
Then, Edward suddenly asked.
"Why are you all here, anyway? I would think skilled craftsmen like yourselves wouldn't find it too difficult to escape."
At Edward's words, the dwarves' expressions darkened, as if suddenly dragged back to reality.
Despair and resignation returned to their eyes.
Grover slowly pointed to his ankle.
A dark red mana stone was embedded in his shackle.
"It is because of these special shackles," Grover said in a heavy voice.
"The engraving on these shackles cannot be undone, no matter what. If you tamper with it even slightly, the explosion magic triggers. Even if we managed to slip out of here without removing them, they are designed to detonate the moment we leave the island."
The other dwarves nodded, their faces grim with hopelessness.
"Ah... you mean these?"
Edward lifted his foot.
The exact same shackle was clamped around his ankle.
Grover looked once more at the completed armor sitting before Edward.
A complex mix of emotions, alongside wonder, swirled in his eyes.
The armor this kid made is on a completely different level...
The closer he looked, the more its precision and craftsmanship surpassed anything he had ever seen.
Grover had always prided himself on being the finest blacksmith in the Stonehelm Kingdom, but looking at this young man's work made him feel as if his eyes were truly opening for the first time.
Yet, the thought of this masterpiece falling into the hands of Duke Thorin, that greedy traitor, made his stomach churn.
Clack.
Suddenly, the sound of metal hitting the floor echoed through the room.
Grover turned his head, only to find Edward's shackles lying open on the ground.
How on earth did he... Wait, more importantly...
"Everyone, get down!" Grover bellowed at the top of his lungs.
The dwarves scrambled to the floor in panic, but nothing happened.
"It's fine, don't worry. I've safely neutralized the engraving on the shackles," Edward said nonchalantly.
"What in the world..."
Grover stared blankly at Edward.
Memories of the past four years flashed through his mind.
Throughout those long years, he had spent every night trying to undo the engraving, only to fail time and time again.
The mana engraving on the shackles was like a tangled ball of yarn; deciphering its pattern was practically impossible.
The moment even a fraction of mana was injected to force it open, the shackle would react violently, threatening to detonate.
Yet this young man had undone the complex mechanism in an instant.
How is this even possible...
Grover was utterly speechless at the unbelievable sight before him.
"Could you hurry up and take this off me too? It's chafing my ankle," Lily grumbled.
"Yes, yes, right away."
I replied, unlocking Lily's shackles.
The dwarves were still staring at us in shock, but ignoring them, I walked over and began unlocking their shackles one by one.
"Alright... gentlemen, let's get out of here."
They all looked at each other, completely dazed.
They were probably in deep shock.
Just then, a white-bearded dwarf spoke up.
"But my family is held captive here. If we just run, there's no telling what they'll do to them..."
I fell into thought for a moment.
What was that dwarf's name again... Paul? Or was it Penn?
Grover chimed in.
"It's easy for the rest of us to just leave, but Finn's situation is different. His family was captured along with him."
Ah, right. It was Uncle Finn.
"Are you talking about the ones locked up at the very top of the eighth floor?" I asked.
Finn's eyes went wide.
"What? How do you know that?"
I smiled. Of course I knew.
Back when I played the game, I had suffered immensely trying to figure out that location.
It was a storyline that appeared in the latter half of the Blacksmith class quest.
Because of that, it didn't even show up in video guides on YouTube.
I was probably the only user who had ever reached this point.
Normally, you were supposed to rescue them, progress the quest, and go on an adventure exploring the ancient ruins of this land.
In the process, you would learn the legendary dwarven blacksmithing techniques one by one.
Well, since I already know them all, there's no need for that now.
"For now, let's get out of here."
Together with the dwarves, we cautiously retraced our steps.
From what I had observed on the way in, the security wasn't particularly tight—likely because they relied so heavily on the prisoners' shackles.
Besides, there was another reason I wasn't too worried.
"Let all sound fall asleep."
⟨ Silence ⟩
Lily cast the spell over all of us.
Lily Harper.
Who was she?
Though she had been rotting away in a research lab until recently, she was a genius among geniuses who had graduated from the Empire's top academy with an A-rank.
There was no type of magic she couldn't handle.
We ran into guards a few times along the way.
"Scatter their will."
⟨ Whisper of Chaos ⟩
Lily chanted the spell.
The guards' pupils dilated as their expressions went blank.
They were all muscular, but none of them had trained their mental barriers.
It made sense, given that this place was built to imprison craftsmen, not mages.
"Now, go back to where you came from. And forget you ever saw us," Lily whispered the command.
With a flick of her finger, the guards turned and walked back like stiff wind-up dolls.
As we neared the exit, I stopped.
"I'll be back in a moment. Please wait here."
I scanned the surroundings to check the situation.
Fortunately, it seemed our escape hadn't been detected yet.
"Lily, please look after them."
Once Lily nodded, I moved quickly.
First, I retrieved the belongings that had been confiscated when we were brought here.
Then, I headed straight to where Finn's family was held.
Reaching the top of the eighth floor, I skillfully picked the lock and opened the door.
Inside were two dwarves.
They were Finn's wife and daughter.
"It's alright. I'm here to rescue you."
As I led them down the stairs, Finn rushed forward, overcome with emotion.
The family embraced, weeping silently.
The sight warmed my heart.
After waiting a moment for their reunion, we quietly slipped out of the prison.
Before long, we reached the shore.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Grover asked in a worried tone.
"We've escaped the prison, but how do we leave the island?"
"I have a plan," I answered confidently.
I opened my bag and pulled out several blue potions.
We finally returned to Port Raven.
The blue sky and the cries of seagulls welcomed us.
Stepping onto land after a long voyage brought a sense of relief.
"Ugh... I am never getting on a boat again. Never!" Lily groaned, stumbling.
She had suffered terribly from seasickness on the way back.
I walked over to the captain to say goodbye.
"Thank you so much, Captain. You worked hard."
"Bwahaha! See you next time," the captain boomed with a hearty laugh.
"I like your style. And don't forget what we agreed on."
"Of course."
I turned to the dwarves and asked.
"What do you all plan to do now?"
Anxiety and hesitation flickered across their faces.
I spoke gently.
"If you wish, I can look into ways for you to return to the Stonehelm Kingdom."
Grover sighed.
"No, we dwarves are wanderers wherever we go anyway."
He looked around at his companions.
"What about the rest of you?"
Finn shook his head.
"Even if we return to Stonehelm, we'll only be treated as fugitives. No place will welcome us."
The other dwarves nodded in agreement.
A smirk spread across my face at their reaction.
It was just as I had expected.
Uncle Finn had safely rescued his family.
Furthermore, before settling down in the royal palace, Uncle Grover and his companions had been artisans wandering from region to region to recover lost dwarven smithing techniques.
"In that case, would you like to join me? I can teach you those ancient dwarven techniques as well."
The dwarves' eyes went wide.
They exchanged glances for a moment, then turned back to me, their faces lighting up with joy and hope.
"Would you... really do that?" Grover asked, his voice trembling.
Finn stepped forward.
"To give us such an opportunity... thank you so much."
"To think we can revive our lost techniques!" Dorin shouted, clenching his fists.
"It's a chance to reclaim the honor of the dwarves!" Balin added, his eyes sparkling.
I smiled at their passionate response.
The corners of my mouth curled upward.
The dwarves were thrilled to recover their lost arts, and I had secured the finest craftsmen. It was a win-win situation.
A perfect arrangement where everyone got exactly what they wanted.
Now, all that was left was to grow my brand alongside the greatest dwarven artisans.