Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: The Masters of the Forge
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Passing through the gate, a lion beastkin and a lizardman stood there holding spears.
“Ah…. Hello.”
Jaen steadied her tense heart and greeted them in the Telus language she had learned in advance. She had heard that there were monsters—no, other races—in Malbokia. But with a lizardman standing right in front of her, someone she had always treated as a monster, her body stiffened. On top of that, wasn’t she the one who had diced up lizardmen to make gear?
Jaen’s body grew even stiffer at the thought that she might smell like lizardman blood.
Beside the lizardman was a lion beastkin. She had never seen one on Earth, but there were werewolves. She had dissected plenty of those, too. Were they kin? Or did it not matter? Wolves were canines and lions were felines, so it should be fine, right? In that fleeting moment, all sorts of random thoughts swirled through Jaen’s mind.
“Hello. Welcome to Telus Malbokia. I am Zard, in charge of gate security.”
The spear-wielding lizardman bowed his head politely in greeting.
“You must be Jisuk-nim, Nayeong-nim, and Jaen-nim. We’ve been expecting you.”
It seemed they had been prepared for our visit in advance since we had sent word ahead.
Unlike Zard, who greeted them politely, the lion beastkin was breathing heavily.
“Is that one…. okay?”
This wasn’t a human face with some fur or lion ears—it was a massive lion’s head attached to a human body. Jaen rarely saw living monsters, so the sight of this lion beastkin breathing raggedly for the first time terrified her even more.
Thud!
“Goddess!”
The lion beastkin dropped to one knee so forcefully it seemed his knee might shatter.
“Huh?! Billy?!”
“I believed you would return!”
“I’m so glad you’re safe.”
Nayeong and Billy clasped hands tightly. His pot-lid-sized hand enveloped hers completely.
“Sorry. I didn’t recognize you at first.”
“It’s fine. I looked like a disaster while we were fleeing.”
“What about the others?”
“Thanks to your message, Sonorim-nim sent people to rescue them.”
“That’s a relief…. Really….”
Nayeong brushed away tears.
“Chairman, what’s this about a goddess?”
Jaen quietly asked Jisuk.
Jaen was quite shocked to see a monster with a lion’s head kneeling before Nayeong and calling her goddess.
“Oh, didn’t I mention? Last time we were in Telus, Nayeong saved a lot of people. The ones she rescued started calling her ‘Goddess’ and following her. I didn’t know they still did, though.”
“Huh….”
Jaen looked at the two again.
“Billy, this isn’t the time for that, is it? Jisuk-nim, please come this way.”
“I’m Jaen, though.”
“…. My apologies. Human faces can be confusing at times.”
“No, I get it. I’d probably feel the same.”
Humans have a hard time distinguishing individual lizardmen if they don’t see them often, too.
Under the guidance of the lizardman Zard and the lion beastkin Billy, they moved out of the gate area.
“Welcome to Telus. I am Carlton, assigned to guide our esteemed guests during this visit.”
A neatly dressed middle-aged man greeted them. Jisuk could tell from looking at Carlton that he wasn’t just an office worker—he had strong combat abilities, around A-Rank Hunter level.
“Hello. I’m Jisuk. Nice to meet you. Is Sonorim busy?”
He looked around, but Sonorim was nowhere to be seen.
“The war with the East Continent has intensified, so all Masters are out on the battlefield.”
“Is the Exbrian Empire stirring up trouble again? Let us know if you need help.”
“Please don’t worry, esteemed guest. We couldn’t impose.”
Aid from another nation was tempting, but once accepted, it had to be repaid someday. In international relations, refusing help unless absolutely necessary was important.
“What do we do? Actually, we’re the ones who need some help. Is there a way to contact Eres-nim?”
“Well…. All we can do is pray.”
“No answer at all?”
“There never has been.”
“Huh? We contacted them last time, and Eres-nim came to Earth.”
“There was no response. We simply prayed, and she heard our prayers and went to Earth. We only learned later that Eres-nim had gone to Earth and that the incarnation of Telus could travel there.”
“Hmm…. Then maybe she’s at the World Tree? That’s where we first met.”
“Going to the East Continent now would be…. no, extremely dangerous. Battles are raging everywhere.”
“The war seems serious. What’s different from the last one? Is it because I killed some Masters?”
“No. The Emperor doesn’t concern himself with such trivial matters. It’s just his whim.”
“Killing national top-tier forces like Masters is trivial?”
In Telus, where there were no nuclear weapons, Masters were priceless strategic assets.
“The losses have already been replenished. They have a way to produce Masters.”
Disgust flashed across Carlton’s face as he said this.
“….Really?”
“Not like churning out soldiers, of course.”
“Hmm…. What about the other request?”
“You mean Jaen-nim meeting our artisans? We already hold regular tech exchanges, and this visit is an extension of that, so no issue.”
Mutual benefit through exchanges, rather than one-sided aid, greatly helped relations between the two nations.
“Shall we go, then?”
They followed him to a short-range spatial transfer magic circle.
“Hmm…. Jaen, can we do this too?”
“We’re already exchanging tech. They’ll experiment with it on Earth soon.”
“Really? Handing over tech like this—Malbokia’s being generous.”
“Generous? Nothing’s free. We’re sharing reactor technology.”
“…..Is it okay to teach that?”
“If we’re just talking danger, isn’t a Gate more risky? Open a spatial transfer Gate in another country’s city, shove in a bomb or troops—done.”
“Yeah.”
“But this magic circle isn’t perfect either. They can defend if they have the tech, it’s complicated to set up, and costly. They’re only letting us use it because we’re VIPs.”
While Jisuk listened to Jaen’s explanation, the magic circle activated, opening a Gate large enough for one person.
“Let’s go.”
Carlton entered the Gate first.
The group emerged from the Gate following Carlton at the midway point of a mountain range.
They paused to gaze at the endlessly towering peaks and the clear sky. Even though it was only midway up, the height was so immense that the base of the mountains looked like specks of dust.
Carlton waited patiently as Jisuk’s group admired the view.
“Sorry. Did we keep you waiting?”
Once they were done, Carlton resumed leading the way.
“No problem. This Sleeping Fire Mountains mine is rich in rare ores, so all the famous forges and workshops of the West Continent are here.”
“Sleeping Fire? A dormant volcano?”
“Oh, there’s no actual fire. It’s just named that because of the legend of a massive flame slumbering beneath.”
Following Carlton’s explanation, they arrived at a massive cave entrance over ten meters wide and tall.
“Guardian!”
The guards snapped to attention with their spears upon seeing Carlton. Each was a powerful warrior, and their armor and weapons were top-tier, befitting those protecting a weapon production site.
“At ease.”
Passing the guards, they entered the cave. Inside, it extended as a long tunnel matching the entrance’s size.
“It’s not just the entrance—the entire area around this mountain range is secured by West Continent Allied Forces troops. Weapons are as vital to war as food.”
Glowing stones embedded in the cave walls kept it lit even deep inside.
The left and right walls had been hollowed out to house forges, workshops, warehouses, and more. Jaen thought it resembled an ant colony as she looked around constantly.
“Master Pacham.”
Carlton approached a group of people and spoke.
“What?!”
A small goblin barely over a meter tall snapped irritably, turning to look at Jisuk’s group. The wrinkles on his face showed he wasn’t young.
“Esteemed guests from Earth have arrived. For tech exchange.”
“Pah! You have to do this crap now, when I’m busier than a one-eyed dog?!”
“….Didn’t we inform you in advance?”
“And then you dump a massive weapon order on me days later?!”
Pacham swept his arm out, gesturing to the surrounding workshops. Every one was operating at full tilt without a moment’s rest.
“What can we do? The battlefield’s heating up.”
“Hmph!”
Jisuk was surprised a goblin could snort so boldly.
“Um…. Should we come back later?”
Jaen cautiously asked Carlton.
“Sorry. His words are rough, but he has a kind heart.”
“Really?”
“What’re you glaring at?!”
Master Pacham yelled at Jisuk, who was watching quietly. Jisuk felt no threat from the goblin’s shouts and just observed.
“Master! Mind your manners! Sonorim-nim will be angry when she returns!”
“Tch…. Fine. Marcelo! Where are you?! Marcelo!”
Despite his small goblin frame, Pacham’s voice boomed through the vast cavern.
“Yes! Master! Right here!”
A bespectacled cat beastkin came running. Unlike Billy, his face was a mix of human and feline features. He clutched a thick roll of papers.
“I have a meeting. Show these guys around the city or whatever in the meantime.”
“Pacham-nim! Watch your words!”
Carlton warned him once more.
“Hmph! Bring ’em to my workshop when the tour’s done.”
Pacham left as if it was none of his concern.
“Hello. I’m Marcelo. Pleased to…. Huh…. Gasp! Goddess!”
“Huh?”
Spotting Nayeong, Marcelo’s glasses slid down his nose, and he dropped all the papers he was holding.
“I see the Goddess!”
Marcelo knelt.
“What?! The Goddess?”
“The Goddess is here?”
The area buzzed instantly, and people began emerging one by one from doors in the cave walls.
There had been zero reaction to Earthlings arriving, but one mention of “Goddess” brought everyone out.
“Oh my…. Please don’t. Stand up.”
Dozens of humans, beastkin, goblins, and orcs knelt before Nayeong, hands clasped in prayer.
From afar, an orc limped slowly toward her.
The orc knelt before Nayeong with a reverent gesture.