Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: The Young Dwarf Inventor
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When most people thought of a dwarf, they imagined a burly figure covered in bulging muscles from head to toe, with a beard obscuring everything below the nose.
That wasn't wrong.
Most dwarves prided themselves on their massive muscles and long beards as the epitome of style.
Muscles and beards were symbols of masculinity.
In other words, without them, one wasn't considered a male—a real man.
'Which means boys who haven't hit puberty have surprisingly slender builds.'
Dwarf boys going through adolescence were known to be around 130 to 140 cm tall.
Then, when secondary sexual characteristics kicked in, their height would shoot up, and at the same time, muscles and beards would start growing.
'Only males who've hit puberty can learn artisan skills— that's common sense among dwarves.'
I looked at the dwarf boy in front of me.
The youthful boy had tied his black hair back with a hair tie, and for a boy dwarf, he was quite tall.
He was wearing denim overalls, the mark of a formal worker reserved for adult male dwarves.
His height looked to be in the early to mid-150s.
Taller than other boy dwarves.
It was adult-level height, but perhaps because he lacked muscles.
Compared to other adult dwarves, he even gave off a somewhat puny impression.
"You seemed to be having trouble in all sorts of ways."
The dwarf boy looked up at me and grinned.
"Did you hear?"
"Yeah. I followed you from when you were heading to the central factory earlier and eavesdropped."
So he was the presence I felt behind me earlier.
I ignored it since there was no hostility, but to think it was this boy.
"You need a worker, right? Someone to craft a temporary mana storage device that can be used in emergencies."
"That's right."
I didn't bother hiding it.
Given my budget, I had to seize any opportunity that came my way.
"Don't underestimate me just because I'm young. I'm pretty skilled, you know."
He spoke first, as if preempting any doubts I might have.
I already figured he was skilled.
For a non-adult dwarf to wear overalls in the factory meant he'd earned some recognition.
To wear those, you had to create an invention approved by the factory's workers, right?
There was no reason to refuse him just because of his age.
If anything, I was closer to his age.
Dwarves didn't deal with anyone who didn't have money.
"You only have 50 gold anyway. With that amount, you'd only get quack dwarves from the outskirts. Ones whose skills aren't even guaranteed."
"You knew that and still came to me?"
"Of course. Your proposal piqued my curiosity."
The boy whistled a cheerful tune in his youthful voice.
"I'll do it. That commission."
"50 gold is the max I can offer."
"That's fine by me. Results are what matter to me."
"Results...? You're already wearing overalls. Do you really need more?"
At my words, the boy dwarf shrugged and pointed to the dwarves gathered together in the factory.
"I'm wearing these, but not a single worker in this factory recognizes me."
"Then how did you get those overalls?"
"Because of my results."
"Results?"
"Yeah. The equipment I made was a huge hit—not just in the Steam Factory, but in human society too."
"What is it?"
"An indoor temperature control device. You might know it as 'Mana Con.' Set the mana, and even non-mages can adjust to any temperature they want."
I knew it.
It had been wildly popular among imperial nobles and the wealthy.
A mysterious invention that regulated temperature just by adding water mixed with ground mana stones.
It chased away summer heat, earning it the nickname 'Invention GOAT' for the season.
Now mass-produced versions were out, so even common folk could afford to cool down a room or two.
'Though the mana water made from ground mana stones is pricey, so no one uses it unless it's really hot.'
Ah, so you're this world's Willis Carrier.
"The other dwarves don't recognize it, huh."
"Nope. They mock it, saying other inventions are way more efficient than some temperature controller. They're jealous because I'm different from them."
He grumbled and glared at the workers.
"It's not like they're ignoring me just for lacking a beard or muscles."
"You want recognition from the dwarf workers?"
"Not necessarily just from them."
"Then what?"
"Anyone who recognizes my skills is fine. Even if it's a human."
The boy dwarf's sparkling eyes burned with passion.
"And anyone who pays is good too."
"You really are a dwarf."
I wondered if he was another race since he offered such a cheap deal.
"It's an investment in the future. Great deal for you humans, right? You call this 'buying low' or something?"
No fear of failure in sight.
"Looks like we'll be doing business often, so what's your name?"
"Call me Tio. That's my name."
"I'm Max."
"You said mana storage, right? One that can supply mana to a magic circle anytime in an emergency."
He pondered for a moment before asking.
"Stuff like that should already be on the market, though? Humans make mana storage too, from what I know."
"True. Humans can make them. But everything consumes mana just to maintain the storage in peacetime, right?"
"Yeah. Which makes them super expensive to keep up. Mana evaporates from minerals even if you just plug in a mana stone... Wait, don't tell me you want a storage with zero mana consumption?"
"Exactly. It must consume absolutely no mana during normal times. Otherwise, there's no point in periodic top-ups."
At my words, Tio's eyes lit up.
“What you just said, Mr. Human—if another dwarf heard that, they would’ve absolutely refused.””
No, delete the gibberish before this, but it's already in raw.
"Any other dwarf would've flat-out refused what you just said."
"Because of the money?"
"No? Because it's basically impossible. Processing free-flowing mana for storage without consumption? Can't be done."
Was it that hard?
I thought it was just about gathering and fixing mana in one place.
'Come to think of it, even the Meister School's magic circles for mana storage consumed mana to maintain.'
But it seemed improvable.
"...Impossible?"
"Heh, you're lucky, human. If I wasn't researching something similar, I'd have told you to buzz off like the others."
Tio giggled.
"But I'll need a mage's help. A skilled one, right?"
He glanced at the mask I was wearing.
"Quick on the uptake."
"Coming to the central factory with just a mask, no gas mask? That screams skilled. And the item you're requesting isn't for knights, so it's obvious."
A craftsman with sharp eyes.
Starting to like him in all sorts of ways.
'If this boy dwarf really made the Mana Con, his skills are beyond doubt.'
Best of all was the price.
Solving it within the 50 gold the other dwarves rejected was satisfying enough.
"Let's give it a shot. Follow me."
"Got it."
I followed the boy dwarf Tio.
No chance he's a girl dwarf?
Female dwarves didn't enter the factory district.
Dwarves divided male and female roles more strictly than humans.
Male dwarves built and repaired machines, mined ores—that was their role.
Female dwarves refined mana stones and gems.
Naturally, this machine-filled central factory was a men-only zone.
A man's factory, basically.
'Tio being a girl dwarf isn't entirely impossible.'
I glanced at Tio's flat, uncurved chest.
Look at that flat chest.
Doesn't it scream boy?
If she were a girl, there'd be at least a slight swell, but nothing like that.
'A girl dwarf pretending to be a boy to enter the central factory?'
Possible in human society, but no dwarf would try that in dwarf society.
Who'd risk something so easily caught?
I headed to Tio's personal workshop.
A personal workshop for such a young boy dwarf.
His claim of making the Mana Con built trust.
His workshop was in an industrial zone with lighter mana particles than the central factory.
"Come in."
Thud.
The workshop door closed.
Whirr.
The air purification system on the wall activated, cleansing all mana particles from the room.
"Alright, let's hear the details and get started. First..."
Only after the mana particles were gone could I remove my mask.
"...Huh?"
Tio stared at my unmasked face and froze.
He looked startled, just gazing at me.
"Something wrong?"
"Huh? Oh, no. Just surprised. First time seeing a human's real face..."
He stared right through me.
"Humans don't have beards either?"
"They grow, but some people shave. I prefer clean-shaven."
"Oh..."
He studied my face for a while.
In a dwarf society full of bearded adults, a beardless human would startle anyone.
"No beard isn't bad."
Only then did he refocus on work.
"Ahem, anyway, to the point. To make a mana storage that doesn't consume mana, one condition is needed."
"What's that?"
"Gathering free-flowing mana into one spot. Normally, stored mana dissipates when it loosens, or spells to hold it tighter waste mana—that's the culprit."
"So there's a way?"
"Yes. Physically, without using mana, we can clump it."
He handed me a small mineral.
"This is Lutan. It repels mana. Touch it, and mana bounces off. Use it to store mana in a core made from this."
Lutan.
I knew it.
The empire once made armor from it, planning anti-magic gear.
'It ended up repelling knights' mana too, preventing aura use.'
But it shattered against overly powerful mana.
I examined the core Tio made from Lutan.
A walnut-sized round core with complex mechanisms attached here and there.
Clearly finely crafted, the inside was hollow.
Probably for filling that space with mana.
"Put a mana stone in there, and it'd shatter."
"Right. But what if we grind the mana stone into liquid form?"
"..."
"Liquid mana has lower density than stones, so it's fine. I learned that making the Mana Con. But two problems to use it."
"What are they?"
"One, grinding lowers density and efficiency. Plus, Lutan won't break but still repels outward."
"Need someone to efficiently grind mana stones and someone to pour the resulting mana water into the core."
Tio laughed at my words.
"That's why you need a mage."
"Exactly. Can you do it? If yes, forget 50 gold. I'll even put your name on the invention with mine. Complete this core, and you'll have your no-consumption mana storage."
Can I?
No, I had to.
To improve the magic circle.
"Let's do it. Worst case, no loss."
"Please."
Tio handed me high-quality mana stones.