Chapter 81

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: Ace

Chapter: 81

Chapter Title: The Dwarf Clan's Gratitude

-----------------------------------------------------------------

By extinguishing the flames of the demon realm, the Eternal Forge was repaired, and in one fell swoop, Ddol Ddoli was treated like a savior by the Thunderhammer dwarf clan.

"Uherheong! Thank you!"

"Thanks to you, our clan is saved!"

"If it weren't for you, we would've... Kuherheong!"

Ddol Ddoli had no idea dwarves were such a teary bunch. It felt strange seeing these bearded folk bawling their eyes out, but it wasn't so bad. For some reason, a ticklish warmth spread through its chest, making it feel good.

'Is it because it's hot? I'm in Flame Golem mode, so my chest feels hot.'

It was the emotion called pride, but since Ddol Ddoli didn't know that, it just figured its chest was hot from Flame Golem mode.

"Uhaha! Let's drink! Drink up!"

"On a day this joyful, we eat and drink till we drop!"

Soon, a feast broke out. The entire village turned into a drinking party. They hauled out food, ate, drank, and reveled. Of course, Ddol Ddoli didn't eat, so it just switched to Mini Ddol Ddoli mode and watched.

The dwarves were disappointed that Ddol Ddoli couldn't drink, but Ddol Ddoli was fine with it. Just watching was plenty fun.

"You know what? Our Thunderhammer clan is the most skilled among all the dwarf clans scattered across the continent!"

-Why's that proof?

"Because the Eternal Forge is the symbol of the greatest artisan!"

-Greatest artisan...

"That's right! Long ago, the Dwarf King who founded the dwarf kingdom bestowed the Eternal Forge upon just one dwarf. It was the glorious symbol granted only to the kingdom's finest artisan. We're the descendants of that greatest artisan!"

Aindelph guffawed. He'd already recovered and looked perfectly fine.

"Even though the dwarf kingdom fell and the dwarves scattered to the winds, this symbol of our tradition—the Eternal Forge—remains intact. Impressive, right?"

-Sounds like it.

Ddol Ddoli nodded. It didn't fully understand, but it seemed vaguely amazing. After all, they'd preserved it through generations over countless years.

"Heh heh, so we're grateful. Ddol Ddoli, you protected our treasure."

-Ddoli just absorbed the heat.

"That's what's amazing! No one else could do it! Only you!"

-That's true.

"You're incredible. The best!"

Aindelph thrust up a thumbs-up with his flushed face. The other dwarves did the same. Ddol Ddoli tilted its head.

'Is Ddol Ddoli amazing?'

It thought about it, but nah. It had just absorbed some heat and caught a bad guy. Nothing special.

Why was that amazing? The bad guy wasn't that tough, and the heat was hot but bearable.

'No matter how I think about it, Ddol Ddoli isn't amazing.'

Ddol Ddoli was proud of itself, but it didn't think this feat was anything grand. It had just done what it could, so all this excessive praise felt undeserved.

If anything, its master was the impressive one, not Ddol Ddoli.

"Golem. What do you want? Name it. We have to give our benefactor the greatest gift."

All the dwarves turned to Ddol Ddoli at Aindelph's words, eyes full of expectation. Ddol Ddoli shook its head.

-Ddoli doesn't want anything.

"Huh, nothing?"

-Yeah.

"What're you saying? You don't want anything?"

-Ddoli just did what it could. No need to accept anything.

"Nonsense."

Aindelph's expression turned serious.

"Not repaying a debt of gratitude makes you a dishonorable dwarf who knows no honor. We don't want to be dwarves like that."

Aindelph's face was resolute as he said it. The other dwarves nodded firmly. Ddol Ddoli was a bit flustered. They were that serious?

'Ddoli doesn't want anything.'

It really didn't.

They wanted to do something in return, but what was there to get?

Ddol Ddoli didn't need a house, clothes, food, or fancy items.

Wealth meant nothing to it.

So what could it even ask for? What?

'Ah.'

A great idea suddenly hit.

-If you really want to repay the favor, repay it to Ddol Ddoli's master.

"Your master?"

-Yeah. Ddol Ddoli isn't amazing. Ddol Ddoli's master who made Ddol Ddoli is amazing. So repay the favor to the master.

"Hmm."

Aindelph crossed his arms.

"That's what you want?"

-Yeah.

"For real?"

-For real.

"Well, can't argue with that. If that's what our benefactor wants, we have no choice! You heard him, lads! The benefactor wishes it so!"

The other dwarves shouted in agreement, nodding vigorously and whistling.

"I was planning to visit anyway. The creator who made a golem like you must have plenty to teach us. Guess we'll go pay our respects and learn."

Ddol Ddoli smiled. It never got tired of hearing praise for its master.

-Right. Ddol Ddoli's master is the best.

"Ian of the Empire. The greatest artisan among humans, huh? If we're lucky, we might learn the ultimate techniques from the ultimate artisan! In return for the favor, of course. Krahaha!"

-Master's joy is Ddol Ddoli's joy.

"Right, right! But we can't just send you off empty-handed. We want to give you a gift too!"

-A gift?

"Yeah. We'd like to take a look at your body. That okay?"

-Fix Ddol Ddoli's body?

"Not as good as your master, but we're no slouches in golem crafting. You won't be disappointed."

More drinks were poured, and the mood grew even merrier. The golem and dwarves talked through the night.

A rising dwarf affinity was starting to feel routine.

It went up so often.

But Ddol Ddoli getting stronger was the exception.

'What's Thunderhammer Tempering?'

Ian knew what the Eternal Forge was, though.

It was the dwarves' most cherished treasure—a legendary forge said never to go out.

It was also a national treasure of the ancient dwarf kingdom.

Countless artifacts in the world were said to have been forged there.

For it to strengthen Ddol Ddoli... did they put Ddol Ddoli inside it?

'Ddoli... in the forge?'

Into boiling lava?

Hard to imagine.

'Wouldn't it melt?'

The forge was hot enough to melt stone.

Or did the dwarves melt Ddol Ddoli down and reassemble it?

'Eh, who knows.'

Whatever. It was handling things fine on its own.

Ddol Ddoli sometimes misunderstood words, but it was great at doing things independently.

That wasn't the point.

Something hugely important was happening right now.

After wrapping up the fairy kidnapping incident, he'd started a new crafting project.

Vision Detector.

Unlocked by achieving 'Great Alchemist', it was a specialized artificial lifeform designed to detect only vision energy.

Its special feature? Like a homunculus, it had a separate external design process.

And Ian loved that part.

No need to make it a stiff machine.

'Vision Detector.' The name alone screams ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠machine.

Better to make it more like a living creature.

Machines look too rigid and soulless.

Though mechs and cybernetics have their own charm.

He had an appearance in mind.

Something he'd been wanting to raise.

It fit perfectly with the 'Vision Detector' concept too. Perfect.

Ian began sketching the base outline on the hovering design hologram.

Scribble scribble.

He wasn't much of an artist, but since he'd planned it out, the rough sketch came together surprisingly fast.

"Whoa!"

Looking at the sketch, he couldn't help but exclaim.

"Damn, I drew this way too good."

Short, chubby four legs, a tail that looked ready to wag, round face and floppy ears, and finally, unkempt fur sticking out in spikes.

It was a countryside pup, drawn adorably.

'This is basically sellable as-is.'

No revisions needed. Go with this.

"Huh?"

Argh, specs don't match?

'What the hell. My masterpiece mana detection hound gets rejected?!'

Damn, he'd wanted a dog nose to sniff out mana veins easily, but his killer idea bombed from the start.

Still, Ian wasn't giving up.

He dug through the system obsessively and found a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠solution.

Two newly unlocked researches he hadn't noticed.

'Knew it. There's always a fix if you look.'

'Biocompatible Appearance Adjustment' expanded appearance options, and 'Crafting Specification Expansion' increased spec complexity limits.

These two would be key to this project.

After successfully completing both researches.

Retrying the crafting project confirmed no clash with the appearance design.

"Yes! This is it!"

He clenched his fist.

How could something so simple feel this good?

'Mana detection hound. Can't give up on you.'

Not adopting a dog—making one.

With the mad alchemist mindset no one else would dream of, Ian pushed on with the research.

After over a month of epic struggle, he completed all sub-projects.

Ian swallowed his emotions amid the flood of notifications.

'Phew... that was tough.'

It really was. Four-star research was no joke.

Every sub-project demanded rare materials and tons of mana.

Luckily, his high alchemy level and prior research cut down mana costs and time. Otherwise, it'd have taken years.

"Thanks, Kez. Your help let us finish fast."

Kez had been a huge help this time.

It really showed why he was an alchemy assistant.

Sharing knowledge felt amazing.

"Having an elite assistant is the best. They get it right away. Right?"

"P-Pardon? W-Well, um... Th-Thank you for the overly generous praise, my lowly self is at a loss! Ehherhehe..."

Kez laughed like a maniac.

'Now he's laughing like a crazy goblin.'

He'd cut back on headbutting the floor, but it manifested differently now.

'Finishing in a month is a miracle.'

Whoosh!

The research complete, the lights in the air winked out. In their place lay a tiny puppy, curled up asleep with eyes closed.

Chubby legs, floppy ears, round face, spiky pup fur—all perfect.

"Unbelievable. This little doggo is the result of all those insane alchemy materials..."

Kez clicked his tongue, face full of disbelief.

Ian could hardly believe it either.

It had turned out too cute.

'Hoo boy. Did I make this too perfectly...?'

Ian's thoughts cut off. The little one stirred.

"Oh! It opened its eyes!"

Eyes open. It stood on four legs. Then it looked straight at Ian and barked vigorously.

"Woof woof!"