Chapter 86
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: The Thunder Hammer Dwarves
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Sudden arrival of the dwarves had caught him off guard, but Ian quickly pieced together the situation.
"So, you're dwarves from the Thunder Hammer Clan, and Ddol Ddoli rescued you before sending you to me? All to repay a favor?"
"That's right! Spot on!"
Ian scratched his head. No wonder his affinity with the dwarven race had shot up—he'd had no idea there was this kind of backstory.
Ddol Ddoli. You're really out there doing all sorts of things, aren't you?
What a commendable little guy. He wanted to pat its head the next time they met.
"Ddol Ddoli saved my life. Without it, I'd probably be dead."
"And it wasn't just your life on the line, Kaindel. The future of our entire clan hung in the balance."
"Thinking back to that Eternal Furnace on the verge of exploding still makes my heart skip a beat..."
The dwarves chattered away. Their voices boomed like they'd swallowed a steam locomotive whole. Ian plugged his ears.
Damn, they're short, but what is up with these lungs?
He knew dwarves had loud voices, but this was ridiculous. It felt like his eardrums were about to burst.
"We Thunder Hammer dwarves never forget a debt."
"We wanted to repay Ddol Ddoli, but the little guy insisted we come to you instead."
"What a guy. I've never seen a golem so devoted to its master. It bragged about you nonstop."
"And get this—the thing has no greed at all. I offered it beer and meat, and it wouldn't touch a bite. Can you believe it?"
"Pfft, idiot. That's because it's a golem. It doesn't eat food."
"Haha, right?"
"Don't listen to this bonehead. Anyway, we took Ddol Ddoli's word and headed straight for the Empire to meet you. Right, lads?"
"Damn straight!"
"The greatest mage!"
"The finest craftsman among humans!"
"Master craftsman! Grant us your wisdom!"
"Let us repay our debt!"
It was like stepping into a rowdy rock concert. Their thick voices surrounded him in full surround sound.
Ian snapped his fingers, gathering a bit of mana and stuffing it into his ears. It muffled everything like a pair of earplugs. Whew, much better.
"Alright, I get it. But what's all this about 'great mage' and 'humans' greatest craftsman'?"
"What else? It's all about you!"
"Huh?"
"No need to be humble. Ddol Ddoli spilled everything."
"Yeah, we heard it until our ears rang!"
"Great Mage Ian!"
"Supreme Mage Ian!"
"Humans' Greatest Craftsman Ian!"
"A master so skilled even dwarves bow down!"
"Tall and handsome, just like they said!"
"Hahaha!"
Ian's face twisted in bewilderment at the nonstop barrage of flattery. What the hell were they talking about?
Ddol Ddoli. What exactly did you go around saying...?
He genuinely wanted to ask. But he knew Ddol Ddoli wouldn't give a straight answer. He'd probably just get, "Master is the best in the world!" or something.
"I'm not all that impressive, but nice to meet you anyway. Let's unpack first. Since you've come all this way, consider this a formal invitation. I'll show you to your rooms."
"Rooms! Sounds good!"
"Anywhere's fine! Just a spot to crash!"
"Ah, but there has to be beer! Beer is the elixir of life!"
"You moron. Don't say that to your benefactor! You earn points first, then make requests."
"Oh yeah?"
"Repay the favor first! Give us work, quick! What do you need done?"
Ian rubbed his forehead. He was already feeling drained.
Ian assigned the dwarves to guest rooms. The lord's manor had plenty of empty space, so there were no shortages. They were a bit cramped, though.
Then he invited them to eat. Feeding guests first was the Korean way, after all.
With hearty portions of meat dishes and beer, the dwarves were over the moon.
"Eat up. We've got plenty of meat and booze."
"You sure?"
"Of course. I can stuff you till you burst, no worries."
"Haha! Thanks a ton! Treating uninvited guests like this—I'm at a loss! Now I see why Ddol Ddoli raved about you nonstop!"
The dwarves showed some shame, apologizing profusely. It was understandable—they'd barged in out of nowhere and were getting the royal treatment.
But Ian didn't mind their rudeness at all. His affinity with their race had skyrocketed.
Dwarf Race Affinity has slightly increased.
Man, leveling up affinity is this easy?
He wondered idly.
Was it because they were simple folk, or had Ddol Ddoli paved the way so well with all its hype?
"You should've seen our faces when we first laid eyes on Ddol Ddoli. We nearly flipped."
"Why? What surprised you?"
"It was just that incredible! The rock bonding—so sturdy. The layered magic circles—meticulously designed. The mana circuits—insanely high-performance... Ahh. Even thinking about it now, it's mind-blowing!"
The dwarf's face lit up in ecstasy.
They were totally smitten, huh?
That good just by looking? Drooling over it?
"It's revolutionary. Impossible. Even we couldn't build one like that. How the hell did you do it?"
"Uh, well..."
Ian scratched his head. How should he answer?
'Just hit a button,' probably won't fly.
Say it was alchemy? But spilling his secret to dwarves after keeping it from everyone else felt off. If they blabbed about "Great Alchemist Ian" everywhere, it'd be trouble.
Tell the truth and swear them to secrecy? A non-disclosure agreement plus a mana oath—double safeguards should do it...
"Ah, asking like that was pretty rude of me."
The dwarf's sudden words snapped Ian out of it.
"Trying to steal a lifetime craftsman's secrets? That's thief mentality. Sorry. Pretend I didn't say anything."
"Huh?"
"Right now, repaying the favor matters more than secrets. Isn't that right, lads?"
"You bet!"
The dwarves nodded, faces flushed. Ian was baffled.
They ask on their own terms, answer on their own terms.
Well, it didn't bother him. Dwarves were dwarves.
"Alright! Work starts tomorrow! Benefactor, what first?"
"Huh? Work?"
"Yeah. Gotta repay the debt. That's why we're here. Just tell us what to do!"
All eyes locked on him, brimming with anticipation.
Ian chuckled. Their bullheadedness didn't annoy him—it just didn't make sense.
What if I slammed the door in their faces?
If he said, "I don't care about your debts or sob stories—get lost," all their time and effort would go down the drain.
Hadn't they even considered that?
"'Anything,' you say. You sure you can handle that?"
"Of course! A real man keeps his word!"
"Fine. I accept your offer."
"Haha! Love the fire!"
Of course, Ian had no intention of turning them away.
Why kick away free labor walking right to his door?
Jackpot. Free dwarven manpower. Sweet.
Free labor—no, elite dwarven labor—meant a wrinkle in Ian's plans.
The good kind.
How do I put these shorties to use without word spreading too far?
They'd do anything, from grunt work to urban planning.
Start with the mines.
Dwarves were mining experts. Their involvement would speed things up massively.
Then... city planning?
Dwarves excelled there too. Their magic-engineering architecture was unmatched.
He'd been planning a full overhaul anyway. Handing it to them promised stellar results.
"You've all seen my territory, right?"
"Glanced around, yeah."
"What do you think?"
"What do you think? It's a dump. Can't even look at it straight."
Ian was impressed. Not a second's hesitation. Classic dwarves.
"Be specific."
"Specific? Where to start? Drainage first. No proper sewers at all. Streets already full of filth—rain hits, it'll be a spectacle. Muddy rivers of sewage, stench everywhere. And..."
Oof, harsh to hear.
Not his fault, but it still stung.
"Water management sucks too. Great river right there, wasted as a dump and wash spot. Proper intake and purification? Clean water everywhere. I'd never let it sit idle like..."
"Hey."
Ian cut in. Otherwise, it'd go on all day.
"That's enough."
"Huh? Stop?"
"Yes."
"I've got more."
"No need. That's plenty."
Ouch, hit where it hurts.
Critical damage, almost.
No, no reason to feel guilty. Is this mess my fault?
Blame the previous lords for botching management.
Ian straightened up confidently. No need to cower.
"Your insights are spot-on. Lucky me."
"Damn right! We're Thunder Hammer Clan. Heirs to the greatest craftsmen."
"As you saw, my territory's a wreck. I'd love you to fix what's broken."
"Broken? Where do we start? It's all busted."
"Let's tackle what you mentioned. Tired of streets drowning in shit, right?"
"Fair point. We thought the same, didn't show it."
Bullshit, you pinched noses and scowled the whole walk.
"So, you want us handling the whole drainage system?"
"Exactly."
"Easy. Leave it to us. We're urban planning pros. Our touch is in human cities everywhere."
Ian nodded, satisfied. Everyone knew dwarves took fat commissions for city designs.
"Been ages since we had real work!"
"Let's do this!"
"Hell yeah, boys!"
"Who wants mines?"
"Me!"
"Cool. I'll do designs!"
The dwarves buzzed with energy, ready to roll up sleeves. Ian held them back.
"Hold up."
"Eh? Why?"
"Don't you need laborers?"
"Laborers?"
"Yeah. Grunts for odd jobs."
"Sure, but your folk look half-starved. Can't lift a damn thing."
The dwarf shook his head. Ian smirked, agreeing.
They looked too pitiful for hard labor. Malnourished as hell.
He'd fatten them up soon, but not yet.
"Not villagers. Golems."
"Golems? More?"
"Making some now."
"M-Making?"
"Yep."
"Crazy!"
"Lads! Greatest human craftsman says he's making golems!"
"What? For real?"
"No way!"
Golems for manual labor.
Hauling bricks, logs, whatever.
Hmm, at least three or four. More?
Pouring astronomical sums into basic worker golems—peak inefficiency.
Other alchemists would faint. Ian didn't care.
Money wasn't the issue.
Ultimate convenience. Efficiency!
That was all that mattered.
An alchemist's gotta have golem grunts. Obviously.