#When I returned, my family was ruined (35)
After a two-week journey, I was able to arrive at Greston. Ethan looked at the large castle and nodded.
‘It’s quite big.’
It was one of the cities belonging to the County of Halaim and was three times larger than Poet.
The guard captain who was conducting the inspection at the castle gate widened his eyes as soon as he saw the identification card Ethan handed him.
There was only one family in this world whose symbol was a golden symbol like blazing fire.
Duke Ardan!
At least in the Kingdom of Heidern, there was no one crazy enough to impersonate the pattern of the Duke of Ardan.
The guard captain hurriedly bowed his head at the engraved pattern so elaborate that even forgery was impossible.
“…meeting your precious person!”
This is a family that earned the title of guardian of the kingdom from the previous king. Of course, he was an honored guest who had to be treated with the utmost respect.
“Don’t tell the castle lord. “I want to stop by quietly.”
“yes. “I will.”
“And I’d like to get some robes.”
“yes.”
The guard captain hurriedly called the soldier. Soon, a black robe of decent quality appeared.
“Thank you.”
Ethan greeted me and handed me a letter.
“This…”
“I want you to send it to the Barony of Kargath.”
“yes! “We will send it to you as soon as possible through Jeonseo-gu.”
carrier pigeon.
By delivering letters from region to region using trained birds, letters could naturally be delivered much faster than by messengers.
Ethan nodded and asked a question.
“Is there a blacksmith run by dwarves in this city?”
“yes. there is. “Are you planning on entrusting me with a production request?”
“yes.”
At those words, the guard captain narrowed his eyes as if contemplating something.
“Is there some problem?”
“Well… it’s common for dwarves to try to put blinders on first-time visitors. “There is a solid soldier on that street. Would it be okay if I added more people to him?”
It’s a snow tang.
You might see a strange sight.
Ethan nodded.
“Thank you.”
“Please wait a moment.”
Soon, a guard came running in a huff.
“I… meet you, Grand Duke. “May I show you around the street?”
“Please.”
Not only was the inspection carried out in an instant, but a guide was also added.
Ethan, covered in a black robe, moved according to the guard’s guidance.
After walking for about twenty minutes.
[Production area]
As soon as we entered, an area with an iron smell appeared.
And Ethan.
As I expected, I was able to witness an amazing sight as soon as I entered the production area.
“Ah, take your pick. Pick out dwarven weapons! “It’s cheap! It’s cheap!”
“Cheap, good quality and sturdy! Come to the blacksmith’s fiery furnace certified by the Adventurer’s Guild!”
Because the dwarves were starting to cling to the people who entered the area one by one.
The soldier who saw the dwarves furrowed his brows and whispered quietly.
“Be careful. There is no other miser in the world as terrible as those guys. What if I get dragged by those guys on the street? If you do that, you are likely to get caught in the eye.”
“…is such an act serious?”
“It’s just everyday life around here. Do you see those shabby blacksmith shops over there?”
As the soldier said, the main road was full of shabby blacksmith shops.
“The dwarves who make things at the blacksmith shop at the beginning of the production area are practically nothing more than chaff. Of course, their skills are better than human blacksmiths like us, but when I see them asking for the price, I feel much more comfortable leaving it to the same people.”
“…Right.”
Ethan stuck his tongue out quietly.
A dwarf who attracts customers with a gentle expression and a respectful address to passers-by?
This was my first time seeing a scene like this in my life.
“Yumma! Did you break the armor again? I wonder if he is a master of swordsmanship or something! Then what are you doing? “I break the mugu so fucking bad all the time!”
“Production cost? There’s no need for anything like that. Bring lots of beer. “Then it’s absolutely free!”
“pour! drink! Drink it! Hahahaha!”
I swear that among the dwarves I had met throughout my life, there was not a single one who treated me with respect.
Because it was a creature whose characteristic was to spit out thick lines mixed with informal language and profanity.
‘The world is really going crazy.’
Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to explain what I’m seeing right now.
Fortunately, Ethan was not approached by a dwarf soliciting customers.
It was because of the soldier standing next to him.
A soldier would know this place intimately.
It was a much better option to capture people who didn’t know much about this place than to capture people who had soldiers attached to them.
That was why the dwarves did not approach.
Ethan and the soldier entered the inside of the production area, avoiding the dwarves on the outskirts.
If there were shabby blacksmith shops on the outskirts, the inside looked completely different. There were neat-looking blacksmith shops lined up in a row.
Among them, there was a blacksmith shop where the most people gathered.
[Flame Hammer Blacksmith]
If you look at the line, it was so bad that you could not get inside even if you waited almost all day.
“What’s it like over there?”
“Oh, that’s one of the high-end blacksmith shops mainly used by nobles and knights. Among them, it is the most famous. Would you like to go there?”
“Sure.”
“Please wait a moment.”
The soldier ran out in a huff.
After a while.
A dwarf who appeared to be an apprentice came running towards Ethan.
“Huh. Huh. By any chance… are you the Archduke of the Ardan duchy?”
“right.”
“I’m truly sorry, but can I check your identification card?”
“Here it is.”
The dwarf who saw the identity card bowed his head even more politely.
“Please come this way.”
Ethan nodded and motioned for the soldier to leave.
“Try hard!”
While the soldier was leaving the main street.
Ethan moved toward the front row, following the dwarf apprentice.
The servants who saw this widened their eyes. Instead of nobles or knights, they were people who had been waiting in line since morning in the scorching sun.
‘Who is it?’
‘Not even Viscount Kimiron’s Three Dukes could get in like that in one go?’
Dwarves are terrible misers. Moreover, they were a race that had been thoroughly brainwashed by the word capitalism.
No matter how close you are, they are self-serving people who will never send you to the front row unless you can prove your status and wealth.
What if such a dwarf shows an extremely polite attitude and takes you into the blacksmith shop?
He must be a giant among giants.
gulp.
The servants swallowed their saliva.
A figure moving forward wearing a black robe. No one dared to block his path.
The line split like a tsunami.
Ethan came into the blacksmith shop with his apprentice.
“You can go to the second floor.”
“okay.”
Ethan went straight up to the second floor of the blacksmith shop. There was a dwarf sitting on the second floor.
I looked at the nameplate placed in front of the desk.
[Poporence, outside director of the Greston Blacksmiths Association]
A union or a social director.
When I saw a dwarf with a lot of names like that, I couldn’t get used to it.
It looks amazing even now.
Soon, the dwarf greeted me with a bright smile.
“Oh my! welcome! “Is there anyone who introduced you to our store?”
“Tsetse mora.”
“Tsechemorara…. I understand. “What are you here to produce?”
“Great sword.”
“What metal do you want to utilize?”
Ethan took out Neprion.
The blacksmith’s eyes sparkled when he saw the metal. Although I have worked with numerous metals over the years, this was my first time encountering something like this.
Still, I have a rough idea of how to handle it.
“It’s a metal with a very high affinity for mana and elements, right? “It doesn’t seem like it will melt at any temperature… I’ll have to use a magic melting agent and high-temperature compression technique at the same time.”
If you can think of how to handle metal as soon as you see it, you are sure to have skills.
“price is?”
“Hmm. “Those techniques cost quite a bit of money… so even if I can’t do it, I think I’ll have to get two hundred platinum coins.”
“Two hundred?”
Isn’t it true that you have to be ripped off a fair bit to even feel like you’re being punished?
This was just at the level of profiteering.
The cost of the process that the dwarf mentioned earlier would definitely be less than ten platinum coins.
“It’s changed a lot from the past. “Wasn’t the Dwarf race originally the first to consider the client’s qualifications before production?”
“Isn’t that a story from the time when our ancestors lived in a cave? It’s completely different now. “A world has arrived where you have to have money to live in a good house, drink good beer, and eat good food, so we have no choice but to change.”
The dwarf took out his round glasses and wiped them off, then glanced at the person wearing the robe.
It wasn’t enough that the apprentice passed all the reserved people, but he was put in first.
‘It probably means that he is a person with a lot of money. Hehe…’
At best, he’s probably in his early twenties, so he’s probably the son of a noble family. A person like that would willingly pay even if it meant profiteering because of his pride. However, the situation did not go as Popolence expected.
The person wearing the robe stopped talking as if he was thinking about something.
If that customer leaves, you could end up missing out on a lot of money. Porforens continued speaking urgently.
“If you feel the price is too high, we may give you a discount based on your status.”
“What are the conditions?”
“Take a look.”
Porforens handed over a piece of paper. Ethan chuckled when he saw the title.
[Status discount benefits]
[-30% if the child of a white writer]
[-25% if the child of an author]
[-10% if the child of a male writer]
“Why are you doing this?”
“If we give a discount like this, wouldn’t we be able to benefit in the future? “It is a benefit that provides insight into the future.”
“There is no self-control beyond that of a count.”
“Those people usually visit blacksmith shops in big cities or capital cities. Are you by any chance a descendant of a count or higher?”
“right.”
“Then maybe we can give you a little more discount. lol. “Is your identity…?”
Ethan showed his identification card.
At that moment, Porforence’s eyes widened wide.
‘oh my god!’
The son of the Duke of Ardan!
It was the appearance of an unimaginable giant.
“no way… “Are you the Archduke?”
“right.”
“Free…I’ll do it for free!”
“Is that okay?”
At those words, a colleague flashed through Porforence’s mind.
Williams.
Despite having similar skills to his own, he was a dwarf who supplied weapons to the ‘royal family’.
Every time I contacted him, how proud I was of the fact that he was only delivering goods to children of noble families!
I made enough money to live off of, but my shattered pride never recovered.
‘But what if it’s the Duke of Ardan?’
It is a family of great heroes who are not on par with the sky-high royal family, but rather are treated as a family one level above by the people.
If only I could make a great sword for the Archduke to use!
‘I could make that guy Williams’ nose really flat!’
The decision was instantaneous.
“yes! We’ll do it for free! Instead… hehe, it would be truly an honor if you could just engrave the mark of our Flame Hammer Forge near the handle of the sword.”
“Sure.”
It’s just a matter of carving a mark.
It didn’t matter because it wouldn’t have any effect on how to use the sword.
Ethan nodded willingly.
“thank you! That being said, we will also make an armor set that you can use comfortably! And that’s for free!”
That moment.
Ethan felt something strong. According to the soldier, it was the dwarves who were so fed up with capitalism that they turned into terrible misers.
They said they would engrave a mark near the handle of a large sword, but what if it was a set of armor?
Of course there was no way I would just hand it over.
He asked as if he was throwing it away.
“Are you going to engrave the mark on the armor as well?”
“Ah, about that….”
“Where and how big are you going to engrave it?”
“That…around the armor area is roughly like this…”
The dwarf raised both hands and made a larger circle.
That was no different from just using the armor for promotional purposes.
“…Just make me a good sword.”
“Ah…”
Porforence’s face became glum.