Chapter 29: Rune Factory
Time passed amid the clinking of glasses and the exchange of toasts, and before long, the joyous feast came to an end.
The vast majority of the dwarves, after offering their greetings to Moria and Joshua, stroked their beards and departed with satisfaction. After all, in this world, the most important thing between people was relationships, and the same held true even for dwarves. Through this banquet, they had become acquainted with Joshua, the Lord of Moldavia, and so their journey had not been in vain.
Of course, many dwarves cast glances of respect toward the warrior as they left. The reason was simple: for a human to possess such an immense capacity for alcohol was truly a sight unseen in a century.
The guests dispersed, and Joshua, whose face was slightly flushed, stood up.
Even with his physical constitution and tolerance for alcohol, after drinking so much dwarven spirits, he was beginning to feel the strain. Now, the warrior's head felt a bit dizzy, so he immediately mobilized his Battle Qi within his body, somewhat regretfully suppressing the side effects of the alcohol.
Originally, Joshua drank to enjoy that rare feeling of being pleasantly muddled, but now was not the time. Now, it was time to handle serious matters.
Turning around, he looked at the other side of the table. The old dwarf and the elven druid were staring at each other in silence. Joshua could tell that the tension between Claire and Moria, which had previously seemed ready to erupt into violence at any moment, had dissipated. Although the atmosphere between them was still cold and stiff, it had eased considerably compared to before.
"It seems giving them some space to talk was effective," he thought to himself, then shook his head with some regret. "These two seem to have known each other a long time ago? Claire looks quite young, but I never expected she was actually several hundred years old. This is the one bad thing about elves—though they are all beauties, their appearance and age..."
As he mused, the warrior walked toward Moria and the others.
"Joshua, I apologize for any rudeness during the banquet earlier. I encountered an old friend and was too focused on catching up..."
Noticing the warrior's approach, the old dwarf stood up to greet him. He spoke bluntly and directly: "Your armor is nearly finished. You've arrived just in time to complete the final step. If you don't mind, you can follow me to the forging area now to finish it."
"No problem. Shall we go now?"
Joshua naturally wouldn't refuse. Although his purpose in coming here was to appraise that strange Steel Crystal, retrieving the armor was also one of his goals. The warrior turned to his knights and Rin behind him and said, "Everyone, feel free to act as you wish. Rin, follow me."
"Yes!" "Yes, Master."
Generally speaking, the knights should act as guards, following Joshua at all times. But if something truly happened that the warrior couldn't handle, the knights would certainly be powerless as well. So, this time Joshua brought these people along not only because a lord needed some retinue for presence, but also because he wanted to purchase a large quantity of supplies from the dwarves, and the knights would serve as human porters.
Once everyone was ready, the old dwarf strode out of the city hall without hesitation. Joshua and Rin followed him onto the street, with Claire silently trailing behind the warrior.
Joshua paid no mind to this trivial matter, and so this strange group of four crossed one intersection after another until they arrived at the [Core Forging Area] in the very center of the city.
The so-called Core Forging Area was where the dwarves usually forged weapons, constructed machinery, and tested their new designs. In human terms, it was a research and development center combined with a weapons testing ground, with raw materials automatically provided. It was the most important public space in any large dwarven settlement, surpassing even the brewery.
The Core Forging Area was exceptionally massive. Its shape resembled a huge, all-metal trapezoidal pyramid. Joshua looked it up and down from up close and could tell that the base of this enormous steel structure was buried deep underground, even rooted in a magma pool to draw upon the magical power of fire elements. Its top must have connected to countless tunnels along the way to release heat and ventilate the air.
Such a building was rare even on the surface. To create such a wonder underground could only be accomplished by the dwarves, the children of the mountains and the earth.
As the current leader and supreme blacksmith of the Northern Rune Dwarves, Moria enjoyed extremely high prestige. Even leading two humans and an elf, the guards patrolling around the Core Forging Area did not stop them. They even raised their hands in salute from a distance before turning to patrol in another direction.
The entrance to the Core Forging Area was a metal archway. Before entering, Joshua's peripheral vision caught sight of a stone tablet on one side, on which was written a passage in the Common Tongue:
[Black Steel Furnace — Danger! Do not approach unless necessary!]
"It might be a bit uncomfortable once we go inside."
The old dwarf's warning came at the same time, and his expression didn't look like he was joking. "Our forging area is different from other dwarves'. It's more dangerous."
Moria naturally wouldn't speak falsely. As soon as the group entered the interior of the Core Forging Area, a wave of scorching heat rushed toward them. The dense fire elements brought extreme high temperatures, drying and burning the air. For an ordinary person, even breathing would be exceptionally difficult, damaging their trachea and lungs. However, three of the four people who entered were Gold-rank experts, and the other was a Divine Mechanism in human form. This dangerous environment seemed to have no effect on these Transcendent Beings at all.
Inside the Core Forging Area, bright magical light shone everywhere. As the group continued deeper, they could see various colored magical light mists flowing through translucent crystal pipes embedded in the inner walls. This enormous runic machine operated continuously, emitting a deafening roar.
Joshua observed the surrounding equipment. Golden-red molten iron flowed smoothly through the translucent pipes beside him before pouring into various molds not far away. Once the molds were filled, they were sent away along automated conveyor belts. Seeing this familiar yet unfamiliar scene, he couldn't help but feel some surprise.
"I never expected the dwarves to have started magical-industrialization so early. I originally thought this place would be like other dwarven settlements—just a big blacksmith's shop. I really didn't expect that the Northern Lands already had the prototype of a Rune Factory in the year 832 of the Falling Stars Era."
Examining the neatly arranged steel furnaces and various runic equipment around him, Joshua's expression showed some astonishment. He knew that although these things looked crude, they were the prototypes of the enormous machine factories of later generations. Looking at these initial-model runic devices, which would be rare to see in the future, the warrior couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion: "Assembly line industrial production has already taken its initial form. I wonder if the earliest model of the Mana Core furnace core has been invented yet. I remember it was around this time, but unfortunately, I don't remember the details clearly."
The level of technology—or more accurately, the level of magic—on the Mycroft Continent was not low. Now, in the year 832 of the Falling Stars Era, setting aside the dwarves' already-established Rune Factory, the human kingdom alliance in the Far South also possessed various magical machines. Those special large-scale alchemical devices could automatically enchant various weapons and items. Although they only performed the simplest enchantment spells, it was still a groundbreaking advancement. Meanwhile, at the Far Sea Holy Mountain, preparations should be underway for the super-large, nation-targeting divine art weapon [Eternal Holy Light], which would take seven years to complete. The power of this divine art weapon was so great that in the later First Abyss Invasion Campaign, it destroyed three legions of demons in a single strike, buying precious counterattack time for the other forces on the continent.
As for the Eastern Human Plains, as the stronghold of mages on the Mycroft Continent, their magical level was very high, even reaching the point where they could build enormous floating cities and even floating islands. Many Ultimate-rank Archmages had stopped building traditional magic towers and were instead gritting their teeth and accumulating resources, planning to construct their own floating fortresses. They had even begun exploring the Astral Realm. The third edition of the great map [Void Beyond the Stars] was initially discovered by a certain Archmage's floating fortress.
Moria noticed the slightly surprised expression on Joshua's face and couldn't help but show a proud smile. The old dwarf laughed and said, "So, what do you think? Isn't this new production method I carefully designed much more efficient than the old way of hammering iron? Of course, the armor I'm making for you is hand-forged by me. This mold production is fast, but the quality isn't very good. It's only suitable for making standard military weapons."
"Excellent. It could almost be said to have inaugurated a new era. Master Moria, on this point alone, your name will surely be recorded in the annals of history."
This wasn't flattery; Joshua was speaking the complete truth. "However, I don't think you've fully recognized the potential contained within this system. The Rune Factory... it's not meant for hammering iron or forging weapons."
As he spoke, the warrior couldn't help but think of the invincible Steel Legion in the allied forces of various nations in later years.
"Not for forging weapons?" The old dwarf looked puzzled. He furrowed his brow and asked curiously, "Then what can it be used for?"
"Of course, for Mana..."
Just as the two were conversing, the group had arrived at the deepest hall within the Core Forging Area.
This was the private forging workshop of Iron Body·Moria.
(To be continued.)