Garrett Nordmark looked up in confusion. Dwarves, being short in stature but broad and sturdy in the chest, have a thoracic cavity that’s particularly suited for resonance. A single dwarf’s shout could sound like thunder, and a group of them raising their voices was like having twenty subwoofers in a small cinema, all firing at once.

And they were in a cave, no less, where the echo effect doubled the noise.

It was incredibly noisy, yet he had to maintain a smile...

Just then, Garrett saw a young dwarf across the long table wink at him, offering a smile that said, "What can you do, I’m helpless too."

Garrett: "..."

He chuckled softly.

Being of little significance, without the right to speak, and yet having to endure such meetings was torturous...

The morning’s meeting on the first day could be described in modern diplomatic terms as "a frank and in-depth exchange of views." Garrett listened patiently until noon and finally grasped the gist:

Simply put, the Dwarf Kingdom was a resource-based country, relying on exports in exchange for food since they couldn’t produce enough on their own. This economic structure was inherently risky, especially since their exports were very limited...

Ores, refined ores, and semi-processed materials.

Copper ingots, iron ingots, mithril ingots, electrum ingots, various metal ingots.

Weapons, armor...

These were the main commodities. Everything else was minor, too insignificant to mention.

The prices for copper and iron were low, and shipping costs high, leaving little profit. Exporting metal ingots was somewhat meaningful, but exporting ore was almost pointless;

Electrum was too hard, had poor magical conductivity, and was difficult to smelt, mainly used for knight’s gear, and those knights were not as generous as mages;

Mithril was once the most important export. However, from last year to now, the Magic Council’s import of mithril dropped by half, while the import of mithril ore increased twentyfold. Even so, the Dwarf Kingdom found itself at a loss over the year:

"Last year! In one year! We imported fifty thousand barrels less beer! Fifty thousand!"

Do you understand what fifty thousand barrels mean?

It means that the miners worked hard all year, increased production twentyfold, and yet, each month, they had one less barrel of beer to drink!

"You mages, as cunning as foxes in the snow! You call us friends, brothers, but behind our backs, you think of nothing but how to squeeze our blood and sweat!"

Garrett: "...Ahem."

Capital comes into the world...

Thankfully, this auditory torture finally ended at noon. Everyone headed to the dining hall, and the young dwarf immediately approached Garrett, tiptoeing:

"Are you Mage Nordmark? My name is Gavin, and Master Talbert is my grandfather! Thank you for taking care of him on the journey. Do you have time this afternoon? I can show you around the royal city!"

"...I need to ask the Archmage first. You know, I’m just a low-level mage, not really free to wander."

Archmage Serrano couldn’t have been happier to kick Garrett out. After all, the afternoon was for internal meetings among the trade delegation, mainly for the archmages to express their opinions. By walking around, Garrett could also foster good relations with the dwarves...

Though the dwarves were short, the royal city they had built was magnificent, carved out of a massive section of the mountain’s belly. Gavin led Garrett straight to the heart of the royal city, and as they walked, they were hit by a wave of heat.

Garrett instinctively cast a "Heat and Cold Resistance" spell on himself.

Gavin laughed, "Hot, isn’t it? Ahead is the Great Furnace, created six hundred years ago by the ’Mage King’ Raymond and the Seven Sages, who channeled lava from beneath the earth. The city’s finest weapons and the most difficult ores to smelt can only be refined by the lava from the Great Furnace."

That’s debatable. Aren’t oxygen converters better? Garrett silently criticized. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a smelting expert and had only managed to install an oxygen pipeline with the support of the Magic Council. Doing it himself now? Forget it.

The Great Furnace was indeed fearsome. From a distance, Garrett saw a tall dome under which a massive blast furnace stood imposingly, with heat waves rolling out. Far away, numerous shadows busied themselves around the crimson magma, the clinking and clanking of their work never ceasing.

Such a large furnace naturally required wide surrounding roads. Garrett estimated them to be at least six lanes wide, with bright lines on the ground, presumably to prevent collisions. Dwarves constantly pushed carts and wheelbarrows back and forth, unloading cargo by the magma pools and then

pushing new loads away.

Garrett refused to get closer than 20 meters to the magma pool. The "Heat and Cold Resistance" spell could keep him comfortable - it was effective from minus forty-five to plus sixty degrees Celsius - but not safe!

What if there was an accident with the furnace? The last time he visited a mithril smelting facility, he saw the magma bubbling, ready to explode at any moment!

Gavin didn’t press him and led him around on a circular tour, pointing out:

"Here is the Red Iron Hall, where ordinary miners live..."

"Here is the Hammer Hall, where the forgers live. Our daily tools and mass-produced weapons are all made here..."

"Here is the Steel Blade Hall, the training area for the army and warriors. Most of them are on patrol now, but it’s quite a sight when a large group of knights returns in the evening!"

"Here is the trade district, where foreign merchant caravans stay. There have been a lot of people these last few days, and a lot of goods too. Come on, I’ll take you around..."

Saying this, he led the way inside. Garrett, following behind with Bernard, had only walked a few steps when they heard loud calls overlapping each other:

"Whale meat! Cheap whale meat for sale! One copper per pound! Fat and tender, enough for a family to eat for a day!"

...How poor must they be to drag whale meat back here? Isn’t whale hunting only for the oil and brain, with the meat usually discarded?

"Dried deer meat! Walrus! Seal! Cod! Genuine goods at fair prices, bulk discounts available!"

Garrett quickly cast a "Bubble Shield" on himself. Were these meats salted or dried in the sun? The smell was too pungent; hadn’t they gone moldy?

"Barley beer! The best Thunder Barley Beer! Refreshing and pleasant, each sip bubbles with life!"

...Are you sure this isn’t a soda? Huh, this world doesn’t seem to have Coca-Cola yet...

"Machetes! War hammers! Swords! The best weapons, all available at Gien’s Blacksmith Shop, choose at will!"

Humans, dwarves, barbarians, various hawkers’ cries blended into a cacophony. Garrett, braving the noise, moved forward. Passing half the shops, he suddenly heard a distant shout:

"Listen to the voice of God! Hear the teachings of the Radiant Lord! Holy Communion available!!!"

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