The Dwarf elder ran towards the great furnace, tears streaming down his face.
Refusing to forge was out of the question, impossible in this lifetime; failing to forge was equally impossible. Staking the Dwarves’ centuries-old reputation for crafting and the glory of the Father God, since Garrett had made the request, it must be fulfilled!
No need for gems, no enchantments required, no demands for gear level or lethality, no specifications for how much a warrior’s burst it must withstand; just various small, intricate tools were requested, albeit with peculiar shapes, high precision, and a variety of complex and detailed...
Crash!
How on earth to forge that long needle!
20 centimeters long, with an outer diameter of 0.8 millimeters and an inner diameter of 0.5 millimeters! Such a thin, hollow needle was challenging enough to make, let alone ensuring uniform thickness, smooth inner and outer walls, and enough strength to pierce the periosteum without bending!
This was a craft for gnomes, not Dwarf work T_T
The old Dwarf clenched his teeth, stamped his foot, and commanded his apprentices to summon everyone! The Elder Council, all the masters and craftsmen, must come together! If he must go bald, then everyone must go bald together!
Not just hammers, not just flames, if necessary, divine magic would be used! Directly pray for the Father God’s blessing, shape the desired items with divine magic!
The Dwarf elder racked his brain, working tirelessly for Garrett. Unbeknownst to him, this opportunity to go bald was thanks to another group, who had already grown white-haired over Garrett’s requests...
"Contact the evaluation committee."
"You go."
"You’re the head of the trade delegation."
"You’re the one in the School of Shaping, a direct disciple of the Lord of Thunder."
"No, my teacher is a disciple of Lord Decar; it’s not easy for me to even see him..."
Theoretically, the same number of mages who left for the Dwarf Kingdom should return. In practice? Of course, that was not the case!
The mages in the group were no children, possessing both combat capabilities and experience. From the Dwarf royal court to the council headquarters, traveling alone, they could safely make their way back. Even the occasional mishap was considered a natural part of a mage’s growth, an acceptable loss within the council’s tolerance.
Thus, the council’s management of mages was not as strict as Garrett’s former country’s management of diplomatic missions. As long as the trade negotiation tasks were completed, the council didn’t mind a few members breaking off for an adventure in the wilderness or sightseeing...
Except for Garrett.
What does a fourth-level little mage need freedom of movement for? Not following the group, can you make it back on your own? Can you ensure your own safety? What if there’s a trap along the way, or bandits, or if the Radiant Church sends assassins, can you protect your own life!
Moreover, Archmage Carlisle had repeatedly emphasized the importance of bringing him back safely!
The Lord of Thunder is watching you...
So, when the Dwarf Kingdom warmly invited Garrett to stay a bit longer to learn the lung cleansing spell, the trade delegation, led by Archmage Serrano, immediately activated long-distance communication to consult with headquarters:
Reject the Dwarf Kingdom’s request and bring everyone back?
Or leave Garrett at the Dwarf royal court and pick him up later?
Should someone stay behind to protect him, and for how long?
By the way, Garrett has befriended a Silver Dragon, who now sticks to him every day, seemingly never getting enough of watching him cleanse lungs...
With a fizz, several crystals at the edge of a small long-distance teleportation array began to flash simultaneously. One, two, three times, the magic crystals dimmed and shattered, and a jewelry box, perfectly sealed and adorned with constellation patterns, appeared on the teleportation array.
Archmage Serrano carefully opened the lid, lifting out a luminous conch shell and placing it in the groove atop the box. Then, he took out four exceptionally large and pure magic crystals, carefully embedding them at the four corners of the jewelry box.
With the placement of the fourth magic crystal, "click," the constellations on the outside of the box began to light up, one star at a time, one silver line connecting to another.
When all the constellations on the four sides of the jewelry box were illuminated, the conch shell radiated a pearl-like gentle glow from its center to its mouth.
"This is Nevis City, the highest evaluation group of the council," a slightly distorted male voice accompanied by static noise emerged from inside the conch shell:
"What? Ah! Understood, right away!"
Archmage Serrano wiped his space bag, extracting four small magic crystals and embedding them in the power slots of the teleportation array. The small long-distance teleportation array immediately shone brightly, and when the light dimmed, a palm-sized, deep brown wooden box lay quietly at the center.
Archmage Serrano gasped. The box looked inconspicuous, but the wood used was shadow yew, a special plant from another dimension with strong magic wave shielding capabilities. To use it for transferring items...
What was inside the box? Magical equipment? Or a one-time teleportation item? How powerful was it? What level of magical item required a shadow fern wood box for safe transfer through the teleportation array?
"Hand this box to Garrett." The other side, the Lord of Thunder, ordered succinctly:
"Then don’t worry about it, just come back as planned. If Garrett wants to stay in the royal court, let him stay. The Silver Dragon... heh!"
"...Yes!"
Archmage Serrano didn’t even open the box, directly handing it to Garrett. The trade delegation thus departed, leaving Garrett in the Dwarf royal court, lost in surgeries and unaware of the day. His only headache was the endless stream of questions from the Dwarves:
"Back up! Wash your hands again! Dress again!—What about the aseptic principle! Your hands aren’t clean, you’re killing your kin!"
"Slow down the growth of the vine! Slower! If you’re not sure, use
the Arcane Eye to guide you slowly!—Idiot, you went through the wrong door!"
"The middle part of the vine swells!—Stop! The swelling should be a bit lower! At your position, the water will still pour into the other lung!"
"Don’t panic, it’s just hypoxia! Drain the water, blow oxygen into the other lung!"
"Ah... so boring..."
Don’t doubt, this wasn’t Garrett, but the Silver Dragon girl, bored out of her mind. The first time she saw lung cleansing, her eyes sparkled with curiosity, almost wanting to dive into the Dwarves’ lungs; the tenth time she saw it, she was eager to try; the twentieth time...
"Garrett, these Dwarves are so dumb! They can’t learn this simple task! Let me do it!"
"Don’t mess around..." Garrett stopped her with a wry smile: "What use is it if you learn? You can’t possibly stay here forever to treat them. If these Dwarves learn, they can benefit their kin!"
"Hmph! Boring!—Garrett, you promised to tell me why there’s electricity in the heart, when will you explain it to me!"
"Just wait... just wait..."
Garrett could only smile bitterly. Seraila turned and left:
"Hmph! Boring!"
Her departure meant she was absent for two to three days straight. Just when Garrett thought she had gone home, the girl stormed in, grabbed Garrett, and dragged him outside:
"Have you finished teaching yet?—Come with me, we’re going to work on the heart!"
"Wait, wait! Let me teach them for another month!" Garrett struggled:
"Half a month! Ten days!... Seraila, why do you smell like blood?"
"Ah!"
Seraila let go and fled.
This unexpected discovery bought Garrett another half a month. After half a month, the Silver Dragon girl, out of patience, still dragged Garrett on a journey.
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