Chapter Twenty-Nine, The Chicks Spread Their Wings 3
Chris didn't know about the whispers in Edin City.
He has now arrived at the dwarf border and is about to hand over a letter sealed with Raphael's seal.
In fact, dwarves are very happy to make friends if you compliment them on their beautiful beards and give them wine.
Of course, except for the sour wine and the sweet fruit wine of the elves.
So when Chris was willing to give him a skin of rye wine, a dwarf warrior guarding under the city wall happily went to deliver the letter for him.
The garrison chief who came out to greet him was a 1.3-meter-tall dwarf, wrapped in steel. When he opened his short and thick arms, Chris had to bend to the extreme and hug each other.
Damn it, except for the King of the Hill, there is no one in the entire dwarf race who is over 1.5 meters tall.
"Human with a beautiful face, are you an Einsker? You have beautiful hair like them! Praise your Lord Duke of Lange! He is very generous and always sets the price of wine.
Sell it cheap to the hospitable dwarves."
The voices of the dwarves with different proportions to their stature were like rolling thunder, making Chris's ears buzz.
This reminded him of Aunt Hera in the tavern in Gardenanlas.
The two sides are so similar.
"Strong dwarf warrior, please allow me to praise your beard, it is so beautiful!"
Chris, who followed the Romans, also spoke loudly, "I'm Chris, I'm a relative of the Einske family."
The chief of the garrison expressed his appreciation for the young man's knowledge, so he warmly invited Chris into the room and poured him a glass of ale.
"Ainske explained your purpose in the letter."
The strong dwarf patted the shoulder of Chris, who had already sat down. The height made him feel very comfortable, "But unfortunately, beautiful young man, you need to wait here for a while. Because our prospecting team will set off next time
The time is twenty-three days later."
"Ah~~"
Chris was surprised.
He couldn't figure out what the relationship between the gold-eating beast and the prospecting dwarves was.
"You look confused, young human."
The dwarf chief was also surprised by his reaction, "Don't you know the habits of the gold-swallowing beast?"
Chris shook his head.
As a northerner, he knew nothing except that he needed the help of the dwarfs to capture the gold-swallowing beast. And if his mother hadn't mentioned this species in the test reserved for him, he might have never known anything else in his life.
He would not interact with him. So he assumed a very respectful attitude, "Dwarf warrior with a beautiful beard, you are a knowledgeable and hospitable elder. As a young man, I sincerely ask for your teachings."
"Hahaha~~"
As expected, the dwarf garrison commander laughed heartily.
I also feel that it is my duty to spend some time guiding young people, especially this young man who is pleasing to the eye.
"The gold-eating beast..."
It's a beast that occasionally chews metal.
Their fangs are hollow and can secrete a liquid that dissolves metal.
It is also very small, about the same as a domestic puppy, and its combat effectiveness is almost negligible.
However, they can precipitate the gnawing metal on the outer skin to form armor plates that are hardened to steel. It is recognized that even the most powerful armor-breaking mace cannot penetrate it.
Dwarves have mixed feelings about this species.
Because in the vast Lokidaran Mountains, as long as you find a place with a gold-swallowing beast's cave, it is equivalent to finding a mineral vein. This makes the dwarves' mining work less troublesome and labor-saving. But these little guys also often appear.
In the arsenal of the dwarves, their carefully crafted weapons were chewed into scraps all over the floor.
And the dwarves are totally defenseless against this.
After all, no matter how small a dwarf is, he cannot get into the small hole they dug and kill this troublemaker.
Therefore, it is easy to understand why the dwarf garrison chief asked Chris to come back later.
Humans are not allowed to enter the residence where the dwarves hollowed out the mountain to build a castle, let alone bring Chris into the treasury where weapons are stored to capture the golden beast.
Furthermore, the short passage is not suitable for human activities inside.
So only by allowing him to accompany the dwarf prospecting team when they set off will he have a chance to find the gold-swallowing beast.
This made Chris a little disappointed, as he didn't want to stay in the dwarf country for a long time.
But things went counterproductive.
Because soon, he knew why James habitually added the prefix "greedy" when referring to dwarves, and why his grandfather Raphael was very generous when he left Edin City.
After the dwarf garrison chief finished describing the characteristics of the gold-swallowing beast, he also mentioned the conditions.
If you want to follow the dwarf prospecting team to find the gold-swallowing beast, you still need to pay the dwarves one hundred gold coins!
And no matter whether the gold-swallowing beast can be found or not, the gold coins will not be refunded! If you can't find it the first time and want to go with it a second time, you will have to pay the fee again...
Of course, you can go out and find it yourself.
But you have to face the danger of getting lost and being attacked by ferocious beasts alone in the vast mountains, and you must always be vigilant not to be discovered by the dwarf patrolling warriors, because they will kill anyone who wanders around the territory as an intruder.
In other words, the dwarves have regarded the gold-swallowing beast as their own personal use.
In fact, it’s not surprising when you think about it.
Armor made from gold-swallowing beast armor is a protective gear with high defense. It can be sold for thousands of gold coins, and it has always been priceless in the human country. Dwarves with superb forging skills can share raw materials with others.
, will make you earn a lot less gold coins.
The reason why humans occasionally agree to follow prospecting teams to capture gold-swallowing beasts is because they maintain diplomacy.
For example, when the Einske family came forward to make an introduction, they could not refuse, lest they destroy the friendly alliance on such an innocuous matter.
As for why we still need to charge 100 gold coins~
Since the dwarf prospecting team allows other people to join the team, they are obliged to bring the people back safely, and it is natural to charge some fees as remuneration for the guards.
Besides, if someone is qualified to let the dwarves go together to find the gold-swallowing beast, how can he still not be able to get this little gold coin?
After the dwarf garrison commander finished telling the story, he didn't think Chris was a poor man. So when he saw that Chris had been silent, he couldn't help but ask, "Young Chris, are you still confused?"
"Ah, no more."
Chris came back to his senses and quickly thanked you, "Thank you for clarifying my doubts, powerful dwarf warrior."
His expression was calm, as if he didn't know that his wallet now only had two gold coins.
"It's fine if you don't."
The dwarf guard chief stood up with a smile.
Having said everything that needed to be said, he had no time to continue chatting.
Chris, who also had no reason to stay any longer, stood up when he saw this. He tore off the small wine bag from his waist and uncorked it and handed it to the dwarf, "This is a fine wine collected by the Einske family.
This is also my gratitude to you for answering my questions, and please don’t refuse.”
The dwarf garrison chief originally wanted to refuse.
But after the strong aroma of wine filled the room, he sniffed a little drunkenly, laughed heartily again and gave Chris a strong hug, "Oh, dear Chris, you were born to be a dwarf.
My friend! Your beard will definitely look great, even though it’s still very short.”
After taking the small wine bag, he did not forget to give a careful warning, "Don't forget that the prospecting team will set off in twenty-three days. If you miss it, you will have to wait three more months."
His enthusiasm also gave Chris the opportunity to make a request.
"Strong dwarf warrior, I still have very important things to deal with during this period, so I may not be able to come and meet the prospecting team as scheduled. I just don't know if I will have a chance to capture the gold-swallowing beast in the future if I missed it this time.
?”
"Of course, dear Chris. You are introduced by the Einske family. Whenever you want to capture the gold-eating beast, you can have the friendship of the dwarves."
.............
After leaving the dwarf border, Chris led his horse and stood on a low hill. He didn't know where to go for a moment.
To be precise, I haven't figured out where to raise enough 100 gold coins yet.
It was impossible for him to turn around and go back to Edin City to get money from the Einske family. As a young man, he couldn't lose his face.
He was not willing to cross the wilderness and go back to the north to ask for money from his family.
His grandfather Henry Sr. had set the family rules many years ago. All family members who have gone through the coming-of-age ceremony must be self-reliant. With the hope of the family entrusted to him, there is no reason for him to go home and ask for money.
Not even being a mercenary.
Among the mercenaries gathered in the dwarf country, the highest reward was to protect the caravan across the wilderness, but the reward for a round trip was only three gold coins. It was too difficult to earn a hundred gold coins.
As for the caravan guards who are paid more~
He has no reputation on this trade route and no acquaintances to recommend him. No caravan will trust him and hire him.
After much deliberation, he had no choice but to try his luck at the edge of the Horrible River.
There is a buffer zone between dwarves and snakemen. There is no racial settlement there, so it is also the habitat of many wild beasts.
The hides, claws and bones of these beasts can be sold at good prices in shops. The danger is that not only do you have to face attacks from ferocious beasts, but you also have to beware of malicious people who hunt there with the same purpose, killing people and stealing goods.
But Chris felt this was the best choice.
Because the manticore, one of the tests reserved by his mother, is said to occasionally appear there.