"Kid, you really don’t get it," Donkexes said. "Our craft is something you couldn’t buy for tens of thousands of Gold Coins. They’re just trying to lowball us, treating us like fools!"

"Then why are you teaching me?"

"My friend, an Adventurer in linen clothes offering five Gold Coins is a completely different matter from a rich guild merchant offering two thousand."

Donkexes continued, "Besides, a poor kid who’s fought for his life understands the value of our skills. What do those pretty little princesses coddled in their gardens know? They have no idea how incredible our craft truly is!"

"Speaking of which, how much is that heart worth? How much can you guys make from it?"

Donkexes blinked.

"That heart... if we sell it as is, it’s probably worth about ten Gold Coins."

Seeing the sudden shift in his attitude, Colin had expected something like this. Ten Gold Coins was no small sum.

"But if we process it, it’ll be around this much..." Donkexes then held up two of his short, stubby fingers.

"Twenty Gold Coins?"

"More like two hundred Gold Coins."

"Two hundred? That’s twenty times the price!" Colin nearly spat out his beer.

It wasn’t that he was jealous or envious—after all, it was the Dwarves’ own craft, and he couldn’t earn that much himself—but the multiplier was simply terrifying.

Now he understood why Donkexes had the confidence to say that the merchant guilds in Thousand Masts City were lowballing them with their offer of two thousand Gold Coins.

If the merchant guilds in Thousand Masts City didn’t hold them back, this group of Dwarves would make money at a speed far beyond imagination. Of course, crafting Magic Equipment also required time and materials. He remembered it had taken Langgrin a long time just to make their necklaces. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

’Even so, crafting Magic Equipment is seriously profitable.’

’In that case, the armor-crafting skill I’m learning must be pretty valuable too...’

"So, like I said, we’ll do our best to teach you," Donkexes said. "Comparatively, your Gold Coins are much more precious than those from the rich merchants, aren’t they?"

"I can’t argue with that," Colin said, taking another swig of beer.

He had to admit, the Dwarves’ beer was much stronger than the watered-down stuff from the taverns. His head was already starting to feel a little fuzzy.

Still, Colin was sure his mind was clear.

Colin asked again, "S-So, speaking of which, what exactly are you all earning money for?"

Cradling his mug, Donkexes mumbled, "That... I can’t tell you that. I can’t tell anyone."

"If it’s that important, shouldn’t you find more people to help? It wouldn’t be a loss to teach a few more people, would it?" Colin said offhandedly.

"It’s not about loss or gain, my friend."

Donkexes said dazedly, "This is a craft pioneered by our grandfathers’ grandfathers, for who knows how many generations. Just using this craft to make equipment for others is already the biggest concession we can make. Don’t even talk about teaching it to just anyone, like it’s some common trade like boot-mending."

"If this craft is ever lost or falls into the wrong hands, it can only happen in my son’s or grandson’s generation. It’s not going to happen on my watch, understand? Our ancestors are watching my generation. They’re all watching..."

"I understand now," Colin nodded.

The Dwarves’ way of thinking was similar to that of certain master artisans; they all held a deep-seated pride in their hearts.

You could call them stubborn and set in their ways, but at the same time, this perseverance and obstinacy was the very reason they could achieve the pinnacle of their craft. Without that stubbornness, they wouldn’t have their craft at all.

Langgrin poured himself another mug, a trail of white foam spilling over as he gave it a flourish.

"That’s right! Only the most outstanding Dwarves can learn this technique, or perhaps some exceptionally talented human hero!"

"I’m no he—"

"I don’t care what you are! If I say you are, then you are!"

Midway through his sentence, Colin suddenly felt something hit his forehead.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself staring at the floor.

On the floor were two boots covered in Chain Armor Plates... ’Whose boots are these?’

-----------------

「The next day.」

Colin crawled out from under a table and looked at the Dwarves sprawled everywhere, making him question his life choices.

The little guys were snoring like a chorus of bellows, filling the hall with a terrifying racket. Kase was right in the middle of them, his snores loud enough to give the Dwarves a run for their money.

Colin stretched, walked over to Kase, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What?" The Half-Orc didn’t even twitch an eyelid.

"I’m heading to the Divine Hall of Knowledge. Find something to do later."

"I’m just gonna go home and sleep..." Kase replied before rolling over, his snores serving as his final answer.

Colin sighed and strode outside.

’The Orc can’t read anyway, so there’s no point in bringing him along.’

It was also worth noting that the Dwarven beer didn’t seem to cause a hangover. At least, not only did his head not hurt, he actually felt refreshed. It was probably another one of their peculiar crafts.

After returning home to wash up, Colin had breakfast at the Black Heart Tavern before heading toward his destination for the day.

After asking for directions along the way, he arrived at the Divine Hall of the Deity of Knowledge.

This Divine Hall was called the "Great Arch" and was located in the relatively safe Castle District, right next to the Morninglord’s Divine Hall, the "Hall of Justice."

The Divine Hall itself was four stories tall, with a bronze dome soaring over twenty meters high.

A seven-meter-tall bronze statue of the Deity of Knowledge stood at the entrance. Carved into its base was the Deity’s Divine Emblem: a quill and an unfurled Scroll.

The overall sight was quite spectacular.

The people entering and leaving the Divine Hall were all Mages or scholars in robes and monocles. Colin, this brute in Chain Armor, looked rather out of place.

He swallowed and headed inside the Divine Hall.

’It’s for the sake of learning,’ he thought. ’Nothing to be ashamed of.’

Stepping through the main doors, he entered a grand library hall with a three-story-high ceiling. Near the entrance were several Priests of the Deity of Knowledge in robes, receiving visitors.

Colin casually walked up to the window of a female Priest and asked, "Is there anything I should know before going in?"

"You’ll need a ticket if you wish to visit the Great Library."

The Priest looked up, saw who it was, and said in surprise, "Colin?"

’Why does someone here know me?’ Colin took a closer look at her.

The female Priest wore a sky-blue robe with gold trim. A pattern of a blank Scroll was stitched over the chest.

She had wavy red hair and wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses attached to a silver chain, her expression a mixture of seriousness and gentleness.

Colin searched the original owner’s memories and said in surprise, "Sela? What are you doing here?"

The original Colin’s attempt to learn [Flaming Arrow] hadn’t been smooth sailing.

Many apprentices he had paid had intentionally given him incorrect instructions to squeeze more money out of the poor kid. This forced him to seek out several different apprentices to compare their teachings. Sela, the woman before him, had been his final teacher.

She was one of the few apprentices who had been willing to teach according to his aptitude and give him extended guidance.

Of course, after he learned the spell, the gap in their social status and lives caused them to drift apart quickly.

"Have you forgotten? I’m an apprentice of the Black Tower," Sela said with a frown. "The Black Tower requires its Mage Apprentices to spend time volunteering here as a sign of reverence for knowledge. But you... what are you doing here?"

The Black Tower was that ridiculously large Magic Tower in the city.

It was said to be a top-tier Magic Academy that only opened its doors to the elite, as well as the headquarters of the Gray Squad.

As he thought this, Colin replied, "I’m here to read."

"But to enter, you need to donate a book that the Great Library doesn’t already have in its collection. And it has to be at least five hundred pages long and have valuable content," Sela said.

’You have to donate a book the library doesn’t have just to get in? What kind of bullshit rule is that?’

Colin quickly took out the note Edwin had given him and handed it over.

"A field agent for the City Watchers? Looks like you’ve made a name for yourself. As expected of my student, Colin." Sela joked, then turned around to grab a stack of parchment, a bottle of ink, and a few quills from a shelf behind her, placing them on the desk.

"May I ask how much these cost?"

"They’re worth five Gold Coins. This is high-quality parchment."

"Alright." Colin quickly gathered the parchment and headed toward the Great Library.

Sela added, "The archives are all on the upper floors. Please head upstairs."

On his way up, Colin saw many self-moving brooms, as well as brushes and buckets floating in mid-air. These items were meticulously cleaning every corner of the Divine Hall, clearly the work of a Mage.

Before long, he reached the archives on the second floor.