kscans

Chapter 115 - Meeting the Dwarves

Back in the guest room, we put on our armor and equipped our weapons.

I was ready to head to the Dwarves’ workshop immediately, but Tina stopped me.

"Aren’t you being a bit too hasty? Why not relax for a little while? It’s not like they’re going to run away."

She was right to scold me. What was I rushing for? But I couldn’t help it.

After all, the name of that weapon, Edgeson, was one I knew very well from my world.

We headed to the industrial district, a short distance from the castle. It was a place where various tools were developed—items to aid people’s lives, as well as enhancements and new creations for weapons. The majority of the workers here were Dwarves.

They stood about one hundred fifty centimeters tall, with magnificent beards and messy hair, and they wore work clothes you’d see in any factory. They looked exactly like the Dwarves from stories.

At this point, I couldn’t help but wonder if elves existed here, too.

The maid who guided us was speaking with a nearby Dwarf. A short while later, another Dwarf emerged from the back. He wore the same work clothes, but he had the air of someone in charge.

"A pleasure to meet you," the Dwarf said. "I’m Lurud, the one who runs this place. The maid from the castle told me all about you. Well, no sense in standing around talking. Let’s head inside for some tea."

He led us into the workshop.

The interior was filled with workbenches, giving it the atmosphere of a place where gems were cut and jewelry was crafted. In one corner, there was a table and chairs that seemed to be for guests. Tina and I sat down, and Lurud sat across from us.

As I looked around, Lurud said, "Hahaha, you think there’s a lot of stuff for a reception room? This is a place for us to focus on our craft, so we don’t really have a space for visitors. The only decent spot is this finishing area. My apologies."

He sounded genuinely sorry.

"Not at all," I said. "We’re the ones who imposed on you. Besides, this is my first time in a place like this. It’s a refreshing experience."

I tried to offer a polite compliment. I’m still not used to these kinds of conversations. As I was thinking this, tea was brought to us. Black tea.

"Well now, our custom is to serve alcohol to guests," Lurud said, "but it seems it’s a bit too early in the day for that."

"Please, don’t worry about it," I replied. "I’ve made it a rule to only drink at night. In fact, you’ve saved me."

I thanked him, and he looked relieved.

After taking a sip of tea, I said, "Well then, may I get to the main topic?"

Lurud nodded in confirmation, and I continued.

"The weapon you developed, the Edgeson. Why did you give it that name?"

Lurud chuckled. "A strange name, you think? But there’s a reason for it. We named it after the person who taught us how to build that four-legged weapon. It was about a hundred years ago, back when I was still working in a smithy as a blacksmith…"

His words caught me off guard. "Huh? A blacksmith a hundred years ago? Do Dwarves live that long?" I muttered.

Tina leaned in and whispered, "As far as I know, some Dwarves live for three hundred years."

There were similar stories back on Earth, but there were just too many parallels. I’ll have to look into it later, I thought, and turned my attention back to Lurud’s story.

"Back then, I was working in the countryside of the Empire, smithing with a few of my comrades. We had this tool passed down through my clan, an ‘Otherworldly Mirror.’ They said it could communicate with faraway places."

"But at the time, it never worked. It was practically junk. Then one day, the mirror started to glow. When we looked into it, we saw an old man with white hair looking back at us. He was wearing strange clothes. The only thing that looked familiar was the bow tie nobles often wear around their necks. At first, I thought he was a noble, but his clothes weren’t fancy."

"The old man looked at us and shouted, ‘Success!’ He was overjoyed. Then he said something like, ‘My name is Edison. I am a genius inventor.’ I remember he was incredibly excited. After that, he seemed to talk for a long time, but I don’t remember much of it. Something about ‘spirit communication,’ and ‘you look normal,’ and other things I didn’t understand."

He paused to drink his tea.

There was no doubt. The words "spirit communication" confirmed it.

Thomas Edison. An inventor from American history on Earth. A great man called the "King of Inventors" who developed countless inventions. If I recall correctly, he dedicated his later years to developing a spirit communication device. I’d never heard that he succeeded, but it’s possible he did and just never told anyone. His life was famous for its alternating successes and failures. He probably thought if he announced it, someone would undoubtedly steal it.

"So," I said, "did you get a hint for developing that weapon from this Edison fellow?"

Lurud replied, "At first, we were trying to build a bipedal machine for agricultural use, but the balance was terrible. It was impossible. But when we taught that man about our technology, he said, ‘We can make an even more amazing invention.’ He disappeared from the mirror for a bit."

"A few days later, he reappeared in the mirror and showed us a blueprint. It was a four-legged weapon. Initially, it had no hands and was designed to run on electricity."

"Edison was quite particular about electricity. We couldn’t have a single conversation where he didn’t mention the word ‘electricity’."

He spoke with a nostalgic air.

That made sense. Edison was obsessed with electricity, especially direct current, to the point that he started the "war of currents" with Nikola Tesla over alternating current. I guess even at an advanced age, he couldn’t let go of the things he had researched for so long.

"But," I said, "I believe a soldier told me that weapon runs on a steam engine. Why the switch to steam?"

Lurud’s face soured. "Agh… at first, we designed it to run on lightning magic, but there was a flaw. The output was completely unstable. Even with a mage on board, just moving it required a massive amount of power. It could move, but it would run out of magic after just a few steps. It was a completely unmarketable product."

"We shelved the blueprints for a while. About fifty years later, I suppose, an envoy from the capital heard rumors about me and I came to work here. The technology here was something called a steam engine, developed by a man named James. Apparently, he just vanished one day."

"I thought we might be able to power that weapon with this engine, so after a lot of trial and error, we finally completed it. But the higher-ups wanted a combat weapon, and the one I built was deemed unsuitable for battle. I didn’t know how to make it combat-ready."

"That’s when Princess Grine brought a weapon called a matchlock gun and ordered me to attach it to the machine. I disassembled and analyzed it, then succeeded in scaling it up and mass-producing it. We named the finished product Edgeson. I wasn’t sure about giving a combat weapon that name, but it was born from his ideas. So, that’s what I named it."

He downed the rest of his tea in one gulp.

I see. They changed the power source because it wasn't strong enough. It was a logical conclusion. Any machine requires a corresponding amount of energy to operate. Edison must have thought this world was the spirit realm, a world overflowing with limitless energy. I could understand that feeling. In the beginning, I also felt that this world was full of the unknown.

I finished my tea.

"That was a fascinating story. Thank you for sharing it with me. And, if it’s not too much to ask… may I tour the factory?"

Lurud replied, "I don’t mind at all. It’s an order from Princess Yorune-sama, after all. Feel free to look around as you please."

With his permission, I smiled, thanked him, and began to walk around the factory. I paid particular attention to the weapon development area. Ores were processed and refined using steam engines, then forged with hammers.

It was a level of craftsmanship I’d rarely see even on Earth.

I studied everything carefully, thinking it would be a valuable reference for my own future smithing work.

At that moment, I was more grateful than ever to have witnessed the Dwarves’ craft. I never imagined it would become so relevant to me later on…