Chapter Sixty-Nine: Gaining the Friendship of the Dwarves

After exhausting his mental strength, he found that the progress made during subsequent meditation was noticeably faster than usual cultivation. This was the conclusion Han Shuo reached after returning to the Graveyard of Death and spending a night in meditation, regaining his full vitality.

However, for a necromancer, the absence of mental strength meant an inability to cast any spells. This would place oneself in a highly unfavorable position, so under normal circumstances, no mage would ever deplete their mental strength entirely at once.

Since the dwarves were willing to share the mine, Han Shuo began to entertain other thoughts. The iron and copper ore within seemed abundant, and given the dwarves' pace of work, it would take a very long time to excavate everything.

Han Shuo realized he could use summoned creatures to speed up mining. If these copper and iron ores were transported to the empire, they would certainly earn him handsome rewards. Especially the black iron ore found inside—the dwarves’ reactions and Han Shuo’s understanding told him these were extremely precious materials, possibly worth a fortune.

There were likely many dwarven villages in the Dark Forest. Judging by their numbers, this group of dwarves wasn’t large, and combined, they probably didn’t need that much iron or copper. With that in mind, Han Shuo devised a new plan.

After infusing the Abyssal Demon Pit with blood and magical essence, Han Shuo left the Graveyard of Death early in the morning and made his way toward the mine.

He thought he was early enough, but upon arrival, he found the dwarves already at the mine entrance. Their numbers had doubled compared to usual, and they seemed to have spent a night in excitement—their eyes were bloodshot, yet their spirits were high.

Among them, an elderly dwarf with a white beard, bent over a cane, was solemnly instructing the others. Bennett and the rest listened respectfully to his words.

Han Shuo deliberately made heavy footsteps to draw their attention. Bennett spotted him and immediately waved his hammer, calling out, “Hey, dear friend, we’ve been waiting for you a long time!”

As Han Shuo approached, the old white-bearded dwarf bowed in the human manner and said warmly, “Brave and mighty friend, thank you for your repeated help. I am Calvin, the chief of this dwarven village. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“My name is Han Shuo. It’s an honor to have your trust!” Far from Babylon Academy of Magic and Martial Arts, no one knew his identity, so Han Shuo used his real name in dealings with the dwarves.

“Brave Han, your name is intriguing—I’ve never heard of anyone called that. Haha, the children say you’re trustworthy. Our village is willing to share the secret of the mine with you, and I hope we can live in harmony from now on!” Calvin looked at Han Shuo curiously, puzzled by his name at first, but soon broke into a smile.

“Well then, I think we can begin our work.” Though Calvin was calm and composed, the other dwarves were clearly eager, their eyes fixed on the mine behind them. Han Shuo didn’t waste words and stated his intention to start working.

“Not so fast.” Calvin thought for a moment, fixing his gaze on Han Shuo. “Han, why are you helping us? We’re willing to share the mine with you, but why didn’t you take half the iron and copper yesterday?”

The elderly do tend to be more thoughtful, and dwarves were no exception. Han Shuo glanced at Calvin, contemplated, and explained, “First, I also have enmity with the Forest Trolls, and I was moved by Bennett and the others’ fearless fighting, so I decided to help them.

Later, it was the Wind Blade Demon Wolves that helped me—those two wolves were originally my prey. Helping you mine was no trouble at all. I don’t forge weapons, so taking iron and copper would be useless for me. That’s why I left without taking any. Elder Calvin, please trust me—I have no ill intentions.”

“Yes, Chief, Han is a good friend—not quite like other humans,” Bennett suddenly interjected to the old dwarf.

Calvin nodded, bowed to Han Shuo, and said graciously, “Sorry, Han, I’m old and have seen too many cunning humans, so I asked a bit more. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Your caution is well-founded, and I completely understand,” Han Shuo replied.

“These mines are difficult for us to excavate deeper. Since we’re sharing the secret, we’re willing to share everything inside with you, including the divine black iron ore. We wish to share equally, and hope you won’t refuse, or we’d feel truly embarrassed,” Calvin said, making a solemn promise.

Hearing this, Han Shuo sighed inwardly—the dwarves, though stubborn and short-tempered, were indeed a people worth befriending. Calvin’s promise made Han Shuo feel a bit ashamed of his own ulterior motives. After some thought, he said, “Elder, rest assured, I fully accept your proposal. Also, if I gather enough black iron ore, I humbly ask you to forge a weapon for me. Is that possible?”

“No problem, Han. If there’s enough black iron ore, I’ll personally oversee its forging for you,” Calvin promised with a smile.

“Well then, I think we can begin!” At last, Han Shuo set his mind at ease, relieved that the Demon-Slaying Edge would soon be realized. Smiling, he entered the mine with the dwarves.

After half a day of mining, Han Shuo’s mental strength was exhausted again, and he staggered out, utterly spent. This harvest surpassed even yesterday’s—besides large amounts of iron and copper, he obtained two pieces of black iron ore, one large and one small. Han Shuo generously gave the large one to Calvin, keeping the smaller piece in his space ring.

At the mine entrance, the dwarves packed up, grinning as they prepared to carry today’s haul back to the village.

“Dear Han, what kind of weapon do you wish to forge?” Calvin asked before leaving.

Han Shuo thought for a moment, took out a dagger, and drew the shape of the Demon-Slaying Edge on the ground, pointing to the sketch and explaining to Calvin, “This is the weapon I want—the best and sharpest you can make. Is it possible?”

Calvin squinted, bent down, and examined the drawing for a while. “I’ve never seen a weapon shaped like this—it looks quite interesting. I think forging it shouldn’t be a problem. But if you want the best and sharpest, you’ll need some rare materials, which our village probably doesn’t have enough of.”

Han Shuo’s thoughts turned to the Boost Trading House. Determined to obtain the Demon-Slaying Edge, he said, “What other materials are needed? Please tell me, and I will find a way to gather them. I need an excellent weapon.”

“Do you have paper and pen?”

“Of course!” Han Shuo took out paper and pen he had prepared before coming to the Graveyard of Death, handing them to Calvin. “Don’t worry about the rarity of the materials—I’ll try to gather them as soon as possible.”

“Alright.” Calvin nodded and began writing a list of rare materials on the paper, then handed it to Han Shuo. “Han, if you can gather all these materials, I guarantee you’ll have a weapon of unmatched sharpness.”

“When I’ve collected enough black iron ore to forge this weapon, I’ll try to gather the materials. Tomorrow, I’ll be here early to mine,” Han Shuo said, and left the mining site.

For the next ten days, Han Shuo worked alongside the dwarves, mining the cave.

Once Han Shuo had acquired enough black iron ore and the dwarves had reaped a bountiful harvest, Calvin proposed halting further mining for now, saying it was time to forge weapons from the extracted ore. When more weapons were needed, they could return to the mine.

During this period, Han Shuo had gained the dwarves’ trust and, at Calvin’s invitation, visited their village for a celebratory feast, learning the correct route to their home.

Early one morning, after infusing the Abyssal Demon Pit in the Graveyard of Death with blood and magical essence, Han Shuo used the teleportation array to leave the Graveyard of Death.