Chapter 220

Chapter 220 - Khazad-dor (1)

A total of 15 signal flares went off, and among them, meaningful veins were discovered in 3 places.

"We have to investigate the reserves more, but they say the profitability seen right now is excellent."

Rampage, hearing the news from his hometown friend, rejoiced.

In human nations, even if the Royal Family becomes wealthy, not even a single crumb falls to the commoners. However, the Dwarves of the mountains, bound by a sense of community, are different. If someone becomes wealthy, a trickle-down effect definitely occurs.

"That's good news. So what are the things discovered?"

"Iron and copper. There's also quite a bit of agate and quartz. Especially the copper vein discovered last, they say it's a considerable amount."

"Hmm."

To Eugene, who had already secured several gold mines across the ocean, it sounded somewhat disappointing.

Because the subjugation was so smooth, he was full of amplified expectations from the sound of signal flares heard occasionally.

"I thought something big would come out, is that all?"

"Excellency. Maybe not iron, but if it's a copper mine, you can consider it a sufficient jackpot."

"I know that but it's just my regret speaking. When it's in name an exploration preparing for the future of the mountain Dwarves."

"Borrowing the expression Your Excellency always uses, you can't get full on the first spoonful, right."

As they got closer to the uncharted territory gate, other units withdrawing were seen.

"Aigo!"

"Let's rest a bit... just a bit before going."

Unlike Eugene's subordinates who look neat as if they just went for a walk, they had complexions of having suffered plenty.

Those completely covered in dust as if they rolled around excitedly somewhere, and wounded people covered more in bandages than bare skin were also common. There are also those coming loaded on stretchers or carts.

However, there were practically no dead. Because Eugene's army ground away a significant portion of the most threatening enemies.

"You've all worked hard! All the guys sprawled out there are dead so do not worry."

In front of the uncharted territory gate, there were several monsters that died after getting hit by ballistas. It is the result of those who felt completely hopeless during the subjugation fleeing to this place and luring them.

Normally, it ends with 'The work is done so take your money and go your way.' It's also not rare for powerful and wicked employers to swallow even that money.

"Brave warriors, you have truly worked hard! To repay the blood and sweat you shed, a resting place and a banquet have been prepared! Please resolve your fatigue and hunger and accept our gratitude!"

However, the Dwarf Prince Baran had also prepared his own form of hospitality.

"Mmm... This is a good smell. Did they use a special broth for the stew?"

Marbas, who likes soups, flared his nostrils at the rich scent. He joined after the subjugation ended while sending supplies from the Moving Castle.

Because the summoner's experience and magic will be of great help in dealing with the ancient existence underground.

"You have worked hard. From stabilizing Haven to rear supplies during expeditions. Because Marbas is in the rear, it's reassuring to go around outside."

A magician is outstanding in knowledge and wisdom, and bright in mathematics. He properly carried out his share in administration or military supply aspects excellently.

Moreover, Marbas is a summoner. Looking into other worlds, he also communicates with spirits residing in all sorts of places.

- The atmospheric spirits are moving busily. The moisture energy is also thickening, so it will rain shortly.

- Sir. The sky is this clear but it will rain?

- Trust me. Pack the food tightly so it doesn't get wet and load it on carts. The roads will become muddy, so reduce the quantity to 80% of normal.

- Received.

The reason Eugene successfully completed several expeditions was also largely due to Marbas's contribution supporting reliably from the rear. Because fresh and abundant supplies always arrived on time.

"That's excessive praise. Servants and scribes handled most of the trivial things. I merely set the direction."

"Isn't direction the most important thing in everything? Even if the ones moving the ship sweating are sailors, what decides their fate are the captain's eyes and fingers."

"Are you sure you grew up receiving a knight's teachings in a Main God monastic order?"

"Both sides were extremely stingy with praise, though."

Once this young conquering monarch made up his mind to praise, he elevated the other party somehow. Not by forcing it, but by providing his own logic at that.

"Well I'll be."

Marbas's wrinkled eyes are curved pleasantly. Since he didn't dislike Eugene treating him fondly while massaging his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Rex, who had lived a mercenary life for a long time, found it questionable.

"Usually an employer doesn't go this far. Because they would be praised just by giving the exact amount of compensation on time. Entertaining this many personnel all the way to the lowest ranks and not just one or two?"

"Because this subjugation is nothing more than breaking the first ground. Once the mine surveying is done and road and fortress construction ends, additional exploration will proceed."

At Eugene's words, Rex made an expression saying he understood.

"So he wants to plant a good impression and call these personnel again."

"Aren't they folks who have experienced the geography or battles of the uncharted territory at least once? He'd want to utilize that experience again."

A little distance away, even a field hospital was set up. The Royal Family's will to make the exploration of the mountain range an important business going forward could be seen.

"Huum! Keuhaa..."

"The smell is really amazing, huh?"

Eugene's subordinates traveled around the whole world taking care to eat all the delicious things. So from middle managers down to rank-and-file soldiers, their standards for taste had risen.

Yet, the mellow smell wafting from the meal distribution area made their mouths water.

A moment later, Eugene realized how the Dwarf Prince could bestow a banquet to the entire subjugation squad.

"Cockatrice! The beak sure looks murderous, right?"

"Doesn't it not look like a chicken at all? That bastard Hans was bluffing without even having seen one."

Every passing person marveled at the decapitated head of the Cockatrice hung on a pole.

Thanks to this giant bird Eugene caught, fresh meat to feed the entire subjugation squad was secured.

* * *

Eugene and his aides, and the other invited knights received the most luxurious treatment in a specially prepared place.

For regular mercenaries or Dwarf warriors conscripted from each tribe the work was over, but for the knights, the real work starts from now.

Eugene got to see a shaved Dwarf here again.

"It is an honor to serve you. Braves, I am His Majesty the King's exclusive chef, Baur."

The Dwarf Prince only had a short beard length and still decorated his lower face stylishly and densely. However, Baur is clean like a bald mountain.

If an eunuch cuts his balls to serve the King, a Dwarf chef shaves his beard for the King.

To other races it might feel like 'So what?', but to Dwarves, it is pain and sacrifice with no big difference.

In front of Baur, who bowed politely, is a giant stone plate the size of a double bed. The haze rising from it being heated hotly continuously distorted the air.

And all the guests were bewildered by the cooking tool being heated on the stone plate.

"A two-handed sword?"

"It is for cooking. It is very hygienic, so please be at ease."

Baur's disciples put down a tray next to the stone plate. It is Cockatrice meat that had finished aging after being smeared with various spices. Unlike chicken, it gave off a reddish hue.

"Most large monsters cannot be eaten due to poison, gamey smell, or a rubber-like texture."

In reality, the Dire Hog Eugene caught also had to be thrown away there.

- This guy is also a pig in its own way, so can't we eat it? If we butcher it, the entire Dwarf Kingdom would resolve one meal.

- Please give up. Even a regular pig has a severe gamey smell if not castrated, right? A Dire Hog is more than 3 times that.

- My god.

The blade on the stone plate is more than a span wide and slightly under 1m long. Even considering the thickness is thin, it is a sword hard to handle with ordinary strength.

"Roasting the meat of a large monster is a battle against time. There is no leisure to cut, flip, and baste one by one separately. Everything must happen simultaneously."

Baur held the red-hot two-handed sword and stood in front of the aged meat.

"The reason the Cockatrice's peck is powerful is thanks to the muscle strength released from the legs. This thigh holds the power of the earth. The taste is good and it is an appropriate part to offer to the knights."

Pushut!

Baur's slash cut off the thick thigh meat.

Chiiiik!

Thanks to the heated blade, the cross section was slightly seared instantly, minimizing the release of meat juice.

Pyushut!

Pyushut!

Pyushut!

As 3 slashes fell additionally, a total of 4 lumps of meat were created.

"It's a cross section clean like a mirror. His downward striking posture is also straight."

"You are a hundred times better than the ruffian knight bastards of Gord."

The Barcia knights swallowed their saliva and clapped. However, this is only the beginning.

Baur slid the blade under the meat lumps and then turned the handle as if flicking.

Slap!

Slap!

The meat lumps that soared into the air landed keeping formation on the horizontally held blade.

"Ooh!"

At the unexpected entertainment, the atmosphere instantly heated up.

As Baur turned the sword handle 180 degrees once more, the meat lumps dropped exactly onto the stone plate. It's an exact spacing without an inch of error.

Chiiiiiik.

The white noise of flesh lumps roasting before their eyes. That was ecstatic like a Goddess blowing breath into their eardrums.

Whirl.

Even afterwards, Baur flipped the 4 meat lumps simultaneously with a single sword movement, carefully controlling the pace.

"Master! Here!"

As the blade's heat weakened, his disciples handed over another two-handed sword heated on the stone plate.

Slice.

Receiving it, Baur made cuts into the meats so the heat could permeate inside.

Chiik.

Chiiik.

Baur left the heated blade on the cross section for a moment, taking meticulous measures so the meat juice wouldn't escape.

Chiiiii!

Sometimes standing the meats on their side, he doesn't forget to sear the sides as well.

Periodically, when additional seasoning or oil needed to be sprinkled, he aimed the sword at his disciples.

"Khazad Oil."

"Yes!"

The highly disciplined disciples applied oil to the blade as if painting it.

Chyuwaaaaaa!

After that, as Baur swung the sword 3 times, the oil was applied evenly across all 4 lumps of meat.

And the sword protruding again.

"Two ladles of garlic salt, one ladle of black pepper."

"Yes!"

The disciples mixed the two seasonings half and half and sprinkled them on the blade. After that, the sword dance unfolding again.

"C-Can it be?"

"This isn't just cooking. This is..."

The watching knights finally realized.

Baur isn't just skillfully handling a cooking knife. He was commanding a completed swordsmanship.

A swordsmanship developed purely for cooking. The sword dance of an artisan who had polished that for decades is unfolding in front of the knights.

When the steaks were completed, Baur, who switched to dual-wielding, swung the swords dazzlingly. Meats cut into appropriate sizes pile up on the plates at a fast speed.

"As it is special meat, special cooking techniques are needed. Baur is a chef and at the same time a swordsman."

"Prince. Please take back those words. My mere sword cannot be compared to those of the great knights."

If they were proud Barcia knights, they would normally get angry asking if they are being compared with a mere chef. However, right now they are just nodding their heads with an admiring complexion.

Chew.

The meat enters Eugene's mouth.

Sniff sniff, nom!

The meat also enters the mouth of Homi, who was enjoying the smell.

Munch.

Under the table hidden by the tablecloth, Valda, rejoicing while stomping her feet dugudugu!, also took a bite.

"!!!"

"!!!"

"!!!"

That was a huge explosion of umami.

'Is this the taste of a dinosaur?'

As expected, the basic taste was similar to chicken.

However, unlike the thin and soft muscle fibers of a chicken, it's dense and chewy like beef. Thanks to the marbling embroidered like spider webs, it isn't tough either, and the flavor increases the more you chew.

A savoriness dug into Eugene's nasal cavity, sinuses, and all the way to his lungs like a tsunami.

With a faint smile at the sight of the guests eating deliciously, Baur unpacked the food explanation.

"Large bird-type monsters, and among them Cockatrices, secrete a large amount of a special bodily fluid from their muscles. When this is dried, it turns like a white powder, which becomes a seasoning incomparable to the likes of black pepper."

"Hmm?"

Eugene received a somewhat familiar feeling from Baur's explanation.

"Just by adding that seasoning, any dish miraculously tastes better. To the point where it feels like the realm of magic rather than cooking."

'Come to think of it, this is an explanation identical to MSG.'

Meanwhile, other dishes also came out one after another.

A dish similar to Dongpo pork made using the degenerated wings. That doesn't even need to be chewed. Just by swinging it around with the tongue, it scattered to pieces and bestowed a sweet and salty taste.

A soup boiled by unraveling the breast meat let one taste the wondrous experience of 'drinking meat'.

The beer brewed by the Royal Brewery appropriately initialized the inside of the mouth, driving away thirst and greasiness.

"Count Excellency."

The Barcia knights, who binge drank and overate till their bellies burst, sent affable smiles to Eugene.

"To be honest, I felt jealous of Your Excellency even when entering the banquet hall, but I was foolish. Thanks to Your Excellency, I get to experience such delicacies. Truly thank you."

"I only met the Cockatrice because luck was on my side. Even if you Sirs met it instead of me, it would have been hunted anyway, no?"

"Hahaha! Then we would have received the gratitude, right?"

They are Barcia knights who look down on Roman's nobles as lowly ones.

"I think I know the reason why a person like Sir Marcus evaluated Your Excellency as a close friend."

"Thinking of jumping into a great battle together, my body is already itching."

However, only Eugene seemed to have completely caught their fancy.

At the sight of the knights laughing and chatting amicably, the Dwarf Prince nodded. For a banquet ahead of a crucial mission, it couldn't be more perfect than this.

* * *

Around the time the subjugation squads that ate and drank their fill descended the mountain and returned to their respective villages, Eugene's army and the invited knights were guided to the Royal Palace.

"Indeed, you have to live long and see things. Getting to visit the Dwarf Royal Palace."

Stroking a beard flowing with even more luster, Marbas chuckled.

"Isn't it a place open to outsiders too?"

"Coming as a mere traveler and coming after receiving the King's invitation is a difference between heaven and earth."

The Royal Palace, dug entirely into a whole mountain, is divided into various zones. Every single one of them is a spectacle, but uninvited guests have severe restrictions on exploration.

"Destruction approaches the family. It cannot be faced even with a thousand spears. The only salvation is in the cradle. However, we can only ascend as guests."

Rex recited the prophecy of destruction he received in the past.

"Knight. Did you know that among the places we agonized over as a land for our clan to settle down, the Dwarf Royal Palace was also one?"

"...Really?"

They are ones who bickered endlessly even under Eugene and barely became friends after 3 years. Walking into the heart of the Dwarves on their own two feet was unimaginable.

"The one who put forth that opinion was beaten to a pulp, though. However, everyone kept it as the final candidate site. Since excluding the Moving Castle, it is the safest fortress in the world."

"If it came to that, I was planning to take charge of the mediation."

Marbas had a face of 'It's a huge relief that it didn't happen.' Because it would have been a terrible task even for him who hears the sound of being a master of mediation.

The capital of the Elysium Mountains, which began to be seen like that. The city created by refining the entire cross-section of the magnificent mountain welcomed the guests.

"Welcome to Khazad-dor."

The Dwarf Prince Baran introduced with pride. And expressed courtesy politely towards Valda.

"Noble one. The mission of guardianship bestowed by the Elven Royal Family has been kept without change. We welcome you once again to our land."

"Thank you for the unchanging friendship. May there be infinite prosperity in your family."

The Elysium Mountains are a fiefdom Baran's distant ancestors received from the 1st Era Elven Royal Family.

Starting from the Royal Palace's name, Khazad-dor, it is a compound word of the Dwarvish word Khazad (Dwarves) and the Elvish word Dor (Bedrock). It is a name honoring the close relationship with the Elven Royal Family in the past.

Over the long time, loyalty downgraded to friendship and Baran's family also styled themselves as Kings.

However...

- Majesty. Too long a time has passed since the 1st Era. I think it is right to change the name of the Royal Palace to purely belong to the Dwarves.

- I will not listen.

- The blood and sweat of Dwarves this great Royal Palace has absorbed is enough to form a lake. Until when will we, regarding the Elves...

- I said I will not listen.

The stubbornness of Dwarves is tougher than the metals they smelted. Even reaching the 3rd Era, the Dwarf Royal Family could not discard their loyalty to Lue'amoir.

As they got closer to the entrance of Khazad-dor, An even more splendid scenery unfolded.

Swaaaaaa.

Multiple streams of waterfalls pour down from the peak of the mountain. The Dwarves refined that flow of water even more. Arranging it to scatter in detail is exactly like a Dwarf's beard.

On top of that, they carved the upper part of the mountain cross-section like a face wearing a helmet, and the middle and lower parts like armor.

In the place corresponding to the breastplate, a gat was situated where 5 carriages could enter side-by-side. Above that, walls where a thousand archers could fire crossbows are constructed in layers.

"The mountain itself is the bust of a Dwarf warrior."

"It is a work completed over generations by countless artisans. It took a whole 8 centuries."

"It's truly amazing that it didn't miss functionality as a fortress nor beauty either."

At Eugene's admiration, the Dwarf Prince felt proud.

"It's worse than the Moving Castle."

"..."

However, one tribal knight poured cold water on it. Rex pulled him backwards on his own even before Eugene gave a signal.

Clatter!

At the return of the Prince who brought the braves, the Khazad-dor guards took military salute in unison.

Beyond the wide-open gate, the world's largest underground city revealed its appearance.

The sound of hammers heard from all directions, the sound of underground water, the scent of various ores and mushrooms, the numerous bridges intertwined inside and the gems and luminous stones embedded in the structures.

Even without having passed the entrance, the guests realized with all five senses that this place is the royal castle of Dwarves.