NOVEL WEB Volume 6 Chapter 12: An Emergency In The Market
Volume 6 Chapter 12: An Emergency In The Market
To the east of [Dying Steel Citadel] is the mining area of this city, where the richest mineral deposits in the entire town are found— To be honest, I'm almost confused about what kind of terrain this is. Although it looks like a stalactite cave, it's obvious from the presence of minerals and volcanoes that this is not the characteristic of limestone erosion terrain.
Riding on the [Transmission Box], Chuck and I left the hanging mountain and arrived at the ground I hadn't seen for a long time. Here, I saw the specialty of the Dwarven Empire — those incredibly cool mechas!!!!!
Some had sturdy and powerful limbs, while others had long arms and legs, giving off a strong sense of oppression. One after another, these mechas of various shapes and sizes lined up neatly, walking out of the mine with steam spraying and gears turning, carrying large iron boxes in their hands.
These iron boxes were filled with one large stone after another, with faint fluorescence shimmering on the stones, seemingly some unpolished mineral ore.
Chuck led me to follow the footsteps of these robots to an open-air market.
And those robots all walked to a designated area, put down the iron boxes in their hands, and then walked to the open space beside them. The mechas sprayed steam and opened their cockpit chests, and one after another, dwarves jumped out from inside.
Hmm... it's a bit different from the fully automatic robots I imagined. Come to think of it, the gatekeeper I met at the entrance seemed to be of this type too— But piloting a Gundam feels pretty cool too!
Honestly, I never thought I would see such technological products leaning towards science in a world of swords and magic, like steam-powered mechas and such.
"How do you feel? These aren't like those third-rate goods only used for transporting goods. These are 'Steam Motion Armors' made by the 'Noble Dwarves'. They can easily walk underwater, mine, or even fight," Chuck said.
Steam Motion Armors? Whatever, I'll still call them mechas.
"Well, you don't seem very surprised. Have you seen similar things elsewhere?" Chuck raised an eyebrow, looking at me with interest.
"...How did you come to that conclusion?"
Still, a big part of why I wasn't so surprised is because I've already usd up all of my surprised expressions after seeing this city— Well, maybe it also has a tiny bit to do with my previous life's Hollywood movies.
Of course, I couldn't tell Chuck any of these things. This is something even Grace and the others don't know about.
"Most people who see these things for the first time don't react like you— But it's okay, I need your respond," Chuck said.
"Huh?"
"Do you want to make one yourself?" Chuck asked. "Make a 'Steam Motion Armor'."
"Wait, is this what you wanted to commission me for?" I think I understand why Chuck brought me here now.
But... one? That's a strange quantity. It seems like they don't consider these mechas as robots but rather as armor, or in other words, like armor.
"Very smart, you got it quickly. But I hope what you make isn't just as simple as a 'Steam Motion Armor'," Chuck said mysteriously as he led me through the market.
In the market, many dwarves wearing traditional clothing and headscarves shuttled between one large iron box and another, pulling a strange device and weighing the raw stones one by one, then tagging them with number plates.
The raw stones were no longer the same as before; they were all painted purple, and you couldn't tell what kind of mineral they were.
As the two walked through the market and turned a corner, I noticed that there were more people around, rubbing shoulders and bustling with noise, which slowed our pace.
I've never really liked markets, mainly because of my height. I could easily be swept away by the crowd if I'm not careful, but here? Well, whether it's true or not, there are only some lolis and shotas around who are about the same height as me.
Chuck and I were pushed along by the crowd. Well, at least here, when I'm being swept along, I don't have to bury my face in the back or even the buttocks of the person in front (for some taller races).
"But let's talk about the details later when we get back. How can you build something without materials? Remember what I just said about stone gambling?"
Initially, I felt a bit flustered about being led along like this, but Chuck remained calm. Eventually, we were brought to a square by the crowd.
The square wasn't very large, with only some simple structures and stone steps surrounding it, but it was crowded with people. Chuck found a not-so-obvious spot for us to sit down.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting! Today's East Mine Street stone gambling will begin!"
A strange-sounding horn sounded, and a dwarf with a bright red short robe and sharp eyes walked to the center of the square.
He looked quite conspicuous because his big beard was dyed blue, forming a strong contrast with his orange hair, which did look somewhat funny.
Standing beside him was a stout bronze-colored mech, with a large hammer gripped in its left arm and its right wrist modified into a drill, looking very cool.
The host in red pulled down the control lever beside him, and at the same time, the curtain behind him was lifted, revealing one large purple-painted stone after another arranged neatly in front of the crowd. The audience erupted in excitement, enthusiastically shouting and conversing.
"Well then— first up is stone number one!" the host shouted, and the bronze mech slowly approached the large stone with a number one tag inserted into it.
"Starting from a unified price of one hundred Amethyst Coins, please raise your paddles— The young lady over there raised her hand first! Mr. Sabo, please open the stone for us!" The red-robed dwarf blew a strange horn in his hand, announcing the winner of this stone.
Upon hearing this, the bronze mech raised the large hammer in its hand, and the electric drill in its right wrist hummed. After a series of deft movements, stone number one split open, revealing the red and black patterns inside.
"It's iron ore!" the host shouted, and the winner showed a disappointed expression. Even though I didn't understand the currency value of this city very well, I knew that spending one hundred Amethyst Coins was not worth it at all.
"Praise Tuvak! May your next stone be blessed by the Cat God. Next up is stone number two! Same unified price—"
...
...
As the "Stone Gambling Event" progressed, I completely understood what was going on.
Its system was very similar to an auction, but it operated on a first-come-first-served basis with a unified price to purchase these stones. The stones were pre-painted with purple paint, making it almost impossible to determine their type of ore from their appearance alone.
You might think that this would be a paradise for holders of the [Appraisal] skill. However, according to Chuck, the purple paint could block the view of "Appraisal." So, in that sense, this stone gambling event was fair.
—But when it came to raising hands, the determination of the winner was subjective to the host, which felt unfair. Surprisingly, though, these dwarves didn't seem to argue about it at all.
When someone opened a rare ore, they cheered; when someone opened a cheap metal like iron ore, they still shouted encouragement. The winners often just showed a look of discontent, then continued gambling.
Chuck and I each gambled on a stone, and the results were copper ore and iron ore. Well, it seemed both of us were out of luck.
Compared with gambling, this stone betting club was more like enjoying a lively party. I seemed to be infected by the lively atmosphere, and I developed a good impression of the fake lolita and fake ladies around me.
Thinking about their worship of a black cat as a god, it was unexpectedly simple and passionate, making them quite adorable people.
"Praise Tuvak, my friend. Are you satisfied with my hospitality?" Chuck grinned at me.
I was about to respond when suddenly, a deafening explosion rang out, startling the crowd.