Among the blueprints that Lu Qiuchen produced was a weapon design that this Dwarven Grandmaster had never seen before.
Although the Grandmaster was skeptical that it was truly designed by a dragon, he didn’t want to provoke one.
At the same time, he feared that using the design without permission might cause offense, which is why he asked in the first place.
“Of course you may.”
Lu Qiuchen readily agreed upon hearing this, as she was never concerned about such matters.
Putting aside the advantages a greatsword has over other polearm-type weapons, even if everyone else used weapons identical to Zhang Cheng’s, the difference in material alone meant they faced an inherent disadvantage against him.
Moreover, in this world, there was no concept of technological patents, and this design didn’t reach a technical barrier level.
With some study and minor adjustments, this Grandmaster could craft a different variant of the greatsword.
Naturally, Lu Qiuchen had one additional requirement: the enchantments had to be top-tier.
But this worry was unnecessary.
Compared to the financially strained Grey Dwarves, the Golden Dwarves not only sat atop mountains of gold but also collaborated extensively with numerous mages.
Enchanting weapons didn’t require Lu Qiuchen’s involvement—it was already done.
And this was the Grandmaster’s masterpiece; naturally, everything about it had to be the best.
As for the competition between the two clans, Lu Qiuchen really couldn’t discern any significant difference in forging techniques.
But judging from their attitudes toward enchantments, it was clear the Grandmaster was more skilled than the Grey Dwarves’ masters.
So when the Grandmaster inquired about the outcome of the clan contest, Lu Qiuchen gave high praise to their craftsmanship.
The Grey Dwarves could only serve as mere foils, while the Golden Dwarves rejoiced heartily.
After securing the greatsword and the full set of plate armor, Lu Qiuchen was escorted out of the workshop area by the elated dwarves.
Following the contact from the contract, she headed toward Zhang Cheng’s location.
*****
The Golden Glory Sanctuary, also known as the Hall of the Supreme Throne, was a landmark building in the capital of the Dwarven Kingdom, Silver City.
Osavero Copperbeard, wearing a mithril crown, sat majestically upon the ornate Supreme Throne.
He responded to Zhang Cheng, who stood below on the long staircase: “I have received your request, but I’m afraid that the crystal no longer holds any trade value.”
Ignoring Zhang Cheng’s reaction, the Supreme King turned his gaze to Ivanti Copperbeard, standing beside Zhang Cheng, and spoke sternly:
“Ivanti, you must not have paid attention during your history lessons, which is why this blunder occurred. After your work today, make sure to catch up on that knowledge. I will arrange for someone to check on this in the future, so you won’t embarrass yourself before guests again.”
Seeing Ivanti bow her head silently accepting the reprimand, Zhang Cheng looked on, bewildered.
‘The Sky Shard no longer has trade value? What does that mean?’
After admonishing his niece, the Supreme King explained the situation to Zhang Cheng:
“Thousands of years ago, our dwarven ancestors began researching fragments of the Sky Crystal, delving deeply into its source of power.”
“Their efforts failed, but the Golden Dwarves never lost their spirit of perseverance. For thousands of years afterward, we continued researching the Sky Shard fragments…”
Watching the Supreme King’s proud expression, Zhang Cheng’s heartbeat quickened.
Could these dwarves really have made some breakthrough? That would complicate the mission…
How could he convince them to give up the fragments? Would he have to resort to force in the end?
Zhang Cheng’s mind raced, his expression constantly shifting.
“Our ancestors ultimately found no results. The crystal was reduced to shards through the research, losing its original effect and leaving only negative side effects. The craftsmen of that era sealed it away.”
“Those shards are useless now. I can give them to you for free, but it’s been thousands of years, and they have long since disappeared. If you wish, I can send people to provide clues, but after that, you will have to find them yourself.”
‘They’ve been reduced to shards, and they’re lost… Even if I find them, can they still be used?’
Zhang Cheng felt as if tens of thousands of alpacas had stampeded through his mind, a curse stuck in his throat.
But in the end, he forced himself to remain calm and pretended to be deep in thought.
He called out quietly to Lai in his mind, “Lai! Can the Sky Shard still be used after it’s been shattered?”
“It’s been shattered? Who did this? Damn it!”
Hearing his treasured item described so carelessly made Lai furious.
Zhang Cheng quickly relayed the Supreme King’s answer to him.
Lai’s voice calmed, but Zhang Cheng could still hear relief in it:
“That’s fine. As long as not too much was lost, it can still be restored in the end.”
Hearing Lai’s confirmation, Zhang Cheng breathed a slight sigh of relief and expressed no objections to the Supreme King, thanking him for his generosity.
Seeing that Zhang Cheng had no further questions, the Supreme King shot a fierce glare at Ivanti, signaling her to continue with the arrangements for Zhang Cheng before announcing the meeting’s end.
Ivanti, that little troublemaker, came to bother me over such a trivial matter. And she embarrassed herself so badly in front of humans this time; perhaps I have spoiled her too much before, Osavero thought, vowing to increase her discipline going forward.
*****
Following the grim-faced Ivanti out of the hall, Zhang Cheng quietly asked, “Ivanti, do you have any leads on the Sky Shard fragments? I can pay for the search; how about the electrum I showed you before as a reward?”
Just now, the Supreme King had given him unfortunate news. Although he agreed to let Zhang Cheng search for the Sky Shard, both Zhang Cheng and Lu Qiuchen lacked the time and energy right now.
There were still many fragments waiting to be found elsewhere. It made more sense to hire the local Golden Dwarves to search.
Golden Dwarves were known worldwide for their straightforwardness and strong sense of commitment.
Even the orcs, who were usually at odds with the Golden Dwarves, acknowledged these traits.
In Golden Dwarven culture, a promise must never be broken lightly. Otherwise, the soul could not enter the ancestral hall after death.
Moreover, breaking a promise not only tarnished one’s own reputation but also harmed the entire clan’s standing.
In severe cases, the offender could be stripped of their surname and exiled to a distant land—an extremely harsh punishment for dwarves.
Therefore, mercenaries among traveling dwarves were very popular.
Now that Zhang Cheng had electrum to offer as payment, he had no fear of Golden Dwarves lacking enthusiasm.
“I didn’t want to trouble you with this, but unfortunately, I don’t have the time to do it myself. So I want to hire some trustworthy dwarves and entrust them to find those shards for me.”
Zhang Cheng took out an ingot of electrum, sliced off a third with his sword, and showed it to Ivanti.
Previously, Lu Qiuchen had given him two ingots of electrum to exchange for the Sky Shard.
But since the Supreme King had agreed to give him the useless shards for free, these electrum ingots were now at his disposal.
Zhang Cheng didn’t know the exact value of the electrum Lu Qiuchen gave him, but he calculated a reasonable starting offer.
After all, the shards were ancient relics thousands of years old, and if the price was unsatisfactory, they could still negotiate.
This purity of electrum was the same as he had seen from his mentor…
Seeing the electrum in Zhang Cheng’s hand, Ivanti’s eyes lit up, deliberately ignoring the single-handed sword beside him.
As a newly minted Grandmaster blacksmith and a minor princess of the Copperbeard clan, Ivanti had never received any electrum quota nor taken on electrum orders.
She was deeply fascinated by this rare metal.
When she had seen the Grandmaster’s order to craft something entirely from electrum before, she was envious, and the prospect of a full ingot as payment thrilled her.
This time, acting as Zhang Cheng’s introducer to the Supreme King was not only a contribution to her clan but also an opportunity to get a little electrum for herself.
She didn’t need much—just enough to plate a forging hammer.
But Zhang Cheng’s offered reward already exceeded her expectations.
Seeing how much electrum she could get, she immediately became excited.
This was her electrum! Enough to make a small pure electrum forging hammer!
Such an opportunity could not be missed.
“No need to look any further! I’ll do it!” Ivanti shouted excitedly, volunteering herself.
Zhang Cheng was startled at first by her outburst but quickly recovered.
“Are you sure? If so, then let’s sign the contract.”
Earlier on the road, he had learned that Ivanti was the Supreme King’s niece, and her father was the current head of the Copperbeard clan.
With this princess identity, she definitely had extensive connections, greatly increasing the chances of finding the Sky Shard fragments.
At least it was far better than Zhang Cheng searching blindly himself.
And if she ultimately failed to find the fragments and breached the contract, those two would certainly step in to cover for her.
In that case, he was achieving his original goal with only one-sixth of the budget.
Although it might take longer, this was already an extremely suitable choice.
After three months, they should have collected some fragments and only needed to drop by occasionally, so Zhang Cheng and Lu Qiuchen didn’t need to worry much.
After seeing Ivanti nod, the two returned to the palace.
According to dwarven customs, they signed the contract in front of the ancestral hall.
The contract stipulated that Childers would pay Ivanti the full reward in one lump sum, and Ivanti must find the Sky Shard fragments within three months and hand over the complete shards afterward.
With the contract complete, Ivanti took the electrum from Zhang Cheng and stared at the silver-blue metal with a captivated expression.
Both parties were very satisfied with the agreement.
Zhang Cheng followed Ivanti out of the palace just as he sensed Lu Qiuchen approaching through the contract’s connection.
After meeting, Zhang Cheng fully informed Lu Qiuchen of the situation.
Although she was displeased about not obtaining the Sky Shard, she accepted the outcome.
Both declined Ivanti’s invitation to stay and hurriedly departed for the surface.