Chapter 479
Unite (2)
Dwarves might seem less prominent compared to other races, but when examined closely, they’re quite a peculiar race.
They’re widely recognized as blacksmiths with excellent craftsmanship who make tools well, and they’re notably short in stature.
However, their small size allows them to easily navigate tight spaces, making them well-suited for mining.
Also, contrary to the perception that small stature means weakness, they are actually extremely strong.
This misconception stems from their reluctance to engage in combat, unlike the aggressive Beastkin or humans who fight among themselves at every opportunity.
But once you see a dwarf who isn’t a blacksmith but a warrior in battle, that misconception will completely disappear.
Their compact bodies make them difficult to counter, and they have excellent balance.
Unless facing small races like goblins, dwarves naturally target the lower body of their opponents.
Just as humans focus on attacking the legs first when facing ogres, dwarves employ similar tactics.
They’re a race that shouldn’t be underestimated, but thanks to their inherently cheerful and optimistic nature, they haven’t had major conflicts with other races.
However, dwarves do have one significant flaw…
[A race that will craft weapons even for devils if paid enough.]
[Master craftsmen have pride that money can’t buy, but they don’t.]
[Be careful when dealing with dwarves. They might not eat your back, but they’ll openly cut off your nose.]
That flaw is “greed.” The greediness of dwarves is acknowledged worldwide, and dwarves themselves are well aware of it.
In truth, dwarves weren’t always greedy. As a race of craftsmen, they took immense pride in their work and focused solely on it.
However, after the “Racial War” broke out, their greed began to surface dramatically.
Even though the human alliance had learned magic from the demon race, the fundamental difference in abilities made it extremely difficult to face elves.
So the human alliance paid enormous sums to dwarves for weapons.
If basic abilities were lacking, then at least the weapons had to be good! Otherwise, they wouldn’t stand a chance against those elves!
With this mindset, the human alliance equipped not only knights but also ordinary soldiers with dwarf-made weapons.
Additionally, they purchased magical items for more efficient magic use, clothes, accessories, and most importantly, iron and other materials.
It was like America’s “Lend-Lease Act” on Earth. The difference was that it wasn’t lending but outright purchasing.
Anyway, Machina gained tremendous wealth from the Racial War and simultaneously earned a reputation.
Machina then used that money to generously distribute grants. That distributed money naturally led to more dwarf craftsmanship.
[Dwarf-made weapons are reliable!]
[Items made by dwarves guarantee 100% quality.]
[You still won’t buy it? Really?]
This cycle has continued for 300 years until now. Even ordinary-looking items command premium prices if they’re dwarf-made.
Unless dwarves commit fraud, their craftsmanship is certain. They would never commit fraud.
The problem is that this craftsmanship can be bought with money. It’s truly honest business, so there’s nothing to criticize.
Even the Minerva Empire with its powerful economy is merely a customer of Machina.
While dwarf-made items are impressive, the most important aspect is “metallurgy.” As a race of blacksmiths, their metal-working ability is unparalleled.
Many scholars assess that dwarven metallurgy is at least several steps ahead compared to other races.
Humans struggle but can’t catch up to dwarves, while demons and elves are naturally powerful races with magic, so they don’t rely on technology.
Lastly, Beastkin have only recently established civilization, so their technology is underdeveloped.
Most importantly, Machina, the country of dwarves, has never been involved in war since its founding.
Of course, there were many difficulties during its establishment, but they were essentially nominal. Their natural inclination toward crafting keeps them away from fighting.
Wouldn’t that make them isolated? How could they be isolated when humans next door highly value dwarf-made items?
Due to this peculiar history and racial characteristics, dwarves maintain a strong presence, knowingly or unknowingly.
Up close, they might be dismissed as a race with good craftsmanship, but from afar, they’re a race involved in major events.
Objectively, they are certainly “craftsmen,” but ironically, they’re a race where the essential virtue of craftsmanship—”pride”—can be bought with money.
Because of this, a scholar once strongly criticized the greed of dwarves:
[For every dwarf we kill, they will sell us the weapons to do it.]
Similar to what the Iron Marshal once said, it’s an inscription that honestly represents the greed of dwarves.
And as time passed, these peculiar racial characteristics led to a massive problem.
“Why! Why won’t you recognize the magical locomotive as my invention!”
Eins, the inventor of the magical engine, slammed the table with his thick hands and shouted.
His face was bright red despite not having drunk any alcohol, and his lush brown beard was trembling.
It was directly evident how angry Eins was, and his eyes were burning with rage.
“How dare you raise your voice! Lower it immediately!”
In response to Eins’s shout, a dwarf standing opposite him frowned and responded sternly.
Unlike Eins, who had burn marks all over, the dwarf, presumably an official, wore a monocle and was very neat.
Usually, dwarves are naturally blacksmiths, but that was before the Racial War.
After getting a proper taste of money during the Racial War, there’s been an increase in dwarves like the one in front who are only obsessed with money.
“I’m saying this because I know! You didn’t care at all before, so why now!”
“How dare you use such vulgar language before the king! I’ve told you many times to shut your mouth!”
“That’s why I’m asking for a reason! What nonsense is this about making the magical engine state property!”
While Eins and the official were shouting at each other, there was one person who remained calm.
That was a dwarf sitting opposite Eins. But this dwarf was unique in a different way.
Besides the lush beard characteristic of dwarves, the ornaments hanging all over his body were noticeable.
He wore dazzling rings on each finger, and even the ornaments binding each strand of his beard were made of gold.
And what about his crown? Usually, crowns are made of pure gold, but the crown this dwarf wore exceeded that category.
The entire crown was one massive diamond. It might sound impossible, but it really was a diamond.
To top it off, there were jewels embedded in the crown. If Isaac had seen the crown and its jewels, he would have commented:
It’s like a crown made from what a purple space bully would wear on his hand. The only difference is that the base is diamond.
“What else could it be? You may have invented it, but you’re not the originator, that’s why.”
The king of Machina, the embodiment of greed, Bourju V, answered as if it was obvious.
He was the dwarf king who had tasted money after the Racial War and was now trying to steal Eins’s invention.
Eins stopped arguing with the official and glared at Bourju V upon hearing his words.
His face showed no intimidation despite being in front of the king.
“You won’t recognize it because Zenon is the originator? Zenon clearly said I could do as I pleased!”
“Then we can do as we please too. Without Zenon’s idea, you wouldn’t have invented the magical engine.”
This is sophistry of the highest order. Eins momentarily closed his eyes and barely suppressed the urge to grab the back of his neck.
Not just Eins, but Isaac too would have been genuinely flabbergasted if he had heard that statement.
The magical engine, or rather the steam engine that serves as its prototype, is something that would have been invented naturally anyway.
In fact, even the water pump that serves as the basis for the steam engine was invented long ago. Isaac merely shared knowledge from a future that wasn’t the future.
However, the problem was that this invention was beyond innovative—it was truly world-changing.
Also, the world’s most famous “artisan” had shown the steam locomotive in a book.
Bourju V had transformed the entire nation into an arms dealer during the Racial War and made enormous profits.
Among various other reasons, it ultimately came down to “greed.” He claimed to revoke ownership rights because he wanted Eins’s magical engine.
“Don’t talk nonsense! You’re saying I made it because Zenon suggested it first? You’ve read The Chronicles of Zenon too! The inventor of the steam locomotive mentioned there is me!”
If Isaac had heard this, he would have said, “Ah, that was a coincidence.”
“Oh, that? You said before that your apprentice would invent the steam locomotive, carrying on your will. Are you changing your story now?”
But Eins and others firmly believe it. If Isaac had seen this, he would have laughed heartily.
“That future no longer exists! I just want rightful ownership!”
“You know one thing but not another. You don’t know how much potential the magical engine has.”
In this exchange of pleas and sophistry, Bourju V looked at Eins with contempt and chided him.
“The magical engine has the power to move even that huge mass of iron. It can be applied not just to magical locomotives but in various fields. For example, machinery.”
“What?”
“It means you can replace machines that require magic to operate with the magical engine.”
As the country of dwarves, Machina has well-developed mechanical engineering. It’s just not established as a “theory” yet.
With their naturally good craftsmanship and strong “instincts,” they often create things on their own.
Various inventions like refrigerators and air conditioners were born from dwarf hands, but upon closer inspection, many bear the touch of elves.
Let’s take air conditioning as an example. In hot weather, elves use cold magic to deal with the heat.
Dwarves see this and think, “What if we put that in a machine?” They get the magic formula from elves and incorporate it.
After this abnormal process, mechanical engineering developed, but physics ended up depending on elves.
“A power that can replace things if there’s just a driving force. This alone can amass enormous wealth. Magic? Only the pointy-ears and horned ones can use it well. It would be an essential power for other races, including dwarves.”
“…”
“Moreover, the items made by those horned ones are not to be taken lightly. Especially since they have magic, making production easier. It means we could lose all the markets we’ve monopolized.”
A greedy personality with corresponding insight. In reality, the items produced by Helium were not at all inferior to those of dwarves.
If dwarf-made items had strong hardware, demon items had strong software thanks to magic.
If Helium had remained isolated, the world market would have belonged to Machina, but with the emergence of a powerful nation like Helium, they couldn’t just stand by.
Coincidentally, with Eins’s invention of the magical engine, they planned to transform the entire country into a massive “factory.”
The reason for seizing ownership rights was to deploy magical engines everywhere by mass-producing them.
“Think of it as sacrificing for the country. In return, your name will be inscribed in a page of history. Not to mention the accumulation of vast wealth.”
“You… you…”
Eins was too dumbfounded to speak. Regardless, Bourju V smiled broadly, showing his teeth.
Reflecting his greed, even his teeth were plated with shiny gold.
Seeing this, Eins felt his barely maintained reason snap.
“Do you know how many dwarves are collapsing! How many more of our kin do you plan to grind down!”
As Eins shouted, Machina currently has a quite abnormal structure. First, Machina is the society closest to “capitalism.”
After getting a proper taste of money 300 years ago, their desire for money intensified, and at some point, wealth began to surpass power.
Nevertheless, the reason Bourju V could maintain royal authority was because the entire nation became an “arms dealer” supporting the human alliance.
Naturally, the royal family earned the most money, and at a point where wealth became power, the monarchy became nominal.
But this also brought a major side effect: the emergence of a “worker” class.
Originally, the term “worker” is used consistently after the Industrial Revolution, but the racial characteristics of dwarves shifted in a negative direction.
“There’s a cartload of our kin collapsing just from making weapons!”
They began treating individual dwarves not as workers but as “factories.”
“And you want to suck more blood here? What are you thinking!”
“Then can you handle the exploding demand? Do you know how many regions are struggling because our weapons are in short supply?”
Due to the existence of “monsters,” stopping these factories was virtually impossible.