Horkim, a source of inspiration, transformed the modest dining table into a veritable culinary festival, crowned with a variety of dishes and drinks. Each of them, as if born of magic, enticed dwarves and gnomes with its appetizing appearance. Luxurious aromas filled the room, creating an excitement in the air, like a harbinger of untold adventures. All these culinary masterpieces intertwined in a gastronomic fireworks display, like a gift from the heavens.
Horkim, taking his place at the table, gestured for Vallynor to join. Despite Vallynor's initial misunderstanding regarding Horkim's behavior, admiration flickered in his eyes as he observed the variety of drinks spread across the table. Over the past few weeks, or rather, almost three months of their journey together, Vallynor had begun to unravel the mysteries of his unconventional mentor.
"At first, I resisted the idea of becoming your teacher. I simply didn't want to share my blacksmithing mastery with someone who saw it as entertainment. But now I ask myself: why now? I regret that you didn't appear in this world earlier, when it was still full of life and wonders," Horkim expounded, avoiding Vallynor's gaze, perhaps out of shame or some other secret reason. His words sounded like a melody woven into the world's noise, filling the gnome's inner world with incredible harmony.
Vallynor silently listened to Horkim's words, feeling a deep attachment to the gnome, revealing Horkim's inner world before him like the pages of a fantasy book filled with mysterious plots.
"I wouldn't dare say you possess incredible talent, but your spirit and ambition—those are truly priceless. Remember these words. That's what they told me when I studied under the first blacksmith in this world!" exclaimed Horkim with enthusiasm, producing two mugs from his sleeve, as if opening the treasure chest of his soul. The sparkle in his eyes was brighter than the shine of the most precious metal. Seconds flowed like a stream of inspiration, rising to the peaks of imagination.
Taking a mug, Vallynor gratefully met Horkim's gaze. "The first blacksmith?" he inquired, immersing himself in the atmosphere of the story. It was a question opening new perspectives before him, as if he had opened the door to an uncharted world.
"Oh, I'm sure Caesar didn't share this story with you. In brief, in times when Death had not yet tread upon this world, the immortal races flourished. One representative of humanity took up the challenge of the blacksmith's art and became its first master. Even the God-Smiths honed their craft following his teachings, and I became one of his students!" Horkim proudly recounted, as if breathing in the very essence of creativity.
"Gods? Are you talking about Hephaestus, Wayland, and the like?" Vallynor inquired. His mind was shrouded in the mist of mystery, and every word from Horkim unveiled a new chapter in the world's history, something Vallynor could not even dream of.
"As for Wayland, I cannot say, but Hephaestus—yes, we were comrades in the craft for roughly the same period. A remarkable fellow, but unfortunately, he is often underestimated," sighed Horkim, like an old bard, recalling the days of his youth. His words carried the magic of the past, as if the enchanted dust of time.
"You mean to say that even the Gods learned from mortals?" Vallynor tried to unravel the mysteries of the past, like an explorer treading unseen paths. Based on Caesar's tales, the second God in this world became Death. But if the first blacksmith was mortal, and Hephaestus - a god, how did it all fit together?
"Of course, the Gods took lessons from mythical beings. Imagine, all creatures born before the appearance of the God of Death became mortal, yet at the same time mythical. Their descendants, those whom we know now, took on the form that we see. Even the first God, a gnome, was a student of these great beings. And yes, just to clarify, not all mythical beings could become gods. Why? That's a mystery," Horkim shared his knowledge like a wise wizard, unveiling the mysterious pages of the scroll of time.
"And Hephaestus was lame, in both legs?" Vallynor, pondering Horkim's words, discovered a new facet of knowledge for himself. But now it was secondary; the main thing was to uncover the secrets of childhood stories about Greek gods. Like an enchanting storyteller, Horkim gave him the key to the gates of uncharted lands.
"Hephaestus? He was lame, but only in one leg, as far as I know," replied Horkim, stroking his beard, reminiscing about those distant times. Each of his words was like a tiny stone, fitting into the mosaic of his narrative.
"And do you regret him? Can you tell me why?" Vallynor, intrigued by the new discoveries, challenged Horkim with this question, like an adventurer ready to explore the depths of the mysterious lake.
"Well, this guy was abandoned from the start, and those who found him took him in. The first blacksmith saw potential in Hephaestus, as he was at the very heart of the volcano. The blacksmith decided to forge weapons, using the fire of this volcano. So Hephaestus became acquainted with the art of blacksmithing, and the first blacksmith took him as his apprentice. The details are unknown to me, as he never shared them with me," Horkim concluded his tale, like a legendary poet, encapsulating the hero's fate in verses.
Half-empty mug of beer Horkim raised up, and his eyes sparkled with happiness:
"Oh, how long I haven't enjoyed this... ahhh. Simply splendid! Hephaestus, who learned the art of blacksmithing. Returned to the realm of the gods, where they revel and indulge in debauchery. Demonstrating his skill, he got a knife in the back. And in the form of a "wife" - a harpy named Aphrodite... Brrr, just her sight is enough to make you sweat."
"What? Aphrodite? But she's the goddess of beauty! How can she be terrifying?" Vallynor, familiar with a sufficient number of stories, knew that Aphrodite was a first-rate prostitute. But to consider her terrifying — that's a question. Vallynor pondered over all the known facts.
"She? A beauty? Are you kidding me? She's a vile witch, using illusions and olfactory magic. Listen closely, she's a repulsive creature who deceives everyone. As long as no one is near her, all her beauty disappears, like magic. Becoming the opposite. And only when someone looks at her, she becomes a beauty according to their taste..." - After the explanation, Horkim, ready to finish, finished his mug and reached for the bottles with his other hand. However, seeing that they were empty, he even looked inside to leave not a drop. Then he took a new bottle, opened it, filled his mug and Vallynor's mug. The latter sat silently, pondering Horkim's words.
"Why is that?" - At some point, Vallynor came to his senses and wanted to know why Aphrodite was terrifying.
"It's not that hard to understand. What do you think she represents?" - Smiling, Horkim gave Vallynor time to answer.
"Beauty?" - Vallynor asked uncertainly.
"Yes, beauty!" - Horkim nodded. - "But here's the catch: beauty is subjective, and everyone has their own taste. So she must adapt to the taste of whoever is looking. Getting rid of ugly features that don't appeal to the viewer. And now tell me, what's so strange about proposing a law on alchemy, equivalent to exchange?"
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ChatGPT
"Equivalent exchange?... You mean to say she attains the desired beauty, giving something else in return. But when it's not needed anymore, everything returns back, possibly even uglier?"
"You hit the nail on the head. She sacrifices a part of herself each time for fleeting beauty she desires. Guess... How does she restore part of her beauty or vitality? Well, you know what I'm talking about... You'll never guess! She takes it from the sacrifices of young virgin girls and men. Taking their virginity and beauty."
"Hmm? I know she prefers men, but with girls, I don't recall hearing about that."
"Hahaha, this lady even slept with her own father and even her mother and stepmothers. She slept with anyone and everyone. Hahaha!" - Unable to contain his laughter, Horkim recalled the atrocities committed by this monster.
"Yeah. Disgusting creature."
"And what did I say! You already understand the truth." - Horkim almost shouted with joy, finishing his mug. Then he looked at Vallynor, who hadn't started drinking yet: - "What are you sitting for, drink. It won't affect your judgment anyway, since you're half undead."
Vallynor looked at his mug and drank it all in one go. Then he reached out to Horkim for refills.
"That's more like it. I see you'll enjoy this drink. Come on, drink while there's still some left. Because such delightful liquid you won't be able to taste in the near future."
"You mentioned that Aphrodite changes according to the taste of the observer. But how did you learn about her distorted form?"
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
"Hmm, there are always those who wish to know the truth, or as they say, the truth. There was this one fanatic God of Knowledge. He sought to know the truth and used a clever trick. He looked with the eyes of the world at Aphrodite's reflection in the water when she was bathing. They say that this God died and went to some realm of the dead. And those who lived there kicked him back into the world of the living. Don't forget what he had done before."
"Sounds familiar?" - Pondering where he might have heard something similar, Vallynor drank from his mug.
"What's causing dissatisfaction at this moment? Just grab a mug and enjoy the moment! Haha!" – Horkim said with a mischievous smile, relaxing in the mysterious mood of Vallynor. He handed him a mug as if it were a gift, and Vallynor, unable to resist, clinked his cup against Horkim's glass, prompting Horkim to take a couple of sips and soften his mood.
"Yeah, I was just lost in thought," – said Vallynor, taking a few sips. His gaze turned to Horkim, who seemed to have already finished the sixth bottle down to the last drop.
"Hm-hm, Vallynor, my dear... The Queen of the Forest has so much wealth... Did you happen to come across a bottle of excellent wine? You see, my supplies are limited, and I'm willing to pay a decent sum for quality liquor. The main thing is to have something to delight with," – Horkim asked somewhat timidly, as if he had an important matter at hand, and he even slowed down his words to give them weight.
"I don't know," – Vallynor replied instantly.
"How come?" – Horkim asked, opening his eyes wide.
"I didn't check all the treasures we took. They're all in the Queen of the Forest's vault. I was busy mining ore and nothing more."
"Why didn't you check?" – Horkim inquired, rising from the table and grabbing onto Vallynor's clothes as if to steady himself.
"There are so many coins and items, the value of which is unclear to me. I didn't want to waste time on such trivialities. Everything I need, I can find in this city. I had more important matters to attend to."
"You're a strange man. Others would have conducted a detailed inventory right away and started investigating."
"Mmm! Maybe because I'm half undead?" – Vallynor suggested, smiling thoughtfully.
"If you want, I can offer a quick consultation. And if we find wine, I'll take the first bottle for free... no, two!" – Horkim tasted the idea of free quality alcohol as if heavenly angels had given him nectar. But, of course, it was all just dwarven fantasies.
"Why not!" – Vallynor, after a moment's thought, agreed. He was curious to know what treasures were stored by the Queen of the Forest, and besides, getting a consultation for two bottles of alcohol sounded like a good deal.
"Then follow me" – Horkim, joyfully hopping, headed to the basement along the same path Vallynor used to mine ore.
"Bring everything here. Don't worry about anyone noticing. Everything's fine thanks to Caesar's protection" – confirmed Horkim, and Vallynor brought out all the riches that filled half the room and a significant portion of the floor. The room turned out to be quite spacious.
"(Whistle) It's like an ocean of coins! And the room, it's simply gigantic. Approximately 38 meters in length, 45 meters in width, and, if my estimates are correct, about 70-75 meters in height."
"Why such dimensions?" – Vallynor was amazed by the magnitude of his wealth. After defeating the Queen of the Forest and her son, he summoned the undead to gather all the treasures in one place and personally sent them to the ring.
"Well then, let's get started. First, let's get rid of these coins. Even if they're made of rare ores, like magical gold, they're useless without magic. Nowadays, every drop of magic must be valued. Of course, you don't have to adhere to this, as you're Caesar's favorite!"
"Why are the coins useless?" – Vallynor had long pondered this, and only now found a reason to ask.
"It's very simple! You can't buy anything with them. They're interstellar currency used by major trading houses. Essentially, it's infinity. You can buy planets, uninhabited and not belonging to any god, not overflowing with precious resources. But here, coins are no good; you can only use them as toilet paper."
"An entire planet? There must be an infinite number of them. But first of all, what are these trading houses?"
"These are huge families or guilds engaged in trade across multiple worlds. It's important to note that they are oriented toward the higher worlds, like our world before the war."
"Higher worlds?..." - pondered Vallynor.
"What, you don't know about that either? What the hell did Caesar teach you? What holes you can crawl into and which ones you can't?" – Horkim expressed his dissatisfaction, unsurprisingly, that Vallynor didn't know such things. These pieces of knowledge, like coins, seemed useless now. Time might teach him. But the fundamental questions, such as categorizing worlds, he should have known long ago.
"No, I know. I was just thinking... Why are they oriented specifically toward higher worlds? Besides the fact that there are many valuable treasures there. They could earn by trading goods in middle and lower worlds as well." – Vallynor recalled Caesar's lectures, where he explained the division of worlds into categories. Some worlds possess several times more energy, mana, than others, which can yield more valuable resources. This explained why traders ignored the lower worlds. But the middle worlds were also suitable for trading.
"What's so complicated about this? Honestly, I've also asked myself this question. Until I found out that they can lose more than they can earn on these worlds. It's related to the energy they have to spend on creating tunnels between worlds. And most importantly, powerful beings cannot enter the lower worlds, at least not with their physical bodies. That's why when we were born in other worlds, we only lost memories but kept our goals and assignments. So we could develop and carry out our tasks."
"So, it's just not profitable for them?"
"Yes! Now summon your servants and make them collect the coins. Let them at least clear some space... Phew, even such treasures this old lady had." – Horkim, stomping on the coins, found several unusual specimens. Perhaps something he accidentally noticed. Quickly gathering them, he dashed to the corner.
Meanwhile, Vallynor summoned ten undead humans and ordered them to clear the corner and fill it with coins. Then he headed towards Horkim, stepping on coins of various colors. Some sparkled purple, others black, and so on. But for Vallynor, it was indifferent. He still didn't know how to assess and use them.
During this time, Horkim extracted a small box from the coins. His eyes sparkled with joy upon realizing what it was. The box was filled with bottles of wine. And not just any wine!
"What's this?" – Vallynor, pondering, asked, looking at the silent Horkim, who just stared.
"This... this... is dragon wine! Imperial class!" - Horkim almost shouted in response. Then, blushing, he turned and said, - "I'm ready to give all my coins to the trading houses and the list of connections with them for this box."
Vallynor silently examined the box. He began to assess, weighing all the possibilities. To leave the box or give it away. But first.
"I want to see these bottles!"
"Alright!" – Horkim quickly opened the box. Together with Vallynor, they saw nine intact bottles. Horkim took one in his hands and examined it closely. It was as if he was embracing his beloved elf.
Vallynor was a bit wary. He expected to see a box full of bottles. But there were only nine. Taking one bottle in his hand, he felt nothing strange except that the bottle was made of expensive glass. Inside, it teemed with energy, but it was unclear whether it was magic or something else.
"So, do you agree to my offer?" – Horkim, with eyes burning, looked at Vallynor, not allowing him to refuse.
"I can't understand why they don't keep them in magic rings?" – Vallynor thought and, finding no answer, decided to ask anyway.
"It's very simple! Many types of drinks require time as a catalyst. Besides, some of them can spoil, staying too long in spatial rings."
"Understood." – Vallynor nodded, recalling several lessons in alchemy and chemistry that touched on this topic.
"So, do we have a deal?" – Horkim asked, almost hopping from one foot to the other, waiting to hear a positive response.
"Alright!" – After considering the offer, Vallynor accepted it. The drink was useless to him. It was better to get the coins from these merchants. Although, in the end, what was wealth when all material treasures were emptiness in this world.
Horkim quickly moved the box with the drinks into the ring and pulled out another ring, handing it to Vallynor. Taking it, Vallynor discovered a multitude of coins. Glancing at the pile gathered by the undead, he thought he had become richer. But this rich world had not provided him with the means to change his fate.
Approaching the pile of coins, Vallynor instantly transferred all the collected coins into the ring. Weighing it on his finger to avoid having to pull it out multiple times to collect coins.
"Let's continue!" – Horkim was happy, dreaming of even greater discoveries.
Vallynor nodded, approaching Horkim and observing as the dwarf sorted ores by type and quality, as if assessing each stone. Vallynor rarely took ore for his blacksmithing work after giving some to Horkim. Almost always, he received everything he needed from the gnome.
"There are many types of ore and different qualities here. I sorted some of them, and I entrusted the rest to my undead." – Horkim glanced over the small piles of ore, carefully examining the letters and numbers drawn on each piece.
Vallynor, summoning his undead, ordered them to gather ore of the same color and with similar marks into one pile. He watched as his undead tried to follow the order, separating the ores into piles. At this time, he noticed that Horkim was pulling out a box from the pile, which apparently contained weapons.
"Yikes... Uh, Vallynor, don't just stand there, come and help. It's heavy, damn it." – Horkim tried to extract the box, pulling it with all his might, but the box didn't budge an inch, as if it weighed several tons.
Vallynor, hearing the request for help, couldn't refuse. Pulling together in the direction where space was cleared of coins and ore, he returned to the pile of coins, took a few, and quickly headed back to Horkim.
Horkim sat by the open box, his mouth agape as if surprised by something. Vallynor, looking at him, thought that perhaps he had found something valuable inside. Approaching closer, Vallynor peered into the box and saw a ladder.
"What's this?" – Puzzled, Vallynor asked. He already suspected that it must be something like an internal pocket but one you could be inside.
"...Spatial box. This item, like the rings on your hand, contains a small space. But unlike the ring, which freezes time, in this box, time flows, so you can enter these spatial items."
"Hmm... Let one of my undead enter first." – Reflecting, Vallynor ordered one of his undead to enter the box and exit after a few seconds.
Watching all this, Horkim asked skeptically, "Why are you so cautious? Could there be something dangerous inside? Even if this box is very strong, it won't withstand huge energy, like explosive traps, and everything inside will be destroyed... Besides, why hasn't your undead come out yet?"
"As expected!" – Vallynor replied seriously.
"What happened? Was there a trap after all?" - Horkim asked incredulously.
"Yes, but not as extensive as you thought. It was poisonous! It corrodes everything like acid. I'll send a few more undead to neutralize the traps and a scout for inspection."