Chapter 217: Garry’s Absence
"Why is there no one here?"
Ash thought as he looked around inside the rundown forge. The place felt lifeless. There were no weapons displayed, no tools lying on the workbenches, and everything was in disarray, as though someone had left in a hurry without even bothering to lock the door. Dust clung faintly to the shelves, and the faint smell of burnt metal still lingered in the air, making the silence feel even heavier.
He was currently standing inside Garry’s forge, the very place where his Soul Sword had been made. Ash had come here thinking of asking Garry to make a few more things for him, since they already knew each other. But when he arrived, there was no sign of the old blacksmith.
Sigh... looks like I’ll have to ask those dwarfs to make my things instead...
To be honest, Ash really didn’t want to ask a dwarf for anything. First of all, dwarves were hard to deal with. Once they got to know you, they were overly friendly, loud, and heavy drinkers. And their laughter...
"Damn, just thinking about it gives me chills..."
Ash never drank alcohol, and he was not the kind to suddenly become overly friendly with strangers. So dealing with them was going to be troublesome for him. And that was only if they considered him a friend. If they didn’t... then things became dangerous. Dwarves were more united than any other race — if even one of them was wronged, the entire race would take up their hammers and march to split the skull of the offender.
Even if it meant their entire race would get wiped out in the process. They were a stubborn and tenacious bunch. And the main thing... they hated beautiful people.
Yes, that was one of the reasons Ash had come here. He wanted to get something that could suppress his charm. Otherwise, he would have to hide his face all the time, and that would only make him look suspicious.
Closing the forge door behind him, Ash stepped out into the streets. The sun was dipping lower, casting a soft orange glow across the slum streets. He ran a hand through his hair, already thinking ahead.
If Garry wasn’t around, then there was no point wasting more time here. The sooner he left for the dwarven lands, the sooner he could get what he needed — and maybe deal with a few other matters along the way.
The thought carried him straight toward the teleportation point in the city. Of course, it wasn’t possible to teleport directly into the dwarven stronghold, but he could travel to the far northern edge of the human continent. From there, he could use Transcendent Step to reach their lands.