Chapter 117: Duke Valiard
Aldrian was guided by a butler as they walked through numerous hallways. Along the way, he noticed many artifacts on display, mostly armaments and defensive items, lining either side of the corridors. When he arrived at the guest room and sat down on a sofa in the luxurious space, he inspected the room, finding it filled with various kinds of artifacts.
He even detected a hidden mechanism, which he surmised to be part of a defense or attack system. Unlike formations that draw upon heaven and earth energy to function, the mechanism here seemed to operate like a giant artifact, triggered by some sort of mechanism without the use of energy.
Aldrian was amazed by the intricacies of the mechanism, as it was his first time seeing something like it. It differed from the formations he could create by simply shaping heaven and earth energy. While he marveled at the artifacts around him, the guest room door opened, and a dwarf dressed in casual clothes entered.
The dwarf appeared to be middle-aged, with reddish hair and a beard that reached his neck, tanned skin, and well-defined muscles typical of his kind. Aldrian also noticed traces of sweat on the dwarf’s skin and the faint scent of a furnace lingering on him.
"Darvin Valiard, he was probably in his workshop just now." Aldrian thought
Aldrian smiled as the dwarf approached.
"Welcome. I heard from my guards that you have a sword crafted by me that needs repairing. Please, take out the sword so I can inspect the damaged part," the dwarf said.
"Duke Valiard, it’s an honor to meet you." Aldrian gave a slight bow before continuing, "Please, take a look at this sword." He retrieved the sword from his storage ring, presenting it to the duke, whose eyes widened in surprise.
"You’re the owner of this sword?" Duke Valiard asked, his eyes narrowing.