Chapter 109: Dragon Land
Blueprints!
Time was always ticking, and Damien who was constantly battling a fight against time knew that even now despite the celebratory atmosphere, he couldn’t afford to slack off.
Fortunately, before long, the celebration outside had turned into a low, the rhythmic hum of snoring dwarves and crackling bonfires resounded through the air.
While the city slept off the victory, a smaller, soberer gathering was taking place inside the secured workshop of the Old Clocktower.
Damien sat at a metal table, a piece of charcoal in his hand. Opposite him sat the new Prince Regent, Hephaestus, and the Grandmaster Artificer, Brokk.
Standing behind Damien were his shadow executives: Barnaby, clutching his golden abacus, and Cipher, blending into the corner.
"So," Brokk grunted, wiping grease from his mechanical eye. "You saved the King. You killed the dragon. You saved the city. By Dwarven law, we owe you a life debt. But knowing you, kid, you probably don’t want a debt. You want a contract."
"I want a partnership," Damien corrected, sketching rapid lines on a large sheet of parchment.
"Grandmaster, you built the Ironclads in a month. You turned scrap metal into an army. That proves one thing: Ironforge has the production capacity to conquer the world."
"Aye," Hephaestus nodded, his eyes shining. "If we mass-produce the Guardians—"
"No Guardians," Damien interrupted. He drew a large ’X’ over a diagram of a war-bot.
"War is profitable, yes. But war ends. And when war ends, soldiers stop buying swords."