Chapter 86: Debt 86 - Knowledge, Desires, and Objectives
Ryan had finally accepted being the new King and leading the elves of that village.
Of course, every elf in that place already knew just how powerful Ryan could be.
At least up until now, no one had dared to oppose him.
Although it was obvious.
At least as far as the elves were concerned, they had been saved twice by Ryan and his group.
Once the elven alchemist entered the meeting, they had her stand at one side of the table.
Because of what she had just said, everyone was paying close attention.
"So, do you really believe it’s possible to move this village to another territory?"
The alchemist fell silent for a couple of seconds.
Now that she was in front of everyone.
She seemed nervous.
Her hands were trembling, and she hid them behind her back.
Then she took a deep breath.
"Yes... of course, I don’t think it will be easy. But I have spent a long time thinking about how dungeons function, and how the demons manage to seal them."
Then the old woman interrupted.
"That is a mystery to us, but what does that have to do with what we are talking about?"
"Well... it’s just... let’s see, how should I put it..."
She paused to reflect for a moment.
And then, now that she was more relaxed, she began to speak in detail.
"The power that keeps this elven village inside the portal... in some way, I think it is similar to how the portals leading into dungeons are handled. And if you think about it carefully, there are dungeons that simply appear somewhere, or a rift opens up toward them."
She placed her hands on the table.
She seemed as if she had become excited while sharing her theories.
"What I believe is that the space keeping the dungeon open is sustained by the power of a very powerful core. That way, no matter how much time passes, the dungeon remains intact, and as you know, if the interior is damaged, it simply regenerates over time."
Then she fell silent for a second.
She looked at them intently.
"Therefore, I think that to move the village’s territory, what we really need is to manage to move the village entrance—to seal it within a core that we can open somewhere else."
Then the elders began to mutter among themselves after hearing her.
’I don’t think I fully understood that, and we already have the current problem with the village; we would have to fix it before trying anything else.’
The old woman raised her voice.
"What you say makes sense, but are you saying that you can do it?"
"No... well, right now I couldn’t. My knowledge isn’t enough..."
When she said that, everyone lowered their gaze; it was as if they thought those last words had only wasted time given everything said previously.
However, just as one of the elders was about to offer an opinion.
The alchemist spoke up again.
"But... that is only if I try it alone. If I had the help of a dwarf, then I am sure we could reach a solution quickly."
"’A dwarf?" Ryan asked out of curiosity.
"Yes. After all, the ancestors of the previous king, together with the dwarves, created the relic that gives life to the functioning of this village inside the portal."
"But right now, that is impossible," another elder present interjected.
"Why? What’s the problem?" Ryan asked.
The elder pulled his hands back from the table.
"That is because since the elves allied themselves with the Church, they have not had a good relationship with the dwarves. It is simply impossible to ask for their help; they won’t even let anyone get close to the dwarven city."
Then Ryan placed both elbows on the table, joined his hands with interlaced fingers, and let his chin rest there.
"I had thought that would work, but... it’s going to be a problem if we can’t even go there."
Then Kenia intervened as well.
"Even though it’s true that you could go, once you tell them you are working with elves, I don’t think they will agree."
Then Irina approached the table.
"I think... there is a way to bring a dwarf with us..."
Ryan looked at her.
"How? What do you have in mind?"
"Well, it’s just that... when I was little, my father used to maintain a good relationship with a dwarven blacksmith, and I used to go with him and play with his daughter."
She paused.
"If I manage to infiltrate the city and speak with her... I think she would understand the situation and help us."
Ryan spent a little more time reflecting.
"Fine, but... how will we enter the city without drawing attention?"
"I have an idea!" Karol spoke up.
Immediately, everyone turned to look at her.
Then she approached.
"You see, we know that the dwarves are having problems in the mines; lately, they have been invaded by many monsters. I remember seeing posters offering rewards for hunting them or guarding the expeditions."
She adjusted her hat as she continued speaking.
"So, we can infiltrate as adventurers. And once inside, look for Irina’s friend."
"That sounds good; I like the idea," Ryan commented while looking around to see if anyone had any complaints.
Apparently, after a long talk, everyone was in agreement.
But the matter was postponed; now they had to decide when they would go.
For now, there was something important Ryan wanted to ask the alchemist.
"By the way, Mika. I have these materials; do you think they could be used to forge a weapon?"
Ryan showed her the materials obtained in the dungeon.
When Mika saw them, her eyes lit up.
"Chi... chimera... seriously, I’ve always wanted to see materials like these..." She took the materials, and the rest approached to look with curiosity.
"Are they really good?" Ryan asked with some doubt.
"Good? They’re great! With these, I believe I can create a weapon for you, Your Majesty."
Ryan looked at her for a moment while the alchemist murmured to herself.
"Well, do you think you can make a sword with that?"
She nodded in affirmation.
At the end of the meeting, everyone left.
Ryan returned to the house of the former king.
It would be his home now.
The rest of his group accompanied him.
"This place is big, but which room will we stay in?"
"Ryan and I will sleep in the same room," Helen said as she clung to Ryan’s arm.
"Eh? Imposing your will again?" Mirian took Ryan’s arm and clung to him. "Ryan will sleep with me; you all choose whichever room you like."
"That’s not fair," Karol said, approaching Beatrice. "You two always want to hog Ryan, right Beatrice?"
Helen glared at her.
And Beatrice didn’t dare to say a thing.
"By the way, what are you doing here?" Helen asked, turning her gaze toward Irina.
"Eh? Me... well... it’s just that the elder Kenia said I would have to live here too starting from today..."
