Steampunk Era: Mad Abield

The City of Galicano was built against the mountains, and for anyone, it was a formidable fortress; but for Malin, this damned place was the purgatory of all ironclad straight men—to peek inside a shop across the street, one had to climb nearly thirty steps before pushing the door open.

This city had a large population of Dwarves. In the last era, this region was once a Dwarven Kingdom, which later perished under the wave of Chaos, before the people reclaimed it.

When the Dwarves of that kingdom returned, they found that it had become a human realm. After negotiations, the Dwarves were granted the right to live in this city, and then, with the signing of the various civilization accords, Dwarves began to cohabit with humans in this region.

Malin was somewhat of a celebrity in the Dwarf circle—now the Carterburg Dwarven Great Workshop was a household name in the entire Western Human World, drawing a multitude of Dwarven artisans every day. Some came in admiration, diving into the craft to learn superior skills; others came with the goal to surpass the rivals who had bested them, diligently studying in the workshop.

The God of Dwarven Craftsmanship and their chief deity had more than once issued divine decrees recognizing the reputation and status of the Great Workshop within the Dwarf circle, and Malin had heard that the Deity of Craftsmanship had bestowed upon him the honor of being a Great Craftsman within the artisan circle—a recognition nearly at the limit of what the deity could confer.

So every time Malin entered a Dwarf shop, he would receive a warm welcome—unlike the closed-off nature of human world news, in circles like those of the Dwarven sub-race, word of Malin’s travel to the south had already spread widely.

Malin, too embarrassed to face the Dwarves’ welcome with a thick skin, often offered some pointers on their craftsmanship—most of these Dwarven shops specialized in various tools and weapons, with some armor shops as well.

This was Jessica’s favorite; unlike other girls who went into clothing stores, she would drag Malin over to have a look.

Malin was unsure whether this wolf girl was showing off or genuinely interested in seeing the equipment of different regional styles.

Malin’s advice wasn’t meticulous, often confined to trendy techniques in Carterburg, but the brilliance was that these little skills hadn’t spread outwards.

Malin shared them with the Dwarves, feeling that although they were a bit more sincere of heart, they didn’t have as many ulterior motives. Teaching them these skills was also to give those who bought their equipment a better chance of survival.