VOLUME 14: CHAPTER 6

After meeting with the dwarves, Lark decided to sightsee in the Dwarven Kingdom. Naturally, Blackie and Lady Alice asked to tag along with him. Captain Symon stayed behind in the royal palace to oversee the Blackstone Knights.

"King Lark, are we really going to explore the Dwarven Kingdom like this?" asked Lady Alice.

Without even disguising themselves as dwarves through the help of illusion spells, their group exited the royal palace.

On the first day of their trip, their destination would be the Laughing Orchard, the largest wine producer in the entire kingdom.

On the second day, they would visit the Fifth Weapons Factory, where the newest generation of power suits— the Genesis Model – were being produced.

And on the last day, they would visit the Divine Blacksmith's smithy and workshop.

There were still several other interesting destinations in the Dwarven Kingdom, but these three were their priorities right now. Lark still needed to allot time to teach Vulcan the Fire Elemental Lord Candela's strongest spell, after all.

Although their itinerary for today consisted only of a single place, the Laughing Orchard was not only massive, it was also located at the outskirts of the kingdom. Due to its sheer size, it might even take them hours to completely tour the place even with a guide.

Lark answered Lady Alice's question, "Well, wouldn't it be interesting to roam around the streets of the Dwarven Kingdom as humans?"

"But…."

Lady Alice was worried they would be shunned wherever they went if they did not cast illusion spells on themselves.

Although it was probably known throughout the entire Dwarven Kingdom by now that delegates from the Kingdom of Lukas came with the Dragons, the cultural gap between the two races wouldn't disappear overnight.

The dwarves, in particular, did not view humans in good light. The dwarves believed their race to be superior. Some extremists even believed that humans were nothing but stupid bipedals who didn't know how to handle metal.

"You worry too much, witch," said Blackie. "If things go wrong, we can just beat them up. If someone is rude, we can smash their face. Why are you making everything complicated?"

Lady Alice wryly smiled.

Her worries started shifting from their group to the dwarves they would meet today.

"You're not allowed to do that," said Lark. "Remember, Blackie. The promise."

The seven heads averted their gazes and faked a cough.

Blackie said, "O-Of course! It's just a… how should we say it? A metaphor! That's right! A metaphor!"

Lark was certain that Blackie meant those threats, but decided not to probe further in the end.

"Just don't cause unnecessary troubles or provoke people," said Lark. "They said it'll take at least half a month before the dwarves will be ready to delve into the Bottomless Gorge. If we cause trouble on our first day, it'll be hard to explore the Dwarven Kingdom during our remaining stay."

The seven heads reassured Lark:

"Don't worry, God Evander! We plan on upholding our promise during our stay in the Dwarven Kingdom!"

"Our minds are like stone! Hard and devoid of any emotions!"

"We won't be easily provoked!"

"We'll make sure you won't regret taking us with you on this trip!"

After the meeting in the dwarven royal palace, it was decided that they would enter the Bottomless Gorge after two weeks to secure the adamantite.

Although they already had enough power to delve into the Bottomless Gorge safely, Gorovir and the other dwarves tasked to mine the adamantite needed time to prepare the equipment required to mine the deposits.

They also had to consider the logistics aspect of the mining and the transportation process.

Although it shouldn't be a problem for the Ancient Fire Dragon Tribe to suppress the Abyss Lurkers, the dwarves they would be taking along with them would need to set up camps and stay at the Bottomless Gorge for months, maybe even years, in order to efficiently mine the adamantite.

The Dragons wouldn't be able to protect them forever, so they needed to set up the camps right the first time.

Vulcan suggested they just blow up the entire place to expedite the mining process since adamantite was the strongest metal in this world, but Gorovir fearlessly shot down the idea.

According to the Divine Blacksmith, although the deposits would survive the Dragon's attack, it would taint them, making it harder to purify the adamantite later on.

Mining them slowly and carefully would save them a lot of time in the future.

Additionally, Lark also desired to collect the corpses of the monsters in the Bottomless Gorge, particularly the Abyss Lurkers. The Essence Animation Ritual would have a higher chance of success with a fully intact corpse.

With all of these conditions set, they had to wait for half a month before they could move out.

"Two weeks," muttered Lark. "A change of pace isn't so bad, I guess. The past few years felt so hectic I hardly had time to enjoy the beauty of the current era."

This era was a far cry from the Age of Magic, but it had its own charm. Although the continent's nations were weaker, they were beautiful in their own way.

Lark didn't know if the dwarves had already settled in these parts back in his previous life, but he was certain that Rugard hadn't been founded yet at that time.

A Dwarven Kingdom did exist before, but it wasn't located in these mountains.

Hearing Lark look forward to the free time he suddenly got in his hands, the seven heads and Lady Alice looked at each other, silently vowing to make this day as unproblematic as possible.

After leaving the Dwarven Royal Palace, they continued walking southeast, toward the direction of the Laughing Orchard.

"Humans?"

"It's my first time seeing one."

"How ridiculous. They can't even grow a beard, huh?"

"I heard that the Great Guardian Deities brought humans with them. Is that them?"

"I think so. They're probably those delegates."

Naturally, their group attracted attention wherever they went. The dwarves, who'd been cooped up in this kingdom and mountains, openly showed fascination upon seeing them.

Most of them had never seen humans in the flesh. Some were visibly horrified after confirming that some humans did not have beards.

To them, even Blackie's beard looked nothing but an undergrown, haphazard mess.

Seeing Lark and Lady Alice's hairless chins, the dwarves even started being grateful to have been born as part of the dwarven race.

Blackie could hear their murmurs and whispers. The seven head's shoulders quivered as they suppressed the urge to slaughter those who'd been openly mocking their group.

Thankfully, despite the numerous comments they received along the way, none of the dwarves openly antagonized them.

The dwarves knew that they had come to this kingdom with the Dragons. Even the fearless ones knew not to mess with such people.

No one talked to them until a dwarf – a child, probably seven years of age – waved his hands and shouted, "Hello! Wooow! It's my first time seeing humans!"

The child, holding a toy hammer, looked genuinely happy to see Lark's group. The adults nearby were taken aback by the child's greeting, but they didn't stop him from approaching the humans.

The child stood in front of them and repeated, "Hello!"

Lark smiled gently, "It's your first time seeing humans?"

"That's right! You look strange, mister! Everyone in my family, my mother included, has beards. But you—" the child took a step forward and stared intently at Lark's face. "—you look like my pet mole-rat."

The adult dwarves around them laughed out loud.

"Gyahahaha!"

"The kid called him mole-rat!"

"Well, the kid isn't wrong. He does look one!"

The laughter continued. Blackie and Lady Alice tried their best to contain their anger. They would have lashed away at the dwarves by now hadn't it been for Lark's calm demeanor.

Despite the insult, he smiled at the child.

"Well, that's one way to look at it," said Lark gently. "Child, what's your name?"

"Nograc! You, mister?"

"My name's Lark. Listen, we are on our way to visit the Laughing Orchard. Do you know where it is?"

Lark already knew where it was, but for the sake of interacting with the child, he asked.

The child put his index finger on his lips. "Laughing Orchard? I'm pretty sure it's over there?"

The child pointed north. Based on the map given to him by the Dwarven King Lerenon, it was the wrong direction. Lark thanked the child anyway.

"Thank you," said Lark. "We'll be on our way then."

"Hehe, take care, mister!"

It was a simple interaction. But after saying farewells to the child, the gazes of the dwarves nearby softened somewhat.

It seemed that no matter the race, it remained a universal rule to never harm children.

The fact that Lark didn't take offense even after the kid unintentionally insulted him improve the dwarves' opinion on Lark's group.

Two adult dwarves approached them.

One of them said, "Hey. You're the human king that's been on the news today, right?"

Lark simply nodded.

The adult dwarf pointed southeast. "The kid is mistaken. Laughing Orchard, right? It's over there. It'll take nearly a day of walking if you keep going that way, so it'll be better if you take a mechanical carriage."

The bystanders nearby chimed in:

"You look like you'll drop after drinking a bottle or two. Don't get carried away once you arrive at the orchard, yeah?"

"Hahaha! The Laughing Orchard is one of our Kingdom's pride! You'll be in for a surprise!"

The Dwarven Kingdom, carved from a mountain range, was in the shape of an irregular hexagonal ladder with four steps. The Dwarven Royal Palace was located on the topmost part of the ladder, the military district on the second part, the Fifth Weapons Factory and the Divine Blacksmith's smithy on the third part, and the Laughing Orchard on the bottom.

Lark planned on visiting the farthest parts first, slowly going toward the center, eventually returning to the royal palace.

Hearing that it would take them that long to reach the Laughing Orchard, they decided to hire mechanical carriages to reach their destination faster.

They could fly there directly, that's true, but it would beat the purpose of this visit.

Lark wanted to see the Dwarven Kingdom's culture. And he wished to experience it with his own body.

After asking around, they finally found coachmen willing to drive them all the way to the Laughing Orchard.

Since a mechanical carriage could fit only a maximum of three passengers, the seven heads started bickering about who would sit on the same carriage as their God Evander.

In the end, the fifth head won their bet, and he got to sit in the same mechanical carriage as Lark and Lady Alice.

"Kekeke, it's my luckiest day," said the fifth head. "My brothers must be kicking themselves right now out of jealousy~"

The coachman started the vehicle. They heard several clicking sounds, and the engine whirred. From the exhaust pipe, gray smoke billowed out.

The mechanical carriage started moving at a pace comparable to a running burrcat.

"Interesting," said Lady Alice. "It moves even without a horse. It makes use of coal, huh?"

The fifth head wasn't really that impressed by the mechanical carriage, but since he was so happy about winning the bet and sitting with Lark, he started praising the vehicle.

"This feels nice," said the fifth head. "The seats are soft, and we have a clear view of the surroundings through the window. I wouldn't mind even if we arrive late at the orchard. Kekeke!"

During their travel toward the Laughing Orchard, the three talked about various things. Lady Alice, in particular, asked for stories related to the Deity of the Desert.

Every now and then, they would stare at the window and gaze at the scenery outside.

It was quite the peaceful journey.

After six hours, they finally arrived at the city's outskirts. From afar, they saw several massive wineries, a small tavern, and a seemingly endless orchard.

***

"You're the delegates from the Kingdom of Lukas everyone is talking about, eh?"

A dwarf, whose breath strongly reeked of alcohol, greeted Lark upon their arrival.

"I got a message from King Lerenon. Asked me to show you guys around. You wanna see the vineyard or the winery?"

"We've been hoping to see both," said Lark, smiling.

"Fair enough," said the drunk dwarf, nodding. "Not everyone gets the privilege to enter the Laughing Orchard. It needs special permission, you see. It's the largest producer of wine in the entire kingdom, after all. If something happens to the winery, there will be a riot."

The drunk dwarf chuckled, "Hehe, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that it might even cause a civil war in the nation. Dwarves love drinking. We drink upon waking up, when pissing, when taking a bath, during and after meals, and before every nap."

Maybe because he was drunk, the dwarf was really talkative.

Several guards started approaching their way. But before they could come close, the drunk dwarf shouted at them, "Whatcha looking at? Can't you see I'm escorting this lot! Move! Out of the way!"

The dwarf seemed to hold a fairly high position within the Laughing Orchard. The security immediately made way for their group after the dwarf hollered at them.

"We're here," said the drunk dwarf. "Welcome to the vineyard of the Laughing Orchard."

The winter wind blew, and the leaves rustled. A massive vineyard, whose end wasn't in sight, stretched before them.

A sea of grapes, ready to be harvested, were spread throughout the land.

"Ah, I haven't introduced myself yet," chuckled the dwarf. "Name's Erehorn, son of Yulhorn. The Laughing Orchard's manager."

Lark also formally introduced himself.

"Hey, human king," said Erehorn. "You're the person who created the method to deal with the Black Famine, aren't you?"

Out of nowhere, the Black Famine suddenly came out of the drunk dwarf's mouth.

"Black Famine? I don't know if the method you're talking about is the same as the one I created," said Lark. "But if it's the same, then… yes."

"How roundabout. Just take the credit, will you?" said Erehorn. "Do you have any idea of how much impact that method had in the kingdom? You may not know it, but some of the citizens even consider you a hero of Rugard!"

Lark was taken by surprise upon hearing this. He never expected that some of the citizens held him in high regard just because of that.

The dwarves, with their vast intelligence network, must have gotten the method after he revealed it to the Lord of Golden Wheat City.

"I'm treating you well not because King Lerenon asked me to," explained the drunk dwarf. "Just think of it as me repaying the favor. See that place over there? Yeah, that one. It was the place devastated the most when the Black Famine struck the kingdom several years ago. Pesky flies. Damn insects, kept coming in swarms. We would have incinerated them long ago if we weren't too worried about damaging the orchard."

Lark realized that this was probably the reason why the Dwarven Kingdom agreed to make contact with the Kingdom of Lukas during the war with the Empire.

Back then, the Dwarven Kingdom promised to send a form of support during the war in exchange for thirty thousand barrels of high quality red plum wine each month.

It was probably the time when they were suffering from the Black Famine.

The drunk dwarf took out a small bottle from his bag, opened it, and drank all of its contents in three gulps.

"Ah, that hits the spot!" The drunk dwarf burped. "What I mean to say is… thank you. I know it's not your intention to help our kingdom, but that method really helped the Laughing Orchard."

Lark didn't really know what to reply. In the end, he simply smiled and said, "If you're grateful, give us several bottles of your best wine. I'll take it back with me to the royal palace and share it with my men. That seems like a fair payment."

The drunk dwarf laughed, "Gyahahaha! Of course! But before that, let me give you a tour of this place!"

With the drunk dwarf at the lead, Lark, the seven heads, and Lady Alice explored the Laughing Orchard.

"There are a total of seventy-five vineyards in the Laughing Orchard," said the drunk dwarf.

They approached the nearby grapes, and the drunk dwarf plucked a cluster.

"See this? A nice purple color, isn't it? The grapes in our orchard are special. By winter, when the weather is cool and fresh, they turn dark purple."

The dwarf started his long explanation on how the grapes in the orchard were harvested and turned into wine.

According to the drunk dwarf, they used a special tool that measures whether or not the grapes were ready to be harvested.

The grapes shouldn't be underripe or they would have low sugar, which would cause them to have low alcohol content after fermentation. They would be too acidic, too, causing an undesirable aftertaste.

The grapes shouldn't be overripe. Overripe grapes would have too much sugar, which in turn would cause them to have too much alcohol content after fermentation. Although the dwarves would love this, overripe grapes oftentimes gave the wine a fruity and moldy flavor.

Not underripe.

Not overripe.

The Laughing Orchard abided by these rules for decades, producing standardized alcohol for nearly all of the taverns in the kingdom.

"We throw away the defects," said the drunk dwarf. "Well, there's a group that scavenges them and sells them to cheap taverns, but that's no longer our business. They want to drink wine that tastes like piss? That's on them."

They walked through the orchard until they arrived at the place where numerous truck-like machines stood.

"Those are called suction pickers," said the drunk dwarf. "After ascertaining that the grapes are ready to be picked, we use them to harvest the fruits. Makes things easier, quicker. The harvested grapes are then transferred to a mobile storage container."

The drunk dwarf quickened his pace. "Come, come. Over here. We'll enter the winery now."

Their group entered the winery — a colossal structure that was as large as the king's castle in the Kingdom of Lukas.

Amazingly, this wasn't the only winery in the Laughing Orchard. There were three more others like this, and each of them was dedicated to producing only the finest wines.

There were hundreds of dwarves working in the winery, but most of them didn't pay attention to Lark's group upon seeing Erehorn escorting them.

The drunk dwarf approached an apparatus and knocked on it several times.

"This thing's called the crusher," said the drunk dwarf. "We used to just stomp the grapes before. But half a century ago, the population of the kingdom grew to a point we could no longer sustain our production. In order to keep up with the demand, we switched to using machines. Just be careful and don't touch this baby, yeah? One mistake and it'll crush your fingers, along with your arms and head."

Lark didn't know where Erehorn got it from, but the drunk dwarf suddenly took out a new bottle of wine, uncorked it, and started gulping it down.

"Hehe, perks of working as the manager of the orchard. No one bats an eye even if I take a bottle or two," said Erehorn. "Where was I again? Ah, that's right. Here. After crushing the grapes, we throw them to the fermentation tanks."

The dwarf pointed at the massive large tanks that took up nearly all of the space in the winery. There were easily over a thousand of them, each of thirty meters tall and fifteen meters wide.

Lark noticed that the tanks were color-coded. Noticing his gaze, the drunk dwarf explained.

"The white tanks are dedicated solely to white wines," said the drunk dwarf. "You know how white wines are created, yes? You just take out the skin and the seeds to create 'em."

"They're not that popular?" asked Lark.

"You noticed?" the drunk dwarf nodded.

There were less than a hundred tanks dedicated to white wines in this place. It was easy to come to the conclusion that the dwarves preferred dark wines over them.

"The stronger, the better. In this kingdom, those who drink white wine are looked down on. Well, there's still a demand, especially for kids. That's why we haven't stopped their production."

It was absurd, but they learned from the drunk dwarf that dwarves start drinking at the age of nine in this kingdom. It was no wonder that drinking had become so ingrained in their tradition.

They even held ceremonies called The First Drink to celebrate a child's first alcoholic drink.

Apparently, white wines were used for such occasions, and were mostly popular to kids.

As they grew older, the dwarves would naturally transition to drinking darker and stronger wines.

The dwarves loved drinking beer, too. However, the largest beer factory was located in the opposite direction of the Laughing Orchard.

Maybe if they still had time, Lark would visit the place.

"And this is the best part," said the drunk dwarf. "Do you know what separates dwarven wine from those made by humans? Is it the climate, the soil, the grapes themselves? No, it's the yeast we use to ferment them."

From inside his pocket, Erehorn took out a stone the size of a small egg.

"This is called Rock Yeast. Looks like a normal stone, don't you think? But if you crush it like this—" the dwarf crushed the stone with his fingers, and numerous small, sand-like particles started coming out of its center. "—yeasts come out. This thing is harvested from the stomach of a Striped Bull Toad. There's a farm dedicated to raising them over there," he pointed in a certain direction. "We raise them and split their stomachs open when they reach maturity. Then we use the Rocky Yeast formed in their stomachs to ferment the wines."

Erehorn broadly smiled and proudly added, "This what separates wines made by dwarves from those made by humans. I can confidently say that the wines we produce are unmatched!"

On that day, Lark, Blackie, and Lady Alice toured the entire Laughing Orchard.

After their tour, they entered the small tavern near the entrance. Although the tavern was exclusive to those working there, with Erehorn's authority, they were granted entry to the place.

Blackie ordered their strongest wine, and Lark drank alongside him and the other dwarves. Lady Alice was hesitant at first, but she eventually joined the drinking.

Until midnight, they merrily drank, exchanging stories about the Dwarven Kingdom and the Kingdom of Lukas.