Chapter 891 - Dark Fae God Canon's Origin
Leon did not expect to hear about the dwarf race from the demon territory, nor did he expect them to be so sought after their craftsmanship.
"I don't remember seeing any dwarf in the secret realm," Leon mentioned.
"That is because the Mad Dwarf Clan didn't participate, my Lord. While every clan in the Starfall Dominion has the right to participate, not every clan chooses to," Nyfarella explained.
"The Mad Dwarf Clan, in particular, is only interested in construction and forging—madly interested enough to accept any commission at base cost. That is why they are quite sought after by the various clans."
"That makes sense," Leon nodded with understanding.
He had seen the Mad Dwarf Clan's level of craftsmanship in construction, but he was even more curious about their forging skills.
Dwarves had been fanatics in forging, and their expertise in the field was also high, always.
Nevertheless, even if the Mad Dwarf Clan's forging skills end up falling short of Leon's expectations, his desire to acquire their service doesn't diminish.
Their skills are extremely useful to the empire's development plans.
"The Mad Dwarf Clan is willing to accept commissions at base cost… That is to say that the clans only need to cover the cost of construction materials, and no labor cost is needed..." Leon muttered.
Shortly after, Leon asked with curiosity, "But has any clan commissioned them at base cost?"
"Of course! Almost all the demon clans aimed for the base-cost commission," Nyfarella answered without hesitation.
"Why would anyone pay more when they can pay less?"
"Seriously?"
Leon furrowed his brows with doubt.
Considering how sought the Mad Dwarf Clan was for construction-related business, they must have a special status in the demon territory.
"Are the dwarves pushovers or something? Why else are the demon clans able to commission their work at base cost?" Leon asked with a frown.
"Not at all, my Lord," Nyfarella waved her hands and denied the wild guess.
"On the contrary, the Mad Dwarf Clan is terrifying in their own way. The mad dwarves don't have powerful combat strengths, but no demon clan dares to slight them either."
"One time, one of the Mid-rank demon clans, the Gold Goblin Clan, tried to subjugate the Mad Dwarf Clan. They wanted to manipulate the price of their construction business to fill their own pockets."
"Unfortunately for Gold Goblin Clan, the Mad Dwarf Clan retaliated by blowing up the Gold Goblin Clan's mountain peak and burying the entire clan living in the caves under it. Since then, not a single clan dared to set their eyes on the Mad Dwarf Clan again."
"But this doesn't explain why the Mad Dwarf Clan set such a low price for their service. They are practically working for free," Leon mentioned with a confused look.
They were certainly mad, alright.
No one is willing to work for free in such a dog-eat-dog world unless they have a few loose screws in their head.
"Actually, I am also unsure why the Mad Dwarf Clan set the price so low. But over the years, everyone collectively agreed that the Mad Dwarf Clan set the base cost price to receive more commissioned work from other clans," Nyfarella stated.
After Leon heard that, he immediately understood the truth of the matter.
"I see," Leon rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"The Mad Dwarf Clan is passionate about perfecting their craft and do not care about profit. Although rare, dwarves like them do exist."
Nevertheless, it was just a minority of the dwarven race; most dwarves are just as greedy for wealth as they are skilled in their craft.
"When there's a chance, I will definitely pay the Mad Dwarf Clan a visit," Leon expressed his interest.
Although Nyfarella did not mention it specifically, he could roughly guess the Mad Dwarf Clan's capability.
They weren't powerful combatants but could still blow up an entire mountain peak; they must be relying on the power of runes.
In other words, they are proficient in the runic language.
Shortly after Nyfarella guided Leon into the stone palace, Darlene, Aria, and Duna separated from the group.
The palace servants took them away and led them to their arranged accommodations under Nyfarella's instruction.
Leon continued to follow Nyfarella down the palace corridor of stone with a grassy floor and rune-powered sconces illuminating the way.
They eventually entered a restricted area, a small hall only accessible for the clan leader, Nyfarella, and others if permitted by her.
There, Leon found the original text of the Dark Fae God Canon recorded on several beast skins attached to the only stone stele in the hall.
The original Dark Fae God Canon was, without a doubt, an extraordinary technique. However, the colorful beast skins themselves were also extraordinary.
They radiated with a colorful aura like the aurora; it was like looking at a rainbow, except neon green, blue, and purple were more dominant among the other colors present.
Leon suspected the beast skins belonged to a God Beast from the primordial era. But as to which specific God Beast the beast skins belonged to, he did not know.
"The original text of the Dark Fae God Canon is all here, my Lord," Nyfarella informed.
Leon nodded.
He could guess as much from his observation.
Shortly after scanning a copy of all the runic texts on the beast skins into the Archive, Leon requested Maya prioritize the Dark Fae God Canon's translation above everything else.
Within a few breaths, the completely translated version appeared in the Archive.
'It's done,' Maya informed him.
Needless to say, Leon can never match Maya's impressive translation speed. At the very least, he doesn't see himself catching up to her level any time soon.
Leon closed his and sent his consciousness into the Archive to peruse and memorize the Dark Fae God Canon.
Although he didn't say anything, Nyfarella patiently waited on the side with an expectant look.
…
Sometime later, Leon reopened his eyes and glanced at Nyfarella with a peculiar expression.
Contrary to his expectation, the Dark Fae God Canon wasn't a heritage of the dark fae race; it was a dragon heritage.