Chapter 169
Chapter 169: Let’s Do Our Best! (3)
“Ahahaha!”
Galbarik laughed heartily. Ghislaine speaking confidently was both cute and amusing.
“Hey, Lord. You don’t seem to understand yet, but a concept without a blueprint is nothing but a delusion. Even if you manage to realize it, it will be a useless item.”
The other dwarves laughed at Galbarik’s words.
“Right, nobles just have so many whims without knowing anything properly.”
“One noble even asked for a tool to extract the efficacy of herbs. I told him just to buy potions. Who do you think I am, an alchemist?”
“The lord where I used to live asked if there was a way to expand the residences on his small land. I mean, am I a god? How can I stretch the land?”
“There was also a noble who wanted a magically moving plow to increase the harvest. I mean, what’s the point of making that? The land and seeds are already pathetic.”
The dwarves clicked their tongues while recalling the nobles they had dealt with in the past.
Galbarik shrugged his shoulders at Ghislaine.
“We hate making useless items. I don’t know what the lord is thinking, but at best, it will amount to a toy.”
As Galbarik finished speaking, a heavy silence fell over the surroundings.
Everyone just blinked, staring at Galbarik.
“…Cough.”
There was no sound except for a knight who suppressed a cough.
Galbarik looked around, somewhat bewildered by the inexplicable reaction.
“What? Why is everyone looking at me like that? Is what I said weird? Ah, this territory really is strange.”
Ghislaine snickered at Galbarik’s reaction.
“Have you lived with humans for too long? Spouting about craftsmanship and artistry, yet your way of thinking is even more rigid than a human’s. Can you really create work with such limited imagination?”
“What?”
“Oh, I understand. When you do the same thing every day, you unconsciously think that’s your limit.”
“What are you talking about…”
“But then, you’re just a skilled craftsman, aren’t you?”
“How dare you insult us!”
The dwarves were furious. No race could match their craftsmanship.
That’s why, even in slavery, they didn’t allow anyone to treat them disrespectfully.
“If you want useful military weapons, you’ll need to change how you treat us.”
Ignoring the dwarves’ sharp glares, Ghislaine waved her finger.
“Follow me, I’ll show you something interesting.”
Having lost the timing to get angry, the dwarves hesitated but eventually followed Ghislaine.
She took them to a gigantic workshop.
“This is…!”
Upon arriving at the workshop, the dwarves gawked in wonder.
The air was filled with fragrant and herbal scents.
Amidst the towering machines filling the workshop, people wearing white uniforms and masks busily moved around.
“This is a cosmetics workshop. More precisely, it’s for making skincare creams.”
“Cosmetics?”
The dwarves tilted their heads at Ghislaine’s words.
They knew what cosmetics were. It was a luxury item nobles paid more attention to than food.
How could such a high-end product be made in a rural territory like this?
As the dwarves were puzzled, Ghislaine continued her explanation.
“Our territory’s cosmetics are considered the best in the kingdom. They are flying off the shelves in the capital. That incredible revenue is what bought you all.”
“What… Are you showing off how rich you are?”
“Yep.”
“…”
“Tsk, your brains are completely stiff. Just watch. You can see how cosmetics are made with those tools. It’s a secret, but I’m showing you specially.”
Only then did the dwarves snap to attention and start examining the workshop closely.
After some time, their faces gradually paled. Some were even trembling.
“How could anyone come up with this?”
“You’re really extracting the effects of the herbs tremendously!”
“Is this really possible?”
The dwarves were a race often compared to gods in crafting.
Even just glancing at the equipment allowed them to quickly deduce its purpose and effects.
They could also guess the roles of the engraved magic circles from the machinery’s structure.
Having worked alongside wizards while serving nobles, they had experience.
Excited, the dwarves soon sat down together to discuss.
“Indeed, applying heat instantly like this minimizes the side effects of destroying active ingredients while allowing us to create concentrated extracts. Where do you remove the impurities?”
“The filter could be better. If you made the holes smaller and added more, the effect would be improved.”
“So cooling it instantly makes this formulation! The setup is rough, but the concept is really beautiful!”
With their faces all flushed, the dwarves simultaneously looked at Ghislaine and shouted.
“Wait, this is real?”
“Who! Who came up with this idea?”
“Please let us meet this genius! They must be here in this territory!”
Amidst the feverish excitement created by the dwarves, Ghislaine pointed to herself with a thumb.
Galbarik’s eyes widened in shock.
“The lord… made this?”
“Yes, this came right from my brain.”
It’s not a lie. Although the knowledge was plagiarized from the future, it still came from Ghislaine’s mind.
With his confident attitude, the dwarves were completely convinced.
A few dwarves, their faces flushed with excitement, spoke urgently.
“Please let me improve this a bit!”
“I can increase the efficiency several times over with just a few tweaks!”
“Lord! Just looking at it makes me feel like I’m going crazy! Please!”
The dwarves were frustrated. Why would someone with such outstanding ideas settle for such crude equipment?
Seeing the enthusiastic dwarves, Ghislaine nodded in satisfaction.
“Looks like your brains are finally ticking. You can definitely increase the production from here, right?”
“Of course! Just leave it to us! We’ll ensure it’s at least double the production!”
“However… it seems like some people still don’t want to work.”
Not everyone had lowered their pride.
About half of the dwarves, including Galbarik, remained stiff.
They may have been impressed by the workshop’s equipment, but they didn’t want to lose their pride in their rivalry with the lord.
Ghislaine noticed them, chuckled softly, and waved her finger again.
“Follow me, I’ll show you something else.”
Ghislaine led them to a newly constructed apartment complex.
A few dwarves interested in architecture began to excitedly explore the place.
“Wow, a house like this really exists?”
“Who would think of such a thing? It’s not just a simple tower house!”
The current apartment complex wasn’t built with particularly exceptional technology. It was merely a twist on the fixed notions of what a ‘house’ should be.
They began to debate about the house again.
“This part would be better made of marble. That way, durability and artistry…”
“Instead of using a fireplace for heating, it might be better to change the interior materials to spread the heat anywhere…”
“We could improve the drainage system with a better method than this!”
A flood of inspiration rushed back to the dwarves, which they had long forgotten.
Yes, this is what they needed, such stimulation.
While they were discussing excitedly, they looked at Ghislaine and shouted.
“Let us improve this further!”
There was no stopping the dwarves, whose eyes were already shining with excitement.
Galbarik stammered and asked.
“I-is this also something the lord thought of?”
“Of course, it was made by me.”
“W-what on earth is going on in that head of yours…?”
They were not surprised by the technology itself. The important thing was that someone had turned imagination into reality.
That is why pioneers are remembered in history, and their names are spoken of for ages.
Ghislaine grinned and beckoned again.
“Follow me, I’ll show you more.”
This time, they arrived at a large-scale farm. They had already harvested once, but the wheat was growing again.
“Woooow!”
Seeing the sprawling green wheat fields, the dwarves dropped their jaws.
They couldn’t even estimate how vast the fields were.
And what’s more? Each wheat stalk was several times larger than the usual ones.
It was hard to believe this was really the rumored barren land of the north.
Ghislaine traced her finger along the horizon as she spoke.
“This wheat can be harvested at least three times a year. The harvest season is coming soon, so you can see how much food is being produced.”
It was unbelievable, but with the evidence before their eyes, they couldn’t dismiss it.
Galbarik asked again in a trembling voice.
“This… is also something the lord did? How on earth…?”
“I won’t go into detail, but I roughly used runestones to improve the seeds and enrich the soil. The important thing is, it’s genuinely possible, right?”
Nodding, the dwarves all agreed.
They weren’t particularly interested in farming; it wasn’t that there was any special engineering involved.
Yet the fact that someone had conjured an idea that had never existed before and turned that imagination into reality was worthy of admiration.
Cosmetics, communal housing, farming. The fact that one person created all this was crucial.
Any single invention could completely change people’s lives and perceptions.
If they could come up with so many things already, how many new inventions could be imagined in the future?
The dwarves clenched their fists. For too long, they had repressed their creative desires, and Ghislaine’s inventions had ignited that spark.
How fun it would have been if they had participated from the very beginning!
Seeing the dwarves panting with excitement, Ghislaine said.
“What do you think? I have many more amazing plans in my head. They’re practical and possible to implement. That’s why I brought you all, because I need people to make them properly. Are you interested in working with me?”
Her words scratched exactly where the dwarves had been itching for creative fulfillment.
And her following statement was the final blow to their dilemmas.
“I can teach you knowledge and technologies that others don’t know.”
Ghislaine was certain that Galbarik would be convinced. He had been crazy for technology before; there was no way he was any different now.
The answer came immediately.
“I’ll do it!”
Galbarik and the dwarves shouted eagerly. With the promise of new technologies, resisting any further was pointless.
This was both an inescapable fate and instinct for them.
Galbarik pleaded.
“Please teach us! If the lord wants it, we would even become slaves!”
“…You are already slaves.”
“That’s not the point! I mean it! I genuinely want to join the lord in his endeavors!”
“You mean you’ll fully cooperate for ten years?”
“Of course! But you must keep your promise too!”
“No going back later, understood?”
“How do you perceive us! Dwarves are a race that keeps promises with our lives!”
Hearing Galbarik’s bravado, Ghislaine finally smiled and extended her hand.
“Alright, alright. If you work hard, I’ll keep my promise to set you free in ten years. Let’s do our best!”
“We’ll do our best too!”
With Galbarik shaking Ghislaine’s hand and smiling brightly, the People of Penris looked at the dwarves with pity.
