Chapter 245: The Furniture Request
I’ve arrived in the Northern Lands. The climate is quite cool, but the dwarfs—no, the Earth Folk—are as warm as ever.
“Welcome! It’s good to see you, brother!”
Hey, I just got called “brother” without my consent! A heavy hand thumps my back. If he were a bit taller, he probably would have thrown an arm around my shoulders, but the Earth Folk are a good two heads shorter than me, with sturdy, stable builds.
I’m visiting Gamri of the Black Iron Pit. Before heading into the labyrinth, I came to request some furniture.
All the Earth Folk in the Black Iron Pit have black hair and beards, and the women are no exception. At first, I couldn’t tell them apart…!
“Does Soleil from the Island not grow a beard?”
“The townsfolk just don’t appreciate the beauty of a beard.”
Gamri and his companions laugh heartily as they chat. Before I can respond, loud voices chime in from all around.
I can’t grow one! I have no intention of growing one, but I do want to feel the scratch of it! If Kadal were here, would he have a beard? I guess my body was made in a strange way.
If I don’t make an effort to join the conversation, they’ll make me do something unexpected. I managed to win an arm-wrestling match.
As the name suggests, the Black Iron Pit is rich in high-quality iron. The mine shafts connect to natural caves, which serve as living spaces. The stone walls, possibly containing rusted iron, are a warm orange hue. The glow from the fireplace and candles creates a cozy atmosphere in this burrow.
The corridors are narrow, and the ceilings are low. However, just when you think you’ve entered a small room, you suddenly find yourself in a vast chamber with a ceiling so high you can’t see it.
It seems there’s no fixed shape to the rooms, as they’ve been whimsically dug and connected through the caves. The furniture varies, made from wood or stone.
I slam a wooden mug down on the table with a thud. Perhaps due to my rough actions, despite the sturdy furniture, there’s not a hint of unevenness in the thickness or width. Some pieces even bear delicate carvings, perhaps done as a pastime.
The patterns and emblems seem to have been carved haphazardly, and similar designs can be found on the walls and floors.
“Alright, I’d like to order a bed frame, chairs, a dining table, a sideboard, and a tea table to fit this room’s layout—basically a full set. Oh, and for this room, let’s line the walls with chairs from here to here.”
I hand over the blueprints for each floor of the tower and convey my requests. It’s almost like I’m throwing it all at them.
“Oh? According to the blueprints, this is supposed to be a window, but can you really make such a large opening?”
Gamri tilts his mug while checking the blueprints. How does he understand this random design so well?
“Yeah. There’s a support made of Spirit Iron there.”
“Hmm, Spirit Iron, huh? Isn’t that rare for the townsfolk?”
With a mug in his left hand and a feather quill in his right, he skillfully drinks while jotting notes on the blueprints.
In the Northern Lands, the places where the Earth Folk live are home to many spirits, including Earth Spirits, Iron Spirits, and Stone Spirits. While not abundant, Spirit Iron can be found here.
“That’s what I hear. Oh, and the floor on this level is made from polished slices of that Great Tree.”
“What?! The Great Tree of the Green Goddess?!”
The crowd buzzes with excitement.
I’m discussing the order with Gamri, but he’s gathering skilled craftsmen from other villages to help create the requested furniture. It seems the folks of the Black Iron Pit are more adept at metalworking than woodworking.
However, it appears that various craftsmen from different villages come here to stay and create tools. They mine high-quality iron themselves and retreat to their workshops to craft, or they request the help of the Black Iron Pit’s artisans. Naturally, discussions between villages often take place here.
“Can we make the doors too?”
“Sure, why not?”
“Alright! Let’s make some iron decorations!”
“Leave the key crafting to me!”
“Hinges!”
Once I agreed, voices erupted from all around, creating a lively atmosphere. It seems the craftsmen who work with materials other than wood wanted to join in too.
When I decided to offer a piece of the Great Tree of the Green Goddess as material, the woodworkers became incredibly enthusiastic. The metalworkers looked on with envy, sending their congratulations to the excited woodworkers.
For the Earth Folk craftsmen, working with top-tier materials is a joy. And when it comes to the Great Tree of the Green Goddess, they’d pay for the privilege…!
I offered some Spirit Silver and Spirit Gold to the slightly forlorn metalworkers.
The carpenters insisted they wanted to see the site, so I guided a few representatives. They became surprisingly quiet, measuring everything with precision.
Perhaps startled by the sudden visit, a Lizard Spirit living in the tower peeked in. Since I was left alone, I chatted with the Lizard while watching the work unfold.
It seems they’ll design the furniture to fit the Spirit Iron window frames. They’ll also create shelves for plates above the kitchen sink and hooks for hanging pots. It looks like built-in furniture will be increasing.
I was told that payment would only be needed for food and fuel while they worked, but I made sure to pay properly. The pricing for the Earth Folk’s work seems rather arbitrary; they won’t take jobs they don’t like, but if they do like a job, they’ll go all out.
However, since they can make just about anything themselves, they only really spend money on buying materials or food—especially alcohol. So, I left a barrel of whiskey behind.
It seems the Earth Folk enjoy beer, but what they’re drinking is nothing like Japanese beer; the alcohol content is close to 40%. Unfortunately, the alcohol content of Japanese sake is regulated by law… I might have to brew some beer myself.