Chapter 459: Almost Throwing Away the Materials
“Where should I put the meat? It’s pretty big, so if I bring it out here, it might get stuck. I want to share some with Morik and the others too.”
I asked Gamri. I’ve been shown around the valley of Grid and Morik, but every time I go, it turns into a feast. Honestly, having a banquet at all three places would be a bit much.
A hefty piece of Dragon Thigh Meat, one… no, two, because one won’t be enough for the three settlements. The Earth Folk eat a lot during their feasts.
It’s a bit on the tougher side for me, but the dwarves love their hearty meat, so it works out perfectly. I’m thinking of using the shank for stew or something similar.
“Oh, meat! This way!”
“This way!”
“This way!”
I followed the Earth Folk. I had already researched their lack of aversion to eating dragons. More like, when I received Rishu’s rope, there were a few dragon materials among the items, and in front of a large bone sculpture, he had laughed and said, “Looks like there’s plenty to eat.”
I was led to the largest room in their underground dwelling—excluding the workshop and places resembling a subterranean palace.
“Someone bring a mat! I’ll move the stuff!”
“Someone bring a mat! I can’t do it alone!”
“Someone bring a mat! Even two of us can’t manage!”
“I’ll handle the mat! Someone bring a knife!”
“I’ll handle the knife! Someone start a fire!”
“I’ll handle the fire! Someone bring the alcohol!”
Everyone was saying “I’ll handle it,” but there were women mixed in. With their beards, distinguishing between the genders of the Earth Folk is quite difficult!
The teamwork of the Earth Folk was impressive, and they seemed to be having fun. I was getting used to the noise and the heat of the atmosphere.
The butchering began, barrels of alcohol were set up, the meat was cut and grilled, mugs were raised, and laughter and songs filled the air.
“This meat is delicious!”
“This is tasty, I’ve never had meat like this!”
“This is amazing, what kind of meat is this?”
The praise was overwhelming. Before I could even interject, we were swept into a banquet in no time. When it comes to food, the Earth Folk don’t care about the source; they only focus on whether it’s delicious or not.
“Dragon Demon Beast Meat.”
The chatter abruptly stopped.
“Dragon…”
“Dragon…”
“Dragon…”
Hands froze, and eyes fixated on the meat. Huh? I thought they didn’t care about that sort of thing? Was it a no-go? Haulon and Soleil had said they wanted to try it when they saw the treasure-like storage.
“Materials…”
“Materials we’ve never touched…”
“Dragon materials!”
So that’s what it was!
“I have bones and outer shells too, so after we finish eating, I’ll show you.”
Before my words could fully register, the meat and alcohol were consumed at an astonishing pace. Wait, wait! If we don’t savor the dragon meat, Dean, the meat lover, will cry!?
After a somewhat chaotic feast, we headed to the underground production site. There are some up top, but serious production happens near that dragon-shaped furnace.
I brought out a large portion of bones and outer shells, trying to keep the original shape of the dragon recognizable. There were some missing pieces since I had given some to Haulon, but you could still imagine what it looked like.
“Oh, a dragon!”
“Dragon!”
“Dragon!”
“Dragon!”
“Drag—”
“Dr—”
The word “dragon” spread through the crowd. In the dim light, the shadows of the Earth Folk danced upon the dragon’s outer shell.
I started to think that the Earth Folk might be descendants of spirits, but they felt like a type of spirit that multiplies.
“Is it alright if I hold it? From the island, Soleil.”
“Go ahead.”
“Oh!”
“Oh! Gamri, I’m so envious!”
“Oh! I’m envious, Gamri!”
Well, everyone can touch it if they want. But since there might be a hierarchy within the settlement, I kept that thought to myself for now.
“I’m leaving it here. If you want to make something, feel free to create and return it to me.”
Once they started examining the materials, the Earth Folk took their time.
“Is it really okay!?”
“Is it really okay? To use this?”
“Can we really use this?”
A cacophony of excitement erupted.
“Yeah. Pass it on to Grid, Morik, and the others from different settlements.”
“Of course!”
Gamri’s eyes were glued to the dragon materials.
“What will the Red Silver Valley create?”
“What will the Sulfur Valley create?”
“What will the Black Iron Pit create?”
“A sword?”
“Armor?”
“A shield?”
“With this much, we could make a beautiful statue!”
“With this much, we could make practical furniture!”
“With this much, we could create endlessly!”
The Earth Folk were in high spirits. I wonder about the furniture, though? All I can think of are designs that scream ‘edgy teenager.’ It might rattle around at night.
“First, I want to request the doghouse I ordered.”
The Earth Folk were so focused on the dragon materials that I decided to speak up and used [Teleportation].
The destination was the island.
In my workshop surrounded by the shelves of my collection in the tower, I placed a well-shaped piece of dragon outer shell on one of the square spaces. In front of that black shell, I placed two black metallic fangs and one magic stone.
The magic stone was spherical. The rounder it is, the easier it is to retain power and host a spirit. From what I could see, this one was perfectly round, a size that wouldn’t raise any complaints if called an orb. Haulon had praised it as a national treasure.
Its uses are vast, ranging from stabilizing the nation’s climate to creating barriers. —In my case, I just plan to display it!