Chương 35: Chapter 34: Dwarven Blacksmith Competition

As Akane and I arrived at the dwarf kingdom, I was amazed by the infrastructure. It wasn't as advanced as the city Shiro built, but the kingdom was still very well built. The dwarven kingdom was made with modern architecture, as they had machinery and modern-looking tools. The dwarves could be said to have advanced technology compared to the current world. As we continued inward, the technology continued to advance, as buildings were newer and looked much better.

By the time we reached the center, the area looked like a modern city on Earth. I was amazed by how the dwarves could build so many advanced things, despite how behind the rest of the world was. Akane then led me to a counter where she signed up to be a contestant for the blacksmith contest. The dwarf registering her was giving a very strange look as a half-dwarf was trying to become the ruler of the dwarves. Nevertheless, the dwarf processed all the paperwork, and Akane was now in the competition.

After the initial registration was completed, Akane started to show me around the city. The city had all kinds of wonders, as machinery was a big part of dwarven crafts. Everything was powered by electricity from some source, and vehicles could even be seen around on the streets. After a simple tour, Akane took me to the residence she was staying at while she was keeping watch over the dwarves. The apartment Akane had wasn't particularly big, nor was it small.

It had just the cozy feeling of being at home, as Akane didn't have that many things inside. It did contain a TV, a bath, a washing machine, and all kinds of home appliances. It made me realize even more how technologically advanced the dwarves were. If you told me I was on Earth right now, I would believe it from what I was seeing. The only downside was the TV didn't have many shows or channels, as it seemed the dwarves had limited entertainment.

Once we settled down and rested for a day from the journey, we went out again, as Akane had somewhere to take me. The place she took me to was a blacksmith's workshop she had bought in the dwarven kingdom. The workshop had everything she needed to forge, and she was here to show me her skills. She needed practice, and I was a better judge than nobody at all. We then spent the whole day together as I watched her make several things.

Simply watching her forge gave me an indescribable feeling of interest, as seeing firsthand someone making something was very entertaining. At the end of the day, she made several high-quality swords, axes, bows, and even a gun. I was especially interested in the gun, as I had never seen her make one before. I had told her about it before but never gave her all the details, as I didn't know the exact details of a gun myself. Akane managed to make one though, after such a horrendously bad explanation.

I asked her, "Where did you learn to make this?" Akane replied, "After I heard you mention what it was, I wanted to give it a try. I also asked Shiro about it, and she gave me better details on how to make it. After much trial and error, I finally was able to make it. I wanted to show it to you to see what you think." I then asked, "Do you have any bullets?" Akane replied, "I have made a few, as Shiro gave me the gunpowder while I made the shells.

We don't have much due to a lack of materials, but it is enough for twelve shots." Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. After hearing about the lack of materials, I lost interest in testing it out. Twelve was a very small number, and it was better to save it. I then put the gun down and asked, "Do you have anything else to show me?" Akane replied, "I do, but I'll show you tomorrow. Since today has gotten so late, let's go back and rest."

I nodded, as the day had passed and it was time to go back. We then went back and rested for tomorrow. As the days passed, Akane showed me many other things I didn't know she could make, and the quality improved every time she made something. Soon, the time for the competition to decide the dwarf ruler was about to start. We then headed to the venue where it was taking place. Once we arrived, the shape of the venue felt very familiar.

It looked kind of like a football stadium, with the stage in the center and bleachers going upwards. On the stage were several forges enclosed by walls to provide privacy for contestants. Akane went on stage while I watched from the audience seating. It didn't take long for the announcer to begin the contest. After some pleasantries and commencement words, the contest finally began as all contestants had arrived.

All the dwarves on stage started to forge the best work that they could do as they locked in their focus inside their enclosed forge. I watched Akane as she was working hard to win. Everyone else though was looking at a particular dwarf a little further away from Akane. The dwarf looked decently tall despite being a dwarf and looked very handsome. After listening to the crowd's cheers, I soon learned he was the favorite to win. So, it was this guy Akane talked about who was part of the radical faction.

As the contest continued, some dwarves got nervous and made mistakes in their forging process that deformed their metal and messed up their creation. These dwarves weren't allowed a second chance and were eliminated. As time went by, many more were eliminated even before they could show off their final product, as they had already failed. The dwarves who were left were only a few dozen. By the time all the dwarves who were left completed their creation, several hours had passed since the contest started.

The remaining contestants now presented their creations to the judges. As the contestants each brought their creations, they were given a score before the next person had a turn. Finally, the last two to be judged were Akane and the handsome dwarf who was the favorite to win. The handsome dwarf brought forward a beautiful sword that looked extremely sharp. The handle looked nice to the touch, and the blade was well-balanced.

The judges, seeing the sword, gave it a lot of praise and scored it very highly due to how amazing it was. Now it was Akane's turn, and she also brought a blade, though with a different design. It was also well-balanced and had no real defects. In the end, Akane and the handsome guy got the exact same score and needed a tiebreaker. The judges decided on a cutting contest since both contestants created a sword. Whoever can cut harder objects with their sword will win.

To make things fair, the contestants will wield it themselves to prevent biases from the person wielding the sword. The two picked up their swords and headed back on stage to await further instructions. The next moment, two giant boulders of the same size were brought to the stage. The judges announced that this was the first object to be cut and that the contestants could begin. The handsome dwarf started first and easily cut through the boulder. Akane then did the same and easily cut through the boulder too.

The judges then brought out two giant pieces of metal that were in the shape of a cube. This was the next object, and the handsome dwarf was the first to start again, followed by Akane. The two repeated this pattern, as the objects the judges kept bringing kept being cut no matter what they brought. The judges kept underestimating the swords that they made, so they didn't know the exact limits of their swords.

Finally, they brought in the strongest piece of metal that they had and placed it in front of both of them. This metal was so durable that most weapons wouldn't even be able to make a dent. The handsome dwarf was the first to begin again as he swung his sword down hard. The result was his sword cutting through an inch of the hard piece of metal. Now it was Akane's turn, and she started to motivate herself before finally raising her sword.

She then swung it down as hard as she could and cut through more of the metal than the handsome dwarf. Akane had cut an entire two inches of the metal. After confirmation from the judges, Akane was crowned the winner and was given a crown. She was now the ruler of the dwarves, and the other dwarves had to obey. As she was the ruler now, she had the authority to do as she pleased, so she asked for everyone's attention, seemingly having something to say.

Everyone wondered what their new leader's first message would be. I also wondered what Akane was planning at this moment.