Chapter 69: Winning the Friendship of the Dwarves

When his mental strength was depleted, the replenishment he received from meditating came at a much faster rate than his normal training conditions. When Han Shuo returned to the cemetery of Death and meditated for one night, his mental strength was once again filled to the brim. This is how Han Shuo drew such a conclusion.

However, as far as necromancers were concerned, if they had no mental strength, they would not be able to unleash any kind of magic. This would undoubtedly put them in a very precarious position. Therefore, under normal circumstances, no mage would expend all of his mental power in one shot.

With the dwarves willing to share the mining cave, Han Shuo couldn't help but make other plans. There seemed to be large amounts of metal and copper ore in the cave. Therefore, it would take a long time for the dwarves to excavate the entire cave.

For Han Shuo, he could certainly use the summoning creatures to increase the speed of the mining. When these copper and iron ores were shipped to the empire, they would surely bring rich rewards for Han Shuo, especially the black iron ore inside. Based on Han Shuo's understanding and the expressions of the dwarves today, Han Shuo understood that these black metal ores were very valuable resources that could perhaps be sold for a whopping price.

There should be quite a few dwarf villages in the Dark Forest, and there weren't too many dwarves in this group. All together, they probably didn't need that much metal and copper ore. Since this was the case, Han Shuo made other plans in his heart.

After infusing the Original Demon Cave with fresh blood and magic yuan, Han Shuo left the cemetery early in the morning and rushed towards the mining cave.

Han Shuo thought he had arrived early enough, but he discovered that the dwarves had already arrived by the time he reached the entrance of the cave. There were twice as many dwarves as usual today, and it looked like they had been up all night in their excitement. Their eyes were all bloodshot, but their spirits were still high.

One of them had a greying beard and was leaning on a staff, solemnly giving instructions to the other dwarves. All the other dwarves, including Bennett, listened respectfully to his admonitions.

Deliberately letting the sound of his footsteps attract the dwarves' attention, Bennett immediately raised the iron hammer in his hand and shouted when he saw Han Shuo appear, "Hello, dear friend, we've been waiting for you for a long time!

As Han Shuo approached, the old grey-bearded dwarf bowed in human fashion to express his gratitude to Han Shuo. He said benevolently, "Brave and strong friend, thank you for your repeated help. I am Chief Calvin of the Dwarf Village, and I am very pleased to make your acquaintance."

"My name is Han Shuo and I am very honoured to have your trust. " This place was far away from the academy and no one knew his identity. So Han Shuo used his real name to interact with the dwarves.

"Brave Han, your name is quite wonderful. I've never heard of anyone with such a name. Heh heh, the children say you're a trustworthy man. Our village is willing to share the secrets of this mining cave with you. I only hope that we can live together in harmony in the future!" Calvin looked at Han Shuo strangely at first, seemingly confused by his name, but then his face lit up with a smile and he continued to speak.

"Then I think we can start working." Although Calvin was neither in a hurry nor too leisurely, the other dwarves' gazes all flitted towards the cave behind them, obviously revealing their eager thoughts. Han Shuo did not speak further and directly suggested that they get to work.

"No rush." Calvin thought as he stared at Han Shuo. "Han, why are you helping us like this? We are willing to share the mining cave with you, but why didn't you take half of the iron and copper cores yesterday?"

The elders were indeed thinking more, and it seemed that the dwarves were no exception. Han Shuo looked at Calvin, was silent for a moment and then explained. "First of all, I also had a bone to pick with the forest trolls. Not to mention that I was overcome by the death-defying fighting spirit of Bennett and the others. That's why I helped them in the first place.

Besides, they actually helped me fight off the Windblade Wolves. Those two Windblade Wolves were actually my prey, and helping you mine ore in the cave is just a small matter. I don't know how to forge weapons, and I don't think I'll be able to use the iron and copper ores if I take them. That's why I didn't take any when I left. Elder Calvin, you have to believe me, I really don't have any other dubious motives.

"Yes Chief, Han is a great friend and he's not like the other humans." Bennett suddenly spoke up and said to the old dwarf.

Nodding, Calvin bowed to Han Shuo and said humbly, "My apologies Han, I'm older and have seen too many cunning humans. That's why I questioned you. I hope you don't mind."

"Your way is right, I completely understand your concern!"

"It is difficult for us to mine the ore further inside these caves with our strength alone. Since we're willing to share our secret with you, we're willing to share everything inside, including the black metal given by the gods. We are willing to share everything with you equally and hope that you don't refuse, otherwise we will be truly ashamed". Calvin thought and made this solemn promise.

Upon hearing his words, Han Shuo thought that although the dwarves were stubborn and had a fiery temper, they were indeed a race worth befriending. Han Shuo became a little ashamed of his own intentions after hearing Calvin's promise. He thought deeply for a moment, "Please be at ease, elder, I absolutely agree with your suggestion. Moreover, when I have enough black metal, May I respectfully request that you forge it into a weapon for me?"

"No problem Han, be at ease. If there is enough black metal, I will personally supervise it and create a weapon worthy of your use." Calvin promised with a smile.

"Alright, I think we can start working!" Han Shuo finally put his plans aside, thinking that his plans for the Demonslayer Edge were finally in motion. He smiled as he headed into the cave with the dwarves.

After half a day of mining, Han Shuo's mental strength was once again exhausted and he left the cave in utter exhaustion. Today's haul was even richer than yesterday's. In addition to large amounts of iron and copper ore, they had once again recovered two pieces of black metal, one large and one small. Han Shuo magnanimously handed the larger piece to the village chief and threw the smaller one into his space ring.

At the entrance to the cave, the dwarves packed everything away neatly and shouldered the ore with a smile that lit up their faces, planning to take today's haul back to the village.

"Dear Han, what kind of weapon would you like to see forged?" Calvin asked before leaving.

After thinking for a while, Han Shuo took out his dagger and drew a sketch of the Demonslayer Edge on the ground. He pointed to the outline of the weapon on the ground and explained to Calvin, "This kind of weapon would be nice. I want the best and the sharpest, would you be able to complete it?"

Calvin narrowed his eyes and bent down, looking at the Demonslayer Edge sketch for a while. He spoke in deep thought, "I've never seen a weapon like this before, I think it will be interesting. There should be no problem making it, but if you want the best and sharpest, we will need some more materials. Our village probably doesn't have enough of them in stock."

His mind racing, Han Shuo thought of the Boozt Merchant Guild and privately thought that he was really going all out for this Demonslayer Edge. He said, "Please tell me what other materials are needed, elder. I will find ways to gather any missing or insufficient materials. I need a high quality weapon."

"Do you have a pen and paper?"

"Of course!" Han Shuo took the pen and paper he had prepared before going to the cemetery from his space ring and handed it to Calvin. "Don't worry about the lack of materials. I will find a way to gather all the materials as soon as possible."

"All right then." Calvin nodded and began to write down a list of materials on the paper. When he was finished, he handed it to Han Shuo and said, "Han, as long as these materials are gathered, I can assure you that I will forge a weapon with an unparalleled edge for you."

"When the amount of my black metal is enough to forge this weapon, I will think of a way to collect these materials. I will be here early tomorrow to help mine the ore," Han Shuo said as he left the mines.

And so Han Shuo spent the next ten days with the dwarves, mining the caves. When Han Shuo had obtained enough black metal and the dwarves had all made a good haul, Calvin suggested that they temporarily stop mining and start forging these ores into weapons. They could mine again in the future when they ran out of weapons.

By this time, Han Shuo had gained the trust of the dwarves and accepted Calvin's invitation to visit their village and drink heavily in celebration. He knew the way to their dwellings.

After Han Shuo had infused the Original Demon Cave with fresh blood and magic yuan earlier than usual. He then used the transport matrix directly to leave the cemetery of Death.