Chapter 10: Shocking the Guild

It was already past nine in the evening, and Snorri was surprised to find quite a few official Rune Smiths and Rune Apprentices still busy around the forging tables.

"Ah, so even in the Warhammer World, there is overtime?" Snorri thought to himself, just as Iron Chisel Master spoke up.

"Look, look at how sleepy these young ones are! How can they be creating anything like this? They are simply wasting raw materials!"

Krag the Grim blew into his beard with disdain. "If everyone disappeared after dinner just like you, how would we ever meet our deadlines?" Krag Master delivered a double-edged remark.

"To tell you the truth, it's normal for my people to work until midnight; nine o'clock, humph, nine o'clock is even considered early! They should cherish the opportunity to work and learn; overtime is a blessing! Back in my day, I didn't even have the chance to learn more from my master at midnight..."

Listening to such toxic chicken soup from Krag Master, Snorri felt a chill in his stomach. "If I've transmigrated and still have to deal with 996 or 007 exploitation, that would be too miserable. I must seize the opportunity to set up my own shop!"

Amidst the debate between the two masters over whether overtime violated labor laws, the group soon reached the dragon-head spout at the deepest part of the hall.

Snorri saw another white-haired old Dwarf already waiting there with a group of his disciples.

According to the knowledge in his memory, his name was Dulingen-Ronghuo, and he was the other Vice President of the Rune Smith Guild.

Molten Master was about the same age as Iron Chisel Master, both around four hundred years old, and he was known for his expertise in using the power of Runes to smelt raw materials.

Unlike Iron Chisel Master, who hailed from the Drazkrad Clan and represented the interests of the local Dwarfs of Karaz-a-Karak, Molten Master came from a small clan that had relocated to Karaz-a-Karak after their original stronghold fell.

To increase his influence, he did not care about pedigree and recruited disciples widely, and he was happy to guide the younger generation; thus, he had high prestige among his kin, and many out-of-town Dwarfs who came to the guild headquarters to learn were united around him.

Standing opposite them was a slightly smaller group of Dwarfs; these were the disciples of Iron Chisel Master and Rune Smiths from the local clans of Karaz-a-Karak.

Clearly, these people had been summoned at the last minute, with confused expressions on their faces; some were still not sober from drink and were being supported by their fellow disciples.

Krag Master stood on his Doom Anvil and cleared his throat:

"Little Beards! Put down what you're doing for a moment; the night is still long! I have an important matter to announce now!" He called out to the Dwarfs who were busy working.

Although the reputation of Krag the Grim for being paranoid, cold, and unwilling to mentor the younger generation had long since spread, his title as the oldest and most powerful Rune Smith was equally a golden signboard.

There were still quite a few Dwarfs willing to join his tutelage, exchanging hard labor for some guidance, and even just observing Krag Master as he engraved Runes could benefit them greatly.

At the same time, some of them held onto the hope that if Krag Master were to suddenly return to the embrace of the Ancestor Gods one day, and given that he had no descendants and his clan had died out, they might, as his disciples, be able to get a share of the old Dwarf's millennium of accumulated treasures.

One must know that in Krag Master's treasury, besides massive amounts of gold coins, Oath Gold, and the numerous precious pieces of equipment he had forged himself, there were also many legendary treasures from the Golden Age of the Dwarfs recovered from lost strongholds, any one of which was of immeasurable value.

Of course, Dwarfs holding this thought came and went, while Krag Master still stood before his anvil as he had for a hundred years; Snorri suspected that the possibility of him joining the ranks of the Ancestor Gods now was far greater than the possibility of returning to their embrace.

Amidst the noise of the Dwarfs putting down their work and gathering around, Iron Chisel Master whispered a few words to the Dwarfs beside him; they nodded and took advantage of the chaos to mix into the other two groups. Snorri took in this scene, nodding inwardly at his great-uncle's reliability.

The Dwarfs found their places and gradually quieted down, and the two masters, Iron Chisel and Molten, also walked onto the platform to stand on either side of Krag Master.

"Everyone, be quiet! I have a major event to announce!" Krag Master's voice resonated through the entire hall via a trumpet-shaped Rune device in his hand, suppressing the whispering of the Dwarfs.

"Just today, our Dwarf compatriot Snorri Thorsson has mastered a lost Master Rune, and I have summoned everyone here to bear witness to his Master Rune Smith assessment!"

With a boom, the entire hall erupted! All the Dwarfs began to frantically exchange information.

"Who is Snorri Thorsson? Is he some reclusive elder?"

"The High King's third son has that name, but he isn't even a hundred years old yet!"

"Didn't he only become an official Rune Smith two years ago?"

"Is it him? Then I think it's actually quite possible; the old guy I was drinking with just now said the Mother Goddess manifested a miracle on the battlefield to save him!"

"You Goblin-brained fool, how is that possible! How many years has it been since the Ancestor Gods left us!"

"Little Beard, show some respect!" A buzzing sound filled the entire hall.

The Dwarfs below the stage fell into an argument over this shocking news, and some who were emotionally agitated even began to shove each other; the Dwarfs on the stage were not peaceful either.

Molten Master's jaw nearly hit the floor; looking at Snorri, whose black beard only grew to his chest, countless possible conspiracies flashed through his mind:

"Does the High King want to control the Rune Smith Guild? Was the networking I did in private discovered, and is the guild going to purge me? Isn't Krag always on bad terms with the royal family? Could it just be an act?"

Taking in the expressions of the young Dwarfs, a rare smile appeared on Krag's wrinkled face; it seemed he was very satisfied with the power of this news, which was comparable to a Rune of Wrath and Ruin.

"Ah, quiet, quiet! I, Krag the Grim, President of the Rune Smith Guild, and Master Aoruimu-Tiezhuo, who serves as Vice President, have both verified the authenticity of this Rune, and I am willing to swear in the name of the Ancestors!"

Having said that, he looked at Iron Chisel Master. Upon hearing this, Iron Chisel Master stepped forward: "I am also willing to swear in the name of the Ancestors that everything Master Krag said is true!" Krag nodded with satisfaction.

He held up Snorri's Rune Scroll with his left hand and shouted, "The Rune engraved by Snorri Thorsson is right here; anyone with doubts is welcome to come forward and verify it!"

Before the words had even faded, the eyes of almost every Dwarf present turned toward Dulingen-Ronghuo, who was standing to the left of Krag Master. As Vice President and a Rune Master, only he had the full qualifications and technical skill to perform the verification.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Molten Master's expression shifted back and forth; he was caught in an intense internal struggle—on one side were the vast number of peers expecting him to "uphold justice," and on the other were the highly formidable Krag Master and Iron Chisel Master, who was backed by the royal family.

Looking at the Dwarfs belonging to his own faction below the stage, he understood that if he did not raise an objection and allowed Snorri, a young man under a hundred years old, to proceed directly with the assessment under the support of the two masters, then the hearts he had worked so hard to unite would scatter, and he might as well stop being Vice President!

Thinking of this, Molten Master braced himself and stepped forward!