Chapter 20: Clan Rewards

"What about Aoruimu? Hasn't he gotten out of bed yet?" Grandfather Duorsen asked with concern.

"He ran off to his own workshop early this morning; he should be over in a while," Yushou Popo said.

"Let's get started already! The Little Beards are still waiting for me to drill them! The formation falls apart the moment a Big 'Un on a war pig charges in; they still need training. Back in my day, when I charged face-first with my Shining Dragon..." Sinuoli had finally witnessed Longchui's tendency to never go three sentences without mentioning his own glorious deeds.

"First is the equipment. According to the ancestors' rules, every Clan member qualified to set up their own household should receive at least one piece of Exquisite Quality equipment. Does anyone have any objections to this?"

The eldest, Great-grandfather Dolson, spoke first, and the other elders naturally had no objections.

"If you ask me, why not bring out that set of stone armor for little Sinuoli to wear? As the youngest Rune Master since Thurni, he surely deserves it, right?" Yushou Popo said.

Before the other elders could speak, Sinuoli hurriedly declined. On one hand, this stone plate armor had more symbolic meaning than practical value; on the other hand, its granite texture, while granting it superb magic resistance, was not conducive to the conduction of the wearer's Rune Power, making it very easy to cause spell failure.

"Sinuoli, you tell us, what do you need?" After the elders had chattered for a long time without reaching a conclusion, Aunt Sonia decided to listen to Sinuoli's opinion.

"I think I might need a Warhammer!" Considering that the skill in the system named Avatar of the Gods would increase his size, Sinuoli felt it was better not to rush into arranging armor. If he were to accidentally burst a piece of Exquisite Quality equipment, he feared the ancestors' coffin lids would be unable to stay shut, given the Dwarfs' love for wealth.

"A Warhammer? Not bad, I like it!" Longchui chimed in, "A long-handled one or a one-handed hammer?"

"Use your Goblin brain! Have you ever seen a Rune Smith use a two-handed hammer? It's obviously a one-handed Forging Hammer!" Aunt Sonia snapped back.

Aside from the Miners who carried the pickaxes and chisels they were accustomed to into battle, other Dwarf melee units were accustomed to using Battle Axes and Warhammers. Battle Axes were suitable for fighting lightly armored enemies, while Warhammers, as blunt weapons, were undoubtedly superior for fighting heavily armored enemies.

Every type of weapon had a distinction between one-handed and two-handed versions. Heavy weapons swung with two hands were more powerful and could cause armor-piercing damage, while one-handed weapons were often paired with a Shield to enhance defensive capabilities; Shields could also effectively reduce incoming ranged damage. Of course, Slayers who pursued lethality would choose to dual-wield one-handed Battle Axes.

"Are there any suitable one-handed hammers in the storehouse?" Thorgrim asked Sonia.

"Brother, as far as I know, there aren't. In that battle in the Chaos Wastes, the equipment of those brothers of ours who returned to the Ancestor Hall was lost in large quantities."

Speaking of this, the few Dwarfs present could not help but sigh. Yushou Popo even traced a cross on her chest and said, "The Goddess is above!" She recited a divine title to comfort herself; having lost her husband and all her children in that tragic battle, her ability to still sit here was nothing short of strong.

"Then let's go to the Blacksmith Guild to have one custom-made so it will be more comfortable to use!" Thorgrim made a note in his book. "One Meteorite War Hammer!" he said while writing.

"What about the Runes, Sinuoli? What do you say? Shall we leave it to the Rune Smith Guild or will you do it yourself?"

"The Master-level Throwing Rune I engraved during my assessment is just right; let's use that. It can also save the Clan some expenses." Seeing Sinuoli being so considerate, the elders nodded one after another.

"Next is..." Before Thorgrim could finish his sentence, the Iron Chisel Master rushed into the guild hall in a flurry. "I'm not too late, am I?" He ran onto the high platform, panting, and snatched the wine cup from Longchui's hand to take a big gulp.

"Here, Sinuoli, put this on and see if it fits!" As he spoke, he took out a ring. The moment it was in his hand, Sinuoli was shocked by the weight of the ring. This ring was actually made of meteorite!

One must know that meteorite, as the hardest metal in the world, required a Master blacksmith to smelt and forge it into armor or weapons; the difficulty of forging it into an object as small as a ring was greatly increased.

Sinuoli held the ring up to his eyes to observe it carefully. He discovered that the face of the ring was empty, but a circle of Runes was engraved on the shoulders of the ring.

"This thing was given to me by an old guy from the Blacksmith Guild to pay off a debt. Back then, he entrusted me to engrave Runes on a meteorite chisel. I, your old uncle, pondered in the workshop for a long time, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and came up with a combination. I engraved it, and to my surprise, it actually worked!

A Master-level Shattering Rune combined with a Cleaving Rune and a Piercing Rune—a perfect Legendary Quality piece of equipment, the Auremu Iron Chisel. That name sounds pretty good, right? The effects of the three Runes stack; meteorite under that thing is like beer foam—it shatters at a touch!"

The Iron Chisel Master inevitably fell into memories again, though Sinuoli now knew the origin of his nickname; many craftsmen used their most satisfying works as inspiration for their nicknames.

"The original Exquisite Quality became Legendary Quality, so the originally agreed-upon payment was no longer appropriate! That old guy used this ring to settle the account."

The Iron Chisel Master took another big gulp of beer. "After I got it, I engraved a circle of Lucky Runes on the shoulders, but I never had any inspiration for what to use for the main Rune on the face, so over time, it just got thrown into the storage room. The first time I saw that Master-class Flight Rune of yours, I felt it would go perfectly with it. Here, take it!"

"This is too valuable! I can't..." Sinuoli subconsciously opened his mouth to decline. "Don't be in such a hurry to refuse, child," the Iron Chisel Master interrupted him. "I just went around to the Clan and guild storehouses to check, and I'm afraid there isn't an extra Doom Anvil for you right now. Just take this as compensation from your old uncle!"

The Doom Anvil, the most iconic equipment of a Rune Lord, had been mentioned repeatedly before but never introduced. They were the oldest treasures of the Dwarfs, the anvils used to forge legendary Rune Weapons, and perhaps even the true invention of the great god of smithing, Grungni.

In terms of rarity, they were even more precious than Legendary Quality equipment, but because only Dwarfs who had mastered Rune Power were capable of using them, they were not particularly sought after.

They were specially crafted to attract and control the Winds of Magic, and this power could then be gathered and released by a Rune Lord. We can think of it as a power bank that can speed up Rune recharging, allowing them to be used repeatedly in a single battle.

At the same time, because it could attract the Winds of Magic, it could serve to reduce the frequency of spellcasting by enemies who relied on the Winds of Magic and increase the probability of their spell failure. Furthermore, the magical energy they dissipated could activate the weapons of nearby friendly troops, increasing their armor-piercing capabilities.

All Doom Anvils were forged by the Ancestor Gods at Vaul's Anvil—Vaul's Anvil was not an item, but a volcanic crater. With the departure of the Ancestor Gods, their manufacturing methods were lost, and more importantly, Vaul's Anvil was also destroyed in the earthquake that ushered in the Dark Age. Therefore, now, every time a Doom Anvil is lost, there is one less in existence.

The editor gave me a recommendation slot; asking for votes and follows!