Chương 654: Chapter 652 – Interesting Golems.

"My apologies for making you wait, Siegfried." Harphon finally arrived after taking his time within the guild. Roland remained seated at the table, contemplating his next move. His previous plan had ended here. He was supposed to leave, use his new identity, and move more freely through the dungeon while occasionally keeping an eye on the blacksmith. His hope had been that the Master Runesmith would protect him, and that protection during the journey would be enough.

However, things did not always turn out as planned. Assassins had appeared, potentially linked to Arthur and the Valerian household. The situation had grown more complicated, as Roland now wished to learn more about them. Doing so might lead him to whoever was responsible for the past attempt on Arthur's life. There were many possible culprits, but from his perspective, the most likely remained one of Arthur's brothers. Still, it was also possible that one of their mothers was involved or some other third party.

"It's fine."

"Regretfully, some of my associates are indisposed, having gone on various missions, so it might take me a while." The gnome sounded disappointed. He was here on a mission from the guild. Roland was not sure what it was or whether Harphon was telling the truth, but for the time being he was willing to believe him. Helping him could prove beneficial in the future, as having a guild inspector on his side would not hurt. Still, Roland was a busy man.

He did not want to act as the gnome's guard for long, having already spent too much time on this particular side mission. Harphon pulled out a chair and climbed onto it with practiced ease, his boots dangling slightly above the floor. He folded his hands together and looked up at Roland, his expression grim and serious.

"I'll be frank." The gnome said quietly.

"The assassins we encountered were probably not a coincidence, and the call may have come from this very stronghold." Roland's eyes narrowed behind his helmet.

"May have?"

"Yes. I do not like speaking in certainties unless I am absolutely sure of what I am dealing with. There is a trail of crumbs, but I cannot prove anything just yet. This investigation will take far longer than I expected." Harphon rubbed his beard before looking back at Roland.

"Thus, I would wish to officialy hire…" Before he could continue his pitch, Roland raised a hand to interrupt him.

"Sorry, but I am planning on working alone from now on."

"Are you sure, Siegfried? The pay will be rather generous. I am certain we can work something out."

"It is not about the money. I simply do not want to be involved in these matters anymore." It was a half truth. In reality, Roland did not wish to be tied to the stronghold. If he became Harphon's bodyguard, he would have to stay close at all times and would not be able to leave whenever he pleased. He did not fear the assassins overly much and had already outfitted the area around the stronghold with various sensors.

He doubted anyone could sneak up on him, let alone locate his hidden shelter and teleportation gate.

"Is that so? Are you only here to hunt a few lesser dragons?"

"Something like that."

"Always a man of many mysteries." The gnome chuckled at Roland's vague response.

"…Very well." Harphon let out a quiet sigh and leaned back in his chair, his sharp eyes never quite leaving Roland.

"I won't force the issue. You don't strike me as a man who responds well to pressure, but if you find the time…"

"... If I happen to be around, then sure…" Roland relented a little, giving the gnome permission to call on his help if he happened to be nearby. Even without Harphon knowing, he was planning to track his movements in the dungeon, at least if he went outside the stronghold. Within it, placing sensors was ill-advised until Roland determined the mages competency level. One of them had managed to see through his attempt at hiding monster bodies in the past.

"Great!" The gnome cheered at the news, but the time to part was finally upon them.

"Then this old man won't keep you here any longer, and also, take this." Before leaving, Harphon handed Roland a card that looked like an adventurer card, bearing Harphon's identity.

"Your adventurer card?"

"Not quite, but I would like to entrust you with it. If something happens to me, could you give it to one of the guild members in Isgard, ask for Azar."

"..." Roland did not press for clarification. It was obvious what the man was doing. If he died, he wanted Roland to deliver the card to one of his associates and likely explain what had transpired so they could send a larger investigation team.

"I see you understand, so I won't explain. I hope we can chat again, Siegfried. Adventurers like you don't appear too often in this cruel world."

"I think you're over exaggerating. And this card, I'll return it once you're done here."

"Haha, I hope you keep that promise. Then I bid you farewell, my friend." With that, Harphon jumped off his stool and headed out of the guild. For a moment, Roland remained there, watching to see if anyone followed the gnome. After two minutes of waiting, nothing of the sort happened, so he finally decided to check on how Agni was doing.

"Woof!"

"You're so smart, Amun!" While Ermes was pulled away by his master, Hasim, Millie did not follow after them. Instead, she remained with Agni, who had been left behind in front of the Adventurer Guild. Even though he was a large monster wolf, the adventurers nearby paid him little attention, as many other creatures like him wandered around unperturbed.

'The laws are a lot more lax here.' Roland thought to himself as he approached them. Back in other cities, he would have had to place Agni in a proper stable before entering the guild, but here, monsters were allowed to roam freely.

"Your father left a while ago with a man named Hasim." Even after he approached the two of them, Millie only noticed him once he spoke. Roland was not sure whether she was naturally scatterbrained or simply enamored with Agni. Either way, she was still here while her father had gone off with Hasim, which conveniently gave Roland an excuse to do something now.

"Oh? He did?"

"You did not hear the shouting?"

"I…" Millie finally realized what she had been doing, and a blush spread across her face. She looked away from Roland, her gaze shifting awkwardly to the side. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

'She is around the same age as Lucienne.' The thought highlighted the stark contrast between a commoner and a noble. His younger sister had already entered a magical academy and lived among her peers, while this girl was stuck working at an inn with her mother from a young age. It was clear that she longed to experience the world through youthful eyes, yet she was confined to this place, unable to leave, like a bird trapped in a cage.

"The man looked like a craftsman."

"Oh… yes, Uncle Hasim is the greatest craftsman here?"

"I see… Does he sell any enchanted equipment?"

"Does he!" It seemed that once he mentioned Hasim, Millie reacted positively. He was not sure why she called him an uncle, but it implied some kind of deeper bond.

"He's the only one the Adventurers trust with their runic plating!" Millie exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with a mix of pride and secondhand ambition.

"Papa says Uncle Hasim can hear the metal screaming if the heat is not just right. He's a bit grumpy from time to time. Okay, he's a lot grumpy… always grumpy, but he's still the best craftsman here." Roland nodded slowly, processing the information. A Master Runesmith with a second Master Golem Designer class was a rarity even within the kingdom. Finding one tucked away in a frontier dungeon stronghold suggested either a deep love for rare materials or, perhaps, a desire to work somewhere oversight was thin.

"If he is that skilled, perhaps I should pay his workshop a visit." Roland murmured to himself, making sure the girl heard him.

"You should. But…" Millie's excitement dimmed slightly, her hands lowering as she became less animated.

"He doesn't like strangers much, especially adventurers lately. He says they treat swords like toothpicks and armor like old rags."

"You seem to know him well."

"Ah, yes, he helped me with my…" She stopped herself just in time and laughed sheepishly, as if she had already said too much.

"I see. I'm new here. Could you show me where I can find the best enchanted weapons, then?" Roland did not feel particularly good about prying this child for more information, but her class still intrigued him. It was also better if he escorted her to wherever her father had gone. The orcish man from before could return seeking retribution, blaming Millie and her mother for what had happened, even though he alone was responsible. Millie nodded eagerly, her short hair bouncing.

"Oh, sure! I wanted to head to Uncle's workshop anyway. I'm sure Papa is getting lectured by him now." She chuckled to herself while looking in the direction of the stronghold's crafting district.

"Woof!"

"Let's go, Amun." Agni stretched and wiggled his head after Millie had ruffled his fur quite a bit. As they walked through the bustling streets of the stronghold, Roland kept his sensors active. The air quality shifted as they entered the district filled with smithies and workshops. Smoke hung in the air while wind enchantments filtered it, making it more breathable.

'So this is it?' What he saw was interesting. It was not as organized as the shops in Isgard, but the quality was still top notch. Even though everything seemed mismatched at first, there was meaning to the chaos. Workshops lined the streets in every direction, and smoke poured from nearly every chimney. Adventurers roamed the area, glancing at the goods displayed outside the shops while craftsmen worked openly nearby.

Hammers struck blades, shaping them into proper form, while enchantsmiths and runesmiths infused magic into the metal. They did not seem perturbed by onlookers, which was quite different from the secretive practices dwarven craftsmen were known for.

'Still, these runes are on the simpler side. They probably handle the more complex work behind closed doors.' Roland moved along, studying the various runes and enchantments on display, but nothing caught his eye. The craftsmanship was above average, yet that was all. There was nothing here he could learn. However, when they arrived at the main workshop belonging to Hasim, he finally saw something that exceeded his expectations.

'Those golems look quite advanced.' Runesmiths were a hybrid class of magic users and craftsmen. They were not known as capable fighters, but there was one way they could become a formidable combat force, and that was through the creation of combat golems. Two such constructs stood before the massive entrance of the workshop, which from this angle looked more like a giant metallurgy plant than a simple place of craft. The two were made from an alloy he did not fully recognize.

The runes etched into their plating pulsed with a rhythmic amber light, synchronized as if the constructs shared a single heartbeat. Unlike the joint-heavy designs Roland usually encountered, these golems possessed a fluid, almost organic structure. Their limbs were composed of interlocking plates that shifted and slid over one another without making a sound, as if they were a layer of metallic skin.

'This is quite advanced. I can hardly tell that it has joints at all.' Although the golems stood motionless and bore a humanoid shape, they appeared to be a single solid mass of metal rather than armor assembled from multiple components. After studying them more closely, Roland noticed a thinner outer layer covering the inner structure. It concealed the intricate mechanisms within, yet he could not determine how the internal parts were connected without interfering with one another.

"Mister Siegfried?"

"Oh…" For a moment, he had forgotten that he was there to escort Millie and had completely zoned out.

"Those golems look peculiar."

"Those two? Uncle Hasim says they are more powerful than any adventurer living here, but I am not sure about that. I have never seen them used." Millie spoke as she approached the constructs. Their heads were angular, each with a single golem eye hidden behind a narrow visor-like slit. Roland could tell that one of the golems performed some kind of scan. Once it confirmed her identity, its attention shifted back to him.

'I wonder…' As he stepped forward, one of the three-meter-tall golems raised its massive hand to block his path, clearly indicating that he was not registered among those permitted to approach. Roland briefly considered whether he could hijack the runic operating system controlling the construct, but he dismissed the idea. It was likely that Hasim would notice any interference, and that would only complicate matters further.

"I'm sorry Mister Siegfried, but you'll have to go through the main entrance to look at the enchanted items." Millie moved and pointed to another door on the side, one that led to a shop. This was clearly the entrance used by workers and staff connected to Hasim's workshop. While Roland wanted nothing more than to go inside and uncover the man's secrets, he knew he needed to restrain himself for now.

"I understand." He nodded and took a few steps back before turning to the side.

"Thank you for showing me around. I hope you and your father stay safe." He finished with a small nod and turned to leave. Roland wanted to know more about the golems, the master who created them, and the girl with the strange starting class, but this was not the right time to pry. He was still a stranger here, and it was better not to push his luck. For now, simply browsing the wares inside the shop would be enough.

"Amun, stay outside for now. Don't worry, I won't take long."

"Worf!" Millie looked a little disappointed as she headed inside to see her father.

"Is Amun… I mean, are you perhaps looking for an inn to stay the night? We have large stables for bigger beasts like him." It was clear that she was far more interested in Agni staying at her parents' inn than in Roland himself, but he did not mind. It gave him a reason to linger, and keeping up appearances as an adventurer was important.

"We do need a place to stay. The Red Dragon Inn, was it?"

"Yes, that's the one! You won't be disappointed. My mom makes the best dragon stew in the whole stronghold." Millie finished proudly, puffing out her chest.

"And her bread is the best, too!"

"I'll take your word for it." Roland nodded, then turned and headed into the side building where the shop was located. Millie waved at him, though her eyes lingered on Agni as he wiggled his tail. Soon she slipped back into the main building, and the two went their separate ways. Inside, he saw many other adventurers and a long waiting line leading toward a section of the store where repaired items were being turned in. It was not strange to see.

Even back at his own shop, most of his past work had consisted of infusing magic back into old, worn runes or sharpening aging blades and pushing dents out of battered armor. Here, it was much the same. There also did not seem to be much stock on hand. Only a few average-looking sets of armor, blades, and other weapons with the usual enchantments sat in the display cases. Instead, it appeared the smiths relied primarily on custom orders as their main source of work.

'I suppose it saves money to take specific orders from adventurers rather than letting gear gather dust in the corner of the shop.' From a craftsman's standpoint, it made perfect sense. It favored the smiths over the adventurers, though, who were left waiting for their orders to be completed. From what he could tell, that wait could last days or even weeks.

"Another three days?" A warrior groaned at the counter, shoving a bag of gold toward the clerk.

"I can't head back to the glades with my axes in that state. Fix them by tomorrow!" The clerk was having none of it, and when the adventurer raised his voice, the clerk did the same.

"Listen here, tall-ears! We gave ye the deadline, and a dwarf's word is as solid as a mountain. It'll be finished in three days' time, not sooner, nor a hammer-stroke later so keep yer beard on and wait!"

"What did you say!"

"Ye heard me! Don't like it? Take ur' axes elsewhere!"

'Interesting.' Roland listened to the exchange, and it quickly became clear that the craftsmen held the upper hand. The adventurer did not argue further. The dynamic within this stronghold was obvious, and perhaps it also explained why Ermes had been targeted.

"Hm?" As he stood there looking around, he noticed something else. Someone's gaze was fixed on him. Whoever it was seemed to be staring intently, attempting to use an analyze skill on him, something that he didn't appreciate.