Chương 68: Dwarven Culture

"The sprocket are weld on," I said slowly in Dwarven.

"The sprocket is welded on," Anerac corrected me. After resistance training, I didn't want to focus on anything complicated. Having simple study sessions with the young dwarven man was a good way to unwind. Also, I needed to work on my Dwarven Language to eventually learn Dwarven Runes. He also wanted to work on his teaching skills.

"The sprockets connect the man…manifold assembly."

"Good. You are getting better."

"I am done. Two hours of this and my brain is cooked," I muttered.

"I still say you should learn Driving instead. A much better skill," Anerac said in Eldarin, sparing my brain from further suffering.

"One day, maybe. There is so much I must learn and work on."

"Well, you are getting better, and I need to increase my Teaching skills, since I want to teach driving."

"Really?" I asked while closing my eyes to let my brain rest. I felt constantly exhausted from pushing myself in my training every day.

"You have to get a tier 4 Driving skill to be licensed to teach, and that also means you can become a professional driver who tests out the latest vehicles for the corporations."

"I don't get it. How do these corporations even work?" Human society didn't have large corporations like the dwarves did. The nearest comparison would be nobles and the government.

"Other races are often confused. Since we dwarves have the best craftsmanship, we have formed corporations that focus on a piece of technology, trying to refine it and make it even better. Corporations have home cities but compete across all dwarven cities to get market share. Undercraft has a lot of competition, especially in the magical carriage industry."

"And are these corporations are in charge?"

"They manage technology. But then there is a City Council in each city to ensure livability. Sometimes corporations can go a bit too far, ensuring that wealth doesn't flow away from us dwarves while also overseeing overall city planning. Then you have the War Council for defense reasons. They take most of our taxes and work closely with the Corporation Council. These three councils run things in each city and coordinate with other dwarven cities.

A National Council, which includes one dwarf from each city, gives guidelines and ensures the use of similar standards."

"But aren't councils risky if a legend overturns things?" That was why humans used a nobility system. Legends could achieve results quickly without harming the population, unlike my mother did against Crownsmith.

"Legends get a spot with the War Council for the city they are based in if they want. They use the latest technology at Balde's Maw to defend our borders. If you humans make trouble again, well, you'd better be ready for our Dwarven Battle Carriages to crush everything," he declared with evident pride.

"So, your cities are independent like different nations?"

"No. The Dwarven Confederation's flag unites all dwarves. Back before the war against you humans and the Eldarin Empire, we were more divided. Like fingers spread apart on a hand, now we are a single fist." He was clearly taking a lot of joy in explaining all this to a human.

"Perhaps. But are there supreme legends among the dwarves?"

"No, but there are many that are close. We have our own legends, and our technology will make up the difference." Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. With one serious swing of my mother's blade, the city of Undercraft would be only a smoking pile of rubble. While I admired his confidence, against someone of her strength, skill, and power, I couldn't see how technology would make the difference.

Trying to argue that my mother was superior wasn't an argument I wanted to have. She could win her own arguments and carry her own reputation without my help.

"So, you drive for a living?" I asked to change the subject.

"And race! My magical carriage isn't the newest, but I have some of the best skills. It isn't just Driving, but there are other skills out there as well."

"What, really?" I asked.

"Yep. That's my secret. Well, I am sure other people have figured it out as well. The public skill list will update soon enough. The College of Advancement doesn't miss much. But can you keep a secret?" he asked, and I nodded.

"Drifting."

"Drifting? Like floating?" I asked.

"It is when a magical carriage is moving across the ground in a direction other than the one it is facing. You can get through some really tight corners using the Drifting skill. I have a couple of others, but they are known. No one drifts but me, since it is hard on the wheels. One mistake and they will blow apart."

"And that is bad?"

"Super bad. The magical carriage will flip. So, I have had to spend a fortune on wheels, but I leveled up the skill to Focused Drifting. No one can handle turns better than I do."

"How does that work? Don't magical carriages follow the direction of the wheels?"

"Be going fast enough and hit at a sharp angle, then turn in the opposite direction." I tried to think that over and just shook my head.

"I am not a driver, I am a spellblade, or at least will be one day." Anerac chuckled.

"Don't worry. No one else really gets it either. You must feel it." I would bet The Mathemancer could explain drifting, but I wasn't about to start an argument and ruin a perfectly good conversation.

"Races are big then?"

"They happen once a month, and they are huge. The risk is high, but they are the fastest way to gain levels related to driving skills. All the serious drivers take part, hoping to outdo the rest. Also, corporations like to show off during the races. But things have been difficult."

"Difficult how?"

"I need sponsors, but it has been tough. I don't have any connections. One gigantic crash and I am done for. I finished my last two races, but I really want to win."

"I wish you luck. I can't help you, and my mother doesn't care about such things." While I listened to Anerac's concerns, I wasn't about to invest my money in his racing.

"Ah, no, I wasn't asking. Just have to win a race and things will turn around." I mentally wished him luck, but I wanted nothing to do with all that nonsense. I had my own skills to figure out. While racing and driving magical carriages sounded exciting, it wasn't what I envisioned for my future. I wasn't a dwarven corporation, and I had little wealth I could easily spend on my own. While I could make money from the Dungeon, I had my own expenses to worry about. The training hall wasn't cheap.

It was time for me to work on my Focused Meditation and then go to sleep. My schedule had some leeway to rest after the daily training session, but there was always more to study or work on. I had to level all these skills, while individuals like Anerac only had to focus on a select handful. Yet, that was the key difference between being the best in a dangerous field and driving magical carriages. I knew his job was risky, but it differed from adventuring. The dungeon was actually trying to kill adventurers.

The dangers Anerac and the racers faced were ones they created on their own. However, it wasn't a competition with a guaranteed death for one side. Still, I could appreciate his passion and insight into dwarven culture. The Eldarin Empire had left bitter memories with the dwarves. They crushed the dwarves in multiple battles, pushed them back, and enslaved them. While all of this was over millennia ago, all races still remembered the horrors of the Eldarin Empire.

The Eldarin Empire contributed significantly to stability, growth, and knowledge. The foundation of the College of Advancement came from the Eldarin Empire. However, there were too many drawbacks to ignore. The dwarves and elves lacked the population to reclaim their lost territory after the Empire's collapse. Anerac was the only child his mother bore. The expense of food and other living costs was substantial in their subterranean cities. Dwarves typically developed physical stats faster than humans.

That added more challenges to having kids. Humans had neutral stat gains. Though certain races had easier stats, their general characteristics were known. Dwarves' technology couldn't compensate for their lower birth rate. This was known by the nobility, who also kept a close eye on the birth rate. My father said these policies continued after the Eldarin Empire fell. The nobility maintained a great deal of the culture after the Empire's fall.

I was sure that human nations would purchase these Dwarven Battle Carriages. Their remaining cities were too secure, and the dwarves too dug in without a behemoth like the Eldarin Empire to dislodge them. Their focus was on making money. Dwarven pride alone couldn't win against the human legends. My educated guess is that a tenth of human legends would equal dwarven legends if they fought. However, skills were much more versatile than powerful weapons. Legends earned their status for that reason.

Maybe a tech-based legend would arise, but that felt riskier than using simple tools.