Raising all of humanity: Starting with a backyard pool world

Chapter 75 [The Arrogance of the Steel City-State]

The wind and snow are like a never-ending white curtain, turning the world into a vast expanse of white.

At the end of this curtain, a colossal black silhouette gradually emerges from the wind and snow.

Mason's group stopped.

The group of twenty-one people, led by Master Baling, traveled westward for three whole months.

Their animal hides were tattered and worn, everyone was exhausted, and their lips were cracked from thirst.

They traversed high mountains and crossed frozen rivers, dodging the most ferocious predators on the snowfields.

Several times, they thought they would die on the road.

But when they saw the city, all their fatigue vanished.

The scene is beyond the reach of human imagination.

A colossal city-state, seemingly capable of supporting the sky, sits quietly nestled amidst the embrace of mountains.

The city walls are entirely built of black boulders, towering into the clouds, covered with thick snow, yet their rugged lines, full of power, are still clearly visible.

On the city wall, at intervals, there is a huge, chimney-like metal structure that rhythmically spews white steam into the hazy sky.

"Woo—" The deep, long whistle of the train pierced through the wind and snow.

That came from the depths of the city-state.

One of the young team members was so shocked that he dropped his wooden spear into the snow with a "thud".

Their tribe's proud wooden wall, barely enough to keep out wolves, was as fragile as a pile of toothpicks in the face of this steel fortress.

"This is... the city of the dwarves..." Mason murmured to himself.

He was completely captivated by the enormous and complex mechanical devices that moved back and forth on the city walls.

Those enormous machines, powered by gears, levers, and steam, methodically hoisted baskets of ore from the foot of the mountain to the top of the city wall.

While humans were still building furnaces with their bare hands and mud, the dwarves here had already learned to harness steel and steam.

This is a crushing defeat in terms of civilization level.

Looking at his stunned companions behind him, Bahrain's rugged face revealed a rare hint of complex pride.

He patted Mason on the shoulder and strode forward.

"Let's go knock on this door."

The group rallied and followed Bahrain's footsteps, trudging along towards the dwarf city-state.

The closer you are, the stronger the sense of oppression becomes.

The massive city gate was cast from heavy metal and covered with intricate runes. Although it did not emit light, it inspired awe simply by looking at it.

They had barely approached within a hundred paces of the city gate when a squad of fully armed dwarven guards spotted them atop the city wall.

"Halt! What are you doing here!" A rude shout came from the city wall.

A moment later, a small door opened beside the heavy city gate, and a squad of dwarven guards, also clad in heavy iron armor, stepped out.

The head guard captain, with only a pair of wary and disdainful eyes visible beneath his helmet, gave the group of ragged and poorly equipped humans a cursory look.

Balin immediately stepped forward, removed his helmet to reveal his signature beard, and then spoke in pure dwarven language:

"I am Balin, a prospector from Blackrock Watchtower. This is my insignia." He pulled an oil-stained iron badge from his pocket and handed it over.

The captain of the guard took the badge, glanced at it briefly, and then gave a disdainful snort.

"A prospector who's been wandering around brings back a bunch of monkeys. Is he planning to sell them into mining slavery?"

This was spoken in a dwarven language, which Mason and his companions could not understand.

But from the mocking tone and the low chuckles of the surrounding guards, they could tell it wasn't anything nice.

Several young hunters in the human group immediately showed angry expressions, their hands unconsciously tightening around the weapons at their waists.

"Master, what are they saying?" a hunter whispered to Balin.

Balin's face was grim. Suppressing his anger, he said in a deep voice to the captain of the guard, "They are not slaves, they are guests, my companions! We wish to request entry into the Iron Castle to meet with the chief craftsman."

Seeing Bahrain's expression, Mason guessed that things were not going well.

He stepped forward, awkwardly pounded his chest in the manner of a dwarf, then pointed to himself and then to the gates of Iron Castle, making a gesture of "learning".

He wanted to express their goodwill and their purpose.

This action, however, only drew more unrestrained ridicule from the guards.

"Haha, look, what's that long-legged monkey doing?"

"Learn? You mere mortals, unable to even hear the whispers of ore, dare to learn the forging spirit of my race?"

That arrogance and sense of racial superiority, deeply ingrained in the blood of the dwarves, weighed heavily on the hearts of every human member.

Just as the human hunters were about to lose their temper, a more composed voice rang out from behind the guards.

"What's all the noise about?" The guards immediately stopped laughing and respectfully made way for them.

A dwarf, slightly taller than the average guard, dressed in a more refined leather craftsman's outfit, with a row of small hammers and calipers hanging from his waist, stepped forward.

He looked very young, but his eyes revealed a maturity and a playful spirit.

"Master Apprentice!" The captain of the guards immediately saluted him.

"What's going on?" The dwarf, known as the "Chief Apprentice," looked at Mason and his group with a hint of curiosity.

The captain of the guards gave a brief report, his words still tinged with contempt for humanity.

After hearing this, the apprentice's amused smile deepened.

He ignored Balin and walked up to Mason with great interest, looking him up and down as if he were examining an interesting tool.

"So, you fragile mortals have traveled thousands of miles just to learn the skills of us dwarves?" he asked in Common, his pronunciation somewhat stiff.

Mason understood and nodded solemnly.

"Interesting." The head apprentice stroked his beard. "If you want to learn our skills, you'll have to prove your worth first."

"Alright, I'll give you a 'fair' chance."

He drew out his words, his gaze sweeping over all the humans as if he were looking at a group of monkeys waiting to be played with.

"Have an open artisan duel with my youngest apprentice."

"If you can demonstrate even the slightest thing worthy of our attention, I will make an exception and allow you to enter the outer city and find a place to stay."

"If not... then go back to where you came from."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding dwarf guards all burst into laughter.

In their view, this was not a duel at all, but a complete spectacle.

Balin's face turned a deep purplish-red, and he was about to explode when Mason stopped him.

Mason looked at the chief apprentice, the young dwarf's arrogance, but in his eyes, beyond the disdain, lay a deep-seated curiosity befitting a craftsman.

As a craftsman, Mason could see that this was undoubtedly the only chance.

He recalled the oath the tribe had made before setting out, the hopes of Terra and Anya, and the comrades who had died in that bloody battle because of their inferior weapons.

Dignity is important.

But sometimes, surviving and becoming stronger is more important than dignity.

Mason raised his head, met the mocking gazes of all the dwarves, and nodded.

"We accept."

Amidst the dwarves' even louder laughter, Mason and his "Forge Seekers" team stepped onto the outskirts of this steel city-state for the first time.

It's even bigger than they imagined.

The streets are paved with hard stone slabs, wide and bright.

On both sides of the road, there are tall stone buildings with black smoke billowing from their chimneys.

Walking at the back of the crowd, Bahrain quietly approached Mason and gave him a hint:

"Don't compete with them on hammers, compete on brains."