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Chapter 245: Furniture Commission

I went to the northern continent, land of the refreshingly cool weather and stifling dwarves — I mean Earthkin.

「You’ve come! We welcome you, Brother! 」
Hey, why are you calling me Brother so arbitrarily? I got patted on the back. This really felt stifling. They probably would’ve put their arms around my shoulders if we were the same height. Earth People are two heads smaller than me and they have stocky and sturdy builts.

Pardon the intrusion, Gamri of the Black Steel Pit. I came here to commission my furniture before we leave for the Labyrinth.

The men of the Black Steel Pit have raven black hair and ink colored beards; even the women have jet black hair. It was hard telling who’s who at first….!!!

「Soleil of the Island, why don’t you grow your beard? 」
「Humans of the Town do not know the benefits of beards. 」
Gamri and his comrades’ beards wriggled while they chatted and laughed. Actually, they chuckled and yelled with booming voices before I could even put a word in.

Sorry that my beard didn’t grow! Even if I didn’t want to grow it super long, I still wanted to try sporting a scruffy beard! Would it have grown if I had a bit of Khadar in me? I couldn’t help but think how strangely built this body is.

By the way, if I didn’t do my best to join their conversation, they would make me do some unexpected things, and that’s how I won in an arm wrestling contest against a dwarf.

I looked around the Earthkin’s dwelling. Just as its name suggests, you could mine iron with excellent quality from the Black Steel Pit. They connected the natural grotto with a tunnel they made and they’re living in it. The stone walls are orange-hued; I’m not sure if it’s covered with rusty iron and that is what’s making it orange. The fireplace and candles lit the place, making it seem like a cozy and warm hole.

The tunnels are low and narrow. I thought they’d continue on to small caves, so I was surprised when I emerged into a huge place with a ceiling so high I almost couldn’t see it.

The caves were randomly dug and connected to each other, apparently, so the rooms didn’t have any definite shape. As for the furniture, they’re mostly made from wood or stone.

Gamri set his tankard down on the table with a bang. The furniture might be bulky and heavy and his manner crude, but I could see how dexterous he was, given that there’s nothing out of alignment in the thickness or width of the table. Not only that, it also has delicate patterns on it, probably carved to pass the time.

The patterns and crests seemed to have been really carved out of whim; they’re all over the place, engraved on walls and on the floor too.

「Okay, can you make me some bed frames, chairs, dining table, sideboards, tea table — I want a complete set that will go well with the room drawn on this blueprint. Ah, I also want a sofa that will go around this room like this. 」
I told him my furniture requirements and traced a semi-circle demonstrating the placement of the sofa on the blueprint, then handed the paper over to him.

「Oh? Based on this draft, it seems like you installed a huge window or aperture here, huh? 」
Gamri checked the blueprint while drinking. Wow, good job recognizing that in this haphazardly drawn sketch.

「Yeah, it’s also supported by spirit iron. 」
「Hmm, spirit iron, huh. Isn’t that a rare item for Humans of the Town? 」
His tankard on his left hand, a quill pen with the feather plucked out on his right as he skillfully drank while scribbling on the blueprint.

Even in the northern continent, earth spirits, iron spirits, stone spirits and other similar spirits gathered in the dwelling places of the Earth People. It’s not that much, but spirit iron was mineable here.

「Yeah, apparently. Ah, I polished and laid out some round log discs from the giant tree for the flooring of the stairs over here. 」
「Whoa, the Goddess of Verdure’s giant tree…! 」
Everyone around us restlessly chattered.

I was discussing the plans with Gamri, but skilled dwarves from other tribes also gathered here since they’re helping in making the commissioned furniture. That’s because the folks in the
Black Steel Pit are better in metal crafts than wood works.

Various craftsmen from different villages also come here to make tools, so this has been a place for them to stay while they’re here. They also mine high-quality iron and create the tools themselves, and in some cases, they would also commission the Black Steel Pit artisans to do it for them. Naturally, discussions between the tribes are also held here.

「Can we also make the doors? 」
「Yeah, okay, I guess? 」

「Alright! I’ll do the iron decor! 」
「Leave the lock to me! 」
「The hinges to me! 」

Everyone was in an uproar when I agreed. The artisans that specialized in crafts other than woodworking also joined in, apparently.

The craftsmen handling the wood were all elated when I said they’re going to work on the Goddess of Verdure’s giant tree as one of the materials. The metal craftsmen looked enviously at the fired-up carpenters as they congratulated them.

For the Earthkin, handling top tier materials is their greatest pleasure. ‘We’re willing to pay gold for an opportunity to handle the Giant Tree of the Goddess of Verdure…!!’ — was how it would go, apparently.

The metal artisans looked dejected, so I told them to work on the spirit silver and spirit gold.

The furniture makers wanted to see the actual site no matter what, so I took a few representatives with me to the tower and showed them around. It seemed as if they turned into completely different people; they completely quieted down as they promptly and briskly measured everything.

The tower’s lizard spirit peeked out of his dwelling, probably surprised by the sudden visit, so I introduced some of the representatives.

I’d been completely abandoned in a corner, so I chatted with the lizard spirit while watching the Earthkin work.

They said they would design the furniture so that they would match the window frame made with spirit iron. They also offered to make me a few shelves over the sink where I could stow the dishes, and they would also make a place where I could hang my pots. The number of built-in furniture would increase, apparently.

They told me that I only had to provide their meals and pay for their fuel, but that wouldn’t do, I would pay them properly. The Earthkin didn’t put any price on their craft, so they didn’t accept any commission that they didn’t like. If it was something that they did like, then they had to do it by all means possible.

It’s just that they made everything themselves, so the only time they used money was to buy materials, food — particularly alcohol, apparently. And so, I also put some whiskey into a cask.

The Earthkin loved beer, but unlike the Japanese beer, the alcohol content would be nearly 40 percent. Sorry guys, but the alcohol content of sake is regulated by Japanese laws…. Maybe I should also make some beer.