Date: Unspecified Ti: Unspecified Location: Myriad Realms, Lil. Red Storm, Seed World, Trophy Section, Duel Realm, Crafting Sector, Crafting Colosseum, Inter-realm city, Sector DS0909, Chaos Dwarven District, EGGG Workshop. "Winter Valley?" Moon repeated, her brows knitting together. "It was actually our first choice, but that place is uninhabitable. Sure, our race is immune to the glacier plague, but the sa can't be said for the food and supplies we need for daily life. And let's not forget, the environnt is brutal—even for us. Adults in our race can barely handle the cold, but the kids? They wouldn't survive. It's not a place where a civilization can thrive."
Her tone grew firr as she dismissed Venera's suggestion, convinced he didn't truly understand how unforgiving Winter Valley was and only read about it in the books. It hadn't earned its place among the thirteen deadliest places in the Dark Realm solely because of the glacier plague. The valley itself was a relentless, frozen wasteland that could bring even the strongest dark races to their knees.
"It's not just the glacier plague freezing living beings," Moon continued, gesturing with her hands as if trying to make Venera visualize the severity. "It freezes everything—anything with even a hint of heat in it. Food, tools, furniture... you na it. The slightest warmth is enough to trigger the plague, and whatever gets frozen becos so brittle that a simple touch could shatter it. We've tried using items with ice attributes, but even those don't last. Our body heat transfers to those item, and that's all it takes for the glacier plague to claim it."
Moon's voice grew heavier, frustration creeping in. "Living there is impossible under those conditions. And yes, I know we're Froslings, but we're not mindless ice eaters. We like our at well-done. Sure, we can chew and digest frozen at if we have to, but we prefer it cooked. It's tastier that way. The thought of surviving on frozen scraps in a place where even cooking could spell disaster? That's no life for a civilization."
Her eyes flicked to Venera, her expression daring him to counter her argunt. She didn't doubt his intelligence, but she couldn't see how anyone—even soone as resourceful as him—could overco the sheer hostility of Winter Valley.
"Don't worry," Wyatt said, his tone steady but commanding. "I've already thought this through. If you trust , gather your people at Winter Valley—all of them. And when I say all, I an it. Anyone who doubts or tries to play it safe will be dead to and my people. They won't be welco in the frozen utopia, Frosell, that I plan to build in the winter for my people. Do you understand?"
Before Moon could process his words fully, Wyatt pressed on. "As a show of good faith, I'll modify your race's title demon core thod—just enough for your elders, who've been stuck at the chivalry and semi-noble class level, to finally break through to the noble class. With my modifications, they won't have trouble reaching the rank of baron or viscount. But if they are hungry for more, tell them to gather their families and wait for at Winter Valley. Can you handle that?"
"Yes, Master Crafter!" Moon yelled, her voice booming with determination. Her sudden outburst startled the Dwarves, who were in the middle of their guild entrance interview with FortuneEyes.
Dulas and Biore exchanged uneasy glances. The questions they were being asked were puzzling, to say the least. They'd never joined a guild before, but they were fairly certain that these kinds of questions weren't standard procedure. FortuneEyes wasn't asking about their skills or experience; instead, she posed bizarre, almost nonsensical questions, most of which could be answered with a simple yes or no.
The simplicity of the questions left them baffled. Was this FortuneEyes' way of testing them? Or was she going easy on them because they'd been personally introduced by the guild leader, Venera? The latter seed plausible, and for a mont, they allowed themselves to feel entitled.
After all, they'd been mistreated by their own family for so long that they didn't recognize the boundaries of real entitlent. If they had approached any other guild, their status as young and talented Chaos Dwarves would have been celebrated. Most guilds would have bent over backward to keep them happy, offering them every courtesy.
But here they felt entitled just to breeze through a interview test while the Frosling beside them declared her unshakable loyalty to a man who spoke of transforming a frozen wasteland into a haven for her people.
"Good," Wyatt said with a satisfied nod. "Then return ho and start making preparations. I'll send the modified Frosell title demon core thod within the next forty-eight hours. Until then, spend so ti with your family and friends. Because after this, you won't have much free ti. Trust , you'll forget what ti off and leisure even an."
He admired how decisively Moon had agreed to his terms without hesitation. That kind of resolve and conviction was exactly what he looked for in people who would work under him.
"Yes, Master Crafter! I'll be patiently waiting to hear from you at my house in forty-eight hours!" Moon responded with the enthusiasm of a cadet addressing their drill sergeant. Her voice was firm, yet a mix of fear and excitent flickered in her eyes. She was terrified that her race might squander this once-in-a-lifeti opportunity, but at the sa ti, she was thrilled by the prospect of Winter Valley becoming her people's new ho.
Why had she bought in and agreed to Venera's seemingly outlandish claims and outrageous demands so quickly? Because why not? Her race had lost their native realm, endured decades of inhumane experintation, been discarded as lab waste, and suffered millennia of oppression under the Snow Elves. The only hope for breaking free of their oppressors was to modify their current title demon core thod—an endeavor her entire race had pursued for over a century, without success.
And now here she was, being handed a modified Frosell title demon core thod essentially for free. All Venera asked of her was to trust him and rally her people to the Winter Valley for a chance at a better life.
What moved her most about Venera's proposal wasn't just his promise of a better future—it was the way he made it clear that those of her race who trusted him and gathered at Winter Valley would beco his people. Moon had witnessed firsthand how Venera treated those he considered his own. Joining his group wasn't just about survival; it was an honor, a chance to be part of sothing greater. To Moon, that was worth more than the modified title demon core thod he was offering to convince her people.
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