The murmurs and stares followed us like a shadow as we made our way deeper into the bustling streets of Valorian. It was amusing how quickly word spread in the capital. By the time we reached the industrial quarter, the sidelong glances and outright gawking had only grown more brazen.
The air here was different - thicker with the smell of hot iron and soot. The rhythmic clang of hammers echoed from every direction, mingling with the hiss of steam and the rumble of the forges. It was the perfect place for Kaelira to stock up on everything she'd need to set up her own forge.
We came to a stop in front of a large blacksmith shop with a sign that read "Steelweaver's Haven." The building was bigger than the surrounding shops, with smoke billowing from multiple chimneys and an open courtyard where apprentices worked tirelessly on smaller projects.
Most of them were dwarven slaves. Their owners must've thought it to be cheaper to buy them young and inexperienced and train them up with the assistance of older slaves instead of buying master crafters outright.
While humans and elves could learn the art of artificing, dwarves just had a natural disposition toward it, which over the long years created a stigma that they were simply better at it. It got to the point where if a high-tier item wasn't crafted by the hands of a dwarf, it lost some of its value. Just the fact that it was made by a human made it worse.
Kaelira's eyes lit up the moment she saw it. She stepped forward with her usual demure act slipping as she craned her neck to take in the towering structure.
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