This adventurer is overly righteous.

"The taste is indeed quite good..."

Kroya wiped his mouth. Although there was a slight hiccup during the meal, he was still quite satisfied with the delicious food.

The roasted meat was very juicy with a unique fruity aroma, and the sauce was thick but not greasy. The white bread was also delicious when dipped in the creamy mushroom soup.

However, if the food wasn't really that good, no adventurers would come here.

Kroya got up to leave, but then he noticed a seemingly harmless gaze watching him, so he stopped.

"It's that dwarf."

Their eyes met in the air. Kroya extended his hand and silently greeted him as a sign of politeness, while the dwarf walked over as if they were old friends and stood in front of Kroya.

"You're a new adventurer, aren't you?" the dwarf with a thick beard said casually. "If we've met before, I don't think I'd be completely unfamiliar with you."

"Still this morning."

However, now, Kroya is a seasoned adventurer, even though he has only been on an adventure once.

"Would you like to hear a story?" the dwarf asked in a suspenseful tone, as if he were hiding some incredible secret. "My name is Leijin, and I've lived for hundreds of years. In your human slang, I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice..."

"I don't really like to boast, but my experience is just so vast, and I've traveled to so many places..."

"If you have anything to say, I'm all ears."

Kroya was curious about dwarves, who were frequent characters in various fantasy works from his previous life, and now they were standing right in front of him.

"Of course, a story will rot and stink if it's kept in your heart, but..." The dwarf paused, then coughed a few times and changed his tone, "But as you've seen, I've been talking to other adventurers, and my throat is a little sore from talking."

"If only I could have a glass of ale to soothe my throat, that wouldn't even cost a few copper coins..."

Beneath the dwarf's thick eyebrows, a glint of cunning flashed in his eyes.

Wow.

Kroya naturally understood what the guy was talking about. He looked at the twenty copper coins the waiter had just given him and thought it wouldn't hurt to use a few more.

The waiter quickly served Leijin a glass of ale, which Kroya estimated to be close to a liter, and charged him eight copper coins. The dwarf drank most of it down in one gulp.

"Not bad, not bad." Leikin seemed quite pleased. After a moment, he said in a low voice, "I know too many stories, but I've decided to tell you the most exciting ones."

Do you know about the Nibelungen Kingdom?

"That was a kingdom established by dwarves a long, long time ago. We, the most skilled craftsmen, used the best techniques in the world to build a magnificent royal city. It was the grandest and richest city in the world. The gold and treasures inside could not be carried away even by a hundred carriages. Every dwarf was very wealthy and lived a more wonderful and happy life than your human kings..."

Kroya wasn't sure if the dwarf in front of him was exaggerating. He had indeed read in a book that the dwarves had once built their own royal city on the border of the present-day Kingdom of the Netherlands, which they called Nibelungen.

However, Lejin's words were so exaggerated that Croya couldn't help but wonder how much of it was "artistic embellishment."

"So, how did the Nibelungs come to be destroyed?"

Seemingly caught up in the conversation, Leijin even ordered himself another drink and made Kroya pay for it, which explains why the adventurers had looked at him with disdain earlier.

"Because of a dragon!"

Leijin placed the glass steadily on the table, then adopted a sorrowful expression.

"A dragon suddenly appeared in Nibelungen. You know, dragons love to plunder other people's wealth. Nibelungen's reputation for riches has spread far and wide, even reaching the ears of those wretched giant lizards..."

  

"In the end, Nibelungen was engulfed in flames. Although the dwarves were no match for the dragon, our capital city was far superior to any human city. It was our proudest and greatest creation. Nibelungen vanished from the world along with the dragon, and no one has been able to set foot there since. All the wealth we dwarves accumulated in the past has also been lost to us."

"So the Nibelungen became a seal, sealing the dragon and its treasure somewhere in the world?"

Although Kroya had heard similar stories in his previous life, he was still amazed to hear them told by a dwarf who had lived for hundreds of years.

"That's right." The dwarf was quite pleased with Kroya's interested expression. Most adventurers didn't really like this story; they preferred heroes who appeared out of nowhere, slaying monsters and marrying beauties—it was all so cliché.

This is all true...

"Did you just get back from an adventure? I bet you need to get your weapons serviced. How about we go to my shop?"

He's so outgoing.

However, Kroya did indeed have such a plan. His sword was broken and needed to be repaired or a new one needed to be bought. Everyone knew that the dwarves were highly skilled in blacksmithing and that the weapons they made were of excellent quality.

They arrived at the side door again, where several guards handed Kroya's sword.

"Can it be repaired?"

After walking for a while, Kroya pulled out the sword that had been broken by the ogre; there was still a broken section of the blade inside.

"Low-grade stuff, even if it's repaired, it won't last long." Lei Jin only glanced at it briefly under the light before a look of disdain appeared on his face. "Besides, the blade has too many hidden damages. How exactly do you use this sword?"

"He blocked several punches from the ogres."

No wonder.

Leijin led Kroya to the east side of Whitestone Town, entered a house, and lit a fire. The firelight illuminated the various weapons hanging on the wall, all of which were exquisite pieces that gleamed with a cold light and inspired awe.

"Can I try it?" Kroya took a liking to one hanging on the wall. It looked good, and its length was similar to the one he had used before.

However, when buying a sword, it's not just about the appearance; the material of the sword, the center of gravity of the blade, and the comfort of the grip are also crucial.

"Of course," Lei Jin patted his chest. "Although what's hanging outside are just ordinary goods, they're rare gems among you humans."

"Its materials are definitely better than the one you used before..."

Lejin's words were true; Kroya could feel it with just a simple test. The sword's center of gravity was perfect, and the grip was extremely comfortable.

"So how much will it cost?"

Kroya seemed somewhat tempted, and seeing this, Leijin stroked his beard and said in a generous and smug tone:

"I quite like you, kid, so I'll give you a discount!"

"Fifty silver coins."

Fifty silver coins!

Kroya silently put the sword back.