As if answering his own question, Thern suddenly looked at the pouch on my hip. The bag made out of ornate-looking leaves was still an unresolved mystery. He hummed in thought, perhaps thinking that the bag was potentially an artifact. Honestly, I was beginning to think it may be as well, as despite my advancements in skills and traits, including my profession, I couldn''t make heads or tails of the bag.


    ''I wonder if the bag is soulbound to Sylthaeryn? If it''s at all like my hat, then that would explain a lot. Although... Then why did she ask me to give it to another elf? Is it perhaps soulbound to the elven race specifically?''


    Thern chuckled. "It''s my fault. I should have asked how much you have stored away personally, especially after what I''ve seen you pull out from harvests."


    "You also should have explained the emergency procedure," Thessa grumbled. "You bloody nearly drained yourself dry trying to do it yourself..."


    Thern looked quite embarrassed as he sighed. "You''re right. Sorry, Syl. I hope it didn''t drain you too much."


    "It didn''t seem that bad..." I answered honestly, which caused both Dwarves to stare at me in astonishment.


    "I know you brag about your Mana capacity a lot, but even so... It should have been horrible since the conversion ratio is so poor," Thern said, scratching his beard in thought.


    "What would have happened if we didn''t pay the Mana?" I asked.


    "Your storage bag would have exploded," Thessa answered. "The teleportation platform has safety measures that ensure it teleports anything living first."


    ''I wonder how that works for my [Core Storage]...'' I couldn''t help but wonder with morbid curiosity.


    "But enough of that!" Thessa said cheerfully. "Come, come. Let''s get you unpacked and settled in."


    Before we left, Thessa claimed the keystone from the platform and gave Thern another scolding, saying that the first security measure was to immediately remove it after teleportation. Under his mother''s verbal thrashing, Thern could only sigh and nod. Then, we both followed her out of the room after each grabbing a chest. I got an abrupt notification when I first stepped beyond the door.


    <Landmark Discovered: Dhoggurum.>


    "Dhoggurum?" I muttered and activated my [Mapping] skill.


    Suddenly, the room swayed, and I nearly fell over. As if expecting that Thern caught me before I fell. I could only thank the gods my [Sub-Cores] handled keeping my disguise intact.


    "Ha! Lisa owes me a bottle of whiskey!" Thern joked.


    My vision stopped spinning, and my [Mapping] skill seemed to finalize what it was trying to do. It zoomed out drastically, and I saw we were to the distant north—absurdly far from Kaerlin.


    "What... Happened?" I murmured, confused.


    "Your [Mapping] skill updated with a new distance. I bet you had never traveled this far before, but Lisa said she was sure you had." Thern explained. "First-time teleporters usually experience this."


    "Some... Warning would''ve been nice." I grumbled.


    "Aye. But then, I wouldn''t have won my bet." Thern smirked.


    Once I had recovered, we continued out through multiple stone doors that slid into their holding like the previous one. The security was very impressive compared to anything I had seen in the human city.


    After following her through passageways, we eventually came to an almost familiar sight: an Adventurer''s Guild reception. The layout was eerily similar, except nearly everything was carved from stone, and barely anything was made from wood. And it went without saying that almost everyone present was a dwarf, except for a few humans scattered about.


    Thern gestured for me to follow him to one of the reception desks, where we needed to register our arrival. The receptionist was a little surprised to see me hand over a Gold tag.


    "Blimey. I thought you were escorting an elf ambassador or something. I can''t believe one actually joined the guild." The dwarf said as he twirled the tip of his pointed beard.


    "Ha! Wait till she starts doing some quests here; then, you''ll be in for a real shock and surprise!" Thern bragged and gave me a big wink.


    Then we followed after Thessa again, who was tapping her foot impatiently. One thing I was immediately grateful for was the dwarf''s attitude towards me; I could see they would look a bit surprised at my appearance but then almost immediately pushed it aside and went about their day. On the other hand, the few humans blatantly stared and promptly started gossiping with their companions, as I had grown reluctantly accustomed to.


    Exiting the Adventurer''s Guild, I was welcomed to the sight of the city.


    "Welcome to Dhoggurum!" Thessa said proudly.


    The entire city was carved out of solid stone, showcasing the unmatched dedication of the dwarven people. The walls, buildings, and even the streets were all hewn from the rock, displaying remarkable precision and commitment. I marveled at the underground metropolis''s grand architecture and its sheer scale. The ceilings towered high above, supported by colossal stone pillars that seemed to disappear into the darkness above, creating an almost artificial starry canopy.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The city was organized with practicality and efficiency in mind, with narrow passageways leading to various districts and chambers. Every detail, from the ornate carvings adorning the buildings to the meticulously crafted bridges spanning deep chasms, spoke magnitudes about the dwarven mastery of stonework and engineering. The glow of magical lights illuminated the bustling streets, casting a warm and inviting ambiance throughout the city. Despite being underground, the dwarven city felt vibrant and alive, with shops, taverns, and workshops bustling with activity.


    This spectacular view was due to our location on the topmost level. The center of the sprawling city was entirely hollow and carved out, making each level visible from this vantage point and showing its grand majesty. Massive staircases accessing the other floors and even what looked like floating platforms rose and descended through magical or engineered means.


    "Is it a giant cube?" I couldn''t help but ask.


    Thern burst out laughing while Thessa looked a teensy bit upset.


    "Aye! It''s a bloody cube because we Dwarves like efficiency, so it''s focused on trying to keep everything as close as possible by using verticality." Thern explained.


    "Doesn''t living on top of everyone get... Overwhelming?" I asked.


    "Back in the day, that was a small problem, but you''ll find everything enchanted to block out sound or intrusion. No need to worry about a snooping neighbor." Thessa answered.


    "Then that definitely makes a lot more sense. It sounds convenient."


    Thessa liked my agreement as she showed a toothy smile. "Glad you can see our dwarven wisdom. I don''t know how the humans live, so... Spread out."


    We continued following her as she showed us around. Seeing so many enchantments in the walls for light or decoration was spectacular. We descended a staircase and eventually headed into what looked like a mostly residential area. Thessa opened the door and welcomed us into her home.


    "I see you upgraded from our last home," Thern said.


    "Business has been good. The old one was getting too cramped, and now I have my own personal forge." Thessa said proudly.


    "Soundproofed, I hope," Thern said.


    "And temperature regulated," Thessa answered. "You know how much Darmod loves his beauty sleep."


    Thern laughed. "Pa was always too sensitive."


    Thessa led each of us to a room. Thern''s was clearly meant for family, while mine was evidently a guest room. It was still well decorated and had a very nice, soft, and fancy-looking human-sized bed.


    "You''re lucky we have a human bed. Otherwise, you''d need to fit yourself into a dwarf one." Thessa chuckled. "I think all your nutrients are going into your height; I swear you elves are far too tall. Now, let''s get some food into you both!"


    The food was wonderful and generously portioned, and of course, a keg of alcohol was promptly opened. Thern and his mom caught up, and I let them while trying my best not to pry into their family business. Then, the conversation swayed into talk of adventuring and some of my work.


    That was when Thern admitted he wanted me to be on the lookout for any monsters that had parts suitable for enchanting when I eventually left the city on some hunts. He was still clearly very jealous of the unicorn horn I had given Greg.


    Thessa couldn''t hide her curiosity, which led to Thern showing her the completed forge heart. Honestly, the thing looked nothing like the original organ, and instead, it almost looked like an encrusted obsidian gem glittering with massive amounts of enchantments. Thessa inspected it with a critical eye and evaluated it as satisfactory.


    "This is good, but it''s the finished product," Thessa sighed. "I was hoping you had some raw materials to show off."


    "Got anything interesting leftover from the dungeon?" Thern asked.


    I winced since the Misfits and I had decided to sell everything. However, I still had three parts left over: my alicorn horn, my earthshaker carapace, and the claws from the badger. I withdrew the first two and ignored the claws, as I didn''t want to potentially implicate myself with Bloodrot.


    "Sadly, we sold all the dungeon loot, but I still have these," I answered.


    "This would make some mighty fine armor... And you harvested this yourself?" Thessa asked, examining the rocky carapace.


    "You should''ve seen it back in the guild. A room full of stuff this good." Thern chuckled.


    "Why the bloody hell are you running around killing monsters then?" Thessa asked, flabbergasted. "You could sit safely in a room and make a fortune."


    I couldn''t help but grin before I answered. "But where would the fun in that be? Where''s the adventure? I get to explore, kill monsters, and level up."


    Thern burst out with laughter. "Aye! Spoken like a true adventurer!"


    Thessa sighed deeply. "I really don''t understand you lot. Stick me in a forge all day, and I''d live a happy life."


    "Well... Think of it this way. Without people like me, you wouldn''t get to see and use stuff like this." I replied.


    "Don''t you start using facts and logic to dissuade me now," Thessa chuckled. "A mother wants her son to stay safe and sound."


    "Ma!" Thern grunted, looking mightily embarrassed.


    "Hush you. You''ll always be my baby boy no matter how big of a beard you grow."


    It was a relaxing and pleasant time, and later in the afternoon, Thern''s father arrived home. He looked nearly identical to Thern, except his beard was groomed to perfection and even had some braids and jewelry tied into it. He was almost the spitting image of a well-off merchant and had a bit of a beer belly going on.


    While Thern and Thessa were quite boisterous, Darmod was polite and a little reserved. It seemed Thessa wore the pants in the relationship. However, when he saw the barrels I had brought and sampled some, there was a twinkle in his eye, and he suddenly became very enthused and energetic.


    "Syl. We are going to make a fortune!" Darmod said enthusiastically.


    "Well... I''m honestly more interested in a silver core than money." I answered.


    Thern again couldn''t help bursting out with laughter. "My pa didn''t believe me when I said you wanted that."


    Darmod grumbled a bit at being caught off guard like that but nodded. "Well, it''s a good thing my son convinced me otherwise. I should be able to requisition your silver core by lunchtime tomorrow."


    "Yes! Please do!" I said, unable to hide my excitement. "And please let anyone know I''m willing to work for more, even doing some hunts." I made sure to point out the rocky carapace I had harvested.


    Darmod couldn''t help but blink in surprise. "Yes... I''ll be sure to do it. Just to confirm, this will be a dead slime from a common metal."


    "Yes. Anyone is fine. Why would that matter?" I asked.


    Darmod fiddled with one of his braids before asking his own question. "How much do you know about slimes eating other slimes?"


    "When a slime eats another, it becomes purer," I answered.


    "Alright, that''s good, so I''m not accidentally revealing a dwarven secret." Darmod chuckled nervously. "Silver slimes, when they eat another, not only become purer, but they also take on any metals the other slime accumulated."


    "Why is that an issue?" I asked.


    "Because if you have a slime that can produce gold, why would you want to contaminate it with tin?" Darmod responded. "The slimes are stupid, so they mix all of their absorbed metals together."


    "Ah... So they create unexpected alloys."


    "Yes. That''s why if any slime with a common metal is found, it is usually swiftly disposed of. We dare not risk it being consumed by another and causing a contamination."


    We continued to chat into the evening before finally calling it a night. Despite my glorious bed, I felt like I would struggle to sleep because of my unbridled anticipation.