Aiden looked at the workshop with eyes full of suspicion, wondering how such a simple workshop could belong to someone with royal dwarf blood. The blacksmith, who was supposed to appear in the novel but was later removed due to the author's decline, was actually the younger brother of the Dwarf King. He was meant to forge a sword that could compete with the three most powerful swords in the world. You might think that these three swords were made by the beings of the Vanins, but in truth, they were created by the Lords, making their power unimaginable.
You can imagine the kind of talent one must possess to craft a weapon that reaches the level of the Lords' weapons.
But Aiden didn't know why the King's brother was in a human city within the strongest human empire, which made him more cautious. The reason was simple: despite knowing the events of the novel and having read the author's memoirs and his first life's memories, there were truths not mentioned in the novel or the memoirs. Some of the memories he had were not mentioned in either, meaning there were unpredictable variables in the course of this world.
Still, Aiden didn't care much about these variables; his goal was clear: to bring more chaos and destruction to this world for his personal ambition. He wanted to make up for the regret of his first life, where he was weak, and now he sought to become the strongest and gather the pieces of the "Cup of Wishes."
Aiden took a deep breath and shouted at the entrance of the workshop: "Is anyone there?"
But there was no response, so he shouted again. Suddenly, he heard a rough voice coming from the depths of the workshop: "Who are you? Why are you shouting at the door?"
Aiden looked toward the sound and saw a dwarf emerging from a dark corner of the workshop. He was short, barely reaching the chest of an adult human, but his body seemed like a mass of solid muscle, as if carved from stone. His face was round, reddened with anger, with small veins bulging from his broad forehead. His long, thick beard was tangled and filled with traces of sparks and ash, swaying with every angry step he took.
His small eyes burned like embers under his thick brows, reflecting a mixture of irritation and displeasure. His wide nose flared with every breath, as if struggling to control an outburst, while his twisted mouth was about to utter harsh words.
He was wearing a heavy leather apron stained with traces of coal and mineral oils, adding a touch of chaos to his appearance. His large hand, cracked and covered in old scars, held a heavy hammer with an eerie familiarity, as if it were a part of his body.
His voice was rough and heavy as he said sarcastically, "What do you think you're doing, shouting here? Don't you know how to knock? Or have humans just learned to be a nuisance?"
Despite his obvious anger, there was a magical aura to his presence, as if the air around him carried a special weight, hinting that he was not just a blacksmith. This was a presence befitting a dwarf holding the title of "King of the Ironclads."
As Aiden stared at the dwarf, the dwarf stared back.
Aiden used his appraisal skill:
[Name: Hephaestus
???
???
???]
Aiden felt a shock. He hadn't expected his appraisal skill to show only the name. This meant that Hephaestus was stronger than him.
On the other hand, Hephaestus was also surprised. Since his arrival in the city of "Iron Fortress," no one had dared to look directly at his face. Even the Lord of the city couldn't bear to look at him. Only a few people in this world could face him with steady eyes, and those stood at the top of the world. But here was a child, looking at him directly, without hesitation.
"This child, who hasn't even undergone the awakening ceremony, dares to look at me as if we are equals? Interesting."
All of this happened in a few breaths, as Aiden and Hephaestus sized each other up in silence.
Finally, Hephaestus spoke, attempting to break the silence: "Child, this is not a place for play. Go back home."
Aiden replied with a calm smile, "Is this how you treat your customers?"
Hephaestus laughed mockingly, "Customers? Where do you see customers?"
"I'm your customer now."
"You're just a child who hasn't even grown hair yet."
Aiden replied with a mischievous smile, pulling out a pouch of gold coins: "I have money, and I'll buy what I want."
Hephaestus looked at Aiden cautiously, then said, "Alright, pick whatever you want from that pile over there."
He pointed to a corner filled with weapons tossed around haphazardly. Aiden's eyes twitched slightly as he saw the chaos. He grabbed a random sword and examined it carefully. While it wasn't perfect, the pile of weapons was enough to test his skills.
Aiden continued to search for something suitable and strong enough to withstand a long battle. Meanwhile, Hephaestus watched Aiden as he tested the weapons and demonstrated a level of expertise in their use.
Hephaestus took a sip from a wine bottle, but suddenly noticed the aura surrounding Aiden, making his eyes widen in shock. "It seems that humanity will witness the birth of a new legend."
Aiden, immersed in trying out the weapons, didn't notice the aura he emitted.
After testing several weapons, Aiden selected three swords, two spears, a bow, two daggers, and two shields. While these weapons were considered defective and could be seen as trash, even "trash" made by the future King of the Blacksmiths was among the best human-made weapons.
Aiden said, "I'll take this set of weapons."
Hephaestus replied, "Two silver coins."
"Are you joking with me? Does this trash really cost two silver coins? One coin is enough!"
After a lengthy discussion, Aiden got his way and paid only one silver coin.
As Aiden was about to leave, he turned to Hephaestus and said, "I'll be back in a week. I hope the products are better, and not a pile of trash."
He then turned and walked away without looking back.
Hephaestus watched Aiden leave, saying with sarcastic anger, "Hah, trash? You little brat who hasn't even grown hair yet!"
But he couldn't stop a smile from forming on his face.
As Aiden walked through a dark alley, he stored all the weapons in his system's storage and took out a black robe and mask he had purchased from the market. He then said quietly, "The darkness is coming... and death has arrived." Aiden vanished like a flock of birds.
The sun was slowly sinking, and the shadows of the city began to dance as if they were happy—the Lord of Darkness was coming.
At this time, Aiden was running swiftly through the alleys until he stopped in a dark alley facing a street ahead. There was a restaurant downstairs and a house upstairs. The restaurant was preparing to close its doors.
Aiden stood still in the dark alley, his eyes glowing behind the mask. A terrifying smile spread across his face. "Sorry for what will happen from this moment on."
Despite his words, there was no genuine apology, only sarcasm. He continued, "You can't blame me, because if anyone should be blamed, it's the one who brought me back to this world."
After saying these words, Aiden ran toward the restaurant. The reason he targeted this restaurant was for revenge. Yes, this was the restaurant owned by his wife's family from his first life. Why did he want to target the entire family? It was because, in his first life, after forming a mercenary team, he celebrated often at this restaurant and met the owner's daughter at that time. After living a love story, he decided to marry her. He did everything, taking on dangerous missions that almost cost him his life many times to gather money. He also helped his wife raise the status of the restaurant as his situation improved.
And once, when the Iron Fortress was threatened by enemies, the capital sent soldiers and noble families also sent their soldiers, led by members of their families. One of the noble sons frequented this restaurant and became infatuated with his wife, to the point that he slept with her while he was on the battlefield. After the war ended, that nobleman offered to take her to the capital and make her his servant. Aiden didn't want to remember more, because now he only cared about revenge.
Aiden snuck into the restaurant. "Blood for blood, and revenge tastes best cold."
He drew two daggers and prepared to climb to the upper floor to slaughter everyone in the house.