Andri looked at the three of them. Although she hadn’t spent too much time with Aaliyah and Serdur compared to Gauss, they had all been through the battle at the outpost together, and she felt a bit uneasy leaving them.
She searched her storage pouch for a while and quickly took out three small protective amulets strung on silver chains, tossing them to the three.
"Here you go." She said casually. "A parting gift: one-time triggered short-distance teleportation amulets. Crush it to activate a protective field, and then you’ll be randomly teleported to somewhere within a few hundred meters. Just little trinkets, probably somewhat useful."
"This..." Gauss hesitated for a moment. "This is a bit too valuable."
These things didn’t sound cheap; they were much more convenient than the teleportation scrolls Gauss had found before, which required spell consumption and a steady activation state. Crushing these would activate them, generating a protective field.
Clearly, they weren’t the worthless trinkets she made them out to be.
"Just take them." Andri insisted, controlling the amulets to drop in front of them. "Next time we meet, I hope you’re all alive and well."
"Thank you, senior." Gauss carefully pocketed the amulet, expressing his gratitude.
"Thank you, senior," Aaliyah and Serdur echoed.
"No big deal."
While Andri was still there, Gauss took the opportunity to ask her about the Dwarf Sorin, including the somewhat strange invitation.
"You can go check it out this afternoon. Most Dwarf brothers are quite reliable. If you’re unsure, you can come back and consult with me. I’m leaving town tomorrow morning."
Andri stayed in Gauss’s room for a while longer, mainly to discuss some matters that need caution during adventures.
"Alright, I’ve told you everything necessary."
She jumped off the chair and waved her hand nonchalantly.
"I’m going back to my room to pack up."
Watching Andri’s petite figure disappear down the hallway, Gauss resumed his conversation with his two companions.
"Let’s get ready as well. We’ll head to the Silver Flower Tavern and see what’s going on."
After lunch, the time quickly rolled into the afternoon.
They asked some locals for directions to the Silver Flower Tavern and arrived in front of a secluded building.
They pushed the door open and entered.
The tavern was quiet and elegant.
Upon mentioning the name of the Dwarf Sorin, they were quickly guided by a server to the remote booth reserved by Sorin’s squad.
Dwarf Sorin sat there; even though it was daytime, several empty beer cans were already laid out on the table, indicating he’d had a round of drinks.
His cheeks were rosy, but his eyes were clear, showing no sign of drunkenness.
No wonder Dwarves could drink spirits like water.
Seeing Gauss and the others, Sorin stood up enthusiastically from the soft booth, greeting them loudly, "Haha, Dragon-man lad! You’ve arrived, come sit, come sit!"
"Waitress, bring my friends some drinks, the best fruit wine and ale, put it on my tab!"
His face was flushed, but his words were clear.
However, perhaps due to the influence of alcohol, his familiarity increased.
"Sorin, let’s skip the drinks, we have official business to attend to." Gauss waved off the server and found seats with his companions in the soft booth.
"Haha, you’re right, business first!" Sorin did not insist, glancing at the mage Nancy opposite him.
Nancy understood, her slender, fair fingers subtly gesturing in the air, quickly chanting a nearly inaudible short incantation.
Soon, a transparent, slightly distorted diamond-shaped barrier appeared, enclosing the booth area, isolating outside sounds completely.
"Alright, now we can talk freely." Sorin nodded in satisfaction.
His small yet sturdy body sank back into the soft booth, his expression turning a bit more serious.
"Dragon-man little... Gauss, and these two..."
"Aaliyah, Serdur." Gauss introduced them briefly.
"Then I’ll get straight to the point."
He moved the glass and drinks aside, his broad fingers tapping the table.
"This ’big job’ I’ve invited you to join is to explore some ruins."
"Ruins?" Gauss repeated, finding it more legitimate than any other possibility he had imagined.
"Yes." Sorin instinctively lowered his voice. "It’s a place marked in the books of our Ironheart Clan, located somewhere in the Jade Forest. Previously, there were many demons in the vicinity, so we never had a chance to go."
"But recently, after the outpost incident and the turmoil among the demons inside the Jade Forest, the demon habitats have conveniently shifted."
Nancy added from the side, "To be precise, it’s a site possibly linked to a lost branch of the Ancient Dwarf Kingdom, containing a forge workshop. It might contain unique forging knowledge and completed weapons."
"Dwarves in the forest?" Gauss asked, skeptical of the information’s authenticity.
Dwarves typically lived deep in the mountains, caves, volcanoes, near mines, relying on minerals and mountains for their forging and smelting—finding them in a forest seemed out of place.
"That was a long, long time ago. Our ancestors roamed the continent, establishing workshops in unimaginable places while searching for precious mineral materials and geothermal energy. Back then, this was not yet a forest."
Gauss turned to Aaliyah, who nodded gently.
"So, what do you think? Are you interested?" Sorin leaned forward, his eyes shining with the innate Dwarf passion for weapons and mineral treasures. "Imagine, Gauss, a Dwarf workshop forgotten for who knows how many years, potentially safeguarding lost forging techniques. Even if we don’t find that, discovering some finished weapons, orichalcum ingots, or unique alloys still constitutes remarkable wealth. Plus, you’ll gain the friendship of the Ironheart Clan’s Orichalcum Family, and when you visit our homeland, you’ll get a discount on forging weapons."