"Master! We've come to pick you up!"
Out from the window of Michael's automobile, a certain edgy slime peeked out and waved at Michael with an overly big smile.
Behind Fudge's car were five other cars, each manned by a skilled HobMankey driver capable of transporting goods from a large distance.
After an hour, help had finally arrived.
Each of the automobiles had a large wooden bed that had its own wheels attached to the back of the car. This cargo space was made specifically to carry large amounts of materials from Kingsbridge to the Parched Lands.
Luckily enough, today was supposed to be the day that Castelle would send supplies to the village, so the six cars were already parked near Kingsbridge. This meant that they could reach the outskirts of the Dwarven Kingdom within a few hours.
"These are my automobiles. Hop on! We can reach the Parched Lands within just a few days."
Despite Michael's words, the dwarves refused to move. They looked at the intricate and complex metal parts of the automobile and couldn't help but gasp at how advanced its construction was compared to anything they had ever seen.
Not only that, Michael's carriages seemed to move with great speed despite having no horses powering its wheels.
"How is it moving?!?!"
"It's magic, right?! How else could it move without a horse?"
"But there's not even an ounce of magic in that metal contraption!"
They couldn't understand it.
Even as proud blacksmiths, they felt like they were looking at something completely alien and out of this world whenever they stared at the automobiles.
It was simply beyond anything that even the best blacksmiths and craftsmen could make in the Dwarven Kingdom!
Thrain built up the courage to slowly approach the automobile.
…vroom…
Upon hearing the loud thrum of the engine, he couldn't help but jump back in surprise.
It was alive!
It was alive, not in the sense that it was a living being like dwarves, humans, or even monsters. No. From what he could see, it seemed as if the metal construct itself was alive, without being 'alive'!
"Michael…what is this beast of yours? How…how is it possible that something lifeless is able to breathe like it was filled with life?" Thrain uttered with a low voice.
He carefully stroked his hand against the cold metal of the vehicle and felt it breathe!
To answer his question, Michael opened the hood and showed him and all the curious dwarves the inner workings of his automobile.
"This part is called an engine. It uses the power of combustion…"
He briefly explained to them about the principles of an internal combustion engine.
"This is called the axle and it allows the engine to power the wheels and make it move. It also allows the wheels to move and steer in a different direction…"
And as Michael continued to explain everything about the car, the dwarves couldn't help but feel as if they were hearing something completely out of their depths.
Michael mentioned principles and theories with such casualness that other people might have thought that everything he said was common knowledge.
Yet, even a single idea of his was enough to advance the current understanding of mechanics in the Dwarven Kingdom.
"This blows my mind."
"I feel like a baby. This completely changes my perspective on everything metallurgy!"
"No offense…but I am simply baffled at the fact that a human child was able to create such a magnificent piece of machinery!"
The HobMankeys on the front seat of the cars couldn't help but chuckle to themselves. Finally, someone else understood their surprise whenever their Boss created something completely out of this world.
"Fufufu… you guys haven't seen anything yet!" bragged Fudge. "I can't wait to see your faces when you see the light bulbs in our village."
"Light bulbs…?" uttered the dwarves in confusion.
"Alright, enough of that, Fudge. We should get going," Michael said as he started to lead the dwarves into the car.
They started their journey down South, towards the Parched Lands. The duration of their journey would be the same, if not shorter, than the travel between Kingsbridge and the Parched Lands.
On the way, the dwarves couldn't help but laud Michael for his invention of the automobile. It was even faster and more stable than the most expensive of carriages, making this to be the best form of transportation in the world.
…
…
…
The days passed and they finally reached the desert landscape of the Parched Lands.
And immediately, the dwarves caught sight of the supposed village on the horizon.
It was unlike anything they had ever assumed. They thought that a village in the Parched Lands would be made out of mud and clay, but somehow, this village would look indistinguishable from most human settlements.
"Welcome home, boss."
Lolo was there to greet the new inhabitants of the village, showing their hospitality by giving the dwarves bottles of water and fruits to soothe the long journey they experienced.
The dwarves could only stare and gape in wonder as they looked at Michael's 'village'.
HobMankeys were walking on flat, solid footing, devoid of any mud or dust that was so prevalent in the Parched Lands.
Many of them were walking on well-designed streets that were divided into organized blocks. There were also other HobMankeys strolling through the streets using a strange and thin metal contraption with only two wheels.
This looked like an advanced civilization that should not exist in the vastness of this desert. Yet, it did.
There were farms on the outskirts of the territory, with HobMankeys carefully tending to their crops.
There were HobMankeys busy with construction work using a strange material.
And most surprising of all were the children happily playing on the streets, splashing themselves with water without a care in the world.
"Brothers… I can't believe a place like this exists."
"I thought our Dwarven Kingdom had reached the peak of civilization. I thought wrong."
"Is this…is this really going to be our new place?"
Michael looked at the numerous dwarves in front of him and spread his arms.
"Welcome to our village. Make yourselves at home!"