Chief Lupan nodded. "Oh yes. That Dwarf has sort of become a mythical figure within New Sparta, sparking discussions and a competitive fire all around. Some say that he is quite an intrepid character, a stalwart of the Beastfolk race and the last bastion of a bygone era."
He looked askance at that description. "Huh... really?..."
He wouldn’t quite describe Biru with the same adjectives. Perhaps an alcoholic derelict would be a more sufficient epithet for the guy. Other people would know that if they knew that he abandoned his kingdom for some playtime in New Sparta.
"Of course! Nobody has seen a Dwarf for thousands of years! And he brings with him legendary items as well, such as the mythical Damascus Steel! Some even say the man has already figured out a way to make Mithril, though I don’t know if that’s true or not..."
Michael sighed. The Dwarven King was having way too much fun in New Sparta.
"Still, I would like to talk with this Dwarven King, even if it’s just for a small conversation," Chief Lupan yearned.
"Where is he?"
The Brownblood Chief chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I would like to know as well. But with our standings in New Sparta, I would be the last to know. BUT!"
"But?"
"But I have heard that the Aubert company has been in talks with him, possibly asking for a chance at an allyship."
For a brief second, Chief Lupan displayed a hint of regret. If he had allied with the Auberts as he originally planned, then perhaps he could have also met with the Dwarven King.
Shaking his head, Chief Lupan purged this wistful thought from his mind. He felt guilty of having such thoughts in Michael’s presence.
"But it all worked out better than I expected, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that now that the Auberts found solace in another Werewolf Tribe, one of my rivals is going to benefit from this allyship with the Dwarves."
Michael waved off his concern. "I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you."
"Huh? Why’d you say that?"
"I just have a feeling that the Dwarven King wouldn’t accept another alliance."
Chief Lupan wondered why Michael was so sure of his words, but eventually just shrugged it off. "You’re probably right. Even conglomerates failed miserably and got spurned at the gates whenever they tried to make alliance with the Dwarves. I just got to console myself with the fact that nobody else in New Sparta would succeed either."
Meanwhile, Michael began to ruminate about his next steps.
Biru is with the Aubert company, so I could go there if I want to meet with the guy.
The problem was that he didn’t know where the Aubert company was.
I really need information about everything in New Sparta... AH!
Then, he remembered. He was going to meet up with Tenzing soon. The tanned, lanky guy still owed him 5 kilograms of GodForge pieces.
It was a perfect coincidence. Tenzing was a part of the Rising Six, which meant that he was a lot more privy to the current happenings in New Sparta.
He probably knew where the Auberts company was located. Not only that, but he probably knew more about the Faux-Stil company than he did.
It was hitting two birds with one stone.
So, with his plan set in stone, he conjured a magic circle in his hands and sent a message to Tenzing about where and when to meet.
Once done, his shadow began to envelop all around his body to start his teleportation.
But before he left, Chief Lupan stopped him.
"Wait, Keo! Would you do me a favor?"
His shadows receding to his feet, Michael asked, "what?"
Chief Lupan retrieved something from his desk, cupping ’it’ tightly as he showed it to Michael.
Michael frowned as he heard the sound of metal scratching against metal, with a few bits and pieces falling out of the Werewolf Chief’s hands.
He already knew what it was.
"I forgot I had it in my pockets while we were playing baseball... and things got a little bit too rough..."
He opened his hands, showing shattered scrap metal and glass shards incongruously mixed together.
It was eviscerated.
Michael felt a pang in his heart when he saw his proud phone destroyed in such a gruesome manner.
"Haha... I didn’t know it was so fragile..."
Well, in the hands of a barbarous Werewolf with superhuman strength, everything was fragile.
This really couldn’t be blamed on Michael.
"I suggest not having your phone with you whenever you’re using your Dao Heart to transform," Michael reproached. "I’ll have to replace this with another one, which of course, you’ll have to pay for."
"Of course, of course, sorry about this...," Chief Lupan said genuinely. "This is one of the problems that Werewolves have daily. No matter how much we practice, there are always times when we can’t control our powers and inadvertently destroy something we shouldn’t. That’s why we build our houses using wood. It’s easy to replace."
Michael took the remains of the phone and found a rectangular stainless steel-like box amongst the wreckage.
Thankfully, this wasn’t destroyed, or else the whole tribe would have exploded.
"What material is that?" Chief Lupan asked curiously. "It’s quite sturdy. It didn’t bend even when I used my semi-transformation."
He had never seen anything like this before. All metals turned into pliable cotton under Werewolves’ hands. But not this.
"With a metal like that, we could build better infrastructure that wouldn’t get destroyed even during a fiasco on a full moon."
Drunk Werewolves always caused havoc during those times, destroying multiple houses in the process. But with this metal, perhaps a First Time Transformation wouldn’t be so dangerous as well.
"We can’t mass produce it right now, but probably in the future."
"Ah... I see... Well, I shall look forward to it. Do you have a timeline or..."
Michael shrugged. "Whenever that drunk guy returns."
Confused, Chief Lupan ignored Michael’s weird ramblings. "And what is the name of this metal?"