God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Cain let out a sigh as he slowly let the hot water run across his skin.

Getting the {Black-Hearth Dwarves} to come to Alvi's mansion without having to spend most of the day fighting with random roadside blacksmiths and metalware vendors had proven to be quite a hassle.

Cain let out another sigh and mental went over the day.

It had been rather eventful, to say the least.

And now that he has come back to Valestorm, he could finally have some well deserved rest.

Much to his amazement, Alvi's mansion was rather large and furnished. There was even plumbing and adequate lighting powered by magic.

Compared to the absolute squalor he lived in, this was like heaven.

The bedding and furniture were clean and comfortable, perhaps scavenged from the carcass of the old world, neatly dressed and returned to its former glory.

The place was also staffed well. There were maids, cooks, and even guards.

Cain couldn't help but ask himself why he didn't get something like this for himself.

Then he couldn't help but think about how much of a hassle it would be to manage all that everyday.

He clicked his tongue.

Perhaps his squalor was not so bad after all.

Still, it was good to enjoy the finer things every once in a while.

He left the room Alvi had prepared for him and headed right towards the dining area Alvi had pointed out earlier.

Walk-in through the large hallway, Cain couldn't help but realize that the style of the interior was reminiscent of some wealthy man's manor.

Perhaps— No, certainly, all this luxury was just Alvi finally living out his dreams.

Cain let out a sigh.

Very quickly, he arrived at the doors to the dining area.

He pushed them open without wasting a beat.

His gaze slowly swept through the area.

Only Alvi was seated at the table. To his side, the man, who he now remembered as Bard, stood leaned over as he whispered inri Alvi's ears.

No food items had been brought out yet, which meant he would have to wait.

"Cain. You are done freshening up. That gives us a little bit of time to chat before those... show up." Alvi said, his expression a bit dark.

Cain chuckled when he saw this,

"Something tells me you aren't quite pleased with the current situation."

Alvi sighed then looked right at him,

"Well, how could I be? Cain, I hope you do know the purpose of the Iron Beetles."

Cain's smile slowly vanished as he turned serious.

He nodded,

"I do. But..."

Alvi frowned, "The existence of Mljorra's craftsmen have already been a blow on our income. Because of them, we've had to cut down on our prices. If you allow these dwarves free reign, and I hate to admit it, but their superior quality goods will be what all the Hunters, Pilgrims— everyone! They'll be all everyone desires."

Cain nodded, "I am well aware of that."

He took a brief moment of pause. Then he smirked,

"But when circumstances like this arise, you need to think past what you can immediately see, Alvi."

Alvi frowned, "What—"

Cain shrugged,

"Think about it. If I wanted to run you out of business, surely I wouldn't have gone about it this way, no?"

Alvi was silent for a moment,

"I guess you are right."

Cain nodded,

"Those guys are a new type of treasure. One you have never seen before."

"A new type of treasure, you say..." Alvi's voice was a bit skeptical, but Cain could hear the intrigue in there as well.

He nodded again,

"Their superior crafting techniques and knowledge on all kinds of materials and how best to handle them when smelting and forging. We can learn it all."

Alvi's eyes widened,

"You mean..."

Cain shrugged, "Make them the chief blacksmiths or something. Treat them good. Fill their stomachs and get them drunk. Do whatever the hell you want to them."

His expression turned a bit sinister,

"Those guys will definitely try to take advantage of us. That means we'll be takin' advantage of them as well!"

'Takin'...' Alvi thought to himself, wondering why Cain had all of a sudden developed some form of a dwarven accent.

Cain leaned back and crossed his arms,

"Of course, there is still a bunch of things I need to discuss with you, but that can come later."

Alvi golden his arms as well,

"I understand."

He looked at Cain. This time, with genuine gratitude in his eyes,

"Thank you."

Cain shrugged and waved his hands,

"Remember, this is just the beginning. We still have the rest of Urbus to unravel. And that will mean making sure we have the best possible tools and resources at our disposal."

Hearing those words, Alvi seemed to finally grasp the depths of Cain's ambitions.

'It is nothing as petty and small-minded as mine are. His dreams are...'

He sucked in a deep breath,

'They seem larger than life itself.'

In that moment, a seed of deep admiration was born in the depths of Alvi's soul.

Of course, he was oblivious to the fact.

The two continued to exchange words for a bit longer when the doors to the dining area slammed forward with a loud bang.

Cain's gaze shifted to the newest arrivals.

Of course, it was the rowdy bunch of little grubbers.

Now that they had washed themselves, the {Black-Hearth Dwarves} were like completely new creatures.

Gone was their black, almost burnt-looking exterior.

Now, their skin, a deep, rich shade of casted bronze seemed to possess a tinge of metallic lustre in the lighting.

Their hair and beards had been not been trimmed at all but that only seems to highlight their features even further, making them look more majestic.

As majestic as a muscular, barely five feet tall creature could look.

Beorstone spread his arms and guffawed,

"Alright! Where's the meat?! Where's the ale?! And by Fuji's beard, where're all the young lasses?!"

The other {Black-Hearth Dwarves} roared in excitement.

Seeing this, Cain turned to Alvi.

The older man seemed exasperated, but nonetheless rose from his seat and snapped his fingers.

The side doors were immediately pushed open, and out came pouring a tide of servers.

And in their hands, were all the makings of a proper feast...