I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 655

Numerous races inhabit this world, each possessing their own unique characteristics.

Out of the countless races, if one were to name the most dexterous, ten out of ten would choose the dwarves.

Materials that pass through the hands of a dwarf are almost always reborn as masterpieces or better, which is why the items they sell are generally expensive.

But it isn’t simply because the items are exceptional that they are expensive. It’s just that the prices of goods leaving for foreign countries, outside of Mountain, skyrocket.

While tariffs do exist, the real issue is that damn distribution, and Mountain’s uniquely rugged terrain plays a significant role in this.

Over 70% of the national territory consists of mountains, and rivers flow horizontally from left to right rather than vertically.

Furthermore, although the countries sharing its borders are Alvenheim and the Central Plains, the only one they actually pay attention to is Alvenheim.

For between Mountain and the Central Plains, a mountain range of such towering height that none dare contemplate crossing it stands resolutely in the way.

Numerous merchant groups from the Central Plains challenged that mountain range to forge a path, but they failed spectacularly. Their technology was still lacking.

Fortunately, it isn’t completely landlocked. Since there is a region bordering the sea, trade itself is possible.

Looking at this alone, doesn’t a cursed land come to mind? That prediction is spot on.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it is almost identical to the Republic of Korea, which had nothing to rely on but its honed technology. If there is a difference, it’s perhaps that Mountain is horizontally elongated.

In any case, due to this cursed geography, the dwarves of Mountain had no choice but to relentlessly polish their technological prowess.

Fortunately, in the midst of misfortune, they were able to overcome numerous crises thanks to the ’Prime Forge’ left behind by Lucas, the God of Blacksmiths.

As much time passed and dwarven goods began to influence every corner of the world, they attained a global status.

Then, do they commit atrocities using their own goods? That is not the case either.

Whether it’s their nature or not, most dwarves tend to have quite easygoing personalities.

Unlike their habit of drinking like there’s no tomorrow, they are usually quite gentle. It’s just that damn alcohol that is the problem.

Title) Dwarves are seriously nice when they aren’t drinking

They only shout dynamically or cause trouble because of alcohol; if they quit drinking, there are no kids as nice as them. lol

ㄴ Comment: A dog would sooner quit eating poop. Do you really think a dwarf can quit drinking?

ㄴ Comment: That’s just an excuse. lol

ㄴ Comment: It’s true. My friend is a dwarf, and as long as he doesn’t drink, he’s a really good guy.

ㄴ Comment: If we’re going by that logic, my dad is also a nice person when he’s not drinking.

ㄴ Comment: Ah... Ah...

ㄴ Comment: Uh... hang in there?

Title) How serious dwarves are about alcohol

Me: Is it true that dwarves have a separate refrigerator for alcohol in every house?

Dwarf: Not all dwarves do, but I have one.

Me: This is the fifth time I’ve asked this, and everyone gave the same answer.

Dwarf: Really? Still, I doubt every household has a brewery, right?

Me: You don’t have one?

Dwarf: I do.

Me: Then it’s the exact same as before.

It was seriously like this. lol;;

ㄴ Comment: Putting the refrigerator aside, having a brewery is just crazy, haha.

ㄴ Comment: Just how much do they love alcohol to have a brewery in every house?

ㄴ Comment: They love alcohol, but it’s also because Mountain’s weather is exceptionally cold. lol

ㄴ Comment: Mountain is counted as one of the coldest countries in the world. So their alcohol culture had no choice but to develop.

ㄴ Comment: They go into mines when it’s cold? Wouldn’t it be even colder there?

ㄴ Comment: Surprisingly, the heating facilities inside are well-equipped, so it’s fine. Plus, dwarves are good at enduring the cold.

ㄴ Comment: I heard there’s a study showing dwarves have less heat loss because they’re short and stocky?

Just how much do they love alcohol that every household has not only a dedicated refrigerator but even a brewery?

In addition, during certain periods, there is even a culture where every household gathers to brew alcohol together.

As you can see, it is very similar to the kimchi of the Korean Peninsula. Of course, it was absolutely not directly passed down by the Chief God, who is presumed to be Korean.

It’s just that such a culture happened to emerge. Perhaps because of this, there is also one surefire way to trigger a dwarf.

Title) A post that brings joy just by looking at it.

[Isn’t Devils the go-to beer these days?][99+]

What kind of fight could possibly be taking place?

ㄴ Passing Dwarf) Fuck, this was posted a week ago. What the hell is wrong with you?

ㄴ Comment: It’s obviously trolling, what else? haha

ㄴ Comment: But honestly, the Demon Race’s beer is delicious lately, while the dwarves’ beer is kind of meh, isn’t it?

ㄴ Comment: Honestly, the stuff made by dwarves does feel a bit old-fashioned. lol

ㄴ Princess Chaenggu) The race leading the culture these days is the Demon Race, so of course~

"The beer from your house tastes worse than the beer made by other countries."New chapters come out on novelping dot com first.

This was the most prominent insult rising recently, and the moment you uttered it in front of a dwarf, you would have no right to complain even if your relationship was severed on the spot.

As such, the dwarves were a race that lived and died by alcohol; it was a matter of pride and a realm of faith.

After all, isn’t even the god they worship, Lucas, famous for loving alcohol to no end?

Insulting alcohol was no different from insulting their god, and their eyes would easily roll back in rage over anything related to it.

"The legendary brewery is hidden somewhere in the forge!"

"We must find it immediately! This is a noble command bestowed upon us by Lucas-nim!"

"When is the royal family going to issue an official document! Give the order right now! I’ll throw aside all my work and go in!"

In that sense, the ’hidden brewery’ mentioned by Lucas was more than enough to excite the entire dwarven population.

However, according to Lucas’s statement, the hidden brewery was concealed somewhere within the royal forge.

The ’Prime Forge’, which was practically the heart of Mountain, was a place that could never be used without the permission of the royal family.

A legacy left behind by a god, and an institution that could not be replicated even in part, even if all current technological prowess were mobilized.

If they could discover even a fraction of the forge’s principles, their technological level would naturally increase, so what more was there to say?

Since even maintenance was carried out automatically, from the royal family’s perspective, they just needed to keep it safe.

Of course.

"Shouldn’t we open it immediately? It is far too difficult with just our strength."

"What if the forge gets damaged because of that! Let’s think about this a bit more, think!"

"It is the God’s Brewery, so action must come before words!"

It wasn’t that the royal family wasn’t excited. They simply drank less alcohol compared to ordinary citizens.

While Mountain’s royal family was the same as other countries in that the king decided all authority, there was a unique aspect.

Unlike other nations where royal power was governed through bloodlines, even a completely unrelated person could be elected as king.

Anyone holding the title of ’Master Craftsman’ among the dwarves could not become king.

And lastly, if one became king, they had to drink alcohol according to a strict routine.

The first case wasn’t much of an issue, as there were similar systems in other countries.

The second was due to the fact that they might show favoritism to a specific field and that there was a high possibility of corruption.

Lastly, the third. This was a measure taken because there were already many dwarves dying young from chronic liver disease.

Given the nature of the king’s duties, they often died young due to overwork, and on top of that, they were going to drink excessively?

As changing the king became as frequent as swapping out spare parts, they had absolutely no choice but to regulate it.

Because of this, dwarves tended to pity the king while simultaneously viewing it as a truly noble duty—abstaining from alcohol for their sake.

"Everyone, calm down. I would appreciate it if you put down your glasses before thinking."

"Tsk..."

"Ahem. Ahem."

At the solemn command of the King of Mountain, Modin III, the dwarven master craftsmen quietly put down their glasses.

In Mountain, when conducting major state affairs, the king and the master craftsmen of each field gather in one place.

The master craftsmen fulfill the role of ministers, so to speak. It is a tradition that has continued for quite a long time.

"It has been a while since we all gathered like this."

Modin III stroked his proud, thick brown beard as he looked around.

"Is this the third time we have gathered?"

"The first was when Your Majesty ascended the throne, and the second was when the Elf Queen declared her tree-planting initiative."

At the old dwarf’s words, Modin III nodded. Perhaps because the Elf Queen was mentioned, his fierce eyes twitched slightly.

Unless they are conducting major national affairs, it is rare for all the master craftsmen to gather.

In other words, this matter is important enough to decide the fate of the nation.

It was truly absurd that it was ’alcohol’, but that was the identity of the dwarves.

"As you all know, Lucas-nim has spoken. He said he arranged his brewery near the Prime Forge."

This was the news that had thrown the entirety of Mountain into an uproar.

Until now, Mountain had shown a somewhat indifferent reaction no matter what Grylls did.

While they showed great interest in minerals like Mithril or Orichalcum, it wasn’t to the extent that the entire dwarven race would go wild.

Rather, every time Grylls ran wild, the neighboring country threw all kinds of crazy stunts, which was no small headache.

In fact, hadn’t the conflict intensified even further recently with the opening of a portion of the Forest of the Four Seasons?

They had blocked this as well by delegating authority to the military, but this matter was on a completely different level.

"As a result of the royal family investigating various records, surprisingly, there was a similar story."

"See! We must head to the forge right now and..."

At Modin III’s words, a certain dwarf shouted in extreme excitement.

His bright red nose showed that he had already drunk a lot of alcohol.This chapter is updated first at novel​ping.com.

One might wonder if it was appropriate to drink alcohol even in a place like this, but since it was a racial trait, let’s let it slide.

And though only his nose was red, his reason itself was perfectly fine, so there was no problem in conducting the meeting.

"Listen to me until I am finished. And if you interrupt me one more time, know that I will issue a week-long prohibition order, so keep that in mind."

"..."

At the ’severe punishment’ that only public authority could enforce, the dwarf had no choice but to shut his mouth.

The other dwarves were the same. They decided to listen closely to Modin III’s story.

"Though the records say so, unfortunately, it is an unofficial history, not official history. Meaning, it lacks credibility."

"But didn’t Lucas-nim personally declare it?"

Another dwarven master craftsman asked cautiously. It was a similar question to before.

"The important thing is not its existence, but its location. He said it is near the Prime Forge, but... where do you think ’near’ is to the gods?"

"...If we are unlucky, it might be located near the border."

"In the worst-case scenario, the hidden brewery might be in Alvenheim’s territory."

"Mmm..."

As the worst-case assumption was brought up, the dwarves groaned. It felt as if they were instantly sobered up.

Currently, the relationship between Mountain and Alvenheim was at a level where calling it the worst was an understatement.

Alvenheim provoked them from time to time, and Mountain thoroughly responded in kind.

Furthermore, hadn’t they even launched a large-scale military operation recently because of Mythricon?

Although they had restrained themselves due to Grylls’s intervention, they had not stopped their greed.

"Crucially, there was a story like this in the unofficial history. Unlike the forge, the brewery’s very existence was a secret, so a key was required."

"A key? Are you saying a key is needed?"

"Lucas-nim opened the Prime Forge, but the brewery..."

A key is needed to open the brewery. At those words, the dwarves in the meeting hall instinctively felt that this would be a far more difficult expedition than they had thought.

Even pinpointing the location was as difficult as finding a needle in a desert, and now they even needed a key.

With no idea what that key was or where it might be, taking on the challenge was difficult.

"In my heart, I would like to say that the brewery’s existence is a myth, or that it has been completely destroyed, but..."

"Since Lucas-nim personally declared it, the former is impossible."

"If it were the latter, all of our kin would be furious, demanding to know who destroyed the brewery."

From Mountain’s perspective, they were caught in a dilemma. This was no ordinary brewery.

It was a holy land that wouldn’t be strange to describe as their Jerusalem.

"First, we plan to search the areas excluding Alvenheim’s territory. The available personnel are..."

"Your Majesty. If you step outside right now, there are plenty of our kin who would search for free."

"...Tsk. And here I am, not even allowed to drink."

Modin III grumbled. Becoming king wasn’t bad, but not being able to drink that damn alcohol as he pleased was too big of a drawback.

"In any case, narrow down the selection as much as possible and summon them."

"What will you do if it is on the border or within Alvenheim’s territory?"

"Since it is our holy land, the principle is to ask politely. If even that doesn’t work..."

Jerusalem was a holy land.

"We will have no choice but to take it by any means necessary."

But at the same time, it was also a battlefield where various religious groups fiercely clashed for a hundred years.

Around the time they began searching for the legend in earnest within Mountain.

Tting~ Tting-tting-tting~ Tting~

"Doesn’t this make you feel like you’ve come to the American West?"

"I do not know where the American West is. And drive properly, Master."

"Why aren’t you doing it?"

"I only learned how to pilot a helicopter; I do not know how to drive a car."

"Sheesh. It’s basically the same thing."

Grylls and his companions had borrowed a truck from Lucas and were speeding toward their destination.

Since nothing but a desolate rocky desert was visible all the way to their destination, it was the perfect environment for driving a truck.

Tting-tting-tting~

"Take me home~ country roads~"

Maengkkongi’s heartwarming singing was a bonus.