The species characteristics of Taosul follow the roots.
The elves living in the forest have long ears and beautiful appearances. They wield bows and spirits, and are caught up in a sense of superiority that looks down on other races.
The dwarves living underground are short and wide. They love alcohol, have a boisterous character, and possess the temperament of artisans.
The elf and dwarf are contradictory species.
Their relationship, of course, is bad.
In such a group of dwarves, Carami’s remark, “Elves will laugh if they see this,” meant something akin to “Please hammer me into a pork cutlet.”
“What the hell are you, huh?! What’s going on?!”
The dwarves sprang up as if they had leaped, and Hargran shouted with bulging eyes.
“The scrawny one that Thorvar brought! I didn’t chase you away to show the greatness of the dwarves, but this is not a place for you to speak carelessly!”
At that, the corners of Carami’s mouth twisted up slyly.
“The great Barghan, who built the heart of Magmar and created the Iron Blood Council, said, ‘All participants attending the Iron Blood Council are equal.'”
“…!”
“Even though I am a human, I am one of the duly attending observers at the council, and I have the right to speak. To silence me would mean going against the will of Lord Barghan, wouldn’t it?”
“You filthy scrawny brat! How dare a human mention the great Lord Barghan in front of me, Hargran! Fine, since I need a snack, I’ll crush your skull and roast you!”
As Hargran was about to stand up with a massive hammer, Ulbram stopped him.
“Sit down, Hargran.”
“But, Ulbram!”
“Do you wish to see blood in the sacred hall of flames? If so, then I cannot just stand by and watch. All the dwarves present are the same.”
“……”
Hargran surveyed the atmosphere of the hall.
Those who had just sided with him suddenly acted as if nothing had happened.
Stubborn Hargran had no choice but to step back.
“You filthy scrawny brat!”
He held back his frustrations with curses.
Ulbram, who had cooled the atmosphere that was boiling like molten metal, made a thoughtful smile with his chin resting on his hand.
“Well then, you….”
“It’s Carami. I’m a slave merchant.”
“Right, Carami. Did you just say that we were short-sighted?”
“That’s correct. You only see the tree in front of you and cannot see the forest. Honestly, it’s frustrating.”
Even in response to Carami’s provocation, Ulbram smiled with a hearty laugh.
“To compare in the dwarves’ sanctuary to an elf. You must not be of sound mind.”
“Truly, a merchant should live with at least one screw loose.”
“That’s a fair point.”
One wrong word and you could end up in the afterlife, yet where does that boldness come from? He may lack in stature, but at least his bravery rivals that of a dwarf.
Ulbram began to find himself curious about Carami.
“Alright then. You may speak. But keep one thing in mind: dwarves like what they’re confident in, but do not like rudeness. If your words do not move the hearts of the dwarves, you will have to take responsibility for the rudeness you committed.”
“Understood.”
“Good, then go ahead.”
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
An opportunity to side with Thorvar while also gaining the support of the dwarves.
She couldn’t let this chance slip by.
“Why do you only think of transporting ore or people on the tracks? That can be done without the railroad.”
“Then what else is there?”
Time for a kick.
Carami prepared a brilliant counter.
“Alcohol.”
“Alcohol…?”
“If we install the railroad, we can transport alcohol in bulk to the workshop, right?”
With those words, silence enveloped the conference hall. It was as if they had just encountered a dragon, and through their long beards, their enormous eyes widened.
An eternity of silence passed before a dwarf broke the stillness, stroking his beard.
“Are you a damn genius?”
“You’re saying… we can transport alcohol… in bulk?!”
“That’s right.”
Like a salesperson promoting a product to old folks in a rural area, Carami began speaking with a warm smile.
“How hard is it to transport alcohol from the city to a distant workshop? Due to its weight, you can’t carry as much as you want, and liquids have a mind of their own, making your body sway as you navigate the treacherous underground.”
“That’s true.”
“And is that all? There’s no race that burns with passion like the dwarves. When the dwarves, radiating heat like a furnace, finally reach their destination… oh dear. The cold alcohol has grown lukewarm. To have gone through all that trouble only for the alcohol to be lukewarm is terrible, isn’t it?”
“Ugh… just the thought of it brings tears to my eyes.”
“Alcohol should be drunk cold… It’s a lamentable situation.”
The dwarves, captivated by Carami’s vibrant rhetoric, expressed vivid emotions. Feeling that the foundation had been solidly established, Carami stood up and moved forward.
She began to walk around the hall of flames, and the dwarves’ eyes followed her intently.
“But if we install the railroad here, we can transport as much alcohol as we want. With no body heat touching it, and faster transportation, we can maintain the temperature as cool as possible.”
“Oh…!”
“Exhausted from hard labor, your body drenched in sweat. And then, when you chug that chilled ale, it spreads a refreshing sensation throughout your whole body…!”
Creating an imaginary goblet and tilting it, Carami mimicked the act of drinking.
Gulp gulp gulp.
As she swallowed, it felt so real that it almost seemed like she was actually drinking. Her vivid performance made the dwarves swallow hard.
As Carami eventually took away the tilted goblet that had been leaned until it nearly touched the ground.
“Ah~”
“Wow~”
In perfect timing, the dwarves let out a collective gasp. It was as if they had actually drunk alcohol, and they wiped their mouths with their sleeves.
“How is it? Isn’t it amazing just to imagine?”
“Ah, it’s totally epic.”
“What do you absolutely need to drink this cold alcohol?”
““The railroad!””
“That’s correct!”
The dwarves echoed Carami’s sentiments.
Carami couldn’t hide her smile.
Everything had gone according to her plan.
While anyone could attend the Iron Blood Council if recognized by the dwarves, the majority of the participants Carami analyzed were middle-aged and older.
Young dwarves worked and enjoyed leisure, but middle-aged ones did not. Since their bodies didn’t burn with passion like before, they attended these councils merely to pass the time.
This is also true in modern times.
Just looking at voter turnout, older generations have a higher voting rate than the younger age groups.
This is why politics revolves around the elderly. The majority of older dwarves easily suppress the opinions of the younger dwarves. That’s how majority rules work.
Whenever the younger generation tries to have it a bit easier, they sneer at them, citing tradition and sharing unverifiable anecdotes as truth.
Even if those were the truths, they do not realize that they are utterly useless in a changed era.
Then, the perception must be twisted.
Present what the uncles, the dwarves, love to obsess over: alcohol.
They couldn’t refuse.
The greed of the entrenched interests is just as fierce as that of merchants.
If it’s something good for them, they’ll surely bite.
Carami’s role ended there. The dwarves started their own chatter.
“Why didn’t we think of moving alcohol? We only thought of transporting people and ore.”
“This is embarrassing. How can a dwarf not think like a human? It truly fits to say we can’t see the forest for the trees.”
“Ugh, what a disgrace for dwarves. This folly surely rivaled that of elves or was even less.”
Despite blaming their ignorance, they couldn’t leave out their habitual disdain for elves.
The balance of the scales, which had tipped and was about to collapse, suddenly reversed. The dwarves who opposed the railroad now turned to support.
“Hey, let’s install the railroad!”
“Yeah! Does it make any sense to drink lukewarm alcohol after labor? That’s torture for a dwarf!”
Carami turned her gaze toward Hargran. Perhaps he had also been entranced by Carami’s performance, for he swallowed hard and flinched when their eyes met.
“If we’re only moving alcohol without transporting people or ore, it won’t harm the ritual.”
“Th-that…”
“Moreover, historically, dwarves and alcohol have been inseparable. A dwarf who finishes labor considers quenching their thirst with chilled ale to be the greatest joy in life. Even at the Iron Blood Council, they drink, so that says it all.”
Carami gestured toward the empty alcohol barrel that Hargran had emptied.
That’s right.
Dwarves and alcohol are inseparable.
While violence and silencing statements are taboo at the Iron Blood Council, drinking is not. Not only Meister Hargran but even ordinary dwarves enjoy drinking.
Dwarves love alcohol so much that they carry it instead of water in their flasks.
“Shouldn’t we give an appropriate reward to the dwarf who has completed the ceremony as the meister ruling Doomheim?”
Though she had only proposed to carry alcohol for now.
But would they really only transport alcohol?
Initially, they might refuse, but comfort is a tempting devil. Once the railroad is installed and alcohol is transported, they’ll want to ride along too.
Ulbram chuckled and shook his head.
“This is bad. Really bad.”
“Ulbram, this is absolutely not happening!”
“Give it up, Hargran. The Iron Blood Council is not about a small group of leaders but rather a collection of opinions from numerous dwarves. Can’t you see what everyone wants?”
“But…!”
“If you don’t like it, then you can persuade them. Just as the human youth you despised accomplished it, you can do it too, right?”
Hargran shut his mouth tightly.
His expression was one of displeasure.
Despite drinking from the barrel to calm his anger, not a single drop remained. He dropped the barrel in a fit of frustration.
Ulbram smiled gently and gestured to Urgdar, who nodded.
“We will adopt Lord Thorvar’s proposal to install the railroad, as it has the majority opinion.”
Bang bang.
He struck the hammer.
The sound clearly resonated through the conference hall.
Thorvar looked at Carami as though he couldn’t believe it. Carami shrugged and muttered.
“Are you still not going to lend me the flame?”
