Garrett decided to take a break from surgeries for a day and, along with Master Denfrees, visited the Mithril Valley. Climbing along the stream between Igor Peak and Clark Peak, they were met with a deafening noise halfway up the trail.
Hammers striking anvils, mugs banging against tables. A large group of dwarves were slapping tables and benches, singing in unison:
âEndless mead, blessings to the people,
The prince, the brave warrior,
Swinging the iron axe, charging at the enemy,
Cutting down the false godâs messenger to dustâŠâ
âOhâŠâ Master Denfrees painfully covered his eyes.
âTheyâre at it again... The little beer stored in the Mithril area must be all gone by nowâŠâ
Garrett also felt the urge to cover his forehead. Judging by the noise, the dwarves must have gone on strike and gotten drunk. How many decibels was this noise? 80? 100? 120?
Help, he didnât want to go among the dwarves! His ears! Which magic could create a soundproof barrier to reduce surrounding noise?
Appa, the Silver Moon Deer, pawed the ground unhappily and snorted. Clearly, the excessive human noise was unsettling for a magical beast used to roaming the wilderness.
If it werenât for carrying Garrett and Bernard, the Silver Moon Deer would have bolted by now.
âBernardâŠâ
âBoss, donât worry!â The barbarian responded loyally.
âIâll handle all the drinking for you! Any drinking contests, pork hock eating, arm wrestling, bring it on!â
ââŠâ
Garrett wanted to knock his head against the deerâs antlers.
The gigantic Silver Moon Deer soon caught the attention of the dwarves. Several dwarves rushed out of the tavern, climbed onto a high platform for a better view, and then hurried back inside, shouting something. Garrett couldnât hear what they were saying, but the result was evident as the dwarves came rushing out, bypassing Master Denfrees, and surrounded Appa: êÎŹÎĂàžżĐÈ
âMaster Nordmark!â
âHonorable Master Nordmark!â
âFriend of the Dwarves!â
âHurry, clean up the tavern! Move it, you!âClean up the VIP seats, wipe off the beer stains and meat bones, Master Nordmark likes cleanliness!â
Master Denfrees, sitting less than two meters away on his Phantasmal Steed:
ââŠâŠâ
Iâm still here! Iâm still here! Donât pretend you donât see me, just walking around me like Iâm a stone on the ground!
Good thing Iâm riding a Phantasmal Steed, a magically summoned creature that doesnât get startled. If I were on a regular horse, youâd have scared it away by now!
Garrett sat on the Silver Moon Deer, stunned. Thankfully, Appaâs shoulder height was two meters, far taller than the dwarves. The dwarves had to stretch their arms and jump to reach his dangling feet. Otherwise, he might have been pulled off the deer!
However, Garrett couldnât stay perched on the deer, looking down on the dwarves. He held onto Bernardâs arm for stability, leaned out, and waved to the dwarves below:
âStep aside! Step aside! Let me jump down!â
âJump down!â The dwarves laughed. A dwarf with red-brown hair and a long braided beard opened his arms and then pounded his chest:
âMaster Nordmark, just jump down! Weâll catch you!â
ââŠâŠâ This wasnât about whether they could catch him or not! With their short arms and legs, he feared he might land awkwardly on their necks!
In the stalemate, Bernard came to his bossâs rescue. The barbarian jumped lightly from the deerâs back, slipping into the gaps between the dwarves. Then, he patted Appaâs neck to calm it and extended his hand to Garrett:
âBoss, Iâll help you down!â
Garrett leaned to the side, and Bernard grabbed his armpits, easily lifting him down. The dwarves made space, letting him land on his feet before crowding around him again:
âMaster Nordmark, youâve arrived!â
âItâs been a long time since you visited us!â
âBring out the beer! Bring out the beer! We must drink to welcome our esteemed guest!âHey, that mage over there, bring the beer!â
Master Denfrees despaired: Only at this moment do they see me, but still canât remember my name, just calling me âthat mageâ?
The crowd, or rather, the human pancake with chopsticks sticking out, slowly moved forward. It took a while to reach the tavern, where Garrett was carried to the deepest part, the VIP seat for elders and high-ranking members:
With a thud, a massive mug of beer, foaming white, landed in front of him. Familiar, thick pork hocks followed suitâŠ
Garrett could only be grateful that Bernard was also part of the election team and held the honorary titles from the dwarves. With Bernard there, at least someone could help him consume this food and drink.
Then, with a thud, an elderly dwarf with a graying beard sat beside him, raising a mug and loudly proclaiming to the tavern:
âTo Master Nordmark! To our friend!â
âCheers!!!â
The dwarves roared, deafening. Garrett could only be thankful for his quick reaction, casting a soundproof barrierâthis magic was for dealing with sonic attacks!
Oh no, the dwarves started singing againâŠ
âThe mage from afar, crossing oceans, traveling far and wide;â
âBringing the blessings of nature, entering the realm of the rock people;â
âWith a casual point, the black machine spews white smoke, turning ore into refined iron;â
âHe drives the vines, cleaning the warriorsâ lungs, giving them new lifeâŠâ
Left, right, front, the entire tavern, dwarves linked arms, singing in unison. On his left, Master Denfrees looked at Garrett with envy, his eyes almost sparkling:
Participating in the Dwarven Kingâs election!
Being immortalized in dwarven songs!
Given the average lifespan of dwarves, Garrettâs deeds would be sung for hundreds or even thousands of years!
Garrett painfully furrowed his brow. If not for being surrounded, he would have run away:
Being sung to your face like this was too embarrassing!
Last time he visited, they werenât like this. Last time, after returning from the wilderness and coming to help clean their lungs, they were still fine! They invited him for drinks, but at least didnât sing around him!
Help~~~ Someone get me out of here!
Enduring the song, he forced down a sip of beer (thankfully, just a sip was enough; Bernard could handle the rest). Finally, he completed his task. His head buzzing, feeling like he had undergone a mental attack, he was near collapseâŠ
Finally, as the banquet ended, Master Denfrees watched in surprise as Garrett revived, becoming lively again. He dragged several dwarves into a room, Master Denfrees following closely, signaling frantically:
Tell them!
Tell them!
Tell them, stop drinking, a great famine is imminent!
Garrett, however, had other plans. He pulled out a square box, opening it to reveal two stacks of petri dishes. In the other half of the box, a large jar nestled in a sponge, wobbling like jelly.
âAfter this period of research, Iâve finally found a way to treat a certain type of dwarven lung disease.â Garrett smiled at the dwarves.
âClinical trials on humans with similar diseases have shown good results. I came over as soon as I had the time to deliver the medicine.â
âSo this is the new medicine?â
Several heads leaned in. Leading the group was Master Talbertâs disciple, Vigeland, who had dealt with Garrett for a long time, escorting Master Talbert back home and then returning to the Kent Kingdom to oversee the Mithril area.
Having witnessed Garrettâs efforts in developing methods to clear phlegm, create oxygen machines, and devise lung-cleaning spells for his teacher, Vigeland had no doubts. He reached for the dishes:
âHow do we use this? Eat it directly?â
âAh, this isnât medicineâŠâ Garrett quickly stopped him.
âThis is for detecting whether you have the bacteria in your body, specifically in your lungs. If you do, I can use this medicine to treat you; if not, then itâs not necessaryâwhoâs first?â
âMe!â
âMe!â
Several hands shot up. Vigeland turned around, scanning the room:
âDo we need to clean lungs? Should I find a place to lie down?â
âNo need for thatâŠâ
Garrett swiftly prepared the petri dishes, summoning the mage hand to scoop the culture medium from the jar, spreading it onto each dish. Then, he summoned several mage hands, shaping them into small bowls:
âEveryone go outside to an open area, each take one, and spit into it! Preferably from deep in your throat, the deeper the better for accuracyâhey, donât spit at others!â
Thankfully, he quickly cast a bubble spell on himself, Bernard, and Master Denfrees. These could at least block the droplets.
What?
The dwarves infecting each other?
Come on, with so many working together in the mines, eating and living together, drinking and singing loudly, if there were infections, it would have spread long ago!
He poured sterile saline into each mage hand, which turned into spheres, bouncing up and down, left and right, mixing thoroughly. Without a centrifuge, this had to do!
After mixing, he spread the samples on the culture medium, added a bit of streptomycin, covered, labeled, and gathered the dishes
. Taking a deep breath, he invoked divine power:
â[Bacterial Growth Accelerate]!â