Hearing this, Kase finished his food in a few quick bites and sat at the table, staring blankly at Colin. It was still a long time until afternoon.

Since it was too early, the two of them went back to the bulletin board to have a look.

It was as deserted as ever, with nothing but a few bounties posted.

"The bounty for that bear, White Frost, has gone up to two hundred Gold Coins," Colin remarked. "If we’d listened to you and gone hunting for it back then, we’d probably be bear dung by now."

Uncharacteristically, Kase didn’t reply. Instead, he stared in surprise at a corner of the bulletin board.

Seeing this, Colin leaned in to look as well.

It read: "Golden Plain Bounty: A ram that likes to headbutt people. Reward: 10 Gold Coins."

He thought about it. Wasn’t the ram that liked to headbutt people the same one they’d released back into Nature?

Colin nudged Kase’s arm. "What do you think that ram did to get a ten-Gold-Coin bounty on its head?"

"Compared to a bear with a one-hundred-Gold-Coin bounty..." Kase sniffled. "I still think a sheep with a ten-Gold-Coin bounty is more terrifying."

Finding no bounties worth their time, they walked over to the Divine Hall of the Morninglord.

The Priests there were kind enough to store their belongings in a relatively safe warehouse. After picking up Orelia, the group shouldered their things and headed to the Dwarves’ sewers.

"Yo, looks like you had a good haul," said Dorn, the gatekeeper, calling out from a distance.

"Are Donkexes and the others here?"

"The usual spot." Dorn waved his hand.

The group then walked to Donkexes’s herb shop.

The old Dwarf standing behind the counter glanced at the approaching group. He frowned, scrutinizing the Tiefling cowering at the back, and his expression only softened when he looked at Colin.

He said with a smile, "Looks like you’ve had a major upgrade this trip. You even got yourselves a Magic Weapon."

"The haul was decent, I suppose."

After speaking, Colin casually placed the Scorpion-tailed Lion’s tail from his bag onto the counter.

The sharp-eyed Donkexes immediately spotted the ring on his hand.

His eyes widened as he asked, "Is that a ring from the Weston Clan?!"

"You can tell just by looking?"

"Why would they give something like this to you? Hmm... Come to think of it, we recently heard a rumor about someone who single-handedly defeated an entire army of Jackal Wolfmen that was ambushing Dragon’s Fang Castle on the Golden Plain."

Donkexes lowered his head, stroking his beard as he continued, "They said the man was a two-meter-tall giant wielding a two-meter-long Great Sword. We heard his name was ’Colin’ at the time, but we thought it was just a coincidence."

"We did it, but that’s not how it happened at all."

’Just who on earth is spreading these weird rumors?’ Colin grumbled inwardly.

"Then that’s not surprising," Donkexes nodded.

"Is this thing very valuable?"

"Very valuable? Of course. I take it you don’t know how the value of Magic Equipment is determined?"

Colin nodded blankly. "I just know they’re all expensive."

"Their value is mainly based on their effects. If I remember correctly, this ring’s effect should be quite good, making it a top-tier item for its level. The effectiveness of an Enchantment is largely limited by its materials, just like how you can’t brew good beer with foul water.

"The ring in your hand was made over a hundred years ago by some young fellow from the Weston Family. That guy used some low-quality silver and cheap Gemstones to whip up a piece of equipment with an effect like this. You could say he squeezed out every last bit of potential from the materials. It’s considered a textbook-level masterpiece known to all Enchanters in the Northern Lands."

Donkexes said, "If you sold it, you could probably get four or five hundred Gold Coins for it... Of course, after more than a hundred years, not many people know about this thing anymore. Otherwise, it might fetch an even higher price."

Colin was stunned by the number.

’But I can’t sell this. Not only is it a useful piece of Magic Equipment, but it also represents the Weston Clan’s approval of my team. Selling it would be a great way to burn bridges.’

"Since we had a drink together last time, we’re all friends now," Donkexes said. "So I’ll be frank with you. These two materials can be sold for about fifty gold coins."

"More valuable than the heart from last time?"

"About the same. After all, while a Scorpion-tailed Lion can’t beat a monster like Yenogu the Poison Fang on the ground, they can fly." Donkexes’s beard twitched, and he looked like he was hesitating to say more.

Although he couldn’t clearly see the Dwarf’s face, most of which was hidden by his beard, Colin could still sense the awkwardness in his tone.

Many books mentioned the Dwarves’ suspicion of other races. It took at least several decades for other races to build a friendship with them, and it took even longer for them to forget one.

"It takes about a hundred years to go from an acquaintance to a friend." —This was a famous Dwarven proverb.

’If I hadn’t given these Dwarves so many materials, I probably never would have gotten on such good terms with them in my entire life.’

’It would be too naive to say that a relationship built on mutual benefit is a deep one.’

’But it would also be overly harsh to say that the friendship offered by this group of Dwarves was cheap.’

Colin thought for a moment and said, "You still remember our deal, right? Besides my own training, I also hope you can help train the Tiefling with me. Help her strengthen her ability to use a Shield and fight in close combat. Her name is Orelia, and she’s a Priest of the Morninglord."

Orelia timidly greeted him. "Hello."

"You really don’t hold back, do you, little brother Colin." Donkexes chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Alright, fine. I’ll go get Langgrin. By the way, let’s head to the training grounds first. I want to see how far you’ve progressed with your Magic."

After that, the two of them headed toward the Dwarves’ internal training grounds. Along the way, they had Langgrin take Orelia for her training.

Arriving at the training grounds, Donkexes took out his Spellbook and handed it to Colin, saying, "Take a good look and see what you want to learn, but my suggestions are Shield or Magic Missile."

’Actually, I already know Shield...’

While thinking this to himself, Colin asked aloud, "Why those?"

"These two spells are highly versatile and can be useful in almost any situation. Take Burning Hand, the spell you learned last time. If you used that against a Fire Element or a Red Dragon, it would be as effective as blowing a puff of air at them. Utterly useless."

"I don’t think I’ll ever have to face a Red Dragon in my entire life..."

"You never know."

Donkexes continued, "I’d still recommend Shield. That spell will never let you down in a critical moment. If you feel you need to engage opponents in face-to-face combat, Silver Light Sharp Words is a good choice.

"That spell can distract an opponent during battle, affecting their attacks, Casting, and so on. It can also transfer that focus onto a creature designated by the Caster."