Becoming Legend

But first, he must go to the Canton of Commerce to register Barbo and Mina under his house as his blacksmiths.

Canton of Commerce: a roman-like dome held by massive pillars surrounding its edges. It was the center of the city of Bogmoor, aside from the Great House of Soak that was kilometers away from the center of the city.

This structure houses hundreds of workers, mostly from the House of Soak and its minor Household members. Almost all of the businesses done in the city of Bogmoor were held inside the Canton of Commerce, even the most important ones in the Sudden Plate were held inside. But the most important reason why the Canton of Commerce was built was to receive the envoys of the Royal House.

But not today. Yet, the Commerce was crowded with people.

Must be the Hunter's Exam. Ned sighed as he walked over the pavement going towards the entrance of the dome.

There were at least a hundred people over Ned's sight, not to mention the ones behind him.

"Where are your parents, kid?"

"Eh?" Ned scratched his head from the lady who seemed to be in the duty of receiving. "I came alone."

The lady in red cocked an eyebrow looking at Ned's black hunter's jacket: exactly the one he was wearing when he and Master Will go hunting the Grieving Woods. Her eyes then laid resting at the pouch Ned was having over his waist.

"What do you want then?" The lady fingered her bronze-dyed hair along with her lips arching looking at Ned. "Usually, we only entertain Hunters in here. And looking at you, you're not one. Or either you have something to do with a House. If that is the case, then hurry up."

The way she treated Ned must be because of his young appearance. Ned sighed and reached a card under his pocket, deep into his spatial inventory, and handed it to the lady in red.

Receiving and checking that the House card Ned gave her was authentic, there were also signs that the card was made at Bogaressi, her attitude towards Ned changed.

"You should have told me sooner Ned of House Sskat," she mumbled and handed Ned his card. "I am Shawin your today's receptionist. How may I serve you?"

Ned was inside a circular foyer. The floor, and the walls, and the pillars, and even the soft cushioned chair were glittering in white. The only different thing was the plants beside the wooden table of the receptionist. They at least knew how to put a difference.

"I'm here to update my House."

"Update of course." Shawin exhibited a smile that seemed to be unnecessary since her eyes were looking behind Ned. "If you could go that way Ned of House Sskat." Shawin pointed to an alley on her left.

Behind Ned was a line of people. Perhaps all these people were here to update their Houses as well, Ned thought and didn't bother to wave goodbye to the receptionist.

City guards in full-plated armor were stationed at every corner of each hallway. They held a wooden spear with a shining silvertip, and on their waist were swords a little longer than Krisalix of about a forearm length.

"Where to, kid?" A guard approached Ned. A pair of exhausted eyes were visible through the gaps of his helmet.

"I'm here to update my House..."

The city guard pointed at a second door a little closer to them.

Ned moved onward. The Canton of Commerce was big enough that if one would stroll alone it would take them a couple of hours before they checked every nook of it.

Ned knocked and was approached by an old and rounded voice like he was speaking inside an empty barrel.

Ned walked in and to his surprise, his thin silver eyebrow raised.

My... he thought. A dwarf?

A dwarf sat over an iron chair, over his iron table, over his room plated of iron aside from the floor in white. This was rather a new kind of ambiance for Ned. The dwarf was the fourth being Ned met aside from the Arachnid: Kon Sas Koron, and the Goblins, and the Shoons that were sentient enough to make communication with other beings.

A dwarf in the lands of humans... Ned must inquire.

"What, kid?" The dwarf shrugged his wide shoulders and made a big O of smoke with his pipe. Both his iron bracers and iron pipe clanked against his iron table as he looked at Ned with a blank face.

"I'm here to update my House."

This was rather an unusual place for a dwarf to stay.

"Oh-ho!" Exclaimed the dwarf. He waved his bulky hand to Ned to sit in an iron chair, luckily it was wrapped in a cushion. The moment that he heard a kid to update a House, his attitude turned to a new gear.

Were they always like this inside the Canton of Commerce? Ned shrugged with the thought.

The dwarf, who gave his name as Glanrur Bofeft, posed a wide smile to Ned. Like an iron that needed to be heated to form a seamless craft, he's got hot copper brown hair. A big rounded eyes almost the same as twice his fingers. He lost nearly his neck with all the muscles wrapping his shoulders. But he wasn't a typical dwarf Ned had seen. instead of leather clothing over an iron armor, Glanrur Bofeft was wearing a thin and white linen cloth that with a proper angle, one could see his muscles under the cloth.

Glanrur Bofeft was Glanrur Bofeft. He doesn't hide his name like everyone else. Simply because around his not-so-visible neck was an emerald necklace that hangs almost to his belly.

Talisman of Truth Ned thought eyeing the necklace. It was smoother than the one that Sasani had when she showed it to Ned back at the inn: where she asked Ned to marry her.

"Oh, this?" Glanrur Bofeft lifted the necklace closer to Ned. But no matter how he tried, he was struggling just by moving alone. "Iron's rust!"

Was that a curse? Ned thought and kept silent looking at the dwarf who, for some reason, can't move properly.

"I made it." Glanrur gave up on showing Ned his necklace. "My name means 'Master Craftsman' in my birth tongue. Mind you kid, I was once the best back at the Mountains... well... until I... nevermind. So, you want to update your House? On what terms?"

"I wanted to add a temporary Household member under my House."

Glanrur reached an open hand to Ned as though he wanted something that Ned took.

Ned nodded and inside his pouch, he took his House card.

Glanrur raised an eyebrow looking up at Ned but didn't say a thing. He then put the card beside and looked over his shoulder.

"Could you get a paper inside that one?"

Does he mean the iron cabinet behind him? Why would be his room full of irons?

Ned doesn't want to offend anybody just because he was in a hurry and so he did go for the iron cabinet.

It took, one, and two, and three times for Ned to pull an inch of the drawer of the cabinet. Ned then heard a loud thud beside him.

Looking to where the noise came from, it was Glanrur's iron pipe that fell on the floor which made a visible crack.

"Iron maiden's son! What are you, kid?"

Ned pulled his head back at the confusing remark the dwarf made.

"I'm just testing you... but you did move an inch of that iron cabinet?"

"Yes. It's heavy indeed. But if I try harder, I could pull it out."

"Show me." No more rounded eyes. Instead, Glanrur narrowed his eyes looking at Ned as though he was analyzing him.

Like he always does, Ned focused. He took air through his nose and held it to increase his maximum strength.

Just when Glanrur thought that Ned couldn't pull the iron drawer. A loud grating sound was then heard along with rust falling down the floor.

Glanrur's big mouth went even bigger.

It took Ned a full minute to pull half of the iron drawer. But judging at Glanrur's big O mouth, if this was a training, then it was a successful one.

"I-I'm only teasing you, kid. But... My, oh my. You actually pulled it out. One drawer is equivalent to 250 Kil."

250 Kil? That's 551 Pounds, Or equivalent to 25 Atomic Load*, Ned thought as he looked at his arms with veins popping and moving like worms. When did I get this strong?

The cabinet was rectangular, and there were four of the drawers overall. Ned pulled the one at the very top and it was too late for him to notice the beads of sweat forming over his forehead.

Didn't I come here to update the details of my House? Ned eyed the iron cabinet, then the dwarf, then the iron pipe, then...

"What happened to your legs?"

"Oh, this? A beast tore it all."

Glanrur Bofeft's legs were gone. He sat over his iron chair without legs.

So, that is why he couldn't move with ease, Ned thought as he went to grab the iron pipe on the floor.

Ned had to use half of his overall strength just to lift the iron pipe.

"I... just... want to... update... my House."