Jin Bao hastily took the Heart of Regeneration in his hands, and while he couldn’t wait to examine it, he responded, "A gemstone that has been previously shaped certainly has its own way of harnessing power. Rash forging will only damage its capabilities."
"If possible, it would be best to find the original components."
"Even if we can’t find those, obtaining the original forging methods would suffice. I could analyze its original abilities through this method and, based on its capabilities, tailor-make a new forging plan."
"Dwarves like to use murals as a method of record-keeping. It’s possible that the forging methods of the Heart of the Mountains are still preserved within this city. This is also a small request of ours—to be allowed to study the murals of the Dwarf City."
"As long as you agree to my terms of trade, not only will you be free to explore the Dwarf City, but we will also entrust the reconstruction of the Heart of Regeneration to you. When the time comes, just come up with a proposal, and I will handle all supplementary materials. I still have some stocks of these auxiliary materials," Gaven said, while taking out two metal ingots from the Portable Dimensional Hole and waving them in front of Jin Bao.
Each ingot was only the size of a fist, but they were not light. Gaven’s arms bulged with apparent muscle strain.
One shone brilliantly with gold, and the other shimmered with silver.
Jin Bao couldn’t help but swallow his saliva and said, "Fine Gold Mithril?"
"Mayor, that’s a bit amusing. Do you think I would show off gold and silver in front of you?" Gaven laughed heartily.
"Lord Baron, you are the best negotiator I’ve ever met. I simply cannot refuse these enticing tactics of yours," Mayor Jin Bao sighed deeply and continued, "So it’s settled then. Let’s have a pleasant collaboration."
"Pleasant collaboration. I will draft a comprehensive contract as soon as possible. However, there will be a small additional request when the time comes—that you hand over all of the finished rings from your village to me. I will ensure a sufficient amount of Regeneration Gems is left in exchange. Once you’ve completed manufacturing them, we can trade for a new batch. How does that sound?" Gaven proposed this condition, which naturally had his own deep intentions.
The first reason was for assurance—if anything went wrong on the Gnome Village’s end, the loss wouldn’t be too significant.
The second reason was to cash in by directly turning Regeneration Gems into Regeneration Rings. This would save time whether they were to be given as rewards to subordinates or to be sold.
The astute Gnome Village mayor saw right through Gaven’s scheme but didn’t point it out. Instead, he nodded readily and said, "That’s fine. Lord Baron, just prepare ten Dust of Regeneration and ten Stars of Resurgence when the time comes."
He also didn’t dare to accept too large an order at once and instead intended to progress gradually.
Trust is a process, and both parties were far from reaching that level yet.
"What about the Moon of Resurgence? Don’t you have any finished products of that in your hands?" Gaven asked with some surprise.
"No, we really don’t," Mayor Jin Bao said, somewhat embarrassedly. "The vein where our village is located is quite barren. Iron ore is sparsely distributed, with Dust of Regeneration being the most common. Stars of Resurgence are rare, and we haven’t found a single Moon of Resurgence yet. The amount of Regeneration Gems is much scarcer than you imagine, Lord Baron. It’s incredible if one or two can be produced in a month."
"By the way, how do you determine whether a piece of iron ore contains Regeneration Gems? You can’t possibly cut each one open to check, can you?"
"The Gemstone Locating Spell, a variation of the Object Positioning Technique. Those old Gnoll miners should be proficient in this spell; otherwise, it would be very difficult to find Regeneration Gems," Mayor Jin Bao said openly.
"I see," Gaven nodded and continued, "I’ve learned quite a lot today. Consider this Moon of Resurgence as the deposit for our trade; I hope you can produce stronger magic equipment as soon as possible,"
Gaven took out a Regeneration Gem and tossed it to the Gnome Village mayor, exchanging it back for the Heart of Regeneration.
Without a concrete proposal from the other party, he was not willing to trust them with such a precious gemstone—presumably even if they were to embark on large-scale cooperation in the future.
The manufacturing of Regeneration Jewelry would not take place in the Gnome Village but instead, a dedicated gemstone processing workshop would be established in Dwarf Statue City.
Compared to the immense value of the Regeneration Gems, the vast grain from the Gnome Village’s agricultural fields now seemed like a mere side note.
After a clear and straightforward explanation from the Gnome Village mayor, the grand direction for Dwarf Statue City was completely set in stone.
Essentially, like Blackwell, it was just an iron mine, only now with a new step added to the excavation process—using the Gemstone Locating Spell to survey for Regeneration Gems.
If they were found, the ore would be broken up to retrieve the gems, and if not, it would be treated as common iron ore.
When it came to mining iron, Blackwell in Dragon Oak Territory already had a mature operation process in place.
Quake Bombs, Enlightened Trees, and the use of a large number of low to mid-level spells made their Mining efficiency unique among Gnolls and even among Dwarves, who are known for their mining skills, they were near the top, second only to some unusually modern Dwarf rune production lines. Some Dwarves, it is said, achieved full mechanization, employing self-sustaining Golems for mining.
Among the Gnolls gathered in Dwarf Statue City, there were already Alchemists who were making traditional Gnoll Mysticism Bombs with fantastical power. All they needed was to be taught the improved version from Dragon Oak Territory, so they could use local resources to prepare them in large quantities.