What Ange didn't know was that the arena would see another peak in the future.
While they still had some time, the two went to the foundry. This was actually the first foundry built according to blueprints. The school, for example, was designed by An Ge using her memories from her previous life, requiring a lot of brainpower, and incorporating the opinions of Chi Mu and others.
The foundry occupies a large area, with a shop outside. Before even entering the workshop, the two saw a long queue outside, with many people holding materials in their hands.
The crowd chatted as they waited in line, and perhaps because they were so engrossed in their conversation, An Ge didn't even realize that she was at the very end of the line.
"Hehe, luckily I had the foresight to pre-order a weapon not long after the forge opened."
"Those first customers were truly visionary. I heard that the things they crafted were not only inexpensive and of high quality, but sometimes, when Master Huo was in a good mood, he could even add a few attributes to the equipment. They made a fortune."
Upon hearing this, the man's previously pleased expression vanished, and he couldn't help but sigh, "That's true. I should have known better than to judge a book by its cover. Master Huo has forged divine weapons for several generals. He was personally hired by the shopkeeper; his skill level is beyond the reach of ordinary people."
Another person comforted them, "Alright, we're lucky. Those who haven't come because of Master Huo's appearance are the ones who should be crying. If they want Master Huo to help again now, they'll have to wait a long time."
Moreover, some people couldn't help but show their disgust in front of Master Huo, and were immediately blacklisted by him—that was truly tragic.
An Ge listened with great interest, only then realizing that the story also involved soldiers. She had expected Hogg to be the subject of gossip, but the situation was much better than she had anticipated.
The group moved slowly, but no one complained. An Ge glanced at the sky, feeling a little anxious. Since she wasn't going to have Hogg make something for her, she pulled Hu Jiu directly into the shop.
"Hey, why are you two cutting in line?"
"You idiot, didn't you see that's the store manager and Manager Hu?"
Ange felt a little embarrassed for cutting in line, but it was a special case. As the true owner of the foundry, she had the right to inspect it, didn't she? Besides, she just wanted to take a look and wouldn't take up too much of Hogg's time.
Stepping into the shop, one is greeted by rows of empty shelves. Ange wasn't surprised; Hogg's shop had just opened and was busy with orders every day, so there was no time to prepare new items.
Walking further into the shop, you reach Hogg's work area. When Ange entered, Hogg had just finished a piece of work. "Give this to the recipient."
When the foundry was built, Hu Jiu arranged for several people to assist Hogg, so he now has several assistants.
The assistant, carrying his things, was about to leave when he looked up and saw An Ge and Hu Jiu. Just as he was about to speak, An Ge shook her head. The assistant, suppressing his excitement, nodded and quickly walked towards the door.
He actually met the store manager! How lucky! He needs to hurry and deliver the goods; maybe he can see the manager again when he comes back.
Ange didn't know why her assistant was so excited. She watched Hogg work tirelessly on the next item and didn't want to disturb him.
Perhaps it was because An Ge's gaze was too intense, Hogg looked up from his busy work and met An Ge's eyes.
"Manager, you're finally back! Hogg greets you."
"It's all good, it's all good." An Ge couldn't correct Hogg's way of addressing her, so she could only accept it. "We just came to visit, you go about your business."
Hogg took a swig of wine, a look of enjoyment on his face. "The things they're making aren't difficult at all. I'll be done in a bit. This little bit of time won't cause any problems. This workshop of yours is excellent, even better than our Foundry Guild's."
"I'm glad you like it. By the way, I heard your orders are booked for several months. You must be very busy every day. Why don't you reduce the number?"
Hogg smiled when he heard Ange's concern. "It's nothing. I've just been making a lot of things these past few days. After this period, I'll only be making a few things each day."
"We dwarves, though skilled in forging, are not like goblins who work all day long; life is about enjoyment. The wine here, sir, is exquisite, even better than the fine wines of the dwarven palace."
After saying that, Hogg took another swig. "It's just that the expenses are too high. There are some fine wines that I can't bear to drink every day."
An Ge's lips twitched. Drinks weren't cheap to begin with, and who could drink like water like him? How could his expenses not be high? These drinks were specially arranged by An Ge to be sold to him at a discount; otherwise, his expenses would have been even higher.
"Can I see what you've made?" She was very curious because she had heard that the items Hogg made all had special properties.
Hogg took out a sword and handed it to her. "The materials here are too ordinary. In my opinion, these things are all rubbish. If I had better materials, I could forge something better."
An Ge took the longsword and saw that its attributes were displayed next to it.
"Longsword: Attack 10, Defense 8, can slow down wound healing."
Ange gained a new understanding of what Hogg meant by "trash." While its attributes weren't exactly great, it was certainly not trash. Moreover, Hogg was crafted from the most ordinary materials.
However, Ange felt that such attributes were just right for this plane. This was not a plane with magic, so weapons that were too powerful would not be suitable.
She remembered that many of the people in line had brought their own materials, and she told Hogg about her concerns.
To everyone's surprise, Hogg scouts out, "I've investigated this place. The chances of it generating special materials are slim; at most, it might make weapons sharper. Although we dwarves don't have the goblins' ability to sense minerals, we can still sense them to some extent."
After thinking for a moment, he realized that his tone might have been a bit exaggerated, so he quickly added, "Of course, if I discover special materials, I won't easily create anything that exceeds this plane, so please rest assured, sir."
“Oh, right,” Hogg continued, as if remembering something, “as you have seen, the foundry is short-staffed. I wonder if you could hire some more people?”
"I'm leaving the foundry entirely to you. You can handle the hiring yourself, and come to me if you have any difficulties. It's not right for you to be the only one working in the shop, so why don't you hire a few apprentices?"
Hogg, recalling the human race's talent, was about to refuse, but then he thought that the overall level of forging was relatively low at the time. Even with low talent, learning a little would be enough, so he nodded. "Alright, if I encounter someone with talent, I will make him my apprentice."
Even if he were to teach anyone, he wouldn't want to teach a clueless idiot. The dwarves are extremely picky about their skills, and if someone ruins their craft, Hogg wouldn't let them off easily.
After chatting with Hogg for a few more minutes, Ange said, "Don't leave." She already felt bad for taking up so much of Hogg's time, given how busy he was.
Stepping out of the foundry, An Ge let out a long sigh of relief. "There probably won't be any new buildings for quite some time, otherwise we won't have enough land to reclaim."
To An Ge's surprise, she was soon proven wrong.
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