Journey to the Dwarf Kingdom

Rimuru was somewhat dumbfounded as she listened to Mo Li.

"Is it really that exaggerated? Is he really that strong?"

Rimuru found it hard to believe. In her mind, dwarves had always been weak blacksmiths; she simply could not imagine that they could be so powerful.

Mo Li wanted to laugh at Rimuru's incredulous expression.

"That's right. And I think I've actually been rather conservative. The Dwarven Kingdom's military strength is extremely formidable. Even ordinary Demon Lords would probably be no match for the Dwarf King. For example, Clayman, Carrion, Freya, and the like."

In the original work, it was clearly stated that the Dwarf King's strength rivaled that of Saint Hinata Sakaguchi. Hinata Sakaguchi's strength was described in the original work as being at the level of a "Saint," equal to an Awakened Demon King. Although the Dwarf King had said himself that he was no match for Hinata Sakaguchi, he definitely was not much weaker than her. Therefore, there was no doubt that the Dwarf King could rival an Awakened Demon King. Beating those three Demon Lord Seeds—Klayman, Freya, and Carrion—would be effortless for him.

"Is he really that strong? You're sure you aren't messing with me?"

Rimuru's jaw dropped once again.

"That's right. The Dwarf King definitely counts as a powerhouse even in this world, not to mention that he is the king of a nation."

Mo Li spoke to Rimuru with a serious expression.

Hearing Mo Li's assessment of the Dwarven Kingdom, Mo Li immediately became unsettled. She hurriedly asked Great Sage in her mind.

"Great Sage, is everything Ari said true? Is the Dwarf Kingdom really that powerful? Does the Dwarf King really possess Demon King level strength?"

Faced with Rimuru's string of questions, Great Sage was overwhelmed and fell silent for a while.

[That is correct. Everything she said is true. The Dwarven Kingdom is also known as the Forging Kingdom. Thanks to its outstanding forging techniques, this nation's overall strength ranks among the best in the entire world. The current Dwarf King, Gazel Dwargon, is the third king of the Dwarven Kingdom. He is a wise ruler whose strength does not lose to that of a Demon Lord. Alone, he can stand against thousands upon thousands of troops. He has never suffered defeat throughout his military career and is praised by the world as the "Hero King."]

Damn, he's a real big shot. Looks like I'll have to be careful when we get to the Dwarf Kingdom.

Rimuru sighed inwardly.

"But don't worry. The Dwarf Kingdom is open to outsiders, and the dwarven race is extremely friendly. So there's nothing for us to fear. It's not like we're going there to do anything evil. Do you really need to be this nervous?"

Mo Li could not help but laugh at Rimuru's cautious expression.

"I guess you're right."

Only then did Rimuru realize that they were not going there to do anything bad, so there was no reason to be so afraid.

"According to Rigurd, most of their equipment was bought in the Dwarf Kingdom. The Dwarf Kingdom is not only a Forging Kingdom, but also a trading hub for many races. We should be able to buy plenty of useful things there, which ought to greatly benefit our current development."

Mo Li spoke with a thoughtful expression.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get going already."

The moment she heard the word marketplace, Rimuru immediately got excited. Ever since coming to this world, she had never gone shopping or bought anything. As a modern woman in her past life, how could she not love shopping? For women, a life without shopping had no soul.

Mo Li was somewhat helpless as she watched Rimuru's impatient look.

"Shopping is fine, but don't forget our main task. Besides, do you even have this world's currency? How are you going shopping with empty hands? How will you pay?"

Mo Li promptly poured cold water on Rimuru's excitement.

"That's right, I forgot. Ari, we don't have this world's currency. How are we supposed to trade and buy things?"

Only then did Rimuru realize the seriousness of the problem. Currency was a major issue.

"That's easy. We may not have currency, but don't forget that we can trade some things first. Don't you have quite a few monster corpses in your Stomach? Those should be worth quite a bit of money. And didn't we also collect plenty of valuable Magic Ore and precious medicinal herbs from the cave where Veldora was sealed?"

Mo Li reminded Rimuru.

"Right, Ari, you're right."

Rimuru's eyes immediately lit up.

"Ari, you're so smart."

Rimuru praised Mo Li.

"Alright, hurry up and pack your things. Let's set out as soon as possible."

Mo Li said to Rimuru.

"Right, packing."

After hearing that, Rimuru turned around and skipped toward the house to prepare her things.

Mo Li could not help but laugh at Rimuru's eagerness to rush to the Dwarf Kingdom at once.

"I should go ask Rigurd to prepare some food."

Mo Li pondered. After all, people were made of iron and food was made of steel; miss one meal and you would feel hungry. Even though his current strength meant he no longer needed to eat, all he had to do now was stand on the ground and cultivate for a while. There was no need for food at all. Still, although he could go without eating, the habits he had developed over many years in his past life in the Dragon Nation made him feel somewhat uncomfortable about skipping meals.

Mo Li then came before Rigurd.

"Rigurd, Rimuru and I are making a trip to the Dwarf Kingdom. Help us prepare some food."

"Yes, Lord Morax."

After hearing Mo Li's words, Rigurd did not dare delay and hurried off to make preparations.

Before long, Rigurd returned carrying two fairly large backpacks.

"Lord Morax, everything is ready."

"My lord, due to storage concerns, I tried to pack mainly meats that can be preserved for a long time, as well as some fruits that can also be stored for quite a while."

Rigurd spoke to Mo Li deferentially.

"Thanks for the effort."

Mo Li said to Rigurd.

A trace of satisfaction flashed through Mo Li's eyes as he looked at the two large backpacks before him. As expected of the Cute King's chief steward in the original work. His attentiveness and speed of preparation were truly top-notch.

"Also, find us a monster that has been to the Dwarven Kingdom. Rimuru and I don't even know where the Dwarf Kingdom is."

Mo Li added.

"Yes, Lord Morax. I'll have Gobta guide you two."

Rigurd named someone without even thinking.

"Alright. While Rimuru and I are gone for the next few days, you and Ran-ga must protect the village, understand? I don't want to see any damage to the village when I return, understand?"

Mo Li warned Rigurd.

"Understood, Lord Morax."

Rigurd replied somewhat nervously.