Kaigin's Troubles

"Oh, right."

At that moment, Rimuru remembered a problem: he didn't actually know where Kaigin was.

"May I ask you a question?"

Rimuru said to the female dwarf.

"Yes?"

Hearing Rimuru's words, the female dwarf quickly responded to her distinguished guest.

"Do you know where Master Kaigin is?"

Rimuru posed his question.

"Oh, Master Kaigin! What do you need Master Kaigin for?"

The female dwarf paused for a moment after hearing this, then asked.

"We have something we need to ask of this master."

Rimuru said hurriedly upon hearing the female dwarf's reply.

"Alright then, I'll lead the way. Follow me."

The female dwarf said and walked out of the shop.

Hearing the female dwarf's reply, Mo Li picked up Rimuru and walked in the direction the female dwarf had left.

While walking, Rimuru couldn't quite understand something.

Seeing Rimuru's troubled expression, Mo Li felt curious and transmitted his voice to Rimuru.

"Rimuru, you look like you have something on your mind?"

Rimuru was startled by Mo Li's voice, then reacted.

"Ah, Mo Li, you scared me to death."

Mo Li found Rimuru's startled reaction quite amusing.

"I just saw your expression and thought you had something on your mind?"

Mo Li asked Rimuru with a smile in his voice.

"Ah, Mo Li, I still can't understand why she didn't want that large Magic Ore when I was clearly prepared to give it all to this female dwarf just now?"

Rimuru transmitted his voice to Mo Li, full of questions.

Hearing Rimuru's transmitted voice, Mo Li finally understood why Rimuru was so troubled. It was because he didn't understand this.

"Rimuru, have you ever heard the saying, 'An innocent man is guilty when he possesses a treasure'?"

Mo Li lectured Rimuru.

"What does that mean, Ah, Mo Li?"

A big question mark popped up in Rimuru's head, indicating he didn't understand.

Seeing Rimuru's blank look, Mo Li had no choice but to explain.

"Rimuru, transactions require fair exchange. Do you know that the Magic Ore you just gave her clearly far exceeds the value of that sword? Not to mention that Magic Ore is extremely rare. I believe Great Sage must have told you how precious Magic Ore is. Setting aside the question of whether it's worth it or not, do you think that female dwarf can protect such a large piece of Magic Ore?"

Mo Li posed a question to Rimuru.

"I don't know."

Rimuru shook his head.

"Then I'll give you the answer: she can't protect it. It would even bring about her own demise. This is what 'an innocent man is guilty when he possesses a treasure' means. Moreover, even if you cut off such a large piece of Magic Ore, the remaining piece would still be worth more than this sword. Do you understand?"

Mo Li said to Rimuru, word by word.

"I think I understand, Ah, Mo Li."

Rimuru nodded, as if he understood but not quite.

"Rimuru, you must remember one thing. No matter which world you're in, people believe in one saying: there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests. Remember this, okay?"

Mo Li's tone was serious.

"Listening to Mo Li's serious words, Rimuru nodded and transmitted his voice back.

"I remember, Ah, Mo Li, I won't forget."

Not long after, the female dwarf led the two to a place where weapons were forged. Outside the door of this room stood a group of soldiers, seemingly guards. Seeing the arrival of Rimuru and the other two, the dwarf soldiers paid them no mind. It seemed many people came to see Kaigin every day.

"Alright, we're here. This is where Master Kaigin forges weapons. Judging by the time, Master Kaigin should be inside. I have other things to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."

The female dwarf said and turned to leave.

Rimuru looked at the house before him and couldn't help but ask Mo Li.

"Ah, Mo Li, should we go in?"

"Yes, don't forget our purpose."

Mo Li said calmly.

With that said, Mo Li stepped forward, opened the door, and what greeted Mo Li and Rimuru's eyes was a dwarf wearing a horned helmet. The dwarf looked troubled.

"Excuse me, are you Master Kaigin?"

Seeing the dwarf, Rimuru eagerly asked.

"I'm not. Are you looking for my older brother? He's inside forging weapons!"

The dwarf with the horned helmet said to Rimuru.

"Oh, thank you."

Rimuru thanked the dwarf.

"No problem, I have something to do, I'm leaving now."

As the dwarf spoke, he walked past Mo Li and Rimuru and headed outside.

"Sigh, why would there be such an unreasonable quest? How could it possibly be completed? Isn't this making things difficult for my brother? I hope the punishment isn't too severe."

The dwarf muttered as he walked away.

Just as Rimuru was about to ask something upon hearing this, Mo Li scooped Rimuru up and entered the house. At a glance, they saw a dwarf forging iron. The dwarf wore a pointed hat and looked very similar to the dwarf who had just left.

"Excuse me, are you Master Kaigin?"

Rimuru, held in Mo Li's arms, asked.

"I am. However, I don't make weapons here. If you want to buy weapons, go outside."

Sensing Mo Li and Rimuru's arrival, the dwarf put down his hammer and replied to them with a somewhat perfunctory tone.

After speaking, he prepared to usher Mo Li and Rimuru out and resume his forging.

It was then that Mo Li recalled the plot of the original work. Kaigin was currently troubled because Best had given him an impossible quest, and he was still suffering from a headache. In the original work, it was precisely Rimuru's help that allowed him to complete it.

"I'd like to ask, why don't you make weapons?"

Rimuru questioned Kaigin.

It was at this moment that Kaigin noticed that the one asking him was a slime. However, Kaigin didn't have time to think about that now.

"Sigh, it's no use even if I tell you."

Kaigin said with a troubled expression.

"If you don't tell us, how can you be sure it can't be solved?"

Mo Li interjected.

"Exactly, exactly! Tell us, and we'll help you figure something out."

Hearing Mo Li's words, Rimuru quickly chimed in.

"Sigh, it's because I was given a quest from above to forge 20 standard longswords within two weeks. But the time they gave me is simply not enough. What's worse, they didn't provide any materials. I've only managed to forge one so far, and I only have enough materials left for one more. I sent my friends to gather materials, but because of monsters, they failed to collect them and even got injured. The deadline is fast approaching, so how can I not be anxious?"

Kaigin sighed and explained.