Iver and the dwarf Magnetic Hammer hit it off wonderfully, and they soon reached the stage of calling each other brothers.
Hai Na's father and Iver were both Third Level, but one was a blacksmith and the other a priest. They both belonged to the Dedication Path, had similar personalities, and naturally had plenty to talk about.
Iver did not know much about dwarves. It was only through Magnetic Hammer's conversation that he gradually came to understand why the conflict between dwarves and elves was so intense.
Elves and dwarves both primarily followed the Dedication Path and were races that believed in multiple gods. That was precisely why their racial conflict was so fierce and irreconcilable—much like the conflict between Avalonians and giants, or the Children of the Moon and werewolves.
However, the Candle Holder was the oldest Pillar God of the Dedication Path, unlike the Path of Authority and the Path of Love, which had both changed leaders.
Even so, following the same Path while following different gods at the end of that Path... heretics were more detestable than heathens.
The blacksmiths of the Dedication Path belonged to Flame Angel's clergy, just as Fallen Angel controlled the Demon Scholars. Demon Scholars whose power came from Fallen Angel were naturally hostile toward Ritual Mages whose power came from Serpent Father.
Flame Angel was the second-strongest god of the Dedication Path, ruling over the domains of flame, steel, and forging. Her power was like fire, and it continued to grow stronger.
As the times progressed and the Industrial Revolution developed, she actively devoured—or rather, assimilated—the other Angels and Apostles of the Dedication Path. The scope of her domain continued to expand.
Iver remembered that she would soon gain the power of "steam," and about four or five years later, she would