Viscount Helson looked curious. "Oh? What kind of miraculous liquid?"
Barin deliberately paused to build suspense before slowly saying, "That liquid is refined by us dwarves from special ores. It's pale yellow and has a somewhat pungent smell. It doesn't look like much, but it's extremely useful. It can corrode rust on the surface of metal. Whether it's iron or copper, just a little of it is enough to quickly remove even stubborn rust stains. It's far less laborious than polishing with sandpaper."
As he spoke, he watched Helson's reaction. Seeing that he was listening attentively, Barin relaxed slightly and continued, "It's not only useful for removing rust. This liquid can also be used to purify ores. Some ores contain a great deal of impurities, but after being soaked in it, the impurities dissolve, greatly increasing the purity of the remaining metal. It can even be used to etch patterns onto metal. As long as you apply a layer of protective paste to the metal's surface and then spread the liquid over the areas you want to etch, clear patterns will soon form. It's far more precise than having a blacksmith carve them by hand."
Barin deliberately concealed the liquid's real name and emphasized only its uses. He wanted the humans to know that the dwarves were not entirely without strengths. Even if they were inferior to humans in the scale of iron production, they still had their own advantages when it came to the "delicate finesse" of metalworking.
After he finished, he gave an unconcerned smile. "Come to think of it, this liquid is used very widely within our clan. If your side has any need for it, perhaps we could consider making it one of our trade goods in the future." He was already calculating: if the humans