The Shanhuo dwarf and the Hero Squad

"[Mountain Heart Workshop], one of the finest smithies in Mormans.

"Its owner, [Mountainheart Dwarf], Gulashi Gan, is known as the dwarven Divine Craftsman. He enjoys considerable standing in Mormans and is highly respected by adventurers, though rumor has it that he is also extremely eccentric and arrogant..."

Little Black, the intelligent AI of the [Hundred-Refined Divine Machine], gave Jiang Yuan an introduction in his ear.

Jiang Yuan murmured an acknowledgment, studying the furnace-shaped [Mountain Heart Workshop] before him.

Just as he raised his foot to step inside, something happened.

A fierce, scorching wave of heat blasted him in the face.

Along with it came a face of furnace flames formed from an overwhelming pressure. It shot Jiang Yuan a displeased, angry look.

"Get lost!"

The apparition vanished.

But the lingering heat of those furnace flames refused to dissipate.

Jiang Yuan frowned slightly.

Was this... a refusal to see visitors?

"Hahahaha..."

"Where did this little rookie come from? Stunned, huh? You don't even know Shanhuo Workshop's rules, and you dare come here? Hurry up and go home."

A bearded, middle-aged man selling materials at a nearby stall roared with laughter.

"On Blue Star, the line of people wanting that old geezer to forge weapons for them could stretch from here to the Pentagon. You need an appointment. Without a reservation token from Shanhuo Workshop, you aren't getting in."

"Do you really think a Ninth-Tier smith is some goblin out in the wild, someone a rookie like you can see whenever he pleases?"

Seated at his street stall, the bearded man mocked him without restraint, utterly dismissive of a rookie like the boy before him.

"A reservation token..."

Jiang Yuan murmured the words.

"That's right. But those things aren't easy to come by. Their price has been driven sky-high, and they're hard