Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

“But, Mr. Lyle, we’re in idol management, it’s a dream profession to spread the faith of the Red Dragon.”

"Dreams? People can't just dream. People need to eat too, just like you fire elementals. How come some fools always think they can generate electricity with love?"

Baron Garden pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

"Lord Lyle, I find it hard to accept your point of view. I really like Little Mel; her persistence and gentleness warm my heart. Even as a member of the Frenzied Element, I would want to support her wholeheartedly. If that support were mixed with self-interest, I would feel that this emotion has been tainted!"

Lyle patted the Garden Baron on the shoulder, as if he had been there before, and then patted the warm air around him.

“I understand, I understand… but your vision is still too narrow, Baron Garden. I’m going to teach you the second lesson in idol management now.”

"what?"

"You're not profiting for yourself, you're profiting for the Red Dragon Immelt. Do you understand? We make our lives better by supporting the Red Dragon!"

"...I don't understand."

Lyle chuckled.

"To put it simply, the reason you're working so hard is that you want everyone to like Immelt and want everyone to be willing to follow her, right?"

"Yes."

"Wouldn't it be more convincing to have the operations officers who follow Immelt become better themselves? Because you've followed the Red Dragon, you've visibly benefited, which is exactly how you promote the Red Dragon's allure. It makes everyone believe that following the Red Dragon will improve their lives!"

"I think I'm... starting to understand."

Lyle was very pleased with the astonished expression on the Garden Baron's face.

"Talking about dreams is indeed a noble choice, but it's hard to resonate with people. Material benefits are readily apparent and more attractive. Besides, even the purest fire needs fuel to burn."

"People's hearts can cool down quite easily."

Chapter 636 Fiery Male Model

Contrary to Lyle's expectations, the Elemental Lord's movement in the material world produced little noise. As the Garden Baron glided down Mackenbert's steel corridors, the flame at the very bottom of his body, like the contracting core of a flame, had virtually no effect on the floor.

"If necessary, fire elementals can fly. Our bodies are connected to the elemental plane, and we can draw energy from it to survive. Unless the environment is too harsh, we will not die in the material plane. However, spellcasters can banish us, since we are essentially stowaways to this world. The Great Forge is actually a rift connecting this world and elemental creatures. This is where I was born, but in reality, all fire elementals are born in the Blazing Lands, a region of the elemental plane. The Great Forge is my home in the material world."

Lyle and the Garden Baron walked down the streets of Mackenport, the towering Elemental Lord beside them, though shrinking back to four meters, still stood out. Such a conspicuous presence naturally attracted the attention of the dwarves, but they mostly raised their hammers or goblets, exchanged brief greetings, and then returned to their work or conversations.

Mackenbert had become accustomed to the ever-present presence of fire elementals. Street fire jugglers' performances drew cheers, while fire jugglers' fire elementals elicited even louder applause. Thanks to the presence of the Life Overseer, burns and stings from contact with fire elementals had become minor ailments, like an itchy beard. The Molten Dwarves, due to their adoration of the red dragon Immelt, extended this affection to fire elementals as well. Moreover, fire elementals themselves were excellent forging aids and combat sparring partners.

“Those fire elementals who once departed have returned to the Great Forge. Fighting and burning, excitement and destruction are in our nature; it’s hard to find playmates as high-quality as the Molten Dwarves. Forging is also one of our pleasures; I mean, watching our power coalesce into powerful weapons in the hands of dwarves gives us a sense of accomplishment.” Baron Garden drew a smiling face in the air. “All of this is thanks to Little Mel, I mean, to the red dragon idol we guided together. So, Lyle, we fire elementals have actually benefited…”

"Not enough, Baron Garden. You haven't witnessed the true power of idol activities yet." Lyle interrupted the Elemental Lord, replying with a slightly stern tone. "I will teach you more techniques, so stop saying such discouraging things, okay, Baron Garden?"

“…Yes, Mr. Lyle.”

Lyle nodded, and the corners of his mouth, which had been clenched, quickly turned up into a friendly and gentle smile.

"So first, we need to determine what the fire elementals need and what you can get from the dwarves. Do you need weapons, armor, or more detailed material support..."

Baron Garden reached out and grabbed a scorching flame elemental nearby. Amidst the howls of the low-level elemental creature, he kneaded it into a fireball, aimed, and launched it.

"Hahahaha..." The fireball of maniacal laughter exploded on the bronze gate, and amidst the flying sparks, the original fiery elements reformed, bursting into laughter below. Mackenbert's gate, forged by the magic of the Craftsmen's Council, didn't even bear a dent from this playful impact. It had become a playground for low-level fire elementals.

“Elemental beings have very limited desire for material enjoyment; we enjoy causing trouble, fighting, destruction, and annihilation more. The connection between the elemental planes is enough for us to be self-sufficient in the energy required for survival, and some rare magical materials and powerful spells from the material world may make us stronger.”

"The desire to be powerful is a common pursuit of all living beings, but these dwarves probably can't provide that."

"As for the external enhancements to weapons and equipment, I can only say that their effects on elemental creatures are limited. The equipment of flesh-and-blood creatures is not suitable for us, while the equipment and weapons suitable for elements are very special. They are often made of special materials and are powerful weapons that can only be forged by master blacksmiths. Artifacts, of course, the enhancement of all species by artifacts is very obvious, but those things are not as common as bubbles on lava."

"There are very few weapons and equipment specifically designed for elements. They are not very practical, and the same cost would be much better if invested in flesh and blood creatures."

The Garden Baron spread his hands.

“Elemental weapons are useful to us, but their effects are limited. No master blacksmith would bother to manufacture such cost-effective equipment. To become a master blacksmith, one must be intelligent and not an idiot who enjoys doing thankless work.”

Lyle nodded slowly, his eyes narrowed and he smiled, his expression like that of a fox feigning sleep.

"Really? I think there are quite a few idiots like that."

"Come with me, Baron Garden."

……

Bronze Hall.

Craftsmen's Council.

Here gathered the most skilled blacksmiths in Mackenbert. They were the reason for the dwarves' strength, the pillars of their army, and the guarantors of their livelihood. The arrogant, noble, intelligent, and mature dwarven masters… were currently all slumped over their seats.

Why did His Majesty summon us so suddenly today?

“I don’t know. I was still trying out new ideas in my workshop when my son led the Overseer of Life to smash down the door of my workshop, beat me up, and told me to come to a meeting.”

"No wonder you look so good today. You don't look like a five or six hundred-year-old old man who has been staying up for seven or eight nights in a row."

"Heh heh, I've been getting up early every day to hammer myself with the Red Dragon Hammer. I can forge for another hundred years!!!" With that, the dwarf master pulled out the familiar Red Dragon Hammer. The Red Dragon Hammer wasn't just for the entire Life Overseer; in fact, after the last council meeting, everyone in the Craftsmen's Council had acquired one through various means. This was a divine hammer that wouldn't damage equipment—could any blacksmith refuse it? Gradually, the Red Dragon Hammer became a symbol of the Craftsmen's Council. Rewarding a blacksmith with a Red Dragon Hammer became an unwritten rule.

"So, you old guys really do spend all your time in the workshop now that you've got the hammers, huh!"

"Nonsense! With the energy and drive of youth, I need to forge even more and better equipment on the anvil to match my rejuvenated body!!! I'm going to forge iron until I die!"

The King of Dwarves happened to walk in and, upon hearing the councilors' conversation, couldn't help but feel ashamed.

"My dear ministers, you must take care of your mental health. The Red Dragon Hammer cannot cure mental illness."

"Not at all, Your Majesty is very busy. You should be the one taking care of your health. Did you eat anything today?" After the pleasantries, the hot-tempered dwarf councilor directly asked Visselg why he was disturbing them with so many meetings, even though the last artisans council meeting hadn't been that long ago.

Wieselger felt helpless.

Before Lyle arrived, these councilors practically wanted a new Craftsmen's Council every day, using their seniority to find opportunities to boss them around. They looked down on the new king with utter contempt.

Now, they also find it extremely annoying, finding it troublesome and afraid of being disturbed.

"Today's council meeting was initiated not by me, but by a special guest..."

The dwarven councilors, who had been making a ruckus in their seats, fell silent. Macquarie Tower had hardly any special guests these days, except for that one dragon priest named Lyle. And this guy had humiliated all the councilors in the last meeting. That smiling young man had mercilessly pointed out everyone's narrow-mindedness, giving them a thorough dressing-down in the most sacred bronze hall of Macquarie Tower.

All the councilors were furious, yet everything he said and did seemed right. Especially now, having enjoyed the power of the red dragon, every dwarf councilor felt like a fool when they looked back on their past selves. Everyone felt a little intimidated by Lyle; this seemingly frail human's thoughts and actions were not something they could confidently criticize.

This led to the situation that arose in the Craftsmen's Council in MacKembert.

The councilors resisted Lyle, but they looked forward to the new changes this dragon priest would bring to the dwarves.

"Our guest in today's council is the Garden Baron from the Melting Pot..."

"Phew, that scared me to death, thank goodness..." The congressman, feeling somewhat relieved after what seemed like a futile internal struggle, relaxed and slumped down.

“And Lyle.” Wiselger’s long beard obscured his sinister smile.

"!!!" The councilors completely collapsed, looking dejectedly at the tall, fiery figure that entered from outside the bronze hall and the small figure beside him.

As soon as Lyle entered, he felt the evasive gazes. He looked at the dwarf councilors, who were staggering about, with a puzzled expression.

"My lords, are you all exhausted? That won't do! I was too hasty and didn't consider your feelings. I'm so sorry."

"Not at all, not at all," the councilors quickly replied with smiles, suddenly realizing that showing weakness wasn't so bad.

"Well, Captain Paul, please let the Overseer of Life come out and give the councilors a wake-up call and a boost of morale. I'm begging you!"

"No need, no need!!" The councilors regained their energy, avoiding the miserable fate of being scolded and beaten in the sacred hall.

After this adjustment, the procedures of the Craftsmen's Council became much smoother.

Lyle stood on the central platform and gestured for Baron Garden to come up.

"Gentlemen, I'm sure you all know this elemental lord. Let me reintroduce him. This is our good neighbor, the elemental lord of the Great Forge, Baron Garden, who is also a follower and operations officer of the Red Dragon Immelt. This fire elemental lord is our ally, and like you, he is a trusted partner of the Red Dragon Immelt."

Lyle pointed to the Garden Baron's body, gesturing for everyone to look closely.

Don't you think he's missing something?

The councilors began whispering among themselves, their eyes filled with confusion as they looked at the Garden Baron's fiery body.

"I don't know, he's missing both legs?"

"You're missing clothes, you idiot! Are the followers of the great Red Dragon Lady supposed to remain naked forever? Don't you have any conscience?!"

“Do elemental creatures need clothes?” “Idiot, Mr. Lyle means equipment. Elemental lords need a set of equipment to make their red dragon followers look more powerful.”

Lyle was very pleased that these seasoned veterans understood so quickly.

“Excellent suggestion, Your Excellency Lyle. Baron Garden has contributed greatly to the Great Forge and Mackenbert, and we are very happy to help this elemental ally. Although elemental equipment is a bit troublesome to make, everyone here is a master blacksmith, so crafting a set of equipment won't take too much effort.”

Lyle was pleased and nodded in satisfaction.

"If possible, make it in separate units, and make more to ensure flexibility."

“Okay, no problem. Lord Lyle is really thinking of us. This way, we can divide the work much better.”

Lyle rubbed his hands together, a fawning smile on his face, as he looked at the dwarf king, Visselg.

"Your Majesty, regarding the issue of equipment compensation..."

The dwarf king waved his hand magnanimously.

"Hahaha, I thought it was something serious. Lyle, you're a friend of us Molten Dwarves, and you've shown us the true power of the Red Dragon Lady. We're more than grateful to you. As for the payment for crafting elemental gear, haha, we don't need to talk about money between us, it'll hurt our feelings. We'll provide the Garden Baron with a set of gear for free."

Baron Garden, the fire elemental lord, was somewhat surprised. Having spent many years with the dwarves, he naturally knew their unpleasant tempers. And now, this human, Lyle, Immelt's foster father, had actually managed to obtain a set of elemental equipment from the dwarves through their connections. This wasn't some cheap knock-off; it was a powerful set of equipment custom-made for him by all the dwarven master blacksmiths of the Craftsmen's Council. If this were traded in the elemental plane, his offer would definitely make the elemental lord envious.

What kind of power is hidden within this tiny body?

Baron Garden didn't understand, but he soon grasped another point.

A master is always a master; you can't even imagine.

Lyle, who had his arm around the Dwarf King's shoulder, suddenly turned cold, dismissing Vissel's brotherly affection.

Lyle looked at the tolerant dwarf king with an expression of utter disbelief.

"Free? You're dreaming. You'll have to pay."

The Garden Baron was shocked, the Dwarf King was shocked, and the members of the Craftsmen's Council were shocked.

What did this man just say?

"You mean we have to design and build equipment for the Garden Baron, and then pay him for it?"

“That’s right. We don’t want dwarven coins, and we don’t want those elemental creatures either. Just give us some magic crystals or precious metals or other common goods. If your treasury is really empty, I can act as guarantor and let you borrow money from the Wandering City’s Demon Loan. We’ll keep clear accounts as brothers, and no one will owe anyone anything.”

Lyle's words were so shocking that the members of parliament forgot to be angry.