Chapter 36
Whether or not the cat interfered with the use of the lint roller, its development was absolutely necessary.
Ruan diligently began planning the fifth prototype.
‘I should try making it with slightly weaker adhesive this time. Did I use up all the materials I gathered for this? I’ll have to get more after work hours. I should prepare plenty in case it fails again.’
He was unaware that the Grand Duke was glaring at the lint roller in his hand.
* * *
After work hours.
Ruan saw off the Grand Duke, who had been staring at him with an oddly persistent gaze before leaving for patrol. Then he left the office to get new paper and adhesive.
He didn’t forget to take the failed fourth prototype with him.
‘I can reuse the body anyway… I should recycle it.’
Honestly, it was because he wasn’t confident he could make it again.
Ruan fiddled with the lumpy and rough body of the prototype, recalling the time he had struggled to create it.
It was fine up to the point where he got a suitable piece of wood to shape into the desired form. The problem was Ruan’s craftsmanship in refining it.
Even when he was Kim Ha-jin, he wasn’t particularly skilled with his hands. But since this was an entirely different body, and he wasn’t trying to create a complex shape, he thought it would be manageable…
Whether his hopeless craftsmanship remained unchanged despite changing bodies, or if the original owner of this body was also terrible with his hands.
During the production process, he realized how unrealistic his goals were and had to give up on objectives like a neat appearance and excellent performance one by one. In the end, he aimed just for it to serve its purpose. Honestly, even achieving just that was quite a struggle for Ruan.
The resulting body was unbalanced and rattled, and its rough surface kept pricking his hands, but…
He wasn’t confident he could make anything better even if asked to do it again. So what could he do? He just had to use it.
‘And it’s a miracle I didn’t injure my hand…’
Ruan sighed heavily, recalling the moments when he barely stopped himself from deeply stabbing his hand with the blade. As he was walking briskly,
“Assistant?”
Someone called out “Assistant” from behind. It was quite a rare way of address in this place where everyone called him “Ruan” rather than by his position.
At this time, for someone to call Ruan like this…
Ruan quickly put on the face of a reliable human assistant and greeted,
“Hello, Mr. Ulrik.”
At Ruan’s greeting, the dwarf craftsman Ulrik’s large mouth curved into a pleasant smile.
“Yes, good evening, Assistant.”
Ulrik said as he approached Ruan with quick steps.
“Indeed, there’s nothing that isn’t tall among human objects.”
Ruan responded with a kind smile to the dwarf whose eyes were sparkling as if he had seen something interesting.
“You’ve been looking around Reinke’s objects, I see. Reinke people are generally large even among humans, so most things are made to fit them. We’re separately producing items for dwarf craftsmen to use during their stay after the agreement is signed.”
The work of the boisterous dwarf delegation that had arrived was progressing smoothly and was now in the final stages.
There was a minor issue of the dwarves falling into a state of extreme excitement whenever the Grand Duke and Ruan were together, but… anyway, the agreement between Reinke and the dwarves was proceeding in a direction satisfactory to both races and was now just awaiting signing.
The important matters had all been decided, and both sides were satisfied with them. The atmosphere was gradually shifting towards the two races, soon to be allies, building friendly relations.
Once the agreement is signed and the delegation returns, it won’t be long before practitioners responsible for supporting wall construction, weapon production, and technical exchanges come to Reinke.
Given this situation, Ulrik, who would be staying in Reinke as a practitioner, had asked permission to look around Reinke, and the young dwarf seemed to be enjoying his newly acquired right until late.
“If you need anything, we can make it while you’re here. And many dwarves will probably bring their own things packed up because they prefer what they’re used to. They’re all very attached to their own items.”
Ruan had also heard that dwarves greatly cherish each of their possessions.
Dwarves are said to never neglect anything they make with their own hands. Every creation is like a child to them. That’s why they meticulously craft even everyday items as if they were works of art, maintain them well, and repair them for continued use. For dwarves, there’s no such thing as a disposable item that can be easily replaced.
‘It’s quite different from the extreme pragmatism of Reinke. In Reinke, even if they repair things, it’s not out of attachment but more of a mindset of using what’s available due to lack of resources.’
As dwarves would be staying in Reinke for extended periods and interacting closely with the people here, even such minor points differed. As Ruan was pondering what more needed to be prepared for the two races to get along well,
“By the way, is that also a tool used in Reinke?”
At the sudden question, Ruan’s thoughts, which had wandered far, returned.
The sparkling gaze of the craftsman of a different race was… directed at the lint roller prototype made by the clumsy human.
‘It seemed like a usable item until just now…’
Why does it feel so embarrassing in front of a dwarf?
But he couldn’t not answer just because he felt awkward, so Ruan opened his mouth sheepishly.
“This… isn’t originally used here, it’s something I’m currently making. It looks ridiculous because I’m not very skilled at making things.”
“You’re making something new? I’d like to hear a detailed explanation.”
Suddenly wearing an expression like a veteran who had discovered a newbie, Ulrik closed the distance abruptly.
‘This…?’
Ruan was slightly taken aback by the expert’s apparent great interest in the product of his miserable skills.
Now that he looked at it, it seemed a bit embarrassing to show even to humans.
Ruan looked at the prototype once, then at the dwarf’s intense eyes, then at his crudely made creation once more, and finally held out the prototype, feeling like an undergraduate submitting a major assignment to a professor.
‘Right. What would a professor expect from an undergraduate anyway? It’s silly for an undergraduate to be embarrassed by the result of their best efforts…’
Ulrik began examining the prototype with interest.
“Paper is wrapped around it, and it’s structured so that the paper roll can turn.”
At Ulrik’s words, Ruan opened his mouth to explain the purpose of the lint roller.
“Yes. The Du…”
And immediately closed it again.
‘That was close.’
To think he was about to talk about the Grand Duke in front of a dwarf. And to say he was making something because of the Grand Duke.
‘If I did that…’
Scenes he had encountered several times over the past few days flashed through Ruan’s mind. The images of dwarves who, despite looking like calm and serious craftsmen, would suddenly transform, snorting steam, whenever the Grand Duke and Ruan did anything together.
‘Official! This is official shipping material!’
‘Great! We need to create works based on this!’
‘I’ve already made one!’
‘Oh, you genius! Can I make something new by adding to this material?’
‘Of course! Just show it to me when you’re done!’
He thought he had developed some immunity due to the Reinke people who take gossip seriously, but the dwarves were a different problem altogether.
Because…
‘Look at this! I’ve expressed their love in a painting!’
‘Wow. A whole narrative emanating from a single picture. You’re a real genius. I tried sculpting.’
‘The color combination and the atmosphere it creates is great, isn’t it? I made a tapestry…’
The dwarves went beyond just talking; they created things.
And… they made an incredible number of works, continuously, to an incomprehensible degree.
Ruan couldn’t understand how they managed to create so much in such a short time, especially amid the busy schedule of negotiating the agreement terms.
Ruan glanced at Ulrik’s face.
Fortunately, Ulrik didn’t seem to have noticed what Ruan was about to say and still wore the face of a gentle professor.
Ruan quickly changed his words before Ulrik could demonstrate that professors and maniacs are just a hair’s breadth apart.
“It’s a cleaning tool where dust and debris stick to the adhesive applied to the paper roll when you roll it. I made it to easily remove debris stuck to clothes or carpets.”
“Ah, that would certainly be convenient. It’s a brilliant idea.”
Ulrik, who had been touching the adhesive part with his hand at Ruan’s words, asked,
“But what is this adhesive made of? It seems to be a material I haven’t seen before…”
That’s…
“It’s made by boiling orc tendons.”
