I Made Up Forbidden Spells, and They Actually Worked?

Dean Bruce remained unfazed, showing no reaction to the Dwarves' shouts and accusations from across the room. He stood silently, awaiting the arrival of their chief.

After all, it was his first time here, and any dealings must be conducted with the Dwarves' chieftain.

Soon, the shouting came to an abrupt halt, and the gathered dark shadows scattered away. A figure, noticeably taller than the rest, approached. This dwarf stood as high as Dean Bruce's chest.

"Billis, you're much later than usual this time."

Hearing the slightly raspy voice, and noticing the familiarity with Billis William's name, Dean Bruce confirmed the figure's identity. He smiled and said, "Billis didn't come. He gave me the address and asked me to trade with you instead."

As soon as he spoke, there was silence from across the room. After a while, the figure finally responded, "Since you made it here, I won't ask further questions. What I need is food and some liquor! What I can offer are weapons and equipment, or perhaps some ores!"

"I've brought the goods, and I don't have high demands. Just enhance some of the equipment I'm wearing."

Dean Bruce paused and then asked, "How should we go about the trade?"

He had examined the surroundings carefully and noticed no passageways nearby.

A voice came from the other side, "Just push the items into the light screen. This screen only obstructs living beings, causing a lightning-like strike if one tries to cross. Non-living items can pass through freely."

Slightly surprised, Dean Bruce curiously examined the light screen.

Without much hesitation, Dean Bruce tossed an unbound Storage Ring. As expected, the light screen did not hinder it. It was like dropping something into water, causing ripples before disappearing completely.

Moments later, the voice across the screen became excited, "Good, very good! You've brought quite a lot of supplies this time. Throw over the equipment you want enhanced, and I'll have someone work on it right away!"

Detecting the joy in the voice, Dean Bruce promptly tossed over the Black and White Armor, the Blue Shadow Ring, and even his staff.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Dean Bruce took out a bronze golem from his system space and pushed it in as well.

The bronze golem, lacking any signs of life, was also forged. Perhaps the Dwarves could enhance it too.

"Huh?"

The voice from across the screen sounded surprised, "You managed to get your hands on a bronze golem? If I recall correctly, these are defective products from thousands of years ago. Are your ancestors from some imperial family?"

The corner of Dean Bruce's mouth lifted slightly. The fact that the Dwarves recognized the bronze golem meant that they knew how to craft them, and enhancing it would be a breeze.

Without answering the question, Dean Bruce asked straightforwardly, "Can you manufacture more of these golems?"

"Yes, we can!" A voice from the other side responded, "However, we're confined within this area. We only have ores, but not enough bronze material to craft golems. If you can bring us the necessary materials, we could mass-produce them, and even create upgraded versions with enhanced power and lower crystal core consumption."

Hearing this, Dean Bruce couldn't help but smile in delight. Unfortunately, he didn't have any bronze materials on him at the moment.

"Ah, this is still the oldest version designed to store arrows. What a pity. We don't have any shells left either. Otherwise, with a bit of modification, we could turn those arrows into explosive shells. Such firepower could even injure or cripple an ordinary archmage!"

Upon hearing the Dwarves' words, Dean Bruce's eyes lit up. He quickly asked, "Can these golems be equipped with gunpowder?"

"Huh? A human? You actually know about gunpowder?" The Dwarven chief's voice immediately shifted to one of surprise. "Gunpowder is a unique invention of our race, developed alongside the Goblins! I only mentioned shells earlier, yet you know about gunpowder?"

Dean Bruce chuckled, "What's the matter? Is it so hard to believe that others might know about gunpowder and shells besides your people?"

There was a long silence from the other side before the Dwarven chief finally spoke, "It seems I've underestimated humans today. Young man, I am Palos. May I ask your name?"

Orcs didn't have surnames; they were only given individual names.

"Dean Bruce!"

"Mr. Dean, let me take care of this transaction first. When you manage to acquire bronze materials or gunpowder, we can discuss more detailed terms."

Palos continued in a soft voice, "I've taken a look. Even if I enhance the items you've given me, they won't be as valuable as the resources you brought. Is there anything else you need?"

"I do have some gunpowder, but not much. Could you help modify this bronze golem for me?"

Dean Bruce felt a wave of relief wash over him. It was fortunate that before his system awakened, he had dabbled with a bit of gunpowder out of boredom. Now it could finally be put to good use.

Pure gunpowder alone wouldn't pose much of a threat to powerful beings, but once turned into shells and activated by a crystal core, it could become a force even an archmage would approach with caution.

"Certainly!" Palos agreed readily. "However, modifying the golem will take some time, possibly an entire night. Can you wait?"

"Of course!"

Dean Bruce didn't hesitate. He tossed the Storage Ring, which contained the last of his black powder, through the light screen.

"Please be patient, esteemed guest. I will complete everything as soon as possible."

As Palos finished speaking, the group of dark shadows gradually dispersed into the depths of the cavern.

Dean Bruce couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.

Those items he handed over were incredibly valuable!

Not to mention, he had just handed over a ton of treasures. If the Dwarves decided to run away, he'd suffer a huge loss!

However, after mentioning gunpowder, Dean Bruce noticed a significant shift in Palos's tone, which had become much more amicable. It seemed unlikely that they would take off with his belongings.

After a long while, Nicholas William finally spoke up, "So… are we just going to sit here and wait?"

Nicholas William had been too young to participate in previous trades, so he wasn't familiar with the process.

Sensing Dean Bruce's gaze, Nicholas William immediately shut his mouth and refrained from speaking further.

For a while, the entire cave fell into silence, and time ticked away slowly.

It was unclear how much time had passed when the sound of footsteps echoed through the cave, waking the half-asleep Dean Bruce.

"Mr. Dean, please step back a bit."

Palos's voice called out. Dean Bruce didn't hesitate and quickly pulled the still-dazed Nicholas William back a few steps.

Clang—Clang-Clang!

In an instant, a series of crisp clattering sounds echoed, and a pile of items, shimmering with a brilliant glow, passed through the light screen and fell onto the ground.

Dean Bruce's gaze swept over the pile. The Black and White Armor, Blue Shadow Ring, staff, and even the bronze golem were all there. Not only were they present, but they looked even more radiant than before. He let out a long sigh of relief.

The tension that had been hanging over him finally dissipated!

"All of those pieces of equipment have been enhanced, but there's no one in our tribe who understands magic. So, we can't determine exactly how much they've been improved. You'll have to test them yourself! As for the modified bronze golem, although it now has the capability to fire cannons, it can only do so a limited number of times."

"There's too little gunpowder. If you could bring us more materials, we could produce more gunpowder for you as well! However…"

At this point, Palos hesitated, as if there was something he wanted to say but was holding back.

Dean Bruce paused for a moment and quickly realized what was on his mind. A smirk crept onto his lips, and he spoke softly, "Chief Palos, are you perhaps curious about my gunpowder formula?"

"Yes, that's right!" Palos sighed, "I never expected that after all these years, human research on gunpowder would advance so rapidly. The power of this gunpowder far surpasses what we developed back in the day!"

Dean Bruce asked directly, "If I were to give you the formula, what benefits would you offer me in return?"

Palos fell silent immediately.

After a long pause, he finally sighed and said, "In the future, our tribe can unconditionally forge and enhance equipment for you. As long as you can provide the materials, we will never refuse any task that is within our capabilities."

"What do you mean by 'within your capabilities'?"

Dean Bruce knew the importance of language in negotiations and understood that setting clear terms was crucial. He wasn't going to leave any room for ambiguity in Palos's words.

Palos responded, "As long as you provide the blueprints, we can forge whatever you need. Moreover, although our tribe has been trapped here for many years, we know of a location where a bronze mine exists."

Pausing for a moment, Palos continued, "Aren't you interested in crafting bronze golems? As long as you find that bronze mine and secure enough materials, wouldn't you be able to craft as many bronze golems as you want? You could even continue your research to further enhance them!"

Hearing this, Dean Bruce couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

If he could truly gain control of a bronze mine, it wouldn't just enable him to produce more bronze golems—it could also be a valuable source of income!

"Swear a blood oath. If you take a blood oath, I will give you the formula."

Dean Bruce's voice was calm, with no hint of hesitation or reluctance.

It was no joke—the formula wasn't even his to begin with. Why refuse if he could gain substantial benefits from it?

Buzz—

Before long, Palos's solemn vow echoed in his ears, and a faint red light penetrated through the light screen, entering his body.

"Ding!"

"System Notification: The host has successfully formed a Magical Faith Badge with Palos. Any party that breaks this oath will be punished by the gods!"

The system's warning wasn't as grave as that of Claire Raymond's earlier, probably because it was witnessed by a different deity. Nevertheless, divine punishment was serious enough.

The Dwarves had no power to contend against a deity and naturally wouldn't dare break their oath!

Satisfied, Dean Bruce calmly relayed the formula. He then bent down to pick up all the equipment, and with a slight thought, summoned the system to check their exact attributes.