I Picked Up the Fallen Earth

Chapter 6 The Dwarven Craft (1)

“Ah… damn it.”

Jeron had been filled with dreams and hopes until just a moment ago.

He thought life would be so much easier if he could have exclusive access to Earth.

After all, what could be a bigger cheat key than being able to supply unlimited resources to this barren and impoverished territory?

Jeron returned to his room to research the portal and discovered a few facts, unable to hide his disappointment.

Before he started transferring goods from Earth in earnest, he found that there was a kind of weight limit to the portal’s function during a deeper investigation.

He realized this after moving a forge’s iron and seeing the golden glow on his palm gradually fade.

It was a simple experiment, and if it were possible to bring in unlimited goods, he thought of getting a truck to transport loads of supplies.

If he could arm the territory’s troops and bring them to Earth, raiding a military base, the game would essentially be over.

Just imagine what would happen if he could bring a tremendous amount of firearms and arm everyone.

Conquering the world in a few years wouldn’t be an impossible task.

However, after learning about the weight limit for transferring things through the portal, he couldn’t help but feel as if the family’s guardian dragon was smirking at him.

[Mwahaha! Trying to live life on easy mode? Don’t expect life to be that simple. You might just end up bald.]

“Damn lizard, putting on airs like that.”

But that wasn’t the only problem.

Not only the weight, but the volume of the items also affected the process, akin to how a courier service charges based on both weight and volume.

Jeron summarized the facts he had discovered so far.

1. Bringing items from another world makes the color of the golden key fade, and if it turns completely black, no more items can be transported for the day.

2. The key’s color is also related to the stay duration. The more items he transfers, the shorter the duration he can stay on Earth.

3. The golden key has a recovery period during which it regains its power.

The power of the golden key was not infinite.

He wondered if his ancestors also faced such limitations.

It was a reasonable hypothesis.

The family’s power, received from a gacha game of sorts, was random, but still special compared to others.

And yet, despite the use of such exceptional power through generations, they remained only a baron family, which was somewhat odd.

The issue was the almost premature nature of the power granted by the guardian dragon.

There were two hypotheses he could form based on what he had confirmed so far.

First, replenishing the power of the golden key might involve one’s inner mana.

The existence of magicians capable of wielding magic was very rare, and those who had mastered magic to assist in warfare were incredibly valuable individuals.

This hypothesis seemed plausible because the family’s rank had significantly risen in the generation of an ancestor believed to possess magical power.

At one point, the Farrow household had even become a count, boasting great influence.

Second, it could simply be a case of congenital premature limitation.

Honestly, this was an even worse scenario.

If the first hypothesis was correct, acquiring magic could increase the amount of goods that could be brought from Earth. But if there was an absolute limit?

“Then… the only option would be to remove the dragon from the family’s crest.”

He had to believe that gaining magic power would provide strength.

Only then could he possibly gain any power in this cursed medieval world.

Knock, knock.

“Milord?”

Violet had brought a puppy.

This was for conducting a lifeform experiment, to see if someone other than Jeron could also pass through the portal.

Based on the results so far, the portal didn’t seem to cause harm, but he wasn’t exactly keen on using a living person for a life experiment. It’s not like they had death row inmates in the territory.

“…”

Violet stood silently by Jeron’s side.

“Please leave.”

“May I stay a little longer? I think I should clean and maybe do some laundry…”

“If needed, I’ll call. Leave now.”

With a sullen expression, she left Jeron’s room.

Now, the experiment(?) with the living subject begins.

Can the puppy make it through the portal?Panting heavily, after opening the portal and releasing the puppy, it raced around the room in excitement.

It was probably its instincts kicking in as it sniffed around here and there. He worried that it might start marking its territory, which would be problematic.

Spotting another world unfolding in one corner of the room, the puppy charged at full speed.

“Hey there! You can’t run off like that!”

With a splash, the puppy tried to cross the portal but was gently pushed back. The portal evidently did not harm living beings directly.

This time, holding the puppy, Jeron attempted to go through the portal. Together, they smoothly passed through.

“It worked?” This was a significant discovery. He had been deeply concerned about what to do if living beings couldn’t pass through, but it seemed that humans could cross without much trouble as well.

However, one couldn’t just pass through; physical contact with me was necessary to transition to Earth. I quickly checked for any penalties.

“I thought as much.”

Jeron had anticipated this. His golden key never made things too easy. The color of the golden key embedded in his palm had faded significantly. At this rate, it meant he could transport about 15kg worth of goods from Earth.

The current limit appeared to be about 40kg, which was a considerable loss. Unless in special circumstances, it seemed best to avoid crossing the portal with others.

Even without these restrictions, the mere knowledge of his ability to cross worlds could cause a tremendous butterfly effect, so caution was always necessary. With that, the experiment was deemed complete.

Knock, knock.

“Young lord!”

“What is it this time?”

It was Knight Garcia. The knights of the domain were having busy days. A significant gap had been created in the domain’s military forces, and everyone was busy trying to fill it.

They were recruiting troops from villages under the barony’s subjection and training the new recruits.

Increasing the military meant a decrease in the hands needed for farming, which could lead to a decline in productivity in the long term, but there was no helping it.

“Count Hanes has come regarding the tax issue.”

“Is it already time to pay the taxes? Did you ask for a delay?”

“You know the situation as well as I do.”

Garcia looked gloomy. The state of the domain was in disarray, and we had lost military power, creating a massive gap. However, that was an internal matter of the domain.

Failing to pay the set taxes to the count would result in immediate revocation of trading rights. The principal income of the domain was from various herbs and monster hides, and the count’s domain processed these materials.

In the kingdom, not just anyone could trade; one needed a permit, and without trading rights, the Farrow household required the count’s assistance as much as breathing.

In the ruthless world of nobility, humanitarian aid did not exist. Thus, not paying the taxes meant immediate revocation of trading rights.

“I’ll take care of it soon.” Jeron pondered. The nobility was indeed heartless, but unless one was an enemy, it was uncommon to excessively exploit or cause problems to another’s domain.

Count Hanes was from the same faction, and there was no reason for him to harm the barony intentionally. Contracts in the medieval period were based on agreements; once a contract was documented, nobles tended to uphold it even at the risk of their lives. Failing to uphold a contract meant one was not fit to be a noble, and in severe cases, it could lead to the loss of one’s title.

While the tax issue was unavoidable, the Count Hanes wasn’t a complete villain.Every time taxes were paid, the barony prepared and sent a gift, but the count sent back a gift of greater value in return. One could think of it as a kind of tribute trade. Although this so-called tribute trade only added about 10% more value to the gifts, not two or three times, it had indeed helped the estate’s economy.

Suddenly, Jeron recalled the items he had swept up from the pharmacy’s second floor yesterday.

“Maybe… I could even clean out the Count with these?”

***

‘I stand corrected. Guardian Dragon, I will call you a protective deity.’

In the Lord’s reception room, Count’s Tax Officer, Romid, was beaming. The knights felt the same.

Not only Knight Garcia but also the Order’s Captain, Knight James, could not hide their astonishment at the sight of the finely engraved golden dragon.

Jeron hardly managed to suppress his laughter. Of course, there was nothing wrong with the ring itself. It was made of 24k pure gold, with a dragon ascending as it clutched a magic pcount in its mouth. The pcount was a sapphire, intricately cut, a craftsmanship not of this world.

On Earth, such rings were popularly known as ‘Dragon Rings’. It was common to see elderly people wearing them in the countryside.

And the case? A case plated with gold, engraved with a landscape painting.

Inside the landscape, a mountain resembling one from a card game and a single pine tree under a moonlight confident to be the eighth lunar phase, a golden dragon was ascending. It was the epitome of tackiness.

‘Honestly, if it were me, I would have sold it off at a goldsmith, but here…’

“What a great treasure, Young Lord!”

Romid’s eyes sparkled with greed. He was tempted to steal it right away and flee. But he knew too well that he would be caught within an hour and executed, so abstaining was the only option.

Pocketing gifts meant for others was unthinkable. Despite widespread corruption internally, there was a line strictly observed in the monarchs’ world.

Betraying one’s own faction bred vendettas, which might not affect the present but could lead to revenges in generations, triggering conflicts among territories. Hence, nobles tended to respect these boundaries.

“I intend to send it as a gift.”

“What?!”

Romid was genuinely shocked. It was undeniably a treasure to his eyes, unsettling him with the idea of sending it as a gift. The estate knights were equally disturbed.

“Ah, but, Young Lord! Sending a treasure as a gift would prevent the ancestors from resting peacefully in their graves!”

“You cannot, Young Lord!”

“Quiet.”

Jeron gave a performance as if he was making a great sacrifice. He didn’t want to do this, but appeared as though he was enduring pain to send the treasure as a gift.

If accepted by the Count, he was expected to return at least 10% more of the ring’s value. Of course, that was if the Count accepted the gift.

At this point, Romid had no choice but to ask outright.

“I’m at a loss for words due to its immense value. Is there anything specific you desire from the Count?”

“I would like to acquire a Mana Cultivation Technique.”

“What?!”

“And weaponry. Please convey my message to the Count, hoping for a favorable outcome.”

After carefully packing the so-called treasure, Romid departed to deliver it to the Count as soon as possible, taking the escort knights with him.

Watching them leave, Knight James urgently asked, “Young Lord! You ordered me to act earlier, and I complied, but I was truly astonished. Isn’t that an item of treasure?”

“Treasure? The only treasure our family has is a golden cup.”

“Then what about the ring earlier…?”

“I found it at an archaeological site. It’s hard to say more, so watch your mouths.”

Jeron could never reveal he had picked it up while rummaging through a drawer on Earth.