As Po Kong had expected, once Stark got busy, he completely pushed his own Coming-of-Age Ceremony to the back of his mind.
It took the four of them quite some effort to get him to recover from his initial shock, but Maela, who had come as usual to deliver food, dealt him another blow.
“Oh? You’re awake, Nerd. I went and checked for you today. It seems your Iron-Heart family’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony this year is in the northern mountains. You have to go to the Frost Giants’ territory and bring something back. The difficulty seems pretty high~ You’ve already prepared these past few days, right?”
“...If I said I haven’t prepared at all, is it too late for me to find a place to hide? Or... if I go and break my leg right now, would I be exempt from participating?”
Stark spoke with a look of utter despair, as if life was no longer worth living.
The group watched in shock as the disoriented Stark actually grabbed a wrench from the table and prepared to whack his own leg. They hurriedly scrambled to stop him.
It took another ten minutes before Starlight and the others finally learned the details of this Coming-of-Age Ceremony from Maela.
As dwarves were a long-lived race, the age for their Coming-of-Age Ceremony was naturally not seventeen or eighteen like humans, but thirty. Furthermore, the specific details of the ceremony changed every year, following a strict calendar and set of operating rules.
This year’s task for the young dwarf warriors approaching adulthood was to enter the Frost Giants’ sphere of influence and find tokens hidden in advance by the Patriarchs.
Like Stone Trolls, Frost Giants also existed in a state of competition with the dwarves. However, those living on the ice plains did not often engage in life-or-death battles with the dwarves. Frictions between the two races only occurred during the winter when large amounts of food needed to be stockpiled.
According to Maela’s description, Frost Giants were massive in size and possessed powerful strength that could almost rival the Dragon Race. However, their population was very sparse, numbering only about ten thousand in total. Encountering a Frost Giant in the vast Northlands was a low-probability event in itself.
Moreover, unlike Stone Trolls, Frost Giants possessed intelligence close to that of humans. Even if friction did occur, as long as one wasn’t too aggressive and retreated quickly, the other party wouldn’t take things too far.
“I know everything you’re saying, but no matter how you look at it, those are Frost Giants! Even the shortest one is as big as a Stone Troll King. I don’t want to go and provoke them!” Unlike Maela’s optimism, Stark looked completely reluctant.
“I’m just a scientist. I don’t have that kind of powerful strength like you guys. Why do I have to stick my nose into a Frost Giant’s den!?”
After hearing all this, Starlight didn’t think it was that big of a deal. “Stark, didn’t you modify some kind of machine a few days ago? That thing could trade blows with the Stone Troll Emperor. Why don’t you just make another... mecha? Beating a few Frost Giants should be no problem at all, right?”
“Starlight, you make it sound so easy. Setting aside whether a giant mecha can even operate normally in the snow, the energy required to get such a big guy into the Northlands is a huge problem in itself.”
“Besides, I only secretly modified a mining machine because I saw how critical the situation was. As long as it’s operated properly, it can be written off as normal wear and tear during wartime. If you want me to get another one now... I don’t have that much money.”
“No, no, no. No matter how I think about it, something feels wrong. I don’t like doing things I’m not sure of. How about I just skip it this time?”
Stark counted the potential problems on his fingers, becoming more discouraged the more he spoke. Finally, he looked at his companions with a helpless expression.
“I say, Nerd! How can you be so cowardly!?” Maela was very dissatisfied and slapped him hard on the back. “You even dared to go up and fight a few rounds with the Stone Troll Emperor. How can you not do it now?”
“That was because I saw you guys were in danger... Anyway, I can’t do it! Maela, stop forcing me! I’ll go tell my uncle later that I’m giving up on this year’s ceremony, okay?” Stark shook his head repeatedly, refusing to accept it.
Seeing that she couldn't persuade Stark, Maela dropped another important piece of information—because of the dangers involved, those participating in the ceremony were free to choose their teammates, as long as they were under forty years old.
“To us dwarves, what’s the difference between forty and thirty? Not everyone is a rare genius like you. Besides, I don’t know many people my age. Where am I supposed to find teammates?”
Stark immediately rejected Maela’s suggestion, but just as he was about to back out again, he happened to catch Maela’s ‘are you an idiot’ expression.
Maela extended a finger and poked him hard twice on the forehead. “I say... have you really turned stupid from doing research? Teammates under forty years old—aren’t they right in front of you?”
“What? You want to go with me? Just the two of us isn’t enough! I don’t want you going to such a dangerous place.”
“Are you really stupid or just acting? Who said teammates have to be dwarves?” Maela looked speechless and shot a glance at Starlight and Po Kong. “Our two human friends here probably don’t even add up to forty years old, do they?”
“Eh??? That’s allowed?” Starlight and Po Kong said simultaneously.
“What? You two wouldn't just watch this weak and helpless friend suffer, would you~~~” Maela drawled her words, looking at the two of them craftily.
Po Kong burst into laughter. “I don’t mind. Since it’s a friend’s request, we have to help him to the end, right? Isn’t that right, Little Star~”
Starlight shrugged, indicating he was ready for orders at any time. Anyway, Maela said it wasn’t very dangerous; it would likely just be going through the motions.
“Wait, what about the two of us?” Seeing the two of them agree so readily, Xia Duo couldn't sit still.
Although the two sisters were actually only in their teens, if the time they spent receiving the Mother Tree’s blessing was counted, Po Kong and the others combined hadn't lived as long as she had.
“Hmm... for elves... I haven't thought about that~” Hearing this question, Maela also ran into a problem. “After all, there’s never been a case in history where someone specifically requested pureblood elves as external aid~”
“Um... since we already have four people now... let’s not trouble Xia Duo and the others, shall we?” Stark suddenly said in a low voice.
“That won't do! Didn't you want safety? We have to carry out safety to the very end!”
“But this seems... to be my ceremony. Maela, shouldn't you ask for my opinion...”
“So what? Do you dare to say no?”
“...I don't dare...”
Ultimately, under Maela’s forceful demands, the details of the operation for Stark’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony were arranged perfectly by the group.
Regarding the arrangement for Moen and Xia Duo, Maela indeed couldn't think of a reason for them to join the team.
However, according to Maela, behind every year’s ceremony, a Patriarch would lead some elites to serve as a final protective measure. She figured that if she just brought it up, it shouldn't be a problem for Moen and the others to join as logistics and support personnel.
If nothing else, they could still step in to help in the event of a dire emergency.
“Sigh... it looks like I can’t escape this time. But thank you all for being willing to help me.” Stark looked at the heroic-looking Maela and let out a soft sigh.
As he spoke, he seemed to suddenly remember something and looked toward Starlight. “Right, regarding the research on Noah and the pendant, I already have some leads. If you give me a few more days, identifying the problem shouldn't be an issue!”
“Oh? So fast?”
Starlight was somewhat surprised. He had originally thought it would take at least another ten days or so to reach a conclusion, but Stark’s speed truly gave him a pleasant surprise.
“Yes, but for now, I still need to spend some time preparing for the ceremony. So... it should be fine to push this back a few days, right?” Stark said with some hesitation.
Starlight saw his concern and comforted him, “Of course it’s fine. We’re not in a hurry to leave anyway. Since there’s already progress, we should definitely wait until you finish your own business first. After all, how many Coming-of-Age Ceremonies does a person get in their life?”
“Yes... thank you so much!” As Stark spoke, he bowed deeply to the group once more.
Rate on N.U.
